Chapter 100: Chapter Exploration Increased, Opportunity to Unlock Advanced Class
Excavation‑Princess gave Bai Fu two maps—one of the current Goli Desert and another from before it became a desert. Both maps had a conspicuous red X marked at the same coordinates.
【Psionic Research Institute No. 2 Subdivision】
Beside the red X was a note written by Excavation‑Princess.
By examining the maps, Bai Fu discovered that the location of the research institute used to be a remote river valley. However, after the 【Cataclysm】, the Goli region had completely turned into desert. There was no longer a concept of hills, valleys, or steep cliffs—just endless sand in every direction.
"It's more than 300 kilometers from Shelter Number 11. No wonder Old Nissen couldn’t make it back after leaving the institute."
If not for the Player’s map function aiding the investigation, even possessing a pre-Cataclysm map of the Goli region wouldn't have made it easy to dig up the institute’s location.
"Your outstanding contributions will be remembered by all the sages of the Garden of Silence!"
Bai Fu lavishly praised Excavation‑Princess and the Players in the expedition team.
Earlier, she had awarded a specially made silver Eye of Heaven Medal named the Martial Badge to Starfish‑bro for seizing first place in the martial arts contest. The response among Players had been overwhelmingly positive. So this time, she decided to repeat the trick—awarding all the Players who found the institute with a new Eye of Heaven Medal.
She named it the Explorer Badge. No need to change the design—just make it gold to showcase its unique prestige.
Technology thrives on re-skinning, and honor is driven by recoloring—absolutely no problem!
Bai Fu prepared more than a dozen color variants of the Eye of Heaven Medal. If all those colors were used up, she'd slightly adjust the badge’s shape, add a few elements, and begin a new round of recoloring.
After sending off Excavation‑Princess, Bai Fu arrived at Old Nissen's tavern and took Tiny Yulia out from a box on the second floor.
"How are you feeling?"
Upon learning that some of her friends and family had taken their own lives to avoid burdening her, Tiny Yulia had suffered a devastating emotional blow and lost control of her emotions.
However, after about ten days of adjustment, she now seemed to have gradually accepted the reality.
Grieving and rage alone were useless. She needed a way to make those who persecuted her feel sorrow—or even render them incapable of feeling sorrow ever again!
"Help me get revenge. As long as you can help me avenge them, I’ll do anything you ask!"
Even though what lay in her palm was merely a cloth doll, Bai Fu inexplicably felt a chill from being stared at.
Why did she get the feeling that Yulia was about to blacken into a BOSS?
Upon reflection, that was kind of a classic trope—a kind-hearted character gets betrayed by those she once trusted, loses her freedom, and sees her loved ones perish.
Finally, in despair and repression, she blackens.
As they say, blackened characters become three times stronger. Her power skyrockets, and in her wrath she slays her enemies. But by then, there’s no turning back.
Once you enter the abyss, there's no path of return!
After a series of so-called righteous NPCs fall one after another, the next to arrive on the battlefield would be—
Players pursuing clues in the Main Storyline!
【If it’s got an HP bar, even a god—I’ll kill it for you】
"Could this really be Yulia’s storyline?" Bai Fu was stunned for a moment before shaking her head.
Even if that had been the original script, things had already gone off track.
The reason was simple—due to her interference, Old Nissen, the most important person to Yulia aside from her parents, was not in danger. In fact, he was thriving. His tavern was booming, with Players constantly visiting, and his old dreams had a chance of becoming reality.
Given the current situation, as long as Old Nissen didn’t die a miserable death, Yulia likely wouldn’t fully blacken.
Bai Fu poked Tiny Yulia’s tummy—she seemed to have found a blind spot.
Previously, she had been thinking about how to snatch the protagonist’s plotline and make herself the new main character. So, what if she rewrote the future storyline of the major villain—turned them into her follower? Would that yield the same bonus as stealing the protagonist’s plot?
