The Aetherium Wars That Makes Game Producers Jealous! A Life of Despair That Cannot Be Changed?

[T / N :

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains themes of bullying and possible suicide, including some content that may unsavory for some readers. Reader discretion is advised. ]

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: Episode 3 just ended, and miHoYo already dropped so many bombshell announcements?!

: Holy crap! Aetherium Wars?! Tuners, capturing monsters from the Honkai: Star Rail world?

: Urgent! Urgent! Urgent! I want to play Aetherium Wars right now!

: Damn it! miHoYo is really doing big things without a sound! They've already rolled out IP-adapted games!

: Give me Aetherium Wars to play!

: And there's also Firefly-chan's PV! A new Aetherium Wars game!

: Firefly's story is coming too!

: It's all surprises, I can't stop, I just finished watching the MCT's of Sparkle and Acheron, and now Firefly's is about to drop too!

: Looks like in the next episode, Firefly will be back.

: Embers of Glamoth, damn, just hearing the name sounds like a knife.

: I hope that knife doesn't fall on Firefly! After all, she's already a Stellaron Hunter! Right, miHoYo?!

...

The hype kept climbing.

Because of the ending of Episode 3, miHoYo dominated trending searches on all major platforms.

And now it's even crazier.

Not just entertainment news, even the gaming sections have miHoYo trending.

#AetheriumWars#

#miHoYoEntersGamingIndustry?#

#IPAdaptation#

#MobileGame#

Seeing miHoYo firmly occupying the top three trending topics, many people were just dumbfounded.

The traffic explosion shocked many game developers.

To the point people questioned if it was artificially hyped.

But in fact, under every trending topic, there were huge numbers of real fans actively discussing.

The speed of discussion growth was far beyond what could be achieved by buying hot searches.

On a private game developer forum…

...

: Just a teaser, and it's getting this much traffic? Not even a trailer, just a text preview...

: Too crazy! Is this the power of IP?!

: Feels like it's gonna blow up, this game.

: Seems like a mobile game, and the gameplay doesn't sound that new. From the description, it just adds a bond system or something. This can go viral? I, 17, refuse to accept it!

: Kid, if one in ten fans play, the scale alone will crush you.

: I really want to collab with miHoYo! If there's a collab! I'll definitely go viral too!

: But the cost of that would probably…

: Sigh, I was about to sleep, then I saw miHoYo entering the game industry and got half awake, and now with just a text preview going this viral, I can't sleep at all.

: A game is a game, it's different from watching a show. I think miHoYo might be making a wrong move here. Blowing up in the show, but might crash in games.

: You can't expect too much from a fanservice game like this.

: Isn't it possible that since it's miHoYo's IP, even just show watchers would play?

: Holy crap, then how high will this game's DAU (Daily Active Users) be on day one?!

: I can't even guess. By the way, how many fans does miHoYo have globally?

: A lot...

: A newly released game going global, and it's a mobile game... that's tricky…

: Feels like day one numbers will be explosive!

: Blind guess, one million DAU!

: One million? Ten million!

: With such a huge online reaction, miHoYo's people probably won't sleep tonight. They must be watching the public opinion closely.

...

A large number of game developers discussed the topic on the forum all night.

Some were salty, some shocked, some full of anticipation.

In short, the topic was just too hot.

Because of its massive scale, you could say Aetherium Wars had already gained the attention and traffic that other games couldn't get even with full effort, while it was still not even released.

And the gaming industry is subtle.

You either make it or you don't, there's no in-between.

To many developers, who'd worked hard making games for thirty years, finally earned a bit of recognition.

Games are everyone's white moonlight, their beloved.

Then suddenly, a peer who hasn't proven anything comes along and takes all the players' attention.

The jealousy is overwhelming.

It feels like being crushed by miHoYo (lol).

So naturally, it drew hostility from others in the industry, and tons of debates followed.

But regardless of who it is, everyone agrees on one thing:

Aetherium Wars's day-one DAU will be absolutely explosive!

...

On the other side.

In Wind City…

Inside a run-down apartment.

The chubby Li Chengcheng was lying on the bed with her eyes closed.

This should be sleeping time, but she just couldn't fall asleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, cruel laughter and insults floated through her mind.

"Fat pig"

"Walking trash can!"

"Poor wretch!"

"Did your grandma raise you by picking garbage?!"

"What's that smell on you, stay away from me!"

These words pierced her like needles.

In the classroom, hallway, bathroom, even on the way home.

They would surround her, grab her hair, humiliate her body while slapping her face, laughing hysterically as they said these things.

More than the physical bullying, Li Chengcheng couldn't stand the mental abuse.

At school, those people always gave her the dirtiest, most exhausting chores.

They'd isolate her from everyone.

Deliberately pinch their noses and fan the air exaggeratedly when she walked by.

But clearly, clearly, she showered every day, even once more every morning.

"Why..."

Curled up in bed, Li Chengcheng sobbed in despair.

She hadn't done anything wrong.

Was it really just because she was poor and fat that she had to endure such malice?

But being poor wasn't something she could change.

And being fat, that was her grandmother's greatest wish for her.

"It's good to be a little chubby. People who can eat and get chubby are blessed."

"I just wanted to fulfill Grandma's wish..."

Li Chengcheng wiped away her tears.

Just as she was drowning in hopelessness, the corner of her eye caught the poster at her bedside, it was the limited-edition poster.

In that moment, her heart didn't feel quite as heavy.

That adventure, which now seemed so naïve, was the only color in her life.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like if she had really missed that encounter.

And she could hardly believe she had personally received Blade's encouragement.

She had thought it was the beginning of change, but instead, it became the last straw that broke her.

