It must be miHoYo's doing.

—Members enjoy various benefits of the association

—Need to assist the association in completing specific tasks

—Do not disclose the core secrets of the association

Zhongli's gaze lingered on the third clause for a moment. While the contract seemed loose, it left room for maneuverability everywhere—for example, the vague "specific mission" and the undefined "core secrets."

"The president is well versed in contracts," he said meaningfully.

Tianming pretended not to hear the hidden meaning and smiled as he handed over a pen made of star sand. "How about it? Think about it?"

Zhongli pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are there any other 'old friends' in the association?"

"Of course~" Tianming snapped his fingers, and a holographic projection showed the images of the Ice Queen, Ningguang, Ye Lan, and others. "We are all members~"

A flicker of surprise and understanding flashed across Zhongli's eyes. He took the pen and smoothly signed his name on the contract. The moment the pen tip left the paper, a dazzling golden light shot up into the sky, and the contract dissipated into countless points of light.

【Welcome to join miHoYo's World Rescue Mutual Aid Association】

[Get new member benefits: Rough Stone subsidy x200]

Brilliant raw stones condensed from the void and fell into Zhongli's hands. He looked at these crystals emitting starlight with interest, and lightly touched one of them with his fingertips.

"Want to try praying?" Tianming introduced enthusiastically like a salesman, "The first ten combos will definitely give you a purple or higher quality item~"

Zhongli nodded and, as instructed, dropped the stone into the suddenly appearing wishing cloud. The cloud began to spin, and twenty beams of light shot out like meteors, forming a dazzling array in the sky.

1金、1紫、4蓝、5绿、9白

The golden ball of light exploded first, and a crystal shaped like a mountain slowly fell. Zhongli reached out to catch it, feeling the surging rock elemental power within it.

"The Origin of Rock..." A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, "You are able to draw the power of the world's origin?"

"No big deal~" Tianming waved his hand, but he couldn't hide the smugness on his face. "Each god's initiation gift is the corresponding origin."

A ball of purple light blossomed, transforming into an ancient scroll. Zhongli unfolded it and saw the following words written in ancient characters:

The weight of the rock is reassuring.

[Effect: Can grant anyone a three-minute invincible shield]

"That's... apt." Zhongli raised his brow slightly. As the former God of Rock, nothing gave him greater peace of mind than a solid shield.

Tianming rubbed his hands together impatiently. "Alright, alright, now that we've collected our membership benefits, let's get down to business." He conjured a strangely shaped crystal ball. "You don't mind if I extract some of your memories, do you? About... the Demon War."

Zhongli's eyes immediately sharpened: "What's the use?"

"Of course, it's the 'Genshin Impact Liyue Animation'!" Tianming said matter-of-factly. "Just think about it, if the people of Liyue could see the Emperor's heroic presence back then..."

"..."

"And the story of Guizhong and you..."

"..."

"Cough cough..."

Zhongli coughed lightly and elegantly adjusted his sleeves. "Memory extraction...how do I need your cooperation?"

Tianming suppressed a smile and handed the crystal ball over. "Just hold it and think about that time."

When Zhongli's slender fingers touched the surface of the crystal ball, the entire Chenge Pot suddenly vibrated violently. Countless images flooded through his mind—the towering Tianheng Mountain severed in half, rock spears rising from the surging waves, glazed lilies blooming on the Guili Plains... Finally, the scene settled on a figure standing amidst the ruins, spear in hand, thousands of rock ridges suspended behind him.

"Great!" Tianming held the glowing crystal ball in his hands as if it were a treasure. "This material is enough to make six hours of content!"

Zhongli withdrew his hand, his expression slightly weary. "I hope the President will make good use of these memories."

"Don't worry, don't worry~" Tianming blinked. "When the time comes for post-production, I'll definitely make you ten times more handsome than Wendy!"

…………

Meanwhile, in Liyue Harbor's Hall of the Dead, Hu Tao sighed as she gazed at the empty office: "Guest Official Zhongli has skipped work again..."

Volume 2 must be done by miHoYo! 乆! : 071 "Genshin Impact" is about to be launched, 1QiYi彡Japanese 2 throws an olive branch to Bronya

Early this morning, the cyber world of Blue Star was like being dropped with a depth charge.

The final trailer of "Genshin Impact" released simultaneously by miHoYo's official account on major platforms was like a storm sweeping the world.

In just one hour, the term "Genshin Impact is online" dominated the top search lists on all social platforms.