The more Bai Fu thought about it, the more she felt this path was worth trying. Even if the experiment failed, saving the world from a fearsome villain BOSS would be a good deed in itself.
She’d exploited Players enough—time to stack up some cyber-karma in her downtime!
Tiny Yulia stared sharply at Bai Fu, silently awaiting her response. But what happened next completely threw her off.
First, Bai Fu poked her tummy again. Then, Bai Fu’s gaze grew increasingly heated, as if something scalding was about to pour from the corners of her eyes.
"!"
Yulia felt a chill run down her spine.
No way, right? There’s no way someone would develop nefarious thoughts toward a cloth doll just over 20 centimeters long, right?
Distracted by Bai Fu’s gaze, she momentarily forgot her deep-seated hatred and felt a rare sense of "calm."
Bai Fu took a deep breath. "Don’t worry. I’m taking down the Truth Society sooner or later. Today, I came to ask you for a favor."
While talking with Old Nissen, he had mentioned that Yulia’s Psionic Affinity was awakened after being exposed to a beam of light in the desert. Bai Fu suspected that the light was related to the laboratory buried beneath the sand. So she intended to take Tiny Yulia there for a look.
After hearing Bai Fu’s request, Tiny Yulia quickly agreed. After lying in the box for so long, she too wanted to see the world.
……
Early the next morning, Bai Fu set off for the marked spot on the map with the freshly minted Explorer Badges and Tiny Yulia in tow.
The journey took her six hours. The closer she got to the institute, the more frequent and powerful the sandworm appearances became, giving her a sense of foreboding.
"How’s the situation?"
At the entrance to the institute, Bai Fu asked Old Nissen, who had already been waiting for a while.
Looking past Old Nissen’s shoulder, she saw the entrance to the institute half-buried in sand. A small fragment of a sign was visible on the left wall, showing the character "所."
Desolate—yet amidst the desolation, there was a chilling aura.
Bai Fu spotted blood on the wall and a fresh sandworm corpse beside it.
Old Nissen shook his head. "When we found this place, there were lots of sandworms inside. Fortunately, the Undying Ones had our backs—otherwise, I might not have made it out. Last time I came here, there weren’t any sandworms. I must have triggered something that attracted them."
Bai Fu nodded. Instead of rushing in, she opened the Faction Management Interface, registered the institute under faction jurisdiction, and set up a Respawn Point outside.
With this Respawn Point in place, there was no need for Players to spend hours hiking back after dying.
"Let’s go take a look."
Led by Old Nissen, Bai Fu familiarized herself with the layout of the institute.
Just as Old Nissen had said, all internal security systems were destroyed. Every few dozen steps, she saw skeletal remains on the floor—evidence of brutal conflict.
"On the walls, doors, skeletons… these are claw marks, right? Are they from beasts or mechanical claws?"
Bai Fu reached out and touched one of the bones on the ground.
Some of the timid Players stood far away—understandable, given how lifelike those skeletons were. Even with Harmonization Mode activated, they were still terrifying.
“Everyone, split up and see if there’s any data we missed.”
Bai Fu issued a new quest, then followed Old Nissen to a suspected control room. Nothing in sight was intact—several large holes marred the walls.
This was it?
No way.
It should be noted that the Goli Desert’s Regional Main Storyline【Elegy of the Watchers】had specifically listed locating this institute as a separate subquest.
Bai Fu felt a wave of disappointment.
Just as she was about to leave, Tiny Yulia in her pocket spoke up. “There’s a spot on the left with extremely high psionic energy levels. That place is definitely suspicious!”
Left?
Bai Fu immediately used Psionic Perception on that wall. Instantly, a red question mark appeared in her field of vision, and a game notification sounded.
【You discovered a hidden map [Psionic Research Institute No. 2 Subdivision -2F]】
Damn, it was a hidden wall!
