Rachel Quinn stood quietly beside Vivian Frost, glancing back and forth between Vivian and the casually dressed young man sitting on the sofa.
Vivian was holding her phone, reading comments aloud from the Official Blog and streaming platforms. Rachel had a strange smile on her face.
"Edgerunners explodes in popularity! The best animation in recent years is actually produced by a domestic studio."
"Ten episodes released at once — Northstar Games benefits the fans again! Will Edgerunners become the anime of the year?"
"Northstar, you're my dad!"
Vivian's voice carried a strange tone as she read the comments. Across from her, Ethan Reed leaned back in his chair, listening with visible excitement.
"Wait," Ethan suddenly said, frowning slightly. "Why is it all praise? Where are the people cursing us? According to the normal development of the internet, shouldn't there be thousands of angry fans attacking us right now?"
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Vivian, did you filter out the negative comments?"
Vivian stared at him.
Rachel stared at him.
"You're uncomfortable if people don't scold you?" Vivian asked dryly.
But Rachel understood what Ethan meant.
Because they should be scolded.
After all, the second half of the story was brutal.
First Pilar died suddenly at the hands of a cyberpsycho. Then Maine. Then Dorio. And by the end, almost no one survived.
The once cheerful Maine crew — laughing, drinking, surviving in Night City — was reduced to only Lucy and the driver.
And Lucy's ending…
"I want to go to the moon."
"I'll take you there. My dream is to fulfill your dream."
Rachel had drawn the final moon scene herself — Lucy standing alone under the blazing sun, remembering David's smile — while "I Really Want to Stay at Your House" played in the background.
The emotional impact was devastating.
Even Rachel had cursed while drawing it.
But she also understood something deeply:
Night City does not allow happy endings.
From Gloria's death in the first episode, it was already clear — this city devours people. The moment David installed the Sandevistan, his fate was sealed. He was never going to live long. He would become a weapon. A test subject. A disposable tool.
Romance does not grow on steel circuits.
But it can bloom briefly between people before everything burns.
Vivian thought for a moment.
"To be precise," she said slowly, "it's probably because they haven't finished the last few episodes yet."
It was only five in the afternoon. If someone started watching at two o'clock, they would just now be reaching the final episode. And even after finishing, people needed time.
Time to process.
Time to grieve.
Vivian herself had been depressed for days after watching it. Every time she heard "I Really Want to Stay at Your House", she imagined Lucy alone in Night City.
If David had never appeared in Lucy's life, she would have accepted death calmly. But once she had seen warmth, once she had tasted love…
Living alone became harder than dying.
If not for Ethan quietly telling Vivian that Lucy survived, she would have truly believed Lucy removed her helmet and chose death on the moon.
And Adam Smasher…
That monster truly deserved to die.
Ethan grinned.
"Then we wait. Let the emotions ferment. Let them explode."
He knew exactly how powerful this story was.
In his previous life, there had been two legendary animated works.
One was Arcane, a masterpiece that cost absurd amounts of money — nearly twenty million dollars per episode.
The other was Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, far cheaper in production cost, yet emotionally devastating enough to shake the entire world.
And now, here it was again.
"Vivian," Rachel asked carefully, "what should I do next? Take a break?"
Ethan thought for a moment.
"Rest for now. After that… I'll need you to make something cute."
"Cute?" Rachel blinked.
"Yes. Imagine combining animal features. For example… a yellow mouse that can discharge electricity."
Vivian made a face immediately.
"A mouse? Cute? Are you serious?"
Rachel folded her arms, equally unconvinced.
"Mice and cockroaches are the two creatures girls fear most."
Ethan simply smiled.
"You'll understand later."
He glanced at the emotion value data in his system.
Edgerunners had generated tens of thousands of emotion points in a single day.
And this was only the beginning.
---
6:00 PM — The Audience Awakens
Pingzi stood up slowly from his computer desk.
He had finished the final episode half an hour ago, yet he had replayed it again.
On the paused screen: Lucy shielding her eyes from the sunlight, imagining David smiling in front of her — the old David, before heavy chrome, before tragedy. Sunny. Simple.
It was Lucy's fantasy.
And it pierced his heart.
Was this really produced domestically?
Pingzi couldn't believe it.
Episode after episode had hit him like a wave.
Maine's death scene in Episode Six — the still frame, David's silent scream — it was art.
By the time Episode Ten ended, Pingzi was shaken.
Were there flaws?
Of course.
Some deaths were sudden. Some developments were fast.
But that was the point.
This was Night City.
A city where people die without warning.
Gloria died suddenly.
Pilar died suddenly.
Rebecca died instantly under Adam Smasher's foot.
Maine lost his mind.
And David… chose how to die.
That was the only mercy the city gave him.
He fulfilled Lucy's dream.
Even though, by then, it was no longer Lucy's dream.
Pingzi clenched his fists.
"I want Season Two right now!"
He logged into the Official Blog and posted:
> "After much thought, I realize this year's best anime has already been decided."
He attached nine carefully selected screenshots of Lucy.
Beautiful.
Lonely.
Heartbreaking.
Comments flooded in.
"Pingzi, weren't you criticizing this this morning?"
"Quality speaks louder than pride!"
"When is Season 2 coming?!"
Pingzi snorted.
A real man knows when to kneel.
He positioned his phone camera, knelt dramatically on the floor, flashed a V-sign, and posted the photo.
"If kneeling gets me anime like this every year," he wrote, "I'll kneel daily."
---
7:00 PM — Explosion
At seven in the evening, Edgerunners began trending.
The topics multiplied rapidly:
#Rebecca
#ThisIsTheOnlyWayICanProtectYou
#IReallyWantToStayAtYourHouse
#ArtQualityAtWorldLevel
#NorthstarMyHero
#ReleaseSeason2Now
#DavidMartinezLegend
#HeWasOnlyATeenager
#BurnThisCityDown
Hundreds of thousands joined the discussion.
Zhihu threads exploded with analysis.
People praised the storytelling, the music, the raw emotion.
Northstar Games' decision to release all ten episodes at once proved genius.
The emotional wave had no interruption.
It overwhelmed the audience.
---
Meanwhile, at competing platforms, executives were sweating.
Copyright buyers who had passed on the project were being scolded harshly.
They hadn't expected this level of quality.
But now, it was too late.
Northstar had won.
By 8:00 PM, the Official Blog post had over seventy thousand comments.
"Please, I'm suffering if Season 2 doesn't come!"
"Northstar, you are my father!"
"What happens to Lucy next?"
"Say something!"
Vivian turned toward Ethan.
"Do we actually have a second season?"
Ethan, cracking open a crayfish shell, smiled.
"Of course we do."
Rachel immediately sat upright, eyes shining.
She wanted to make it.
She loved the feeling of shaking the entire internet.
But Ethan added casually:
"Isn't Daniel already working on it?"
Vivian froze.
Then she smiled slowly.
Ah.
Right.
The anime was only the appetizer.
The real main course…
Was still coming.
When players eventually met Adam Smasher themselves in the game world, their hatred would transform into something unforgettable.
Vivian suddenly felt mischievous.
David Martinez died as a legend.
Great in life. Glorious in death.
And Night City?
Night City was just getting started.
--------------------------------
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