500,000 credits in hand.
For the first time, Tatsuke experienced the thrill of making money quickly.
This amount was equivalent to several months of hard work!
Stay calm!
Stay composed!
In the future, he was going to dominate the galactic market and become a top-tier game developer!
This small sum was nothing!
However.
Tatsuke couldn't help but grin from ear to ear!
Just thinking about no longer living in poverty, no longer huddling in an abandoned house eating instant noodles…
His heart was filled with joy!
Today, this ordinary guy is really, really happy!
Fortunately, the alley was dimly lit.
And Guinaifen was completely focused on Honkai: Star Rail and her livestream.
Otherwise.
She might have thought Tatsuke was some kind of weirdo…
When they reached the commercial street, Tatsuke had already calmed down.
Guinaifen found a teahouse and booked a private room.
To make it easier for her to livestream.
Tatsuke, on the other hand, said he was going to grab something to eat.
After exchanging contact information, they went their separate ways.
Looking at the bustling night market.
The aroma of various grilled meats, fish, and seafood filled the air…
Tatsuke's eyes welled up with tears, and he almost wanted to dive right in.
Damn it,
Finally, I can afford to eat something good!
.........
Meanwhile.
Inside the teahouse.
As soon as Guinaifen sat down.
She immediately opened her phone.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone!"
"Let's continue our journey in Honkai: Star Rail."
"To be honest, I've only just scratched the surface."
"Even if it means staying up all night, I'm going to show you all the cool stuff this game has to offer!"
On one hand.
The game had caused quite a stir in her livestream.
It was even more popular than her previous stunts like breaking stones on her chest or throat-locking with a spear.
On the other hand.
Guinaifen had also been deeply captivated by the game's content.
She was eager to see what came next.
"I think Kafka is probably the main character of this game."
"After all, her skills are so flashy. She must be the protagonist."
"Surely no other character's ultimate skill could be more dazzling than hers, right?"
The viewers actively joined in the discussion.
...
[Chat]
"Kafka is definitely the main character!"
"The developers are probably some no-name small studio. They didn't have the budget for promotion, so they poured all their resources into Kafka's design!"
"I just checked. The developer is called [Yu Ling]."
"Yu Ling? Never heard of them."
"Witnessing the rise of a legendary developer!"
"I really want to see that 'bong～' again!"
...
Guinaifen glanced at the comments. Most people seemed to agree.
Kafka was clearly the game's flagship character.
All the special effects and visual polish had been lavished on her.
In fact.
It was possible that she was the only playable character.
After all, the developer was new, and players were more forgiving.
As the story continued.
After Kafka effortlessly dealt with the enemies in front of her.
Little did she know.
A new Voidranger had spawned behind her!
It launched a sneak attack from behind.
Its blade aimed straight for Kafka's head!
Just as the blade was about to strike.
It suddenly turned into a cluster of colorful cubes.
Then, its entire body dissolved into countless small cubes.
As if an invisible hand had disassembled it.
In an instant, it vanished from the space station!
"Cleaning up after others isn't my job."
A girl, while operating a complex and dazzling system, casually remarked.
She jumped down from her seat.
Glanced indifferently to the side.
And blew a pink bubble with her gum.
In any other context, she might have been described as "that cool little girl" or "weirdly cute."
But now, everyone watching the livestream knew.
This was no harmless girl next door.
She was another member of the Stellaron Hunters!
A top-tier hacker with extraordinary skills!
She was the one who had spoken through the screen earlier.
...
[Chat]
"Silver Wolf! It's her!"
"I didn't expect another Stellaron Hunter to show up!"
"She's another heavyweight! The Interastral Peace Corporation has a 5.1 billion credit bounty on her!"
"I thought Kafka was unbeatable, but there's another mastermind here!"
"Can we play as Silver Wolf? I'm really curious about her skills!"
"Dream on! Kafka's design is already so polished. Silver Wolf can't possibly be a playable character."
"Yeah, she's probably just making a cameo."
...
Despite this.
Silver Wolf's appearance made the livestream even more lively.
Two Stellaron Hunters!
What were they up to?
The story continued.
"No matter how many times I see it, your methods are always incredible~" Kafka praised.
"Just modifying reality data. A trivial trick, really."
"What were you looking at so intently earlier? Show me."
"Herta's toys—the catalog of [Curios] in the space station. There's a lot of interesting stuff in there."
"Like what?"
"There's a gun that can score any living thing in its crosshairs, from 0 to 100."
"How is that interesting?"
"Aren't you curious about what score you'd get? I'd really like to know."
"Sure, if it's on the way, let's give it a try."
The two chatted as if they were on a casual outing, discussing trivial matters.
There was no sense of urgency or impending danger!
But then.
Suddenly!
A viewer in the livestream realized something was off.
...
[Chat]
"Wait, wait, wait! Streamer, pause for a second!"
"What did Silver Wolf just say? Did she mention [Herta]?"
"Huh!? …You don't mean that genius from the Genius Society, do you?"
"Mystery solved! This space station is Herta Space Station!"
"Herta Space Station, the Antimatter Legion… Oh my god! I think I've stumbled onto something huge!"
"???"
"What's going on? What's going on!?"
"Someone explain, I'm really curious!"
"There was news a while back…"
"Herta Space Station was indeed attacked by the Antimatter Legion, and the Astral Express went to help!"
"I remember now! It was all over the Interastral Peace News!"
"It can't be this coincidental, can it!?"
To be continued…