Chapter 26: Leaking the Trailblazing Journey Early? Searching Developers Worldwide
Guinaifen's excitement soared as she watched the latest developments in Honkai: Star Rail.
"Oh my gosh! Is this real? There's more to the game?" she exclaimed. The chat erupted with similar enthusiasm:
"Now we truly become The Nameless!"
"No way! But the upcoming storyline aligns with current events; can the development team improvise it on the fly?"
"If there's indeed a map for the next trailblazing phase, I'd kneel down to worship the dev team right now!"
"I'm ready to spend 10 sets of 6480 Premium Points instantly!"
Despite her anticipation, Guinaifen felt nervous. She feared this might just be an Easter egg rather than a full-fledged new map, as she eagerly hoped. After all, it was already astonishing that the recent disaster at Herta's space station had been depicted in the game. Could they truly create gameplay based on what the Trailblazers were currently experiencing in real time? That would defy belief! Yet, with these developers, there seemed to be no limit—only constraints on players' imaginations.
Following a train jump, the scene revealed a planet blanketed entirely in ice and snow. According to the Astral Express Crew, this white world was named Jarilo-VI—the destination of Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th's expedition to locate the Stellaron and clear its obstruction from the stellar rail. A thrilling adventure amidst barren winter nights was about to unfold.
"A new main quest has actually started?" Guinaifen muttered uncertainly. "By continuing now, aren't we essentially witnessing the Trailblazers' experiences in real time?"
Her chat flooded with informed replies:
"No way! It's been some time since the space station incident. If the Trailblazers were efficient, their exploration of this planet would have already concluded. Even if slower, they should be nearing the final stages."
"Can anyone from the Astral Express Crew confirm whether the Trailblazers indeed went to this planet?"
"This is Welt—give me a 6480 boost, and I'll share updates on March 7th and the others' situation."
Meanwhile, aboard the Astral Express, Himeko and Old Yang were too captivated by Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng navigating Jarilo-VI's snowy wilderness to interact with any viewers. Shock and disbelief stormed through their minds.
"How is this possible?" Old Yang asked incredulously. "Dan Heng only sent his exploration log today; we just saw it now, yet the game has already turned it into a storyline?"
"Welt, something isn't right!" Himeko said seriously as she turned her computer screen toward him. "I searched through all content on the Intergalactic Peace Network, and this game appeared completely out of nowhere—no prior hints or indications."
"And what about its developer?" Old Yang asked.
"The developer goes by [Feathered Spirit], but searching for them yields no relevant information beyond their alias," Himeko replied. "We know nothing about them."
Old Yang took a deep breath before speaking again. "Now things have become even more bizarre. The details shown earlier about the space station could still be logically explained. But replicating their ongoing Trailblazing journey—including what Little March and the others are experiencing right now? That's not something an ordinary game development team could achieve."
"I suspect that [Feathered Spirit] possesses some form of precognition or insight abilities," he added.
"If that's true," Himeko pondered aloud, "why would they create this game? Surely it can't just be for profit."
"Of course not," Old Yang agreed. "Perhaps if we continue watching, we'll find out. While Dan Heng's logs are detailed and include photographs taken by Little March, they're ultimately not firsthand experiences. Luckily, we can use this game to see exactly what they've encountered over these past few days—and compare it with Dan Heng's journal entries."
"I'm curious to see just how far this game's storyline can progress," Himeko concluded.
Elsewhere on a rooftop terrace buffeted by strong winds, Silver Wolf worked swiftly through system navigation while Kafka played Honkai: Star Rail, occasionally glancing at Silver Wolf's progress.
"Wait—seriously? No traces whatsoever?" Silver Wolf exclaimed in frustration after failing to uncover any information about [Feathered Spirit]. "Not even a hint of data left behind? It's as clean as a blank sheet!"
Even for an expert hacker like Silver Wolf, failing to find relevant data was crushing. She slumped back in her chair dejectedly.
"Even you couldn't uncover anything about the developer?" Kafka asked with surprise.
"That's right," Silver Wolf replied bitterly. "[Feathered Spirit] hasn't left even a digital footprint! I tried reverse-engineering their release channels but found nothing—any related data vanished instantly as if existing within an impenetrable void."
Silver Wolf continued agitatedly: "Their defense system surpasses even corporate firewalls—it's unbelievably robust! You could say they're operating on an entirely different level!"
Kafka gently patted Silver Wolf's back to comfort her. "Alright, Silver Wolf—the universe is vast; even we can't achieve everything as desired. By the way, what did Elio say?"
"Elio reached the same conclusion," Silver Wolf replied. "This game's emergence was entirely unexpected—it left him equally puzzled."
"I see..." Kafka mused thoughtfully before adding, "Compared to direct sabotage or combat missions, such matters seem far more complex. Still, I must admit—the developer [Feathered Spirit] shows remarkable promise."
Just then, Silver Wolf sprang up excitedly and rushed back to her computer. "We've got a lead!" she announced triumphantly.
"[Feathered Spirit] finally revealed themselves online!" she exclaimed.
"Huh? This is...the first-ever announcement from them!" Kafka remarked in amazement as both women stared at their screen in anticipation of what might come next.