Chapter 500: The Comeback! Our Good Old Wave-Riding Shark is Back in Action!
At the Paperfold University venue.
Boothill unlocked his phone.
Just moments ago, he had received a trending notification.
[ Atrocities of the IPC's Marketing Development Department Exposed! ]
Seeing this unfamiliar line of text, even Boothill himself froze for a second!
His very first thought was—
Who the fudge is this badass?
To beat me to the punch and expose all the "good deeds" those darling bastards at the Corporation pulled?
Tapping into the link, he finally realized!
It was all because of the ongoing storyline!
His memories had reverted to his youth, where he still thought he was living in his peaceful and beautiful homeland…
This stark contrast resonated deeply with countless players!
One after another, they took the lead in exposing the evil deeds of the Marketing Development Department!
The outrage was even bigger than anyone had imagined!
It swiftly shot to the very top of the Galactic Trending Searches!
Whether players had previously paid attention to this matter or not, the moment they went online, this information was the first thing to greet their eyes!
The Marketing Development Department had truly aroused universal public indignation this time.
Right then, another breaking news notification popped up!
[ The IPC Issues a Public Apology! ]
Seeing this headline, Boothill sneered coldly.
"An apology?"
"If apologies worked, what in the fudge would the universe need Galaxy Rangers for?"
As he spoke, he tapped on the notification to see what kind of sick trick those corporate cuties were pulling now.
[ Interastral Peace Corporation [Network Authorized Representative] [Official]: We thank "Honkai: Star Rail" for the plot revelations, as well as all players for their thorough oversight. We have suspended the relevant department and its executives pending an internal investigation…
Due to the special status of the executive in question, the final result will take some time. We ask all players to trust the Corporation's judgment and execution, and to continue working together for universal peace.
Furthermore: Following an emergency meeting, the Corporation has decided to suspend development projects on several resource planets, including Aergan-Aparsh and Sigonia-IV, and to pursue retroactive compensation for the local populations and parties affected by the projects… ]
Boothill habitually hit the dislike button first.
Coldly, he muttered, "Compensation? Sure."
"Wait until I fudging love Oswaldo Schneider to death and head back home. Then you can talk to me about compensation."
Right after, he posted a comment directly below the notice.
[ I know the Corporation's filthy nature better than anyone. After a while, when the heat dies down, you'll just pretend none of this ever happened. ]
[ I will kill that head of your Marketing Development Department with my own hands and send him down to hell to repent! ]
For the majority of players, however, such an action from the Corporation was practically a once-in-a-blue-moon miracle.
In the past, the Corporation was the ultimate hegemon of the universe!
Let alone exposing its atrocities—any piece of news disadvantageous to the Corporation would be wiped out instantly!
Only now, with Honkai: Star Rail, did everyone gain a lens to see the world for what it truly was!
They finally had the right to voice their genuine opinions!
This move from the Corporation managed to temporarily appease the wrath of most players.
Their gazes turned back toward the game's story.
The Corporation was certainly rotten to the core.
Yet, Dr. Primitive was an outright inhuman monster!
In Guinaifen's stream, the story progressed!
…
"The IPC slid to their knees at the speed of light."
"It's back, boys!"
"For an existence like Dr. Primitive, online public opinion is utterly useless. You have to strike him down with thunderous means to eradicate the root of the evil forever."
"Right now, I just want to know: can Boothill change back?"
"He's suddenly so polite, I'm seriously not used to it!"
"If he wakes up right now, the Galaxy Ranger Boothill we know is practically dead."
"To regress everyone's memories back to a blank slate of childhood and then reshape them… that's way too terrifying."
"Honestly, if this experiment succeeds, Dr. Primitive could even wipe out all the Galaxy Rangers."
"Old Boothill, it's all up to you!"
…
"To think that at such a young age, you would use such an analogy."
Professor Primon sounded slightly surprised.
It seemed the child before him was not quite as "innocent" as he had thought.
Yet, the young Boothill spoke up, "That's not so strange. A person always has to learn how to comfort themselves, which includes learning to take life and death lightly."
"Aergan-Aparsh has a saying: 'Death is the fairest form of grace.'"
"For the good-hearted, death keeps their purity intact. For the cunning scoundrels, death ends things clean and quick."
Professor Primon chuckled softly. "Is that so? In other words, you do not fear death? Then, please extend your hand to me."
"Presumably, you would be more than willing to sow this most impartial of tender mercies across every corner of the universe…"
"In the name of Dr. Primitive,"
"This shall be your final lesson. I will have you fully comprehend his philosophy."
"And a star… shall pitifully burn out right here."
…
"NOOO!"
"PLS DON'T!!!"
"We're doomed, he's gonna become Dr. Primitive's minion!!"
"The wicked Professor Primon have begun!"
"It's over, it's totally over!"
"Help!"
"Rappa, get over here and save him, your big bro is getting brainwashed!"
"Wait, that's not right. This only regressed his memories, it didn't rewrite them. Boothill was never a bad guy to begin with."
"What if they implant a meme into your mind? Making you unable to tell right from wrong, mistaking foe for friend, seeing evil as good…"
"Is this Professor Primon's final step!?"
"Thank goodness I paused the video, otherwise Boothill would be done for!"
…
At the Paperfold University venue.
Hearing himself say those words, unlike the frantic reactions of the other players, Boothill was only mildly surprised.
Then, a wide grin broke across his face!
"'Death is the fairest form of grace'…"
"Well, I'll be fudged! So that's how it is!"
"Now I know what I'm supposed to do next…"
A spark of excitement flashed across his face as he continued watching the screen.
…
"No problem, Professor. But there's still one more thing I want to say…"
Boothill's voice grew fainter and fainter, sounding like the sleepy mumbles of a dreaming child.
"I was worried I wouldn't hit the mark. But now that I've grabbed hold of you, I won't miss."
As he uttered that last sentence, his tone suddenly soared!
Through the screen, one could almost picture the radiant, fierce grin on the young Boothill's face!
"—What?!"
Professor Primon clearly panicked, caught completely off guard!
And every single player watching shared the exact same reaction!
???
What the heck is going on!?
"Th-This is impossible… The regression already took effect…"
Professor Primon's voice lost all its former smooth, persuasive calm, instantly replaced by shock and suspicion!
The controlled Assistant BananAdvisors even stumbled backward several paces!
Raising his gun, Boothill let out a small sigh of relief. "Whew… You know, just now I was still worried I might've gotten things mixed up!"
"Turns out I'm good. Only villains ask 'why' right before they bite the dust."
The more he spoke, the more mature his voice sounded.
From a young child, he grew into an adolescent.
"I'm not deaf, you know. When you guys were chattering away so loudly, did you never think that I might actually know right from wrong?"
At this moment, the countless players in the livestream finally pieced it together!
…
"He's back! He's all the way back!"
"The Boothill we know is back!"
"HOLY CRAP! You were actually…"
"Waaaah, you scared me half to death for nothing…"
"His voice is getting more mature, his memories are rushing back!"
"Badass! He resisted the memetic virus purely through sheer willpower!"
"In the history of medicine, this would be an absolute medical miracle!"
"Feel stupid now, don't ya, Professor Primon?!"
"Even if you take away his memories, a good man isn't just going to turn into a villain!"
…