Create a game called "Collapse Iron," where the entire universe is the player.

The air in the courtyard of the fairy boat Luofu was a little stagnant.

Lin Lin looked left and right, blinking his eyes.

On the left are March 7th, Star, and Walter with a somber expression.

On the right is Jingliu, who seems to be in a meditative state with his eyes closed, and Rakshasa, who looks like he has no other choice.

"...What's going on here?" Lin Lin muttered under his breath.

Rakshasa spoke first, his tone still gentle, but a hint of weariness and helplessness could be heard: "Mr. Walter, I'll say it one last time, I don't know you."

Walter didn't reply, but silently turned his head to stare at Lin Lin—his eyes clearly saying: Come and see what's going on here.

Lin Lin quickly smoothed things over, pouring tea for everyone while smiling, "Uncle Yang, have some tea first, calm down... This Mr. Rakshasa is indeed not the one you think he is."

He nodded to Luo Sha again: "I'm sorry, Uncle Yang... he's been through some things in the past, and he gets easily agitated."

Luo Sha gently sized up Lin Lin.

So this is the person behind the game... Oh well, I'll give them some face.

"It's alright," he nodded slightly, "as long as Mr. Walter doesn't attack me without reason again."

Lin Lin thought to himself: It wasn't without reason... It's mainly because your appearance attacked him first, and Uncle Yang is also a "man of strong emotions".

After listening to Lin Lin's words.

Walter seemed to have calmed down by then. He held his teacup and said in a lower voice, "...I'm sorry, Mr. Rakshasa, I acted impulsively."

"But...do you have any other names? Something a bit difficult to pronounce?"

Lin Lin: "..."

Rakshasa: "..."

Luo Sha caught a glimpse of Lin Lin shaking his head vigorously behind him and took a deep breath.

My patience is almost gone.

He spoke each word clearly and coldly: "I don't know you, and I've never seen you before. Whatever you're thinking—it's none of my business."

After saying that, he turned around and was about to walk out of the courtyard. He didn't want to stay in this place for another second.

Suddenly, Jing Liu spoke softly beside him, his voice like a shard of ice: "Boring."

Just those two words seemed to instantly lower the temperature in the courtyard.

March 7th let out an "Achoo!" and shrank closer to Xing: "Why is it suddenly so cold... even more extreme than the snowfields of Yalilo?"

Xing hugged March 7th while looking up at the sky: "Is the temperature difference between day and night in Luofu really that big...?"

Just as Jingliu was about to step out of the courtyard gate—

A clear, cheerful voice suddenly rang in her ears:

"Mirror Flow—!"

The next second, a hug filled with the scent of jatropha skewers enveloped her, and the person threw himself into her arms.

The fluffy blue fox ears brushed against her neck.

Jingliu froze on the spot.

…Bai Heng?

She felt like she was dreaming; her fingers trembled slightly, and she didn't know whether she should hug back.

Jing Yuan and Dan Heng followed quietly behind, watching this scene without saying a word.

March 7th blinked: "Huh, it seems...warmer again?"

Xing stroked her hair and laughed, "The weather in Luofu is really unpredictable."

Lin Lin stood aside, watching the long-awaited reunion embrace, and unconsciously, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

......

Time flies by so silently.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

Jingyuan, Jingliu, and Danheng gradually recovered from the daze of "Bai Heng really came back".

They took turns leading Bai Heng around Luofu – the snack stalls of Changletian, the evening breeze at Xingchahai Wharf, the lights of Huixing Port gradually lighting up… as if they wanted to catch up on all the time they had missed over the years.

There was no mention of the Star God's chess game, no pulling at the threads of fate, and no mention of those heavy old grudges.

Just a few old friends, walking through familiar streets and alleys, sometimes laughing, sometimes silent.

The feeling was like suddenly finding a jade pendant that had been accidentally broken sometime in the past – although the cracks were still there, it was finally back in my hands.

The reunion came so suddenly that all one wanted to do was cherish it and not think about anything else.

Later, Jingyuan and Jingliu came to see Lin Lin separately.

