Chapter 179: The audience's hearts are torn apart! Stellaron Hunter SAM makes an appearance!
As she hugged tightly, Firefly dissolved into a puddle of liquid in her arms, spreading across the ground.
"No... no..." Stelle knelt on the ground, staring at the azure stains, her body trembling.
Throughout the entire scene, the camera maintained a high angle, ensuring every detail of Firefly' face was clearly visible to all.
At this moment, there were no comments on the screen.
Silence.
But the number of online viewers still displayed brightly below... 10 million...
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This strange situation continued for five or six seconds.
The comments only returned to normal after that.
...
: No, it can't be, right? Did she really die?
: Impossible! Absolutely impossible! This is a space comedy, hahaha, this is a space comedy! How could anyone die?!
: Hahaha, woooo, it's so sweet, so sweet, Firefly is so gentle and cute, even buying snacks for Stelle. Nothing just happened, right?
: I paused it! Everyone! I'm so clever, Firefly is not dead yet, hahahaha!!
: It's fake, all fake! All just illusions! Anything can happen in Honkai: Star Rail! Who said Firefly died! I'll let him die first!
: I can't take it anymore!! Aaaahhh, why does it have to be like this? Why does she have to die so tragically?
: Director Xia! I! @#¥%!!!
: Aminos! Aminos! The camera kept focusing on Firefly's face.
: This shot is so malicious! MiHoYo, Aminos!
: Exactly, it's like asking us: Do you enjoy it? Enjoy seeing Firefly trembling and in pain after being pierced, and those increasingly lifeless eyes after being stabbed again?
: Isn't Penacony supposed to be a world of beautiful dreams? Is this a beautiful dream? This is a freaking nightmare!
...
At this moment, the comment section went completely crazy.
When the trailer first came out, the topic about Firefly was already trending.
But the audience didn't take it seriously.
After all, without prior Myriad Celestia Trailer or character development, they were already prepared. It wasn't so easy to "knife" them again.
But no matter how beautiful the imagination was or how thick the armor of expectations, as soon as Firefly appeared, her behavior in the plot immediately won the audience's affection.
Just the character's interactions alone weren't too bad.
But placing her in Episode 1, a scenario full of complex and various enigmatic characters,
the sweetness and warmth Firefly brought to the audience were as significant as SoulGlad's importance to the prisoners in the border prison.
Then, the egg cracked.
This sweet and lovely girl was brutally murdered by a monster right in front of everyone.
Every subtle expression on her little face was like a blade piercing the viewers' hearts.
And it didn't stop there—there was even more regret.
...
: I wanted to see Firefly find the cure and then settle down with a happy life.
: She loved life so much and envied the nameless, ahhh, it was right in front of her.
: We haven't even seen her truly embrace a life of excitement, and her life is already over? I can't accept it!
: It's too painful, Director Xia! Why do this to us?
: And it's so unscientific, okay! Acheron and Black Swan, those two mysterious elder sisters, were both there!
: They didn't even react, using shields or cloaks!
: This is a plot kill, it must be a plot kill!
: Ahhh, Director Xia, I'll kill you!
...
At times like these, the regret expressed by Firefly resonated with the audience's sense of emptiness.
When combined with the pain of being "knifed," that bittersweet sensation was evident in the explosive growth of bullet comments.
If Silver Wolf hadn't upgraded the servers before the broadcast, the comments might have crashed the system.
But many still held onto a shred of hope.
After all, this was a dream, right?
Even though no one knew how Firefly became Firefly-sauce, if it was just a dream…
The audience endured the sting in their hearts, watching the screen, hoping for a miracle to happen next.
On the screen, Stelle slowly stood up, eyes vacant.
Acheron and Black Swan, the two elder sisters, comforted her from either side.
"Are you okay?" Acheron asked worriedly.
For the first time, clear emotion appeared in the eyes of this Galaxy ranger.
"Is this a dream?" Stelle asked blankly.
"Look at me, stay calm, okay?" But Acheron didn't answer the question directly.
This immediately chilled the hopeful audience.
Black Swan stepped forward, using her abilities to soothe Stelle for a moment, then left temporarily, passing the message to other Express members to be on guard.
After Black Swan left, Acheron slightly lowered her head and closed her eyes, saying, "I regret what happened… I was too focused on that girl and neglected…"
"It was my hesitation that cost her life… I'm sorry, Stelle." Stelle looked at Acheron, her pupils flickering twice. Several times she wanted to speak but didn't know what to ask.
After a while, she finally asked in despair, "Why didn't you draw your sword?"
"..."
"I'm sorry, I had no choice."
Acheron fell silent for a moment but still didn't reveal the truth.
"She didn't have a choice either." Stelle shook her head, utterly broken.
"I understand your anger, but now is not the time to fall."
"We should open our eyes and think carefully about where the true enemy is hiding."
"Once, someone warned me: mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. But you must recognize who the real enemy is."
...
: Sigh, I don't know how to say it.
: Although no swords were drawn, this matter has become more complicated, making things increasingly blurry and unsettling.
: The two older sisters' comforting words were so thoughtful.
: Their emotions and words were conveyed perfectly.
: At least for now, Acheron and Black Swan seem fine.
: Ahhh, but thinking of Firefly still makes my heart ache.
...
Acheron's explanation, though still cryptic, showed some emotions on her face, enough for the audience to accept.
Before long, Black Swan returned.
She had already informed Himeko and March 7th.
"The navigator was discovered by The Family and has been expelled from the dreamscape."
"We should leave too. Himeko asked me to tell you to rendezvous at the statue of the Clockie."
