Prepared for Sacrifice

Bai Fu's plan to level up her survival skills hit a minor snag, as capturing players from the Wildfire Gang became increasingly difficult.

As time went on, players were gradually able to defend themselves in battles against ordinary Wildfire Gang members.

This was thanks to the overall increase in player levels and the combat comparison video Digging Princess uploaded to the forum a few days prior.

After watching that video, two groups of players stepped up.

The first group was quite diverse.

Among them were crafting masters, university engineering students who happened to be on break, miserable software engineers who could only play for an hour after work, and experienced construction workers.

After witnessing how free the manufacturing system in Above the Stars was, they fully utilized their knowledge to build a small-scale production base.

This base could not only produce small traps but, as the veterans put it, could even handcraft firearms if there were enough materials.

The second group of players was more straightforward; they were simply beyond caring about decency.

Initially, they just followed Digging Princess and others in throwing Lime and chili powder. Upon discovering that most Wildfire Gang members wore goggles, they were forced to develop new tactics.

Some players deliberately enchanted their weapons with feces, while others dressed in women's clothing to lure isolated Wildfire Gang members. One player even developed a very practical taunt skill during combat, spewing insults at the ancestors of four opponents, creating numerous opportunities for his teammates to flank.

With their unscrupulous tactics, some Wildfire Gang members had begun to resist fighting them.

"You only earn so much a month, why the hell would anyone risk their life? Lose and you die on the spot, win and you're disgusted for life."

Bai Fu once saw a Wildfire Gang member, hit by a flying projectile of feces, kneeling on the ground and vomiting incessantly, tears streaming down his face.

"Too brutal!"

Bai Fu felt a chill run down her spine.

She was very glad she had maintained good relations with the players.

Faced with such unreasonable attacks, even she would find it difficult to cope calmly, especially since she had invested all her points into Constitution and not Agility.

After the lingering fear, Bai Fu keenly realized this was a good opportunity.

When everyone else was reluctant to fight the players, she took the initiative to volunteer for an external mission. If she couldn't gain a wave of favor from the Wildfire Gang with this, she'd write her name backward!

As it turned out, she hadn't miscalculated.

Upon hearing that she had voluntarily applied to confront the players head-on, the Wildfire Gang leader's favorability increased by 21 points, rising from 12 to 33. His attitude shifted from [Impressed] to [Appreciative].

"Good, very good!"

The Wildfire Gang leader was full of relief.

Looking at the determination in Bai Fu's eyes, he couldn't help but recall running under the setting sun that day; it was his lost youth.

Once upon a time, he too was an ambitious young man, but time and tide had turned him into a middle-aged man with hemorrhoids.

It could only be said that outstanding young people like Bai Fu were becoming increasingly rare these days.

Smart, loyal, motivated...

If the Wildfire Gang had more people like Bai Fu, how could they not grow stronger, or even venture out of this forgotten corner of Abandoned Cooling Plant?

"Go find the head of the External Affairs Department; he'll assign you a new task." The Wildfire Gang leader paused, then added, "Your performance these past few days has been excellent. If you have any additional requests, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to satisfy them if I can."

This was an unexpected bonus, and Bai Fu naturally wouldn't be polite.

"Leader, if you say so, I do have a small request. I'd like to borrow some books from the library. I found a child outside, and she's at an age where she needs to learn. I want to..."

The Wildfire Gang leader interrupted her, "No need to say more, I understand your intention. Except for the locked library, you can access all other libraries freely from now on."

He tossed her a card.

Bai Fu quickly took the card and expressed her gratitude.

After two days of grinding in the interrogation room, she had already leveled her Spiritual Apprentice to Lv7. Seeing that she wasn't far from the Lv10 cap, she wanted to check the library for any professional advancement knowledge books to avoid getting stuck at her current level.

After bidding farewell to the Wildfire Gang leader, Bai Fu immediately headed for the library.

Compared to the public library filled with junk, the advanced library had many more useful books.

It contained not only sub-profession knowledge books like The Self-Cultivation of a Chef and Golden Miner, but also main-profession knowledge books like Basic Boxing Techniques and Firearm Assembly.

The only problem was the complete absence of any professional advancement knowledge books. Not only for Spiritual Apprentice, but for any other profession as well.

Is the level cap in the beginner village only Level 10? Or are all the good items hidden in that locked library?

Bai Fu searched around the library for a while, finally finding only a notebook related to psionics. The title of the notebook was absurdly long--

Research Notes: Some Worthless Spiritual Prayer(Author: Freya Egmont)

Bai Fu: "..."

Well, it seemed she hadn't gained anything from this trip.

Bai Fu opened the notebook, unwilling to believe it.

[Do you wish to read Research Notes?]

