Chapter 1: Prologue - The Reason
"Whoosh~ Gurrr-gurrr~~" The boiling water in the electric kettle on the wooden table churned, white steam billowing from its spout. Beside the kettle sat a cup of instant noodles.
In this exquisitely decorated house, a young man named Li Xuan lay on the living room sofa, eyes closed, dozing.
The paper note stuck to the Air Conditioner's fan blades fluttered in the cool breeze. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the street was deserted—the scorching summer heat, nearing forty degrees Celsius, was unbearable for most.
Inside, the television played a reality show featuring a popular celebrity running team. In the kitchen, the microwave heated a frozen pizza. On the balcony, the Washing Machine rumbled and clattered as it washed clothes. The computer in the bedroom remained on standby.
"Gurrr-gurrr~~~ Gurrr-gurrr~~" The fully boiled kettle emitted a loud, piercing whistle. Li Xuan, sprawled on the sofa, was startled awake by the sound, his eyes snapping open.
Li Xuan, male, heterosexual. Seventeen years old. He was currently enjoying a summer of post-high school graduation decadence. From a well-off family and an excellent student, he couldn't be bothered to take on a summer job. Instead, he remained holed up at home, a mushroom-topped otaku, waiting to be accepted into university. Despite being an otaku, he possessed a handsome, sunny face that completely contradicted his lifestyle. In his heart, he silently thanked his mother for this blessing. As for why he didn't thank his father, well, it was obvious: his father was anything but handsome.
"Yawn~~" Li Xuan yawned, rubbing his hand through his long, soft, black hair. He walked over to the wooden table in the living room, reaching out to turn off the power and enjoy his luxurious instant noodles. Suddenly, his phone vibrated with a 'ding~'—a WeChat notification. Li Xuan pulled out his new iPhone 6S, a graduation gift from his parents, from his black casual pants pocket. He saw a message from his WeChat friend, Heavenly God.
Li Xuan's friend, Heavenly God, had been added through the WeChat "Shake" feature during one of Li Xuan's bathroom breaks. The two would chat casually to pass the time. Li Xuan had teased him several times about his nickname, but Heavenly God didn't seem to mind.
Heavenly God: Xiao Xuan, are you there? Xiao Xuan, are you there?
Mu Xuan: Yeah! So bored!
Heavenly God: I found a pretty fun ACG game recently! Want to try it?
Mu Xuan: Sure, why not!
Heavenly God: Great. I'll send you the link.
Heavenly God immediately sent Li Xuan a website address. Curious, Li Xuan opened the link and found himself on the download page for Honkai Gakuen. He figured he had plenty of storage space on his phone, so why not try a new game? He hadn't played anything recently, giving his liver a break. Li Xuan thought it might be time to return to the gaming world, like a jellyfish rising from the depths. He tapped the download button. A progress bar instantly appeared on his screen, rapidly filling as the game downloaded.
Just as Li Xuan was about to put his phone down, he noticed the battery was down to 20%. He reached across his messy bedroom—which looked like a dog's nest—and grabbed his charger. He plugged one end into his phone and the other into the power outlet, and his phone began charging.
After finishing everything, Li Xuan unplugged the kettle and aimed it at the instant noodle container he had just torn open. He poured in hot water, preparing to make noodles. Perhaps because his home broadband was one of the more expensive options, his WiFi-connected phone had just finished downloading Honkai Gakuen in a mere minute. At the same time, strange noises erupted from the appliances in the room: the Air Conditioner began spewing black smoke, the TV screen went black, and the Washing Machine sputtered and hissed.
Li Xuan stared in astonishment at the scene before him. What was happening? Had the appliances malfunctioned? Just then, a blinding white light erupted from his phone, which he was still holding in his right hand. All the appliances in the room immediately shut down, plunging the apartment into absolute silence.
Then, with a deafening "BOOM~CRASH~~~," the appliances exploded as if they were bombs. Glass shards from the windows flew outward, and thick black smoke billowed from Li Xuan's apartment. The explosion even shattered the windows of the apartments above and below his. Panic-stricken screams erupted from the residents of Li Xuan's complex.
Ten minutes later, the sirens of fire trucks wailed outside the complex. A large crowd of onlookers and residents had gathered below Li Xuan's apartment, murmuring and speculating about the cause of the explosion.
This was the origin and prelude to everything that followed.