"I acquired miHoYo?"
Hokuto rubbed his temples, his face a picture of bewilderment.
Upon waking up, he—an adult game designer—found his mind flooded with unfamiliar memories. He realized he'd probably transmigrated.
This world was largely the same as his original one, save for a few key differences.
For instance, here, the Huaxia Federation stood as the undisputed global leader, excelling in every field.
But the gaming industry? Pathetically underdeveloped. Gameplay was monotonous, entertainment value sorely lacking.
And now, he'd spent his entire fortune—even taken out loans—to acquire miHoYo, an all-female game studio on the verge of collapse.
Why had he been willing to bankrupt himself for miHoYo?
...Because he liked the people there?! Wanted to help them achieve their dreams?!
"Since when did picking up girls require this kind of investment?"
Hokuto couldn't help but mock his past self.
Maybe it was the sudden influx of memories, but he couldn't quite recall what the miHoYo team even looked like—only that his predecessor had seen their photos and been utterly smitten.
That's right. Photos. He'd never even met them in person before deciding to invest.
Just thinking about those harebrained decisions made his head throb.
"That was a million! And thanks to that million, I'm now eight hundred grand in debt."
"I went from financial freedom to being a broke joke overnight."
"And worst of all, no matter how hard I simp, the miHoYo team might not even appreciate it. They'd probably just think I'm some gullible cash cow."
The regret was crushing. He didn't get it—what was so great about real women anyway? Could they even compare to 2D waifus?
Durandal was the true—no, wait, Elysia is supreme—
"At least I still have knowledge from another world."
"Honkai Impact 3rd, Genshin Impact, Sekiro, Resident Evil... Just nailing one of these would be enough."
That said, Hokuto wasn't overly optimistic. Developing a game was no simple feat.
[Ding~ Game Development System successfully bound!]
A crisp, loli-like voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Hokuto froze, staring at the translucent text hovering before him. Only after a long pause did it sink in—
His golden finger had arrived.
He'd been so stunned by his predecessor's idiocy that he'd almost forgotten the most crucial detail.
He was a transmigrator.
And transmigrators always had cheats.
"System, how do you work?" he asked.
[This system will provide the host with outstanding games from your previous world, assisting you in becoming a global gaming titan!]
A gaming titan?
Hokuto's heart burned with ambition.
With this system, it might actually be possible.
And then? That measly eight hundred grand would be pocket change.
[Ding! Host's first binding reward: a free game gacha roll. Proceed?]
"Roll it!"
As soon as he spoke, icons of games from his past life materialized before him, spinning wildly.
Bzzt—!
[Successfully obtained: Honkai Impact 3rd!]
[Ding! Main Quest issued: Achieve 10 million registered users for Honkai Impact 3rd!]
A barrage of notifications followed.
Then—
Data, level designs, character models—every detail of Honkai Impact 3rd flooded into Hokuto's mind.
His excitement skyrocketed.
In his past life, he'd been a hardcore player, spending fortunes on the game's waifus. He knew exactly how lucrative it could be.
In this gaming wasteland of a world? Hitting the system's target seemed almost trivial.
"Starting with a royal flush—how could I possibly lose?"
Brimming with enthusiasm, Hokuto immediately booted up his laptop, transforming the system's data into a streamlined game proposal.
The creative flow was smoother than the joy of seeing his Honkai waifus materialize in real life.
Once finished—
"Right, I'm supposed to visit miHoYo today."
Glancing at the draft proposal on his screen, Hokuto remembered his original agenda.
Time to take over miHoYo.
An all-female game studio, huh?
Ugh.
The whole concept reeked of unreliability.
Now solely focused on clearing his debt and retiring early, Hokuto couldn't help but feel disdain for this world's miHoYo.
Beauty was fleeting—money was eternal!
——
Nan Cheng's CBD was the city's commercial heart, a forest of high-end office towers.
Among them stood the infamous miHoYo studio.
Its reputation, however, wasn't built on quality games—but on its all-female staff, a magnet for men desperate to join.
Yet, till now, miHoYo's male employee count had steadfastly remained zero.
Today, that would change.
Stepping out of a taxi with a MacBook in hand, Hokuto looked like a man questioning his life choices.
He rubbed his eyes, mourning his poisoned retinas for a solid half-second, before muttering,
"The people at miHoYo are geniuses, alright."
Since it was now his company, Hokuto had naturally researched their games.
At first glance? Not bad.
Smooth, polished gameplay—clearly, their programmers were skilled. Points for that.
But the deeper he delved, the more his soul withered.
Aside from their debut title, Wacky Brave Adventure (which showed promise), every other miHoYo release was... indescribable.
No amount of buttery controls could salvage the mind-numbingly dull gameplay.
The stories were so bafflingly stupid, they seemed penned by a single-celled organism.
These abominations shouldn't have attracted anyone.
And yet, miHoYo had poured obscene budgets into them—flawless character art, top-tier models.
The definition of 'all cost, no reward.'
No wonder they'd gone bankrupt.
Had they stuck to pixel-art indie games like their first title—low investment, high returns—they might've thrived.
"Well, at least their technical skills are solid."
Hokuto pressed the elevator button, stepping into the empty car.
"As for whoever wrote those scripts? Deadweight. Might have to fire her."
"miHoYo doesn't employ amoebas."
——
Meanwhile, on the sixth floor, inside miHoYo's studio…
Had Hokuto been present, he'd have been stunned.
Every girl there was someone he knew—intimately.
Characters he'd piloted through countless battles.
The energetic Kiana—their game writer.
The stoic Bronya—their lone programmer.
The gentle, raven-haired Mei—their artist.
The generous, crimson-haired Himeko—their lead designer.
And there was Fu Hua... along with Rita, dressed in a secretary's OL attire…