Have You Ever Seen an NPC Like This?

Black Tiger Afu was so thrilled to see Bai Fu again that words couldn't describe it.

Especially after remembering how, not long ago, when he'd been in trouble, the underlings who'd called him "big bro" at every turn had run faster than anyone. He was even more grateful that Bai Fu had come back to save him.

Hardship revealed who was truly loyal.

Just look at those scumbags, then look at Bai Fu...

Brother Dabiao suddenly slapped himself.

He'd been wrong. How could he compare those bastards to Bai Fu?

That wasn't praise for Bai Fu at all. It was an insult!

Brother Dabiao chuckled and stepped forward. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Stop wasting time," Bai Fu urged. "Do you want to make it even easier for those outsiders to catch up? Come on, leave with me!"

Right, right. This wasn't the time to get hung up on that.

Brother Dabiao obediently followed her.

They walked one in front of the other, neither of them speaking as they kept their heads down and pressed on.

After turning more than a dozen corners, Bai Fu stopped.

"What's wrong?" Brother Dabiao asked curiously.

Bai Fu let out a sigh of relief. "The outsiders probably won't be able to catch up for a while now that we're here."

Brother Dabiao looked around. He recognized the place. If the outsiders weren't familiar with the area, they really would have a hard time finding it anytime soon.

Thank goodness. He was finally safe!

Brother Dabiao was deeply moved. "Thank you. You saved my life. From now on, I'll do anything you ask!"

Bai Fu hurriedly shook her head. "No need to thank me, no need to thank me. You're my Top Spender Bro. I should be the one thanking you."

Top Spender Bro?

Brother Dabiao was a little confused. He saw Bai Fu reaching into her pocket, so he leaned his head over to take a look.

A few seconds later, Bai Fu pulled her hand out.

He widened his left eye and finally saw clearly. The thing lying in Bai Fu's palm was unmistakably a bag of lime.

Wait, lime?

Shit!

Brother Dabiao realized he was in danger, but it was already too late.

Bai Fu flung it hard, and the lime splattered all over his face.

The burning pain made Brother Dabiao howl.

You bastard! Give me back all the gratitude I felt just now!!!

While Brother Dabiao rolled around on the ground, Bai Fu charged at him without a word, knife in hand.

She'd gone to all the trouble of bringing Brother Dabiao here just so she could steal the players' kill.

If she dawdled any longer and the players came running at the sound of Brother Dabiao's screams, wouldn't all her effort have been for nothing?

Stab the bastard!

She stabbed wildly with her knife. As "-13," "-9," and other numbers floated above his head, Brother Dabiao's health began to plummet, and several new statuses appeared beside his name.

[Bleeding], [Weakened], [Disabled]

It was over.

It was all over!

Brother Dabiao, unable to move his legs, felt like crying.

Who could he blame? Himself, for failing to recognize a true bastard?

He really shouldn't have compared the underlings who'd abandoned him and run away to Bai Fu.

When it came to being a bastard, those four combined weren't fit to lick the feet of Bai Fu, who looked so much like a decent person.

What a disaster!

How many people would be fooled by the appearance of this bastard Bai Fu in the future, only to die at her hands?

Just imagining it made Brother Dabiao tremble with rage.

But when he thought about it carefully, things weren't all that bad.

He was about to die anyway. Wouldn't it be better if more people got tricked and killed by Bai Fu along with him, instead of him being the only one?

With that thought, Brother Dabiao, too badly injured to catch his breath, suddenly made peace with it and died.

[You killed Brother Dabiao. Contribution: 56%. After adjustment for the level difference, you gained 560 experience.]

Bai Fu clenched her fist when she saw the notification.

So satisfying!

And the best part was still to come.

As she searched Brother Dabiao's pockets, another game notification chimed.

[You completed the repeatable hidden quest [Order Iron Fist] and received 1,000 experience and 1 attribute point.]

[Order Iron Fist]

[Quest description: Many groups that disregard order roam the Abandoned Cooling Plant. Eliminate them and prove your resolve to uphold order!]

