Chapter 48: Sampo: I've Been Framed! I'm Not Feathered Spirit, I Swear!
At that moment, in the live stream room:
Little Gui wasn't broadcasting the game's storyline—instead, the screen was frozen on the Astral Express' Parlor Car.
"Huh? Where did Streamer Little Gui go?" Fu Xuan asked, confused, instinctively glancing at Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan shook his head. "Don't look at me, I have no idea."
"She was just here a second ago."
Viewers quickly flooded the chat:
"Did Little Gui just vanish into thin air?"
"Alright, everyone, time to leave. The Cloud Knights must've already hauled the streamer away."
"Seriously? They shut it down?"
"Realm-Keeping Commission, really?! We were just about to dive into the Xianzhou Luofu storyline! At such a crucial moment, taking Little Gui away—does the future of Luofu have something to hide?"
"I'm logging into the game right now to see what major event is coming!"
"Give us back our Little Gui!"
Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan stared at their screens, completely baffled—especially Jing Yuan.
He had personally instructed the Realm-Keeping Commission not to interfere with the stream, ensuring Little Gui could broadcast smoothly!
So how did the streamer just disappear? Who could've acted so quickly?
Taking a deep breath, Jing Yuan immediately pulled out his jade tablet.
[Real Name User] gifted Streamer Little Gui 1 Listening Storm!
[Real Name User] gifted Streamer Little Gui 3 Listening Storms!
[Real Name User] gifted Streamer Little Gui 5 Listening Storms!
As flashy gift notifications filled the screen, Fu Xuan instantly understood.
Right—send gifts!
The stream hadn't been shut down, so the issue wasn't with the broadcast itself.
Something urgent must've happened to the streamer.
But what could be more important than progressing the game's plot?
The entire universe was watching this unfold!
Not wanting to fall behind, Fu Xuan also started spamming gifts.
[Heartless Divination Machine] gifted Streamer Little Gui 5 Super Star Boats!
[Heartless Divination Machine] gifted Streamer Little Gui 10 Super Star Boats!!!
"Whoa, what's happening today? Are we witnessing a battle of the gods?"
"Little Gui, hurry back! With all these big spenders throwing money, I—" [User: '...'] "—am getting secondhand anxiety!"
"Both of you, stop! At this rate, you'll actually summon the authorities!"
Suddenly, Little Gui executed a dramatic spin and somersaulted back into frame.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Thank you to our two amazing benefactors, [RealNameUser] and [Heartless Divination Machine]!"
"Sorry, folks, I just ran to the bathroom! Been holding it in all night!"
"To repay your unwavering support, Little Gui will now redouble her efforts to uncover the story and deliver an even better viewing experience!"
Fu Xuan let out a relieved sigh.
Phew, she's still here!
How would the Astral Express cross paths with the Xianzhou Luofu? What major events were about to unfold?
She was fully invested now.
If she could preview the upcoming plot, she could make informed decisions in advance—always better to be prepared!
---
Meanwhile, on the snowfields of Jarilo-VI:
Aventurine led a squad of IPC security officers, surrounding a highly suspicious trash can.
"Come on out, Sampo." Aventurine twirled a token between his fingers, his tone casual. "You really think a random trash can in the middle of nowhere isn't suspicious?"
The moment he finished speaking, a figure crawled out from under the can.
"Hahaha, just a little joke for you all!"
"What brings my esteemed employers to seek out little ol' me?"
An IPC guard stepped forward, gun raised, and growled, "Stop playing dumb—you're Feathered Spirit, the developer of Honkai: Star Rail, aren't you?"
Sampo raised his hands in exaggerated innocence. "What? Me? Feathered Spirit?" He gasped dramatically. "I've been framed! Completely and utterly framed!"
"I want to find that damn developer too! Just look at how they portrayed me in Belobog's story!" Sampo continued indignantly. "I'm an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, and they turned me into some sleazy con artist! It's slander!"
Aventurine narrowed his eyes, studying Sampo's every micro expressions.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
A new announcement from Feathered Spirit—a short film titled "A Flash."
Sampo seized the opportunity. "See?! If I were Feathered Spirit, how could I be posting updates right now?"
"This Feathered Spirit is clearly setting me up!"
Aventurine smirked. "Not necessarily. Unless I'm mistaken, posts can be scheduled in advance, no?"
"Couldn't this just be a clever misdirection on your part?"
A giant question mark seemed to float above Sampo's head. After a beat, he sighed.
"You make a convincing argument. At this point, even I'm starting to believe I'm Feathered Spirit."
"Fine, take me in for the bounty." Sampo extended his wrists, feigning resignation.
Aventurine chuckled. "Don't worry, the IPC will ensure you receive a fair trial."
Sampo nodded solemnly.
Then—
BOOM!
Smoke bombs rolled out from his sleeves, filling the area with thick fog.
By the time Aventurine waved the smoke away, Sampo was gone.
"Aventurine-sir… cough Should we pursue…? cough"
"No need." Aventurine smirked. "That was just a test—Sampo isn't Feathered Spirit."
Gazing into the snowy distance, he murmured to himself:
"My mission was to confirm whether Sampo was the developer. Now, we have our answer."
"Case closed."
"As for tracking down the real Feathered Spirit—"
He chuckled. "Do you really think someone capable of creating this game would be easy to catch?"
"A job this difficult? Anyone who wants it can take it—I'm out."