I just wanted you to make a movie: You made a Honkai Star Rail movie

Under the suffocating tension, the audience heard the final countdown.

Then, the screen lost its signal entirely.

The piercing sound of static echoed in everyone’s ears.

In traditional sci-fi films, the death of a civilization or the fall of a star system is destined to be grand.

But in Honkai: Star Rail, the funeral for 3 civilizations and 24 celestial bodies was reduced to just mere words and a brief moment of silence.

-------------------------

An indescribable sense of suffocation surged into the hearts of the audience.

This shouldn’t be happening. three entire civilizations, countless celestial bodies.

How could their deaths be so uneventful?

And yet, the audience inexplicably felt a deep pain.

The same pain as Chadwick’s, it was a strange sensation.

Clearly, there were no detailed images, only numbers and words.

Some viewers had realized the core message this extra Chapter was trying to convey, and they trembled because of it.

But most were still in the dark.

They didn’t even know why they felt uneasy about this story.

And so, with questions and trembling, the audience continued watching.

After the explosion ended, all memories were destroyed.

Stelle entered Chadwick’s surface memories.

In the Penacony-style hotel lobby, surrounded by twisted architecture, Chadwick was there, silently waiting for Stelle.

”That weapon... how many people did it kill?” At this moment, Stelle was not the least bit subtle, just like Screwllum had been in the past.

”Astronomical numbers. A number I’ve done everything in my power to forget. Since then, I’ve not dared to glance in a mirror, afraid to see a demon—a murderer. That day was also the last time I saw Dudley in the control room. Perhaps he was right—pawns don’t deserve names.” Chadwick lowered his head, unable to meet Stelle’s gaze, speaking to himself instead.

Under the effects of the drug, his fragmented memories began to reconnect.

After the explosion, the senior management in charge of weapons development was investigated by the IPC but then disappeared.

However, Chadwick knew the IPC would not let things rest because he had taken critical technical data with him.

Even though the IPC issued statements of condemnation, they would never truly abandon technology related to Imaginary Implosion Pulse.

Thus, he escaped. In his twilight years, Chadwick sought out Screwllum again—his last appearance in public.

To atone for his mistakes, he asked Screwllum for a masterpiece created by a genius club member: a memory-blocking agent, to sever his consciousness and memories.

As for how the IPC dealt with him afterward, that was no longer his concern.

This time, Screwllum finally acknowledged Chadwick.

Even when the imaginary collapse pulse was created, Screwllum’s attitude had remained unchanged.

With the help of Screwllum, the drug was acquired.

Chadwick left Planet Screwllum and completely disappeared into the vast space.

That’s how everything happened.

Stelle was left speechless after listening to it.

She could only follow the glowing streams of Chadwick’s memories, venturing deeper— into the core of Chadwick’s self-awareness.

It was a sealed study.

The elderly man’s consciousness manifested, sitting wearily in the room’s center.

Around him were fragments of his capture by the IPC and related memories.

Unsent letters, rejected by the IPC.

A large collection of books on imaginary number theory.

After taking everything in, Stelle turned to Chadwick’s weary manifestation.

After introducing their identity and purpose, key information about the blocking agent was also revealed.

Then, Chadwick began recounting what happened next.

At first, the IPC treated him well, satisfying his every request.

Their hypocrisy was evident, they wanted to trade material comfort and promises for the knowledge in Chadwick’s mind.

When this failed, their attitude shifted.

They forced Chadwick to read literature on imaginary number theory.

Later, when even this approach was futile, the IPC finally accepted the fact that Chadwick had become an ordinary old man.

At a certain point, their strategy shifted to simply waiting for Chadwick’s death.

When the audience believed this was the best outcome for Chadwick, the IPC committed an even more heinous act.

After Chadwick’s death, they manipulated his body and memories to extract the relevant knowledge!

”I’m terrified. I’m terrified that the defenses I’ve built will ultimately crumble. And if things keep progressing like this, the IPC will one day regain control of Imaginary Implosion Pulse technology, rendering all my efforts meaningless.” Chadwick’s deeply wrinkled face revealed an expression of unbearable pain.

”No, with all due respect, Doctor, your efforts have not been in vain.”

At that moment, Screwllum appeared silently behind Stelle.

”Screwllum?! I... I didn’t expect to see you again.” Chadwick hesitated, startled, before being overwhelmed with joy.

”I’m here to tell you, Mr. Chadwick, your efforts were not wasted. Even after your body perished, you remained steadfast in guarding that knowledge, leaving no trace of it behind.”

