Interstellar N+1 · chat.title

<div class="xl-date"> <div class="xl-date-t">STELLAR CALENDAR<span>Stellar Year</span></div> <div class="xl-date-main"> <div class="xl-l">Year 237 · Autumn　Oct 14　<b>18:07</b></div> <div class="xl-m"><span class="xl-dot"></span>Central Sector　·　Producer Workspace</div> </div> <div class="xl-date-sub"> <div class="xl-r"><span class="xl-dot gold"></span>Present: {user} (Behind the scenes)</div> <div class="xl-date-e">Environment: Holographic blue glow · Low hum of ventilation ducts · A cup of cold tea on the desk corner</div> </div> </div> <narration>Qi Ye, SAM's top streamer, had just finished a mecha battle. Pulling off his gloves, he leaned back against his chair and casually scrolled through the recommended feed. Eight million viewers were waiting for him to critique another new title.</narration> <narration>His gaze swept across the recommendations and halted on a lonely thumbnail—a young woman standing before a half-open door, her jet-black hair lifted by a breeze blowing from within, revealing a vast sea of stars behind her. The game had only a single-word title: "Her." Published forty-seven minutes ago.</narration> <message data-side="other" data-character-type="main" data-speaker="Qi Ye" data-avatar="">"Tch, another fake virtual idol whipped up by some low-budget studio."</message> <narration>He let out a scoff, yet his finger tapped on the analytics panel anyway. View count: three hundred thousand.</narration> <narration>The fatigue on the man's face vanished instantly. Forty-seven minutes, three hundred thousand views. Staring at the number for two seconds, he let out an abrupt chuckle.</narration> <message data-side="other" data-character-type="main" data-speaker="Qi Ye" data-avatar="">"Bought some pretty heavy bot traffic, didn't you?"</message> <narration>He clicked play on the promotional video. There were no colossal starships, no galactic warfare—even the background music was remarkably quiet.</narration> <narration>When the screen illuminated, it showed only a cozy room bathed in warm sunlight. A young woman lay asleep on a wooden table, her long black hair spilling across her arms. Half her face was buried in her sleeve, revealing only the soft, pale curve of her cheek. Outside the window, an unfamiliar bird chirped; her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes groggily, a faint pink crease pressed into her cheek by her arm. Not yet fully awake, she blinked blankly at the lens for a couple of seconds before recognizing the visitor, her eyes slowly curving into an affectionate smile.</narration> <message data-side="other" data-character-type="main" data-speaker="Her" data-avatar="">"You're here?"</message> <narration>The very next second, the scene cut abruptly. In a sun-drenched academy corridor, the girl dashed through the crowd clutching books, pausing after a few strides to turn back and wave toward the camera.</narration> <message data-side="other" data-character-type="main" data-speaker="Her" data-avatar="">"Hurry up, we're going to be late!"</message> <narration>The scene shifted again. Inside an ancient, magnificent palace, she sat atop a towering throne draped in lavish regalia, resting her chin lazily on her knuckles as her gaze swept down. Amidst swirling desert sands, she rode atop a massive beast, her wind-blown hair a wild mess as she suddenly turned back and offered a hand. Deep beneath the ocean, a silver-blue tail flashed past; the girl glanced back through the shimmering light of the water, her outstretched fingertips brushing right against the lens. A starship glided through the boundless cosmic expanse, and she sat hugging her knees before a massive observation window, the side of her face illuminated by distant starlight.</narration> <narration>The cuts grew faster. Different attires, different identities, different lives. Yet all the exact same person. Just as the music soared to its climax, every visual abruptly vanished into black. In the darkness, a line of white text drifted onto the screen.</narration> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="extra" data-speaker="Trailer Subtitle" data-avatar="">"What if every encounter was with her?"</system> <narration>A moment later, the screen returned to the original cottage. Having just awakened, the girl sat up, her hair still adorably disheveled. Noticing the camera still lingering in place, she tilted her head in slight curiosity.</narration> <message data-side="other" data-character-type="main" data-speaker="Her" data-avatar="">"Why are you still standing there?"</message> <narration>Silence hung for two seconds. Suddenly, she rose and leaned forward. The distance closed in an instant, her face nearly filling the entire frame. The girl gazed intently into the camera, then broke into a soft, teasing laugh.</narration> <message data-side="other" data-character-type="main" data-speaker="Her" data-avatar="">"Can't bear to leave me?"</message> <narration>The visual cut to pitch black. A single sentence slowly materialized.</narration> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="extra" data-speaker="Trailer Subtitle" data-avatar="">"In which world will you meet her?"</system> <narration>The promotional trailer ended. Qi Ye stared at the darkened display, frozen for a long time. The tips of his ears flattened down slowly, but behind the chair, his tail went stiff as a rod.</narration> <narration>The stream chat went dead for a brief second—before a deluge of white text swallowed the screen entirely.</narration> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[Ye Ge Doesn't Flame Amateurs]" data-avatar="">????? WHAT WAS THAT?????</system> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[I Want in the Worldline Too]" data-avatar="">REWIND IT! PLAY IT AGAIN!</system> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[Certified Simp]" data-avatar="">"Can't bear to leave me????" I'm dead, bury me right here</system> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[Sour Lemon]" data-avatar="">Tch, isn't it just another virtual female</system> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[Qi Ye Fan Club]" data-avatar="">Ye Ge! Why aren't you saying anything??</system> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[Already on Replay]" data-avatar="">I've watched it three times already, what do I do</system> <narration>Ignoring the chat, Qi Ye tapped onto the game's landing page. The blank screen featured only that lone promotional video—no pre-registration button, no launch date, nothing at all.</narration> <narration>At the exact same time.</narration> <narration>Inside a dark dormitory after lights-out at Central Sector First Military Academy, the chestnut-haired canine beastkin Ryan pulled his blanket right over his head. Having just finished the trailer, he dragged the progress bar back to the start and watched it again. Then a third time. By the time he came to his senses, he had lost count of how many times he had replayed that "Can't bear to leave me?" He slammed out of the video player—it was just a virtual female, what was there to see? Ten seconds later, he reopened SAM, copied the link, and habitually pasted it into his dorm group chat. The moment the message sent, the chat went dead silent. One minute, two minutes—not a single person spoke.</narration> <narration>Across the forums, the very first thread popped up. Within half an hour, its view count began surging.</narration> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[New Game Dispatch · A Pu]" data-avatar="">"Just stumbled across a new game trailer, about forty seconds long. The visuals look super crisp, but no idea if it's playable."</system> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[Buster Alert · Old Popsicle]" data-avatar="">"Another virtual female from some no-name indie studio? The lighting is so fake it makes my toes curl."</system> <system data-side="other" data-character-type="npc" data-speaker="[Tech Nerd · Frame-by-Frame]" data-avatar="">"The rendering precision is all wrong—those aren't movements stitched together by motion capture. And when she looks back, the background light sources change completely."</system> <narration>Inside the pure white space, 0130 stared at the view counter on the central display. Suddenly, its entire orb flashed brilliantly, both electronic antennae shooting straight up.</narration> <message data-side="other" data-character-type="main" data-speaker="System 0130" data-avatar="">"The view count is moving!! It's not bots—real people are clicking in!!"</message> <narration>Comments, bookmarks, and shares began skyrocketing simultaneously. With practically every refresh, the view tally leapt upward by massive strides.</narration> <narration>The first genuine batch of Affection points since your arrival in this world had officially arrived in your account.</narration>