"Wait a minute!" Stelle stared at her battered appearance on screen, visibly annoyed.
"No favoritism allowed! How come I'm already bruised and beaten before the fight even starts?
Does the author have no conscience?
Where's my big ol' bat?"
Su Chen leaned in and whispered something into Stelle's ear.
"Tsk…" Stelle sucked in a sharp breath. "Bro, for real?"
"Sis, truer than gold!"
After that, Stelle obediently sat back down and stopped talking.
March 7th, unable to contain her curiosity, scooted closer. "Hey, Stelle, what did the boss tell you?"
Stelle smirked slightly. "He said next week he'll release my fan creation Great Love Star Sovereign! I'm ridiculously OP in it!"
"Wow, now even I'm kinda looking forward to it! I wanna sign up too I want my fan creation shown!"
Dan Heng shook his head at the "pair of geniuses." He knew this video wasn't as simple as it seemed.
With Stelle now pacified, Su Chen pressed play again.
——
"Hmph, easy. I'll just carry the team."
The narrator's voice in the video boomed with grandeur:
[Having spoken, she no longer concealed her aura, revealing her true power.
Ultimate signature Light Cone, Ether Editing tech, top-tier Quantum set.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Silver Wolf summoned her Ether Keyboard and chanted:
"Young, I knew Quantum's strife,
Yet formed fleets to sail starry life.
Through frigid winds, frail as snow,
Fiction's rise and fall, bound solo.
Quantum Wolf King, ignored by men,
Who leads the team? Who carries then?
Now I point at foes ahead,
At beasts, at men, at skies widespread.
Cyber Prison Heaven Finger one tap shakes the land!"]
"Be careful! The Doomsday Beast's HP is too thick to face head-on." Stelle endured her pain, muttering, "Even if you attack with full force, it won't flinch. I've prepped my ultimate just wait for my signal and—"
"Unnecessary!" Silver Wolf's gaze sharpened. "Hmph, being a Stellaron Hunter is overrated anyway."
The narrator's voice returned:
[With calm determination, Silver Wolf stepped forward. A single Cyber Prison Heaven Finger reduced the Doomsday Beast to dust.]
Hands in her pockets, Silver Wolf didn't even know what "opponent" meant.
[At this moment, the young wolf who sought strength finally embarked on the path of the Wolf King.
No longer just a little stray, but the true sovereign of wolves.]
[Her name is:]
[Moon! Shadow! Frost! Wolf!]
[Great! Love! Wolf! Sovereign!]
——
The video ended. Silver Wolf had turned to stone. The entire shop erupted in applause.
Kafka looked at her fondly. "Aww, little Wolfie oops, sorry, should I call you 'Wolf Sovereign' now?"
Silver Wolf stiffly turned her head. "Kafka, if you keep this up, I'm disowning you."
Stelle walked up with exaggerated seriousness. "Wolf Sovereign… So it was Wolf Sovereign all along. How foolish I was, thinking my 'Trash King' title meant anything. I'm nothing compared to you."
March 7th's face turned red from holding back laughter. "Pfft… Silver Wolf Sovereign no, I mean, Silver Wolf, you're really—!"
Even the usually stoic Dan Heng sneaked a chuckle when no one was looking.
Himeko sipped her coffee, amused. "I'm starting to see why team-building is fun."
Firefly solemnly approached Silver Wolf and gave her a thumbs-up.
At this moment, Silver Wolf's entire body temperature skyrocketed. Her face burned red to the tips of her ears.
"SU CHEN!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!! Is this team-building or a public execution?!"
——
The next day.
Outside the miHoYo Interactive Film Studio, in a nearby milk tea shop.
Scott played a video on his phone, grinning at the girl across from him.
"Well, Lakshmi? Big enough scoop for you?"
"Scott, you're really something I didn't think you'd actually go undercover.
I'll report this to the boss right away.
Silver Wolf and Su Chen actually got into a physical fight!"
"HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!
You know what? I've been waiting for this chance for revenge.
I've been 'in Han but loyal to Cao' all along.
Make sure the boss knows it was me, Scott, who dug up this dirt. Don't you dare steal my credit.
Oh, and one more thing Silver Wolf's a hacker. She's planning something big. She's gonna take down miHoYo!!!"
"HAHAHAHA!" Lakshmi and Scott's raucous laughter filled the shop.
——
Meanwhile.
Yingxing sat in Jing Yuan's office.
