[Brother Jian, I've found where that assassin is hiding.]
A player from the Iron Rain Guild crouched in a corner and shared his location with Sword Aura Piercing Sky.
[Well done!]
Sword Aura Piercing Sky was beaming.
He'd been a little worried that the guild members wouldn't be able to keep up with the assassin. Even if they did lose him along the way, their performance tonight would still have earned them a huge boost to Bai Fu's Favorability.
But who didn't like doing a job as thoroughly as possible?
Now that they'd successfully found the assassin's hiding place, Bai Fu probably wouldn't just see them as trustworthy followers anymore. She'd see them as promising young braves.
[Find a way inside and take a few pictures.]
Sword Aura Piercing Sky immediately gave his final instruction.
As soon as he sent the message, the player crouched in the corner felt a sudden sense of dread.
Wait, why had it suddenly gotten so dark?
The player jerked his head up, only to find that the assassin he'd been following had appeared in front of him at some point.
"Holy shit!"
He tried to dodge, but the assassin had already punched him in the face. The impact sent him crashing into the wall, and before he could recover, the assassin had locked an arm around his neck.
"You actually dared to follow me. You've got some nerve. But unfortunately, you won't be leaving with the information you just gathered."
The assassin had been watching him from the shadows for quite a while. He'd confirmed that the follower had no communication device on him. That meant that if he killed him, he could cover up the mistake he'd made by letting himself be seen earlier.
"Tell me what your relationship with Bai Fu is, and who Bai Fu really is. I'll make your death quick. Otherwise... want to find out what it feels like to have your nose twisted around like the dial on a washing machine?"
The assassin grinned cruelly.
But to the player, everything he did was just an act.
"Dumbass. You think I scare easy? I'm not ashamed of my name, and I don't change my identity! I'm Wolong and Fengchu of the Iron Rain Guild. Just wait—give it a couple of days, and the Iron Rain Guild will send you on your way!"
The assassin's veins bulged on his forehead as he flew into a rage. He snapped the player's neck.
Damn, why were young people these days all so hotheaded? They'd rather die than miss a chance to run their mouths.
He dragged the player's body back into the house.
"I asked him. He wouldn't say anything. All he said was that he was from the tie_yu Guild and went by Wolong and Fengchu."
"The tie_yu Guild? Why does that sound so much like the Railroad Guild? Could Bai Fu be a Railroad Guild agent?"
Li Cheng's expression darkened.
No matter what, he'd remember that name and the face he'd seen earlier. If those bastards hadn't shown up, Bai Fu wouldn't have gotten away tonight. He needed to find a way to send this information back to the Truth Society as soon as possible.
But before that, there was something else he needed to do.
"Go treat your wounds. Your mission failed, but I'll still pay you part of your fee."
Was this for real?
The assassin beamed and thanked him repeatedly. He let his guard down and went inside to get the medical kit. But he'd barely walked a few steps when Li Cheng suddenly appeared behind him and slammed a hammer into the back of his head.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After three blows, the assassin was completely still.
Li Cheng dragged away the bodies of both the assassin and the player and buried them. Then he went back inside and cleaned up the blood. His expression never changed throughout.
He didn't know whether the assassin might expose him. He only knew that the dead were the best at keeping secrets. That way, no one would ever find out that he'd ordered the assassination tonight.
"I can't let Bai Fu keep meeting with the Fourth Division. I have to capture her as soon as possible and find out who she really is!"
Thinking about what had happened tonight made Li Cheng's blood boil again. He decided to take a risk and personally deliver Bai Fu a surprise during the next operation.
[You completed the special mission [Shadow of Truth] and received 30,000 XP, 15 Zu Yuan Star Reputation, and the title [Shadow of Truth].]
While waiting for the player who'd followed the assassin, Bai Fu received a game notification.
Including the two assassins she'd taken out earlier, she'd earned a total of 40,885 XP that night.
More than the XP, what interested her was the title she'd just received.
[Shadow of Truth]: All stats +2, Psychic Energy +30, +10% damage dealt to members of the Truth Society faction, +20 Favorability when interacting with hostile factions of the Truth Society
[Note]: You have become a shadow looming over the Truth. Given the chance, the Truth Society will stop at nothing to kill you.
Although [Shadow of Truth] had fewer bonuses than half of the [Poison Healer] title's, it still easily outclassed the [Wildfire] title she'd received earlier. Those 12 stat points alone were worth more than two levels.
Now that was what a normal title's bonuses should look like!
After equipping Shadow of Truth and leveling up once more, her character panel underwent a major overhaul.
[Main Class]: Spiritual Energy Priest Lv3 (+10), Unemployed Lv5 (Max Level), Gunslinger Lv5 [Secondary Class]: None [Health]: 1050/1050 [Psychic Energy]: 165/165 [Stats]: Strength 13, Agility 15, Constitution 51, Intelligence 8, Spirit 21, Inspiration 27 [Skills]: Omitted [Talent]: Luck [Titles]: Wildfire, Shadow of Truth [Reputation]: 18 (Zu Yuan Star)
Seeing that even her lowest stat, Intelligence, was about to break 10, Bai Fu felt like she'd just downed a bottle of ice-cold soda on a scorching summer day.
