October 30th, morning.
At miHoYo, the Director's Office still held the faint afterglow of a projector that had just been switched off.
The air felt a little warm.
A few backup screens still displayed the final scene of Honkai Impact 3rd's Second Eruption arc — distant flames, a weightless city, people pushed forward by fate, all frozen in that single instant.
Su Yu stood rooted to the spot, motionless for a long while.
Welt took off his glasses, wiped the lenses on the hem of his coat, and put them back on.
"With technology like this," he said slowly, looking at the still-lit screens, "once that battle three months from now is over, just making games with this alone would be enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life."
Su Yu turned his head to look at him, amused.
"Uncle Yang, that's a dangerous line of thinking. The apocalypse isn't even over yet, and you're already dreaming about retirement."
Welt pushed up his glasses. "Call it fulfilling a dream. I've always wanted to make a proper mech game — one that truly captures the vibration of the cockpit, the weight of armor meeting armor, the crushing pressure of thrusters at full burn. I never had the means before. Now, I finally see a way."
"Already have the theme in mind?"
"Already decided. Giant robots, hot-blooded pilots, a city under siege — and ideally some combining and transforming thrown in."
Su Yu nodded — that was a very manly romance indeed.
Su Yu nearly laughed out loud.
"Uncle Yang, that mech dream of yours is pretty pure."
"A man's got to have hobbies," Welt said, glancing at him. "What about you — how's the story lined up from here?"
"We'll start by using Second Eruption to introduce you — the First Herrscher who challenged the gods in the world's name."
Su Yu swiped open the test document for the next chapter.
"After that comes Chapter Eleven, Deep End of the Sea." He slid the interface over toward Welt. "Congratulations, it's finally your turn to make an official appearance. Excited?"
Welt's step faltered, his expression turning suddenly awkward.
"That... the part about Strength, ideals, and belonging — do we have to include that too?"
Su Yu didn't even turn his head. "Yes."
Welt stood in the doorway, silent.
Several seconds passed before he let out a soft sigh.
"I know that's another version of myself from a bubble world."
"But whenever I see that part, it still feels strange. Like someone took the words you wrote on the very last page of your diary when you were young — words you thought no one would ever read — and pasted them right up on the projector screen."
Su Yu couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. "Let me translate that for you: my chuunibyou dark history got exposed, and now I'm about to die of embarrassment."
He stepped forward and patted Welt on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Uncle Yang. The players are going to love it."
"That's exactly the terrifying part," Welt sighed helplessly.
The two of them walked toward the office area, and as they passed the open pantry, the coffee machine let out a beep.
Su Yu grabbed two cups of black coffee and handed one to Welt.
As they drank, the conversation turned to the progress made over the past twenty-odd days.
At Starfire Furnace and over at Anti-Entropy, everyone had genuinely been working themselves to the bone lately.
The new batch of soldiers had completed an even harsher twenty-day enhancement regimen, and one by one they were reaching the threshold required for Genetic Lock serum injections.
The pain of the injection was said to feel like being burned alive, yet not a single one of them backed down.
The reason was simple.
In the face of the apocalypse, one more scrap of Strength meant one more chance to survive.
After the oath they'd taken that day, these soldiers had already set aside thoughts of life and death, because they knew exactly what stood behind them — their country, their families.
They had nowhere left to retreat.
"The latest results came in last night," Welt said, looking at Su Yu. "More people can withstand the Genetic Lock injection than we'd originally projected."
"And the effects?"
"There's improvement, but it's still noticeably behind a naturally awakened first-stage Genetic Lock."
Welt relayed the data Tesla had given him to Su Yu.
"Even at the same first stage, the ones who got the injection show a decent boost in physical enhancement, but neither their reaction extension nor the duration of that 'slowdown feeling' you called Bullet Time can compare to Kevin, Susannah Manatt, or Sin Mal and the others."
"That said."
Welt shifted his tone.
"The Genetic Lock's boost isn't limited to muscle and bone. Nervous system response, mental fortitude, information processing speed — all of these have improved noticeably. And because of that, they can finally interface with a Titan Project · Mass-Production Type."
"In short, those people now qualify to become official mech pilots."
That single step changed everything.
Beyond that.
Construction of the Skyward Shield had already advanced to thirty percent, and the Honkai-adaptation vaccine program led by Mobius wasn't falling behind either.
