A Punch Beyond the Limit, This Is Bai Fu!

To prevent Bai Fu from being summoned by Yulia, the Players, Yago, and Xia Shi all brought their full capabilities to bear.

They cast aside all reservations, treating this final stretch of a dozen meters as the battlefield for their decisive stand.

One group of Players threw themselves forward wave after wave, doing everything in their power to stop Bai Fu's advance.

Another group of Players, equally fearless of death, tried every possible method to attack Yulia.

This was the critical moment. If they could cause even the slightest loosening in Yulia's control, Bai Fu might be able to break free.

Under the cover of the Players, Yago refused to be outdone. He loaded the special bullet—originally intended to be saved for a chance to end Yulia's life—directly into his magazine.

There was no time to worry about anything else now. No matter what, they could not let Yulia drag Bai Fu into that underground laboratory. Otherwise, all the sacrifices they had made would be in vain, and the Abandoned Cooling Plant would be unable to escape its fate of being destroyed by the Insect Tide.

For the Abandoned Cooling Plant, for Bai Fu who was still burning herself out despite being controlled, and for all love and justice—charge, damn it!

Yago pulled the trigger. The bullet surged out of the barrel, spinning at high speed, passing through the gaps between the Players, and heading straight for Yulia's head.

Friendship, bonds, and courage merged perfectly in this moment.

Strength, speed, and reaction were released to their absolute limits.

Yago had high hopes for this shot, but he had underestimated Yulia's vigilance.

While controlling the Players and Bai Fu, Yulia had still kept nearly half of her attention on him. The moment she saw him raise his gun, she had already commanded Mutated No. 9 to throw itself in front of her.

BOOM!

A dull explosion rang out. It wasn't Yulia's head that was shattered, but the right leg of Mutated No. 9.

Mutated No. 9 shrieked as it collapsed to the ground, a pool of dark red blood spilling out from beneath it.

Damn it, is it still not enough?

Yago slammed his fist into the ground.

The situation was already so chaotic, so how could that woman still manage the battlefield with such clarity?

As a sniper, this was the first time he had encountered an enemy that countered him so thoroughly. Rather than anger, he felt more of a stifling sense of frustration.

"Fuck!"

This time, it was probably really over.

With only a dozen meters left, no matter how brave the Players were, they couldn't truly stop Bai Fu.

If their only opponent had been Bai Fu, they could have relied on their numbers to drag her back. But Yulia was also controlling a significant number of Players. Harassed by those controlled Players, they could only watch helplessly as Bai Fu, step by step, finally reached Yulia's side after crossing those final meters.

I've won!

Yulia laughed.

The moment Bai Fu walked to her side, the Players who had been acting so aggressively just a moment ago all froze. Even Xia Shi, who had been firing incessantly, didn't dare to make another move.

The rowdy Wildfire Gang fell silent in the span of a single breath.

It was as if the volume on a television playing a horror movie had suddenly been muted to zero; the atmosphere was thick with unease and eeriness.

The only lively places left were the livestream channels opened by the Players present, especially Digging Princess's channel.

[Bai Fu is done for this time.]

[What a pity. I thought Bai Fu had a lot of plot relevance, but I didn't expect her to be written out so soon. This BOSS looks like the real heavyweight.]

[I wouldn't say she has no plot relevance. Bai Fu's words vaguely hinted that her background is extraordinary. I suspect she's just a hook, and there will be a revenge quest later to introduce the faction behind her.]

[Screw you, plot designers! How could you give Fu Fu such an ending? I'm going to lose it!]

[I can't accept this!]

[Digging Princess, say something! You haven't fainted from the shock, have you?]

Digging Princess was indeed devastated.

Seeing that the official team hadn't released any new promotional trailers recently, she had planned to edit a video of Bai Fu herself to promote her. Doing so would not only attract more popularity to her channel but also serve as a roundabout way to strike back at those who had questioned her theories.

But who could have predicted that things would turn out like this?

Now, even if it were proven later that Bai Fu's background was extraordinary, the fact that Bai Fu had kicked the bucket in the Novice Village meant there was a massive hole in her previous theories. She would definitely be hunted down and relentlessly roasted by some people.

Digging Princess was so angry she nearly fainted.

Damn you, plot designers! I finally put my heart into something, and you make me lose this badly? Well, then I can only say: my fate is determined by me, not by the heavens!

Furious, Digging Princess pushed past the crowd of Players and charged straight toward Yulia.

"Holy crap!"

[Holy crap, Digging Princess, what are you doing?]

Players both inside and outside the livestream were shocked by Digging Princess's sudden move, and even Yulia was taken aback.

Is she just handing over her head like that?

"Get back!"

