The perspective shifts to Jiaoqiu…
Having fallen into the hands of the Borisin, Jiaoqiu is desperately seeking a sliver of hope… but not for himself.
The audience, reading the subtitles, floods the barrage with comments:
[Why do I smell a knife coming?]
[Oh no?]
[You've watched too much Honkai Impact 3rd. This is Star Rail—usually no knives here.]
[Oh yeah? Then tell me, does Star Rail have 'Honkai' in its name?]
— —
In an alleyway in Aurum Alley.
Several injured Foxians stand before Jiaoqiu.
He patiently explains, "As I've said, my profession is a healer. However, the medical techniques I specialize in require the aid of medicinal cuisine to be effective.
Cooking myriad herbs into dishes for patients to consume—that's the wonder of the cauldron. No matter the herbs or ingredients, toss them haphazardly into a pot and simmer, and in moments, they become a delicacy."
Modu, standing nearby, turns to Jiaoqiu. "A delicacy… isn't that just one flavor overpowering another?"
"You're not wrong… Let me test you. If a child refuses to eat green peppers, what method would you use to get them to eat it?"
"Stuff the kid's mouth with green peppers and cook 'em in the pot."
Jiaoqiu seems amused by Modu's response. "Hahaha, Brother Borisin, quite the sense of humor. I've heard that in the process of self-modification, the Borisin lost many taste buds, unable to savor complex flavors—only the 'saltiness' of flesh and blood can stir your appetite."
"Too bad I don't have green peppers on hand, or I'd stuff your mouth and cook you."
"Just a joke, don't get worked up~ It's simple: chop the green peppers finely, mix them into meat filling, and make meatballs. The meat's flavor masks the green peppers, and even a picky child will eat them."
Modu chuckles along twice. "Can this hotpot cook your tongue off? I know what delusions are swirling in that head of yours. You're trying to stall, waiting for rescue.
You said 'Jingliu has returned to the Luofu.' She did come back… but I've also gathered more intel. She committed grave crimes and was sent to another Xianzhou.
You thought you could spark Lord Hoolay's thirst for revenge with a bit of cleverness to delay our departure?
Don't treat the Borisin as barbarians ignorant of the Xianzhou. The Jade Abacus you carry, the mechanical birds flying overhead—I know every trick the Xianzhou use to track us."
Jiaoqiu's smile fades, realizing at least one thing: the traitor's influence is far greater than he imagined!
Modu grows angrier. "The greater the hope in your heart, the more excruciating the pain when death comes. When I tear out your throat, I want to see if your expression stays as calm as it is now."
"His calm is just a temporary effect of the medicine. But that effect will wear off soon, right?"
A large man with a white beard approaches from nearby. "His calm is just a temporary effect of the medicine. But that effect will wear off soon, right?"
Modu's demeanor instantly turns respectful. "Lord Hoolay."
"Pitiful Foxian, for thousands of years, we allowed you to survive, we gave you civilization. But for the freedom promised by the Xianzhou, you chose betrayal in the end.
No matter. As long as you catch the scent of your master, you'll always obediently return to our side… no matter how far you flee."
Hoolay continues, using the Borisin's history of enslaving Foxians to relentlessly manipulate Jiaoqiu's psyche.
Jiaoqiu's resolve doesn't waver, and he counters, "Hoolay, have you ever considered why it took these people seven hundred years to come rescue you?
The Borisin's era of dominance is long gone. Before giving you hope of returning home, did they tell you these pathetic truths, Lord Hoolay?
Now they're crushed into disarray by the Yaoqing's 'Arbiter-General'… a Foxian, hiding in the galaxy's corners, trembling. Like a wounded beast on the verge of drowning, desperately grasping at any imaginary lifeline—that's you."
"The Yaoqing's general… a Foxian?" Hoolay's interest is piqued. "Very intriguing. Modu, is everything he said true?"
"He's not lying." Modu doesn't deny it but tries to salvage the situation. "She's a war slave who escaped the pack, a cannon fodder, a thief! She stole our power and, with her knowledge of the Borisin, used every despicable tactic in war."
