The players hadn't fully let out their goose-like laughter when a powerful burst of music hit frame-zero, sliding from the right channel to the left.
"Standing on my feet!"
"It's so hard when I try to be me!"
"Oh——"
"Deja vu!"
[???]
[What did I just hear?]
[I caught a shrimp household! No, wait, they even have this?!]
[Did MiHoYo pay the copyright fee?]
[It's just a tiny snippet… what copyright fee is needed?]
[I never in a million years thought I'd hear this song in the game.]
[The lingering sound echoes, the starskiff is nowhere to be seen, Leon's spaceship piloting skills are terrifying like this—OOC!]
[What if it's Yanqing driving?]
In the game screen, the Cloud Knight lifts his head toward the direction the starskiff vanished, his face turning green.
"Is my synesthesia beacon malfunctioning or something? Why does it sound like 'Fly You Mom'…?"
"Uh… I heard 'Fly You Mom' too…"
A subordinate weakly chimes in from the side.
"Such guts! Drunk or high?"
The Cloud Knight's face shifts from green to red, vividly demonstrating what it means to act according to his mood.
"What are you standing around for? Chase!"
"But… we can't even see the taillights of that starskiff…"
"You idiot! Then notify every docking port—have them keep an eye on civilian starskiff 6383588 Class A. Grab them the moment they disembark."
"Daring to be this brazen during a sensitive period—they need a harsh lesson."
"Even that lord back then didn't… You, and you, get on the starskiff with me and chase!"
[9 lives, I'm dying laughing!]
[My sister asked why I'm curled up like a shrimp clutching my stomach—if I don't, I can't hold it in.]
[Hold it in? Hold what in? Want professional training? Laugh if you want to laugh!]
[This wave is a point-blank ultimate.]
[Who is 'that lord' referring to?]
The camera cuts to a girl dressed in festive attire, her long, rounded legs wrapped in high-quality black stockings—quite alluring.
"Isn't this the orange-haired girl from the Light Cone 'Follow' ad?"
"Cute as heck~~"
"But speaking of which, she gives off a bit of Yoimiya vibes."
"Thai pants spicy!"
"If my little Guizi could pull off this move, a live performance would bring in rolling rice, wouldn't it?"
"Ahh, I was so mesmerized I forgot to record and send it to Sushang!!"
"With piloting skills like that, could she be a champion from some racing skiff competition?"
"Her name is Little Guizi? Probably not her real name."
"That 'rolling rice' line really got me—I almost hallucinated certain V-tubers."
"Huh, isn't that the starskiff from earlier? Why is it turning back?"
"Whatever, hurry and record while we can!"
Guinaifen had just raised her phone when she noticed the starskiff in her view rapidly enlarging.
"Huh, did it veer off the route?"
"This direction…"
"Oh no!!!"
"It's coming straight at me!"
"Ahh—"
Little Guizi instinctively raised her arms to shield her face, eyes squeezed shut.
Ah Xian, however, widened her eyes.
She saw Guinaifen suddenly vanish, as if swept away by a gust of wind.
Following the direction Guinaifen disappeared, she noticed nearby pedestrians were also whisked to safety, at teleportation-like speed.
The next second—
The starskiff crashed, exploding with a boom.
The animation's expressiveness was top-notch; flying flames and debris rushed toward the camera.
Many people flinched, mimicking Little Guizi's pose.
[Holy crap, I thought that thing was going to smash through my phone screen into my face.]
[Scared the hell out of me!]
The starskiff wrecked, but Little Guizi and the crowd were unharmed, faces tinged with confusion.
"Accident!"
"I know, but why are we…"
"Why my ass—notify the hospital and the Earthwork Commission!"
"What just happened? I felt like I suddenly flew."
"Lucky we did, or the blast would've peeled off a layer of skin even if it didn't kill us."
"Everyone okay?"
"We're fine…"
Seeing this, players understood: Leon must have saved everyone at the critical moment.
Bad news: Perfectly in character, successful crash.
Good news: No one was hurt, and no OOC.
[Vehicle killer, I swear!]
[I'm laughing so hard I'm crying—people who don't know might think I got dumped by a scumbag.]
[What about Yanqing? Is he okay?]
[He'll be fine. Leon would never let anything happen to him.]
The Cloud Knight arrived at the scene to question witnesses, but no one had a clue.
Players, however, noticed Little Guizi's hesitant expression.
Before anyone could ponder the next development, the screen returned to Leon.
The camera gradually zoomed in along his back, passing over him to settle on Yanqing.
Seeing Yanqing seated under tree shade, eyes spinning in circles, players couldn't hold it in.
[This moment, just like that moment!]
[There's progress—at least Yanqing isn't making rainbows. Back then, the Trailblazer and little March were bent over making them for ages.]
The plot cutscene CG ends here.
"…Mr. Leon… why are there three of you?"
"…No, five… eight…"
Hearing Yanqing's dazed words and seeing Leon's strange expression, many players who had just stopped laughing lost it again.
"…I-I'm still alive?"
"Sorry, Mr. Leon. I didn't expect that starskiff's engine to malfunction. Thank the heavens you're alive too."
"Hilarious."
"Is it really that coincidental? Looks like Leon's vehicle killer attribute is here to stay."
"Yanqing's actually pretty pure and sincere—dizzy as he is, he's still worried about Leon."
Leon uses a small trick to help him regain clarity.
"You okay?"
His tone carries a hint of concern.
Good thing players can't see Aha interacting with Leon, or they'd be dumbfounded.
Besides, it wouldn't be suitable to watch.
After all, whenever that bastard Aha shows up, it's either to flaunt tea art and disgust people or to sexually harass.
"Thanks for your concern, Mr. Leon. I'm fine…"
Yanqing clutches his head, lightly patting his forehead.
"Come to think of it, when did we get off the starskiff… never mind, not important…"
"The general's Seat of Divine Foresight is right nearby. Follow me closely."
Quest progress updates.
Players can now freely control the character and follow Yanqing to the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Press F to enter, triggering another cutscene CG.
[So satisfying—really feels like watching an anime.]
[More of this, love to see it.]
[???]
[Opening thunderstrike!]
Why opening thunderstrike?
"Yue——"
Jing Yuan's gaze is strange, fixed on Yanqing beside him, bent over producing a rainbow.
That's the reason.
"MiHoYo is trying to kill me with laughter so they can inherit my doujinshi, huh?"
Ah Xian slumps on the desk, pounding it, laughing too hard to care about image.
Jing Yuan's eyes sweep over Yanqing, just in time to see a book fall from his arms.
He picks it up, glances at it, and his puzzled face freezes.
"Oh ho?!"
"It's that outrageous novel Leon deliberately gave Yanqing!"
[Yanqing: Maruraba!!]
Seeing this, even the most stoic couldn't hold back.