"I got 871 credits in total from the money I took from that old debtor, this month's salary, and my supervisor's allowance."
Bai Fu felt slightly relieved after recalculating the accounts.
The currency issued by the Lynn settlement had decent purchasing power. This money was enough to ensure that she and An Ya would not have to worry about food, clothing, or daily necessities for several months.
Of course, that only referred to basic living conditions. Enjoying an upper-class lifestyle was nothing but a pipe dream.
The less developed a place was materially, the higher the price one had to pay to get good products. Those who risked transporting quality goods to the Abandoned Cooling Plant were merchants, not philanthropists.
Bai Fu stuffed the money into her piggy bank.
Since she had nothing better to do, she casually opened the Abandoned Cooling Plant section of the Star Travel Society.
Unlike yesterday, when all the players had been discussing her, the topics in today's community were much more varied.
Some players were sharing their experiences with killing people and disposing of their bodies.
Some players were analyzing which professions were more suitable for ordinary players in the early game.
Of course, players going crazy over her photos and videos was also an indispensable part of the community these days.
[First day without seeing Fu Fu. I miss her.]
[Brothers, my Bai Fu Addiction is acting up. Give me some photos of Fu Bao.]
[Haven't you noticed that Fu Fu's outfit doesn't suit her? It would be great if she changed into Makima's outfit. Better yet, have her hold a whip too. Hehe.]
[Don't mess around. Are Fu Bao and Makima even the same type? Makima treated Denji like a dog, while Fu Bao treats us like treasures. Do you understand the value of a Favorability rating of 82?!]
[I don't care. I want a big sister wearing a black tie, a white shirt, and black trousers!]
[Let's talk realistically. Fu Fu being nice to us doesn't mean she's a good person. She's still a member of the villainous Wildfire Gang. What if she's a story BOSS? What if she suddenly shows us her health bar one day?]
The reply's ability to kill the mood was astonishing. It took several dozen seconds before a new reply appeared below it.
[Let me state this first: Even if Fu Fu is a BOSS, I won't fight her. At worst, I just won't do this main quest. There's more than one main quest on every Novice Planet in this game.]
[Agreed. Besides, Fu Fu being a BOSS doesn't mean she can't be redeemed later. Isn't Vegeta the classic example?]
[If the writers dare to pull something stupid, I'll immediately lead several great emperors to their doorstep!]
[Good grief, you guys really let your values follow your eyes.]
[What a load of crap! Does being a BOSS automatically make someone evil? What if it's simply a matter of opposing positions, or being bound by one's duties? Anyway, I don't believe Fu Fu is the kind of utterly evil person who does every possible wrong. Otherwise, she wouldn't need to care whether we live or die.]
Regarding whether Bai Fu was merely a wicked woman who was kind only to players, or a sheep in wolf's clothing, a group of players passionately exchanged their opinions in the thread.
Bai Fu had nearly eaten her fill of the gossip.
If she could post, she would definitely jump into the discussion herself and steer the narrative.
Only by muddying the waters further would the "guilt" or "affection" that players felt after learning she was actually an "undercover agent" become richer and more enduring.
But she had to be careful not to push things too far. Otherwise, before the "truth" was revealed, some radical player might come over and kill her.
Bai Fu left the thread and opened the popular post discussing Martin's death below it.
Not long ago, the Wildfire Gang had announced that an Outsider had brutally killed Martin, and that they would launch an even more violent retaliation.
The news quickly reached the players' ears.
[The Wildfire Gang says one of their supervisors was killed by a player. Who's that awesome? That was an elite monster!]
[@Patrick Star Pai Da, Pai Da, was it you?]
[Holy crap, that's insanely impressive. He solo-killed an elite monster! I can't do that. This game is way too realistic. Even with the gore setting at zero, I still don't dare fight those NPCs. Looks like I can only be a life-skills player.]
[Pai Da, how about making a guide video?]
[Pai Da, want to go for the record of being the first to kill a BOSS?]
