Bronya suddenly spoke up, her expression tinged with surprise.
"Wait… are you saying we don't need to touch any of the actual development work for this game?"
Mo Li nodded.
"Before I even came to you, this game was already completely finished.
So you don't need to worry about programming, design, art—none of it.
"All we need to focus on now is promotion and setting up the servers."
"You… made it all yourself?"
For the first time, Bronya's perfect deadpan cracked into shock.
Mo Li thought for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"More or less…"
He obviously couldn't mention the system. This vague answer was all he could give.
But that answer left the girls looking uneasy.
"You don't need to worry," he assured them.
"This really is my own work. Apart from me, you're the only ones who know it exists."
That eased them a little—though doubt still lingered.
"3D character models, environmental models, terrain editing, art, UI, story planning, level design, balance design…
and you're telling us you did all of that, alone??"
Mo Li rubbed his forehead.
"Yes. I know it's hard to believe, but it's entirely mine.
"I'm not stupid enough to steal someone else's work.
Just follow my lead, alright? Any other questions?"
Durandal hesitated before raising her hand.
"Um… about the characters in the game… could you not use my sister's likeness?"
Mo Li: "…"
Without you all, it wouldn't be Honkai Impact 3rd anymore…
After a brief pause, he offered an apologetic smile.
"That… would mean completely redoing all the models and rewriting the story.
That's not only a huge time sink, but also very costly."
He quickly added,
"It's just a name and a look. I didn't intend for it to resemble her—it's pure coincidence!"
"…What if I just give your sister a big bonus when the time comes? How about that?"
"And us?" Himeko stepped in with a teasing smile.
"Surely you're not just giving money to Kiana?"
"Don't worry, everyone gets a share."
That satisfied her.
"Well then, I'm fine with it. Kiana gets paid for doing nothing and even plays a 'role'—why not?"
"I don't really mind either," Bronya added.
"As long as you don't give me some smear-plot or weird nonsense in the story."
Mo Li nodded firmly.
"Relax—it's a serious game. No bizarre plots."
"Any more issues?"
Just as Mo Li thought things were settled, Rita raised her hand.
"One more thing…" She covered her mouth with that familiar sultry smile.
"All the employees are appearing in-game… shouldn't the boss set an example and take a role too?"
Mo Li: "…"
"…Fine."
It was just a matter of swapping in a model—the system could handle it.
The only question was which character.
Male roles were scarce. His mind first went to the Thirteen Flame-Chasers… but they were introduced much later in the timeline.
Then his eyes lit up.
"That's right—I'll play Otto."
Otto, the universally hated villain. If the developer himself played the bad guy…
That was comedy gold. And comedy meant buzz.
He wasn't worried about being attacked in real life.
Modern players could tell game from reality. At most, someone might shout, "Otto, take this!" if they saw him on the street.
Decision made.
"Alright, that's settled. Bronya, you'll handle server setup.
"The rest of you, start brainstorming promo ideas. I'll assign voice work shortly."
The starter package version of Honkai Impact 3rd already came with everything—
even the PVs and voice lines.
But to avoid raising suspicion again, Mo Li decided to keep them busy with dubbing anyway.
Save the Girl had been fully voiced by this group—and they'd done a great job.
They really were a talented bunch.
"Oh, right—Himeko, come with me."
He grabbed his laptop and stepped out.
Himeko traded a knowing look with the others before following.
"Boss, calling me out alone… you don't have any bad intentions, do you~?"
He shot her a flat look.
"It's just a promo video that needs your voice."
"Oh, so that's all? A little disappointing~"
Mo Li found himself studying her for a moment.
In this short time, he'd realized—their personalities really were exactly like in the game.
Himeko brushed back her hair with a playful smile.
"What? Already developing feelings for me, Boss?"
He shook his head, amused. She was clearly just teasing.
"Enough chatter. Let's head to the recording room."
The following days were filled with directing voice work, revamping miHoYo's official website, and locking in the marketing plan.
The main push would be on a short-video platform and a dedicated anime fan site.
After all, Honkai Impact 3rd was peak anime-style content, and its core audience was young.
These two platforms would be the most effective.