Bai Fu didn't rush to speak. Instead, she slowly took a few sips of water, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense. Only after the livestream chat had been flooded with "Hurry, hurry, I'm the King of Hurry!" did she finally speak.
"You should still remember what I said that night when you came to my house, right?"
Digging Princess, sitting ramrod straight, couldn't help blushing. She quickly nodded.
Of course she remembered. How could she forget? That night, Bai Fu had even lifted her up high.
Bai Fu set her glass on the coffee table. "To be honest, I didn't really believe the revelation from the Holy Word. The Holy Word isn't always accurate. When I learned that you might be the Undying mentioned in it, my faith in it wavered even more."
Digging Princess: "..."
Wow, she'd just been looked down on!
The players in the livestream chat were about to say something when Bai Fu spoke again.
"Back then, 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 bunch of people who laughed and joked about everything could be the Undying. What happened later proved I was wrong. Maybe you're oddballs, maybe you're only average in strength, but..."
A faint smile, fresh and elegant as jasmine, suddenly appeared on Bai Fu's face. It vanished even faster than it had come, and some players almost thought they'd imagined it.
"Judging by how you performed during the Insect Tide, there's no doubt—you're the true Brave!"
At her words, the players felt as relieved as someone finally letting out a breath they'd been holding for ages.
That felt good!
The players who had taken part in the Insect Tide were especially thrilled. They flooded the chat with tales of their accomplishments.
Bai Fu chuckled to herself.
You little rascals. Did you really think I didn't know how to stir your hearts?
Seeing that the players had all fallen under her spell, she steered the conversation into its next phase.
"I know you want to help me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have followed me all the way from the Abandoned Cooling Plant to here. But I have to pour a bucket of cold water on you."
"Huh?"
Digging Princess had been riding high. She never expected Bai Fu to suddenly say something like that, and her hands clasped together against her will.
"Fu Fu, go ahead."
Bai Fu's expression turned serious. "I admire your courage, but when the gap in strength is absolute, even the greatest courage is useless. It'll only lead to needless sacrifice. Do you understand?"
"I do." Digging Princess paused, then couldn't help asking, "Fu Fu, is the danger you're facing really that bad? I know I'm weak, but Patrick Star, A Fu, and the others are..."
"Hmph. You really don't get it at all!"
Just then, An Ya, who had been playing in the room, suddenly jumped out.
"Huh?" Digging Princess was baffled.
An Ya planted her hands on her hips. "You think Boss is afraid of those bugs, or that ridiculous woman? Boss hasn't recovered from her injuries. Back in her prime, all it would've taken was one thought. Not just those women—even this entire planet..."
"An Ya!"
Bai Fu hurriedly cut her off.
But this time, An Ya refused to listen. "Boss, what's wrong with saying it? You're from the Silent Court..."
She had barely gotten halfway through when Bai Fu brought out her ultimate weapon.
"Do you still want dessert?"
An Ya shrank her neck. "Sorry, I was wrong."
Seeing that, Digging Princess hurried to speak up for her. "Fu Fu, An Ya didn't mean it. Don't be mad at her."
Bai Fu nodded, then suddenly sighed as if to say that kids were hard to handle.
"Don't take what An Ya just said to heart."
Digging Princess wanted to say she wouldn't, but how could she possibly not take it to heart?
She was a UP Master who dug into video game lore for a living. An Ya had only said two sentences, fewer than a hundred words, and neither was even complete—but those words had latched onto her like tentacles.
Here it comes, here it comes! The big reveal is coming!
Now it was all about whether she could handle this huge scoop.
Digging Princess was so excited she felt like she'd just watched Ultraman beat up a monster. The other players in the livestream chat felt much the same.
[Holy crap, holy crap, what did I just hear? Fu Fu's been injured this whole time?]
[Fu Fu's been helping us despite being hurt. I'm crying]
[What are you crying for? Is that what we should be focusing on right now? The key is what An Ya said: "this entire planet." Damn, that's a lot to unpack]
[Right. Did she mean XXX on this planet, or the planet itself?]
[Either way, it means Fu Fu's real strength is extraordinary. But if she meant the latter—holy crap, is Fu Fu an alien?]
[Digging Treasure, did you just dig up a super, super huge hidden quest?]
Digging Princess was thinking the same thing.
