At first, hearing something so shocking from Fu Hua, the ever-honest one,
Hokuto felt as if a thousand question marks had popped up over his head.
Strictly speaking, yes, he had taken an interest in Shibao—
After all, he wanted to bring Shibao into Honkai Impact 3rd as a playable character.
But the way Fu Hua phrased it… something about it just felt off.
Hokuto fell into silence.
Fu Hua, on the other hand, showed no sign of thinking anything was wrong.
"Hokuto, why aren't you saying anything? Did I say something wrong?"
"What you said is… right, er… but also not exactly… Fu Hua, why would you suddenly ask that?"
Faced with Hokuto's question, Fu Hua pondered before replying,
"Weren't you trying to invite Shi to join Honkai Impact 3rd?"
"…You guessed it."
Fu Hua said earnestly,
"Because you always like turning real people into in-game characters."
She paused, then added,
"That's what everyone says. Especially Theresa—she said… mm."
Hokuto noticed he might've overheard something… 'major.' He pressed curiously,
"What did Theresa say?"
"…Nothing much. Just that, you've already brought in basically everyone around Bronya,
so of course you wouldn't let go of the people around us either."
Fu Hua answered with utmost sincerity.
"So, when you brought up Shi with me, I figured you were planning to add a new character to the game."
"I see."
Hokuto nodded in realization, then decided to get back to the point.
"Well then, Fu Hua, what do you think of the idea?"
Of course, by "the idea," he meant inviting Fu Shibao to join Honkai Impact 3rd.
"I think it should depend on Shi herself." Fu Hua shook her head.
"I can't make the decision for her."
"I see."
Hokuto started walking, and Fu Hua followed beside him.
They chatted as they walked.
"I'll still have to trouble you to set up the meeting, Fu Hua."
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"Shi doesn't really like being called Shi."
Fu Hua seemed to recall something from the past.
Hokuto paused, thought about it, then smiled and said,
"Then I'll call her Lady Shibao."
"Feels like..."
Fu Hua blinked. "You'll get along well with Shi."
"Getting along with kids isn't that hard."
"?"
...
...
After finalizing plans with Fu Hua about Fu Shibao,
Hokuto returned to his office and edited the interview video with some additional assets.
Then he uploaded both the interview and the final CG short of When Thunders Roar Over Nagazora
to Honkai Impact 3rd's pilipili account.
During the video review phase, he took a quick peek at the official Honkai Impact 3rd forum.
Right now, the Honkai forums were in chaos.
Countless players had gathered to discuss today's main story update.
The comments were intense—tower-pushing complaints were flying nonstop.
But who could blame them?
Lament of the Fallen was just that heartbreaking.
Players who had finished the update couldn't hold in their emotions.
Open any thread and you'd see things like…
miHoYo doesn't treat people like people (First Floor):
"Brothers! We gotta charge in this time! If we don't, who knows who the writers will gut next!"
Long Live the Queen (Second Floor):
"I want a 1v1 duel with the writer. One of us dies—and it's him!"
KiaMei Fans Cracked (Third Floor):
"My KiaMei!! Don't stop me! I'm gonna destroy the writer!"
...
The player backlash was so intense that even Hokuto was a little moved.
Thank goodness they still didn't know what he looked like.
Still, he quietly resolved to sleep early and avoid walking outside at night for a while.
Can't give anyone a chance to ambush him.
Of course, while tower-pushing dominated the forum, there were still analysis posts here and there.
For example—
"Lament of the Fallen" Breakdown: How Great Was That Rooftop Fight Scene?
Mei's Emotional Arc and the Pros/Cons of the New Story Chapter
KiaMei's Love-Hate Dynamic: A Short Review of "Lament of the Fallen" CG
Hokuto browsed the posts one by one.
If he thought one was good, he pinned it.
He'd also leave comments like "Keep up the good work" or "Well written" inside the thread.
Naturally, this caught the attention of some users.
[Official miHoYo Staff?]
[Willing to pay big bucks for the writer's address! PM me quietly!]
[Asking for a mental health check on the Honkai scriptwriter. I'm seriously concerned.]
...
More and more comments rolled in.
Hokuto hesitated over whether to reply—
Just then, the two videos he uploaded passed review.
So he made a quick announcement post:
1. Main Story Update:
The final CG of When Thunders Roar Over Nagazora is now live.
