It must be miHoYo's doing.

Barbara lowered her head in frustration, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the hem of her skirt. "Sure enough... I'm still not mature enough."

Volume 2 must be done by miHoYo! 乆! :030 Member of the Collapse Universe! A robin praying for peace!

Just when Tianming wanted to comfort Barbara.

Suddenly, a long-lost reminder sounded in Tianming's mind -

[Ding! The new terminal bracelet has been activated, and the contract signing space has been opened.]

Originally, he had blocked this kind of prompts, because new members joined the Genshin Impact world and Honkai Impact 3rd world almost every day. If he heard it every day, he would be annoyed to death.

However, this prompt was not blocked, which means that the signatories of the contract came from the two universes that he had never been involved in!

Tianming's eyes suddenly lit up and he opened the terminal background to check.

When he saw a familiar name, Tianming couldn't help but smile.

"It seems that I have found the singer I want!"

…………

one day ago.

Collapse Star Railway Universe.

The dusk of Kashibelyn-IV was stained blood-red, smoke trailing long black trails across the sky. This beautiful planet, once known as the "Emerald Eye," was now nothing but shattered ruins and the unceasing flames of war.

Robin's white boots stepped on the broken concrete, and the splashing mud left mottled marks on her white performance clothes.

She gently brushed away the ashes that had fallen on her shoulders and looked up at the makeshift stage not far away—it was covered with bullet holes from the air raid the day before.

"Miss Robin, this way please," the bodyguard in a bulletproof vest whispered, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. "There's been another exchange of fire in the East District."

She nodded, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the sapphire pendant hanging around her neck. This was a birthday gift from her brother, and now it has become her only comfort on the battlefield.

Thousands of people had gathered below the stage. Some leaned on crutches, some held young children, and some pushed relatives in wheelchairs. Each one was dressed in rags, but their eyes gleamed with a rare hope.

"The sound equipment in the third zone hasn't been adjusted yet!" The agent came running over, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Mockingbird paused, then quickly resumed adjusting his in-ear monitor. "Tell the tech team we'll sing a cappella without the speakers. As long as my voice can still be heard on the radios on this planet, that's all that matters."

The agent nodded and said, "The high-tech equipment we brought here can completely overwhelm the existing communications technology on this planet. The military can't tamper with the radio frequency bands."

The agent finished speaking and frowned again: "But I'm afraid our movement will make too much noise..."

Robin stopped the agent from saying anything else and just looked off into the distance.

"See?" she pointed to a little girl in the crowd, clutching a tattered doll. Her arm was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. "They're waiting for a hope. I can't let these hopes be dashed."

As dusk fell, the searchlights came on. Robin took a deep breath and walked onto the bullet-riddled stage. Under the lights, her white dress looked like a candle in the darkness.

"Good evening, everyone." Her voice was soft but clear throughout the room. "The last song of the night..."

The singing begins.

There were no elaborate arrangements, no dazzling special effects. When the first note flowed from her lips, the entire square was so quiet that one could hear the echo of distant artillery fire. The song was like a clear spring, cleansing the wounds in everyone's heart.

(Lyrics written by myself)

"Remember? That starry sky without the smoke of gunpowder..."

"We once counted shooting stars on the grass..."

"Make a wish for eternal peace..."

When the chorus reached the robin's nest, he noticed a little girl in the front row swaying gently to the rhythm. Her mother secretly wiped away tears, while the old soldier who had lost both legs straightened his hunched back.

Halfway through the performance, there was a sudden explosion in the distance. The crowd began to stir, but the robin didn't stop. Instead, she raised her voice, her voice like a sword piercing the night sky:

"Even if the night is long..."

"The stars will never go out..."

Surprisingly, the commotion gradually died down. People returned to their seats, some even humming along. When the last note fell, the applause was thunderous and lasted for a long time.

…………

The show is over, backstage.