These game developers must’ve taken cues from that K—guy, placing secret walls in the most unexpected spots.
“Everyone step aside.”
After the Players and Old Nissen backed away, Bai Fu placed two Tiny Bai Fus on the wall.
With a loud explosion, the wall was blasted to bits. As the dust settled, a staircase leading underground came into view.
She summoned another new Tiny Bai Fu and had it scout ahead down the stairs.
Though many years had passed, the equipment on -2F still seemed to be functioning normally.
Tiny Bai Fu proceeded unimpeded and eventually found a cylindrical room at the end of -2F. The door was open, and Tiny Bai Fu floated leisurely inside.
The screen shifted. What Bai Fu saw next was a strange lifeform sealed inside a culture vessel.
She cast a Psionic Vision.
【Psionic Primordial (Deceased)】
【Description】: A primordial lifeform created by the Psionic Research Institute No. 2 Subdivision based on 【Obsidian】. Its energy intensity once reached nearly 100 units. After the Cataclysm, it perished due to insufficient nutrient supply. Even as a corpse, it still possesses an energy intensity of 43 units.
“Looks like we’ve uncovered something serious.”
Bai Fu frowned deeply.
Among the data Old Nissen had taken from this research institute was mention of a mysterious black slate, which must have been the so-called 【Obsidian】.
Speaking of Obsidian, she also recalled the information she had snatched from the Marine Biology Research Institute, which referenced a Project Obsidian.
The two seemed to be connected.
Besides Obsidian, the term “energy intensity” also caught Bai Fu’s attention.
As she pondered, a Player approached.
“Fu Fu, let us handle the recon task.”
Bai Fu nodded. “Be careful.”
Tiny Bai Fu had many advantages in scouting compared to Players, but also several weaknesses. Chief among them was the fact that her limbs were purely decorative—she couldn’t manipulate Tiny Bai Fu to rummage through things. So this task had to go to the Players.
The assigned Players carefully entered -2F of the institute. It took them nearly ten minutes to reach the cylindrical room.
Upon seeing the Psionic Primordial in the vessel, every one of them widened their eyes.
“What the heck is that monster?”
“If I walk up to it now, is it gonna break the glass and pop out with an HP bar?”
“Recon Skill failed. The level’s too high.”
“All right, all right. Let’s check if there’s anything valuable nearby first.”
The Players searched the room thoroughly and found a safe in a corner. A Player with a Physical Build Class punched it twice—only to bruise their own hands.
The safe was far beyond what they could break open. Worse, it was bolted firmly to the floor and couldn’t even be moved.
“Let me do it.”
Bai Fu walked in from outside.
The Players had been here for over ten minutes without any incidents—it seemed this -2F really wasn’t dangerous.
She slashed the safe’s door clean off in one blow and retrieved a stack of paper documents from inside.
【Meyer’s Diary】
【November 2nd: An organization calling itself the [Psionic Diffusion Committee] approached me. They invited me to join their newly established institute. When I hesitated, they suddenly told me the meteorite that landed on the White Tower Republic’s border last month was actually an alien spaceship. That instantly piqued my interest. We’ve speculated countless times about the existence of other civilizations in the vast stars. Now it seems we have an answer.】
【November 4th: I saw the spaceship. I’m sure—this was not built by any nation or corporation on Origin Star. It truly came from another world. A new era beckons me. I must join this new project!】
【November 5th: I heard there’s an alien onboard the ship. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet them. I’ve been assigned to study a special slate codenamed [Obsidian].】
……
【November 11th: A colleague forgot to wear gloves and touched the Obsidian. He mutated, killed three people before being neutralized. Tomorrow we will dissect his corpse.】
【November 12th: Unbelievable. After mutation, my colleague’s physical strength increased severalfold. Obsidian may be the key to evolution—but it is also a gateway to hell. We must be cautious!】
The diary ended after the 12th, but even this much revealed a huge amount of intel.