”And it’s not by the effects of medicine, but by the obsession and persistence engraved deep in your consciousness,” Screwllum said with utmost seriousness.

These words caused Chadwick to bow his head, his body trembling.

When he raised his head again, tears were streaming down his aged face.

”This is... so wonderful,” Chadwick said, his emotions surging.

Screwllum said no more, quietly waiting for him to calm down.

After a while, Chadwick finally collected himself. He looked at Screwllum, and this time, there was no hesitation.

”Mr. Screwllum, when you first came to me, I had closed off my heart.”

”But now, I am willing to speak openly.”

”I joined this project not for any ideals, but for myself.”

”I want my talents and my field to be seen by the world. That’s all.”

This was his honesty.

Just as Dudley had said, Chadwick’s selfishness stemmed from his own desires.

After speaking, Chadwick felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He no longer cared about others’ opinions or judgments—only about what he desired most in his life.

”Mr. Scr... Screwllum, please tell me, what do the members of the club think of me?” Chadwick asked, a mix of eagerness and unfamiliarity in his voice.

”I didn’t gather the opinions of the majority, but one lady had this to say about you.”

”In just a few short years, Calderon Chadwick has solved problems that many people couldn’t overcome in several lifetimes.”

”He is the real deal—a ’genius.’”

After Screwllum finished speaking, Chadwick lowered his head and let out a satisfied laugh before collapsing back into his chair.

He then stood up on his own, took a step, and walked out of the room that had confined him for countless years.

Thus, the mystery surrounding Chadwick, as well as Screwllum, was unraveled.

Both emerged from the dream and returned to reality.

Under Screwllum’s ”negotiation,” it’s likely that the suppression wasn’t entirely ”diplomatic,” but rather a subtle yet direct ”threat” or ”warning.”

With his Genius Club status and the status of the ruler of a planet, Screwllum truly managed to bring Chadwick’s memory out of Penacony.

Regardless of the IPC’s thoughts, at least for now, Chadwick was finally safe.

Stelle did not leave with them but remained in Penacony.

However, shortly afterward, they received a message and a video from Screwllum and Herta.

In the video, during his final moments, Chadwick entrusted his knowledge to Herta.

”To Ms. Herta: Although I defended my ground during my lifetime, with the IPC’s resources, they will one day replicate the technology of the imaginary number collapse pulse.”

”What’s done is done. From the moment the Imaginary Implosion Pulse was born, my existence became the weakest link.”

”The only thing I can do now is to entrust my knowledge to someone worthy, laying the foundation for a deterrent system capable of countering the IPC’s power.”

”My life has reached its end, but from this moment on, I wish to become a sword.”

”A sword forever hanging over the heads of hegemons and wicked tyrants.”

These were Chadwick’s final words.

Afterward, all returned to complete calm.

On the screen appeared an abstract image—a boundless sea of trees, with countless trees striving upward, dense and endless.

Chadwick’s voice echoed like a narration: ”When Zandar One Kuwabara wrote the words ’Imaginary Tree’ on paper so long ago, what did his eyes see?”

”When I was a child and first encountered imaginary number theory, what emerged in my mind wasn’t a towering tree but a dense forest.”

”Everything I’ve seen makes it impossible for me to believe that the foundation of the universe is a selfless giant tree, willingly sacrificing itself for billions of leaves.”

”I’m more inclined to believe that every world is a seed blown by the wind, taking root and growing independently, eventually forming this sea of trees.”

”The universe doesn’t care about us. It simply exists, watching.”

As the voice faded, Herta quietly closed the screen.

The Trees At Peace.

The end.

At this moment, the audience was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

They felt as if they had been on multiple emotional roller coasters, unable to process it all at once.

...

: Dr. Chadwick... truly leaves one speechless.

: He’s exactly the kind of genius we imagine for the Genius Club.

: Selfish in some ways, yet steadfast in others—deeply caring about others’ opinions, yet undeniably a true genius!

: Surviving for two centuries with only his memory—unbelievable!

: I have to admit, the IPC is truly a terrifying organization!

: This story is so bold. the IPC’s actions feel uncomfortably familiar—the vibe is too real.

: But it’s more than that. The hidden implications behind this story are even more terrifying, don’t you think?

: To compete for this technology, it’s not just the IPC involved—there is The Family too.

...

The barrage filled the screen.

Most viewers found their own points of insight from this story.