The agent waved her data tablet excitedly. "Ms. Mockingbird! The latest poll shows anti-war sentiment in both the Eastern and Western Theaters has increased by 17 percentage points! Even high-ranking military brass are..."

"That's not enough." Robin took off his earphones and looked out the window at the night sky, which was red from the artillery fire. "Tomorrow we'll continue our performance in the North District."

"But there's a firefight going on over there!"

"That's why it's so important for people to sing." She gently pressed the sapphire on her chest. "My brother said that singing can reach places that bullets can never reach."

At this moment, a commotion outside the tent suddenly interrupted Robin's makeup removal process. The makeup remover cotton pad in her hand stopped in mid-air, and her brows furrowed slightly - it was clearly the cry of a child.

"You...let me go! Let me go!"

Robin immediately put down her makeup mirror, lifted her skirt, and hurried out of the tent. Under the glaring searchlight, she saw two bodyguards holding a thin girl. The tattered doll in the girl's arms had fallen to the ground during the struggle, covered in dust.

"Stop it!" the robin's voice became unusually stern. "She's only a child!"

The bodyguard hurriedly let go of his hand: "Miss Robin, this child sneaked into the backstage at some point, and we're worried he might be a spy..."

"That's enough." The robin quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and gently brushed the dust off the doll. When she saw the girl's dirty little face, she was startled - it was the little audience member with a bandaged arm who was swaying gently to the singing in the audience.

The girl timidly took the doll, and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Sister Robin! I finally meet you!" She jumped up excitedly, completely forgetting her earlier shock. "I listen to your songs every day! I even wear headphones when bombs fly over me so I won't be scared..."

The robin's heart suddenly clenched. Carefully avoiding the wound on the girl's arm, she gently hugged the thin body and said, "Thank you for liking my song."

The girl suddenly leaned closer, looking mysterious, and pulled out a gray bracelet from the pocket of her worn coat. The bracelet had a strange metallic sheen, and three strange characters were engraved on it: "miHoYo."

"This is for sister robin~"

Robin took the bracelet and felt a cool sensation against her fingertips. It felt neither metal nor plastic, and the unfamiliar material made her raise an eyebrow slightly. "What is this...?"

"It was a meteor that fell from the sky!" The girl stood on tiptoe and whispered in her ear. "The other day I saw a golden meteor fall in the abandoned city to the north. When the bombardment stopped, I went looking for it, and found this in the crater!"

The robin couldn't help but laugh. Although he didn't quite believe it, he still gently ruffled the girl's dry hair and said, "Such a precious gift, are you really going to give it to me?"

"Yes!" the girl nodded vigorously, her dirty little face full of determination. "Mommy said that Sister Robin is an angel who brings peace. This magical shooting star bracelet will definitely protect her!"

The sound of gunfire outside the tent suddenly intensified, and the distant sky was dyed orange by the explosions. The girl shuddered unconsciously, and her small hand grasped the robin's sleeve tightly.

"Sister Mockingbird..." Her voice suddenly trailed off. "Will the war... ever really end?"

Mockingbird gripped the strange bracelet tightly. A sudden warmth emanated from the metal, as if responding to her touch. She knelt on one knee, looked the girl straight in the eye, and spoke slowly, each word carefully.

"I will."

The moment those three words were spoken, the words "miHoYo" on the bracelet suddenly flashed with a barely perceptible blue light. Robin, in a trance, heard a strange, soft sound, like a resonance from some distant time and space.

"I promise," she added, and somehow her promise was more powerful than ever.

The girl burst into laughter and hugged her tightly. The robin didn't notice that as they embraced, the blue light on the bracelet flickered three times, like breathing, and then quietly disappeared.

Volume 2 must be done by miHoYo! 乆! : 031 To Kill the Mockingbird!

After the performance of "Eli" ended, Robin and the team returned to the hotel where they were staying.

The smoke-stained dusk shone through the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled shadows on the robin's pale face.