Jing Yuan still wore that ambiguous smile, but his tone was unusually serious: "I can't give you the promise of an alliance with Yu Zhao; there are too many rules. But if anything happens to you in the future—Luo Fu, Jing Yuan, and Jing Liu will not stand idly by."

Jing Liu didn't speak, but just looked at Lin Lin quietly for a moment, and then nodded very slightly.

A faint trace of warmth flickered in those icy eyes.

Lin Lin smiled and agreed.

Actually, he understands quite well that some gratitude doesn't need to be expressed too explicitly; keeping it in your heart is more meaningful than saying it aloud.

Moreover, for him... this also felt like fulfilling a lingering sense of emptiness he had when he was pushing the plot forward.

Some stories can be rewritten in a small way; watching them go through their journey is enough.

Of course, he added quietly to himself: As long as you don't manage to kidnap Teacher Danheng... our train crew can't be without Cold Noodles Little Green Dragon.

However, judging from the situation these past few days, Dan Heng doesn't seem to have any plans to "return".

He remained calm and aloof. Occasionally, when Bai Heng pulled him aside to talk about the past, he would gently shake his head and say, "I am not him."

That statement used to sound like escapism, but now, it seems more like a sign of clarity.

He neither denies the past nor is he bound by it.

He is simply Danheng, walking his own path.

Also good.

Lin Lin gazed at the sycamore tree in the courtyard, which was gradually being bathed in the glow of the setting sun, and thought to himself.

......

Gui Naifen's live broadcast room.

These past few days, Gui Naifen has been practicing manually, along with the guides provided by Lin Lin.

I've pretty much figured out the event.

"Have you all finished the main storyline? Next, let's take a look at the two remaining highlights of this version—the 'Exotic Pet Gathering' event and the new Simulated Universe DLC 'Gold and Machinery.'"

"Let's talk about this cat-picking... oh no, I mean exotic pet picking! Simply put, it's about raising a bunch of little cats that look like characters! It's hilarious, each cat has the vibe of a character, and after you raise them, you'll even receive special text message easter eggs in the game."

"Currently, you can make cat cakes for all four-star and five-star characters, and I expect they'll be added gradually as new characters are released. Although this event doesn't offer any real rewards except for the godfather, Mitsun, it's just so cute! The forums are full of people showing off their cat cakes, and the word-of-mouth is booming. And I've heard that... even Aha might be able to become a cat cake in the future, just imagining it makes me happy."

Bullet comments:

"That's going to be really fun!"

"Cat cakes are indeed very cute, and they've been used in almost every fan-made video."

"It's quite an interesting activity."

......

Gui Naifen continued.

"Then there's 'Gold and Machinery.' Personally, I feel this DLC is quite packed with content; StarCraft alone has 4000 units, which is a pretty substantial resource pool. The gameplay leans towards strategy and luck. I haven't played it much myself, so I won't comment much... Anyway, if you really can't figure it out, the strategy guides have definitely already figured it out, and it's easy to copy their guides."

She paused for a moment and took a sip of water.

"Actually, although this version looks like it has a lot of content, a version only lasts about ten days. The events are not all open yet, so some people may feel that it is a bit of a 'downtime'... But then again, Honkai Impact 3rd was originally positioned as a secondary game. When you have free time, you can log in to relax, experience a part of the story, or play a small event. It's actually just right."

"After all, Lin Lin didn't make this game to force players to spend money or grind... He himself said that he already has more money than he can spend, so he's trying to save money on repetitive daily grinds."

"I'll let you in on a little news: Lin Lin said the next version will continue to reduce the burden on players."

"Of course, most importantly: I, the streamer Xiao Guizi, will also be made into a four-star character in the game!"

"Surprised?"

Bullet comments:

"Reducing the workload? Besides logging in every day to claim daily rewards, there's practically nothing else to do!"

"Is Xiao Guizi about to leave the role?"

"Did they make some kind of shady deal with the planner? Hehehe~"

"Could the planners turn the famous robin into a character? I absolutely love her!"

……

In the middle of version 1.2, thanks to Bai Heng, Lin Lin invited Jing Yuan to record this 2.0 preview live stream.