As of today, forty percent of Arc City's citizens had completed their vaccinations.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the network, Honkai Impact 3rd's operations remained frighteningly stable.
The long-term quest [Honkai Impact 3rd: Real Skyborn Play This] was still steadily settling Emotion Points.
With every version update, emotions spiked, and the numbers on the System panel climbed like a freshly topped-up membership balance.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the System's translucent light-panel popped up right in front of him.
[Long-term Quest 'Honkai Impact 3rd: Real Skyborn Play This' Settling]
[Emotion Point Settlement: Stable]
[Cognitive Anchor Stability Increased]
[Kiana's Current Activity Range Increased to 20 Meters]
[Time Savings Cap Increased to 200 Hours]
[Current Rule Adjustment: During the daily 2-hour free activity window, an additional 1 hour may be saved; if the full day passes at the stronghold or near the Host without being used, up to 3 hours may be accumulated for that day]
[PS: Moved, aren't you? Watching your own little cat go from shut-in to finally being able to run around causing trouble — doesn't your heart ache with the bittersweet pride of an old father? Your foster father understands~]
Twenty meters.
That distance was enough to do quite a lot.
Su Yu mentally measured the distance — from the original one meter, back when he'd worried Kiana might vanish down the toilet if he so much as used the bathroom, to now, twenty meters.
What a long way they'd come.
And after this?
One version. Two versions.
Maybe it really wouldn't be long before she gained true freedom.
The moment that thought surfaced, Su Yu's fingertips paused lightly against the side of the coffee cup.
Sunlight fell across the side of his face, deepening the small shadow beneath his lashes.
The System still displayed that glaring countdown, and Aponia's words about a "fated death" still had no solution.
But even if, by then, he was no longer around—
at least Kiana would be able to live on safely in this world.
With that thought, Su Yu drained the rest of his coffee in one go.
There was something else on his mind lately.
Kevin had headed off to Starfire Furnace first thing in the morning, more punctual than an alarm clock.
Before leaving, he'd left just one line, saying that during training these past few days he kept feeling like he'd brushed up against some threshold, as if he were only half a step from crossing it.
Su Yu had blanked for a second when he heard that.
Truly, that was Kevin for you.
Everyone else opened their first-stage Genetic Lock like they were demolishing a house, while he'd quietly crept right up to the edge of the second stage without a word.
By comparison, Su Yu himself had actually gotten a bit stuck lately.
He swiped open the System's storage tab. The last vial the System had given him still sat quietly inside, a conspicuous notice hanging beside its icon.
[Current Conditions Insufficient — Injection Unavailable]
Su Yu sighed. Pretending he wasn't frustrated would be a lie.
Compared to when he'd first crossed into the second stage, he was undeniably far stronger now, but after all these days, only his mental fortitude had truly stabilized at the third stage.
His body still hadn't cleared that particular hurdle.
Su Yu closed the panel, his mind automatically shifting hope toward another direction.
Tesla had slammed the table a while back, saying that Dr. Mei's team was pushing forward the battle-armor project — the core idea being to fully fuse a Genetic Lock–enhanced body with high-density battle armor, creating this world's own "Valkyrie."
Though since Su Yu wasn't female, they might as well just call it a "War God" instead.
Perhaps his only hope now was for technology to push his Strength further.
Just as he was thinking this, his phone suddenly buzzed.
Caller ID: Kevin.
The moment Su Yu picked up, the other end spoke first.
"You there?"
There was a brief pause on the line.
Kevin always talked like that — clipped, cold-faced, like an ice machine forced out the door to go to work.
But today, there was a faint hint of... mischief in his voice.
"That kid Su is back from Mu Continent."
The background noise on the line was a bit chaotic, like he was standing at the edge of a training ground.
Someone was shouting drill commands in the distance, and wind kept scraping across the mic, breaking up the sound.
Su Yu's steps stopped short.
"Who did you say?"
"Su," Kevin repeated. "Invited to give a lecture at Arc City University. The one who invited him is Murata Ryusuke. Apparently the dean's been trying to expand into medical equipment lately, recruiting people left and right."
Su Yu's mouth twitched before he could stop it.
Murata Ryusuke.
Himeko's old man.
The heavyweight who still occasionally texted him things ranging from "come by for dinner when you're free, worthy son-in-law" to "care to check out our new lab?"