Her slender fingers brushed against the cracks in the windowpane—marks left by the mortar attack three days earlier. Her tired but determined face was reflected in the glass, along with the figure of her agent, who hesitated to speak behind her.

"Miss Mockingbird..."

The female agent's high heels made no sound on the thick carpet. She handed the tablet to Robin, her slender fingers trembling slightly. "Both military regions have issued simultaneous ultimatums."

Robin turned around and saw the flashing red warning sign on the tablet, casting a flickering shadow on the agent's delicately made-up face.

"We were given 24 hours to leave the country." The agent's lips, painted with matte lipstick, were pressed into a straight line. "They even...posted an armed convoy around the hotel."

Suddenly, there was a roar of explosion outside the window, and the crystal chandelier tinkled. The bracelet on Robin's wrist slipped an inch in the shock, and the touch of the cold metal reminded her of the little girl's expectant eyes during the day.

"The performance continues as usual." The robin's voice was very soft, but it was extremely clear in the gaps between the gunfire.

"Are you crazy?" the agent grabbed her shoulders, the scent of Chanel No. 5 wafting into her face. "These warlords never issue short-selling warnings! That freelance journalist who interviewed the prisoners last week is now lying dead..."

"I said keep going!"

Robin jerked free, the bracelet on her wrist tinkling against the corner of the table. She looked at the wrinkles her manager's meticulously manicured nails left on her sleeve, and her tone suddenly softened. "This land... tens of thousands die every week. Our performances are the only thing that reminds them of what peace looks like."

The manager stumbled back in her high heels, her pearl earrings swaying violently. "Do you think you're the savior? Those common people don't even have tomorrow's bread, who would care about your singing?"

Another burst of gunfire lit up the night sky, and the robin's face flickered in the strong light. She suddenly took off the sapphire pendant from her neck - it was the gift of her coming-of-age from her brother - and gently placed it on the dressing table.

"Last week's statistics from North District Hospital..." She pushed open the French window, the smell of gunpowder instantly flooding the room. "After our performance, the suicide rate dropped 47%." The night breeze ruffled her hair. "The temporary ceasefire negotiations between the Eastern and Western armies the day before yesterday... It all started with my singing."

The agent's knuckles turned white as she gripped her tablet, the broken diamonds from her manicure digging into her palms. "Sooner or later, you're going to ruin the whole team..." She suddenly choked up, "Those kids in the choir..."

"Have the logistics team send the children away first." Mockingbird reached out and brushed away the smudged eyeliner from her agent's eyes. "But please tell them..." She suddenly smiled her first genuine smile of the night, and the bracelet on her wrist flashed a blue light. "One day, we will stand under a starry sky without the smoke of war and sing."

When the door slammed shut, the robin slumped down by the window.

What the robin didn't notice was that the bracelet on her wrist was glowing faintly, as if resonating with the robin.

…………

Late at night, the alloy doors of a military command post slammed shut behind the general, emitting a dull metallic clang. A holographic sand table projected the entire battle scene on the planet Kasibelinyat-IV, countless red and blue dots of light interweaving into a bloody spiderweb.

"Come in." The general's military boots rolled over the combat reports scattered on the ground and he stopped in front of the bulletproof glass window.

A man clad in black tactical gear stepped out of the shadows. He wore a custom-made optical camouflage mask, looking like a walking mosaic. Only the pulse dagger at his waist shone with a cold light.

"Target confirmed." The general's cybernetic eye flashed red, bringing up a holographic video of the Mockingbird concert tonight. A white-clad singer, a peculiarly shaped bracelet on her wrist, signed autographs for a bandaged little girl. "By sunset tomorrow, I want to see the vocal cords of this 'Singer of Peace' hanging from the headquarters flagpole."

The masked man tapped his fingers on the pulse dagger, making an eerie buzzing sound. "Didn't the higher-ups approve her performance permit?"

