CHAPTER 149: BAILU SNEAKS OFF TO PLAY MOBILE GAMES, AND THIRD-RATE STREAMER XIAOGUIZI!

Luofu, Jinren Alley.

In a dimly lit street, Bailu led two children of similar age, the trio brimming with excitement as they approached their destination at the end of the alley.

Bailu walked at the front, head held high, radiating confidence. The two behind her, however, hesitated.

Stopping at a corner, the two children froze in unison.

Bailu immediately put her hands on her hips and said, "Hey, we’ve come this far—don’t tell me you’re chickening out now?"

The little girl lowered her head guiltily and whispered, "Um... is it really okay for us to come to a place like this?"

The little boy sniffled and said, "My parents told me... this is something only adults do. We’re not old enough yet. It’s bad for us..."

Bailu sighed dramatically, her face twisting in annoyance. "You two are such cowards!"

"That’s just something adults made up to scare you! Listen to me—I’ve played this before. It’s totally fine!"

"There’s nothing bad about it. Everything inside is super realistic, and... well, it’s just super realistic!"

A spark of excitement flashed in Bailu’s clear, bright eyes. Without another word, she grabbed her two companions and dragged them into a building at the end of the alley.

A middle-aged man wearing sunglasses stood at the entrance. He glanced at the three children, then peered behind them as if checking for any adults.

Once inside, the trio was immediately stunned by the "fantastical world" before them—even Bailu.

Her little mouth hung open in an "O" shape!

All around them were thrilling scenes—some players were battling the Antimatter Legion, others were running wildly through space stations, and some were browsing character skill descriptions on their panels.

Shouts and exclamations filled the air!

"Rules are meant to be broken!"

"Look at my Dan Heng—his skills are so cool!"

"I can even warp to pull new characters!"

"Wow!!! Look over there! Someone just pulled Yanqing! His skills are even more awesome!"

That’s right—this was a place entirely dedicated to Honkai: Star Rail!

A black-market gaming den specifically catering to kids who wanted to play Star Rail!

What’s more, the place was divided into different sections.

The standard area offered just a single phone.

The premium area allowed players to project their game screens onto TVs for a clearer, more immersive experience.

The sunglasses-wearing man walked over.

"Which section do you three want?"

The two kids looked pleadingly at Bailu.

With a wave of her hand, Bailu declared, "Two hours in the premium section for us!"

"No problem, right this way!"

The man was about to lead them to the premium area when he suddenly paused.

He took off his sunglasses and studied Bailu carefully.

"Hmm..."

"You look kinda familiar."

Bailu confidently raised her head and said, "Hehe, this young lady is none other than Bailu, the Dragon Maiden of the Luofu!"

The man froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"You really do sound like Bailu! No wonder you’re dressed like her too!"

"Stop wasting time and get us our terminals already!"

"Sure thing! Oh, by the way—the premium section lets you choose account progression. Since you look so much like Bailu, boss, how about I rent you my latest high-level account? That way, you can jump straight into the newest storylines and characters. How’s that sound?"

"Sounds perfect! No extra charges, right?" Bailu asked.

"Of course not! Now go enjoy the wonders of Star Rail!"

Once they picked their spots, the two kids sat down beside Bailu, each holding a small controller, their faces filled with excitement and wonder.

The little girl couldn’t help but ask, "Sister Bailu, why aren’t we starting from the beginning?"

Without hesitation, Bailu replied, "I’ve already played through the space station storyline. The Xianzhou stuff is way more fun!"

The little boy’s face was full of admiration. Completely won over by Bailu’s confidence and boldness, he said worshipfully, "Sister Bailu, I’ll listen to whatever you say from now on!"

"I wanna see the battles!"

"I love Dan Heng the most! Does this account have him?"

"Wow! It really does! This is amazing! The boss wasn’t lying to us!"

...

Xiaoguizi’s Livestream.

After watching the preview trailer, Guinaifen decisively started the "Clouds Leave No Trace" quest.

Now, she was brimming with excitement.

"Hey, fam! So, in this quest, both me and Sushang are gonna appear, along with the judges from the Ten-Lords Commission..."

"And there’s all kinds of weird ’ghostly’ stuff happening!"

"Aren’t you curious? Aren’t you hyped?"

"Xiaoguizi is about to reveal it all for you!"

She opened the quest description, intending to track the objective marker.

But the moment she read the quest text, her expression froze.

[No matter what kind of education you’ve had—science, magic, faith, whatever—when a third-rate internet celebrity sends you a spam message claiming she’s encountered supernatural phenomena in some abandoned garden, your reaction is—]

[1. Heck yeah, let’s get cozy!]

[2. What kind of new scam is this? Blocked!]

[3. Fine, I’ll go take a look.]

[Of course, no matter what, you’ve secretly vowed not to spend a single credit on this trip—no more than fifty, at least! Besides, where would you even get spare money?]

"Excuse me?!"

"What’s this supposed to mean?!"

