Chapter 220: Big Duck Comes to Catch Them in the Act! Seele, You and Su Mu Were Actually...
Recently, the humiliating defeat of the national football team has become... sorry, wrong topic, but it was indeed a grand defeat, and General Fan's classic quote truly lives on forever.
Let's try that again.
Recently, as soon as the Honkai Kingdoms: ZERO event went live, it triggered extensive discussion. Countless Captains admitted they were "bewitched" by the sky-gazing shorty and turned into dedicated Kongming stans.
There was no helping it. Who could refuse a white-haired beauty, a classic tsundere with a sharp tongue and a soft heart—though by the end, the "tsun" was gone and only the "dere" remained. Regardless, as the second character to explicitly show romantic feelings for the Captain, Kongming's entry into the fray was aggressive. It instantly caused many players, whether they were original Theresa fans or not, to defect to her camp. she was truly like a divine reinforcement from heaven!
Coupled with Su Mu, the official writer, providing personal "confirmation" in the livestream, countless players were already fantasizing about the happy married life of Kongming and the Captain. Thanks to this, many fan-made hand-drawn videos and clips of the two began to flourish on the video site.
MiHoYo was naturally generous toward these excellent fan works. Like the Yellow Wind Sage pointing at the fighting Destined One below, they roared: "I shall aid thee!" and stuffed prize money directly into the creators' hands. It was a perfect cycle of mutual benefit.
Seeing many players under these videos either losing their minds, being hopeful, or fantasizing about how the Honkai 3rd Captain was finally standing up and getting some "sugar," Su Mu was smiling.
The players were smiling because they didn't know what the future held. He was smiling because he knew exactly what was coming. Regarding Su Mu's smile, Kiana's evaluation was: "Whenever Su Mu smiles like that, someone is about to have a bad time. It's always been like that; I know it only too well."
Clearly, Kiana had fully realized that this man was not just a diligent workaholic, but also a cunning, black-bellied fellow. Engaging in a battle of wits with the players seemed to be a form of enjoyment for him. But Su Mu had a rebuttal.
What do you mean, 'battle of wits with players'? Watch your mouth! I'm heartfully creating happiness for the players! How can you slander me without proof! If the players gain happiness, is it really too much for me to collect a little happiness back from them? Happiness is simply transferred; a smile never disappears! I'm just temporarily borrowing the players' smiles and I'll return them... eventually! Is that reasonable? It's very reasonable! don't talk nonsense; it's been this way for years!
If Kiana knew his inner thoughts, she would have led with a "sweating emoji" immediately.
Of course, that's all for later. Let's return to the day of the version update, after the stream ended.
As Theresa finished playing through the new main story chapter, "From the Deep Freeze," the chat was abuzz with discussion. The new plot followed the previous chapter: Kiana was taken away by her companions on the Hyperion, while Raiden Mei joined World Serpent as one of its members.
The Fifth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Ice, descended on Coral Island. Her true identity was revealed to be the Valkyrie Anna Schariac! A Schicksal A-rank Valkyrie and captain of the Snow Lotus Squad, she was responsible for stationing the Coral Island region and possessed extensive combat experience. Anna was a member of the Schariac family, one of Schicksal's three great houses. she was promoted to A-rank at sixteen and had always been on the front lines against the Honkai.
Her squad had been wiped out during the Manila Eruption, but due to her outstanding performance, Anna was allowed to rebuild her team. During the Fifth Eruption, Anna was chosen as a Herrscher, codenamed the "Herrscher of Ice." after losing her sanity and killing her teammates, she refused to submit and froze herself in Coral Island, continuing to fight the Herrscher consciousness.
Upon receiving the news, members of Schicksal and World Serpent arrived at Coral Island. This was the first collaboration between the two organizations, and similarly, the first team-up between Raiden Mei and Durandal.
