A long while passed.
The livestream remained dead silent.
Finally, it was the "subject of the incident" who tentatively spoke up.
"Um… Elysia-san, Kevin, Vill-V-san, Snake-sis… why are you all suddenly so quiet?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⟡fire
"Pardofelis…"
Elysia's voice was tinged with obvious sorrow, and a faint rasp.
"I just muted my mic for a bit."
But she had barely finished that one line before her emotions surged uncontrollably again.
"I stread for so many hours today… was it all just to see Pardofelis… I can't accept this…"
"Elysia-san…"
Pardofelis wanted to say sothing to comfort Elysia, but couldn't co up with anything on the spot.
She could only turn to the others for help: "Snake-sis, Vill-V-san, Kevin… say sothing, please? This mood is so weird, it's like I actually died or sothing."
She ant well, but the mont she said that, everyone's expressions froze.
The "iconic" mont of Cat Cat's final words flashed vividly through their minds again, reopening the trauma.
Elysia: "..."
Kevin: "..."
There was the sound of a chair being adjusted on Kevin's end.
Then his low voice ca through, passing on a piece of news to Elysia.
"Elysia, calm down for now."
"I was about to head over to MiHoYo, but I ran into Su. He told Kalpas has already been out for a while."
"So…?" Elysia was confused.
"So… maybe we can wait for news from Kalpas," Kevin said.
"..."
Elysia fell silent after hearing that.
anwhile, the livestream chat started flooding with new ssages.
[Miss Elf! Keep pushing the main story!]
[Who's the killer? Who killed Cat Cat? Why would anyone kill Cat Cat?!]
[Could it really be Vill-V? Will there be a twist?!]
[Didn't we already deduce it was the Herrscher of Corruption? Was that a red herring?!]
…
Elysia ca back to her senses. After seeing the chat scroll by, she pressed her lips together.
But unlike before, she didn't offer any opinion on who the killer might be.
She just… couldn't believe it.
Carrying that doubt, she gently tapped the screen.
The main story resud.
Pardofelis shattered and vanished.
i felt the weight in her arms disappear.
Gone so quickly, so completely.
For a mont, she didn't even know how to adjust her posture.
"..."
After a long pause, she finally began to slowly move her arms, waving them through the air, trying to grasp at sothing.
But not even a trace of cold mist remained.
Ding-dong~~
Just then, a single coin suddenly fell to the floor.
It landed with a crisp clink.
Everyone froze again.
Why… add another stab?
Was the first blow not deep enough?
Damn it all.
Screenwriter, your creativity for emotional damage really knows no bounds! (gritting teeth)
And now gold coins?! You're seriously the worst!!
The players broke down again.
So did i.
"Ah…"
She gently picked up the coin and held it to her chest.
The entire space was filled only with the sound of deep, trembling breaths—half sobbing, half fury.
If a companion were here, they might've gently patted her back. But no words would be spoken.
Because what could soothe an experience like this… was only ti. Words were aningless.
—And right now, ti was the very thing she lacked most.
"..."
"So… it was you!!"
She didn't need to na the culprit.
In the final mont before Pardofelis vanished, those fear-filled eyes had already looked past i's shoulder and reflected the figure behind her.
"Yeah, it was ."
A voice all the players recognized imdiately.
With that, the killer of Cat Cat was conclusively confird.
"You saw all those mories. What could I possibly use to deny it, right?"
i, filled with sorrow and anger, asked, "...Why Pardofelis?"
A question the players also desperately wanted answered.
Yeah—why Pardofelis?
What threat did Cat Cat pose to you? To you, Vill-V?!
She was just a slightly luckier cat!
Vill-V sighed deeply: "Oh, that wasn't sothing I could control. You could just think of it as… an accident?"
"After all, my target now is only you."
[Vill-V! How can you even say the word 'accident'? Cat Cat is dead! She just wanted to help i, she just wanted to live!]
[I'll never forgive Vill-V! I swear, the mont Vill-V gets a health bar, I'm going all in on her!!]
[Mark my words: I will never pull V2V if she enters the gacha pool!]
Vill-V had barely spoken a few lines, and the players were already fuming.
Just because of this so-called "accident"? That's how Cat Cat exited the stage?
How could they accept this?
Give Pardofelis back to us!!
Well…
She will co back. But…
Her return is only to set up an even sharper blade… to pave the road to victory.
…
In the story.
i clearly couldn't accept Vill-V's explanation.
She clenched her fists, seething with rage—but didn't act rashly.
"Those mories… no matter their content, the people involved either relive real pain, or… are facing imprisonnt."
"From the mont I began investigating… you've been using those mories to weaken my strength, haven't you?"
"Because the process was so gradual, if not for…"
i paused—suddenly realizing sothing.
The players shuddered at the sa mont.
They recalled Vill-V's earlier ntion of an accident.
Could it be that…
Pardofelis had actually taken the hit for i?
The mont that thought crossed their minds, players felt another wave of trauma.
Because for soone as timid, as laid-back as Cat Cat, she never should've been caught up in sothing so dangerous.
She only wanted to help i—wanted i to have soone she could trust.
That's why she followed her.
That's why she… got hurt.
"This hurts so much."
The clearer the truth beca, the more it ached.
Such a short piece of story.
And yet every sentence felt like a knife.
In-ga, i spoke her conclusion, even through the pain.
"If not for Pardofelis, I may never have noticed."
At that, Vill-V's tone carried a trace of annoyance: "Yeah… so, isn't it just rude when people scream during a performance?"
"Oh right—when did you start suspecting ?"
Upon hearing that—
Not only did i fall silent, but Elysia also furrowed her brow.
Vill-V noticed, but didn't mind. She simply continued at her own pace:
"Let guess… maybe you never trusted from the beginning?"
"Don't mind it. I've gotten used to that. But you see, to reach the deepest layer, you still needed my help."
i stared coldly at her: "Now it seems… that was only the beginning, wasn't it?"
"Nope."
Vill-V gave a mocking laugh: "Giving up everything… to , that wasn't a beginning… it was setup."
Then, as her string of malicious laughter continued—
The ga screen transitioned.
A burst of chaotic BGM rang out.
Before everyone, Vill-V wore a twisted smile, brimming with theatrical confidence, like a true final boss.
As though she stood atop a grand stage.
"The real performance begins now. How should I introduce myself?"
"Long ti no see? Or… first ti eting?"
[It's you! It really is you! Vil—V!!]
[Say it again—I will never pull for Vill-V. Never ever!!]
[ 1 1 1, I won't give her a single crystal.]
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