In Gu Jingyan's studio, the usually composed photographer stared intently at the trailer on a 4K monitor, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the tabletop. In the image, Wendy played the harp beneath a giant tree in the wind. The camera soared upward, following the drifting dandelion seeds, to take in the magnificent scenery of the entire continent of Teyvat.

"This rendering..." Gu Jingyan muttered to himself, "It's just like the real world."

His sister, Gu Xiaoqing, rushed out of the kitchen holding a tablet computer: "Brother! Look at this!" The screen displayed a popular post on the official forum of miHoYo - "In-depth Analysis of 47 Detailed Easter Eggs in the Genshin Impact Final Trailer", which has been viewed over 10 million times.

"The whole world has gone crazy." Gu Jingyan shook his head and opened his photography group, only to find that everyone in it was discussing the picture composition techniques of "Genshin Impact" - this group of photographers who usually only cared about lens parameters actually started studying the game for the first time.

Meanwhile, in Shanghai's largest digital plaza, hundreds of gamers gathered beneath a giant advertising screen, looking up to watch the trailers playing on a loop. Every time a new character appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"This is definitely the first 2D open world game in history!"

"Look at the details in Liyue Harbor! Every brick and tile looks like the real thing!"

"I've been saving my pocket money for three months just waiting for this day!"

However, just when this frenzy reached its peak, a sudden earthquake shook the entire gaming community.

Xiaoyu Games officially announced that their next-generation VR open world masterpiece "Eternal Realm" will be released on the same day as "Genshin Impact" in one month!

The large screen in the square suddenly switched to show a breathtaking gameplay demo of Eternal Realm: players could actually touch each leaf, feel the breeze, and even smell the smoke of the battlefield. Most astonishingly, the game supported full sensory simulation, including pain and temperature changes.

The crowd instantly split into two camps, and arguments broke out one after another.

"Are VR games comparable to mobile games? The equipment alone for Eternal Realm costs tens of thousands of yuan!"

"But the graphics of Genshin Impact are in no way inferior to AAA titles!"

"Have you forgotten how Girls' Frontline 2 copied Honkai Impact 3rd? This time it's for real!"

This debate quickly spread to every corner of the internet. In Lin Xiaosa's live broadcast room, the comments were already clashing like crazy:

[VR is the future! Mobile games are still inferior no matter how high their graphics are!]

[You call this a mobile game? My PC graphics crush your VR, believe it or not?]

[The guards are coming! Run!]

Lin Xiaosa rubbed her temples and tucked the loose hair behind her ears: "Everyone calm down..." Her voice was drowned out by the torrent of comments in the barrage.

"I say!" she suddenly turned up the volume of the microphone. "What are you arguing about?"

The livestream finally quieted down a bit. Lin Xiaosa took a deep breath, trying to keep her tone calm. "Eternal Realm is a pay-to-play VR game, and Genshin Impact is a free-to-play card-generating game. They're not even in the same market, are they?" She threw up her hands helplessly. "Just because Xiaoyu Games had a prior feud with miHoYo, are we pitting the two games against each other?"

[But Sa-chan, don’t you think Xiaoyu did that on purpose?]

[That’s right! The release date could have been postponed.]

[This time I'm definitely here for miHoYo]

Lin Xiaosa looked at the comments and sighed. "So what if it's intentional? Aren't we, the players, the beneficiaries?" She pulled up a comparison chart of two games. "One offers a next-generation VR experience, the other a groundbreaking 2D open world. Can't I play them both?"

Her words seemed to have enlightened many people. The trend of the comments gradually changed:

[Is that the truth?]

[I've already bought the VR glasses, and I'm just waiting for "Eternal Realm"]

[Then I pre-loaded "Genshin Impact" on both my phone and computer]

[Whatever choices adults make, I want them all!]

The atmosphere in Sajiang's live broadcast room gradually eased, but it was different online.

Fans of both sides started to fight with each other, from Jubo to Tieba, and the heat was getting higher and higher.

…………

On the other side of the world, the United States.

The Los Santos sunset streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the CEO's office at Xiaoyu Technology's headquarters, casting a shadow on Jack's face. He swirled his whiskey glass with one hand, the amber liquid drawing a graceful arc in the glass, while with the other he scrolled through a data chart on his tablet.

"Popularity increased by 37%, and discussion increased by 42%..." Jack took a sip of his wine, a smug smile on his face. "That's a good move."

There was a gentle knock on the office door, and the secretary trembled as she entered, clutching a folder. Jack's gaze shifted from the data, the warmth in his eyes suddenly dropping. "So, what's up? Did Bronya agree?"

The secretary's throat rolled, and her fingers unconsciously tightened the edge of the folder: "Boss...she...she refused..."