Mei, Raven, and Owl of World Serpent tracked the Herrscher reaction to the ice pillar where Anna was hiding and shattered it. Anna's heart was still resisting the Honkai; neither her self-consciousness nor the Herrscher consciousness could gain total control, leaving her unable to speak. In her loss of sanity, she conjured ice shackles to trap the trio, unleashed a cold wave that froze the city, and moved toward the city center.
Mei and Owl found Anna nesting in the garden area of the orbital elevator in Coral Island's center. According to plan, Mei drew Anna's attention while Owl took the chance to set traps. But as the plan unfolded, Mei was hit by a "Wand of the Abyss" while leading the Herrscher to the trap coordinates. Anna took the opportunity to conjure a hail of ice to attack the restrained Mei and retreated with Owl.
Owl wanted to help Anna defeat the Herrscher consciousness so she could control the power with her human mind. But before the plan could start, Mei and Bianca arrived. Although Owl and Anna were defeated by the duo, Owl's act of using himself as a shield to protect Anna touched Mei. Anna seized the chance to discharge the Honkai energy from her core; a sky-blotting wave of cold swallowed Mei and Bianca, allowing her and Owl to escape the scene.
The main plot ended abruptly there, leaving many players confused by the sudden mysteries. Owl and Anna clearly shared an unknown past, which was why he saved her and hoped to help her fight the Honkai. Though the two escaped for now, everyone knew Schicksal and World Serpent had already cast a dragnet. Escape was impossible. No one knew if Anna would successfully reclaim her self and become another human with Herrscher powers, or if she would completely lose herself and be killed by Mei and Durandal...
[It seems Otto was right; time really is running out.]
The descent of the Herrscher of Ice and the tragedy of Coral Island reminded many players of the negotiation between Otto and Kevin. In that talk, Otto had bluntly pointed out that Kevin didn't have much time left, successfully facilitating the deal. The arrival of the Fifth Herrscher was undoubtedly a signal. If Otto spoke the truth, Herrschers would arrive faster and faster... The world was in peril under the Great Eruption, and human civilization was entering a countdown.
Thinking about how much the previous civilization sacrificed just to reach the Herrscher of Finality—by which time Earth's humans were nearly extinct—many players felt a tightening in their chests.
How many innocent lives would the subsequent Herrschers take? How would the current civilization contend with them? What was Kiana's current status after being taken by the Hyperion? What would the Hyperion do next? These puzzles could only be analyzed in future updates.
After Theresa bid farewell to the audience, the livestream officially concluded. It was 4:30 PM, nearing dinner time, so Theresa proposed treating everyone to a meal. Su Mu originally intended to head back to the firm, but thinking that Kiana hadn't eaten with Theresa in a while, he didn't want to spoil the mood and agreed.
While waiting to leave, Fu Hua found Kiana and asked her to help with some gacha pulls. Thus, only Theresa and Su Mu remained in the office. Theresa wanted to use the time to finish some paperwork, so Su Mu didn't disturb her. He sat on the guest sofa scrolling through his phone, looking at comments under various Honkai 3rd videos. He then sent messages to Bronya and Seele, telling them work was over and not to wait for him for dinner, and that he'd see them at the office tomorrow.
During the process of running the company, Su Mu, Bronya, and Kiana had discussed many things and implemented several revisions. Since moving into the new office building with ample space, Su Mu had proposed making employees feel a "home-like" atmosphere. In other companies, this would be labeled as "painting a pie" (hollow promises). But once Su Mu implemented it, he proved it wasn't just talk.
To care for the staff and considering the inconvenience of cooking, MiHoYo reformed the employee canteen. They provided three meals a day, with dinner lasting until 9:00 PM. The firm closed at 10:30 PM, and until then, the leisure area, gym, and other facilities were open for free. Employees could come and go as they pleased. There was no "work talk" from bosses after hours; their time was their own. The firm simply provided an environment for relaxation.
