Making her way down a narrow path cluttered with junk, Bai Fu stopped in front of a three-story building with holes in its walls.
This was the deadbeat old man's hideout.
She'd been here before, so even though her hair color had changed, the young man guarding the entrance recognized her at a glance.
"Something's wrong!" he cried, then spun around and ran inside. "Boss, that woman's here again!"
"That woman?"
The grating sound of tables and chairs being shoved around came from inside.
A moment later, a tall man with a scar on his forehead came out.
Bai Fu promptly used her [Spiritual Vision] skill on him.
Skill check successful. Due to the level difference, the displayed data was incomplete.
[Name]: Brother Dabiao (Elite)
[Template]: Ordinary
[Primary Class]: ? Lv. 6
[Secondary Class]: None
[Health]: 107/110
[Attributes]: ?
[Skills]: Intimidating Presence Lv. 2, ?
[Talents]: ?
[Favorability]: Hostile (?)
[Threat Level]: Yellow
Bai Fu felt reassured.
It was just as she'd expected.
Above the Stars divided targets' threat levels into five grades: green, blue, yellow, red, and black.
Yellow meant Brother Dabiao was only a little stronger than she was. Even if she immediately insulted his ancestors going back eighteen generations and provoked him into a rage, she could hold out until the players arrived to rescue her.
"You?"
Brother Dabiao furrowed his brow. He recognized Bai Fu, too.
"I already told you, I don't have any money, and you can take my life if you want it. You've got a death wish, coming here again?"
Bai Fu remained perfectly calm. "Don't get worked up. I'm not here to cause you trouble."
"Then why are you here?"
The scar on Brother Dabiao's forehead twitched.
Like I'd believe you!
Bai Fu pointed into the distance. "Outsiders have their eyes on you. They're right outside."
"Outsiders?"
Brother Dabiao was shocked. He hurriedly led four of his men to the second floor.
Looking out, he saw that, at some point, at least forty or fifty people dressed alike had surrounded the hideout. They were also constantly pointing at it and talking.
He was completely dumbfounded.
What had he done to deserve this? How had he attracted so many people who all wanted to beat him up?
Brother Dabiao turned to Bai Fu, who had followed him, and asked anxiously, "We're enemies. Why are you helping me?"
"Idiot!" Bai Fu suddenly shouted, looking at him like he was beyond help. "We may have a grudge, but that's an internal conflict. Now the Outsiders have come for us. If I don't help you and just watch them kill you, aren't I letting them pick us off one by one? Do you think I'm as stupid as you?"
"This..."
Brother Dabiao had no answer.
He had to admit that Bai Fu was right.
If their positions were reversed, he'd never be magnanimous enough to help someone who'd wronged him.
Now that was what you called having the bigger picture!
Brother Dabiao humbly asked her for advice. "So what do we do now? There are so many of them. This won't be easy."
Bai Fu put on a serious face. "Since I came to find you, I have a plan. I'll tell you the truth: I'm actually a Spiritual Energy Priest."
"What?"
Brother Dabiao and the others all sucked in a sharp breath.
A Spiritual Energy Priest was an extraordinary person who could grant all sorts of buffs to allies and place all kinds of restrictions on opponents!
"You..."
"There's no time to explain. I'll tell you all about it after we get out." Bai Fu shook her head. "For now, line up. I'll pray over each of you."
With no other choice, Brother Dabiao and his men did as she said.
They lined up, one after another. Faint light shot from Bai Fu's palm and settled on their hands.
[Frenzy]: Causes one of the target's body parts to enter a frenzied state.
When the hands entered a frenzied state, their strength, speed, resistance to blows, and recovery ability all increased significantly.
That way, Brother Dabiao and his men would be able to hold out longer when the players swarmed them.
But that wasn't the only buff Bai Fu gave Brother Dabiao. She specifically put his digestive system into a frenzy, too.
Frenzied hands meant greater speed and strength.
What would a frenzied digestive system mean?
Bai Fu was curious.
Feeling his hands grow stronger and more powerful, Brother Dabiao sighed with emotion.
Bai Fu hadn't lied. She really was a Spiritual Energy Priest, and she really had let bygones be bygones.
Sigh...
Once this fight was over, if he survived, he'd properly apologize to Bai Fu. He only hoped she'd be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against a nobody like him.
"Thanks!" Brother Dabiao solemnly clasped his hands. "We'll do our best to draw the Outsiders' attention. Make sure you use the chance to escape."
Bai Fu waved him off, laughing. "Stop fussing. The prayer only lasts a few minutes. Hurry up and go. I have my own way out."
"Okay."
