[Damn! Fellow men of culture understand each other—Kafka right off the bat! That figure, those curves!]
[She's dressed so modestly, yet she feels so... voluptuous!]
[God, who was the genius that created Kafka? I'm in love!]
[Bros, what's the deal with this episode?]
[Checked the description—it's the first half of a pilot episode, setting up the main series!]
[That's so conscientious! Does this mean miHoYo specially filmed a 10-minute episode just to pave the way for the main web series?]
[Seriously, it's been ages since I've seen a production company this dedicated.]
[It's not exactly a new concept. Plenty of shows use spin-offs or comics to flesh out the setting.]
[But you get what you pay for. Since this is just uploaded on a video platform with little monetization, I doubt there's much sincerity behind it.]
[Oh look, here he comes, here he comes—Mr. Keyboard Warrior has arrived.]
[It's true that the previous PVs were only one or two minutes long and well-made, but do you really think any company would produce a 10-20 minute web series at this level just for setup?]
[Exactly! These days, companies have no conscience. Web series are just products—tools to monetize and milk the audience's nostalgia.]
[Let's just watch first! Honestly, as long as Kafka's in it, that's enough for me!]
[Ah, the classic "waifu over meta" crowd.]
[Who even watches web series for the plot these days? Let's be real—we're all here for Kafka's assets.]
[Fair! Absolutely fair! This is the internet—time to tear off our masks of pretense, hahaha!]
[Kafka, stop spamming the chat—I'm trying to watch!]
——
"System time: 23:47:15. You're right on time, Kafka."
The screen that materialized in front of Kafka emitted Silver Wolf's voice—though the audience wouldn't know that yet.
The scene thoughtfully included captions labeling Kafka's name and her affiliation with the Stellaron Hunters.
Kafka remained elegantly composed. "The future Elio foresaw doesn't make mistakes. What was that explosion just now? Was that part of his 'script' too?"
Subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen, with additional explanations for new terms.
[Wow, this is great! Such a considerate touch!]
[Seriously, it makes everything so much easier to understand. The captions explain what the Stellaron Hunters are and who Elio is.]
[What year is it again?]
"At 'system time 23:44:59,' the pulse from the explosion caused a widespread failure in the main control system."
"Was that your doing?"
"The Antimatter Legion's work. They launched a full-scale invasion of the space station two system hours ago."
Kafka let out a bone-melting whistle. "Do we need to engage the Legion?"
"No idea. Elio didn't mention it, so it's not important."
"Understood. Then from this point onward, I'll take over."
"Roger that. Can you at least make this fun for me? The last few operations were so boring."
"Sorry, today's mission is painfully dull—just 'placing' the target where it needs to be. But if you want to have some fun along the way, I won't stop you. After all—"
Just then—
The over-the-shoulder shot abruptly ended.
With a sharp "clang,"
the elevator doors behind Kafka slid open.
The camera rapidly zoomed out—
revealing multiple Voidrangers in the frame.
They turned in unison, their blade-arms raised like predators spotting prey.
For clarity, the video labeled them: [Antimatter Legion · Voidranger · Ravager].
[HOLY SH*T! Is this CGI?!]
[Practical effects, maybe?]
[Nah, practical effects have that distinct suit-and-prop feel. You can see the metallic weight in this.]
[We're not even a minute in, and we're already getting fight scenes?!]
——
The scene cut again—
this time focusing on Kafka's feet before tilting upward, finally settling on her face.
"—after all, anything Elio didn't write into the script… is irrelevant."
Her eyes widened slightly, the smirk on her lips curling just a fraction further.
In one fluid motion, she drew the twin Uzis at her waist and opened fire.
In the game, this would've transitioned into a turn-based tutorial battle.
But directly copying the game's mechanics for the web series would've been ridiculous.
So, Su Chen had meticulously choreographed this fight scene—
to emphasize Kafka's overwhelming strength and cement her persona.
Here, Kafka didn't flinch as the Voidrangers' blades grazed past her.
Not a single shot missed; not a single strike faltered.
Within moments, the Voidrangers lay defeated at her feet.
With a distorted "boom," their remains twisted and dissolved into nothingness.
[???]
[???]
[???]
[The action choreography is insane!]
[That was a one-take! How did they pull this off?! Every move Kafka made was pure style.]
[Right?! When the blades were about to hit her, my heart stopped—but she just kept smiling at the camera, like she was telling me, "Relax, I've got this."]
[And the Voidrangers—those have to be suits, right? No way they're props! But how do they move like that without anyone inside?]
[Then how do you explain the sheer weight of the metal?]
[CGI. Seen this before—just Hollywood-level effects!]
[I don't think so. This feels like a mix of practical sets and props. The camera work's too natural for pure CGI.]
[Keep watching! We're only two minutes in! Gotta admit, Kafka's fight scenes are next-level!]
Holstering her weapons, Kafka scoffed.
As if even this danger had been beneath her.
"Since when was the Antimatter Legion this pathetic?"
The voice in her earpiece responded.
"This was all the manpower I could lure here. Unless you want the Legion's main force on your tail?"
"With enemies like these, the Astral Express crew won't even break a sweat."
"Relax. A Doomsday Beast is on its way."
Here, the subtitles for [Astral Express] and [Doomsday Beast] were highlighted in high-contrast colors—
a deliberate choice by Su Chen to ensure viewers noticed.
Even if they didn't consciously register it, the terms would stick in their minds,
preventing confusion when they reappeared later.
Then—
Kafka pushed open a massive door, revealing the sprawling space station beyond.
[!!!]
[???]
[???]
[!!!]
[Is that a REAL space station set?!]
[It's gotta be CGI!]
[Do you have any idea how much money it'd take to render a scene like this, even with effects?!]
[How big would the green screen need to be to capture something this massive?!]
[I was wrong, I admit it! I should've never doubted miHoYo's production quality!]
[Is it really necessary to be this conscientious for a web series?!]