Chapter 158: The Vicious Woman Who Snatched the Player, Good Thing Bai Fu Was More Skilled
The commission Bai Fu had her eye on was one that had been posted half a month ago. The mission required recruiting five A-rank Psionicists to take down the Singularity Company in one swoop.
The mission reward was 30,000 Credit Coins. Given that the target was the Singularity Company, this reward was not considered high—in fact, it could even be called low. For this reason, even after half a month had passed, the employer still hadn't been able to recruit enough people.
After Bai Fu opened the commission details, she saw that only two hunters had applied so far, still lacking three people.
"I, Hei Fu, and Vic—doesn’t that make five of us already?"
Bai Fu told Vic about her plan.
On the same day she registered Dark Moon Tide, Vic had taken the initiative to apply to join and became Employee No. 5 of Dark Moon Tide. Now, upon hearing that Bai Fu planned to make a move against the Singularity Company, he immediately agreed.
With Vic’s agreement secured, Bai Fu applied for the commission under her new alias, Dark Moon Tide.
【You have triggered the hidden quest [Dark Tide Surges]】
【Quest Description: A hunter named [Pathfinder] harbors a deep grudge against the Singularity Company. He posted a quest on the commission platform, intending to gather five A-rank Psionicists to eliminate the Singularity Company】
【Quest Objective: Eliminate the Singularity Company】
【Reward: 3 million XP, 30,000 Credit Coins】
【Hidden Reward: ?】
"Huh?"
Bai Fu was taken aback. Not only did this quest’s name coincidentally match her [Dark Moon Tide], it also turned out to be a hidden quest with a hidden reward.
Normally, quests accepted via the commission platform couldn’t be hidden quests. If this one was, then there must be a secret behind it.
"Is it because the Singularity Company is special, or because the quest issuer is special?"
After making some disguises, Bai Fu brought the Player, Vic, and Hei Fu to the meeting point.
One day later, still on Fengdeng Star.
Upon disembarking from the spaceship, Bai Fu headed straight to the rendezvous point.
She instructed Yulia and Anya to remain on the ship, ready to evacuate them at a moment’s notice in case of any mishap.
"You’ve finally arrived." A tall, skinny man with milky white antennae on his head greeted them. "I’m Pathfinder, the issuer of this commission."
Since Bai Fu had already mentioned she would be bringing some subordinates along, he wasn’t particularly surprised.
His gaze was mainly focused on Bai Fu, Hei Fu, and Vic.
At the moment, Bai Fu was wearing the Fu II Psionic Construct. The helmet extending from the neck perfectly concealed her face. Hei Fu wore a similar helmet, while Vic kept things simple—just a bit of camouflage paint on his face. According to him, it saved money.
As Pathfinder scrutinized Bai Fu, Bai Fu also examined the three teammates for this operation.
Pathfinder was a standard A-rank Psionicist—not particularly special, but without obvious weaknesses. Standing behind him was a massive green figure called Green Sludge, an Esper who could harden his body like iron or make it as soft as slime.
But what most drew Bai Fu’s attention was the woman standing by the door, arms crossed, wearing a white alien-shaped collar around her neck.
Her appearance was quite plain, but the aura she exuded elevated her presence. Bai Fu thought back and felt that even the gifted Su Li was no match for this woman.
So terrifying. Was this the talent of a Cosmic being?
As Bai Fu was silently grumbling, the woman suddenly raised her head. Their gazes locked, and a strange, sharp aura clashed between them. For a moment, everything around them seemed frozen. The vibrant, colorful world began to fade, devolving into a monochrome world of black, white, and gray—like sinking into the other side of existence, silent as death.
"Hey?"
Only when Pathfinder’s voice rang out did that frozen monochrome world shatter like a mirror.
Color returned, and so did Bai Fu’s heartbeat. She quickly cast Psionic Vision at the woman.
【Name】: ?
【Template】: Ordinary
【Main Class】: ? Lv24[+50], ?
【Sub Class】: ?
【HP】: ?
【Stats】: Strength ?, Agility ?, Constitution ?, Intelligence ?, Psionic 626, Inspiration ?
【Skills】: ?
【Talents】: ?
【Favorability】: ?
【Threat Level】: Black
Main class Level 74. Aside from Psionic, all stats were question marks.
A peak A-rank Psionicist?
Bai Fu’s pupils shrank. What truly caught her attention wasn't the woman’s stats, but her threat level rating.
Black. That meant under normal conditions, Bai Fu stood no chance of winning.
Wait, could the gap between A-ranks be this huge?
Previously, she saw that the Singularity Company had only one peak A-rank and thought this operation was stable. But now…
It still seemed quite stable.
As long as this woman could successfully pin down the Singularity Company’s peak A-rank, the remaining four A-ranks shouldn’t be too hard to deal with. The only issue was that their battleground was the Singularity Company’s headquarters, so they couldn’t afford to be careless.
"This is Red Lotus, and this is Dark Moon," Pathfinder gave a simple introduction to all the A-rank Psionicists present. "Since everyone’s here, let’s head out. I’ll explain the operation plan in detail along the way."
