At Paperfold University.
Boothill opened his phone.
Not long ago.
He had received a trending news push.
[Exposure of the Misdeeds of the Interastral Peace Corporation's Marketing Development Department!]
Seeing this unfamiliar line of text, Boothill himself was stunned!
His first reaction was—
Who the hell is so awesome?
Actually beat me to it and exposed all the good deeds of those little darlings in the company?
Upon clicking in, I realized that it was all because of the ongoing storyline! My memories had regressed to my younger years, and I thought I was still living in my peaceful and beautiful hometown... This stark contrast resonated deeply with many players, who took the lead in exposing the misdeeds of the Marketing Development Department! The backlash was even bigger than imagined, quickly skyrocketing to the top of the galaxy's trending list! Whether players had been following this issue or not, they would see this information the moment they went online. The Marketing Development Department had truly incited public outrage this time.
At that moment, another breaking news notification popped up!
[Company Issues Public Apology!]
Seeing such a headline, Boothill sneered coldly.
"An apology? If apologies worked, what would we need the Galaxy Rangers for?"
With that, he clicked on the notification to see what tricks the company was up to this time.
[Interastral Peace Corporation [Authorized Online Representative] [Official]: We thank the storyline of "Honkai: Star Rail" for its revelations and the diligent oversight of our players. We have suspended the relevant department and its executives for investigation...]
[Due to the special status of this executive, the final outcome will take some time. We ask all players to trust the company's judgment and execution as we continue to work together for universal peace.]
[Additionally: After an emergency meeting, the company has decided to suspend development projects on numerous resource planets, including Argon-Apash and Tsigonia-IV, and will provide retroactive compensation to the local populations and those affected by the projects...]
Boothill instinctively clicked the dislike button.
He said coldly, "Compensation? Fine. After I kill Oswaldo Schneider and return to my hometown, then we can talk about compensation."
Then, he directly posted a comment below.
[I know the company's nature all too well. After some time, when the heat dies down, they'll act like nothing happened.]
[I must personally kill the head of your Marketing Development Department and make him repent in hell!]
For most players, this move by the company was already a rare occurrence. In the past, the company was the undisputed ruler of the universe! Not only would any exposure of their misdeeds be suppressed, but even a single piece of unfavorable news would be immediately censored! Now, with "Honkai: Star Rail," everyone finally has a clear perspective of the real world and the right to voice their true opinions! This move by the company temporarily quelled the anger of most players.
Players turned their attention back to the storyline. The company was indeed no good, but Dr. Primitive was an even more inhumane villain!
In Little Gui's livestream, the storyline continued!
...
"The company is kneeling down at lightning speed."
"They're back, brothers!"
"For someone like Dr. Primitive, online public opinion is useless. We must use decisive measures to eliminate him once and for all."
"Right now, I just want to know, can Boothill return to normal?"
"His sudden politeness is really unsettling!"
"If he wakes up now, the Boothill we know, the Galaxy Ranger, would be as good as dead."
"To regress everyone's memories to a blank slate of childhood and then reshape them—that's just too terrifying."
"Honestly, if this experiment is completed, Dr. Primitive could even exterminate the Galaxy Rangers."
"Laobo, it's all up to you!"
...
"I never expected someone so young to use such a metaphor."
Profnana was somewhat surprised.
It seemed the child before him wasn't as "simple" as he had thought.
The young Boothill then spoke up, "It's not strange at all. People always have to learn to comfort themselves, and that includes how to view life and death."
"There's a saying in Argon-Apache: Death is the fairest form of care."
"For the kind-hearted, death preserves their purity. For the cunning and wicked, death swiftly ends it all."
Profnana chuckled, "Is that so? So, you're not afraid of death? Then, please extend your hand to me."
"I imagine you'd be willing to spread this fairest form of care to every corner of the universe…"
"In the name of Dr. Primitive,"
"This is the final lesson. I will make you fully understand his philosophy."
"And a star… will pitifully fade away."
...
"Boothill!"
"Boothill!!!"
"Oh no, he's going to become Dr. Primitive's subordinate!!"
"The wrong Profnana teachings have already started!"
"Oh no, oh no!"
"Help!"
"Rappa, come quick! Your big brother is about to be brainwashed!"
"Wait, this is just Boothill's Memory Backtrack, not a complete reshaping. Boothill himself isn't this bad."
"What if they implant a Memetic Entity in your mind? Making you unable to distinguish good from evil, turning enemies into friends, and good into bad…"
"Is this the final step Profnana is about to take!?"
"Good thing I paused, or Boothill would've been done for!"
...
At Paperfold University.
Boothill heard himself saying these words.
Unlike the reactions of other players.
He was slightly surprised.
Then.
He grinned!
"Death is the fairest form of care."
"Well, I'll be damned, so that's how it is!"
"I know what I need to do next…"
A flash of excitement crossed his face!
He continued watching the story.
...
"No problem, teacher. But there's one more thing I want to say…"
Boothill's voice grew fainter.
Like the murmurs of a child in a dream.
"I'm worried I might not aim well, but since I've got you, that won't be an issue."
As he spoke the last sentence.
His tone suddenly became intense!
It was as if, through the screen.
One could see the excited smile of the young Boothill!
"—What?!"
Profnana was visibly panicked.
He was momentarily at a loss!
And all the players watching.
Reacted similarly to Profnana!
???
What's going on!?
"This… how is this possible… the regression should have already happened…"
Profnana's voice, no longer the gentle persuasion from before, was now filled with doubt and uncertainty!
The controlled Profnana assistants couldn't help but take several steps back!
Boothill held up his gun and let out a sigh of relief, "Phew… You know, I was worried I might've messed up!"
"But now, no problem. Only the wicked ask why before they die."
His voice grew more mature as he spoke.
From a young child to a teenager.
"I'm not deaf, you know. When you were talking so loudly, did you ever think I could tell good from evil?"
At that moment!
The many players in the live stream also started to react!
...
"He's back! He's fully back!"
"The familiar Boothill is back!"
"Holy crap! You actually…"
"Wuwuwu... I was worried for nothing..."
"His voice is becoming more mature, it seems his memories are returning!"
"Incredible! He actually resisted the Memetic Entity virus with sheer willpower!"
"This could be considered a medical miracle in the history of medicine!"
"Take that, Profnana!"
"Even if he lost his memories, a good person wouldn't turn into a bad one!"
...