Herta Space Station.
The post-disaster reconstruction work had come to a temporary close. The surviving researchers had returned to their usual calm and leisurely lives.
In a meeting room.
A researcher, slacking off, was secretly swiping on his phone under the table. Compared to his colleague droning on at the podium, he felt that spending time on a game was far more meaningful.
He opened the 'New Games' tab.
Scrolling down.
He suddenly saw the words: [Honkai: Star Rail].
"Star Rail?"
"Isn't that the Astral Express of those Nameless who helped out a while ago?"
"I remember it was even docked at the space station's platform for some time!"
"This is amazing!"
"Let me see!"
Astral Ark, the Luofu.
Qingque was in her usual state of slacking off. However, she had recently received a stern warning from that terrifying leader of the Divination Commission, which meant she couldn't slack off openly anymore. She could only sneak glances at her Jade Abacus during her free moments.
"Little Gui seems to be doing a live stream lately. I'll go check it out."
"Eh? Why isn't she doing her usual acrobatics and variety acts? Why is she streaming a game?"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"Are you sure this is a game?"
"Isn't that the wanted criminal Kafka? I just saw her wanted poster this morning!"
"Oh my, oh my, this is a bit interesting!"
"I'm not going to play tiles after work today. I need to see what this game's story is all about!"
Astral Express.
In the spacious carriage, besides Pom-Pom, the conductor, only Welt and Himeko remained.
Old Yang (Welt) was sitting by the window of the observation car, reading a book. Outside the window was a planet covered in ice and snow. However, he wasn't reading very attentively, occasionally glancing at the scenery outside.
Himeko walked over with a cup of coffee and sat beside him.
"Worried about the kids?"
"Well, it is their first Trailblaze mission, after all. It's natural to be a little concerned."
Old Yang smiled. "No, young people still need opportunities to train."
"Then relax a bit. How about trying this new coffee blend I made?"
Gazing at the black liquid in the cup before him, Welt suddenly felt his throat tighten and his mouth go dry. He quickly opened his phone.
"Er… no, it's alright."
"When I relax, I prefer to play some games."
Actually, Old Yang didn't have any games downloaded on his phone. So, he opened the 'New Games' tab, preparing to download any random game to bluff his way through.
However, among the dazzling array of new game titles, he suddenly saw one that caught his attention significantly.
Himeko keenly noticed the change in Old Yang's expression.
She asked, "What's wrong?"
"Look at this game."
"Honkai: Star Rail? It looks like a game designed with our Astral Express as the theme."
"There's no mistake." Old Yang pushed up his glasses. "Its logo is the icon of the Express."
"There have been some developers in the past who designed elements related to the Express. However, since they aren't Nameless who have boarded the Express, the works they design are often wildly imaginative and far removed from our true Trailblaze journey."
Old Yang knew Himeko was still being very diplomatic. Instead of "wildly imaginative," it was more like "a complete mess." They were usually trashy works just trying to ride on the Express's popularity.
Himeko clearly thought this game was similar, already somewhat unfazed by such things.
However, Old Yang didn't think so.
Compared to the latter four words of the title, he was more concerned about the game's prefix.
— "Honkai"!
He sincerely hoped the game's developers were using this word as an adjective, and not the [Honkai] he was imagining.
"Anyway, since we have some rare leisure time now, why don't we check out this game together?"
"Alright," Himeko readily agreed.
"But let's be clear beforehand, if I find out it's one of those shoddily made, cheap games, I won't be sticking around."
Leo was still unaware that the mobile game he had released was already starting to attract the attention of certain relevant individuals across the galaxy.
At this moment, accompanying Guinaifen's live stream, the turn-based gameplay of Honkai: Star Rail was about to be showcased—
Another Stellaron Hunter's voice came from behind the screen (in-game):
"Can you make it a bit more fun for me this time? The previous few operations were so boring."
"Apologies. Today's mission is exceedingly dull: merely to 'put' the target 'inside'."
After saying that, Kafka's tone shifted.
"—But if you want to find some fun, I won't stop you. After all…"
As her voice fell, the hatch of the space cabin Kafka was in automatically opened.
She walked forward, placing her hands on her hips.
And in front of her were three Voidrangers, eyeing her menacingly!
"—After all, anything Elio didn't write in the script is inconsequential!"
She drew her twin pistols.
Her pupils dilated in an instant.
The corners of her mouth curved into a delighted arc.
It was as if an impromptu performance had reached its climax!
It felt like the very next second, they would see Kafka mowing down Voidrangers with her submachine guns.
Most people, including Guinaifen, hadn't fully understood the previous dialogue.
But they knew one thing: the Stellaron Hunters were about to cause trouble! A battle with the Antimatter Legion was naturally inevitable!
The current scene also confirmed their expectations.
But just as the dramatic tension reached its peak, the screen suddenly paused.
Following that, cracks appeared across the screen.
What appeared next was a turn-based combat scene, with friend and foe separated into formations, standing still in their positions.
…
In the live stream chat:
"???"
"I already took off my pants, and you show me this?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this is a turn-based game, right?!"
"A bit disappointing, I thought it was going to be a big action scene."
"I was quite interested at first, the opening gimmick was strong, but it's a pity it's a turn-based game."
"This kind of gameplay is so outdated already!"