Chapter 132: At the Peak We Meet Again, World BOSS Battle [5k]
From the moment he received the Truth Society President’s reply, Benardo stopped in his tracks.
He had assisted the President for many years. While he couldn’t claim to understand the President completely, he had at least grasped seventy to eighty percent of his character.
Under normal circumstances, upon learning that the base had been thoroughly overturned by Bai Fu, the President should have responded with furious curses directed at Bai Fu, while also throwing in a few scoldings for him.
But the President just now was very off.
【Wait for my return】
The reply was far too brief and unnaturally calm. That simply wasn’t in line with the President’s usual style.
Could it be that someone else had gotten hold of the President’s terminal, or worse, had something so grave happened that even the President’s composure had been shaken?
Benardo felt a chill crawl over his scalp.
“I must be overthinking this, yes, that must be it.”
He tried sending another message to the President, hoping for a more detailed explanation. But even after firing off more than a dozen messages over three or four minutes, he still hadn’t received a single response. Instead, it was his assistant who called him first—with bad news.
“Minister, I’ve followed your orders and managed to stall Bai Fu for ten minutes, but she’s just too strong. We simply don’t have the manpower. Even though we’ve done our utmost, she’s already reached the freight elevator that connects Zone C to the surface. If we want to buy more time, we’ll need to send reinforcements—otherwise, we either let her escape, or blow the base immediately.”
The assistant was starting to panic.
Benardo’s own situation wasn’t much better.
To bomb, or not to bomb?
He couldn’t decide.
With the President still not responding, Benardo felt like his brain might explode even before the base did.
“Give me another thirty seconds to think!”
Benardo’s breathing grew heavier as he stared fixedly at the screen of his terminal. Framed by darkness and silence, the sound of his heartbeat was like thunder.
After a full twenty seconds, he gripped the edges of the terminal tightly and shouted, “Everyone evacuate! Let Bai Fu enter the freight elevator. Prepare to detonate the base!”
The assistant, who had just received clear orders, let out a breath of relief. “Yes, Minister. I’ll immediately—”
“No need to bomb it.”
At that moment, a deep voice rang out, cutting the assistant off.
Benardo and the assistant were both stunned. That voice—they couldn’t be more familiar with it. It was the President!
Benardo turned quickly, only to see the President standing on the other side of the corridor. He was clad in heavy exoskeleton armor. His face was unreadable, expressionless. Only his eyes shone with an unprecedented brightness, as if flames were burning within.
“President, why are you here?”
Benardo inadvertently let the terminal slip from his hand to the floor. His mind was in complete turmoil.
The President being here could only mean one thing: the frontlines had completely collapsed. With the Truth Society’s main base now exposed and defeat inside and out, this organization that had lasted a century might truly be counting down to its end.
And it wasn’t just Benardo who realized this—so did the assistant on the other end of the terminal, and everyone beside him.
In an instant, the morale of the Truth Society’s main base plummeted to rock bottom.
They were done for.
That was the only thought left in their minds.
The President’s expression remained calm: “My sensing wasn’t wrong. The Extraterrestrial Visitor who caused all this catastrophe isn’t dead. He’s been hiding inside the Gene Primordials all along—very weak. I was just one step away from killing him, but that step might as well be a chasm. I didn’t expect he’d have a way to restrict the power of this body. No, I should’ve expected it. The psionic modification technology was shared by him with the White Tower Republic and Orion. How could he not keep a trick up his sleeve? I’ve failed your century of expectations. Leave now, before the main forces of the Gene Primordials arrive. Go quickly. I will personally deal with Bai Fu.”
He had fought his way into the Gene Primordials, endured battle after battle, and nearly burned himself out. He thought he could use his fists to release a century’s worth of rage. But when he finally stood before the enemy he had obsessed over, what greeted him was despair, carved deep into his bones.
His once-proud strength couldn’t manifest at all before his foe.
