Chapter 83: Firefly Joins miHoYo, Another "Love Rival" for Bronya?
"Benares, why the hell are you flying again?!"
Homu Live Platform, Gaming Section. The livestream of the high-level pro player, "Silver Wolf." Watching Benares fly away once more, Silver Wolf finally couldn't help but burst into a string of curses.
[LMAO, how many times has that dragon taken off now?]
[Isn't the streamer supposed to be a pro? Getting tortured by Bella?]
[User above, the streamer is helping a fan clear their tenth account! That damn dragon has a grudge against her; it just keeps flying!]
Silver Wolf tossed her watch onto the desk and leaned her head back against her gaming chair, looking utterly dejected. As a pro, Silver Wolf rarely faced setbacks; her skills were undeniable, and she consistently held a spot in the highest tier of the Memorial Arena rankings. But today, while helping a viewer "min-max" their score, it was as if she were cursed. Benares was acting like it was on stimulants, refusing to stay on the ground.
Min-maxing? The game is doing this on purpose! I can't take this anymore!!
Looking at Benares on the screen, Silver Wolf let out a sigh and tried to steady her mindset. "Luck is trash today. I'm done. Stream's over. I'm out."
After shutting down the stream, she slumped into her chair, feeling so bored she could die. "Why hasn't Honkai 3rd updated yet? Why?!"
Days ago, Silver Wolf had already "grinded" through all the content of the current version. If she weren't so bored, she wouldn't be wasting time in the Memorial Arena. Without Honkai 3rd to play, she felt like life had lost its flavor.
"Curse you, Bronya! It's all your fault! Why did you have to make a game this fun? Gwaaaah!!!"
Ever since that one time she was forced to bark like a dog in public (Chapter 36), Silver Wolf had become obsessed with Honkai Impact 3rd as if possessed. She never imagined a game could make her so addicted that she even fought battles in her dreams.
"Hmph... it seems Bronya didn't lie to me. She really did create a game that shook the industry." Thinking of Bronya made her curious. Bronya had almost vanished from the scene before this, and miHoYo had been half-dead. Why the sudden meteoric rise with Honkai 3rd? It couldn't just be Bronya's doing; there had to be a mastermind behind her.
Upon researching, Silver Wolf discovered the name of the Project Lead—"Su Mu." This piqued her intense interest. "Using so many real-life people as characters... and somehow it doesn't feel weird at all. The quality is so high—what is that guy's brain made of? Most importantly, if even Bronya got added, why wasn't I?! I want to be a game character too!"
While she was considering whether to make a trip to Arc City, she suddenly remembered something. "Wait... isn't Sam in Arc City? I wonder how her exchange student life is going..." A lightbulb went off. "Right! Since she's there, why don't I have her go check out miHoYo for me first?" She wasn't quite mentally prepared to face Bronya herself yet.
Having made up her mind, she dialed Sam's number. "Sam" was a codename, just like "Silver Wolf." It was a name they used back in their early gaming days; Sam's real name was Firefly. Silver Wolf had spent more time fighting alongside "Sam" in games than she had spent with Firefly in real life, so the name stuck.
"Hmm? Silver Wolf? Is something wrong?" A pleasant female voice answered.
Silver Wolf skipped the pleasantries. "I need a favor." She got straight to the point, asking Firefly to visit miHoYo.
"MiHoYo? A visit? Uh..." Firefly sounded stunned. Silver Wolf felt strange. "Is it inconvenient?" Firefly explained, "No, it's just... I was actually going to call you about this, but I only just got to the company and I've been on a tour all day..."
Company? Tour? "You're at the office?" "At miHoYo." "....Eh?"
Silver Wolf thought she was hallucinating. MiHoYo? Mi-hoyo? "...Holy crap, miHoYo!" She sat bolt upright. This was way beyond her expectations. "What? How? What happened? Why are you at miHoYo?"
"It's... a long story..." Firefly paused to gather her thoughts.