Ever since that kidnapping incident with his soon-to-be father-in-law, the man's gaze had only grown more heated by the day — practically ready to drag the Civil Affairs Bureau over on the spot and marry him off to Himeko right then and there.
Su Yu had fobbed him off with various excuses since, the gist being that he wanted to focus on business for now — though his prospective father-in-law had never given up.
"That future father-in-law of mine, really..." Su Yu rubbed his forehead. "His scope of business just keeps expanding."
"Weren't you always wanting to get Su back home?"
"Correction — that was your idea." Su Yu rubbed his forehead. "Don't you remember what you said at the first war council? You said that guy Su spends all day dreaming about saving the world through medicine, and when the apocalypse comes and the whole world's destroyed, what the hell is he even going to save — might as well drag him back and make him a house-husband."
"Yeah." There seemed to be a touch of nostalgia in Kevin's tone. "I used to wonder how to trick him into coming back, but I never had a good excuse. I even thought that, worst case, I'd just message him saying 'Su Yu's dying, come home for the funeral banquet,' just to lure him to Arc City first."
Su Yu's mouth twitched. "When did you get so devious, Kevin?"
Kevin replied, "Takes one to know one. Learned it all from a certain someone."
Su Yu sighed. So Kevin, formerly the sunny, campus-idol type, then the cold-faced Office Slave iceberg, was now developing into a full-on schemer?
"That trait doesn't suit you, Kevin. You're better off as the sunny, wholesome big oaf."
"Get lost."
Just then, a System notification popped up with a snap.
[Ding! New Tarot Card Unlock Prerequisite Quest Detected]
[Quest Name: 'Bro Hug']
[Quest Description: Using methods of your choosing, Host, successfully recruit Su into the fold]
[Special Note: This target is a potential Tarot Bond candidate for the Host; related Emotion Point output will be settled at double rate]
[Friendly Reminder: Host, please 'conspire' together with Kevin Kaslana, repeatedly shatter Su's worldview, and get this doctor — who carries the world in his heart and dreams of saving it through medicine — to willingly join your ranks~]
[PS: Bro hug~ Say what's really in your heart~ Pour out all these years of hardship and change~ You know how it is — what are bros for if not scheming against? Can't call yourself a true bro if you never scammed one!]
Su Yu stared at the line "Bro Hug" and fell silent for two seconds.
Was the System about to break into song right here?
But soon, the corners of Su Yu's mouth slowly curled upward.
The expression wasn't dramatic, but to anyone who knew him, it was unmistakably a sign that something bad was coming — as Nuwa once put it, that was the exact same smile Su Yu wore the day he slapped the Final Lesson script down in front of her.
"Ah, Su, it's not me who wants to hurt you — it's this cruel world."
he muttered under his breath.
On the other end, Kevin heard the noise and spoke up, puzzled. "What?"
Su Yu slowly straightened up.
"Kevin."
"Yeah."
"Think about it — that guy Su's been studying at Mu Continent for so long, didn't even come back last New Year. You have no idea how far Elysia's pout stuck out when she heard he wasn't coming back to celebrate with everyone — could've hung a bottle of oil off it."
Kevin's heart skipped on the other end — if Su Yu was bringing up Elysia at a time like this, he definitely wasn't up to anything good.
"Ah, you know me, I've got a soft heart. Can't stand seeing a girl sad."
Kevin's mouth twitched. Right, classic — seize the moral high ground first, then get ready to cause trouble.
As always. Very Su Yu of him.
"Later on, let's hold a war council, and we can properly prank — I mean, properly stand up for Elysia and settle the score."
By the end, he couldn't hold it in, and laughter rolled up from his throat.
"Heh heh heh."
Just then, Nuwa walked by nearby, arms full of a stack of new modeling drafts.
She'd been looking down at the sketches, but at the sound, her head snapped up.
The corridor lights shone down from above. Su Yu stood by the door, phone pressed to his ear.
Half his face lay in shadow, the smile at his lips not yet fully faded.
Nuwa, arms full of files, instinctively shrank her neck a little.
"That guy Su Yu..." she muttered under her breath. "Why does his laugh sound less and less human lately?"
Meanwhile, in her own office, Elysia — busy tinkering with the script for the new livestream version — suddenly sneezed and lifted her head in mild confusion. "Who's talking about me behind my back? Don't tell me bad Su Yu's cooking up some scheme again?"
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