Chapter 10: The Trailblazer's Genesis?
Within the [Herta] space station's conference room, a captivated audience watched the screen, utterly engrossed.
"So, this is how the Trailblazer came to be?" someone murmured.
"They physically implanted the Stellaron!" another exclaimed.
A hesitant voice questioned, "Is it even appropriate for us to be seeing this?"
A more certain tone declared, "It's confirmed! The game's storyline mirrors recent real events, revealing details we never knew!"
"Quickly, someone get Station Director Asta!"
Moments later, Asta arrived, surrounded by a flurry of staff. One of them had already recorded the entire live stream. As they watched the chaotic invasion of the Antimatter Legion unfold on screen, Asta's jaw dropped in disbelief. The events played out with startling vividness, reopening the barely healed wounds of that disaster.
The truth was now apparent: the Stellaron Hunters had lured the Antimatter Legion! Those despicable Stellaron Hunters! They had casually interfered with artifacts in the space station's Storage Zone, acting as if they owned the place despite being there to steal Star Cores. And with such nonchalance, they had infiltrated Lady Herta's precious collection chamber. Then, they had implanted a Stellaron into a young girl.
Wait a minute! Why did this girl look so familiar? Oh no, wasn't that the Trailblazer?! So, the Stellaron Hunters had created her as a vessel!
Within moments, a torrent of information overwhelmed Asta, akin to suddenly facing three months' worth of overdue bills.
"Asta," a staff member ventured, "could [Trailblazer] be a mole planted by the Stellaron Hunters?"
"Nonsense! This is just a game; we shouldn't maliciously suspect our friend like that," Asta retorted, placing her hands on her hips, slightly annoyed.
"However," the staff member countered, "based on everything we've seen, the game's storyline perfectly aligns with reality."
"I'm still not sure. Let's observe further before jumping to conclusions." Asta switched the main screen to a live broadcast from a channel called "Little Gui Zi Streamer." In the screen's bottom right corner, little Guizi was barely visible. The rest of the frame showcased gameplay footage of Honkai: Stellar Rail.
On the screen, Silver Wolf's voice echoed, "How much longer do we need to watch? According to the script, the Astral Express's passengers, the Trailblazing Travelers, will arrive soon. We shouldn't miss meeting them."
"I know, Silver Wolf. Just a little more time, just a bit," Kafka responded, her tone almost playful before addressing the camera directly. "The moment is near; I must leave... [Listen carefully]: Soon, someone will find you. Have faith and go with them. Remember nothing except me."
Although there was no voiceover, everyone watching could sense the protagonist's fresh awakening, the disorientation and bewilderment palpable.
"When you have the chance to make choices, don't let yourself regret them..." As Kafka spoke her final words, the screen faded to black, symbolizing the protagonist falling back into slumber.
The passage of time remained ambiguous. Then, a male voice broke the silence. "The coordinates weren't transmitted from the space station..."
Another female voice urged, "At this point, why quibble over details? This person is right here before us—can they be fake?"
"The heartbeat and pulse are both very weak. March, prepare to administer CPR."
"Ah?! I...I don't have much experience! Dan Heng, you do it!"
Just then, the protagonist's perspective shifted, and their eyes opened. A massive man's face loomed incredibly close, appearing enormous due to the proximity.
"Hold on—stop talking!" At a crucial moment, a hand intervened, pushing the man's face aside. The owner of the hand leaned forward instead. Short pink hair framed a pair of vibrant, bright eyes that smiled warmly at the protagonist.
"He's awake!"
"Are you okay? Can you hear me clearly? Do you remember your name?" the pink-haired girl asked.
Witnessing this scene, Asta was utterly speechless, her astonishment profound. It was none other than March 7th and Dan Heng! Although their identities had been revealed in the dialogue, seeing them in person still felt surreal to Asta. These were truly the characters from Honkai: Stellar Rail! The Trailblazer had even provided significant assistance at the space station. Who could have imagined their origin story was like this?
Asta knew she needed to contact the Astral Express Crew immediately. She grabbed her phone, her fingers hovering over the contact list. But as she was about to search for their information, she paused, a sudden realization striking her.
"Our researchers at the space station have all discovered this game; I bet the Astral Express crew must know about it too."
"Never mind, the game has just started. There's no need to rush any conclusions." She closed the contacts interface and instead opened the app store. She searched for "Honkai: Stellar Rail." Without hesitation, she began downloading it. With such compelling storytelling alone, she knew she'd be hooked. This game undoubtedly held more surprises in store for her.
Meanwhile, aboard the Astral Express, Old Yang and Himeko exchanged involuntary glances. At this point, everything began to make sense. After a moment of thoughtful silence, Old Yang spoke first, "Based on Dan Heng's report, he did indeed encounter her in Herta's Curio Collection Room with March 7th."
"You mean," Himeko asked, her tone a mix of surprise and understanding, "the game's storyline is genuinely based on real-life events?"
"From what we've seen so far, it seems highly likely," Old Yang replied.
"With the Stellaron Hunters' technical capabilities, could they have created such a game?" Himeko pondered aloud.
"I suppose...they might be able to," Old Yang responded uncertainly.
"At first glance," Himeko mused, "this creator named 'Feathered Spirit' must possess detailed knowledge about Kafka and Silver Wolf from the Stellaron Hunters. Otherwise, they couldn't have included intricacies even we were unaware of."
"What about the train? Don't forget, the game itself is titled after it," Himeko added, taking a deep breath, her eyes gleaming with intense interest. "Welt, I have a feeling that this game has only just begun."
On a nearby screen, a new feature had just unlocked. "Look, here's a newly unlocked feature—'Characters.'"
Himeko's curiosity was piqued. "I'm already curious about Little March and Star's abilities."