I Became Robin?! (Honkai Star Rail)

"Ugh..." Robin rubbed her head, then suddenly snapped awake. She opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings, finding herself in a dilapidated, abandoned factory. Rusting machinery cluttered the space, and dust and debris coated the floor. She was propped against a tattered old sofa.

Was I kidnapped? Or is this the work of someone within the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations? The thought left her bewildered. Could there really be a traitor within the Bureau?

But why? Why kidnap her?

Could it be for sexual assault?

A shiver ran down Robin's spine. She hastily checked her clothes, relieved to find them undisturbed and her body feeling normal. She even realized she wasn't tied up; her movements weren't restricted.

That makes sense, she thought. Infiltrating the Bureau must be incredibly difficult. Anyone who managed to do so would surely be a valuable asset. Using such a crucial operative solely for sexual assault would be an absurd waste.

But this also meant that this "kidnapping" held immense significance for the mastermind. Her value in this scheme far outweighed the risk of exposing their mole within the Bureau.

The more Robin thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

Just then, footsteps approached. An elderly man in a Mao suit entered the factory, glanced at Robin, and said with a cheerful smile, "I apologize for meeting you like this, but I doubt you would have accepted a proper invitation."

The old man's hair was nearly all white, and his face was deeply lined, making him appear quite aged. Yet his eyes remained remarkably deep and bright, and his entire demeanor radiated vigor.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. You may call me Xiao..."

Robin's face remained impassive, but inwardly she scoffed. What a cliché villain codename! Are you the leader of some evil organization too?

The man continued, "...from the Fuguang Society."

Well, that actually sounds like an evil organization, she thought. And judging by his presence, he's at least a high-ranking member.

Robin had first learned of the Fuguang Society outside the barbecue restaurant during the Fancheng toxic gas incident, when Qin Chuming released the gas. At the time, Zhong Wanhong hadn't told her much. But later, after joining the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations and Zhong Wanhong's team, her curiosity led her to ask her teammates about it.

The Fuguang Society's demands were simple: they wanted the Dragon Nation to produce more Evolvers.

This might sound like a good thing, right?

The Fuguang Society first emerged during the initial Fancheng Virus disaster. The horrific virus killed 300,000 people, but with the support of the entire nation, a miraculous rescue was carried out. All the city's survivors were evacuated, and the virus was contained. From any rational perspective, this was a triumph.

Yet the Fuguang Society believed the nation shouldn't have intervened. Instead, they argued that Fancheng should have been sealed off entirely, trapping its tens of millions of residents under the virus's shadow.

This would have resulted in the deaths of tens of millions, but it would also have given rise to tens of thousands of powerful Evolvers—enough to double the Dragon Nation's entire Evolver population.

With such power, with these Evolvers, the Dragon Nation would no longer fear any other country, they reasoned.

Lü Heng, who had once explained all this to Robin, summed up the Fuguang Society in two words: "Lunatics."

Now, the elderly man calling himself Xiao smiled at Robin. "Robin," he said, "I'd like to invite you to join the Fuguang Society. With your strength, we'd be one step closer to fulfilling our long-held ambition."

"..." Robin didn't know how to respond. An evil organization had kidnapped her and was now inviting her to join them. What should she do? She needed advice urgently.

If she refused now, would they silence her permanently?

Xiao continued, "You've already joined the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, so you must know something about the Fuguang Society. I won't bore you with the details. We're currently operating in Longcheng, planting the Fancheng Virus throughout the city and waiting for the right moment to detonate it. This will allow all the Fancheng People in this city to resume their interrupted evolutionary path."

"Robin, as an Outsider, you shouldn't feel any real connection to this world, right? You have no friends here, nothing familiar. So, you wouldn't mind if some ordinary people you don't know died, would you?"

"Moreover, our research into Dimensional Rifts surpasses even that of the Dragon Nation itself. Especially considering the Dimensional Rift that brought you here was engineered by the Fuguang Society, we might be able to help you find a way back home."

Robin froze, stunned by the offer. It was incredibly tempting, especially the promise of a way to return home. For a moment, she almost impulsively agreed.

But then, she used her Ability to calm herself.

She remembered the harassing phone call she'd received before setting out to find Cheng Hui. She'd initially assumed it was a data leak from the websites she'd registered with, but now it seemed the leak had come from within the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations itself.

This meant that if she hadn't gone to Cheng Hui to film the video, she might have been kidnapped days earlier. Her captors knew her too well, understanding exactly how to manipulate her.

Before this, Robin had felt little sense of belonging in this world. If she had encountered the Fuguang Society instead of the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations upon arriving, she likely would have joined them without hesitation.

But things were different now. She had made friends in this world—everyone in Zhong Wanhong's team, Cheng Hui, and her millions of fans online.

Robin had never cared about her fans before, but after meeting Cheng Hui and hearing her story—learning that her songs could offer redemption to others—she realized she might have been unknowingly helping countless people all along.

In this oppressive world, her presence and her music had brought hope to so many. Could she really abandon them now?

Of course, the most crucial question remained. Robin turned to the elderly man before her and asked gravely, "Is this 'way home' you mentioned truly reliable?"

To her surprise, Xiao answered with disarming honesty. "I can only say that our research is more advanced than the Dragon Nation's official efforts. While the probability of sending Outsiders back is slim, it's not zero."

The implication was clear: it was possible, but the odds were exceedingly low.

Moreover, Robin pondered, she had died in her previous life. Even if she could return to that world now, could she truly reclaim her former life?