[Quest objective: Eliminate any unruly group with a threat rating of at least [Yellow]. Repeatable.]

Including Martin's [Pay Your Debts] quest, Bai Fu had earned a total of 3,560 experience for taking down Brother Dabiao.

With another 200 experience, she could raise her Spiritual Apprentice class to level 5 in one go.

Then, whether it was Big Dabiao or Little Dabiao, she'd be able to punch him to his knees and make him call her "Daddy"—even without the players' help!

"At last, I've completely escaped the role of Novice Village cannon fodder."

Bai Fu let out a long breath.

She heard hurried footsteps in the distance. In just over ten seconds, the players' voices had grown clear.

"The screams came from this way."

"Hurry, hurry!"

"Aaah! Who stole my kill?"

Digging Princess, who had transformed into a battlefield reporter, raced through the ruins with Black Tiger Afu, Patrick Star, and the others.

At first, they'd thought they'd lost their trail.

But as they walked, they heard screams from farther ahead. Just as they ran toward the sound, they suddenly received a game notification that Brother Dabiao had been killed.

Who did it?

After turning a corner, Digging Princess stopped.

"What's wrong?" Patrick Star asked, confused.

Digging Princess pointed.

The dozen or so surviving players all poked their heads out together. One look was enough to leave them stunned.

Beneath a broken wall, atop a pile of junk, lay a blood-soaked corpse.

Beside it, a white figure leaned against the wall. The cold light falling from above made the blood on her clothes and the back of her hand stand out all the more.

The livestream chat erupted.

[So cool!]

[A masterpiece!]

"Oh, no, her clothes and hands are dirty. Let me lick them clean!"

"What the hell are you licking? Digging Princess, go see if Mysterious Girl X is okay!"

Digging Princess came to her senses and hurried deeper into the alley.

"Um, are you okay, Mysterious Gi—"

"My name is Bai Fu. Bai as in 'white,' Fu as in 'lotus.' Just call me by my name. I'm fine, just a little hurt."

Bai Fu straightened up and forced a smile onto her tired face.

The sight instantly stirred the players' protective instincts.

[So Mysterious Girl X is named Bai Fu. What a cute name!]

[Fu Fu, my Fu Fu, how did you get hurt? It's all my fault for not being there to protect you!]

Bai Fu coughed softly.

"It's all thanks to you. If you hadn't helped, I never could have... But, sigh, so many of your companions died. It's my fault. I didn't protect them."

As she spoke, her smile faded. She shook her head and sighed, her face filled with sadness.

Digging Princess hurried over to comfort her. "It's okay. They'll be revived soon."

Patrick Star rested his club on his shoulder and chimed in. "That's right. It wasn't real death. You don't need to blame yourself."

The players comforted Bai Fu one after another. No one even cared anymore that she'd stolen their kill.

But Bai Fu still sighed. "You don't have to comfort me like this. I'll get my emotions under control."

She took a handful of Credit Coins from her pocket.

The Credit Coins were the currency used at the Abandoned Cooling Plant. They were issued by the nearby megasettlement of Lynn and circulated because they were well-made and difficult to counterfeit.

"I found this money on him. I can't keep it. You take it."

Digging Princess and the others, along with the players watching the livestream, were all stunned by Bai Fu's gesture.

You're right. This is Bai Fu: an NPC who wholeheartedly protects the players. Before the fight, she'd worried about their safety. Afterward, she'd taken all the blame for their deaths and even handed over the money she'd looted from an elite monster as compensation!

[Have you ever seen an NPC like this?]

[Cry! Everyone, cry!]

[I apologize for saying bad things about Fu Fu before. From today on, I'm a Fu Bao protector!]

[Who could stay sane in front of Fu Fu? I'm just holding it together.]

"Damn, do you have the nerve to take this money?"

The players in the livestream chat all went wild.

Bai Fu nodded, satisfied.

Luckily, she'd had a flash of inspiration and smeared some blood on herself to fake an injury before the players arrived. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to win them over.

Now everything was perfect.

She'd taken all the benefits from Brother Dabiao, then given the players less than a tenth afterward—and they still had to thank her!