Xiao Guizi's Livestream
"Folks, the scene back then was absolutely wild!"
"Everyone was screaming their lungs out—it was chaos!"
"Even I, Xiao Guizi, couldn't help but shout a couple of times!"
"[You're right, but rules are meant to be broken—let go of my Kafka-mom!!]"
"And guess what happened next?"
"The broadcast suddenly cut off!"
"Kafka herself took over as the host, appearing on screen with that signature smirk!"
"Holy crap! Everyone was stunned!!!"
"Even I thought it was some kind of show effect—until I saw the Interastral Peace Corporation's fleet mobilize… then I realized this was all real!"
...
Inside Xiao Guizi's livestream, Guinaifen was animatedly recounting the events to her viewers, gesturing wildly. At the most intense moments, she was practically spitting with excitement.
The chat was buzzing in agreement:
"Lucky to have been there! Just being part of this event was insane!"
"The scene was even crazier than Xiao Guizi described! The atmosphere was indescribable!"
"I watched it at home on my Jade Abacus. Even though I wasn't surrounded by fellow players, when I saw Kafka take over the broadcast, I nearly punched my screen in excitement!"
"Kafka introducing her own skills?! I could watch that clip for the rest of my life!"
"Do you think there's any truth to the rumors that Yu Ling is collaborating with the Stellaron Hunters? How else do you explain this?"
"Does this mean the Stellaron Hunters approve of Honkai: Star Rail? The thought of playing the same game as them is wild!"
"I already liked Yu Ling, but now I love them even more!"
"Agh! My boss made me work overtime and I missed everything! Tomorrow, I'm taking my baseball bat to settle things with him!"
"Damn it! I never miss character PVs, but today I thought being a few minutes late wouldn't matter… and now I missed it all! Waaah!"
"My friend got held up and missed the livestream too—he's been sulking all night!"
"So sad, so tragic, F in the chat."
Guinaifen couldn't stop grinning. As someone who had witnessed the event firsthand, the satisfaction was overwhelming. Seeing some viewers lamenting their misfortune only amplified her joy—it was like feasting at a grand banquet while others missed even the leftovers.
"Alright, alright, folks, let's not rub it in too much."
"Think about how those who missed it must feel!"
"We shouldn't take pleasure in others' misery."
"Oh, right!"
"I almost forgot to mention—how did you all know I pulled a 2+1 Kafka in just 150 pulls?"
[Chat]
"Xiao Guizi, you—"
"Streamer murder!!!"
"Whatever! My wallet will handle it!"
"How did you know I got a double 5-star in one ten-pull?"
"Kafka-mom really tested me—hard pity at 160 pulls! This must be her way of teaching me patience!"
Guinaifen made an apologetic gesture to the camera.
"Heh, sorry, got a little carried away."
"To make up for it, I'm giving away 1,000 × 648 Stellar Jade packs! May you all pull your dream characters!"
The chat instantly flooded with "Streamer so generous!" messages.
Thanks to the game, Guinaifen had become a top-tier streamer, her income incomparable to before. This giveaway was just another way to give back to her fans.
After wrapping up, she booted up Honkai: Star Rail.
Though she had already pulled a 2-Eidolon Kafka, she hadn't had time to build her yet. Now was the perfect opportunity to max her out.
Just then, a new message notification popped up in the top-left corner.
Guinaifen, unable to resist tapping the red dot, immediately opened it.
The sender had no profile picture and was anonymous.
[Stelle, come to the Divination Commission alone.]
[Do not tell anyone.]
[—Kafka.]
The moment she saw "Kafka," Guinaifen's focus sharpened.
"This must be… Kafka's companion quest, right?"
"Did Yu Ling really release this mission already?!"
Building characters could wait. Anything related to Kafka's story had to be experienced immediately—who knew what kind of bombshells were hidden inside?
[Are you on the Luofu?]
[Are you really you?]
[I won't listen to your demands.]
At first, Guinaifen was tempted to pick the first option. But something felt off—would Kafka really contact her directly at the start of a quest? Maybe it was a trap!
[Prove you're Kafka. Where's the evidence?]
To her surprise, Kafka sent a selfie in response.
[Is this enough?]
[Blade's injuries are severe. Until he recovers, I can't leave.]
[But you know Xianzhou's bounty on him hasn't been lifted—he's still a top-priority fugitive.]
[I need you, Stelle. Come find me.]
The chat exploded.
"What?! Picking the second option gets a selfie?!"
"Wait, does everyone get this?!"
"I was too excited and just clicked through—Kafka just said she needed my help! I missed out! (Faints in rage)"
"The differences between choices are this big?!"
Guinaifen glanced at the chat, thinking ahead—if there were more choices later, she'd have to pick carefully.
After receiving Kafka's coordinates, the quest presented three new options:
[Go to Kafka's location.]
[Optional: Ask March 7th and Welt for their opinions.]
[Optional: Report Kafka to the Divine Commission.]
Guinaifen froze.
"Huh?! The differences here are massive!"
"Wait, let me think for a sec—"
---
Somewhere in the unknown reaches of space.
Silver Wolf and Kafka were aboard their ship, having slipped past the IPC fleet's encirclement and now en route to their next destination.
Outmaneuvering the IPC was just another day for them.
Silver Wolf had set the ship to autopilot so she could focus on gaming.
Gazing at the starry expanse outside, Kafka suddenly spoke.
"Silver Wolf… do you think we have [free will]?"
Caught off guard by the philosophical question, Silver Wolf paused her game.
"Huh?"
After a moment of thought, she replied, "We're [Slaves to Destiny], bound to follow the script."
"From that perspective, free will is a joke."
Kafka nodded. "True. I used to believe all choices were predetermined—just one of many destined possibilities."
"But ever since Honkai: Star Rail appeared, that belief has been shaken."
Silver Wolf pulled up Guinaifen's livestream and projected it in front of Kafka.
"Then let's test it. In this companion quest, choose the option to [Report Kafka]."
"Then reject every choice after that. See where it leads."
"If the outcome stays the same, it means Yu Ling's message is that fate is unchangeable."
"But if it's different…"
"It will be different," Kafka said firmly.
"The very existence of Honkai: Star Rail represents the breaking of rules."
Silver Wolf rolled her eyes.
"You've been spending too much time with the Galactic Bat-wielder, huh?"
To be continued…
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