I Became Robin?! (Honkai Star Rail)

The next morning, Robin was awakened by her phone ringing.

A slender, pale hand emerged from the tangled blankets, groping around on the bedside table. After what felt like an eternity of shrill ringing, she finally located her phone. Her other hand reached out, unplugged the charging cable, and brought the device to her ear.

"Hello~" Robin's soft, sweet, and utterly charming voice greeted Cheng Hui on the other end, momentarily stunning her. After a brief pause, Robin thought she heard a faint sigh of relief through the speaker.

"Anyway, I'm so glad you're okay. After you left yesterday, I tried to reach you about the collab video, but your phone was dead. Then I saw the news about the zombie virus outbreak in Longcheng..."

"Mmm..." Robin admitted, remembering that her phone had indeed been dead until she plugged it in while eating instant noodles the night before.

"Sorry, I'll get up right now." Taking a deep breath, Robin performed a lazy, fish-like flop out of bed and swiftly got to her feet. "How do we set up the collab video? I'll turn on my computer now."

"No, no, no! I wasn't rushing you about that at all!"

"After all, I'm with the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations. When something happens, it's my job to act. But for now, I'm either off the case or can't be of much help with what's coming next. Since you've already called, let's just get this collab video sorted out quickly."

About fifteen minutes later, guided by Cheng Hui, Robin completed the joint release process. While waiting for approval, she casually checked her Kuaishou account.

Her follower count had reached 4.5 million, solidifying her position as the undisputed top musician on the platform. While impressive, the growth rate had slowed considerably due to her recent inactivity—no streams, no new videos—reducing her overall exposure.

Robin glanced at the "99+" unread private messages. Knowing she couldn't possibly scroll through them all, she quickly abandoned the idea and clicked out. Instead, she opened a previous post from the hot pot restaurant: a picture of a pigeon.

Little did she know that shortly after posting the picture, the Qingcheng Veil had appeared, disrupting her plans for several days. What started as a joke about being a "lazy bird" had inadvertently led to her vanishing from the platform for an extended period.

The comments section beneath Robin's post was already a chaotic mess. At the very top, Robin immediately spotted someone hurling insults at her.

[Just because you posted a few covers of some trashy songs, you think you're hot stuff now? Honestly, you're just a complete loser.]

The insult seemed completely unprovoked. Robin had expected criticism for her recent absence, but why resort to personal attacks? She scrolled further down:

[Ah, I get it. So Robin's true form is a pigeon, right? They're both white, so taking a few days off makes perfect sense!]

[Robin! When are you coming back? I can't live without you!]

[Holy crap, is anyone even watching the news? There was a Dimensional Rift Incident in Qingcheng, right around the time Robin disappeared. The news clearly stated that the rift was resolved by someone called 'Robin'!]

["Ha? You're joking, right? The streamer works for the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations? No way! Evolvers from the Bureau don't have time for live streams!"]

["Damn it! I saw Robin out on a date yesterday! No wonder she hasn't been streaming lately—she's been busy with her Top Rank Fan!"]

"???" Robin was speechless, desperately wanting to fire back with a torrent of insults. A date? she thought. I was practically nose-to-nose with zombies yesterday! But she decided against it. Better to just sit back and enjoy the show; getting involved would only be self-inflicted torture.

In short, the comment section was a chaotic circus, but that was the internet for you. With Robin's massive fanbase, haters were inevitable.

Even though her songs resonated deeply with many, they weren't mind control. Someone who already loathed her with every fiber of their being would still loathe her music.

An ordinary girl might have crumbled under such a barrage of vicious comments, but Robin's mental fortitude was unshakable. She almost scoffed, "Is that all you've got?"

Still, reading the comments made her realize something: she probably needed to hire some assistants to help edit videos and manage the comment section. While the insults didn't affect her personally, they could certainly sour the experience for her genuine fans.

As Robin continued scrolling through the comments section, Cheng Hui sent her a WeChat message: the collaborative video had been approved, was now searchable, and included a direct link.

Robin immediately clicked through. In that short span of time, nearly a hundred comments had already appeared below the video, though the view count stubbornly remained stuck at 1.

[Aaaaaah! She's back?! Finally!]

[I almost scrolled past... Wait, what's this? Let me take another look—is that actually a bird?! I'm stunned!]

[Double the joy! A collab video? This is amazing!]

[Ahhh, I'm dead!]

The comment section was visibly brimming with excitement. Since the video had just been released, only die-hard fans had flocked to it so early; the haters would surface later.

Robin refreshed the page a few more times, skimmed through the comments, and then decided to make breakfast—instant noodles, as usual. With the chaos engulfing Longcheng, venturing outside was impossible, and even if she did, no shops would be open anyway.

For now, all she could do was stay cooped up at home.

By noon on the second day of the zombie virus outbreak, the military had already entered Longcheng.

Firearms proved highly effective against zombies. Even the densest hordes could be decimated with a few artillery shells. The military's only real challenge was close-quarters combat in confined spaces like shopping malls and residential buildings, where soldiers risked injury if a zombie suddenly sprang out from around a corner.

The plan was straightforward: first, secure an open area and use loud noises to attract as many nearby zombies as possible. Then, annihilate them with overwhelming firepower. Finally, Evolvers from the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations would conduct a systematic search, hunting down any stragglers.

For the residents of Longcheng, the day was filled with thunderous explosions and deafening roars that continued almost nonstop from noon until midnight. Yet instead of fear, these sounds brought a profound sense of security.