[Yes]

[You begin reading Research Notes. Low-level Psionics Specialization is active. Your reading speed +10%. Current progress: 0.1%.]

A few minutes later, the progress bar smoothly increased to 100%.

[While reading, you have learned new skills: Power Surge (Inferior), Rate Amplification (Inferior)]

Bai Fu opened her status panel.

[Template]: Normal

[Experience]: 191

[Main Profession]: Spiritual Apprentice Lv7 (0/7500), Unemployed Level 3 (0/1000)

[Sub Profession]: None

[Health]: 220/220

[Spirit Energy]: 55/55

[Attributes]: Strength 5, Agility 3, Constitution 22, Intelligence 3, Spirit 11, Inspiration 11

[Skills]:

Zealotry Lv1, Hardening Lv1, Spiritual Vision, Innate Spirituality Lv1, Low-level Spirit Energy Specialization, Power Surge (Inferior), Rate Amplification (Inferior)

[Talent]: None

[Attribute Points]: 0

[Reputation]: 1

[Faction]: Wildfire Gang (Faction Reputation 20)

Bai Fu's gaze swept over the two newly acquired skills.

Power Surge (Inferior): 10-second cooldown, consumes 20 Spirit Energy to increase Strength by 3, but only lasts for 60 seconds and reduces Stamina by 20%. The cost-effectiveness is extremely low.

It's important to know that Stamina in Above the Stars is closely related to attributes. If Stamina drops to a certain level, attributes will temporarily decrease. At best, it feels like being weakened by a dog's bite; at worst, one might pass out on the spot.

Rate Amplification (Inferior) is even more garbage. It has a 1-second cooldown, consumes 5 Spirit Energy, and its effect is to reduce the duration of the buff from the next active skill used by 50%. Who in their right mind would use a skill to nerf themselves?

"No wonder the notebook was called '<Some Worthless Spiritual Prayer'."

Bai Fu's mouth twitched.

Fortunately, skills in the game don't take up skill slots. Otherwise, learning these two skills would have been a huge loss.

Just as she was about to check if she had missed any other books, she suddenly thought of a problem.

If these two skills were used on herself or a teammate, the effect would be an increase of 3 Strength for 30 seconds, followed by a 20% Stamina deduction after 30 seconds.

However, if used as an offensive skill on an opponent, the skill description would change to: after a 30-second channel, the opponent loses 20% Stamina, but their Strength increases by +3 during the channel.

Considering that Spiritual Apprentice is a fragile class, it's generally impossible for them to use this skill combo on their opponents.

In the early game, a 3-point increase in Strength is not a small amount.

If you use this skill combo on an opponent and they manage to get close, before their Stamina is even reduced, you might get instantly killed because your opponent's Strength has increased by 3.

But Bai Fu didn't have so many worries.

She glanced at her own high Constitution of 22 and smiled with relief. A tanky Spiritual Energy Priest fears nothing!

"At least this trip wasn't in vain."

Bai Fu stood up and put the notebook back in its original place.

She wandered around the library for a few more laps, confirming that there were no other books related to Spirit Energy, before pushing open the door and leaving for the External Affairs Department.

Since the leader of the Wildfire Gang had already informed the External Affairs Department, she was assigned a new mission as soon as she arrived.

[You have triggered a Faction Quest: [Counterattack]]

[Quest Description: In the conflict with the Outsiders, the Wildfire Gang successfully gained the upper hand. However, a considerable number of Wildfire Gang members fell into fear, their hesitant actions dealing a heavy blow to the Wildfire Gang's morale. The head of the External Affairs Department is extremely displeased and has organized a surprise raid against the Outsiders to regain the momentum.]

[Quest Objective: Take advantage of the Outsiders' unpreparedness and raid their temporary stronghold established on the outskirts of the west district of the Abandoned Cooling Plant, and show the might of the Wildfire Gang!]

[Reward: Reward depends on contribution.]

[Accept/Reject]

Bai Fu's eyes flashed.

After being severely beaten by the players' ridiculous actions, has the Wildfire Gang finally made a move?

She clicked accept.

The head of the External Affairs Department tapped the table, "Very good. Go make your preparations. We'll meet here in half an hour to officially begin the operation."

"Half an hour?"

Bai Fu was stunned.

So urgent?

She had originally planned to secretly notify the players and gain some favor, but half an hour wasn't enough time for her to make a round trip. She had to abandon that idea.

She'd complete the mission today and apologize to the players tomorrow.

Bai Fu casually picked up a pair of goggles and a knife from the logistics department and returned to the External Affairs Department.

As everyone began to gather, she saw Cao Wenliang approaching from afar and speaking in hushed tones with the head of the external affairs department.

"Hmm?"