Consequently, employees were happy to eat dinner at the firm and then relax in the leisure area or work out in the gym. Thus, there were still many people at the firm after work hours. It was simple logic: if the environment was relaxed, pressure-free, and had a good atmosphere, people were happy to socialize with colleagues. Many MiHoYo employees were young and single; going back to a rental meant scrolling through a phone alone. The firm had dinner, a free gym, and entertainment—it was far more interesting than a small rental room.
Coupled with occasional prize-winning mini-activities during breaks—like game tournaments—employee morale was high. Due to these generous measures, many employees were moved to tears, saying:
"If my lord does not abandon me, I wish to call you 'Godfather'!" "I'll work for the company for the rest of my life!" "President Kiana is High, President Bronya is Tough, and Director Su is both High and Tough!"
These comments left Su Mu both helpless and amused. He hadn't actually done much. He just treated the employees like "human beings." Pityingly, that alone was enough to crush most companies on the current market. Many who jumped ship from other firms said MiHoYo's environment was stuff from dreams.
Because of the high internal praise and the massive GDP contribution to Arc City, Kiana woke up one day to find herself named one of Arc City's "Ten Outstanding Youth" and a "Local Model Entrepreneur," complete with photos and banners. It left Kiana speechless. she had just received the "Shenzhou-North Africa Friendship Ambassador" title, and now this...
Every time, these awards were meant for Su Mu, but he stuffed them all onto her... claiming she earned them. Kiana found it both annoying and funny; she knew he was just terrified of showing his face to the players! But still... being watched and respected on stage felt quite good. Although "reluctant," Kiana waved her hand and said he could stuff any unwanted awards her way. she would "begrudgingly" accept them all!
One other thing: Su Mu rarely stayed at the firm after hours. Not because he was aloof, but because he was working overtime elsewhere. If he stayed at the firm, people would feel bad and not relax fully. Lately, his "overtime" wasn't writing proposals at home, but helping at Herta Studio.
The Resident Evil project using Herta's tech was more than half-finished. As producer, he had to monitor progress closely. Lately, Su Mu and Boothill had been heading to Herta Studio after work almost every day. Boothill's Ranger Studio was responsible for the standard version of Resident Evil and provided technical guidance for the holographic version. Additionally, the agreement involved assisting Herta and Ruan Mei with Synesthesia Beacon experiments. The tech had improved significantly, and simultaneous translation was now a success. With this, people wouldn't need to learn foreign languages to converse fluently with foreigners. Long-term, it could bridge communication between humans and space civilizations.
However, Herta's ambition didn't stop there; she had many "novel" ideas for the Beacon. So for now, Su Mu couldn't escape his fate as a lab rat.
A notification sound brought Su Mu back from his thoughts. He looked down and saw messages from both Bronya and Seele.
[Bronya: I'm flying to Canghai City today for a business trip, about three days. If anything comes up at the firm, contact me anytime.]
[Bronya: Please help me look after Seele. she tends to oversleep; don't let her be late.]
Bronya was going on a trip? Su Mu didn't think much of it. This wasn't rare; maybe a last-minute issue meant she didn't have time to discuss it. He replied telling her to be careful and to message him when she landed. Just then, Seele's message arrived.
[Seele: Mhm! Brother Su Mu, thanks for the hard work~ ♪]
[Seele: Are you free tonight? Seele hasn't been out with Brother Su Mu in a long time.]
Looking at Seele's message, a helpless smile appeared on Su Mu's face. his time with Seele had indeed decreased—partly due to work, and partly because their relationship wasn't public. With their offices next to Bronya's, chances to be alone were scarce. Clearly, Seele knew Bronya was away for a few days and immediately sent the invite. It seemed she had been "holding it in" for a while. Su Mu shook his head; tonight was bound to be a "bloody battle"... maybe he should eat more for dinner.
[Su Mu: Alright, I'll pick you up tonight.]
Considering he had neglected Seele somewhat, Su Mu decided not to go to Herta Studio tonight. He gave Boothill and Herta a heads-up and replied to Seele. However, as he was replying, he felt a burning gaze on him. He looked up and met Theresa's eyes. she looked away in a panic.