At that moment, he realized he was going to die. The mission would fail. The good news was that he had learned Yulia’s secret to creating a Doppelgänger and had left one behind at the base in advance. That meant, even if he died in shame, it wouldn’t be a true death.
But his physical body had not perished completely. The fire in his heart had already gone out.
He realized he had a congenital flaw. No matter how hard he tried, as long as he stayed on this tiny puddle called Origin Star, he would never be able to avenge himself.
What a hopeless truth that was.
Yet when he awoke from his Doppelgänger, he miraculously found himself devoid of the anger and fury he had expected.
He sat in the darkness, spent a minute reminiscing over his life as though watching a biographical film about someone else. There was a strange sense of detachment, like he was just an audience member before a giant screen.
He felt nothing but confusion. With his purpose gone, he even started questioning his own origins.
“Am I… really me?”
Just like this body was a fake, perhaps the memories tied to his former identity in his mind were also fake—implanted by the researchers from Psionic Research Institute No. 1 Subdivision without his consent.
Thus, the Truth Society President walked out of the secret room where the Doppelgänger was stored, his face void of expression.
He had lost interest in clinging to life. Now, he had only two things left to do.
First, evacuate the elders who had followed him for decades.
Second, kill Bai Fu with his own hands—to settle the grudge that had begun at the Abandoned Cooling Plant but only truly ignited today.
After instructing Benardo, the President marched toward the surface. He planned to intercept Bai Fu there.
He had not gone far before Benardo caught up and blocked his path.
“At this point, killing Bai Fu serves no purpose beyond personal vengeance. It could even result in greater losses. President, let’s retreat together. We still have a good chance to escape the pursuit of the Gene Primordials. We’ll find a new place to rebuild. Even if we can’t get revenge now, who knows about the future? So many Undying Ones have suddenly appeared on Origin Star. Let’s wait. A new opportunity might come.”
There was a pleading look in Benardo’s eyes.
The President’s earlier words made it clear he intended to die. Benardo couldn’t just stand by and watch it happen.
He wasn’t alone in that. On the other end of the terminal, more people shared his determination. They abandoned their assistants, abandoned Bai Fu, Hei Fu, and ran as fast as they could toward the President.
There was no time left to hesitate.
Unlike others who joined the Truth Society for wealth, power, or advancement, they had stayed for different reasons.
They saw the President’s flaws too—his temper, his recklessness. But they had also felt his greatest strength: his willingness to sacrifice everything, even his life, for his own people.
The President had treated them sincerely. Now that the Truth Society teetered on collapse, they would not abandon him.
One after another, espers joined Benardo, trying to persuade the President to retreat with them.
But their efforts were in vain. The President had already made his final decision, and nothing would change it.
"Alright, since the President won't leave, then we'll go with you to kill Bai Fu!"
Benardo took the lead, and the others followed suit.
They insisted on coming along. The President couldn't stop them and had no choice but to tacitly approve. A dozen people charged aggressively toward Hei Fu, who was still entangled with the Beast-mutated Mutant.
……
"Di di, di di……"
Inside the ascending elevator, Bai Fu, tense all over, suddenly noticed her terminal ringing. She didn’t dare relax her vigilance and could only entrust Yulia, who was in her arms.
"Help me answer it."
Yulia removed the terminal from Bai Fu’s wrist, raising her brows slightly. "An unmarked number."
She pressed the answer button.
"Bai Fu?"
A strange voice came through.
"Who?"
"Su Li should have already contacted you, right? I’m Coleman, the Captain of the Human Alliance's Special Operations Squad. Along with me are Ferreira the Insect Father, a registered assassin from the Dark Web, and Ye Zhe. We've arrived near the Truth Society’s main base, preparing to assist you. Where are you now?"
Reinforcements? And someone familiar like Ferreira?
After scrambling underground for hours, having used up most of her Prayer Cards, she finally had help. This gave Bai Fu renewed confidence in escaping successfully.