Thinking back to how serious Bai Fu had been earlier, and how "arrogant" An Ya had just seemed, she figured there was a ninety percent—or even a hundred percent—chance that Bai Fu was an "alien" who had ended up on Zu Yuan Star. The key lay in the words "Silent Court."
As long as she figured out whether the Silent Court was native to Zu Yuan Star, she'd have her answer.
Of course, even if she did figure that out, she'd only have lifted one thin veil from the countless layers covering Fu Fu's face.
Digging Princess decided to test the waters. She was the first to break the silence that had stretched on for some time.
"Fu Fu, so you've been fighting while injured this whole time?"
Bai Fu shook her head. "Don't worry. Those injuries won't affect what I can do."
Digging Princess changed the subject. "Then... is the Silent Court the organization you belong to?"
Bai Fu fell silent for a long while again. She seemed to be struggling with the question, but in truth she was sneaking glances at the players in the livestream chat, who were scheming out loud.
[Digging Treasure, don't bother trying to dig deeper. There's no way Fu Fu will just come out and tell us]
[Exactly. Who just lays out all the lore right away? Usually you have to finish a whole string of quests, then wait through several major updates before you learn the truth]
[That's how other games work. Above the Stars is different]
[What's different about it?]
[Fu Fu won't say, but An Ya's different. She can't keep a secret, so we can befriend her first and then get the information out of her]
[Hmm, that might actually work?]
The players grew excited.
Bai Fu grew excited too.
Great! It looked like the players had completely taken the bait!
This would also raise An Ya's standing in the players' eyes. Then, even when Bai Fu wasn't around, An Ya would be able to give them orders.
Bai Fu had carefully planned what she'd said today. She'd deliberately used An Ya to reveal that she was injured, filling in a major plot hole.
Once the players accepted that premise, they wouldn't find it strange when her strength increased as fast as a rocket. And later, when the developers gave her another boost, they could make use of it too.
As for the rest of what An Ya had said, it was meant to send the players' imaginations running wild.
She wasn't afraid they'd come up with an identity for her that was too impressive. She was only afraid they wouldn't imagine enough.
Even if the players eventually figured out that she wasn't an "alien," Bai Fu wouldn't be worried.
After all, An Ya hadn't finished what she was saying. Bai Fu could explain it however she wanted.
"This entire planet" could be expanded into "this planet will explode too," or "even the strongest people on this planet will die." How she explained it would depend on how things unfolded and what direction the developers chose for her upgrades.
"Some things aren't that I don't want to tell you. I just can't." Bai Fu said, "Knowing even those names would bring endless nightmares down on you. If you really want to help me and become heroes who save the world, then with your current strength, the most important thing is to grow stronger through experience."
So she still hadn't gotten a straight answer from Fu Fu?
Digging Princess had just started to feel disappointed when, the next moment, a pleasant surprise appeared.
"Boss, they're not completely useless, are they? At least here, if they get just a little stronger, they can help us find that thing." An Ya poked her head out.
Nicely done, An Ya!
Digging Princess eagerly chimed in. "Yeah, yeah!"
Bai Fu stared at Digging Princess for a long while before speaking. "How about this? Once you've improved a little more and reached the Advanced Class threshold, we'll talk. Otherwise, even if you're Undying, it'll still be too dangerous."
She secretly gestured for An Ya to keep going.
"Exactly. Reaching the Advanced Class threshold should be enough."
As soon as An Ya, the faction quartermaster, finished speaking, Digging Princess realized she'd triggered a quest—
[Improve Your Strength]
The quest's reward was ordinary: only 1,000 experience points and 5 faction reputation. But Digging Princess still jumped up in excitement. This was her ticket to getting closer to the real Fu Fu! So what if the reward was small? She'd do it even with no reward at all!
"Haha, I triggered a que—"
Halfway through her jump, she awkwardly sat back down.
Stay calm, stay calm. Fu Fu was still sitting right across from her.
[Damn it, I'm so jealous. Digging Treasure is really ahead of everyone now]
[Don't rush. I'll reach Lynn the day after tomorrow. We'll see who unlocks an Advanced Class first]
The players in the livestream chat were all fired up.
Just as that player had said, it was still anyone's game. Digging Princess had been the first to reach Lynn and the first to get a quest from Bai Fu, but she was only level 7—and she was terrible at action games. There was no guarantee she'd unlock an Advanced Class before the players who arrived later.