Brother Dabiao nodded, then led his four men past Bai Fu.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he suddenly stopped. "Bai Fu!"
"Hm?" Bai Fu paused.
The next second, Brother Dabiao raised his right hand.
He saluted her!
After giving her that comical salute, he continued downstairs.
One of the more timid underlings asked, "Boss, can we beat those Outsiders?"
"We'll win!"
Brother Dabiao's voice was firmer than ever. Now that he'd been buffed, what reason did he have to lose?
From the second floor, Bai Fu watched them leave the building. She didn't forget to wave them off.
Good luck, big bro with the scar! Show those Outsiders what you can do!
Bai Fu meant every word. After all, from this moment on, Brother Dabiao had become her Top Spender Bro.
To show her gratitude for her Top Spender Bro's contribution, she set about thoroughly looting the building.
A dozen seconds later.
"Die!"
A furious roar announced the start of the battle between Brother Dabiao's gang and the players.
Brother Dabiao charged into the crowd first. Like Lu Bu with super armor in Dynasty Warriors, he began mowing them down.
"-7," "-11," "-9"
Each of his attacks took at least a quarter of a player's health, while it was hard for the players to even land a hit on him.
The sight deeply encouraged his four underlings.
Holy shit, now we're fired up!
You damn Outsiders! Don't think you're hot stuff just because you've got more people. You have your friendship, and we black-market thugs have our bonds, too!
"Maya!"
An Ya, watching from a distance, was terrified.
People were dying! So many people were going to die!
The Outsiders had talked a big game, but once the fight started, none of them could stand against Brother Dabiao.
But as An Ya kept watching, she realized something was off.
What was wrong with those Outsiders?
She saw one with his skull caved in, but instead of crying out in pain, he laughed uproariously.
"Holy shit, no wonder he's an elite monster. He's so strong! I'm gonna lose my virginity right here."
She saw another Outsider hanging on the wall, his back bent in half, laughing just as hard.
Even more absurdly, the remaining Outsiders weren't the least bit sad when their companions were on the verge of death.
"Haha, what a noob. Watch how your daddy does it!"
"What the hell are you showing off for? If Patrick Star wasn't tanking up front, you'd have been screwed already."
"Just tell me, am I still alive or not?"
An Ya was dumbfounded.
Hey, where had these freaks come from?
Brother Dabiao and his men were just as thrown by the players' ridiculous conversation.
Who wouldn't be confused facing enemies like these?
Still, their huge advantage in strength left Brother Dabiao full of confidence.
Kill, kill, kill! He'd wipe out every last Outsider all by himself!
But just as the players were sweating buckets, something bizarre happened. Brother Dabiao suddenly stopped, his expression turning extremely odd.
What the hell?
An Ya and the underlings stared, stunned.
The players also stopped attacking and grew wary.
Was this elite monster about to enter phase two and unleash a big attack?
Brother Dabiao was about to unleash something big, but not the kind the players had in mind.
He clutched his stomach and pressed his legs tightly together, feeling that the slightest movement would make him lose control of his bowels.
"Son of a..."
Of all times to get an upset stomach, it had to happen now. What kind of shitty luck was this?
Brother Dabiao's heart sank.
It had to be something he'd eaten before Bai Fu showed up!
No. He had to run, fast. In his current condition, he was sure to get beaten to death.
Brother Dabiao turned and ran, shouting for his underlings to cover him as he went.
But to his despair, as soon as his underlings realized things were going badly, they took off on their own.
So much for being brothers!
"Bastards!"
The rest of Brother Dabiao's heart sank, too.
He could only grit his teeth and keep running, but the players weren't about to let him get away.
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
"Thunderous Crescent Slash!"
The player named Black Tiger Afu charged first and smashed his club into Brother Dabiao's right eye. Brother Dabiao didn't dare dodge too forcefully.
"-7"
Critical hit!
Brother Dabiao screamed. He shoved Black Tiger Afu away with his shoulder, then kept running through the pain.
Several more players chased after him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A series of sneak attacks brought Brother Dabiao's health bar down to around half.
[62/110]
"He's almost dead! Everyone, keep it up!"
The players got excited.
Badly wounded, Brother Dabiao was frantic.
He'd finally broken through the blockade, but in his condition, it wouldn't be long before they caught up with him again.
Was he really going to die here today?
He felt more despair than ever before.
They were here.
Footsteps were coming!
Brother Dabiao gritted his teeth, ready to fight to the death.
But when the footsteps stopped, what he heard instead was a familiar voice.
"Follow me."
It was...
He lifted his head. Reflected in his one good eye was a white figure.
Bai Fu!
But now he wanted to call her something else—
Angel of salvation!
Before you continue