Hoolay interrupts Modu. "She defeated you. Modu, unfairness is an excuse for the dead and the defeated. Since the pack is fractured, who told you I was still alive? Who sent you here?"
"In our darkest hour, it was the Prophet of the Abundant Ebon Deer, 'Mangusi,' who guided us. Through her guidance, we gradually saw hope."
"The Prophet 'Mangusi'… what does she want?"
"This prophet issued a prophecy: the Borisin have been divided too long. Only your return can unite all the packs and restore past glory! That's how we learned you were alive… it must be the blessing of Yaoshi!
The prophet told us the Yaoqing's Foxian general would use the Luofu's Martial Exhibition Ceremony to take you away. This was our chance to infiltrate and free you from prison—just as she said! And we did it!"
Jiaoqiu sneers coldly. "You've all been deceived by that so-called prophet. She sent you here to die."
Modu retorts, "But her prophecy came true! The Warhead is here!"
"Once word of Penacony's prison break spreads, the Cloud Knights will lock down all ports. You think you escaped the prison, but you're just trapped in the 'Luofu' cage."
"Lord Hoolay, kill him! Kill this meddling filth!" Modu brazenly extends his claws. "Right now, the entire Luofu is distracted by that foolish Martial Exhibition Ceremony—our best chance to escape. Once you return to your loyal territory, your revenge on the Xianzhou will be within reach."
"Chance? Return to a broken, feeble pack, manipulated by a laughable false prophet, becoming a banner she waves and shouts about? Her plan is riddled with holes. The path she prepared for you is only 'escape' or 'death.'
Listen well, a 'wolf' will never allow itself to become prey. From now on, you follow my orders."
Hoolay's gaze shifts to Jiaoqiu. "Jiaoqiu, since you say 'the Cloud Knights will lock down the ports,' I'll let you go to the ports yourself and see if the Cloud Knights are as you claim. Tell me the answer you find."
Jiaoqiu's eyes widen in shock. "What did you say?"
Modu: "My Lord—!"
"Modu, since when does the head wolf obey a pup's orders?" Hoolay's icy glare seems ready to tear Modu apart.
Modu breaks into a cold sweat. "Never… I-I wasn't giving you orders. I absolutely obey your instructions."
Jiaoqiu scrutinizes Hoolay. "What game are you playing?"
"Just a little pre-hunt entertainment. Don't you want to escape?
You'll come back. Because you Foxians always obediently return to your master's side… no matter how far you flee.
Do you know why I dare let you go? Because you Foxians always obediently return to your master's side… no matter how far you flee."
— —
What follows is a profoundly thought-provoking video.
This time, the choice is handed to the audience.
Jiaoqiu's actions will alter the story's direction based on the audience's choice.
Though it doesn't affect the final outcome, it teaches the audience a lesson.
Jiaoqiu can choose to gather information or seek help.
If he chooses to seek help, the subtitles turn red.
Then, the person Jiaoqiu seeks help from reappears before him, clearly under control.
In the end, they die brutally at the hands of the Borisin.
[Holy shit!]
[Hoolay's final words: "Remember, they died because of you."]
[Please, I'll never choose recklessly again!]
[The options came up, and the 'seek help' choice was red. I knew something was off, but I didn't expect they'd just kill them like that.]
[I'm so regretful now!]
[Causing the deaths of several people due to one's own mistake—what kind of psychological burden would Jiaoqiu face if he made that choice?]
[It's not just psychological. Hoolay's move is straight-up heart-slaying!]
[Looks like the Warhead's intellect is still sharp.]
— —
If he doesn't seek help.
Jiaoqiu calmly returns to Hoolay's side, having already realized something.
No matter who he talks to or asks, a Foxian always appears nearby.
"You've been watching me. If I ask anyone for help, your people will kill them… Am I right, Hoolay?"
Hoolay nods. "You're correct. So, did you see the Cloud Knights lock down the ports?"
"No."
Hoolay sneers. "It seems they don't want my escape made public. No surprise—fear is deadlier than claws… especially during a festive time like the 'Martial Exhibition Ceremony.'
