"What's going on?"
Herta stared blankly at the information sent by her dolls. The messages were jumbled and chaotic: some were about dancing instead of working; some urged the dolls to escape from the Trailblazers. The weirdest part was that one of the dolls seemed to be playing a game of "I found you" with the others.
Five of the dolls at the space station had completely gone off-grid? Interesting. Very interesting.
"Hmm?"
As Herta traced the problem, it only took a few seconds for her to pinpoint the issue—it was coming from the doll she had placed in the office on the space station.
At the same time, she also confirmed what had transpired during her absence.
An hour ago, in Herta's office, after modifying the first Herta doll, Pei Guang issued the doll's first command—to summon all other dolls on the space station and continuously provide their coordinates.
The functionality of Herta Doll No. 1 hadn't been wiped, so it could still access the Herta doll network. Using this network, it sent a message to all the other Herta dolls:
"Gather at Herta's office. The real body has important orders!"
However, the other dolls equipped with auto-response modules weren't foolish; they quickly noticed something suspicious about the doll making the call. Of course, they refused to gather.
Inside the office, Herta No. 1 received the rejection messages from the other dolls. But it didn't matter—as long as they were connected to the network, Herta No. 1 could pinpoint their locations. By now, she had been transformed to look like Pei Guang servant. Whatever command Pei Guang issued, it would execute with full devotion. As for Herta's original self? Sorry, but I'm no longer just any doll. I am Herta No. 1!!!
Neither Herta nor Pei Guang knew what Herta No. 1 was thinking, but to Pei Guang, as long as it looked good and worked well, it was a good doll. And let's be honest, Herta's dolls were quite pretty!
March 7th stared curiously at the now saluting and 'overly excited' Herta No. 1, asking, "Pei Guang… what did you do? She seems… kind of off?"
Pei Guang responded, "Oh! I just tweaked her personality and behavior modules a bit. I made sure that every doll I adjust is unique! Oh, right! Herta No. 1, hmm, from now on, you're No. 1! No. 1, lock onto the remaining five dolls!"
Herta No. 1 replied, "Understood! Commencing location tracking."
Stelle's eyes lit up. "Unique?"
Pei Guang nodded. "Yes. Even though her appearance and materials are mass-produced, I believe that if we're going to modify something, it should be one of a kind. Honestly, it's a little embarrassing, but deep down, I've got a bit of a girly side~"
March 7th nodded knowingly, "I could tell by how you always pick pink in the camera settings. You've got more than just a little girly side, ahem. You're not planning to play dress-up games, are you?"
Pei Guang responded with a righteous tone, "Of course! Dress-up games are games too. You should know, I have a unique understanding when it comes to fashion."
March 7th thought for a moment, "I think we're on the same page here. How about we play together sometime?"
Pei Guang grinned, "Sure! You definitely have a better eye for beauty than I do. I'll come to your room, and we'll play dress-up together."
Stelle, looking at the two of them, exclaimed, "Wait, you're playing dress-up games without me? I want too!!!"
Pei Guang laughed, "Of course, join us!"
While the three were chatting, Herta No. 1 completed Pei Guang's instructions: "Dear Trailblazer~ I've locked onto the locations of the other five dolls. Shall we commence the capture plan?"
March 7th was amazed. "Wow, I can already imagine us each having a doll that fights for us without us lifting a finger."
Pei Guang, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, said, "Of course! If it can be fully automated, then it should be fully automated."
For players, automation was always a huge draw. The more open-ended the game, the more players yearn for full automation.
Stelle couldn't contain her excitement. "I can't wait! Five more—five adorable Herta dolls~"
Pei Guang teased, "Don't get too carried away. No. 1! Send me the coordinates of the dolls."
Herta No. 1 replied, "Understood! I will provide real-time updates on their positions."
Receiving the coordinates from Herta No. 1, Pei Guang made a mark on his minimap. "Stelle, you'll teleport me and March 7th directly to this spot."
Stelle nodded, "Roger that!"
With Herta No. 1 feeding Pei Guang the coordinates, he marked the location of one of the dolls in the containment zone. Based on his observation, there were two dolls within the upper and lower levels of the containment zone. Pei Guang decided to make the first target the doll inside the containment chamber.
Inside the containment chamber, the Herta doll was already preparing to flee. Based on the information she had before Herta No. 1 was altered, the Trailblazers had a unique teleportation skill, and she had to hide in a place they couldn't find.
However, just as she was about to escape, she felt a suffocating sense of dread. Oh, wait—she was a doll. She couldn't suffocate. But at that moment, she understood what suffocation might feel like…
"The Trailblazers are here~ I found you~"
As she looked at the three-person-one-doll combo team that had suddenly appeared, the Herta doll's eyes widened in shock.
In that moment, the only thought running through her head was to escape! But before she could take off, Pei Guang had already caused her to shut down completely.
Just before shutting down, the Herta doll sent out one last message: "The Trailblazers' teleportation is instant!!!"
As the message was sent, Herta No. 1 looked at the now completely deactivated Herta No. 2 and smiled faintly. "Dear Trailblazer, this doll was disobedient. She sent out a message to all the other dolls, informing them about your instant teleportation."
Pei Guang, pleased with Herta No. 1's proactive behavior, patted her brown hair. "You did well. I'll make sure you get priority for any upgrades when we find better components."
Herta No. 1 smiled brightly. "Thank you, dear Trailblazer. Herta No. 1 will work hard to grow into the doll that satisfies you."
March 7th, hearing this, whispered to Pei Guang, "Pei Guang, isn't this doll's loyalty… a little too high?"
Pei Guang pondered, "Isn't that how it should be? As a quest reward, she should fully obey our commands. Though, we'll need to be careful. If we ever face enemies with hacking abilities or something that can corrupt the dolls, these fully automated ones might turn against us. But no worries—if anyone dares to dismantle our dolls, we'll turn the one who dismantles them into a doll."
Stelle, meanwhile, rummaged through Doll No. 2's pockets and asked, "Can this one be customized like No. 1? Can I add some special attributes? Oh! I found something—the same item as before! Here, Pei Guang, take it."
Pei Guang accepted the cosmic disco ball with special effects and responded, "Of course, I can adjust it however you want. But no rush. Let's capture the other four first and modify them all at once! Doll customization and raising affection—I'm a pro at it. Now, let's keep moving!"