"Bang!" The general's metal prosthetic leg suddenly slammed against the bulletproof glass, cracks spreading like spiderwebs. "What do those politicians know about war?!" He roared, shaking the chandelier overhead. "This woman sings a song, and hundreds of soldiers desert the front! Yesterday, two reorganized divisions refused to carry out the bombing order!"

The holographic projection switched to a statistical graph, showing a green curve representing morale that plummeted after every Mockingbird concert. The general's prosthetic eye glowed red. "What does she think she's doing? Saving the world with her innocent singing voice?"

The masked man suddenly chuckled, twisted ripples appearing on his camouflage mask. "Need an accident? A stage collapse? Or..." He drew his dagger, a faint blue arc flashing from the blade's tip. "A more artistic way to die?"

"I want shock!"

The general pulled up a 3D map of tomorrow's concert, with a few red dots marking the optimal sniping positions. "Let everyone watch as the so-called peacemaker's brain explodes during the song." His mechanical fingers crushed a glass of red wine, dark red liquid dripping down the metal joints. "There is only one truth in this universe—"

The electronic prosthetic eye suddenly projected a blood-red slogan: [Peace = Complete Extinction of One Side]

"She thinks she's an alien and can change the world at will? And she wants to change it with her singing? Dream on!"

"This war can no longer be stopped unless one side wins. True peace can only be paved with blood. Those who harbor such beautiful fantasies will die in their own wishful thinking!"

The masked man smiled blankly, bowed and left.

………………

At dawn, Robin's touring convoy, escorted by armored vehicles, drove toward the North Side. The sky outside the bulletproof vehicles' windows glowed an unnatural orange-red, a reflection of the excessive gun smoke in the atmosphere. Robin lowered his head to adjust the bracelet on his wrist. The three mysterious characters glowed a faint blue in the morning light.

"The energy barrier has been deployed."

The agent checked the security data on the holographic projection, her fingertips running over the green indicators. "The military has sent three platoons to maintain order." She paused. "Come to think of it... there are more soldiers here today than ever before."

Robin looked out the window and saw a number of men in military uniforms among the patrons queuing for admission. They had shed their weapons, but the smell of gunpowder remained. A young soldier, clumsy but serious, was helping an elderly man on crutches carry his bag.

The performance venue stood like a giant steel egg in the center of the ruins. A state-of-the-art energy barrier shone with rainbow ripples in the sunlight, enveloping the entire venue impenetrably. The agent nodded with satisfaction. "Even micro-missiles can't penetrate this barrier, unless..."

"Unless what?" Robin stopped adjusting his earphones.

"Unless someone's sniping from a high vantage point inside the barrier." The agent smiled and shook his head. "But all high-rise buildings are within the barrier's coverage, so don't worry."

They didn't notice that the optical camouflage devices on the roofs of three seemingly abandoned buildings on the west side of the venue were quietly shutting down. The masked sniper mounted his pulse rifle on the ventilation duct, and the silhouette of the robin was reflected in the scope.

Volume 2 must be miHoYo's doing! 乆! :032 Robin was assassinated! Seal off the scene!

"Attention, all teams! The target has entered the area." The general's electronic voice came from the sniper's headset. "Remember, I want to see her head like a watermelon—"

Deafening cheers drowned out the radio. The show had begun.

Robin's white dress shone like a luminous object under the spotlight as she sang "Swinging Alone in the Milky Way" as she walked to the edge of the stage, her fingers brushing against the palms extended by the audience in the front row. When she sang "We will eventually meet again in the Milky Way," she swayed from side to side as usual, her hair forming a graceful arc.

It's now.

As the sniper's trigger was pulled, the robin suddenly turned sideways and nodded to the band leader.

"boom!"

The silenced gunshot was perfectly drowned out by the cheers. The bullet tore through the air, only to grazed Robin's flying hair at the last second and pierced her snow-white neck.