To put it simply, Firefly originally wanted to learn how to build mechs, so she sought guidance from the Professor of Aerospace Dynamics—Murata Himeko. But Himeko told her that building a real mech at this stage was nonsense. She couldn't build a real one, but if Firefly wanted something related to mechs, there was Honkai Impact 3rd.
Silver Wolf was dumbfounded. "What? How does Honkai 3rd have anything to do with building mechs?" "I thought so too, until..." Firefly's eyes had sparkled when Himeko showed her the Anti-Entropy and Schicksal mechs in the game, along with the various Valkyrie God-Slayer armors. "I see... yeah, some of those armors in Honkai 3rd are basically mini-mechs. But when is that Wotan thing ever going to hit 90%?"
Silver Wolf nodded. As a veteran player, she understood Firefly's logic. Firefly had always loved sci-fi and mechs, and she had a soft spot for transformation heroes. "I feel like miHoYo puts so much heart into their mechs, there must be like-minded comrades there! That's why I wanted to join them!"
Hearing Firefly's cheerful voice, Silver Wolf felt relieved. Making mechs in a game is certainly more realistic than making them in real life...
Wait. She needed to drag Kafka, Blade, and Elio out for a celebration immediately! After all these years, the kid had finally woken up! Transformation heroes and mechs don't exist in reality! Thinking of Firefly's cabinet full of models, Silver Wolf almost teared up. Now the kid was still a mech geek, but at least her feet were on the ground, right?
"Hmm? I haven't given up on the idea, though. I just think Professor Himeko is right—practicing by making mechs in a game first will help me accumulate experience!"
Silver Wolf wiped away some cold sweat. "Anyway, as long as you're at miHoYo, that's great..."
At miHoYo, inside Su Mu's office.
Su Mu had been focused on a design document until Firefly finished her animated phone call with her friend. He looked up at the silver-haired girl sitting gracefully on his sofa and felt a bit amused.
To think a prize would just deliver itself to my door.
Originally, Su Mu planned to produce Honkai: Star Rail in this world and pull those characters into miHoYo the same way he did with Honkai 3rd. He was just wondering how to make contact when the person showed up herself.
Looking at Firefly, Su Mu found it interesting. He didn't expect this world's Firefly to be such a fan of tokusatsu and mechs... He looked forward to seeing what would happen when she met the fellow mech-geek Welt Yang.
Murata Himeko's request was simple: let Firefly join miHoYo until her exchange program ended. She claimed Firefly was a very capable student who could help Su Mu. While the reasons were high-sounding, Su Mu knew that deep down, Himeko was just a lazy bum who wanted to pawn off her responsibilities. But he didn't call her out on it, as she had been good to him. Plus, Firefly was capable; her computer skills were enough to leave even Su Mu impressed.
"I'm sorry, Director Su, I got carried away talking..." Firefly apologized, a slight blush on her face as she realized she had been on the phone for quite a while.
"It's fine... Anyway, I'll place you in the Honkai Impact 3rd project team to learn for a while. How does that sound?"
While Su Mu and Firefly were talking, outside the office... Elysia had her ear pressed against the door. Pardo was doing the same. Both looked extremely serious, like spies intercepting top-secret intel.
"Well? Elysia, Pardo, say something!" Carole whispered, her face full of gossip-hungry energy.
"Hmm... this is a big problem." Elysia assumed a pensive look. "Indeed, Sister Ellie is right. This might not be a small matter..." Pardo nodded in agreement. Both looked as if they had encountered a major crisis.
"I'm going back..." Bronya turned to leave, only to be grabbed on both sides by Pardo and Elysia. "You can't run away at a time like this, Bronya!" "Right! Sister Bronya, if you run now, it's all over!"
Looking at their anxious faces, Bronya rolled her eyes. About an hour ago, Elysia and Pardo had mysteriously come to her office claiming they had "huge tea" about Su Mu. Bronya had been dragged to his door only to watch them eavesdrop. An excited Carole, who was originally there to report revenue stats, ended up joining the squad. Now four of them were huddled in the hallway.
Bronya's mouth twitched. Is Su Mu's office door a spawn point? Why are there always strange people eavesdropping here?