For a moment, nearly every player at the Abandoned Cooling Plant was eager to give it a try. Even the Iron Rain Guild, which planned to join the Truth Society, was no exception.
Sword Aura Piercing Sky's thinking was clear. They still had to make contact with the Truth Society before they could join it. Until then, his plan was to do what the other players were doing and stick close to Bai Fu.
But he wasn't interested in raising Bai Fu's Favorability. What he really wanted was to gather more information about her and use it as a token of loyalty when he joined the Truth Society.
[Let's go, let's go!]
[I'll climb up one step at a time, surpass Digging Princess, and become the player closest to Fu Fu!]
[I'm not sleeping tonight. I'm grinding!]
Seeing that she'd managed to get the players fired up, Bai Fu finally relaxed.
She was now tied to these players. The faster they leveled up, the faster she could level up with their help.
The Truth Society wanted to assassinate me, huh?
When the time came, she'd bring tens of thousands of players with Advanced Classes and show them what true terror looked like!
"It's getting late. Get some rest. I'll be heading back."
Bai Fu stood up.
Digging Princess wanted to ask her to stay the night, but Bai Fu politely declined.
What a shame, though it was only to be expected.
As they were saying goodbye, An Ya stole a glance at Digging Princess and saw that she was still grinning foolishly.
Poor Digging Princess thought she'd scored a huge win. In reality, Boss had her wrapped around her little finger.
I, An Ya, am Boss's true favorite!
An Ya held her head high and followed Bai Fu.
After leaving the inn, Bai Fu eagerly opened the community forum.
Sure enough, players were already analyzing her identity. The most eye-catching post was titled—
<I Suspect Bai Fu Is Actually the Final Boss of Above the Stars!>
"???"
Bai Fu's head filled with question marks.
She'd worked so hard to completely break her ties to the Wildfire Gang so the players wouldn't treat her like a villain. And now you were slapping a Final Boss label on her?
She clicked the post to see what brilliant insight the player had.
As it turned out, the post contained no analysis at all. The player had spent the whole time comparing Bai Fu to a character from another game.
[When I played another game, there was a very special NPC in the Novice Village. She was as pretty as Fu Fu, cared about the players just as much, and was just as mysterious. In the end, after finishing a whole string of quests, the players found out she was a legendary Apostle, and even the final boss of the game! So, I boldly conclude...]
[Conclude what? Get lost]
As expected, the post got roasted. But it also became a hit, just as expected.
The player who posted it had been talking nonsense the whole time, unlike Digging Princess, who used dialogue and lore to support her theories. Still, the idea that Bai Fu might be the final boss hit the sweet spot for a lot of players.
A white-haired final boss? I'm in!
[If Fu Fu really is the final boss, I'll be the first to join her]
[You think you can claim first place? I'm first]
Bai Fu's lips twitched.
She didn't want to be any kind of boss. Unless it was the kind of boss that didn't show a health bar.
She'd wait a little longer and see if the players came up with any useful ideas. If they did, she'd copy them directly.
No, wait. When it came to gaming, it wasn't called copying. It was giving the players what they wanted!
Bai Fu soon brought An Ya back to the area near Xia Shi's place, but she stopped as soon as they reached the stairs.
The lights were off inside. Was Xia Shi not home?
She looked into the darkness again. The few agents Fourth Division Chief Lu Yuelin had sent to protect her were nowhere to be seen either.
Something was clearly wrong.
Bai Fu had never been reluctant to assume the worst of any unusual situation she encountered.
A few seconds later, she heard footsteps in the hallway, along with the crackle of a walkie-talkie.
"I didn't find anything on my end. Hurry up over there."
Then a fully armed man emerged 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 smile soon spread across his face.
"Well, this is an unexpected bonus. You offended the Truth Society, so you deserve to die here tonight."
So the Truth Society had sent assassins after her after all.
Bai Fu was a little worried about Xia Shi's safety, but now wasn't the time to focus on that. She pressed a hand against her thigh, where her gun was holstered.
"An Ya, get behind me."
Now was the perfect time to test how much stronger she'd become after unlocking her Advanced Class!
PS: Thanks to z初 and 琳王之羽 for the tips. This is probably the last round of recommendations before the book goes paid, so please keep reading! For the next few days, please check out the new chapters as soon as they're posted.
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