Chapter 13: Honkai Impact 3rd Updates with a New Storyline!

That voice...

It was completely different from the Hokuto they knew.

It was less gentle, more authoritative—filled with a commanding tone that brooked no refusal.Just hearing it made everyone's bodies tense instinctively.

"Hokuto, your voice..."Theresa felt a jolt of numbness shoot from her heels straight to her crown.It was pure, primal suppression from higher up the food chain.

"My voice?"

Hokuto seemed to be having fun and even improvised a line on the spot:"Theresa, my adorable granddaughter~~ what's wrong with my voice?"

"Who's your granddaughter...!"

"Well, this is all part of the script."Hokuto quickly returned to his normal voice and smiled as he asked the others,"How was my Otto Apocalypse voice?"

"Perfect.It matches exactly how I imagine His Excellency the Overseer of Schicksal would sound," Rita praised sincerely.

Durandal thought for a moment before replying:"Mm... It sounds very dignified.I think it will fully meet the players' expectations for the Overseer.I believe it's good enough."

After saying that, she glanced at the lively recording studio, frowned slightly, and very seriously reminded:"Hokuto, actually, I meant to say this earlier.Right now is still working hours.Allowing everyone to slack off like this isn't proper."

"..."

"If people get used to being lazy, it'll be difficult to correct them later," Durandal said with a deadly serious expression.

"I understand."

"Please don't brush me off."

"Ahem."Facing Durandal's excessive earnestness, Hokuto could only cough lightly and signal the others with a look.

"Everyone, let's get back to voice recording.We have a tight schedule."

"Yes, sir!" *N

...

...

Don't be fooled—Even though the girls had a lot of complaints about the new script, when it came to voice acting, they went all out.

In fact, they dragged Hokuto into staying late into the night with them.

Because the new story chapters were just too sweet!

They were desperate to let players experience it as soon as possible.

Late at night, when everything outside was quiet.

Hokuto, the last to leave miHoYo Studio, finally pulled out his phone—which had been turned off during recording to avoid interruptions—only to find more than a dozen missed calls.

All from the same number.

"I don't recognize it."

He thought carefully, but found no matching memory from his predecessor's life.

"But they called so many times... guess I'll call back."

He dialed the number.

Beep—beep—

The call was answered after only a few rings.

"Hello? This is Hokuto. May I ask who's speaking?"

"Good evening, Mr. Hokuto.I'm Ling Yue, head of operations for Penguin Games."

"Penguin Games?"

Hokuto's brows furrowed slightly, recalling Penguin's antics from his previous life.

"What can I help you with?"

"Ah... I'll be straightforward, Mr. Hokuto.Would you be interested in joining Penguin Games?"

Ling Yue didn't beat around the bush.

"We're prepared to offer extremely generous terms."

"You want me to join?"

Standing at the end of the corridor, Hokuto gazed out at the nightscape through the window.

"You're sure you're not trying to buy out miHoYo... or Honkai Impact 3rd?"

"Acquiring Honkai Impact 3rd is one aspect.But honestly, what I value even more... is your talent, Mr. Hokuto."

Ling Yue's tone was respectful, almost reverent.

He was genuinely impressed by Honkai Impact 3rd—and even more in awe of the genius who had developed it.

"I believe, without you, there would be no Honkai Impact 3rd."

"You're too kind.Honkai Impact 3rd is the result of miHoYo's entire team's effort.I merely acted as a coordinator," Hokuto replied flatly.

Ling Yue noticed Hokuto's disinterest and asked cautiously:"Mr. Hokuto, are you not interested in my offer?"

Hokuto's eyes remained on the distant city lights, half his face veiled in shadow, a faint smile at his lips.

"You may not understand," he said softly."But the people at miHoYo are irreplaceable."

"...Then, it seems I've disturbed you tonight."Ling Yue remained polite even after being rejected.

After ending the call, Hokuto lowered his phone and muttered,"Since when has Penguin Games been this polite?"

Considering Penguin's infamous reputation, that was indeed surprising.

Though to be fair, this was probably just Ling Yue's personal style.It would be wrong to judge the entire company by him alone.

Evidence of that...

At that very moment, elsewhere—

In a cozy three-bedroom apartment.

Kiana, Mei, and Bronya were living together.

Bronya, wearing an apron, stood at the stove.

"Add the diced beef and potatoes, bring it to a boil, then add salt, and finally reduce to a simmer,"she narrated methodically.

After sealing the pot with a lid, she nodded to herself.

"Now, we wait thirty minutes."

She grabbed her phone and idly scrolled through miHoYo's official Weibo account.

Countless players were flooding the comments:

[Could you reveal a little about the new storyline?][President Hokuto said Honkai Impact 3rd is a positive, uplifting game, so the main cast must be having a jolly good time, right?][Wow! That sounds beautiful! Can't wait for the new characters! I'm ready to whale!]

Bronya blinked.

Honestly, she was starting to worry about Hokuto's personal safety.

After the new main story dropped, would he get jumped by angry players?

She quickly closed Weibo.

Buzz—

A sudden message popped up from an old contact she hadn't spoken to in years.

After graduation, she had added plenty of corporate recruiters, too lazy to delete them.

Penguin: [Hello, this is HR from Penguin Games.]

Bronya: [Sorry, not interested.]

Penguin: ???

He hadn't even made his pitch yet!

Forced to abandon pleasantries, he cut straight to the point.

Penguin: [If you're willing to join us, we can offer double your current salary at miHoYo.]

Some Penguin employees still clung to their old ways—thinking they could just poach miHoYo's programmers and then shamelessly clone Honkai Impact 3rd.

Bronya: [Sorry, not interested.]

Penguin: [You'll have better prospects and a wider platform here.]

Bronya: [Sorry, not interested.]

Penguin: [...]

Penguin: [Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?]

Error: Message failed to send. The recipient has refused to receive your messages.

Penguin: ...

She blacklisted me?!

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen.

After blocking the Penguin recruiter, Bronya turned to see Kiana peeking through the kitchen door.

"Bronya, are you sure about cooking dinner yourself?"

"It'll be ready soon."

Bronya glanced at the bubbling pot—then at Kiana sneakily leaning against the doorframe,and Mei smiling warmly from the living room.

She liked everyone.She liked miHoYo.

...

...

Weeks later.

miHoYo's official account released a brand-new poster—the final glimpse of the Herrscher of the Void.

Beneath it were the words:

"The New Herrscher Joins the Battle.""New Chapters Incoming: Reunion on the Snowfield, The Queen's Descent, A Journey Toward Tomorrow."