Shock! The True Identity of Bai Fu

Bai Fu did not rush to speak. Instead, she took a few slow sips of water, intentionally building suspense. Only after the livestream chat was flooded with "Hurry, hurry, I am the King of Hurry" did she finally open her mouth.

"You should still remember what I said that night when you all came to my house, right?"

Digging Princess, who had been sitting upright, felt her face flush and hurriedly nodded.

She remembered. How could she forget? That night, she had even been "lifted high" by Bai Fu.

Bai Fu placed her water glass on the coffee table. "To be honest, I didn't really believe in that Holy Word revelation. The Holy Word was never one hundred percent accurate to begin with, and after learning that you were likely the Undying mentioned in the prophecy, my trust in it wavered even more."

Digging Princess: "..."

Good grief, she was being looked down upon!

The Players in the livestream were just about to say something when Bai Fu spoke again.

"At the time, it was hard for me to imagine that there wasn't just one Undying, but a whole group of them. It was even harder to imagine that a group of people who liked to giggle and joke about everything could be the Undying. Later events proved that I was wrong. Perhaps your temperaments are eccentric, or perhaps your strength is mediocre, but..."

A fresh, elegant smile, like a Jasmine flower, suddenly appeared on Bai Fu's face. It came and went so quickly that some Players almost thought they had misread it.

"Judging by your performance during the Insect Tide, there is no doubt that you are the true heroes!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Players felt as relieved as if they had finally let out a long-held breath.

Awesome!

Especially those who had participated in the Insect Tide event; they were going crazy with joy, constantly sharing their combat achievements in the chat.

Bai Fu chuckled to herself.

Little things, did you really think I wouldn't know how to stir your fluttering hearts?

Seeing that the Players had fallen into her grasp one after another, she pushed the topic into a new phase.

"I know you really want to help me, otherwise you wouldn't have chased me all the way here from the Abandoned Cooling Plant, but I must pour a bucket of cold water on you."

"Huh?"

Digging Princess had been so happy that she never expected Bai Fu to suddenly blurt out such a thing. Her hands clasped together uncontrollably.

"Tell me, Fu Fu."

Bai Fu's expression turned serious. "I admire your courage, but in the face of an absolute gap in strength, no amount of courage will help. It will only lead to meaningless sacrifice. Do you understand this principle?"

"I understand." Digging Princess paused, then couldn't help but ask, "Is the predicament you're facing really that dangerous? Although I'm a noob, the strength of Patrick Star, A-Fu, and the others..."

"Hmph, I see you completely don't get it!"

Just then, An Ya, who had been playing in the room, suddenly jumped out.

"Huh?" Digging Princess looked confused.

An Ya put her hands on her hips. "Do you think Boss is afraid of those bugs, or that woman who doesn't know her place? It's just that Boss's injuries haven't fully healed yet. Back in Boss's prime, with just a single thought, let alone them, even this entire planet..."

"An Ya!"

Bai Fu quickly stepped out to stop her.

But this time, An Ya suddenly became disobedient. "Boss, what's wrong with saying it? You are, after all, of the Silent Court..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Bai Fu pulled out her trump card.

"Do you still want your dessert or not?"

An Ya shrank her neck. "I'm sorry, I was wrong."

Seeing this, Digging Princess quickly stepped in to help smooth things over. "Fu Fu, An Ya didn't mean it. Don't be angry."

Bai Fu nodded, then suddenly let out a long sigh, as if to say that children were hard to manage.

"Don't take what An Ya just said to heart."

Digging Princess really wanted to say okay, but how could she not take it to heart!

She was an UP Master who specialized in digging into game lore. Although An Ya had only said two sentences—less than a hundred words, and incomplete at that—those words had grabbed her like tentacles.

It's here, it's here, the big reveal is coming!

Now it was just a matter of whether she could handle this massive scoop.

Digging Princess was currently as excited as if she had seen Ultraman beating up a monster with her own eyes, and the other Players in the live stream were much the same.

[Holy crap, holy crap, what did I just hear? So Fu Fu has been injured this whole time?]

[Fu Fu has been helping us while nursing her injuries? I'm crying.]

[Cry your head off, is this the time for that? The point is what An Ya said: "this entire planet." Damn, the amount of information in that one sentence is huge.]

[Exactly. Was she going to say something about someone on this planet, or the planet itself?]

[Either way, it shows that Fu Fu's true strength is extraordinary. But if it's the latter, f*ck, is Fu Fu an alien?]

[Digging Treasure, don't tell me you've dug up a super, super massive hidden quest?]

Digging Princess actually thought so too.