"What is it?" "N-nothing. Just a bit tired." Theresa leaned back in her chair, stretching her shoulders. "There are so many documents; I don't know when I'll finish... my shoulders are aching."
Su Mu acknowledged her and looked back at his phone.
"...I said, my shoulders are aching." Theresa repeated, her voice a bit louder, whether intentionally or not.
If he didn't understand the hint now, Su Mu would think himself a fool. He didn't see any issue with it—massaging a friend's shoulders was normal interaction. Su Mu set his phone down and stood up. "Respected Lady Theresa, did you order the deluxe massage package?"
Theresa froze. "What's this, roleplay?"
Su Mu walked behind her. "Didn't you say your shoulders were sore? I'm quite confident in my technique." He placed his fingers on her shoulders, found the pressure points, and applied force.
"OW OW OW OW! Can't you be gentler!" Theresa almost jumped out of the chair, her eyebrows knitted in pain.
"You can't take any pressure? I barely used force." "Just be gentler. At this rate, I feel like you're going to pull me apart!" "Is it that serious? Fine, I'll go lighter."
Su Mu reduced the pressure, and Theresa's brow relaxed. she leaned back into the chair, and the initial pain gradually turned into comfort. The sore-yet-relaxing feeling of a massage was addictive, and the heat from Su Mu's hands seemed to melt through her clothes into her shoulders. she let out a soft moan of comfort.
"How is it? My technique is pretty good, right?" "Not bad... Grandpa would probably like you. He used to make me massage his shoulders all the time when I was little, or even walk on his back. He said it was very comfortable."
Su Mu imagined little Theresa stomping around on someone's back and nodded in agreement. "That does sound comfortable."
"...you're thinking of something rude, aren't you?" "No, I just think Otto really knows how to enjoy himself." "Hmph..." Theresa let out a light huff. "Want me to help loosen up your arms too?" "Mhm."
Su Mu's professional technique shocked Theresa. It felt like an experienced rehabilitation doctor; the pressure wasn't huge and was well within her tolerance, yet it felt like it reached deep into the bone. This unprecedented sensation made her close her eyes, letting out occasional soft hums.
Theresa was comfortable, but Su Mu was suffering. At such close range, Theresa's scent enveloped him. As he continuously made contact with her soft body, his eyes were stimulated by her snowy-white neck and the curves of her relaxed figure. Not to mention the soft whimpers of comfort in his ears. his hearing, smell, touch, and sight were all under a barrage of stimuli.
The mature and seductive physique (identical to Big Luna) had terrifying lethality. The completely undefended Theresa showed no resistance; if Su Mu wished, he could easily slide his palms down to grasp her "weaknesses." Su Mu felt like a fruit farmer, or perhaps the Great Sage on duty in the Peach Garden. Witnessing such a ripe peach, how could one not be moved? Any normal person would have the urge to taste the juice. No wonder the Queen Mother held Peach Banquets; they were truly a delicacy of the mortal world.
Su Mu bit his tongue. The pain cleared his head. He wasn't a green rookie, so he regained his logic quickly. Still, a cold sweat broke out on his back. It was absurd—he had almost entertained stray thoughts about Theresa? Being "seduced" by Theresa... how could he ever say that out loud? In his previous life, he'd be labeled a "Grandmother-slayer"!
...But the Theresa before him had that "Big Luna" physique. Thinking of it that way, it seemed understandable. Who wouldn't like Big Luna? Everyone else was just pretending! If the one before him were truly the Big Luna who crossed ten thousand years for love, Su Mu felt he would have surrendered instantly. But thinking of this as Theresa with Big Luna's looks... it felt a bit weird. Indeed, those big blue eyes felt too "wise" (derpy); it was like the difference between a Blue-Eyed Queen (derp) and a Gold-Eyed Queen (majestic). The temperament was entirely different.
"Alright, feeling better?" Su Mu let go of her shoulders.
"Mhm... so-so." Theresa opened her eyes, a flash of reluctance disappearing quickly. she moved her body and found it indeed much lighter.
