"Scott!" Lakshmi's voice was loud and sharp.
"You're here, Lakshmi," Scott's voice, however, was several degrees calmer than usual.
"Scott, you told me Silver Wolf and Su Chen were at each other's throats. I immediately reported it to the boss, and under his direction, we spent a fortune hiring trolls to stir up drama.
When the web series movie was released, I realized
Silver Wolf and Su Chen weren't at all what we thought.
It was all just a script to break the fourth wall.
Now not only are we getting roasted, but our jobs are on the line too."
Scott replied in an eerily steady voice, "I already told you don't steal my credit.
You must've rushed back, couldn't wait to claim the credit, and didn't even mention my name, right?"
"Scott, don't you want to return to Tenghua? Were all your undercover claims just lies?"
"Ha→Ha↗Ha↗Ha↑! If you weren't so greedy, none of this would've happened!
That's right!
It was all my plan. I was never an undercover agent.
Did you think you could take my spot once I was gone?
No way!
Now you're just like me abandoned by Tenghua."
The speech sent chills down Su Chen's spine. He couldn't help but raise his thumb in awe.
"Lone Wolf!"
Lakshmi's expression, meanwhile, was a sight to behold shifting seamlessly from confusion to composure before erupting into wild laughter.
"Ha↑Ha↑Ha↑Ha↑Ha↑! Scott, I knew I wasn't wrong about you.
You're still that kind of man. Even in another company, you're scheming to crush your rivals. I admire you so much!"
Su Chen's scalp tingled. "An excellent matchmaking mechanism, truly evenly matched. You two are a match made in heaven!"
Even Stelle, usually the queen of absurdity, was stunned. "Scott, oh Scott! I'm impressed!"
Scott looked at Lakshmi. "Let me tell you something. At first, I did want to return to Tenghua.
But the boss refused, saying I'd disgraced the company's name.
Don't you think he must've authorized this?
Yet he kept giving me promises three more years, then another three—
telling me to go undercover?!
I'm the Lone Wolf~. Worst case, I'll just switch companies. I can live just fine at miHoYo.
But without me, don't expect to thrive either!"
"Clap, clap, clap…" Su Chen applauded enthusiastically, stepping out of the shadows with Stelle in tow.
"Su Chen!" Scott's eyes widened. "What are you doing here? Were you eavesdropping?"
Su Chen quickly raised a hand to stop him. "You think I wanted to be here?
My innocent heart was almost shattered. I'm becoming less and less pure.
Lakshmi, since you've got nowhere else to go, why not report to miHoYo?"
"Huh???" Stelle, Scott, and Lakshmi were all covered in question marks.
"This plot… where have I seen it before?" Scott stroked his chin. "Ah, right! It's kinda like the press conference storyline!"
"Alright, it's settled then. Scott, handle the arrangements. I'm out." With that, Su Chen grabbed Stelle's hand and bolted.
...
Finally, when they reached the entrance of the Film Interactive City, the two slowed down.
"One Scott wasn't enough, so you had to recruit another?" Stelle was still baffled by Su Chen's actions. "And what's all this undercover talk about?"
"Let me put it simply. After watching 'The Great Wolf Sovereign,'
I gave Silver Wolf a look.
She's sharp figured out right away we needed to put on a show.
My goal was to create better hype for the '1 Credit Movie' campaign.
Check today's stats ever since Punklorde aired,
Silver Wolf's popularity has skyrocketed to insane levels.
Videos about her alone increased by 500,000 today.
Of course, Scott played a part too. He's a scoundrel,
but he knows one thing he's part of miHoYo now.
If I fall, he falls with me. Tenghua doesn't want him anymore.
He'd have nowhere to go.
That's why he played along with my act.
Tenghua paid for trolls to stir the pot, only to hype us up instead.
The effect was multiplied several times over."
Su Chen glanced at Stelle, who was stroking her chin, deep in thought.
He sniffed. "Why do I smell something burning?"
——
October 4th, Herta Space Station.
Two long lines stretched outside the entrance to the Film Interactive City.
A young man eyed the queues in confusion and nudged his companion.
"Our line's long, but at least it's moving. Why's that other one frozen?"
"Ah" His friend yawned understandable, given they'd been in line since dawn.
"I asked around. That line's for number draws."
"Number draws? For what?"
"The shops in the Film City are about to go on sale. They're queueing for lottery tickets. Only those with a number get to enter the draw. Win, and you can buy."
"Huh?! That's insane. The real estate market's in the dumps, and here they're lining up to buy?"
"You kidding, bro? Do you know the Film Interactive City's daily foot traffic?
11,000! And that's with limited hours and capped admissions.
Plus, the current area of the Film Interactive City
is less than 1/20th of miHoYo's Shanghai Disney.
Scary, right?
Snagging a shop here? You're set for life!"
The two kept chatting as they moved with the line.
Soon, they entered the space station familiar "Base Zone" surroundings.
Then—
Su Chen's voice rang out.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Su Chen, founder of miHoYo Film Development Co., Ltd.
I've gathered you here today for one purpose to invite you to play a game."
As he spoke, Su Chen and Stelle walked to the center of the stage,
both clad in Trailblazer uniforms.
Su Chen pressed a button on his remote. A QR code appeared on the large screen in the zone.
"Today, I've prepared an activity. I hope everyone here can scan the code and join the game."
Without hesitation, the crowd pulled out their phones.
A chorus of crisp "dings" filled the air.
After loading, a mini-program appeared titled "Chasing Time."
It was a classic endless runner, similar to "Temple Run" or "Subway Surfers,"
but this time, players controlled the "chaser," not the escapee.
One young man looked at his character clearly, it was Rocky.
The faint figure ahead was undoubtedly Leslie.
Moments later.
Su Chen spoke again.
"I need you to help him chase time."