"Your boss is interesting hiring a security officer as an actor?"
"I'm just relaying his message. No pressure. Just come by the Interactive Film Studio when you're free.
I'll take my leave now." Yingxing stood to go.
"Tell me… how long has it been since the five of us last gathered?"
At those words, Yingxing paused, then sat back down.
"Can't remember."
"Those were good times. Do you recall when we first met Jingliu?"
"Mn."
"Hahaha… You, me, Baiheng, and Dan Feng—
Wait, no, he goes by Dan Heng now.
Anyway, the four of us couldn't even beat her together. She was just too strong.
In the end, I became her disciple. But after graduation, we all went our separate ways.
Like fireworks the most beautiful at their peak.
But when they fade…
You can't find a single trace left behind."
"Mn."
"Still as taciturn as ever. Well, since I'm on break and just wrapped up a case, I'll go meet this miHoYo boss of yours."
"Good. Ride with me."
——
A young man was enjoying a rare long vacation.
Having just rewatched Honkai: Star Rail Season 2 for the second time, he sighed.
"Ugh, need something new to watch. Barely resisting the urge for a third run. Hmm?
Maybe just the boss fight one more time? No harm in that!
But seriously, where's that web movie miHoYo promised? Still not out?"
Left with no options, he decided to bother his friends.
He opened the group chat.
[Silver Wolf's Current Boyfriend]: So bored. Wanna hit up the miHoYo Interactive Film Studio soon?
[Honkai Star Rail's Succubus]: Down.
[It's miHoYo Not Hoyoverse]: Bro, you still thinking about the studio? There's major drama with miHoYo today you didn't hear?
[Herta's #1 Simp]: What drama? No shows to watch, might as well enjoy some gossip!!! Spill it, I'm listening.
[Domineering Caelus Baby Loves Me]: Silver Wolf and miHoYo's boss got into a fight. It's blowing up.
[Silver Wolf's Current Boyfriend]: WHAT? MiHoYo thinks I'm dead or something? TMD!
[I Love Drinking Himeko's Coffee]: Wasn't the new web movie supposed to be Silver Wolf's solo project? Isn't that in danger now?
[Kafka's Dog]: Danger? Try catastrophe. Both miHoYo and Silver Wolf are under fire, and it blew up overnight.
[Adorably Invincible March's Wife]: Yeah, no matter what, an employee can't just hit their boss. Now there's a whole boycott movement against the web movie's release.
[It's miHoYo Not Hoyoverse]: It was supposed to drop today, but I checked everywhere nothing. Then I found out about this mess.
[Herta's #1 Simp]: Sucks. The web movie was gonna be pay-to-view too 6 CNY for permanent access.
[Silver Wolf's Current Boyfriend]: 6 CNY only gets you one version (Star or Caelus), but still fair.
[It's miHoYo Not Hoyoverse]: HOLY CRAP! IT'S UP! They're releasing it despite the backlash?!
Right then.
The young man's phone buzzed with notifications.
He checked them miHoYo's official Bilibili and Douyin accounts had both posted the same update:
"Heh, gonna hit you with something big. Watch this!"
The attached image was Silver Wolf's pixelated avatar.
"NO WAY!" The guy was floored. "Is this for real? Is Silver Wolf actually a hacker?
Did miHoYo try to block her movie, so she hijacked their accounts?"
Then.
Another notification popped up from the streaming app:
"Web movie 'Honkai: Star Rail — Punklorde' is now live!
For just: ▇▇ CNY, unlock the Caelus edition.
▇▇▇ With Silver Wolf here ▇▇▇ only ▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇ 1 CNY unlocks both Star and Caelus editions.
▇▇▇ You're welcome ▇▇▇"
The guy had no idea what was happening, but for just 1 CNY, it was worth a shot.
And yet.
It actually worked. Both versions were now unlocked.
He hit play.
The miHoYo logo appeared as usual, but the screen glitched into pixelated blocks before cutting to black.
"Good morning, Punklorde!
...
...
Let's start another dream-filled day in the city together!"
The camera panned out to reveal a fast-food joint, where a radio on the counter broadcast the cheerful message.
A gray-haired girl sat perched on an arcade machine, furiously mashing the joystick!
She blew bubblegum bubbles, each one bigger than the last.
Just as she was about to beat the high score—
A voice shouted from the kitchen:
"Silver Wolf! Orders up!"