Thinking back to Bai Fu's seriousness earlier, as well as An Ya's "arrogant" demeanor just now, she felt there was a ninety, maybe even a hundred percent chance that Bai Fu was an "alien" stranded on Zu Yuan Star. The key lay in the term "Silent Court."

As long as she could figure out whether the Silent Court was an organization native to Zu Yuan Star, she would have her answer.

Of course, even figuring this out was merely peeling back a thin layer from the thousands of veils covering Fu Fu's face.

Digging Princess decided to test the waters, taking the initiative to break the dead silence that had persisted for quite a while.

"Fu Fu, were you fighting while injured this whole time?"

Bai Fu shook her head. "Don't worry, those minor injuries won't affect my actions."

Digging Princess changed the subject. "Then... is that Silent Court the organization you belong to, Fu Fu?"

This question made Bai Fu fall silent for a long time. She appeared to be struggling, but in reality, she was secretly watching the Players in the livestream channel plotting loudly.

[Digging Treasure, don't waste your effort digging deep. How could Fu Fu possibly confess something like that?]

[Indeed, no one reveals their entire backstory right off the bat. Usually, you have to complete a series of quests and go through several major version updates before you find out the truth.]

[That's other games. Above the Stars is different.]

[What's so different about it?]

[Fu Fu won't talk, but An Ya is different. Her lips aren't exactly sealed. We can build a good relationship with her first and then pry the information out of her.]

[Hiss, it actually seems like there's a real chance of success?]

A group of Players grew excited.

Bai Fu grew excited as well.

Very good. It seemed these Players had taken the bait completely!

With this, An Ya's status in the eyes of the Players would rise significantly. Even when she wasn't around, An Ya would be able to command these Players.

The words Bai Fu had spoken today were meticulously designed. She had intentionally used An Ya's mouth to claim she was in a constant state of injury, all to fill a massive plot hole.

Once the Players accepted this setting, they wouldn't find it strange that her strength was improving like a rocket. Furthermore, whenever the developers gave her a buff in the future, they could use this as a justification.

As for the things An Ya had said later, that was intentionally meant to lead the Players into wild speculation.

She wasn't afraid that the Players would invent an identity for her that was too overpowered; she was only afraid that their imaginations wouldn't be wild enough.

Even if the Players eventually discovered she wasn't the "alien" Bai Fu, she wouldn't be worried.

Regardless, An Ya's words hadn't been complete, so they could be explained in any way she chose.

"This planet" could be expanded to "this planet will also explode," or it could be expanded to "the top powerhouses on this planet will also die." As for how it would ultimately be explained, that would depend on her future development and the direction of the buffs the developers gave her.

"There are some things I don't want to hide from you, but things I cannot tell you," Bai Fu said. "Merely knowing those names would bring endless nightmares upon you. With your current strength, if you truly want to help me and truly want to become the heroes who save the world, the best thing you can do is improve yourselves through training."

As expected, no direct answer from Fu Fu?

Digging Princess was just feeling a bit dejected when, the next moment, a pleasant surprise popped up.

"Boss, actually, they aren't completely useless. At the very least, here, if their strength was just a little bit higher, they could help us find that thing," An Ya said, poking her head out.

Well done, An Ya!

Digging Princess excitedly chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, exactly!"

Bai Fu stared at Digging Princess for a long while before saying, "How about this: when your strength improves a bit more and reaches the advanced level, we can talk again. Otherwise, even if you are an Undying, it's just too dangerous."

She secretly made a gesture signaling An Ya to keep talking.

"That's right, reaching the advanced level should be about enough."

As soon as An Ya, the faction Quartermaster, finished speaking, Digging Princess realized she had triggered a quest—

[Improve Strength]

The reward for this quest was quite ordinary, only 1,000 Experience points and 5 points of faction reputation, but Digging Princess still jumped up in excitement. This was the stepping stone to interacting with the real Fu Fu! Who cares if the rewards are small? She would do it even if there were no rewards at all!

"Haha, I triggered a quest..."

Halfway through her jump, she awkwardly sat back down.

Calm down, calm down. Fu Fu is still sitting right across from you.

[Damn it, I'm so jealous. Digging Treasure is really ahead of everyone this time.]

[Don't rush. I'll arrive at Lynn the day after tomorrow. It's hard to say who will unlock the advanced class first by then.]

The Players in the livestream were all fired up.

Just as the aforementioned Player said, it was still unknown who would emerge victorious. Digging Princess was indeed the first to arrive at Lynn and the first to receive a quest from Bai Fu, but she was only level 7 and terrible at action games. It wasn't guaranteed that she would unlock an advanced class before the other Players who arrived later.

For a moment, almost all the Players at the Abandoned Cooling Plant were eager to try. Even the Iron Rain Guild, which was preparing to defect to The Truth Society, was no exception.

