"Hey, have you heard the news?"
"Heard what?"
"My aunt's third cousin's wife ran into Kiana."
"Kiana... who?"
"..."
"Good grief, you don't even know about Herrscher of Finality? The one from the sky projection!"
"Oh... wait, what? She's actually real?"
"..."
"Holy crap! No way! She stopped a speeding car with her bare hands? That's insane!"
"Everyone knows video footage can't be faked, so it's gotta be true!"
"..."
"What the hell? Who's out there evolving in secret without me? Damn."
"That pink-haired girl is so pretty... is she called Elysia? Yeah, Elysia?"
"Herrscher of Origin?"
"..."
In less than a few minutes.
The internet was flooded with related rumors.
Spreading far and wide.
Truth mixed with lies, lies masked as truth. Heated discussions erupted everywhere, quickly trending online.
Let's be real.
Before this, any information related to such topics would've been suppressed the moment it appeared online.
But now, the higher-ups have quietly started to loosen restrictions.
As the saying goes, it's better to redirect than to block.
Since many things will inevitably come to light sooner or later.
And now, the original intention has slightly shifted. Might as well let it be.
If you believe it, you believe it. If not, then you don't.
Anyway, we won't confirm or deny it. Let the rumors spread, even mutate through misinformation.
In the end, it might actually be less troublesome.
Because unless someone sees it with their own eyes, many will just treat it as entertainment without truly believing it.
On the other hand, if you aggressively suppress, delete, and purge related content, more people will take notice, grow suspicious, and discuss it even more—like reverse psychology—making it even harder to manage.
When you get down to it!
Before, we really thought that more people knowing about the Honkai would be a major issue that could destabilize society.
But now, with the sky projection, there's a turning point.
Even if the existence of the Honkai and the Herrschers is more troublesome than imagined.
Still!
If that content creator from the future is truly from the future, then it means they—humanity—most likely persevere.
No!
They must have persevered.
It's like secretly getting a hint, giving you a sense of reassurance.
So it's only natural for policies to adapt accordingly.
It makes sense.
And in fact! That's exactly how it is.
As more and more information spreads, some people swear up and down they were there, even when they weren't.
Others even go to the site to check it out, see the police and the caution tape. But without actually witnessing what happened, they still talk like they know everything.
So tell me.
Will they just treat it as a fun story?
Or will they truly believe it's real?
"Are you stupid, or am I stupid?"
"This has to be scripted!"
"..."
"If someone can really stop a car with their bare hands, why can't they just fly to the moon?"
"..."
Sky projection?
You're talking about the sky projection?
Even now, most people still think the sky projection is fake. Definitely some new tech developed by the government.
Even though the government never said anything like that.
But plenty of people come up with their own explanations and believe them.
And you say the sky projection is visible all over the world?
How should I know?
If I knew, wouldn't I be one of the higher-ups?
Alright!
Case closed.
It does make sense.
So even after street footage leaks, some people believe it, while others still don't.
[Frame-by-Frame Analysis: The Full Story of the Car Crash]
[...]
[Which Movie's Promo Is This? Really Creative.]
[Don't Be Fooled: Resist Fabricated Content for Clicks.]
[...]
[Why I Say the Honkai Is Real—This Is the Proof!]
[...]
Afterward.
On the internet, on forums.
Twitter, blogs, Instagram, and so on... arguments raged everywhere.
To be fair, many influencers stepped forward. Some thought it was real, some thought it was fake, some analyzed it point by point, pushing their views. Do they know the outcome? Do they know the truth?
No.
They don't care about that.
They only care about riding the trend, that's all.
Before, any news related to the Honkai would be straight-up deleted, or skillfully downplayed to avoid the main issue.
But now.
No one's restricting it.
Yet, unconsciously, it's still the same.
This left many official media outlets responsible for guiding public opinion feeling both amused and exasperated.
After all, they've handled plenty of similar situations and have their own suspicions about all this.
They suspect it's real too.
But without word from above, there's nothing they can do.
Tell everyone it's true?
Confirm it?
Or keep lying and say it's fake?
Out of habit?
Their feelings are pretty complicated.
This has led to a weird situation online: even though people are arguing fiercely offline, the ones active online are mostly small-time players. The official media outlets are all keeping tight-lipped, saying nothing.
They're still reporting on other matters.
All of which seem important.
Even giving the impression that this car crash is just ordinary, not worth attention.
But!
Of course, some people will still grow suspicious because of this.
After all, not everyone is a fool.
They might not accept it at first, but bit by bit, gradually, they might come around.
There's no helping it!
If you're really curious, you'll look for related clues.
If you've got the skills, you might discover even more.
"That damned Fire Moth!"
"Even such a gentle girl got turned into a test subject?!"
"..."
Somewhere in the Backstreets.
Vill-V clacked away at her keyboard, hacking into the intersection's surveillance, then followed the trail to breach several databases and search for information. When she saw Kiana's file labeled top secret, she was utterly stunned.
But.
Even though she couldn't break in right away and isn't great with hacking, she still found clues suggesting Kiana is deeply connected to Fire Moth—even that Fire Moth's recent movements are all tied to Kiana.
This made her wonder even more.
You inherently wicked Fire Moth, you're trying to use the Honkai to manipulate the country and control humanity, and now you've even created human weapons? What else are you planning?
What?
You're saying Kiana's superhuman abilities aren't Fire Moth's doing?
Hah, she doesn't believe it!
Based on the documents she found earlier, Fire Moth has already been using something called the Honkai for human experiments. Those so-called Honkai diseases are all side effects of their tests.
Is it really so impossible for there to be a successful subject who can control the Honkai?
"I can't stand this! I have to save that girl."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.