Arknights Is Real (Patreon)

Chapter 1: I Just Want an Eyjafjalla

———— Group Chat on Mobile.

[Newbie: (Image) Newbie got this, is she good?] 

[Player A: Wow, it's Eyjafjalla, so jealous.] 

[Player B: Is the admin here? Aren't they going to do anything about these brags?] 

[Player C: It's good, I'd recommend prioritizing her for promotion.]

Xia Feng stared at the little face of Eyjafjalla on his phone screen, twitching with displeasure. He quickly typed in the group chat:

[Fire Feather Xia Feng: Not good, I suggest uninstalling the game.]

Seeing the endless screenshots from his group mates, Xia Feng felt worse than if he had eaten dirt. To get Eyjafjalla, he had spent a significant amount of money on three separate 648-yuan packs. Yet, he hadn't even seen a strand of wool, let alone the sheep. The final result was:

Fang was fully maxed out, and his two months' living expenses were gone.

Turning off his phone, Xia Feng closed his eyes and took a deep breath while sitting on the school rooftop.

Crazy. The whole world has gone crazy.

– – – – – –

At the beginning of May, a tactical strategy mobile game called "Arknights" burst onto the scene.

Disasters, Originium, Infected, Reunion!

Arknights captured everyone's attention instantly with its exquisite post-apocalyptic artwork, vast world, and complex background.

From web headlines to group chat friend lists, no matter where you looked, a girl with long ears and a wide coat dominated the screens.

This unique creature was affectionately called by netizens, Amiy..a.. uh, Amiya-chan! "If the footprints of life will one day be buried by the dust of time, then we must never—stop moving forward."

Amiya extended her slender hand: "Doctor, will you still stay with us?"

The fervent Doctors roared: "I will!!!"

From then on, countless otakus became the often irrational Doctors fighting on the front lines of Terra.

– – – – – –

"Class dismissed!"

After school, Xia Feng sat in the classroom, staring blankly out the window.

His good friend Zhang Yuan quickly came over, cautiously whispering.

"Xia Feng, I heard you spent more money again?"

"Yeah, the third 648 pack."

"So, did you get her?"

Since the game's launch, Zhang Yuan and Xia Feng have been Doctors in Rhodes Island together. Zhang Yuan knew that Xia Feng's initial dream was to pull Eyjafjalla.

Xia Feng raised his hands and scratched his head in frustration.

"Don't ask. I want to be alone."

By now, Zhang Yuan understood what had happened and sincerely comforted him.

"It's okay, Eyja is just waiting for you somewhere. Xia Feng, once you become strong enough, she will come to fight by your side."

Xia Feng clenched his fists, his voice filled with frustration.

"But..."

Zhang Yuan grabbed his hand firmly.

"Don't say it. I understand your longing. You must be in great pain right now."

"Uh, no, I was going to say, I'm out of money, and I might not even have instant noodles to eat for the next two months."

Zhang Yuan looked into Xia Feng's eyes, giving him a kind smile like Billy Wang.

"Xia Feng, your money hasn't disappeared. It's just transformed into another form to stay by your side. In the world of spending money in games, we call it the law of conservation of energy."

Seeing Zhang Yuan's sincere, round face, Xia Feng felt the warmth of his friend's care. In this moment of disappointment after failing to pull a good character, having a good buddy like Zhang Yuan to comfort him in various ways was a blessing.

"Zhang Yuan, thank—"

"Oh, by the way, Xia Feng, I also did a ten-pull during lunch break, hehe."

"Huh? What did you get?"

Zhang Yuan nonchalantly waved his hand.

"Ah, so annoying. Even though I got Exusiai, I still want a strong sniper, but I can't get one."

"Cut the crap, what did you get?"

"I got Eyjafjalla, potential +1."

Zhang Yuan scratched his head, grinning widely, his eyes turning into slits from his smile, looking as infuriating as possible.

"Haha, Xia Feng, isn't it funny? I can't get what I want, but I keep getting what I already have. So annoying, baa baa baa, haha."

"..."

At this point, the surrounding classmates overheard Xia Feng and Zhang Yuan discussing Arknights and gathered around with their phones, grinning mischievously.

Classmate A: "Xia Feng, what's your ID? I'll add you as a friend."

Xia Feng, expressionless: "Fire Feather Xia Feng."

Classmate A: "Got it, added. By the way, Xia Feng, is Eyjafjalla good? I pulled her this morning and don't know if I should train her."

Xia Feng: "..."

Classmate B: "Xia Feng, I just started playing yesterday. Can you help me build a team? I got these characters: Eyjafjalla, SilverAsh, Hoshiguma..."

