Players finished watching the CG short.
On the live comment stream and in the comment section, the barrage of fervent discussion exploded.
All were saying:
"Just you wait, Otto!"
"We will hold on until the day Otto is dead and buried!"
"Time to pop the champagne and celebrate!"
You really had to admit—part of Honkai Impact 3rd's addictiveness was thanks to Otto.
Of course, players didn't linger on the short video for too long.
The real centerpiece was still the interview with Kiana and Mei.
Mysterious host? Told them not to be too surprised?
This vibe...
Could the host be Otto himself?
Some were already making bold guesses.
With that in mind, the players clicked on the interview video.
It began with a real-world scene of Mei walking toward the miHoYo studio, Kiana cheerfully dashing up from behind and throwing herself onto Mei's shoulders.
Mei, helpless as always, dragged Kiana inside.
That footage had been recorded earlier when he—Hokuto—left the office to prepare.
To be fair, this was pretty much how Kiana and Mei usually interacted.
The camera moved inward, passing through the studio's workspace.
Glimpses of Himeko, Rita, and others appeared onscreen, smiling at the sight of Kiana and Mei messing around.
As Kiana became more and more excited, she was intercepted by Durandal.
"Kiana, it's time for you to head to the voice booth."
"Oh oh! Got it." Kiana responded while grabbing Mei.
"Mei's coming with me too."
"Mm."
Together, Kiana and Mei continued deeper into the studio, showing players a glimpse of the miHoYo environment.
Of course, it wasn't really the office layout they cared about—
They were far more fascinated by the real-life versions of their favorite characters.
Watching as Rita remained graceful in reality...
Watching Fu Hua appear on screen with surprisingly authentic nervousness...
Watching Bronya...
???
[Whoa! This Bronya is huge!!]
[Strongly demand that miHoYo make a new game character using Big Bronya!]
[My girl's grown up and still so beautiful... I'm in love all over again...]
[I just want to ask—does the miHoYo studio still hire? I want to apply.]
...
The video continued.
Kiana and Mei met with various staff members as they explored the miHoYo studio.
Eventually, they both stopped in front of the recording booth.
Kiana reached out and opened the door. Through the gap, viewers could see inside—
Then suddenly, the screen turned pitch black.
Just as the audience started feeling puzzled, a soft voice echoed through the darkness.
Many instantly recognized that voice.
Miss Pink Elf?
"When the flower and leaf whisper, please call her name."
As that voice spoke, beautiful music began to play.
A pink crystal flower sparkled in the darkness, blooming in dazzling brilliance.
"The long wind becomes her chariot, and the four seas her garden."
"Birds carry the seeds of kindness; all the flowers weave the hymn of love."
Accompanying the voice, the dark screen shifted—
A village of bridges and flowing water, a mountain range in full bloom, a brilliant starry sky.
The crystal flower drifted across the heavens, descending slowly toward the end.
The screen darkened again.
The crystal flower gradually faded out.
Until the gentle narration ceased.
The darkness lifted like a curtain being drawn.
And the real scene of the recording booth was revealed to all.
Kiana, Mei, and Elysia sat around a small round table.
Elysia smiled and playfully waved toward the camera.
"I'm Elysia. Hi~♪ Did you miss me?"
In that instant, all live comments ceased.
Some even instinctively hit pause.
They stared, stunned, at the fantastical girl on screen.
Her appearance was unmistakable—
Wasn't she identical to Miss Pink Elf?
But Miss Pink Elf was 2D.
The beautiful girl in front of them was 3D!
Calm down. Calm down.
Okay... let's see what everyone else says first.
They unpaused the video.
[Wait... this is Miss Pink Elf? Holy crap! This is way too dreamy!!]
[People used to say the person inside the Miss Pink Elf suit looked just like her—I didn't believe it. Now... I still don't believe it! The real deal is even more gorgeous!!]
[Miss Pink Elf kindly reminds you: Don't be fooled by 3D girls~♪]
[But... it's Miss Pink Elf...]
Players saw these comments and nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Then, with utmost passion, their hands flew across their keyboards:
Miss Pink Elf~~ we love you!!
.............
The video continued, featuring one quirky question after another from Elysia.
Each one made viewers laugh so hard they doubled over.
Everyone praised her: Miss Pink Elf truly was a genius.
Finally, the video ended with Elysia announcing,
"miHoYo is about to host its anniversary celebration!"
Players, still unsatisfied, rushed to the comment section—
Discussing Elysia's real appearance, the upcoming Honkai Impact 3rd anniversary celebration, the Honkai Impact movie, and so on.
They still cared about "Lament of the Fallen," of course—
But there were just too many things to pay attention to now.
They couldn't devote themselves to storming the tower like before.
For instance—
In a certain university dorm:
"Hehehe~~"
A player laughed with satisfaction after watching the interview video.
His roommate poked his head down from the upper bunk and asked with a strange expression,
"Weren't you crying just a minute ago? Looking all hollow and numb?
How come you're suddenly so cheerful?"
The player didn't even think before replying,
"That was because of... the miHoYo writers (gritting teeth)... but it's fine now~~ Miss Pink Elf was so healing (grinning)."
"Kiana and Mei were super sweet too. As a Kiana x Mei shipper, I feel totally revived."
"..."
His roommate looked down at him—
One second teeth-grinding rage, the next second auntie-level giggles.
After a moment of silence, he couldn't help saying:
"Bro, seriously, stop. You're creeping me out a bit."
"What did I do?" the player asked cluelessly.
"It's just..."
The roommate leaned on the bed rail, looking down.
"This Honkai Impact 3rd—is it really that fun? I mean..."
He hesitated, then added with a frown:
"Is it really that addictive?"
Nowadays, Honkai Impact 3rd had achieved great success, with strong popularity and buzz.
But 2D mobile games still had their limits.
There were always people who weren't interested in anime-style content.
"Honkai Impact 3rd, huh." The player blinked.
"If you're curious, download it and try it yourself.
Honestly, even if the writers can be terrible... the game itself is really good."
"That combat feel and those visuals—absolutely perfect."
"Is that so?"
His roommate seemed a little tempted.
The player immediately jumped up with his phone.
"Come on, don't hesitate. Enter this invite code—SVVB6G.
And we'll both be Captains of the Hyperion."
"Hehehe~~"
With that spontaneous recommendation, it was inevitable—
More and more players would be drawn into Honkai Impact 3rd.