Fans and haters debated fiercely.
Social media was a battlefield.
Meanwhile, every platform was crazily investing in Honkai-style dramas.
At this point, truly under the spotlight in every sense— Episode three of Penacony finally arrived.
As the screen lit up, with the Honkai logo appearing, what came into view was—
"The Fool always rings the bell twice."
-----------------------------------
"12 system hours until the Charmony Festival begins, on the express."
With the subtitles.
Darkness falls.
The third episode begins—surprisingly, on the express!
Accompanied by a radio broadcast.
What appears before the audience is a gun, and Dan Heng being held at gunpoint.
Right from the start, those viewers who had been pulling their hair out over matters outside the show were immediately drawn in.
Dan Heng, who was supposed to stay on the express, and the armed intruder who suddenly broke in.
Who is he?
Why is he doing this?
It can be said, just this one scene already firmly grabs the audience's attention.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just saying hello with a gun." The armed man appears calm and even somewhat flippant.
The camera zooms in.
That handsome face, paired with the inappropriate setting and dialogue.
A vivid character is established just like that.
Not even needing a PV.
To ensure the plan's success, Xia Wen specifically postponed the PV and directly aired episode three.
But the result was even better than what Xia Wen expected.
Without a PV, the appearance of a new character in the plot tests the quality of the filming and script even more.
And clearly, Boothill delivered a perfect performance.
As he and Dan Heng converse, the audience finally learns this man's name:
Boothill.
A genuine Galaxy Ranger!
Just one character already gives episode 3 a strong start.
Fans are thrilled.
While those with ulterior motives are probably already feeling their schemes falling apart.
But at the same time, curiosity is sparked.
This Galaxy Ranger—he sounds like a good guy. Why did he hijack the express?
"A righteous group of Hunters wouldn't hijack the Astral Express." Facing the gun, Dan Heng shows no fear and calmly says.
"Come on, I didn't hijack it. Just chatting with a gun in hand—does that count as hijacking?" Boothill chuckles lightly.
But Dan Heng clearly doesn't intend to banter with Boothill and says directly, "With all due respect, the stories about rangers in the galaxy aren't exactly pleasant ones. That makes it hard for me to trust you."
"That's hilarious. The stories those masked fools make up get crazier and crazier—like saying all the Galaxy Rangers were turned into monkeys by the Primal Doctor."
"Of course, I don't expect you to believe me. Likewise, I can't just easily believe you're really an emissary of trailblazing."
Boothill is unfazed by Dan Heng's look, and says seriously: "I can't just risk myself on blind faith, right? So, you need to prove yourself first. Hey, where are you going ?!"
Just as Boothill is making his earnest appeal,
Dan Heng sighs and turns to leave.
Leaving the gun-wielding Boothill dumbfounded.
...
: Damn, Boothill is so handsome, but why does he seem kind of dumb?
: Something feels off.
: But whatever, this opening—damn, it grabbed me right away! How is this a bad third episode?
: Haters have gone silent.
: Hahaha, forget those people. I'm actually really interested in Boothill's catchphrases—they're so weird, like "silly treasure," "noisy stranger."
: I love this kind of adorably dumb handsome guy!
: Dan Heng just turned and walked away—lol, Boothill probably wanted to say, "You're making me lose face!"
...
In a slightly comedic atmosphere, Dan Heng takes out the Xianzhou Alliance Token.
"Huh?"
"This is… His token? The Alliance… actually gave you such a token?! Will they really deploy troops?" Boothill is clearly shocked.
The next second, he lowers his gun.
"Looks like you recognize this."
Dan Heng sighs helplessly.
He's already realized that this guy in front of him is just a pure-headed fool.
"No matter how vast the galaxy, with just a simple grasp you can summon tens of thousands of Cloud Knights. What a treasured item this is—how magnificent it must be."
Boothill falls into reverie.
And the audience goes wild.
...
: Holy crap! The Alliance Token! How did we forget about that?!
: If episode three was going to end with a powerful twist, then Xianzhou is definitely the obvious choice!
: So this was the foreshadowing for the Xianzhou's Alliance Token?!
: Just thinking about Penacony being overwhelmed by Xianzhou's army makes me tremble with excitement!
: No matter how many Emanators there are, my general will bring them all to justice!
: So cool! I want to see Jing Yuan! I want to see General Jing Yuan and Dan Heng team up!
...
The moment the Alliance Token appeared, everyone was hyped.
Such a strong reaction is partly because of the week-long emotional buildup that made this feel like a solution.
And of course, who wouldn't want to see the Express Crew "flex their power"?
With the Alliance Token in hand, summoning thousands of Cloud Knights to bring justice to Penacony—
Come on, it's Xianzhou we're talking about!
Of course, many people also noticed Boothill's adorably weird catchphrases.
...
: Wait, why is Boothill saying the cutest phrases in the most aggressive tone?
: Such a treasure, hahaha, I'm dying of laughter.
: And that silly treasure just now, maybe they actually meant "dirty talk"!
: Are all the Galaxy Rangers this adorably quirky?
: If I were Dan Heng, I'd definitely say: "Babe, your insults sound like flirting."
: Holy crap, absolutely!
...
The screen was flooded with bullet comments.
After a brief identity check, Boothill's answer couldn't satisfy Dan Heng at all.
"Tell me, what kind of organization is the Galaxy Rangers?" Dan Heng crossed his arms and began interrogating Boothill.
He also took the chance to gather some intel on the Galaxy Rangers.
After all, this organization was way too mysterious.
"Ha, organization? I wouldn't really call us that."
Boothill chuckled, then explained, "It's just that we're all walking the path of the Hunt, each holding our own belief in justice. None of us are chasing some universally accepted value."
Such an answer was far from satisfying Dan Heng.
"I guess what you really want to ask is: what shared beliefs do we have?"
"But the Galaxy Rangers didn't come together for something like that—we're united by our bottom lines."
"No bullying the weak, no killing the innocent—these vows aren't some lofty beliefs."
"They are lines that one should never cross as a human being!"
"As Galaxy Rangers, we only look at the bottom line. Whenever someone tries to trample it, the response from the Rangers follows."
"And that's when the other meaning of 'bottom line' becomes clear. As long as you don't cross it, you can do whatever you want. Understand?"
The mystery of the Galaxy Rangers was finally pulled back slightly by Boothill.
Just from this alone, many people felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
Seeking common ground while preserving differences, the spirit of chivalry.
These thought's instantly came to mind for many viewers.
And when such a spirit and ideology is transplanted onto a galactic stage, it unexpectedly carries a unique charm.
....
:Lol, so that's what the Galaxy Rangers are.
:Kind of like the chivalrous knights in some anime or other dramas!
:Hahaha, true. But seeing these values through a sci-fi lens is kind of thrilling.
:A bit disappointed, honestly. I thought the Galaxy Rangers would be a super cool and passionate organization—maybe driven by vengeance or something.
:The name sounds badass, but the inner workings feel... limited.