Li Chengcheng unfolded the poster.

It showed Blade as he appeared in the PV: Handsome, tall, dashing, cold...

Exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

Only with such presence could someone stop others from bullying her, right?

Back then, it was this hard-won official poster that gave her the courage to face each day, just by looking at it before bed.

But now, even the poster had been humiliated:

It had been torn into pieces, and only later taped back together.

Blade's originally handsome figure was now fragmented and broken.

Cruel curses were scrawled across it in red pen:

"Loser dreaming every day!"

"Just thinking about Blade being stared at by a fat pig like you every night makes me sick!"

"Didn't expect a maggot like you to chase idols too?"

After meeting Blade, she had worked up the courage to bring the poster to class, hoping it could give her strength to start over.

But unfortunately, false courage couldn't protect her from real-life bullying.

The girl from the wealthiest family in class, also the prettiest, once "accidentally" found the poster in her desk.

From then on, Li Chengcheng became a new laughingstock.

The girl would deliberately buy lots of Blade merchandise and figurines, waving them in front of her repeatedly.

With her sweet looks and expensive merch, it seemed she truly was more "worthy" of liking Blade, at least, that's what others said.

The bullying from others was even more blatant.

They would snatch the poster after class and mock her desperate struggle to retrieve it.

Li Chengcheng gently touched the tattered poster.

Her tears had almost run dry.

This pitiful high school girl just pressed her lips together in silence, her eyes lifeless.

When she finally mustered the courage to seek help from a teacher, she was scolded instead , and the poster was confiscated.

But the next day, that very same poster appeared in the hands of that rich girl, who threw it into the trash in front of Li Chengcheng with a look of disgust.

Li Chengcheng only lowered her head and numbly walked to the trash can, ignoring the stares, retrieving the poster from the trash.

But that was exactly what the bullies had hoped for.

"So dirty!"

"Ugh! She really is raised by trash-pickers."

"The old one picked trash, and the young one does too!"

"Don't stink up the whole classroom!"

They fought over the poster again, tearing it apart right in front of her.

That was the final straw that crushed Li Chengcheng.

Day after day of torment with no hope in sight made her feel that even death might be a relief.

Just then, a sound came from outside.

A glimmer of light appeared in her lifeless eyes.

"Cough cough!"

Her grandmother's suppressed coughing reached her ears.

Li Chengcheng silently got up and quietly opened the door a crack to peek outside.

The small living room was filled with buns her grandma had picked up, and her grandmother, hunched over, was busy inside.

She had a single egg.

Her grandma placed the egg at the corner of the table, along with a bottle of milk.

It was the breakfast she had prepared for Li Chengcheng for the next morning.

After finishing, a faint smile appeared on her wrinkled face.

Then, she gently picked up the medicine bottle from the edge of the table.

It was completely empty.

Her grandma took a handful of roasted soybeans from her pocket and poured them all in.

Until the bottle was completely full.

Hiding behind the door crack, Li Chengcheng tightly covered her mouth, tears gushing out, unable to suppress the sobs anymore.

Her grandmother had high blood pressure and needed long-term medication.

But to save money and let her live a better life, Grandma often wouldn't buy the medicine.

Only after Li Chengcheng begged her again and again would she reluctantly agree.

Every time she came back with the medicine, she'd also bring some treats Li Chengcheng usually couldn't afford, a bit of marinated food, some snacks, or a few eggs.

And to put her at ease, Grandma would always take out the medicine bottle with a cheerful smile,shaking it in front of her, letting the pills inside rattle clearly.

Only now did Li Chengcheng realize.

This wasn't medicine at all!

The sound of crying still couldn't be concealed.

Grandma turned her head without changing expression, hiding the medicine bottle behind her back.

Just as she was about to explain, she saw Li Chengcheng through the crack of the door, tears streaming down her face.

"What's wrong?"

Grandma was startled, then came over to Li Chengcheng and awkwardly hugged her, gently patting her back.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry..."

Li Chengcheng was crying so hard she could barely breathe.

"..."

Grandma was silent for a moment: "What's there to be sorry for, silly child."

She didn't ask why Li Chengcheng was crying.

She just held her good granddaughter tighter with her clumsy hands.

"You have to eat well and grow up healthy."

"Grandma is old and useless now."

"So you don't need to be sorry. As long as you're well, that's all that matters to Grandma."

Li Chengcheng was crying so hard she couldn't speak, just shook her head nonstop.

Grandma thought she was crying because of the medicine, so she explained like this.

But in reality, she had completely reached her limit.

Those curses now seemed like real sharp knives, stabbing the softest part of the girl's heart.

I'm just a useless person.

A burden.

A useless person who can't do anything right.

Just like a vampire, sucking the remaining life out of Grandma.

If it weren't for me, maybe Grandma's remaining years could be a little better than now.

At this moment, death had already become the only thing Li Chengcheng could do to help Grandma.

Ending her own life, voluntarily letting Grandma get rid of this "burden."

The elderly woman and the young girl just hugged at the doorway.

Silent.

"Cough, cough cough!"

Grandma started coughing again.

Li Chengcheng stopped crying and wiped her face hard.

"Go back to sleep, Grandma."

"I... I want to rest now."

"Oh, oh oh, okay."

Grandma nodded, looked back worriedly one more time, then finally turned and left.

Walking toward her small bedroom.

She thought Li Chengcheng had been comforted.

"Tomorrow I need to go sell some bottles, get something tasty for Chengcheng,"

Grandma thought in her heart.

On the other side, Li Chengcheng lay back on the bed.

Tomorrow was Monday.

Maybe, at school, there would be a way to end everything.

At least Grandma wouldn't have to see it...