An alien spaceship!
This finally explained why Origin Star had no psionic power before, but it suddenly appeared right before the outbreak of world war. Psionic power most likely came from that alien ship.
【You triggered a hidden storyline. Origin Star Storyline Exploration +0.7%】
【You completed Subquest 5 of the task [Elegy of the Watchers] [Find the Lost Ruins], Origin Star Storyline Exploration +0.4%】
Two notifications rang in Bai Fu’s ears.
She was elated.
So this was the reward for a Main Storyline quest? Her Exploration jumped from 0.9% to 2.0%—more than doubled. It was incredibly generous. Ordinary hidden quests couldn’t compare!
Even the previous 0.x% gains had drastically shifted her Character Role. Now that her Exploration had reached 2.0%, the next Enhancement would surely bring even greater improvements!
But the 1.1% Exploration wasn’t the only harvest Bai Fu gained from this operation.
She had triggered a new quest.
【You triggered a Hidden Quest [Obsidian Mystery] (Total Level 35 Limited)】
【Quest Description: All operations of the Psionic Research Institute No. 2 Subdivision revolved around the mysterious [Obsidian], but after the Cataclysm, Obsidian suddenly vanished. Find it!】
【Quest Objective: Locate [Obsidian]】
【Quest Reward: 700,000 XP, Rare Prayer Card Blueprint [Blessing of the Mind]】
【Accept/Decline】
From the item description, Blessing of the Mind was a Blessing-type Prayer Card that temporarily increased a large amount of Stats upon use—truly a divine card for early stages.
Aside from Exploration and the new quest, Bai Fu also found exactly what she was looking for on a nearby antique terminal.
【NCC-1773 Terminal Storing Advanced Psionic Knowledge】
【Quality】: Purple
【Item Description】: A terminal once common in the old era, but this one contains advanced psionic knowledge.
【Note】: This terminal is heavily encrypted. Attempting to extract data or dismantle the terminal will trigger a self-destruct system after one hour. Non-professionals, do not touch recklessly.
Bai Fu was overjoyed.
There it was—the final Psionic Knowledge Chain she had been waiting for!
Once she mastered this knowledge chain, she would truly be only one step away from unlocking an Advanced Class. And once she did—presidents, generals, they’d all better step aside!
Bai Fu’s eyes swept quickly across the note.
Self-destruct?
No problem!
The self-destruct system would activate only after one hour, while she needed only twenty to thirty minutes to study one Psionic Knowledge Chain. That gave her more than enough time.
【You began reading "Advanced Psionic Knowledge from NCC-1773 Terminal". Intermediate Psionic Specialization in effect. Reading Speed +20%. Current Progress: 0.1%...】
Bai Fu estimated that this progress bar might take a bit longer than usual to fill, but definitely not more than 40 minutes.
Watching the bar slowly climb, she felt elated.
“Come to think of it, wasn’t discovering the fifth Psionic Knowledge Chain a bit too easy?”
A thought suddenly popped into her head.
Before Bai Fu could curse herself for jinxing it, a Player suddenly ran in, flustered.
“Bad news! A swarm of sandworms is rushing in from outside!”
Damn it. She knew it wouldn’t be that simple. This was an Advanced Map. If it had no danger, something would be seriously wrong.
Right now, Bai Fu couldn’t move at all. She immediately burned through all of her remaining Quest slots for the day and issued a new Faction Quest to the Players.
【Buy Time】
【Quest Description: …】
【Quest Objective: Prevent sandworms from entering the room where Bai Fu is located】
【Quest Reward: Reward Based on Contribution】
Tons of XP, Bai Fu’s Favorability, Prayer Cards, Faction Reputation…
With these rewards laid out, every Player present went into a frenzy.
【Protect Fu Fu!】
【If you want to harm a single hair on Fu Fu’s head, you’ll have to step over my corpse first!】
【Where there’s Fu, there’s me!】