Su Mu smiled. "If your body feels lighter, your mood should improve too."
Theresa froze. "You..."
"I noticed you seemed a bit off today. you must have something on your mind." "Mhm..." "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. everyone has their difficulties."
Theresa nodded, but looking at Su Mu, his smile made her heart feel a bit tingly.
"But, I still prefer seeing you smile rather than look troubled." "—"
Theresa felt her heart skip a beat. Before she could answer, Su Mu spoke again. "Time's almost up. Let's head down to find Kiana; she was shouting about being hungry earlier."
The words at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back. she nodded. "you go find Kiana first. I'll be right there."
After Su Mu left, Theresa took several deep breaths to calm down. she was about to put on her jacket and head down when she noticed Su Mu's coat draped over the armrest.
Did he forget it? Theresa picked up the coat and draped it over her arm, intending to return it to him. However, looking at the coat, the scenes from a moment ago flashed in her mind. On a whim, she brought the coat close to her face.
The strong scent of male hormones mixed with a hint of cologne—Su Mu's scent—stimulated her senses. By the time she snapped back, she was greedily burying her face in the fabric, breathing deeply.
W-What am I doing... The thought surfaced, but she couldn't stop herself, letting impulse rule her body. If this continues, I'm... like a pervert, aren't I? Knowing it was wrong, she couldn't stop...
—The door was pushed open.
Theresa jumped like a startled bird, nearly throwing the coat away.
"Theresa? you ready?" Su Mu stood at the door, looking at her strangely.
"Y-you didn't go down?"
"I just went to the bathroom. The coat was still in your office, so I came to get it."
"Oh..." Theresa realized. Given Su Mu's personality, how could he forget his coat? He had just stepped out to the restroom... "The part just now... did you see it?"
"See what?" "N-nothing... your coat." Theresa handed it to him. "Thanks. I'll head down and wait for you."
After Su Mu left again, Theresa felt her heart was about to leap out of her chest. she leaned against the wall, her face flushed red. Thank goodness... thank goodness I wasn't caught... she didn't even want to think about what she would have done if Su Mu had seen that.
Su Mu was about to put on his coat when he noticed a long white hair stuck to it. He pulled it off. "Probably Theresa's or Kiana's..." He didn't think much of it.
But for some reason, after putting it on, he felt a faint fragrance... it seemed to be Theresa's scent. Was it left behind when he massaged her? What a headache. If Seele smells this, the jealousy tank is going to overflow. Thinking of this, Su Mu planned where to take Seele tonight.
After dinner with Theresa and Kiana, Su Mu drove Kiana back to her apartment and messaged Seele.
[Su Mu: Seele, still at the firm? Want me to pick you up?]
[Seele: Brother Su Mu, I went back to the apartment to take a shower... come over now.]
Seele was still living with Bronya. Although Su Mu had suggested she move out for convenience, Seele said she wanted to eventually come clean to Bronya and then the three of them could buy a house in Arc City together. Thinking of Bronya, Su Mu opened WeChat and messaged her.
[Su Mu: Bronya, reached the airport yet?]Shortly after, Bronya replied. [Bronya: Mhm, boarding soon.]
[Bronya: Done with work? Heading home now? don't work too late; get some rest.]
[Su Mu: you too.]
After replying, Su Mu drove away from his apartment to pick up Seele.
However, unbeknownst to anyone, outside Bronya's apartment, the glow of a phone screen illuminated Bronya's face. she looked toward the apartment unit; the lights were on.
Is Seele home? Bronya looked back at her phone. she had lied. There was no business trip, and she wasn't at the airport.
"I'm sorry, Seele..." "Regardless, Bronya needs to know the answer... if it's all just my imagination, I will apologize properly to you and Su Mu. I'll compensate you however you want..."
she closed her eyes and prayed internally. ...don't come. Please, don't come.
she hoped it was all just her paranoia, her stupidity. she hoped it was all fake.
END OF CHAPTER
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