NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 4 - Turn-Based Combat—Isn't This Outdated?
Chapter 4: Turn-Based Combat—Isn’t This Outdated?
Herta Space Station
The post-disaster reconstruction was finally complete.
The surviving staff members had returned to their calm and leisurely routines.
Inside a conference room…
A bored researcher was secretly playing on his phone beneath the table.
Compared to his colleague’s endless droning, he found spending time on games much more meaningful.
He scrolled through the new game listings…
Until suddenly—
The title [Honkai: Star Rail] caught his attention.
“Star Rail?”
“Wait… isn’t that the Astral Express? The group of Nameless travelers that helped us out a while ago?”
“I remember their train even stopped at the station’s platform for a bit!”
“That’s crazy! Let me check it out!”
Xianzhou Luofu
Qingque was, as always, slacking off.
But recently, her strict superior from the Divination Commission had issued a serious warning.
Now, she couldn’t openly slack off anymore.
She could only sneak in some downtime, using her Jade Sign to scroll through the latest updates.
“Huh? Xiao Gui started doing livestreams?”
“Might as well check it out.”
“Wait, wait, wait!”
“Are you sure this is a game?!”
“Isn’t that Kafka, the wanted criminal?! I literally saw her bounty poster this morning!”
“Oh wow, this is getting interesting!”
“Forget playing tiles tonight—I’m staying in to see what this game’s story is all about!”
Astral Express
Inside the vast train car, only Pom-Pom, Welt, and Himeko remained.
Old Yang sat by the observation car’s window, a book in hand.
Outside, a frozen planet stretched across the landscape.
But he wasn’t fully focused on reading—every now and then, his gaze drifted toward the icy world outside.
Himeko approached, holding a steaming cup of coffee.
“Worried about the kid?”
“Well, this is their first pioneering expedition—it’s natural to feel a little concerned.”
Welt chuckled softly.
“No. Young people need to face challenges to grow.”
“Then take a break. Try this new coffee blend I made.”
Looking at the pitch-black liquid before him, Welt suddenly felt his throat tighten.
He instinctively reached for his phone.
“Uh… no thanks.”
“I prefer relaxing with games.”
The truth was—
Welt didn’t actually have any games on his phone.
So, he opened the new game listings, planning to randomly download something to cover his tracks.
But then—
Among the sea of new releases, a particular game title caught his eye.
Himeko, ever perceptive, noticed his expression change.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Look at this game.”
“Honkai: Star Rail? Seems to be a game themed around our Astral Express.”
“It has to be. The logo is literally our train.”
Welt adjusted his glasses.
“There have been previous attempts to make games featuring the Express.”
“But since those developers weren’t actual Nameless travelers, their designs were always wildly inaccurate.”
Himeko nodded.
Her wording was still polite.
Rather than calling them “wildly inaccurate,” she could’ve just called them absolute garbage.
Most of those games were shameless knockoffs, trying to leech off the Express’ reputation.
Himeko assumed this game was just another one of those.
She was already used to seeing them.
But Welt thought otherwise.
It wasn’t the title that intrigued him.
It was the first word—
“Honkai.”
“Hopefully, the developer just used that word as a generic adjective.”
“And not… the Honkai I’m thinking of.”
“We have some downtime. Want to check this game out?”
“Sure,” Himeko smiled.
“But let’s be clear—if this turns out to be some low-quality cash grab, I’m not wasting another second on it.”
Meanwhile…
Lin Yu was completely unaware that his game had already caught the attention of some key figures in the galaxy.
At this very moment, thanks to Guinaifen’s livestream—
The turn-based gameplay of Honkai: Star Rail was about to be revealed.
A new voice echoed from the screen.
“Will this mission finally be fun?”
“The last few have been so boring.”
“Apologies. Today’s mission is simple—just place the target inside.”
Then, Kafka’s voice took a sly turn.
“—But if you’re looking for fun… I won’t stop you.”
“After all…”
As her words faded,
The airlock doors in front of her slid open.
Kafka stepped forward, placing her hands on her hips.
Before her—
Three menacing Voidrangers glared at her with murderous intent.
“—After all, whatever Elio didn’t write in the script… doesn’t matter!”
She drew her dual pistols.
Her pupils dilated.
Her lips curled into a delighted grin.
It was as if she was performing the grand finale of a personal symphony.
As if, in the very next second, she’d unleash a storm of bullets, gunning down the Voidrangers in a ruthless display.
Livestream Chat
Most viewers, including Guinaifen, didn’t fully understand the earlier conversation.
But they understood one thing—
The Stellaron Hunters were up to something big.
And a fight against the Antimatter Legion was inevitable.
This scene confirmed their expectations.
But just as the tension peaked—
The screen froze.
Suddenly, cracks spread across the screen.
And then—
A turn-based battle interface appeared.
Enemy units on one side.
Player characters on the other.
Everyone standing still, waiting for their turn.
Livestream Chat Explodes
“???”
“I took my pants off for THIS?!”
“Wait… isn’t this a turn-based game?!”
“Kinda disappointed… I thought we were gonna see some crazy action.”
“The opening was so hype, but it turns out to be turn-based combat.”
“This kind of gameplay has been outdated for ages!”