Bai Fu's brow furrowed slightly, and she quickly cast a Spiritual Vision skill at the head of the external affairs department.

[Favorability]: Indifferent (-3)

The number was insignificant, but Bai Fu didn't relax.

Cao Wenliang appearing now, not earlier or later, must mean he had ulterior motives.

"Could he be planning to get rid of me during this operation?"

Bai Fu found it highly probable.

Especially after seeing the people assigned to her group, she became even more convinced.

Out of four people, only one had a positive favorability rating. The highest among the other three was only -25. If they claimed they weren't here on a mission, even ghosts wouldn't believe them.

Bai Fu remained composed.

With a shout of "Move out," she followed the main group towards the temporary stronghold built by the players.

An hour later.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and night descended.

In a ruin in the western district of the Abandoned Cooling Plant, the head of the external affairs department began giving final instructions: "Bai Fu, you and your group are responsible for the west. Once you see my signal, don't hesitate. Charge straight in."

"No problem."

Bai Fu readily agreed, her gaze sweeping over the four people in her group.

Once separated from the main force, wouldn't these people make their move?

She had been killing players for days; it was time for a change of pace. She wondered how much experience these four would drop.

However, events unfolded in a way that truly surprised her.

Even when the signal flare shot into the sky, the four individuals showed no signs of aggression. Instead, after running a short distance, they stopped and reminded her.

"What are you waiting for? If we're late, we'll definitely be punished afterward."

Bai Fu: "..."

Had Cao Wenliang reformed?

Filled with doubt, Bai Fu followed the four towards the player stronghold.

As they charged, she began to notice something was amiss.

The four seemed to be rushing forward, but they were deliberately taking detours. As they weaved, she, charging from behind, ended up at the very front.

Given the situation, she would be the first to reach the players. Whether the other four would follow as they said was uncertain.

"So that's how it is!"

Bai Fu understood instantly.

These people never intended to act themselves. They wanted to use the players to eliminate her!

It was indeed a clever plan. Afterward, during the debriefing, no one would suspect a conspiracy. They would only think she was eager to prove herself, charged too far ahead alone, got separated from her teammates, and ultimately met with tragedy.

Unfortunately, these people had completely underestimated her excellent relationship with the players.

Even if her relationship with the players were only average, with her Constitution, they wouldn't be able to kill her quickly. Their plan would still fall through in the end.

"You like playing games like this, huh?"

Bai Fu couldn't help but smile.

She had been worried about not finding an opportunity to notify the players beforehand. She never expected such a chance to present itself so soon.

How could "attacking the player stronghold first and apologizing later" earn as much favorability as "risking exposure as an undercover agent to warn the players"?

Thank you, Cao Wenliang. If not for you, I wouldn't have found such a "sacrificial" opportunity so easily!

With that thought, Bai Fu accelerated and charged straight into the player stronghold.

Meanwhile, inside the stronghold.

Patrick Star and others were gathered, discussing how to give Cao Wenliang a surprise.

"That old geezer has been bothering Bai Fu constantly. If this continues, Bai Fu's true identity might be exposed. We can't let him go on like this."

"I agree. He was shouting in his stream a few days ago that he wanted to kill all of us."

"I've already found out his address. My suggestion is..."

As they were engaged in a heated discussion, a white figure suddenly leaped over the window frame and landed inside the room.

"Enemy... wait, it's Bai Fu."

Upon recognizing Bai Fu, Calamity Dragon, who was closer, opened her mouth to shout.

"Keep it down!"

Bai Fu quickly reached out and covered her mouth.

All the players in the room were stunned.

Why was Bai Fu here?

"Sister Fu, what's wrong?" Patrick Star asked.

Bai Fu looked around. This time, she completely lost her usual composure and just urged, "There's no time to explain, just pack your things and leave quickly."

Huh?

Digging Princess couldn't help but ask, "Fufu, what exactly is happening?"

Bai Fu gritted her teeth. "I told you there's no time to explain! Just listen to me and leave!"

Patrick Star stood up and shook his head. "Sister Fu, the more you say that, the more we won't leave. It seems like something big has happened. It's easy for us to leave, but what about you? What will happen to you after tipping us off?"

"That's right, that's right. We can't leave."

"Fufu, I'll never let you get hurt for me!"

The players shouted one after another.

Bai Fu stared at them for a long time before finally sighing, "I'm starting to understand why you are qualified to be the legendary heroes."

PS+: This is a combined chapter. Please continue reading. The readership for today and tomorrow is crucial and will determine if we get promoted to the next recommendation tier. Please!

I am very sorry for updating so late again today. I had planned to update at ten o'clock, but I couldn't settle down.

Thanks to 100sp for the reward greater than 175sp.