Honkai: Star Rail, My Journey with Tom - Chapter 1

Li Ye sat on the plush sofa in the parlor car, staring out at the endless expanse of stars stretching across the galaxy. The dazzling rivers of light reflected in his eyes, their brilliance contrasting with the uncertainty settling deep in his chest.

He turned his head, scanning his surroundings. The place was familiar, yet strangely alien at the same time.

There was no doubt about it. This was the Astral Express.

And yet… it wasn’t.

Because Himeko, March 7th, Dan Heng, Welt, even Pom-Pom were nowhere to be seen.

He was completely alone.

That shouldn’t be possible. The Astral Express always had at least two people on board, so why was he the only one?  It was just Li Ye and the empty, echoing corridors.

As for how he got here…

Well, the answer was almost laughably simple.

He’d always had god-awful luck when it came to gacha pulls. But this time, against all odds, he had managed to hit the jackpot—a double five-star pull, back-to-back Feixiao. The sheer shock of it must have short-circuited his brain because, before he knew it, everything had gone black, and he woke up here.

Li Ye let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair.

“They always say lucky b*stards don’t live long, but come on… I get lucky once, and I straight-up die?”

He gritted his teeth. “D*mn it, I still had months’ worth of Star Rail Special Passes saved up. At least let me finish my pulls before killing me off!”

But…

There was one upside to this mess.

If this wasn’t just some elaborate fever dream, he might actually get to experience Star Rail for real.

However, the downside painfully existed at this moment.

The only thing here was the train. No crew. No NPCs. Nothing.

Li Ye clenched his jaw. He wanted to test out Feixiao, d*mn it! He just pulled her, so why the hell wasn’t she here?

Frustrated, he downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp. At least there was food and water on board. If not, he probably would’ve starved to death days ago.

Still, after spending who knows how long in total isolation, he was starting to lose it. The loneliness was getting to him, gnawing at his mind like an itch he couldn’t scratch. If there was at least something—anything—to entertain himself with, it wouldn’t be so bad. But there was nothing.

Just him, the train, and the vast, empty universe stretching endlessly beyond the windows.

And if something like a True Sting or the Antimatter Legion showed up, he was screwed. Might as well jump off the train and get it over with.

Li Ye’s eyes darkened as that thought took root.

Before he realized what he was doing, he found himself standing in front of the car’s exit. If he just stepped out, he could pull a full-on Kars and stop thinking forever.

Unlike Kars, though, he wouldn’t just float through space for eternity. He’d die instantly.

Li Ye hesitated, staring at the door.

Was he really going to throw away his second chance at life so easily?

Besides… dying from suffocation sounded pretty painful.

Just as Li Ye was about to step back, something flickered at the edge of his vision. His eyes widened as four familiar, game-like prompts squeezed through the doorframe, hovering in front of him.

[User Bound: Li Ye]

[Open Door]

[Warp Jump]

[Warp]

Li Ye’s jaw dropped. His mouth opened and closed before words burst out:

“Holy sh*t!”

“So all the train’s functions were hidden in front of the d*mn door?! Thank God I didn’t try breaking a window to off myself… not that I could’ve, anyway.”

He muttered to himself, but deep down, Li Ye felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

Honestly, Li Ye had no idea how an average guy like him was supposed to survive in the world of Star Rail. Back home, he was just a regular dude who enjoyed goofing around online, sharing memes, and occasionally trolling for fun.

If things were different, maybe he could have followed the path of Elation and become a Pathstrider or something.

But here? In this universe?

Yeah, no. Without any skills, strength, or even basic combat ability, Li Ye was basically cannon fodder.

He shook his head, clearing away those ridiculous thoughts. Who cared about paths? None of that mattered right now.

What mattered was…

“Alright. Screw all that. I’ve got hacks now!”

“Time to burn through all my pulls!”

Li Ye didn’t care what he got, he just needed something. Anything. This was his one shot at survival.

As for the Warp Jump…

He’d deal with that after summoning. Even if Li Ye ended up in the safest place in the galaxy, he’d still need some power to back him up. Otherwise, with a train this valuable, he’d be nothing more than a walking target.

Nobody else knew this train was bound to him. As far as they were concerned, he’d be easy pickings.

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and mentally confirmed his choice.

The ‘Warp’ prompt glowed softly in response.

New information flooded his mind, including his remaining special pass count.

[Star Rail Special Passes: 61]

Li Ye stared blankly at the number before groaning.

“Wait… this is exactly how many I had left after pulling Feixiao.”

“D*mn it, if I’d known I was gonna get transported, I would’ve saved them!”

Back in his world, pulling five-stars was just a thrill, a fleeting moment of joy.

However, his life literally depended on it in this world.

Sixty pulls… not even enough to hit a guaranteed pity. If Li Ye didn’t get someone powerful, he was royally screwed.

According to the info in his head, ten-pulls mostly gave out common or semi-useful junk. Only pity rolls had a chance of summoning actual characters or high-tier weapons.

Which was bad news for Li Ye.

Back on Earth, his luck was absolute trash.

But he had no choice now.

“I won’t even ask for a waifu at this point…”

“Just give me something useful!”

“Come on!”

With a flash of blue light, the train’s door creaked open just a fraction—enough for ten small objects to materialize in front of him.

Ten bottles of milk.

[Milk: What are you looking at? I’m just a normal bottle of milk. Just like you, buddy. Completely, utterly average.]

“Are you f*cking kidding me?!”

Grinding his teeth, Li Ye slammed another ten-pull.

More blue light. More useless junk. Snacks, playing cards, random knickknacks.

[Star Rail Special Passes: 1]

Li Ye stared helplessly at the number. One pass. It was all he had now.

His hands trembled as he pulled out his final pass.

He swallowed hard, then shoved it into the door.

“Single pull miracle, don’t fail me now!”

“I don’t care about waifus. Just give me a d*mn character!”

As if answering his desperate plea, the train’s doors flashed gold.

Li Ye’s breath caught in his throat. His eyes locked onto the light as a small silhouette emerged, stepping forward.

A one-meter-tall blue-gray cat stood on two legs, a wooden stick slung over its right shoulder with a small brown sack tied to the end.

The cat looked like it had been through hell. It appeared exhausted and scrawny as its tail dragged on the floor.

Then, its nose twitched. Spotting the pile of food around Li Ye, its eyes widened like dinner plates. Drool slipped from its mouth as it licked its lips hungrily.

The cat sucked it back in, shook its head, and in an instant, its entire demeanor shifted.

Its fatigue was gone.

Its sunken cheeks were instantly plump again.

Its entire body blurred as it launched forward like a tiny whirlwind.

In the blink of an eye, the cat ditched its bag, blurred into motion, and latched onto Li Ye’s leg before kissing his foot like a starving devotee.

Li Ye stared blankly at the affectionate feline.

He didn’t summon a waifu.

He didn’t even summon a human.

He summoned… a cat.

And not just any cat. It was a cat he definitely recognized.

A cat so famous, it was practically a household name in his old world.

Li Ye was still in a daze as he muttered the name almost instinctively.

“Tom?”