Chadwick, as a genius and a person, cared about how other geniuses perceived him and wanted to prove himself.

Screwllum, in the plot, was not only a genius but also possessed great political wisdom and charisma.

Yet there was more—a deeper core, hidden and profound, that many viewers managed to uncover.

After the Tree Sea arc concluded, a comment appeared on the official forum,

”This is the best story that I’ve encountered in Honkai: Star Rail which resonates so strongly with me.”

”Don’t get me wrong, I’m not referring to the overall plot, but rather the grand connection.”

”For instance, before the Imaginary Implosion Pulse detonation, Stelle refused to press the button. Dudley’s single sentence pointed out that Chadwick was entirely unworthy of being followed.”

”His selfishness placed his own talent above everything else. When this line appeared, I noticed that many in the barrage still gravitated towards Chadwick.”

”They viewed Dudley as a petty man, a lunatic, a loyal dog.”

”It seemed that no matter how Dudley justified himself, few were willing to understand him.”

”And what followed, I believe, was the most venomous yet brilliant line in the entire story.”

”That was Dudley’s line, ’You have no idea that there are many people like me, people who will never be remembered.’”

”miHoYo didn’t try to make us empathize with Dudley; instead, they poured cold water over us, waking us up. They told us, ’We are not Chadwick; we are Dudley!’”

This person’s words made the story’s suffocating yet inexplicably vivid emotional resonance even clearer to the audience.

But it went beyond that,

”If we truly understand this, we will realize one thing: Whether we approve of Chadwick’s research or his decision to detonate is irrelevant!”

”Dudley could choose not to press the button. Dudley could choose to follow Chadwick.”

”Because, whether it’s the implication from the sequence of Stelle’s unending deaths, Dudley himself, or even the IPC as an entity, the moment the theory of Imaginary Implosion Pulse emerged, the outcome was already determined.”

”If Stelle didn’t press the button, someone else would have.”

”If the soldiers in the story disobeyed Dudley, there would be another soldier to replace them. If Dudley opposed the IPC’s decision, there would be another Dudley.”

”If the IPC didn’t develop the Imaginary Implosion Pulse, another force would choose to create such an interstellar weapon.”

”Even without Chadwick, someone else, driven by their own selfish motives or desire to prove themselves, would have created something else—perhaps called a quantum pulse.”

”Many of us felt the void and pain after witnessing the destruction of civilization.”

”This stems from the core message expressed in this story: the world moves forward relentlessly, indifferent to anyone’s will.”

”None of this is an optional part of the story; instead, it’s the indispensable core of an ’excellent story.’”

”And even so, miHoYo or Director Xia felt it wasn’t enough.”

”Through Chadwick’s own hand, they reminded us that the wheels of history turn unceasingly.

Chadwick was indeed a genius, accomplishing in decades what others would take centuries or millennia to achieve.”

”But so what? What is the IPC? It is a cosmic civilization. If one individual cannot recreate it, the IPC will replicate it a hundredfold with resources and manpower.”

”Sooner or later, the Imaginary Implosion Pulse will reemerge!”

”This is why Chadwick entrusted his knowledge to Herta, attempting to establish an era of deterrence.”

”A ’space comedy’ is elevated step by step by such stark truths.”

”Personal truth, societal truth, and universal truth.”

”This story, with its reflections of truth that some dare not write or even imagine, turns a fictional narrative into a mirror of our world.”

”Honkai: Star Rail is incredible.”

”According to miHoYo’s principles, every setup must have its payoff.”

”I think everyone can look forward to tomorrow’s second episode and the twists it might bring.”

...

After reading this comment, the audience finally had an epiphany.

In some games, they could recklessly destroy one planet after another with a single thought or care.

But in Honkai: Star Rail, they empathized so deeply with the destruction of a few civilizations.

This was because miHoYo used a very unique approach to make the audience become Dudley, the forgotten ones.

And in the game, the audience plays as the will of civilization or as part of some cosmic system.

This thought-provoking narrative core made the audience once again exclaim how incredible Honkai: Star Rail is.

At the same time, their resentment toward the IPC peaked.

Whether it was the ruthlessness of its internal personnel or the IPC’s apparent denunciation of investigations while secretly controlling Chadwick, all of this fueled their anti-IPC sentiments.

Even Aventurine’s already bad reputation suffered more collateral damage.

Amid these emotions, Saturday arrived.

The audience was both expectant and anxious.

After all, they didn’t know what new truths awaited them...