Refreshing!
Sure, getting stronger had made her the Truth Society's sworn enemy, but they were already at odds. What did she have to worry about? The best response was to do everything she could to grow stronger.
Bai Fu felt that even if she stood still and let the psychic-powered female assassin stab her, she'd have a hard time getting hurt. As for ordinary firearms, they had no chance of harming her.
Her incredible durability had come at the cost of attack power, but that wasn't a big deal.
Her strength couldn't be measured by her alone. She had a whole group of players at her command. They weren't very strong yet, but a few dozen or even a hundred players opening fire on the same target was more than most people could handle.
Just then, Bai Fu received another game notification.
[Based on your performance in the [Shadow of Truth] mission, you unlocked the story mission [The Truth Unknown].]
[Mission Description: For a hundred years, the Truth Society has been a phantom drifting above Zu Yuan Star. No one knows what truth they seek, but the terror they've brought to the world is etched into the blood of every person on Zu Yuan Star. Even a phantom so hard to grasp can be troubled by shadows. Now, you have become one of those shadows. Will you flee in panic or fight back? The choice is yours!]
[Mission Objective: Destroy the Truth Society! (Current Contribution Points: 0%)]
[Reward: Depends on your Contribution Points from damaging the Truth Society.]
[Accept/Decline]
Was this the follow-up mission mentioned in the note for Shadow of Truth?
The mission objective was to destroy the Truth Society. There was nothing to think about. Accept!
To Bai Fu's surprise, destroying the Truth Society wasn't a main story mission. It seemed the main story of Zu Yuan Star was buried deeper than she'd imagined.
As Bai Fu was thinking this over, Sword Aura Piercing Sky hurried over. "Sister Bai, my people found where the assassin's hiding. Unfortunately, he didn't get a picture of the person who met with the assassin, but don't worry. I'll find out who it was soon."
He gave Bai Fu the address.
Bai Fu looked pleased and began praising them. "You've already done very well. To be precise, you gave me a huge surprise tonight. I never expected you to drive off those assassins without my help. At the rate you're growing, you might really be able to make the Holy Word come true."
Sword Aura Piercing Sky smiled modestly. Stay calm, stay calm. Becoming some kind of brave wasn't his goal.
Digging Princess and the others were grinning from ear to ear. Fu Fu had praised them again!
Convert to My Fu stole a glance at Sword Aura Piercing Sky.
When Bai Fu had praised them, she'd kept her eyes on Sword Aura Piercing Sky. That made him silently vow that next time, he'd do even better than Sword Aura Piercing Sky.
Digging Princess was the head of publicity for the Fu Sect. Convert to My Fu figured he should at least become a great general under Sword Aura Piercing Sky to live up to his name.
Time to step it up!
Bai Fu paused, then deliberately made a vague remark. "Anyway, with your help, I'm more confident than ever that I can find a way to leave this place."
She hadn't said where "this place" was, but the players had already imagined that she was an alien. So they naturally assumed she meant Zu Yuan Star.
[I get it!]
Digging Princess shouted excitedly in the squad chat.
[I knew it! Fu Fu's an alien, so she shouldn't have any ties to Zu Yuan Star's natives. Why would she suddenly go to the Abandoned Cooling Plant to investigate the Truth Society? She was looking for a way to leave Zu Yuan Star. And now it seems the Truth Society has that way.]
Sword Aura Piercing Sky couldn't help breathing faster.
He completely agreed with Digging Princess. For one thing, it made sense. For another, none of Digging Princess's guesses about Bai Fu had been wrong since the game's public launch.
At the thought, he could barely contain his excitement.
He'd made the right choice joining the Truth Society. Not only could he lead his guild in monopolizing a huge number of missions, but if he got lucky, he might find a way into space before all the other players.
Get ahead once, and you stay ahead.
Damn, Digging Princess and Bai Fu really were his lucky stars!
For a moment, Sword Aura Piercing Sky even felt that using Bai Fu's information as a bargaining chip to join the Truth Society had been a little low.
It was just a game. No need to overthink it. What mattered was making the Iron Rain Guild's name known!
"The Fourth Division should be here soon. To avoid trouble, you should all hide for now. I'll come find you when I have time."
At Bai Fu's urging, all the players present left happily.
Tonight, they'd not only earned Bai Fu's trust, but also raked in a huge amount of XP. Even the lowest-level player could unlock an Advanced Class now.
Unlocking an Advanced Class would let them unlock new missions, and they were looking forward to seeing what Bai Fu would ask them to do next.
Bai Fu waited in place for more than ten minutes. Just as she'd expected, the Fourth Division arrived quickly. Xu Hong led them, and Xia Shi was with the group.
"Why did you come here alone?" Xu Hong demanded as soon as he saw her.
Bai Fu didn't answer. She simply pointed at the three bodies on the ground.
Xu Hong turned around. When he saw the female assassin, half of whose face had been smashed in, he was struck speechless.
"You..."
"Holy crap, isn't that Shadow Woman?"
"The captain nearly died by her hand last time, but now... Bai Fu did this?"