As soon as she finished speaking, Black Swan paused for a second and then added, "Moreover, while retreating, we can still do more for Miss Firefly."
"Some traces of her remain nearby. Before they completely disappear, you can gather your memories with her."
Scattered alongside Firefly, were not just those peculiar liquids, but also fragments of memory. Due to the special properties of the dreamscape, these memories had transformed into dream bubbles.
As Stelle stepped forward step by step, they occasionally found evidence that broke the hearts of the audience.
Especially when Stelle found a photo of the two of them together.
The comment section exploded in anguish.
In the girl's life, perhaps the moment she took that photo with Stelle on the rooftop, it became a memory to last a lifetime!
But the more beautiful and cherished it was, the more unbearably painful it became.
After sadness came a wave of anger.
But before emotions could ferment further, on the screen, the trio of Black Swan began their retreat.
In one room, however, they made an unexpected discovery connected to Firefly.
"What is this...?" Black Swan frowned and examined it with Stelle.
"Stay calm, Firefly. Stay calm."
"Let's move out."
The echoes from this place, coupled with the additional traces, proved one thing: Firefly didn't enter the dreamscape alone!
She had someone with her!
Following the echoes, the trio quickly arrived at a corridor.
It was the last place where a shadow of her appeared.
"Why are you...? This isn't what we agreed on!"
Here, Firefly turned her head, seemingly speaking to someone in a flustered tone.
"The situation is changing. It seems her companion deviated from the original 'plan.'"
"Or perhaps, from the outcome, this was that person's true plan all along."
This shocking reversal and information struck the audience's minds.
Their gaze followed the camera tightly, arriving at the staircase.
"Mecha?! Why...?" Firefly's voice grew more frantic,
And Acheron offered her analysis: "She was forced to come here by something, and moreover..."
Black Swan added meaningfully, "A tall man in silver armor, connected to the mecha, and something more."
The clues themselves carried little information.
But through Black Swan and Acheron's speculation, the hints pointed to a certain scenario:
Firefly entered the room with someone, was betrayed along the way, locked in a room alone, and the other person disappeared.
Perhaps to seize the inheritance, to reduce the number of witnesses, or because a deeper secret was hidden here.
To lure out a big fish, bait was needed.
It was a form of deception and enticement, but for the audience, this reasoning, paired with Firefly's shadow, was the only explanation they could accept for now.
Otherwise, how could an ordinary girl like Firefly enter a sealed dreamscape, navigate through a dangerous hotel alone, and remain unharmed?
Someone had to have been with her!
In the trio's vision, Firefly found herself with no way out and could only leave through a side door, her voice filled with hope:
"It's an exit. If I follow this, I should be able to leave."
Black Swan spoke in a low voice, "Unfortunately, this path ultimately leads to a lair of death."
Following the traces further, the trio soon looped back around.
Ahead of the corridor was the room they had just visited.
"Finally back at the lobby. With this, we can..." Firefly's running shadow was frozen in memory, her last words blurred.
The ending that followed was clear to everyone.
"She thought she escaped, but..."
"And then, the trap was sprung."
Everything connected at this moment.
...
: Damn it! I thought this was just an accident!
: I can't stand it! I absolutely can't stand it! How dare they harm Firefly! I don't care who you are—just go to hell!
: I bet that companion was trying to draw out that mysterious monster and used Firefly as bait!
: Unforgivable! Ahhhh! MiHoYo, I don't care who's behind this or what forces are involved—take them down, no matter what!
: The more miserable the death, the better. Otherwise, it's impossible to vent this anger!
: Is it SAM? This inference directly points to Sam!
...
Just as the barrage was filled with boundless rage.
A puff of black smoke suddenly drifted in from one side of the screen.
Acheron and Black Swan were on high alert.
The audience also widened their eyes.
That companion. It seemed they were about to show themselves?!
The hall in the camera view.
It was almost completely different from before; the three had only been away for a short while, yet the place was already littered with the charred remnants of the monsters.
Many of the monsters were even completely fragmented, with no intact bodies in sight...
Such a terrifying scene left the audience unable to guess what dreadful event these "monsters" had encountered.
At this moment, Black Swan drew a tarot card and silently looked into the distance: "It seems someone has been waiting here for a long time."
"So, you finally decided to step onto the stage? Stellaron Hunter, SAM."
In the distant view of the camera.
A tall, silver figure was clearly visible.
It was SAM.
This person, who had some entanglement with Firefly, and according to clues, might even be the true culprit behind Firefly's death!
Black Swan's words, along with all the clues earlier, all pointed to this man!
As everyone's emotions became complicated and their thoughts wandered.
The three approached SAM together.
Before they could get too close, a wave of heat, carrying the stench of burning, came rushing at them.
Black Swan couldn't help but cover her nose.
A strong BGM suddenly started playing.
At this moment, the audience finally saw SAM's appearance clearly.
The tall mech, with smooth lines, and the metallic sheen reflecting from his entire body!
Every movement was filled with mechanical sound effects.
The camera abruptly switched to SAM's perspective.
Through a digitized vision, SAM scanned Acheron and Black Swan.
Facing these two figures with strong identities and mysterious powers, SAM showed no hesitation.
He extended his right hand, making a "gesture of invitation."
"A Galaxy Ranger and a Memokeeper."
"Leave now, and no one will get hurt."
As the calm words fell, his right hand suddenly clenched in mid-air, and a massive flame burst forth.
"Otherwise, you will all die."
At this moment, only a little time had passed since Firefly's death, the pain of loss had yet to subside.
Faced with Sam, the Stellaron Hunter who might be the mastermind behind it all.
The barrage fell silent for a moment.
Then.
"He's really handsome."