Everyone boarded Pathfinder’s spaceship. En route to the Singularity Company headquarters, Pathfinder distributed the route maps he had painstakingly gathered on the headquarters' layout.
None of the NPCs reacted much, but the Players were visibly excited. This was their first proactive assault since entering the Star Sea, and it would be their most profitable battle yet.
Bai Fu took part of the money earned from selling slavers and distributed it among the Players. Even those who contributed the least earned 800 Credit Coins, while the top contributors got 2,000 on the spot. With the money in hand, the Players immediately started happily splurging.
Many bought the power armor they had long dreamed of, while others equipped themselves in flamboyant outfits, drawing jealous stares from the rest.
"If only one day I could get a super-large mech and go wild."
Convert to My Fu couldn’t help but sigh.
After the spaceship landed, he flowed out with the crowd through the exit. He had only taken a few steps when footsteps echoed nearby.
Fu-fu?
He turned his head and saw the female Psionicist who hadn’t spoken much since appearing—seemingly named Red Lotus—walking straight toward him.
Could it be a quest?
Convert to My Fu’s eyes lit up immediately. As a Fu Sect Player, he loved only two things in the game—Fu-fu, and quests.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Convert to My Fu used the standard Player opening line.
"You’re not from the Sea Lion System, are you?" Red Lotus asked with a smile. "You all look like typical Cosmic beings. Your outfits are completely different from the local civilization in the Sea Lion System, and there’s an unmistakable air of inexperience about you."
Convert to My Fu nodded.
It was true. The way Players excitedly looked at everything they saw was just like bumpkins who had just arrived in the big city.
"What’s wrong with that?"
Red Lotus said, "The Star Sea is vast and boundless, full of endless opportunities. You’ve only just arrived in the Sea Lion System, and probably don’t understand much yet. But judging from your strength and courage, as long as you find the right path, even if you don’t become filthy rich, you’ll still live quite well..."
Convert to My Fu nodded. And then? Where’s your quest?
Seeing that Convert to My Fu wasn’t getting it, Red Lotus could only speak plainly: "Dark Moon is that Silver Moon who’s recently become famous in the Chaos Star Route, right? Following someone that treats her followers’ lives like dirt is too dangerous. I think..."
Now Convert to My Fu understood.
Well damn, so this NPC was trying to poach Fu-fu’s followers instead of offering a quest.
Hilarious. Did you see my name? "Convert to My Fu." And you want me to let go of Fu-fu’s thigh to follow you? Keep dreaming!
Red Lotus hit a wall, but she didn’t give up. She immediately approached other Players.
This time she was much more direct—not only stating her intentions outright, but also offering some attractive terms, like a steady salary, extra bonuses, and special equipment.
And yet, every Player rejected her. She was almost driven to depression. Seriously? That Silver Moon woman is actively sending you to die, and you’re still loyally following her? Are you all insane? Is the world insane? Or does being good-looking really let you do whatever you want?
She truly couldn’t figure it out and could only glare at Bai Fu a few times.
The commotion Red Lotus caused wasn’t small, and with Excavation‑Princess reporting to her, Bai Fu had already noticed.
Alright, alright, you’re trying to steal my... no wait, wrong phrase—you’re trying to steal my people, huh?!
Now she was pissed. One day she’d throw a sack over her head!
Fortunately, not a single Player was swayed by Red Lotus’s grand promises.
Loyal! To! The! Core!
According to Excavation‑Princess, some Players outright ignored Red Lotus. Some had followed her for so long that they didn’t want to switch factions and start over. Others were slightly tempted but, after thinking it through, decided staying with her offered more hope.
【Fu-fu may no longer be the protagonist after arriving in the Star Sea, but at the very least she carries a long-term hidden quest】
Bai Fu was very pleased. Thankfully, she had outplayed the competition. Back at the Abandoned Cooling Plant, she had already been dropping hints to Players about her unusual background. Otherwise, with Red Lotus’s temptation, some profit-driven Players would surely have defected.
She silently grew more cautious.
Red Lotus being able to see through her true identity—was it because her Psionic stat was unusually high?
But more than that, she was worried about the Players.
Right now, these Players had a strong sense of belonging to the Sovereign of the Shadowed Night, but she couldn’t say the same for the others. They talked a good game, but if faced with someone like Red Lotus—or someone even trickier—it was hard to say whether they’d stay loyal.
After all, Players were opportunistic. To prevent mass defection, Bai Fu felt she needed to show the Players more of what made her unique.
While she pondered the future, the group arrived near the Singularity Company.
The planet housing the Singularity Company wasn’t special by Chaos Star Route standards—just as chaotic and savage as the rest—so their arrival didn’t draw any attention.
"According to my intel, two of the Singularity Company’s five A-rank Psionicists are currently on missions. Even if they rush back at top speed, it’ll take them an hour. That hour will be our golden window. Red Lotus, you’ll hold off Jai, and the rest will be handled by me and Dark Moon."
Pathfinder once again shared his plan. After assigning the main offensive directions, the group began waiting for nightfall.