Xia Feng: "..."

Classmate C: "Xia Feng, I just promoted my Eyjafjalla to Elite 2. Which skill is best for regular stages?"

Xia Feng: "..."

Xia Feng's face grew darker, as if shrouded in a cloud.

"Enough!"

Xia Feng slammed the table, angrily standing up from his chair.

"You damn whales, go die!"

The chubby kid in the class also joined in.

"Xia Feng, do you prefer hotpot lamb or roasted lamb?"

"Get lost, I like eating grass!!!"

As Xia Feng finished speaking, he grabbed his backpack and left the classroom without looking back.

In the distance, faint rumbles of thunder could be heard, and dark clouds gathered over the city, while the breeze brushing against his cheek began to grow stronger.

Walking home, Xia Feng's mood wasn't as bad as it appeared. More than the disappointment of not getting a particular operator, he was genuinely fascinated by the world of Arknights. Yes, he truly loved this game.

He took out his phone and glanced at it.

The weather forecast was right; there was going to be a heavy rainstorm this evening.

As a long-time sufferer of "chūnibyō" syndrome, Xia Feng couldn't help but compare the darkening sky to the "Catastrophes" in the world of Terra.

Looking up at the sky.

If the world of Terra really existed, people living there would probably see similar scenes before a Catastrophe. No, the spectacle there would be far more grandiose than this approaching rainstorm.

The sky changing color, meteor showers of fire—when a Catastrophe strikes, no one would have the mind to appreciate the sky, because it would be the final scene of death blooming.

Shaking off these idle fantasies, Xia Feng quickened his pace, aiming to get home before becoming drenched.

Back home, just as Xia Feng closed the door, the torrential rain arrived.

He tossed his backpack aside and sprawled out on his bed in a big "X," habitually pulling out his phone and instinctively tapping on Amiya's icon.

"Arknights!"

START—Beginning to wake up—Submitting to feedback nerve.

"Doctor, welcome back!"

Seeing the familiar UI and hearing Amiya's familiar voice, Xia Feng couldn't help but smile.

Even though his beloved Eyjafjalla hadn't appeared yet, as long as this game existed, his encounter with Eyjafjalla would eventually happen. As a true fan of Arknights, Xia Feng was already very satisfied.

A month had passed since the game's launch, and its popularity had not waned. In fact, it had soared even higher with the start of the first event.

When he had no sanity left, Xia Feng would spend a lot of time researching the background story, and the developers had put in significant effort in this area, leaving hidden clues related to the game everywhere for players to speculate and uncover.

In major online communities, players speculated about various mysteries, such as the true identity of the Doctor, Amiya's ultimate fate, and even connected some clues to information from religions and classic literature.

Undoubtedly, players had enough patience and enthusiasm to discuss these backstories and the grudges and bonds between operators.

Naturally, this puzzle-like exploration and speculation was irresistibly appealing to Xia Feng as well.

When he had no sanity left, he meticulously read through all the operators' background stories and thoroughly understood the major factions.

As he delved deeper, Xia Feng suddenly had a feeling.

If the world of Terra were real, would we still approach Arknights with a mindset of entertainment and leisure?

War, ruins, freedom, death.

Living in a peaceful world, we can't comprehend the despair of those stripped of their identity and home, because we are not—Infected.

Just as Amiya said.

"The deceased will never return. If all of this were real, how would we, caught in the whirlpool of the world, choose?"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The rain outside grew heavier, and Xia Feng lay on his bed, staring at his phone screen, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a line of text appeared on the UI.

"Human, are you willing to use your actions to change the world of Terra?"

Xia Feng was taken aback, staring at the suddenly appearing text in disbelief.

What's going on? Is this a new feature in the game update?

He reached out to touch the screen, but the phone seemed to be frozen, with the text still clearly displayed in the middle of the UI.

Although it wasn't completely dark outside yet, the room was very dim due to the storm clouds.

Staring at the eerie text, Xia Feng involuntarily swallowed, feeling the hairs on his body gradually stand on end.

"Human, are you willing to use your actions to change this world?"

"Yes." "No."

As the text changed, Xia Feng lay on the bed, his pupils gradually contracting, and his fingers trembling slightly.

What the... what kind of joke is this? An official prank? But it's not even April Fool's Day!

Crack!

Just then, a thunderclap boomed outside the window!

In his heightened state of tension, Xia Feng jolted, and his finger accidentally pressed "Yes."

His hand slipped, and the phone fell from mid-air.

Thud!

The next second, the phone screen accurately smacked into his face.

Xia Feng's vision went dark, and he felt as if he were falling into an endless abyss.