Yago panicked, hurriedly signaling Xia Shi to open fire on Yulia with him.

Several bullets poured out, but Yulia deflected them all with ease.

Fine, since you're in such a rush to throw your life away, I'll just control you along with her.

Yulia's pupils turned silver-white once again. The very moment her attention shifted toward Digging Princess, Bai Fu's heart rate spiked.

This was the perfect opportunity she had been waiting for!

She almost suspected that Digging Princess was a plant she had hired herself; otherwise, how could Digging Princess have coordinated so perfectly?

It was time to strike!

Bai Fu had rehearsed the sequence dozens of times in her mind while walking toward Yulia. Therefore, when the opportunity finally arrived, she felt neither nervous nor flustered. On the contrary, her mind was clearer than ever before.

Step one: Allocate 2 free attribute points into Inspiration, raising it to 15.

[Check successful. You have broken free from the Envoys' control.]

Freedom at last!

Step two: Not the most critical step, but certainly the finishing touch.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Amidst a cry filled with "unwillingness" and "rage," under the astonished gazes of countless Players, as Yago and Xia Shi's eyes widened, and Yulia's heart gave a violent jolt, Bai Fu finally "broke free" from her shackles.

She stepped forward and stomped heavily on the throat of the heavily wounded Mutated No. 9, as if venting the anger she had accumulated from killing so many Players while under control.

The kicks were fast and ruthless.

Accompanied by three high damage numbers—"-18," "-26," and "-25"—Mutated No. 9 breathed its last.

[You have killed No. 9 (Mutated). Contribution: 75.3%. After adjustments based on level difference, you have gained 6024 Experience.]

Step three: Level up Spiritual Apprentice to Level 10. Allocate the 2 extra free attribute points into Strength. With the remaining 2969 Experience, invest it into the Zealotry skill, raising Zealotry from Level 1 to Level 3.

With that, her attributes became—

[Strength 9, Agility 5, Constitution 26, Intelligence 3, Spirit 14, Inspiration 16]

The detailed description of the Zealotry skill also changed—

[Causes a specific body part of the target to enter the Zealotry Level 3 state. Consumes 5 Spiritual Energy per minute while active. Cooldown: 2 seconds.]

Step four: Apply Zealotry Level 3 and Power Surge to herself. Her Strength instantly rose to 12, and her right-fist output increased by 50%!

Then, with all preparations complete, the silver-haired girl stood in the sunset glow. With her delicate frame, burning with rage, she launched herself like a cannonball exceeding its limits, unleashing her endless fury through a single, unstoppable punch.

"Enough!"

Are you watching? This punch is twenty years in the making!

It silenced the clamorous livestream.

It froze the bodies of everyone present.

It shattered Yulia's confident heart.

By the time Yulia realized the problem, it was too late to dodge. Bai Fu was simply too close, and she could only barely twist her body to the side.

"-41"

Critical Hit!

The heavy punch landed squarely on her waist. Her midsection rippled violently under the brutal impact, and she was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string.

The world fell into a dead silence.

Yulia was stunned.

As she flew through the air, she didn't feel pain—only pure, utter disbelief.

She had actually been hit—hit by the very person she was controlling!

For a moment, she suspected she had fallen into a dream.

It wasn't until her body slammed heavily into the stone pillar behind the hidden door, causing the pillar to shake violently, that she jolted back to reality.

This was no time for reflection, anger, or hatred. That woman was rushing toward her again, and Yago had raised his gun the instant he saw her. If she delayed any longer, everyone else would recover their senses.

"Envoys!"

Yulia hurriedly cast her skill on Bai Fu again.

However, this time, Bai Fu didn't even pause for 0.1 seconds. She charged right up to Yulia and landed a second punch directly on her face.

BOOM!

Yulia was sent tumbling backward several times. Just as she steadied herself, Yago fired again. A bullet grazed the wall and pierced her left arm.

"Hiss—"

Yulia gritted her teeth.

As Bai Fu charged at her for the third time, she suddenly pulled an injection vial from her pocket—the exact same one Number Nine had used earlier.

"Stop her!" Yago's expression shifted drastically.

Even a weakened Number Nine had seen a massive boost in strength after mutating. If Yulia successfully mutated, everyone present would be slaughtered.

Xia Shi raised her gun and fired, with Yago following closely behind. The two of them relentlessly forced Yulia to change her positioning. Yulia dodged and weaved, but she could never find the opening to inject the serum.

Just as the stalemate held, Bai Fu arrived before her, unleashing a full-force heavy punch.

Only then did the Players finally snap out of it.

Damn it, counterattack—the counterattack starts now!

"Fu Fu, I'm coming to help you!"

"Go, Bai Fu!"