She explained her situation and told Coleman and the others to wait for her at the main entrance of the Truth Society’s main base.
"Understood."
Coleman responded succinctly.
After ending the call, Bai Fu remained cautious. Just to get into this freight elevator, she had broken through four obstacles in a row. This showed just how badly the Truth Society wanted to keep her here. Until she was truly safe, she couldn’t afford to let down her guard.
But to her surprise, even when the freight elevator stopped and its doors opened, she saw no pursuers.
No pursuers. Just relying on those miscellaneous troops at the surface of the Truth Society’s main base to stop her was nothing but a pipe dream. A single Void Energy Orb blast sent them screaming and scattering.
Following the map marker, Bai Fu rushed straight for the main entrance of the Truth Society’s base. Just as she exited the factory, she suddenly halted.
Yulia looked confused. "Why did you stop?"
Bai Fu’s expression turned grim. "It won’t be that easy."
Through Hei Fu’s perspective, she had already spotted the Truth Society President. This was their second encounter.
Unlike last time, the Truth Society President now wore a heavy mechanical Exoskeleton. That plain-looking face remained unchanged, but those previously deep eyes were now brimming with killing intent.
He was back!
This meant the Truth Society’s main force, sent to attack the Gene Primordials, had suffered a setback, and the Gene Primordials and their allies had secured a major victory.
To most people on Origin Star, this would be good news. But for her, it was the worst possible development.
"Now we can only hope Hei Fu can hold out as long as possible."
Bai Fu wasn’t too optimistic. During the battle with the Beast-mutated Mutants, Hei Fu had already lost most of her condition. The buff from Super Burst was gone, most of her Prayer Cards were depleted, and she could now only rely on her Psionic power. While Hei Fu had a long Psionic bar, it was far from enough to survive a group assault.
She wasn’t wrong.
In the mere dozen seconds it took her to fight from the factory to the base gate, Hei Fu had already sustained heavy injuries.
There were just too many enemies, and the Truth Society President was far stronger than expected.
While being besieged, Bai Fu used Hei Fu to cast Psionic Vision on the Truth Society President. After more than a month, she finally got a clear look at most of his stats.
Compared to over a month ago, the Truth Society President had reached Level 60. Although he’d gained four levels, he was still thirteen levels below her. However, he had only two classes, and his primary class, Psionic Warrior, was Level 43—five levels higher than her main class, Psionic Illustrator.
Moreover, his race and template were highly unique.
He was neither Human nor Mutant but a Psionic Aberrant. His template was Evolution Body.
This template’s name was similar to her Blood of Evolution, but the stat bonuses were much higher and came with several Special Talents—offense, resilience, and more.
With this special template and a high-level main class stacked together, the Truth Society President’s stats were exceptional. Bai Fu outmatched him in Inspiration, Spirit, and Intelligence, and their Constitution was comparable, but his Strength and Agility far exceeded hers.
He was a true powerhouse—not one of those hyped-up types!
"No wonder the members of the Truth Society revere and fear him."
Bai Fu’s expression grew grave.
Psionic Warrior. The moment she saw this class, her heart sank. A Psionic melee class, extremely rare and exceptionally powerful. What made it especially troublesome was that this class granted the Truth Society President an abnormally high resistance to Psionic power.
High Constitution + high Psionic resistance + Special Talents. These three combined meant her skills would deal drastically reduced damage to him.
If Hei Fu were beside her, in full condition like herself, and they attacked together, Bai Fu still had confidence they could hold their own against the Truth Society President.
Unfortunately, she had already used up a lot earlier. Although her HP and MP bars were full, as a Psionic Illustrator, most of her combat power came from Prayer Cards. With them nearly depleted, her strength was severely reduced.
"If they catch up, we’ll have to fight head-on."
A sharp gleam flashed in Bai Fu’s eyes.
Underground, the Truth Society President had just landed a punch, powered by his mechanical Exoskeleton, straight to Hei Fu’s skull.