More than a dozen agents turned to face Bai Fu.
If they'd merely been surprised and impressed when they saw Bai Fu take out three assassins last time, now they looked at her as if she were a monster.
This was a psychic-powered person, someone who'd even given Xu Hong a hard time. And yet she was lying there like a discarded rag.
Brutal.
Absolutely brutal.
"Who exactly are you?" Xu Hong asked again, his voice trembling.
Just a passing Kamen Rider!
Of course, Bai Fu couldn't answer that. Instead, she said, "I sensed them when I went to search the Dark Web safehouse. I don't like being watched, so I deliberately let my guard down to draw them out. I'm sorry for worrying you."
No, why were you apologizing? All I want to know is what kind of immortal you are!
Xu Hong screamed inwardly.
Bai Fu smiled. "As for who I really am, I'm Bai Fu, and Bai Fu is me. There's no need to doubt that. The Truth Society wants me dead, so my goal is to bury them. I think we can work together on that."
Xu Hong slowly composed himself. "What happened here is a little beyond what I can make sense of. The Division Chief may have some questions for you. I hope you'll cooperate."
Bai Fu nodded. She had some questions of her own.
On the way to the Fourth Division, she chatted with Xia Shi now and then. She mainly asked about Xia Shi's mechanical engineering skills because she wanted to order some equipment from her.
If she could, Bai Fu would have liked to recruit Xia Shi outright and make her the merchant and mechanics class instructor for the Silent Court. But given the situation, the odds of success were probably less than one percent.
It was a shame. Her Charm was high, but most of the time, it only worked on players. There was no way to make an NPC bow down to her.
Before long, Bai Fu arrived at the Fourth Division.
The Fourth Division stayed up all night. Everyone was discussing the information they'd found at the Dark Web safehouse and the name Bai Fu.
Bai Fu sat calmly in a chair. She couldn't tell who had ordered the assassins to kill her, but it didn't matter. The players would tell her soon enough.
The next morning, Digging Princess brought her some intelligence—
Li Cheng.
So it was you!
The balance between the shadows and the light had completely shifted.
"Killing him should trigger a hidden mission reward and earn a huge amount of Favorability with the Gene Primordial, right?"
Bai Fu was full of anticipation.
She didn't have clear evidence, so she wasn't in a hurry to make a move. Instead, she planned to let Li Cheng strike first, so he couldn't turn the tables and accuse her.
Given the current situation, Li Cheng wouldn't be able to sit still. If they waited much longer, the Fourth Division would send her to Haidu, the Gene Primordial's capital. By then, Li Cheng wouldn't be able to make a move even if he wanted to.
The Fourth Division investigated all night. Since they couldn't find anything in the Dark Web database, and the Makarov Family was putting pressure on the Intelligence Bureau, they had no choice but to release the Dark Web people for now.
With their release, and Lynn's Dark Web coming back online, word spread that Bai Fu had once again defeated assassins hired by the Truth Society, including the fairly well-known Shadow Woman.
At that moment, the Dark Web's attention was focused on Bai Fu.
"The Truth Society hasn't taken a hit this bad in a while, has it?"
"Interesting, interesting. Whose commander is this Bai Fu?"
"The Gene Primordial's agents have egg on their faces. Those assassins even needed Bai Fu to come out and deal with them personally."
"I bet the Truth Society's chairman is fuming right now."
The gossips gave Bai Fu a nickname—
White Death!
A white shadow had slapped the overconfident Truth Society twice in a row. If the Truth Society didn't do something about it, everyone was going to look down on them.
Would White Death become the Truth Society's nightmare, or would the Truth Society make White Death die? Place your bets, place your bets!
"If I win, will the money really hit my account?" Bai Fu asked Xia Shi, who was sweeping the floor.
"Of course. Why wouldn't it?"
"Help me place a bet. Bet that I'll teach the Truth Society a lesson soon."
There was no reason to pass up free money. Bai Fu opened her wallet and had Xia Shi, who had an account on the Dark Web, place a test bet of 50,000 Credit Coins for her.
She wanted to buy a custom bulletproof car and order a set of Power Armor for An Ya. The 200,000 Credit Coins she'd saved still wouldn't cover the cost.
Luckily, the Truth Society was a "charity organization." Not only did they give her XP, they'd also brought her a chance to make money.
"Amitabha, the Truth is the Way!"
Bai Fu thanked him from the bottom of her heart.
Meanwhile, back at the other branch of the story.
At the same time, Sword Aura Piercing Sky called all the members of the Iron Rain Guild together for a new meeting.
Now that he had gained Bai Fu's trust and learned her goal, it was time to use what they had gained last night to put all the guild members' doubts to rest and move their work on to the next stage.
"Next, we need to find The Truth Society and show them our sincerity. That will take every one of you!"
Sword Aura Piercing Sky lightly tapped the table in the virtual meeting room, full of confidence.
P.S. This is a double chapter. I just noticed there are double monthly votes available. With the month almost over, reaching 1,000 votes might not be a dream after all. I'm putting out a bowl and asking for follows and monthly votes.
Thanks to 剖解用甲人 and 月下苍穹 for the tips.
Before you continue