Chapter 35: Su Mu: Sound the Horn of the Counterattack!
The day after tomorrow would be the official release date of Honkai Impact 3rd.
Su Mu had planned it all out; he prepared to release the second recorded PV today, which included actual in-game footage and a gameplay demonstration. He had naturally kept an eye on the online discourse over the past few days.
In truth, this was all intentional on Su Mu's part. He offered no response, letting the public opinion ferment, just so he could make this move today. Following this with a lightning-fast open beta launch would be a one-two punch, using sheer strength to slap the faces of those who were doom-posting.
Before the alarm could ring, Su Mu turned it off. He set his phone aside and looked at the red-haired woman snoring beside him with a look of helplessness. There was no need to ask—this woman was Su Mu's landlord, Murata Himeko.
She was famous for wandering into the wrong door when drunk. Does this woman really have no work to do? Every day I see her, she's either drinking or on her way to drink.
Su Mu climbed out of bed and saw the clothes Himeko had tossed on the floor. Hmm, there was a piece of black lace among them. As expected, mature women were bold. But since that black lace was right there, didn't that mean the woman currently...
He looked at the bedsheets, where Murata Himeko's snow-white silhouette was faintly visible. She seemed to be treating the quilt as Su Mu, clamping her legs tightly around it and occasionally uttering unintelligible syllables. In this state, if anyone else saw them, it wouldn't be as simple as a "misunderstanding." People would likely label Su Mu as a "pretty boy" living off a wealthy landlady...
Su Mu didn't bother with Himeko. While being a kept man sounded nice, he wanted to work hard and avoid becoming a rich woman's toy.
"Hmm? A professor's ID from St. Freya University?"
Inadvertently, Su Mu caught sight of a credential that had fallen out of Murata Himeko's wallet. Looking at the name and the photo, he almost dropped a "sweat-drop" emoji. He looked back at the woman with the terrible sleeping posture. This woman can be a university professor?
But on second thought, it seemed Himeko really was a genius... In the original Honkai Impact 3rd lore, a 15-year-old Himeko graduated at the top of her class, applied to Caltech for interstellar flight dynamics, and earned her doctorate by age 19.
But later, to investigate the death of her father, Ryusuke, she joined Schicksal. She underwent artificial Stigma surgery to join the Valkyrie squad, becoming a Valkyrie created by the early Valkyrie Project. Because she only underwent the transformation at 19, her body's compatibility with Honkai energy was far inferior to that of younger girls, yet through sheer effort, she became an A-rank Valkyrie.
In reality, being an A-rank Valkyrie meant she was part of the elite. However, her students were all one-of-a-kind monsters... by comparison, Himeko's brilliance was often overshadowed.
Fortunately, in this world, Himeko didn't have to carry such heavy fates. Su Mu occasionally overheard Himeko bickering with her father, Ryusuke, over the phone—the content was usually the classic parental "hurry up and get married" lecture.
Due to a traffic accident on the way to work, there was a massive traffic jam. Left with no choice, Su Mu called Bronya to let her know. Why didn't he ask Kiana? Because there was no way she would be awake at this hour; he knew the "Tuna" all too well.
By the time Su Mu arrived at miHoYo, it was nearly 8:30 AM. He was usually the first person at the office, so his lateness today came as a great surprise to the staff. But upon learning there had been a crash on the road, they all asked about his well-being with concern.
"I wasn't the one in the accident, why are you all so nervous?" Su Mu found it both touching and amusing.
Luckily, he knew Elysia seemed to have some business today; she had mysteriously dragged the members of the Golden Courtyard away before they could even reach the office. Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have escaped a playful lecture from the Pink Elf.
Carole patted her chest. "That scared me to death! Director, if something really happened to you, I would be so sad!"
Lyle said somewhat crossly, "Alright, alright, not a single good word out of your mouth."
Timido shyly held her tablet. "Director Su... online, everyone is questioning us." Her voice was small, but once she raised the issue, the members of the Honkai Impact 3rd production team turned their eyes toward Su Mu.
Su Mu, of course, was continuously monitoring the online "rhythm." He understood that the power of public opinion on the internet was terrifying and could indeed influence reality. Clearly, many employees were feeling uneasy.
Carole nodded. "Everyone has been working so hard for so long, so seeing those comments really doesn't feel good." Her words represented the feelings of the others. "I mean, we aren't doubting you, Director... everyone has played the internal build, and it's definitely a rare, great game!" Carole added quickly. "But because of that, seeing those comments makes us so angry!"
In fact, before Su Mu arrived, Carole and the other colleagues had been discussing this. They weren't afraid of failure. They were afraid of failing Su Mu's hard work and selfless teaching, as well as President Kiana's trust.
If this game really bombed, it wouldn't just mean their efforts were in vain. It would also mean that President Kiana, who had fought for employee benefits, would become the laughingstock of the industry.
[As expected, with those kinds of conditions, can you really recruit good employees?]
[Good benefits? What's the use? Recruiting a bunch of freeloading waste, isn't that just throwing money away?]
[I've checked—the new hires at miHoYo are either "old slackers" fired from other studios or fresh graduates...]
Recently, comments like these had been appearing online. Kiana's generous treatment of staff naturally caused a stir among other companies. In this industry, if you treat employees well... sorry, you are damaging the interests of a certain group of people. Being targeted was only natural.
Bronya wanted to step up and say something, but Su Mu raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down. "Bronya, it's time to post our gameplay demonstration trailer."
Su Mu saw the surprised expressions on his employees' faces, and the corners of his mouth curled slightly. "Everyone, I think you've all seen the doubts online over this period."
At Su Mu's signal, Bronya nodded. She uploaded the gameplay PV they had prepared onto the "Pink TV" site.
"Now, it's our turn to strike back!"
Faced with doubt and mockery, what should one do? Use your strength to hit back hard, of course!
END OF CHAPTER
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