Sword Aura Piercing Sky's thoughts were clear: if they wanted to join The Truth Society, they had to make contact with them first. Until then, his plan was to hover around Bai Fu just like the other Players.

However, he wasn't interested in grinding Favorability with Bai Fu. He mainly wanted to gather as much intelligence on her as possible, which he would then use as a bargaining chip when joining The Truth Society.

[Charge, charge, charge!]

[I'm going to climb up step by step, surpass Digging Princess, and become the Player closest to Fu Fu!]

[Not sleeping tonight! I'm going to grind!]

Seeing that the Players' enthusiasm had been stirred up, Bai Fu finally felt at ease.

She was now bound to this group of Players. The faster these Players leveled up, the faster her own level could increase with their help.

So, The Truth Society wants to assassinate me, is that it?

When the time comes, I'll bring tens of thousands of Players who have reached high-level classes and show you what true terror in this world really looks like!

"It's getting late. You should get some rest; I'm heading back now."

Bai Fu stood up.

Digging Princess wanted to ask her to stay, suggesting that Bai Fu just sleep there, but Bai Fu politely declined.

A pity, but that was normal.

As they parted ways, An Ya snuck a glance at Digging Princess and noticed she was still grinning foolishly.

Poor Digging Princess, she thought she had gained such a huge advantage, when in reality, she was being played in the palm of the Boss's hand.

I, An Ya, am the one who is truly the Boss's favorite!

An Ya held her head high and puffed out her chest as she followed behind Bai Fu.

After leaving the inn, Bai Fu couldn't wait to open the community forum.

Sure enough, there were already Players in the community analyzing her identity, and the most prominent post among them was—

<I suspect Bai Fu is actually the final BOSS of Above the Stars!>

"???"

There were a lot of question marks over Bai Fu's head.

I've been busy for so long, finally managing to completely sever my ties with the Wildfire Gang and avoid being targeted by Players as a villain, and you just go and slap a "final BOSS" label on me?

She clicked on it, wanting to see what kind of "brilliant insights" this Player had.

In reality, the post contained no analysis at all, as the Player spent the entire time comparing her to another game.

[When I played another game before, there was a very special NPC in the Novice Village. She was just as beautiful as Fu Fu, just as concerned about the Players as Fu Fu, and just as mysterious as Fu Fu. In the end, after completing a series of quests, the Players discovered she was a legendary Apostle, or even the final BOSS of the game! Therefore, I boldly conclude...]

[Conclude your head]

Unsurprisingly, the post was getting roasted, but just as unsurprisingly, it had gone viral.

Although the Player who posted it was just talking nonsense the whole time—unlike Digging Princess, who used dialogue and settings to verify her theories—the conjecture that Bai Fu was the final BOSS still hit the sweet spot for many Players.

A white-haired big BOSS? I'm in!

[If Fu Fu really is the final BOSS, I'll be the first to defect to her side.]

[You think you're going to be first? I'm the first.]

Bai Fu's lips twitched.

She had no desire to be some kind of BOSS, unless it was the type that didn't need to display a health bar.

She would wait a little longer to see if the Players came up with any useful settings. If they did, she planned to just copy them directly.

No, wait—how could it be called copying when it came to playing games? This was called fulfilling the Players' expectations!

Bai Fu and An Ya quickly returned to the vicinity of Xia Shi's residence, but she stopped the moment she reached the stairwell.

The lights weren't on inside. Was Xia Shi not home?

She glanced into the shadows. The agents sent by Fourth Division Chief Lu Yuelin to protect her were also gone.

This was clearly suspicious.

Bai Fu had never been one to shy away from assuming the worst when it came to unusual situations.

A few seconds later, she heard footsteps in the hallway, accompanied by the static of a walkie-talkie.

"I haven't found anything on my end. Hurry it up on your side."

Following this, a fully armed man stepped out from the side.

"Hm? Bai Fu?"

The man clearly hadn't expected to run into Bai Fu here. He froze for a moment, but a grin quickly spread across his face.

"What a pleasant surprise. You offended The Truth Society; you deserve to die here tonight."

So, the assassins from The Truth Society had arrived after all.

Bai Fu felt a twinge of worry for Xia Shi's safety, but now was not the time to focus on that. She pressed her hand against her thigh, where a pistol was holstered.

"An Ya, get behind me."

Now was the perfect time to test just how much her strength had increased after unlocking her advanced class!

PS: Thanks to z Chu and Lin Wang Zhi Yu for the tips. This should be the last round of recommendations before the book goes live. I humbly ask for your continued readership; please try to read the new chapters promptly over the next few days.