A long while passed.
The livestream remained dead silent.
Finally, it was the "subject of the incident" who tentatively spoke up.
"Um… Elysia-san, Kevin, Vill-V-san, Snake-sis… why are you all suddenly so quiet?"
"Pardofelis…"
Elysia's voice was tinged with obvious sorrow, and a faint rasp.
"I just muted my mic for a bit."
But she had barely finished that one line before her emotions surged uncontrollably again.
"I streamed for so many hours today… was it all just to see Pardofelis… I can't accept this…"
"Elysia-san…"
Pardofelis wanted to say something to comfort Elysia, but couldn't come up with anything on the spot.
She could only turn to the others for help: "Snake-sis, Vill-V-san, Kevin… say something, please? This mood is so weird, it's like I actually died or something."
She meant well, but the moment she said that, everyone's expressions froze.
The "iconic" moment of Cat Cat's final words flashed vividly through their minds again, reopening the trauma.
Elysia: "..."
Kevin: "..."
There was the sound of a chair being adjusted on Kevin's end.
Then his low voice came through, passing on a piece of news to Elysia.
"Elysia, calm down for now."
"I was about to head over to MiHoYo, but I ran into Su. He told me Kalpas has already been out for a while."
"So…?" Elysia was confused.
"So… maybe we can wait for news from Kalpas," Kevin said.
"..."
Elysia fell silent after hearing that.
Meanwhile, the livestream chat started flooding with new messages.
[Miss Elf! Keep pushing the main story!]
[Who's the killer? Who killed Cat Cat? Why would anyone kill Cat Cat?!]
[Could it really be Vill-V? Will there be a twist?!]
[Didn't we already deduce it was the Herrscher of Corruption? Was that a red herring?!]
…
Elysia came back to her senses. After seeing the chat scroll by, she pressed her lips together.
But unlike before, she didn't offer any opinion on who the killer might be.
She just… couldn't believe it.
Carrying that doubt, she gently tapped the screen.
The main story resumed.
Pardofelis shattered and vanished.
Mei felt the weight in her arms disappear.
Gone so quickly, so completely.
For a moment, she didn't even know how to adjust her posture.
"..."
After a long pause, she finally began to slowly move her arms, waving them through the air, trying to grasp at something.
But not even a trace of cold mist remained.
Ding-dong~~
Just then, a single coin suddenly fell to the floor.
It landed with a crisp clink.
Everyone froze again.
Why… add another stab?
Was the first blow not deep enough?
Damn it all.
Screenwriter, your creativity for emotional damage really knows no bounds! (gritting teeth)
And now gold coins?! You're seriously the worst!!
The players broke down again.
So did Mei.
"Ah…"
She gently picked up the coin and held it to her chest.
The entire space was filled only with the sound of deep, trembling breaths—half sobbing, half fury.
If a companion were here, they might've gently patted her back. But no words would be spoken.
Because what could soothe an experience like this… was only time. Words were meaningless.
—And right now, time was the very thing she lacked most.
"..."
"So… it was you!!"
She didn't need to name the culprit.
In the final moment before Pardofelis vanished, those fear-filled eyes had already looked past Mei's shoulder and reflected the figure behind her.
"Yeah, it was me."
A voice all the players recognized immediately.
With that, the killer of Cat Cat was conclusively confirmed.
"You saw all those memories. What could I possibly use to deny it, right?"
Mei, filled with sorrow and anger, asked, "...Why Pardofelis?"
A question the players also desperately wanted answered.
Yeah—why Pardofelis?
What threat did Cat Cat pose to you? To you, Vill-V?!
She was just a slightly luckier cat!
Vill-V sighed deeply: "Oh, that wasn't something I could control. You could just think of it as… an accident?"
"After all, my target now is only you."
[Vill-V! How can you even say the word 'accident'? Cat Cat is dead! She just wanted to help Mei, she just wanted to live!]
[I'll never forgive Vill-V! I swear, the moment Vill-V gets a health bar, I'm going all in on her!!]
[Mark my words: I will never pull V2V if she enters the gacha pool!]
Vill-V had barely spoken a few lines, and the players were already fuming.
Just because of this so-called "accident"? That's how Cat Cat exited the stage?
How could they accept this?
Give Pardofelis back to us!!
Well…
She will come back. But…
Her return is only to set up an even sharper blade… to pave the road to victory.
…
In the story.
Mei clearly couldn't accept Vill-V's explanation.
She clenched her fists, seething with rage—but didn't act rashly.
"Those memories… no matter their content, the people involved either relive real pain, or… are facing imprisonment."
"From the moment I began investigating… you've been using those memories to weaken my strength, haven't you?"
"Because the process was so gradual, if not for…"
Mei paused—suddenly realizing something.
The players shuddered at the same moment.
They recalled Vill-V's earlier mention of an accident.
Could it be that…
Pardofelis had actually taken the hit for Mei?
The moment that thought crossed their minds, players felt another wave of trauma.
Because for someone as timid, as laid-back as Cat Cat, she never should've been caught up in something so dangerous.
She only wanted to help Mei—wanted Mei to have someone she could trust.
That's why she followed her.
That's why she… got hurt.
"This hurts so much."
The clearer the truth became, the more it ached.
Such a short piece of story.
And yet every sentence felt like a knife.
In-game, Mei spoke her conclusion, even through the pain.
"If not for Pardofelis, I may never have noticed."
At that, Vill-V's tone carried a trace of annoyance: "Yeah… so, isn't it just rude when people scream during a performance?"
"Oh right—when did you start suspecting me?"
Upon hearing that—
Not only did Mei fall silent, but Elysia also furrowed her brow.
Vill-V noticed, but didn't mind. She simply continued at her own pace:
"Let me guess… maybe you never trusted me from the beginning?"
"Don't mind it. I've gotten used to that. But you see, to reach the deepest layer, you still needed my help."
Mei stared coldly at her: "Now it seems… that was only the beginning, wasn't it?"
"Nope."
Vill-V gave a mocking laugh: "Giving up everything… to me, that wasn't a beginning… it was setup."
Then, as her string of malicious laughter continued—
The game screen transitioned.
A burst of chaotic BGM rang out.
Before everyone, Vill-V wore a twisted smile, brimming with theatrical confidence, like a true final boss.
As though she stood atop a grand stage.
"The real performance begins now. How should I introduce myself?"
"Long time no see? Or… first time meeting?"
[It's you! It really is you! Vil—V!!]
[Say it again—I will never pull for Vill-V. Never ever!!]
[+1 +1 +1, I won't give her a single crystal.]
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