Be Your Hero (Thanks Boss, Still Say You're Not Otto)

At the P-site headquarters building at night.

The explosion of the [Honkai Impact 3rd] video had indeed brought some shock to the people of this world, and it also caused trouble for the programmers at P-site.

Kevin was one of them.

From the first day he became a programmer, Kevin knew that he was embarking on a path of no return.

The sound of keyboard typing was particularly crisp in the empty office. The overhead lights had already been uniformly turned off by the property management, leaving only the USB desk lamp at Kevin's workstation as the sole light source in the entire space.

Under the illumination of the desk lamp, Kevin's face appeared somewhat weary.

Suddenly, Kevin heard a movement behind him. He turned his head, and what met his eyes was a cup of Xingrui coffee.

"Young people don't go to bars or date, are you planning to grow old with test cases?" The senior next to him handed Kevin the coffee with a smile, then began to pack his belongings.

In the cold light of the monitor, the senior's receding hairline was particularly noticeable.

Kevin took the coffee. The bitter liquid slid down his throat, but it brought a trace of warmth.

"My girlfriend's lab has been very busy lately, and if I go back, I'll just be playing games. I might as well finish my work first," Kevin said, subconsciously glancing at the photo frame on his desk.

In the photo, he stood side-by-side with a purple-haired girl wearing glasses, both smiling brightly.

"You kid, work is work, but you still need to take care of yourself." The senior patted Kevin's shoulder and left the office with a smile.

The large office was once again left with only Kevin.

He gave a self-deprecating laugh and returned to his work.

"I can't believe that the great P-site would crash due to a surge in video traffic..." Kevin looked at the furious leader in the work group chat, feeling a sense of disbelief.

Out of curiosity, Kevin clicked on the video link, and then he couldn't stop watching.

When he came to his senses again, it was already close to midnight.

In the video, the heroes fighting to save the world, and the screen full of excited comments, gave Kevin a strange sense of detachment.

He watched it all calmly, his heart unmoved.

"It's a story about saving the world that should be incredibly exciting, why don't I feel anything?" Kevin muttered to himself, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk.

He picked up the now-cold coffee and took a sip, his gaze falling back on the photo frame on the desk.

The purple-haired girl in the photo – Mei – was smiling at him.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

Kevin picked up his phone, and the screen displayed a message from Mei.

Mei: Still working overtime? Don't get too tired, go home early.

Kevin smiled and typed quickly on the screen.

Kevin: Yeah, almost done. How about you? Finished with your experiments?

Mei: Just finished, getting ready to head back to the dorm. The data in the lab today was a bit complicated, it gave me a headache.

Kevin: You've worked hard. When you're all done with your stuff, I'll treat you to a good meal.

Mei: Okay, but don't push yourself too hard. Oh, by the way, I saw that [Honkai Impact 3rd] video today, it seems quite popular. Have you watched it?

Kevin looked at his phone screen, hesitated for a moment, and then replied:

Kevin: I watched it. But... I don't know why, I don't really feel anything for these world-saving stories. Do you think I don't have the potential to be a hero?

After sending the message, Kevin waited for Mei's reply with some anxiety.

A few seconds later, his phone vibrated again.

Mei: Silly, who says heroes have to save the world? In my eyes, you've always been a hero. At least, you're my hero.

Kevin looked at the message, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turning up.

His fingers paused on the screen for a moment, and he finally replied:

Kevin: Thank you, Mei. With those words from you, I have enough.

Mei: Go home early, don't make me worry.

Kevin: Yes, ma'am! (Cat saluting.JPG)

Putting down his phone, Kevin let out a long sigh of relief.

He looked at the photo frame on his desk again. Mei in the photo was still smiling, as if silently supporting him.

"Maybe I really saved the world in my past life," Kevin laughed self-deprecatingly, and some blurry images suddenly flashed through his mind—flames, ruins, and thirteen indistinct figures...

But he quickly shook his head, casting these thoughts aside.

"However, in this life, I just want to live a simple life with you," Kevin said softly, as if making a promise to Mei in the photo.

