"Tomorrow then… Bronya and Rita, you two will handle the negotiations."
Mo Li trusted Bronya and Rita deeply.
Don't be fooled by Rita's gentle and harmless appearance—if you ever crossed her, she could trick you so badly you'd be crying.
Even though Mo Li knew her well, he still often ended up suffering losses in front of her.
Hearing his arrangement, Rita looked surprised.
"Boss, you're not going personally?"
Mo Li waved his hand.
"I still need to prepare for Penguin's move. Although I don't think their new game can threaten us…"
Then his expression suddenly hardened:
"But… plagiarizing Honkai Impact 3rd will be the gravest mistake they've ever made."
It was the girls' first time seeing Mo Li like this.
Normally, he was always amiable, never putting on the airs of a boss.
Sometimes, Rita and Himeko would even tease him.
Of course, it wasn't because they thought he was easy to bully.
Calling it "bullying" was too much—it was just playful banter, the kind that happens once friends get close enough.
So Mo Li never minded.
On the contrary, occasionally sparring verbally and joking with pretty girls—why not?
But now, just as the girls were stunned by his sudden cold aura, Mo Li quickly dropped it, returning to his usual smile. He patted Rita's shoulder, like some seasoned old cadre painting a pie in front of a rookie:
"Rita-chan~ just go and negotiate. I believe in you, and in your ability. Good luck!!"
After Mo Li left the studio, Rita and Bronya exchanged glances, still a bit in disbelief.
He really just dumped this on them?
...
Once home, Mo Li immediately opened the system panel.
[Popularity Value: 27 million]
He still had no idea how this "popularity" was calculated.
Every time he asked the system, it failed to give him a clear answer.
So he stopped worrying about it.
The next game, of course, would be Genshin Impact.
But… versions 1.0 to 1.6 alone required a whopping 70 million popularity.
That meant each minor version cost 10 million.
With what he had now, he could only afford to exchange for versions 1.0 and 1.2.
"Guess I'll wait. Honkai 3 has only been open for just over half a month. Its money-making potential has barely begun…"
If he updated all the way to 7.0, the popularity points would reach terrifying numbers—maybe even overflow.
This world's gaming industry was simply too backward.
One single Honkai 3 had already driven players half insane with excitement.
"I wonder if the system will later offer other exchangeable items… like the Divine Keys…"
Thinking about it, Mo Li couldn't help but look forward to it.
Of course, it was only a fantasy.
But really—what man doesn't dream of becoming the Light himself?
He shook off the wild thoughts and began preparing content for the next update, three days away.
Although he wasn't worried about Penguin's new game, he still felt he should make a statement.
Besides, the story after The Final Lesson wasn't full of climaxes. To quickly accumulate popularity points, he decided to accelerate the main story updates.
After The Final Lesson, Kiana had separated from everyone.
The story then branched into multiple perspectives.
After Act 9 Parts 1 and 2, the plot split into two routes:
Bronya, Theresa, and others headed to Abyss City, entering the Quantum Sea to search for the Gem of Desire.
On this path, Bronya finally earned her driver's license—a small climax.
Meanwhile, Kiana stayed in Sky City, training in Taixu Sword Qi under Fu Hua, while also saving the city.
This part focused on Kiana's growth—packed with both blood-pumping moments and tearjerkers, bound to resonate with players.
That arc was definitely a major climax.
When Mo Li organized everything, he realized that less than a month after Honkai 3 launched, he had already updated the story up to Chapter 14.
And starting from The Final Lesson… the story was basically one tragedy after another.
Not just ordinary tragedies—heart-wrenching ones that still felt perfectly justified.
There were even "sugar-coated knives"—sweetness hiding a stab in the heart.
Cruel, really…
Compared to Honkai 3, Genshin Impact's pre-3.0 storyline was child's play in terms of drama—barely scratches, at best.
Thankfully, Honkai's planners weren't completely heartless. They handed out some sweetness during the Herrscher of Sentience arc, keeping players from breaking down entirely.
"Sigh… the knives I've endured—you won't escape them either… heh heh heh…"
After organizing everything, Mo Li logged onto miHoYo's official account and released a midnight announcement:
[At the peak, false supporters arise; at dusk, devotion witnesses a new chapter…]
[Thank you all for your trust and support. To give back, the studio has decided to accelerate main story updates.]
[Bronya's new S-rank battlesuit — Herrscher of Reason]
[Rita's S-rank battlesuit — Argent Knight: Artemis]
[New Valkyries — Liliya & Rosaliya]
[New Quantum-element Valkyrie — Seele Vollerei]
[Seele's S-rank battlesuit — Stygian Nymph]
[Log in to claim 30,000 crystals + S-rank Valkyrie Rosaliya]
[Plus numerous new events and gameplay…]
...
When Honkai 3 players saw this announcement, the entire community exploded.
They never expected miHoYo to actually "give in," posting an emergency midnight announcement with a new update.
Could it be that Girls' Odyssey really pressured miHoYo?
Of course not.
In truth, Mo Li didn't even take that game seriously—in fact, it made him laugh.
He'd watched the Girls' Odyssey trailer. Anyone who'd played Honkai 3 could instantly spot the overwhelming number of elements lifted from it.
It was clearly made to mirror Honkai 3.
But… Honkai 3 had only just launched!
There was no way Girls' Odyssey was something Penguin had been developing for long.
Mo Li was 100% certain they had directly stolen Honkai 3's code.
"Heh…"
How could he not laugh at that?
After all, once he acquired miHoYo, the system had automatically embedded countless anti-theft markers into Honkai 3's code.
With that evidence in hand, Mo Li could sue them without fail.
So-called "Penguin's unbeatable legal team"?
In the face of absolute proof—they were nothing but hot air!
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