One mention after another soon brought the main subject, Patrick Star, over. He hurriedly explained.
Patrick Star: [(Dog-head question-mark meme) Brothers, you're giving me too much credit. I'm not that impressive. This game is different from other games. Rolling doesn't grant invincibility frames, and you don't start with a dodge skill. At my current level, it's practically impossible to solo an elite monster.]
[Practically? So you're saying it's possible?]
Patrick Star: [It is possible. The crafting function in this game is incredibly powerful. You can make things yourself even without blueprints. I heard that some expert has already made black powder. If someone could handcraft a gun, then even at level 1, killing an ordinary elite monster in the Novice Village would be no problem.]
[Holy crap, that's amazing. Wouldn't that mean the engineering geniuses are about to take off?]
[Huh? So Pai Da didn't do it? Then who was it?]
[I thought Pai Da was already invincible under heaven. Whose subordinate is this?]
As soon as Patrick Star came out to explain, the players who enjoyed farming and development immediately became excited, directly steering the thread's discussion off course.
Fighting and killing was exciting, but developing technology through farming wasn't bad either.
It was not until a player named [Convert to My Fu] appeared that the thread's content veered back toward fighting and killing.
[@Patrick Star Pai Da, Pai Da, are you free? I received a hidden quest with an incredibly high reward.]
Patrick Star: [How high?]
Convert to My Fu: [3,500 experience points.]
The number left Bai Fu utterly stunned.
A single quest with a 3,500 experience-point reward? Had this guy received a quest to kill a BOSS?
That was enough to raise her Spiritual Apprentice another level.
She focused her attention, wanting to see if she could deduce anything from the conversation between Convert to My Fu and Patrick Star, then get a share of the spoils.
The other players were even more shocked by the number. They might not earn that much experience even after hauling bricks for ten days.
[Godfather, where did you pick up the quest?]
[Fuck, it's the three-surnamed turncoat!]
Convert to My Fu: [I was lucky. I was wandering around the Wildfire Gang's territory when an NPC with an exclamation mark over his head came up to me. I asked if he needed help, and he gave me an assassination quest. There's no way I can complete it alone, so I had to come ask for your help, Pai Da.]
Patrick Star: [Brother, I'll add you as a friend. Let's discuss it in private messages.]
Convert to My Fu: [OK.]
The two disappeared.
It took a full twenty minutes before they reappeared.
Patrick Star: [Recruiting five teammates. Priority will be given to those who can make special traps or weapons. People who can lead, or who are experts at action games, are also welcome! Note that the quest location is in this area (image attached), and the quest takes place after seven in the evening. Make sure you can reach the quest location from wherever you are, and that you're free during that time.]
[Ah, he's only recruiting five people?]
[Noob gazes up at the expert.]
[Isn't that area the Wildfire Gang's territory? No wonder the quest reward is so high. Just infiltrating the place will take a lot of effort.]
Although the requirements were rather strict, Patrick Star still successfully recruited five teammates in just a few minutes.
Counting Black Tiger Afu, Calamity Dragon, who knew Scout Art, and Digging Princess, who had previously helped him fight Brother Dabiao, a ten-person raid party was formed just like that.
Bai Fu stared intently at the map Patrick Star had posted.
A red circle had been drawn on the map. As it happened, it was quite a coincidence—her home was inside the area enclosed by the circle.
"Is the quest target someone living in this area?"
An NPC capable of offering a reward of 3,500 experience points was definitely stronger than Brother Dabiao.
Bai Fu thought about it. There did not seem to be any NPC that powerful near her home. The living conditions in this area were relatively poor, and anyone with even a little strength or status would not live here.
Could Patrick Star have posted a fake map?
Wait, she seemed to have overlooked someone.
"Am I not the NPC who's stronger than Brother Dabiao?"
Bai Fu's face darkened.
She hurriedly found a spot with a good view and crouched down. When evening arrived and she saw Patrick Star and the others appear in her field of vision under cover of night, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.
Very good, very good. The "BOSS" the players were going to raid really was her!
Before you continue