You can watch it in-game or on the pilipili platform.
This CG features a character many of you have been desperately waiting for.
Please discuss in an orderly fashion.
2. Interview Release:
miHoYo has invited a mysterious host to interview Kiana and Mei.
If you're curious, go watch it now!
Friendly Reminder:
Make sure you're mentally prepared before watching.
Don't get too shocked by the host's identity.
3. Honkai Comic in Production:
Since everyone's so curious about Otto's story,
we've decided to release a new comic about him in the near future.
And no, this isn't just another bluff. Trust in miHoYo's efficiency.
4. Regarding Stamina:
Due to Cookmama being abducted by World Serpent,
Hyperion is considering introducing Theresa's bitter melon combo meal.
Theresa says: "Bitter melon juice is the most nutritious!
Anyone who complains will get Teriri'd!"
5. Minor bug fixes
6...
After posting, Hokuto turned back to handle the player replies—
Only to find things had shifted.
Someone had clearly tipped off the others:
[Brothers! miHoYo just updated!!]
[You think an update will stop me… Hmph. Let me see what's in it first, then I'll be back!]
[You guys fold too fast… Wait, Kiana and Mei interview?! Uh… my keyboard needs a break...]
[As a story fan, I have to know what's next. Brb.]
Faced with temptation, the players couldn't resist.
They put down their pitchforks and opened the videos.
The miHoYo scriptwriter deserves a beatdown—but the game must be played, and the videos must be watched.
That's the only way to be truly healthy!
Even though most players were curious about the interview,
they still chose to watch the final CG short of When Thunders Roar Over Nagazora first.
Why?
Simple—
It's only 50 seconds long.
Plenty of time to watch that first, then enjoy the interview.
And that "character they desperately missed"—who could it be?
Curious, they clicked the video.
The scene appeared.
In a dim room, a man sat pensively before a screen.
His appearance... blonde, long hair tied into a low ponytail draped over his left shoulder,
a blue suit vest—
Damn! It's really the character they've been waiting for!
Dogtto! You despicable—!!
Otto's very appearance instantly confirmed his reign as the current fan-favorite in Honkai Impact 3rd.
In just five seconds, players' blood pressure skyrocketed to astonishing levels.
The story continued. Otto was staring at a screen displaying an aerial view of Arc City.
A voiceover began:
The first experiment had brought Otto results beyond expectation.
Ding—
A light sound, and a window popped up.
It was a report from Amber.
In just a few dozen minutes, intel flooded in:
Raiden Mei had joined World Serpent.
K-423 had been taken away by Hyperion.
The Fifth Herrscher was about to descend.
The world's balance might soon be disrupted again.
But at this moment—
He cared not.
Let Theresa look after her for a while.
The night was still long.
There was much left to be done.
The short video ended.
It merely explained Mei and Kiana's whereabouts, and teased the coming of the Fifth Herrscher.
Although… that was all.
But!
From the moment Otto appeared—
Players who were previously unsure were now certain:
Otto was behind everything.
It was his experiment.
It was because of him—
Kiana, Mei—
The frustration they had built up during the main story
erupted and zeroed in on Otto.
He became the lightning rod for all their rage.
[Dogtto! Curse you to be hit by a truck! If not for you, Kiana, Mei...]
[It's all your f***ing fault! Damn you, Otto! I'll keep playing just to see you die!]
[Dogtto never does anything decent. If he doesn't die a gruesome death, I won't be satisfied!]
[Not satisfied +1]
[Not satisfied +2]
...
In this video, Otto got roasted by players.
They unleashed their emotions without holding back.
Some players, more conspiratorially minded, began to wonder—
Did the miHoYo devs create this ending solely to give players a target to hate?
After all… it didn't add anything major.
Even without it, the plot made sense.
But they still made it—just enough to seem suspicious.
If Hokuto knew what they were thinking, he would only smile faintly.
Yes, he had once considered cutting this scene.
But in the end, he left it in.
Not for any complex reason—
He just wanted Otto to take a bit more hate.
Otherwise, how would it be satisfying later
when the Herrscher of Sentience beat him into the ground?
For the sake of player catharsis—
Hokuto had gone all out.
If there must be knives, then let them cut deep.
If there must be payback, then let it be perfect.