Because Honkai Impact 3rd's popularity was extremely high, and its player adhesion was exceptionally strong, the 'concern' Honkai Impact 3rd players had for the miHoYo boss was also unimaginably surging and overwhelming.
Not long after pilipili's official account released the list of participants for the Annual Game Awards.
A Weibo topic, "#MiHoYoBossToAttendPilipiliAnnualGameAwards," shot up the hot search rankings.
Its runaway popularity made even those minor celebrities who buy trending spots green with envy.
One had to know, pilipili's own official announcement about holding the Annual Game Awards was still languishing outside the top thirty.
But the miHoYo boss's participation alone could propel the event to the top of the hot search.
This demonstrated the Honkai Impact 3rd players' fervent 'devotion' towards the miHoYo boss – a devotion that hinted at both sincerity and a desire to deliver a punch.
Just clicking open the hot search topic.
One could see the players' eager anticipation.
[Mr. 'Otto' from miHoYo, hurry up and come, we're already waiting for you outside the venue!]
[Mr. 'Otto,' I'll come pick you up at the airport! Can you tell me your flight number? (shy)]
[Mr. 'Otto,' which hotel are you planning to stay at? I'll go stay there in advance and check if the hotel is comfortable for you.]
[Hooray! I happen to be free recently, flying to Hangcheng immediately!]
[I must thank Mr. 'Otto' in person! Developing Honkai Impact 3rd has been so tough! Writing the plot has been way too tough!]
...
The comment section was a picture of harmony; there wasn't even a single dissenting remark.
The enthusiasm of Honkai Impact 3rd players was truly 'touching.'
Amidst such fervent discussion.
Time moved to Tuesday, the day before the Game Awards were set to begin.
An ordinary passenger plane landed at Xiao Shan Airport.
Su Luo, wearing a mask, calmly walked out of the boarding gate. The girls were not with him.
He and they had not taken the same flight; he had arranged for them to arrive in Hangcheng a day earlier.
After all, if trouble really did break out, their presence would only make the situation even more uncontrollable.
"Rita should be arriving in a little while."
Su Luo glanced at the message Rita had sent on his phone, then found a seat in the airport's arrival hall to wait for her.
He sat for a while. Finding himself idle and bored, he took out his phone and started browsing his group chats.
He teased Theresa, gave Kiana some pointers, and chatted a bit with Himeko and Rita.
He learned about the peculiar chemical reaction that occurred when the two honest souls, Fu Hua and Durandal, got together.
From time to time, he would also receive private messages from Miss Elf.
Far from being bored, he was actually having a great time.
While Su Luo was happily chatting away in his groups, the crowd at Xiao Shan Airport gradually began to swell.
They wandered around Xiao Shan Airport, their gazes fixed intently on the boarding gates, as if searching for someone.
It was then that Su Luo felt an inexplicable chill.
He put down his phone, looked up, and scanned his surroundings, quickly noticing the strange atmosphere in Xiao Shan Airport.
Just then, two young men, looking left and right, approached his vicinity while talking.
Su Luo subconsciously strained his ears to listen.
"Is there really any point in us coming here, trying to find a needle in a haystack like this?"
"Heh~ Well, we've got nothing else to do today anyway."
"True that. And if by some chance we actually manage to catch 'Otto,' hehehe~~"
The two young men, as if imagining something delightful, simultaneously broke into pleased yet twisted smiles.
Su Luo instinctively raised a hand to touch the mask on his face, but then relaxed, thinking they probably didn't recognize him.
"According to an insider, 'Otto' boarded his flight this morning and should be arriving at Xiao Shan Airport around this time. He's wearing a white shirt, black trousers..."
Su Luo: ???
Even Rita probably didn't know what he was wearing today, right?
How did that insider know?
Come to think of it, this morning when he left home for Linjiang Airport, he had coincidentally run into Miss Elf.
No way? Would Miss Elf do something like this?
It seemed... she actually might...
Actually, this time it truly wasn't Elysia's fault. She had merely posted a photo of herself and Su Luo on her Moments.
Alas, among the thirteen individuals, not every one of them was an honest soul.
As for who the 'culprit' truly was, that was hard to say. One could only say that everyone had a motive.
"Hey, look, doesn't that person look a bit like..."
"White shirt, black trousers... It does indeed match the description."
The two young men gradually focused their gazes on Su Luo.
Su Luo's expression changed slightly. Given the current complicated situation at Xiao Shan Airport, if these two started shouting... things could get ugly.
He stood up and proactively walked towards the two young men, deliberately lowering his voice to strike first:
"Are you guys also here looking for 'Otto'?"
"Hmm? You too?" the two young men asked in surprise, in unison.
"I got here half an hour before you guys," Su Luo said with utmost sincerity. "Honestly, I haven't seen anyone matching the insider's description at all. I suspect that insider is just lying to mess with us."
"Actually, I think you look quite like..."
"You guys must be here because you were 'knifed' by Honkai Impact 3rd's plot, right?"
He cut off the young man, speaking plausibly and volubly, "Let me tell you, I believe the reason Honkai Impact 3rd's plot is so full of knives is entirely Otto's fault!"
"Oh?" The two young men's attention began to drift.
"Think about it, if it weren't for Otto, would so many things have happened? Kiana would probably still be slacking off at St. Freya."
"That... seems to make sense."
"Exactly! So, Otto is practically the source of all evil in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd..."
Su Luo began to launch into a lengthy discourse based on the current storyline, careful not to reveal any spoilers.
The two young men, being Honkai Impact 3rd fans, were captivated by his plot analysis, completely forgetting what they had originally set out to do.
As he spoke, he subtly guided the two young men towards the exit of Xiao Shan Airport.
Using the two youths as a screen, he passed by the fans who bore ill intentions.
From a distance, he spotted Rita, who had finally arrived to pick him up.
"Let's end our chat here. I see the person who came to get me," Su Luo said with sincere gratitude. "Thank you both for your help today."
He bid them farewell, parted ways with them, and went to meet Rita.
"Help?"
The two young men, left behind, looked surprised, not quite understanding.
It wasn't until they saw Su Luo get into a special car marked with the words 'pilipili Game Awards' that they suddenly reacted.
That person who had been chatting and laughing so cheerfully with them all along...
Could he be... 'Otto'!?
????
Although Su Luo successfully slipped away, the incident of Honkai Impact 3rd fans surrounding 'Otto' at the airport that day still sparked heated discussions online.
Many people left comments on the internet.
[Dog Tuo! If you've got guts, don't run!! Just see if I don't knife you!!]
[You have the guts to write knives! Then have the guts to stand up and face us!!]
[What the f*ck! I actually got played by Dog Tuo today! I've truly let everyone down by not recognizing Dog Tuo. Otherwise, everyone could have definitely rushed him!]
Evidently, this comment was from one of the two young men. He quickly provided everyone with a detailed account of what had happened that day.
[Such a pity, truly a pity. But brother, you don't need to feel too apologetic. It's not that you were incompetent, but that Dog Tuo is too cunning.]
[One day, I will personally knife Otto, both the in-game one and the out-of-game one.]
[Ahem, all this talk about knifing, let's just treat it as a joke. We still want to play Honkai Impact 3rd, you know. However, when it's time to fight Otto in the game, everyone must knife him mercilessly.]
[That's right! We must knife him mercilessly!]
It seemed the players' resentment towards Otto had deepened even further.