"Desperate times call for desperate measures! That woman Rita already made Sister Bronya lose her 'alone time' with Brother Su Mu!" "Rita is just too excellent! Even I, Ellie, found her heart-fluttering!" "Sister Ellie, is there anyone you don't find heart-fluttering? You're heart-fluttering over this Firefly girl too, aren't you?" "Pardo, you know me so well! That girl's silver hair is just too beautiful, I really want to..."
"Ugh..." Bronya felt like she was being executed. Watching these two talk nonsense while Carole gossiped, she wished she were under a car instead of here. Help. Ever since these people found out she had feelings for Su Mu, they had been acting like "Dog-head Strategists." Unfortunately, not one of the four had a single shred of actual dating experience. They weren't Zhuge Liangs; they were just a team of "Three Cobblers."
Why did I even agree to eavesdrop? Bronya felt like she had been shanghaied. She wanted to escape, but she couldn't. Just as she was about to break free from Elysia and Pardo, the door suddenly opened.
"In that case, why don't you go with Carole to get familiar with our project team? She's a combat designer, responsible for those cool moves and mech combat."
Su Mu and Firefly walked out, chatting and laughing in a very harmonious atmosphere. But when he saw the quartet in the hallway, he froze.
"Are you... busy with something in the hallway?"
Pardo quickly let go of Bronya. "Ah! Brother Su Mu! What a coincidence! Sister Ellie and I were just about to chat with Bronya when we ran into Carole..." Carole nodded frantically. "Yes, yes! I was just about to report the revenue stats to the Director..."
Su Mu looked at the four of them, sensing something was odd. After noticing the strange vibe, he immediately looked at Bronya. "Are you okay?"
Su Mu's concerned gaze startled Bronya. Why did he ask me first? Is it because my face looks bad right now? "I'm fine..."
Su Mu nodded. Since Carole was there, he had her take Firefly to the project team. Then, he looked at the remaining three. "Do you have something to ask?" His tone was helpless. "You guys were too loud; I could hear you from inside. Ellie, Pardo, eavesdropping is a bad habit."
Elysia stuck out her tongue playfully. "You saw through us~?" Pardo added, "We were just concerned about the new member."
Clearly, neither of them took being caught red-handed to heart. Bronya appreciated that they didn't sell her out—even though she hadn't actually been eavesdropping herself, since she was just standing there listening to their summaries.
Su Mu explained the situation briefly. "Oh? So it was a favor for a friend... what a pity." Elysia looked disappointed after hearing the story.
Pity for what? Su Mu was speechless. Elysia was the type who just wanted to see drama. You should just go sit at a table with the Masked Fools.
After sending the two of them off, Su Mu called out to Bronya as she was about to leave. "I wrote a new proposal. Want to give me some input?"
Bronya looked at him curiously. "Why didn't you ask Elysia or Pardo?" She couldn't help but feel nervous. Why me? Why ask me specifically when there were so many people here?
"I'll consult them later. I've only just made a preliminary decision and haven't decided if I'll actually make the game yet," Su Mu explained. "You're the Vice President and more professional in this area, so I came to you first."
His answer made Bronya feel a bit let down. So he only asked me because he thinks I'm capable? The "Big Duck" folded her arms across her chest—an action that made her "assets" (which would make a certain Flat Chest of Shenzhou envious) almost hide her arms.
"The new employee I was talking to is very capable and has a passion for mecha games. So I thought, maybe we could make a game centered around mechs."
Mechs? Bronya's eyes widened. She was actually quite interested in the genre. Her mentor, Welt Yang, was a hardcore mecha fanatic who always wanted to make a legendary mecha game. Bronya liked the idea too—though she technically preferred motorcycles.
"You have high hopes for that new employee, Firefly? You want her to lead the new project?" "Not necessarily. I need to observe her for a while first." "Mhm." Bronya nodded. "What's the name of the new project? Have you thought of one?"
A confident smile appeared on Su Mu's face. "The name of the game is... Titanfall!"
END OF CHAPTER
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