**Chapter 4: Turn-Based Revolution – A ta Shift in the Making?**
At the Herta Space Station, the scars of recent catastrophe had finally been nded. Researchers moved through the halls with renewed ease, slipping back into their tranquil routines.
In one of the eting rooms, a particularly disengaged scientist discreetly thumbed through his phone beneath the table. The droning presentation from his colleague at the podium couldn't compare to the allure of the latest ga releases.
As he scrolled through the new arrivals, one title seized his attention:
**"Honkai: Star Rail?"**
His eyebrows shot up.
**"Wait—isn't that the na of those Naless travelers who helped us aboard the Astral Express?"**
**"I swear I just saw their train docked at the station's platform!"**
**"Now this is interesting. Let's take a peek…"**
---
anwhile, aboard the **Xianzhou Luofu**, the ever-carefree Qingque was indulging in her favorite pasti: *avoiding work*.
Unfortunately, after a recent scolding from the Divination Commission's iron-fisted leader, she could no longer slack off openly. Instead, she resorted to covertly browsing her **Jade Abacus** during breaks.
**"Huh? Little Guizi's streaming now?"** She tapped into the livestream. **"Since when did she switch from variety shows to gaming?"**
Then her eyes widened.
**"Wait, hold on—!"**
**"Is this even a ga?!"**
**"Isn't this the wanted criminal Kafka!? I literally saw her bounty posters this morning!"**
A grin spread across her face.
**"Well, well, well… Forget card gas after work. I need to see where this story goes!"**
---
Aboard the **Astral Express**, the usual quiet hum of the train filled the spacious cabin. With most passengers away on their Trailblazing missions, besides the conductor Pom-Pom, only **Welt** and **Hiko** remained in the Parlor Car.
Welt sat by the window, a book in hand, though his gaze kept drifting to the frozen planet outside.
Hiko approached, carrying a steaming cup of coffee.
**"Worried about those kids?"** she asked, taking a seat beside him.
Welt chuckled. **"It's natural to be concerned. This is their first real Trailblazing mission, after all."**
**"Young ones need room to grow,"** he added, though his fingers tapped restlessly against the book's spine.
Hiko smirked. **"Then why not relax? Try this new blend I just brewed."**
Welt's throat tightened at the sight of the ominous dark liquid. He quickly reached for his phone.
**"Ah… no, thank you. I prefer unwinding with gas."**
Truthfully, his phone was ga-less. Desperate for a distraction, he opened the new releases section—Among the dazzling array of new gas, he suddenly saw a ga na that caught his attention.
Hiko noticed his sudden stillness. **"Sothing wrong?"**
Welt adjusted his glasses. **"Take a look at this."**
**"Honkai: Star Rail?"** Hiko tilted her head. **"Seems to be thed around our Astral Express."**
**"Indeed,"** Welt murmured. **"The logo even uses a train motif."**
Hiko sighed. **"In the past, so developers tried cashing in on the Express's fa, but their gas were… *creative interpretations* at best."**
Welt knew she was being polite. Those gas weren't just inaccurate—they were outright *nonsense*.
Yet this ti, sothing felt different.
His attention snagged on the first word of the title:
**Honkai.**
He could only hope the developers used it as an aesthetic choice—not a reference to the cataclysmic force he knew all too well.
**"Since we've got ti,"** he suggested, **"why not check it out together?"**
Hiko smirked. **"Fine. But if it's another cheap knockoff, I'm leaving."**
---
Unbeknownst to **Lin Yu**, his newly launched ga was already making waves across the galaxy.
And now, as Guinaifen's livestream continued, the **turn-based combat system** of *Honkai: Star Rail* was about to be revealed—
A new voice crackled through the transmission, belonging to another **Stellaron Hunter**:
**"Can't this mission at least be fun? The last few were painfully boring."**
Kafka's lips curled. **"Apologies. Today's task *is* tedious—just delivering the target."**
Then her tone shifted, playful and dangerous.
**"But if you want to liven things up… I won't stop you. After all—"**
The space station's door hissed open.
Kafka stepped forward, hands resting on her hips.
Before her lood three snarling **Voidrangers**, their antimatter weapons humming with lethal energy.
**"—what isn't in Elio's script doesn't matter."**
Twin pistols flashed into her grip.
Her pupils dilated.
A smile, wild and exhilarated, stretched across her face—as if she'd reached the crescendo of a symphony only she could hear.
The audience braced for chaos, expecting a blistering gunfight—
Then, abruptly, the screen **froze**.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the display.
When it cleared, the scene had transford:
Both Kafka and the Voidrangers stood frozen in a **turn-based formation**, locked in a grid-like battlefield.
The chat **erupted**.
**"HUH?!"**
**"I was ready for an epic shootout, and you give *this*?!"**
**"No way—it's turn-based?!"**
**"Talk about a letdown. The setup was so cool, but the gaplay's ancient!"**
**"Ugh. I was hooked until now."**
Guinaifen blinked at the backlash.
But Lin Yu only smiled.
The **real revolution** was just beginning.
User Comments
0 comments from readers