"I never imagined you’d dare sneak into the main base alone. But now that I’ve found you, the only fate awaiting you is death!"
Before Hei Fu was dispersed, the Truth Society President’s words were transmitted to Bai Fu through her.
Damn it.
Bai Fu quickly dragged Yulia and resumed running. Soon, she reached the main gate where reinforcements were waiting.
These Espers were extraordinarily strong. The squad leader, Coleman, had a main class level of 37. Holding the gate, he directed his team and the players from the Garden of Silence, slaughtering all Truth Society members who dared approach.
Spotting Bai Fu from afar, he immediately shouted, "Everyone, get in the car!"
He came to rescue, not to play the lone hero charging into the Truth Society’s main base guns blazing.
Once Bai Fu and Yulia leapt into the back seat of one vehicle, the engine roared, and the car made a sharp turn, speeding south.
"Just got good news—Truth Society President died in battle against the Gene Primordials, the main force of the Truth Society is surrounded, their morale is shattered, and the Truth Society is on the verge of collapse. We’ve won this war." Coleman smiled and nodded at Bai Fu.
Bai Fu’s mouth twitched.
Saying that might get you slapped by reality in a moment.
She leaned her head out the window just in time to see a factory roof at the Truth Society’s main base open automatically. Several armed helicopters roared out. In the lead chopper, the Truth Society President’s face was clearly visible.
"What?"
Coleman and the others looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"Why is he still alive?"
"Why is he here?"
Bai Fu had no time to explain, as the armed helicopters had already opened fire on the vehicle she was in.
Shells howled through the sky, sparking and trailing smoke as they chased the rear of the car. An Esper inside the vehicle quickly extended his right hand, flames rolling in his palm. When he thrust his hand out the window, the fire instantly turned into a blazing firebomb and shot forth, colliding with the missile launched by the helicopter.
Boom!
Waves of pressure surged.
That move barely saved the car, but the armed helicopters overhead were drawing ever closer.
The area surrounding the Truth Society's main base was full of broken roads. If a car wanted to pass, it had to take care, while the helicopters had it easy—they flew straight lines.
Boom boom boom!
Several gravity impacts rained down from above. After fleeing for over ten minutes, the vehicle carrying Bai Fu finally couldn’t hold out any longer. Everyone in the car had to disembark and face the helicopters head-on.
"You really think you can get away?"
The Truth Society President jumped down from the helicopter. His mechanical Exoskeleton landed heavily, shaking the ground and shattering earth and stone around him.
After him, over a dozen others jumped down, including Benardo, who was still not fully recovered.
Bai Fu glanced around, her eyes falling on a few players.
"You guys cover Yulia's retreat first. I’ll come find you later."
Then she looked at Yulia. "No objections?"
Yulia shook her head. She had already traveled alone once. Her stance remained unchanged this time.
Once Yulia was sent away, Bai Fu smiled and locked eyes with the Truth Society President.
Everyone around wore tense expressions. Coleman's side knew how terrifying the Truth Society President was and dared not lower their guard. Benardo's side knew how terrifying Bai Fu was and also dared not lower their guard.
"So this is the grave you chose for yourself?" the Truth Society President spoke first.
Bai Fu wasn’t intimidated. "The Hei Fu you just defeated only had eighty percent of my strength. I return your words to you—unchanged."
They stopped talking. Almost at the exact moment their eyes met, they both erupted, transforming into white lightning and black storm as they charged at each other.
Bai Fu held nothing back. She summoned all the True Spirits she could, pushed her Inspiration boost to the maximum, and unleashed her strongest attack—Dark Burn.
A heavy thrust formed from dark Psionic power tore through the air, colliding head-on with the iron fist swung by the Truth Society President.
The explosion from the impact blasted a crater into the ground.
This was the true first clash between these long-standing enemies, signaling the beginning of a great battle.