He turned off the computer, tidied his desk, and took one last look at the USB desk lamp before turning it off as well.

The office plunged into darkness, with only the moonlight from outside casting a faint silver glow on his silhouette.

Stepping out of the building, the night breeze was cool.

Kevin looked up at the starry sky, his heart filled with peace.

"Let someone else be the hero," he muttered to himself before walking in the direction of home.

Meanwhile, during the days when Honkai Impact 3rd had no updates, netizens went to extreme lengths, dissecting the plot of Honkai Impact 3rd frame by frame, all in an effort to find hidden meanings and foreshadowing among the characters.

Among them, a UP主 named 'Fictional Historian' was a standout.

As a professional UP主, the Fictional Historian naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to gain traffic.

After analyzing and editing day and night, the Fictional Historian updated his first video ———— "The Biggest Scam in the History of the Film and Television Industry! Healthy, Sunny, and Positive?"

At the beginning of the video, the Fictional Historian confidently declared, "Everyone, after studying Honkai Impact 3rd day and night, I've discovered a shocking secret!"

"Of course, before I reveal the secret I've discovered, I must let everyone know one thing, and that is..."

"No one

Understands

Honkai Impact 3rd

Better Than Me!"

"I believe those who are familiar with me know that although my fame isn't exactly widespread, I'm at least known to many. My greatest strength is that I never lie to my fans!"

In the video, as the Fictional Historian said this, only a few scattered bullet comments floated across the clean video screen.

The comments were things like 'Bullshit!', 'Doesn't your conscience hurt?', 'You promised to post a cross-dressing photo in the group chat if your follower count exceeded 1000, did you do it!'

The Fictional Historian, of course, couldn't see these comments and naturally wouldn't react to them.

In the video, the Fictional Historian was still explaining the content shown in the Honkai Impact 3rd prologue.

"Brothers, based on my understanding and combining it with the situation in the real world, I boldly infer that the worldview of this Honkai Impact 3rd is a world dominated by women."

"How else can you explain that the people who go to battle are all women, not men?"

At this point, many viewers also realized that what the Fictional Historian was saying made some sense.

However, some people retorted, "So what does that prove? Isn't that the same as our real world?"

As if anticipating his viewpoint would be refuted, the Fictional Historian continued, "I believe many bullet comments are currently criticizing me, saying, 'Isn't it the same as the real world? What's there to talk about?'"

"But I want to say, you are wrong! Terribly wrong!" The Fictional Historian's voice in the video suddenly became agitated, "Think about it, why are the women in the video fighting the Honkai? Aren't they Valkyries? But why are men simply called 'Warriors'?"

"Does this prove that the main force fighting the Honkai is mostly women, and men are very rare, or even non-existent?"

"But here's the problem! If men are rare, then how do you explain Ye Li? What is the meaning of his appearance?"

It must be said that although the Fictional Historian didn't have many followers, his eloquence was truly outstanding.

In just a few words, he successfully guided the audience's thoughts into his rhythm.

As if sensing that his viewpoint had successfully stunned the audience watching the video, the Fictional Historian's tone in the video became smug.

"Of course, the preceding parts were just appetizers, and now is the most exciting part!"

"According to my research, Ye Li's appearance is similar to that of the protagonist Kiana and others, but in reality, they are not of the same age! Being comrades with Himeko is the best proof!"

"And based on my careful observation, I couldn't feel the youthful vigor in Ye Li's eyes at all. Instead, he seemed more like a weary old man."

"It's the same when he interacts with Kiana and the others. Clearly, the girls in front of him are so cute... (Here, omit ten thousand words of fangirling over the trio), but he remains unmoved!"

"Despite so many good opportunities, he turns a blind eye. It truly makes me envious... no... it makes me furious!"

"People say that what is free is the most expensive, and similarly, Ye Li's lack of desire for reward is the most terrifying."

"From the existing plot, we know that two of the three protagonists are Herrschers who can destroy the world. Coupled with the illusion of Ye Li appearing in Kiana's dream space, I have sufficient reason to infer that Ye Li's purpose in approaching the protagonists is to control them and thereby achieve his goal of ruling the world!"