"What?!" Jack slammed his wine glass on the table, splashing the wine on the cuffs of his custom suit. "She doesn't even want the shares? Is she crazy?"

The secretary shrank back. "According to the informant's report, Bronya said...said..."

"say what!"

"She said that all the games Xiaoyu makes are rubbish and she would rather sweep toilets than come to our company..." Catherine's voice became smaller and smaller.

Jack's face instantly darkened to a terrifying gloom. He stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the dazzling nightscape of Los Santos. The neon lights reflected on his sinister face, outlining his features like a demon.

A week ago, when China Central Television broadcast the "Exclusive Interview with the Core Team of MiHoYo", he noticed this silver-haired girl - Bronya Zajicek, the chief game designer of MiHoYo.

丨Later, he investigated privately and found out that 70% of the core content of "Honkai Impact 3" was created by her, and "Genshin Impact" was the masterpiece developed by her team.

At that time, Jack had an idea - if he could recruit such a genius, why would Xiaoyu Games not be able to make a comeback?

"Five million dollars a year salary plus 5% of shares..." Jack muttered to himself, gritting his teeth. "You rejected it so bluntly..."

The secretary added cautiously, "My informant said... Bronya's salary at miHoYo is actually quite average, but she was parachuted in by that mysterious behind-the-scenes boss of miHoYo, so they must have a close relationship..."

"Foolish loyalty." Jack sneered, his fingers unconsciously stroking the windowpane. "In this industry, talent is everything." He turned suddenly, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Since you can't be used by me..."

The secretary unconsciously took a step back: "Boss...you don't think you want to..."

Jack slowly returned to his desk and opened the bottom drawer. Inside lay a black business card with only one word in gold embossing: [Cleaner].

"Contact the 'cleaners.'" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Tell them I want an 'accident.'"

The secretary's face turned pale. "This... This is illegal... If we're caught..."

"What do you think we're doing? Playing house?" Jack suddenly raised his voice. "How much did 'Eternal' cost? Eight hundred million dollars! If we lose this battle, we're all out!"

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and took a check from the safe: "Tell the 'cleaner' to pay triple the fee. Make sure it's clean and looks like a normal accident."

The secretary took the check with trembling hands. The number on it made her eyes go dark—ten million dollars. This price on the dark web assassin market was enough to buy the life of a politician from a small or medium-sized country.

"Also," Jack stopped Catherine as she was about to leave, "find out the whereabouts of the miHoYo founder. If one is taken, the other..."

He didn't finish his words, but the secretary already understood what he meant. When she walked out of the office, her back was soaked with cold sweat.

Volume 2 must be done by miHoYo! 乆! : 072 Killer: I go kill Bronya?

Late at night in Los Santos, the neon lights cast blurry spots of light in the rain.

The "cleaner" stood in front of the apartment's French window, a half-burned cigar between his fingers. Smoke swirled before his eyes, and the light of the city outside the window flickered in his gray-blue pupils.

He glanced down at his phone screen—the encrypted message from the "middleman" lay quietly in his inbox.

"Target: Bronya Zajček. Dragon Kingdom, Magic City. Reward: $1000 million. Request: Accident."

"Oh......"

He chuckled, threw his phone on the sofa, and turned to walk towards the liquor cabinet. The crisp sound of vodka being poured onto ice cubes was particularly clear in the quiet room.

In the killer world, "The Cleaner" is a legend.

In the past fifteen years, forty-seven missions have been completed without a single failure.

Every scene he handled was as clean as if nothing had happened - a Wall Street banker "accidentally" fell from a building; an arms dealer in the Middle East suffered a "heart attack"; even a politician from a certain country suffered "food poisoning" under the protection of a heavy bodyguard...

At the end of the police investigation, the file will always only say "accident."

"It's time to retire..."

He tilted his head back to drink the wine in the glass, the cold liquid sliding down his throat. His eyes swept over the news clippings from all over the world on the wall - behind every news item of "accidental death", there was his shadow.

The laptop screen on the table was still lit, displaying the target's detailed information:

Bronya Zajček, 22, is a native of China and the chief game designer at miHoYo. She is also a core developer of Honkai Impact 3rd and the project leader of Genshin Impact.

The silver-haired girl in the photo has an indifferent look in her eyes, like an exquisite porcelain doll.

"Just to kill a little girl?" He sneered. "These days, wealthy families are becoming more and more unscrupulous."

Fingers tapped the keyboard, bringing up a map of Dragon Kingdom. A 3D model of Shanghai was clearly visible on the official website of the Urban Planning Bureau—all thanks to Dragon Kingdom's proud government transparency system.