Honkai: Star Rail. Getting chased by players! [1]

"Honestly, if one day you were transported into a game and became a character that could be controlled, what would you do?"

In the bedroom, a tall man sat at his desk, writing this sentence in his notebook.

But as he continued writing, he put down the pen and stood up, walking over to the window to gaze at the scene outside.

There were no grassy meadows, no towering skyscrapers—only the vast, silent universe beyond the window, with countless stars twinkling faintly or brightly, accompanying the train’s journey forward.

Knock knock knock.

“Cava! Come have some afternoon tea!”

“Mmm, I’m coming.”

A lively voice came from the bedroom door, and the man called “Cava” turned toward the girl outside.

Looking back once more at the starry sky outside, Cava smiled helplessly, opened the bedroom door, and headed toward the observation carriage of the train.

This story begins on April 26th, 2023, of Earth’s calendar.

On this day, MiHoYo’s new game Honkai: Star Rail officially launched its open beta. As a MiHoYo game enthusiast and a fan of turn-based games, Cava naturally wouldn’t miss such a game, perfectly tailored to his tastes.

In fact, he had been waiting for this game for a long time, following it closely since its initial announcement and throughout both beta tests. Why "following"? Because as an unlucky player with poor gacha results, he couldn't snag a beta key and could only watch enviously as others experienced the story.

But today, the day had finally arrived! He could finally experience the game's storyline for himself!

At 8:00 a.m., just after waking up and washing, Cava was drawn to his phone vibrating crazily.

[QQ Group: Astral Express Africa Branch]

[(Group Owner) Fierce Sipper of March 7th's Sweat: WC! Brothers, brothers! Star Rail opened early! Get online and grab your UIDs now!]

[(Admin) No Evil Shall Bury Me: You're trying to trick me again, aren't you?]

[(Group Owner) Fierce Sipper of March 7th's Sweat: Why would I lie to you! "Login Screen Screenshot.jpg"]

[(Admin) No Evil Shall Bury Me: WC!]

[Kafka Is My Eternal Wife: WC!]

[Himeko Is Already Dead: WC!]

[(Group Owner) Fierce Sipper of March 7th's Sweat: @Himeko Is Already Dead! Change that name of yours! “You rascal.jpg”]

Still groggy from waking up early, Cava’s eyes widened as he read the chat in the QQ group. Without even wiping the toothpaste foam from his mouth, he dashed back to his bedroom, sat at his computer, and quickly launched the game with an energetic pink-haired girl as its icon.

"Honkai Impact 3rd! Wait, no… Honkai: Star Rail! Launch!!!!!!"

Vroom...

The moment he clicked “Start Game,” Cava's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

...

"Himeko! Try out this new mango pudding our conductor made!"

A girl with pink hair and blue-pink eyes handed a piece of yellow pudding to an elegant woman sitting by the sofa. The woman, dressed in a white gown and a black coat, gently brushed her fiery red hair behind her ear and smiled as she accepted the pudding.

"It seems our adorable conductor’s skills have improved."

The red-haired woman elegantly took a bite of the pudding, which was bursting with the rich aroma of mango, and praised the "conductor" who stood nearby holding a tray of drinks.

"Of course! Himeko has great taste, pa!"

The cute, fluffy conductor placed the tray on the tea table beside the sofa, putting her small, round hands on her hips with a proud expression.

"What new creation has our conductor come up with now?"

A middle-aged man wearing glasses and a handsome young man walked into the observation carriage.

"Uncle Yang! Come try Pom-Pom's new drink! Dan Heng, come over!"

March 7th held a small plate of pudding and waved at them.

"Mmm."

Dan Heng nodded and walked to the table, picking up a glass of green liquid.

"Is this... mint lemonade?"

Tasting the sweet and sour flavor with its refreshing coolness, Dan Heng looked a bit surprised at the seemingly ordinary drink in his hand.

"Hehe! How is it? Tastes great, doesn't it, pa!"

Seeing Dan Heng's surprised expression, Pom-Pom nodded with satisfaction.

"It was the idea of that new passenger! Pretty good, huh, pa!"

"The new passenger? You mean Cava?"

Himeko recalled the young man they rescued from an attacked ship a few days ago. So, that was his name.

"Yep! I just called him to join us for afternoon tea!"

March 7th nodded her little head.

"So, he's doing alright now?"

Himeko’s gaze softened, a bit worried. That young man didn’t look that old—though he was tall, after experiencing such a catastrophic crash, it was hard not to be left with some trauma.

"Thank you all for your concern. I’m alright."

Cava walked into the observation carriage carrying a tray filled with various cute pastries.

"These just came out of the oven. Please, help yourselves!"

Cava smiled at the familiar faces in front of him.

It was truly something to marvel at—he had just managed to grab a UID, and now he found himself transported into the world of Star Rail.

"Cava! Are you really okay?"

March 7th, with her wild imagination, saw Cava's slightly helpless smile and immediately started filling her head with all sorts of scenarios.

"Uh... don’t worry, I’m really fine."

Seeing March 7th suddenly so concerned, Cava sighed internally.

Just thinking about how he was transported into this world on a ship about to disintegrate sent shivers down his spine. If the Astral Express had arrived just a bit later, he would’ve gone to the afterlife with Katz.

That crash happened just three days ago, and with the help of the Astral Express, he had been staying here for the past three days.

The people on the train noticed the change in Cava’s expression and, thinking he was still affected by the crash, all grew concerned.

"Sorry, Cava. I shouldn't have dragged you into the kitchen, pa..."

Pom-Pom lowered her head, feeling guilty.

"Uh... I’m really okay!"

"Really? Don’t push yourself! Maybe you should go back and rest for a bit? A good nap might help!"

March 7th's pink-blue eyes looked at him seriously.

Cava: "Damn, if you guys keep treating me like this, I’ll really end up traumatized!"

"Alright, March, I think our friend Cava here is already doing fine."

Seeing Cava's increasingly exasperated expression, the calm Welt stepped in to save the day.

"Okay... really? Don’t hold it in if you’re feeling bad!"

Just as March 7th opened her mouth, about to say more, the scenery outside the train window suddenly changed. A silver light appeared in the void of space, drawing closer to the Astral Express.

"Dear passengers! We’re about to arrive at Herta Space Station!"

The observation hall filled with Pom-Pom’s voice, though the conductor had vanished from sight.

At the same time, Cava, who had been smiling helplessly, suddenly froze, his expression tightening.

Ding! 

"Honkai: Star Rail has officially launched! Prepare yourself to welcome the protagonist.

Note: The more the players like you, the stronger you will become."

"Wha... t... the...?"

Cava stood frozen in the observation hall, listening to the voice in his head, unable to stop himself from blurting out a curse.