"How am I a third-rate internet celebrity? The message I wrote was perfectly fine! How is it spam?!"

"And this description—it makes me sound like some kind of shady fraudster!"

Guinaifen was so mad she laughed.

But deep down, she couldn’t help but marvel—Wow, the writers really nailed it!

Just based on that message, even she would’ve thought she was sketchy.

Before Honkai: Star Rail came along, she was just a third-rate streamer, trying to boost her views with ghost-hunting stunts.

Then she met a guy named Tatsuke, who recommended this game to her.

She switched to streaming games and quickly became the number one Honkai: Star Rail streamer.

Fate really worked in mysterious ways!

If not for this game, she probably would’ve ended up like her in-game self—running around with Sushang, doing spooky livestreams.

So, to Guinaifen, the writers were practically her saviors.

And Tatsuke was the one who gave her this opportunity.

"Huh?"

"Tatsuke...Tatsu-Lin, ke-yu, Lin Yu...? and the writers’ names kinda sound similar...?"

"Ah, never mind. Gotta focus on the game now."

"I am live, after all."

She glanced at the chat.

"So in-game Xiaoguizi is still the small-time streamer she was before she got big!"

"Back then, Xiaoguizi relied entirely on gimmicks to pull viewers. I’m not surprised she’d do something like this!"

"Our Trailblazer is nothing if not adaptable."

"Mind-blowing: I’m watching a streamer livestream herself playing a game where she’s livestreaming."

"When do the Ten-Lords Commission folks show up?"

Arriving at the docks, Guinaifen immediately spotted her in-game self.

She initiated the dialogue.

"Hey there, fam! You’re here because you’re curious about the supernatural stuff, right?"

"Perfect timing—I just finished editing the footage from my livestream. It’s solid proof!"

"But before you watch, let me ask you something—do you believe in ghosts?"

[At first glance, this seems like a scam. Press X to doubt.]

Guinaifen selected this option.

Back when she was a small-time streamer, a lot of people did assume the worst right off the bat.

But her in-game self remained confident.

"Heh, non-believers are in for a rude awakening!"

"The video I’m about to show you will prove beyond a doubt that ghosts are real!"

"No more chit-chat—here’s the weird stuff that happened during my livestream yesterday!"

The screen immediately cut to the livestream footage!

During the preview, she’d assumed this would be the climax, revealed only after layers of buildup.

But no—this quest threw it right at her from the start!

The main event began!

"Fam, right now, Xiaoguizi is standing in the most haunted place on the Luofu—’Locufox Garden’!"

"Hit that follow and share button to give me some courage!"

Guinaifen spoke to the camera.

Then, Sushang stepped into frame, hands clutched to her chest as she nervously scanned the surroundings.

"I’ve heard... a lot of strange things have been happening here lately..."

"Wow, so brave. Weren’t you supposed to protect me?"

"The Cloud Knight sword arts can’t cut what has no form!"

Sushang had a point.

But just as she finished speaking—

A green light whooshed past in the background!

Guinaifen suppressed a shriek.

"Did something just move over there?!"

Sushang immediately drew her sword and stumbled back several steps, pushing Guinaifen behind her.

"D-d-don’t panic... I’ve got this..."

Suddenly—

Both of them screamed in unison!

Their pupils dilated, faces pale with terror!

The camera toppled to the ground.

Wisps of green ghost fire floated across the screen, accompanied by eerie whispers.

"Woooo... we died so horribly..."

Then, the bottom-right corner of the screen displayed—Several Hours Later.

The footage switched to a third-person perspective, as if recorded by a separate device.

Sushang was sprawled on the ground, her outline traced in white chalk.

Her phone, hairpin, and sword were scattered nearby.

Xueyi and a girl referred to as "Huohuo" were documenting the scene.

Guinaifen, meanwhile, was dramatically reenacting the events.

"It was just a tiny spirit fire at first, but then it got THIS big!"

"It came from over there, got closer, and then—’Gwahhh!’"

"And then—’thud!’—Sushang just collapsed!"

She flailed her limbs, exaggerating every motion.

Huohuo crouched beside Sushang and gently said,

"Miss Sushang, you should get up now. Aren’t you cold?"

After watching this, Guinaifen had tried to hold back her laughter.

But seeing Sushang’s utterly bewildered expression beside her—

She completely lost it.

"BAHAHAHAHA—"

She burst into hysterics.

The chat exploded.

"This is too perfect!"

"Is this in-game footage or Xiaoguizi’s actual past? I can’t even tell anymore!"

"Long-time fan here—Xiaoguizi really did used to do ghost-hunting streams."

"Wait, is this not game lore but actual history?!"

"Sushang next to her looks absolutely traumatized LOL!"

"Sushang, sleeping like a baby..."

"Hold up! That green-haired girl is a judge? The Ten-Lords Commission has someone this cute?!"

"My perception of the Ten-Lords Commission is crumbling..."

To be continued...

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