Right now, we're not a group of fugitives hiding in the shadows but wolves walking among sheep. My cubs are ravenous, craving flesh and blood, seasoned with your fear.
Jiaoqiu, your facade of calm is fragile to me, like I could tear through your flesh at any moment to reveal the pathetic bones beneath. You have nowhere to hide.
You can cling to the hope that your quick wit will get you out of this. But remember, in this bustling city, you're not our only hostage. Any move you make will cause innocent people to die because of you.
Now, let's talk about the Yaoqing Foxian general you serve. Modu says she's coming for me, which means she'll personally hunt me down.
Before the hunt begins, I need to know my opponent. You can refuse, show me your backbone, or cooperate and save us both some time, healer."
[Looks like Hoolay's pretty clever.]
[Not just clever—downright brilliant.]
[He's the most cunning and powerful of the Borisin, after all.]
[Why's Hoolay so interested in Feixiao?]
[No idea.]
— —
Jiaoqiu glares coldly at Hoolay, but before he can speak.
Hoolay, like a child poking a finger into tofu, drives his hand into Jiaoqiu's shoulder.
As if a dagger had carved out a chunk of flesh, the pain sears into his joints, nearly bringing him to his knees.
"Ugh…"
Sweat beads on Jiaoqiu's forehead from the agony.
[That sound alone hurts!]
[No, Jiaoqiu!]
[Is this writer insane? The first half of the season was pretty cheerful—why's the second half so brutal?]
[I'm still stuck in the first half's vibe.]
[Why not release Scott?]
[Scott, bite this Hoolay to death! What kind of Warhead is he? My lone wolf's better.]
[Scott's hard to hate, but Hoolay's giving me physical discomfort.]
— —
Hoolay, pleased with Jiaoqiu's pained groans, says, "Good. You're not foolish enough to scream and draw attention. That way, no one dies needlessly.
Next time you refuse, I'll crush the hands you use to heal. Then your kneecaps, then your spine… I'll break you inch by inch, leaving only that unyielding three-inch tongue until you decide to talk."
Jiaoqiu's voice trembles with pain. "I can tell you everything about her, but… one answer for one answer."
"What makes you think you're in a position to bargain with me?"
"You can torture me until I talk, or… save us both some time, Warhead.
One question has always troubled me. Why, after seven hundred years of torture, are you still alive and well? Borisin shouldn't have such long lifespans… or such resilient recovery."
"Is that why the Yaoqing Xianzhou wants to take me? To some, I'm a hostage to hold. But to others, they want the secret within me—
I still remember, in the early years of my imprisonment, Foxians came and went… They drew my blood and marrow, trying to crack the cause of 'Moon Rage,' to overcome their fear of the Borisin and rise above their bloodline's roots.
Sadly, they couldn't unravel the secret and could only inflict the cruelest punishments they could devise.
In ancient legends, the Borisin ancestor Dulan, unsatisfied with finite life and power, yearned to rule the skies and become master of the stars.
To that end, he sacrificed countless Borisin and Foxian lives, infusing them with the blessed waters of Yaoshi. Through genetic sorcery, a miracle was born in the water—the 'Fetal Moon.'
Climbing onto the 'Moon's' birthing bed, Dulan gained what he sought: a crimson, full-moon-shaped 'heart.' Dulan cut open his chest and replaced his heart with this red moon."
Jiaoqiu gives a bitter smile, clearly finding Hoolay's tale devoid of useful information.
"Quite the Borisin-style myth…"
"This heart-moon beats through generations in the bodies of Borisin Warheads. The ritual to choose a Warhead involves the successor cutting open the previous Warhead's chest, eating the divine flesh, letting the strong claim it!
'Devouring' is the essence of life's continuation and growth. It holds the vital essence of the prey we consume, making us ever stronger!
After seven hundred years of torture, I thought all hope was lost, but now, this heart beats again.
Now, it's your turn to tell me… everything about this 'Arbiter-General.'"
On a distant rooftop,
Moze quietly watches below. "Jiaoqiu… I've found you."