The contents of a hefty paid message were heard by everyone in the livestream.
Many people realized it belatedly.
Right!
"The Sky Haven Clan evolved the ability to phase their wings and enhance self-healing speed, which shows that wing injuries are a serious matter."
"People who've had their hearts pierced probably know how painful and terrifying that is."
Ah Xian opened the livestream recording, found the scene where Leon's wings teleported, and played it back slowly, over and over.
The image of blood spilling from his mouth and his face turning deathly pale became increasingly heart-wrenching.
"If he was on his way back to Belobog at that moment, and his wings took the hit for Trailblazer, like a heart being pierced, then—"
Ah Xian suddenly thought of a possibility, her hands trembling.
"Could it be… that's the real reason he's so badly injured?"
"Maybe when the fight with the Destruction Emanator ended, Leon's injuries weren't actually that severe?"
"But he used the Destruction Emanator as an excuse, perfectly masking it all, bearing the pain alone in silence."
"Look at the opening scene—doesn't his face go from relatively normal to deathly pale all of a sudden?"
As Ah Xian's words landed, paired with the repeatedly played story segment, countless players increasingly felt this was the truth.
—Leon, to save the protagonist, had his wings severely injured, taking the damage in their place…
The wing-phasing ability, the second heart…
This wasn't just a hint anymore, was it?
It was practically spelled out!
[I'm crying my eyes out!]
[Damn, they're dishing out knives right from the opening plot?]
[Argh, sand suddenly got in my eyes…]
[How about… I add another knife? Before defeating Cocolia, it seems Leon gave his last bit of strength to Trailblazer and then collapsed.]
The players who saw this comment instantly felt their hearts sink.
The corresponding scene automatically replayed in their minds.
The moment Leon dispelled the giant dragon array, turning it into power that surged through his wings into the protagonist's body.
At the end of the shot where the protagonist charged with the flaming spear, he collapsed helplessly…
[Hey, am I pretty, pretty, did you hear me?!]
[Too busy pulling for characters, forgot to pull for you!]
[Damn it, sand's in my eyes too, jerk.]
[And I, your friend, have already ordered a box of razor blades to mail to Mihoyo's writers.]
[Don't send it! What if the writers use your blades to keep stabbing Leon?]
[???]
[I'm panicking.]
"Don't panic yet, let me panic first! If they dare stab my Leon husband, I'll make the writers pay!"
"Sorry, family, I'm heading to the bathroom…"
Ah Xian took off her headset and hurried out of the camera's view.
[Eating knives can rouse you? Ah Xian, you're unstoppable!]
[Come on, she's obviously gone to slurp noodles!]
[Slurping noodles is one thing, but she's actually fixing her makeup. I caught a frame where her makeup smudged.]
[Man, this livestream is full of talent.]
Nearly ten minutes passed before Ah Xian returned to the camera, her expression much calmer than before.
"I'm fine, I'm fine… let's continue the story."
She reassured herself.
After a while, Himeko reached out and placed a hand on Leon's shoulder.
"Focus on recovering from your injuries and don't fight recklessly again."
Leon smiled, "I know my limits."
Their conversation ended there.
In the observation car, everyone except Welt was present.
March 7th was the first to notice the two entering the car one after another.
"Leon, Himeko, is the Stellaron secured?"
"Yep." Himeko looked at the table, puzzled. "What are you all doing?"
March 7th grinned and picked up a device from the table.
"Stelle found that after sealing the Stellaron, Belobog actually connected to the Interastral Peace Corporation's signal."
Stelle nodded. "Ever since we landed on Belobog, my phone signal's been stuck on X."
"After notifying the people in the Underworld, my phone suddenly got a message."
"I checked and saw that the rookie netizen who challenged me to a PK before wasn't happy and came back for another beating."
"That's when March and I realized we had a network!"
March 7th: "It wasn't easy. A world without the internet—it's hard to imagine how boring life in Belobog must've been."
"If you wanted to chat with a friend, you'd have to visit their house."
Stelle was speechless. "Listen to yourself. Their world was nearly destroyed, and you're talking about networks?"
"Yeah, true…"
March 7th let out a chuckle before getting back on track.
"I was thinking, last time I accidentally bought a bunch of extra phones during an online shopping spree. We could give them to our Belobog friends~"
"So here we are, counting them."
Stelle raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Accidentally bought stuff while shopping?"
Leon laughed. "That night, she had a few liquor-filled chocolates and got a bit tipsy."
"Hey, Leon, why're you exposing me?" March 7th's ears turned red.
Stelle laughed even harder.
"Oh my, oh my, getting drunk off liquor-filled chocolates? That's so lame, March."
"I'm a thousand-cups-not-drunk champ. Now you know who's the boss, huh?"
"The boss? You?" March 7th shot Stelle a massive eye-roll.
Himeko seemed to recall something and fell into thought.
"With Interastral Peace Corporation's network coverage, it means the company was here before the disaster hit."
"Strange, why didn't they send anyone to help?"
March 7th paused. "You mean, before the Antimatter Legion showed up, the company already had a presence on this planet?"
"But I wandered the Overworld and Underworld for so long and never saw the company's logo or any of their products."
Leon rubbed his chin and suddenly pulled out an object.
"Actually, there is. Look at this."
Stelle examined it curiously. "A robot? Where'd you find it, and what's it do?"
"Found it in the Underworld. Didn't pay much attention at the time, but it looks like a household item-finder."
Leon fiddled with it for a moment and flipped a switch on the machine.
Dan Heng: "If the company was once on Belobog, this thing might be an antique from back then."
???: "Beep boop… You're the antique! Your whole family's antiques!"
Stelle tilted her head. "Huh? This thing can talk and lose its temper?"
???: "You're the one losing it, you…"
Stelle pulled out her bat, a red glint flashing in her eyes.
???: "You… beautiful, gentle-hearted, stunning lady…"
Stelle put the bat away, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Lmao, I was wondering why we missed this treasure-checking plot. Turns out it's in Leon's storyline!"
Stelle's dramatic face-swap brought a wave of relief to players who'd just endured the heavy, emotional plot, temporarily lifting their gloom.
[Feels like the storyboarding's a bit wild, like that famous isekai stick-picking scene.]
[No going back, don't leave, take my bat!]
[Hold on, it's a bit different—not quite a homage to the Hero of Healing's iconic scene.]
Stelle chuckled cutely.
"Sounds nice, keep talking."
Treasure: "…"
Leon: "Since you like it, I'll fix it up and give it to you. It's pretty handy for finding lost stuff."
① "Hmm? Can it find treasure in a trash can?"
② "Oh, I just got an idea!"
③ "Those who cross Mr. Leon shall be struck down by me!"