At this moment, what could be more heart-pounding and moving than seeing Bai Fu break through the skill's control and send the seemingly invincible Yulia flying?

A large group of Players charged toward Yulia.

Driven into a desperate corner, Yulia suddenly opened her mouth, a sharp, piercing shriek erupting from her throat.

Those further away were fine, but those nearby felt as if they had instantly plunged into a quagmire.

[You have suffered a Mental Shock and are now in a Stunned state.]

Now is the time.

Taking advantage of everyone around her being stunned, Yulia turned her head, intent on fleeing.

But Yago, who had been stifled for so long, wasn't about to let her escape so easily. He raised his gun, took aim, and fired—a single shot piercing through Yulia's left calf.

"-19"

Bang!

Her body tilted, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Don't let her get away!"

Yago shouted at the top of his lungs.

In her current state, it seemed she truly couldn't escape. As for verifying the experiment, there was even less time to complete it.

Realizing this, Yulia gave up on running. She rolled over, her face showing neither despair nor anger.

Something's wrong!

Bai Fu heightened her vigilance. When dealing with a skill-based BOSS, you couldn't relax for even a second, or you might find the tables turned when you least expected it.

She noticed Yulia was looking at her.

"Your name is Bai Fu?"

Bai Fu didn't answer, instead gathering her strength, preparing to knock Yulia down with a single punch.

"I don't have any medicine on me to curb the insect tide. Even if you kill me, you won't be able to stop the outbreak. However, there is an induction bait in the laboratory. If you can make good use of it, you might be able to lure the insect tide somewhere else."

"Are you begging for mercy?"

"No." Yulia suddenly smiled, her eyes looking abnormal. "I just hope you can survive—survive until the next time I come looking for you. I'm very interested in you right now. To me, you are the most special one."

Bai Fu felt a chill run down her spine.

She began to suspect that this woman had some peculiar hobbies; otherwise, why would her gaze become so incredibly fervent after being beaten up by her?

What a pervert!

What kind of person is this? No wonder she joined a lunatic organization like The Truth Society.

She rushed up and punched Yulia again.

This time, Yulia didn't resist at all, and was knocked flat on her back by the blow.

After being hit, Yulia seemed even more excited.

How could she not be happy?

Bai Fu had actually broken free of her control purely through anger. This had never happened since she awakened her ability. If there was a chance, she had to capture Bai Fu and study her properly!

After landing three consecutive punches, Bai Fu received a game notification.

[You have killed Yulia (Fake Body). Contribution: 69.2%. After adjustment based on level difference, you have gained 15,224 Experience.]

[You have triggered the quest: [Insect Tide Invasion]]

[Quest Description: The induction bait dumped by No. 9 has attracted the Amoeba Insect Tide. If left unchecked, the Abandoned Cooling Plant will likely be destroyed by the insect tide.]

[Quest Objective: Find a way to stop the impending insect tide at the Abandoned Cooling Plant.]

[Reward: Reward depends on contribution.]

[Accept/Reject]

Seeing the first notification, Bai Fu was startled.

A fake body?

No wonder Yulia's reaction at the end was so strange, and no wonder she hadn't been able to use Spiritual Vision to view Yulia's data. She had truly provoked an incredible monster this time.

However, Bai Fu wasn't too nervous.

She had already made it through the most difficult period, raising her level and popularity. No matter how great the danger Yulia posed, could it be worse than when she first arrived in this world, completely blind to everything?

Rather than worrying about Yulia's revenge, it was better to take a good look at how much loot Yulia had dropped for her this time.

15,224 Experience points was an exaggerated amount, but it clearly wasn't the total; that laboratory definitely held plenty more good things.

Bai Fu didn't hesitate for a second before jumping into the hidden door.

The moment her figure disappeared, the Players outside erupted into loud cheers.

"Awesome! Fu Fu is awesome!"

"Haha, we won!"

"Long live the Fu Sect!"

Digging Princess didn't shout along; instead, she swiftly returned to her livestream.

So, you guys were roasting me and Fu Fu in the chat earlier, huh? Well, this time, I'm definitely going to roast you all back!

[You're right, but this is Fu Fu: an NPC with a mysterious identity, a beautiful face, and overwhelming strength. She possesses a heart of justice and is always thinking of the Players. Even when controlled by the BOSS, she tried her absolute best to resist so she wouldn't hurt the Players. When she saw the Players getting injured by the BOSS, she broke free from that control out of sheer rage to beat the BOSS to a pulp. So~ I~ ask~ you~ who~ else~ is~ there?!]

The livestream chat was silenced by the question.

A few seconds later, the entire virtual screen was filled with [Fu Sect].

PS: Finally made it through to the third round of recommendations! Continuing to beg for your continued readership, everyone.