Chapter 162: Popularity Soaring, Turns Out Bai Fu Is Still the Protagonist in the New Version
Although many players had recently gone crazy on the Community shouting “Fu-fu, take me with you,” in reality, not many actually expected Bai Fu to suddenly return.
Even the Champagne-faction players, known for their optimism, expressed this view when analyzing in their Community posts.
The reason was simple.
【Previously, Fu-fu said she needed a high-grade spaceship capable of withstanding the shock of warped space to return safely to Origin Star. Such a spaceship is extremely expensive. No matter how strong her money-making abilities are, it’d still take at least a year or two, right?】
【Also, think about it. If you were a Developer, would you let Fu-fu return early? Or would you rather time her return to fall right between Version 1.5 and Version 2.0, letting her become the guide who leads us into the Star Sea?】
This analysis was logical and well-supported. Upon being published, it was met with broad agreement from the players, even receiving a like from Excavation‑Princess.
Excavation‑Princess was the renowned Bai Fu expert—if even she endorsed the theory, what else could other players possibly argue?
So players on Origin Star had no choice but to continue doing the Origin Star Reconstruction Project main quests while occasionally watching Excavation‑Princess’s Livestreams to ease their Fu addiction.
Overall, players of the Fu Sect in Version 1.3 had adopted a laid-back attitude.
There was no other way. No matter how sensational Bai Fu was, only a few players like Excavation‑Princess had actually witnessed it firsthand. Most were simply too far removed. What was the point of getting fired up?
With players taking it easy, Bai Fu’s visibility also dropped.
Version 1.3 saw the main storylines of all Beginner Planets explode with activity. Most players were now focused on completing their main quests, naturally leaving them little time to pay attention to Bai Fu.
Bai Fu was fortunate to have brought Excavation‑Princess, that handy little PR assistant, with her before she left. Otherwise, not showing up in front of players for two months would definitely have tanked her popularity.
Even a Poster Girl would lose fans with reduced screen time—let alone her?
As things stood, it wasn’t too bad. Her popularity hadn’t declined much. It was just that recently, other Protagonists from different planets, previously left in her dust, had gained huge ground in popularity. They couldn’t even sniff her tail fumes before—now they could finally see her back.
For example, Meruru, one of the Protagonists from the Esper Power planet, who sacrificed herself to help players defeat a formidable enemy. A video montage with a sad BGM made her go viral across the entire Community.
Or those NPCs selected by the officials as Class mentors—they were already popular, and once the main story spread out, they naturally absorbed masses of fans.
But all of these concerns ended the moment Bai Fu stepped down from the spaceship.
Was Lao Fu passé? Did she become a side-character upon reaching the Star Sea? Was it true that new stars always replaced the old?
Kids, I’m back!
Today, Bai Fu shall tell you this—
With every new version, comes a new god. No wait—that’s wrong. With every new version, there is always Bai Fu!
Bai Fu didn’t know if she could become the highest peak of the NPC world in Beyond the Stars, but as long as she didn’t suddenly drop dead, she had full confidence in becoming the longest river.
She descended the steps extended from the spaceship. With each step, she seemed to land not on metal, but directly on the hearts of the players.
Her steps were light and graceful. She moved confidently and calmly, intentionally wearing a black gown that emphasized the curves of her legs, chest, and abdomen. In her hand, she held a scepter.
When such a scene appeared on-screen, a common thought bloomed in the minds of many—
Damn, doesn’t this look exactly like a queen returning from her world tour?
Absolutely stunning!
“Ahhh, it’s Fu-fu!”
A single shout, and the streets emptied. The Livestream was buried in a flood of Live‑stream Comments, the screen completely obscured. Factions like the Railway Guild and Human Alliance immediately ended their meetings upon recognizing Bai Fu. What meeting could possibly matter more? The top priority was to send people to greet Bai Fu.
Minutes later, at the gate of Bai Fu Town, Bai Fu was surrounded by tens of thousands of players.
“Long time no see, everyone.”
She raised her right hand and gave a gentle wave with a smile.
She was back—the familiar voice, the familiar gentle demeanor, everything familiar. The players trembled all over, their scalps tingled, like a zap from Purple Mood’s static discharge.
“Fu-fu, I missed you so much!”
“Fu-fu, will you leave again after this return?”
The players shouted endlessly in excitement. Part of it was longing, but another part came from seeing the massive spaceship.
Even a small Freighter could carry 100 people. How many could such a large spaceship hold?
They were beyond eager to travel to the Star Sea with Bai Fu. Who wouldn’t want to happily sip soup while following behind Fu-fu?
That taste—truly unforgettable!
“I won’t be staying long this time, just four or five days at most.” Bai Fu deliberately paused here, letting the players’ faces fall in disappointment before continuing, “This time, I’m just scouting ahead, and solving the Psionic Pollution on Origin Star. Next time I come back, I plan to build a Starport here. It shouldn’t take too long—probably just a few more months.”
Build a Starport?
That must be the Version 2.0 plot connecting the Beginner Planet to the Star Sea.
But then, some players realized the issue. Bai Fu said she’d return to build the Starport in a few months, which meant Version 1.4 had just begun.
【Holy crap, does that mean we can head to the Star Sea en masse in Version 1.4?】
【I’m reporting Origin Star players for cheating!】
【They said Bai Fu became a side-character in the Star Sea—what kind of side-character is this badass?】
Players from other Beginner Planets were so triggered by Bai Fu’s words their eyes turned red. Their uproar made Bai Fu top the Community hot list once again.
Bai Fu’s intentional concealment of her itinerary to stir up popularity had finally succeeded.
Many interesting discussions sprang up across the Community. The most popular post was titled “The Making of a Side-character Heroine.”
The post analyzed in detail why Origin Star was so special, concluding—
A butterfly effect triggered by a chance encounter in a small alley!
【As we all know, every Beginner Planet has multiple Protagonists. Which one eventually becomes the true Protagonist is tied to player tendencies. Different true Protagonists will lead their planet to different futures.】
【Most players on other planets only realized this truth in Version 1.2. But Origin Star was different. Thanks to Excavation‑Princess, players there had already determined Bai Fu as the Protagonist right at launch. Their early intervention turbo-charged Bai Fu’s growth, letting her outshine all other Protagonists. By Version 1.2, she crushed all factions with an invincible posture. Since the storyline ended much earlier, naturally, Origin Star players’ journey to the Star Sea advanced way ahead of schedule.】
【This proves that the officials weren’t lying—players truly have a major influence on storylines and NPC destinies. I boldly speculate: even if Bai Fu’s original storyline ended, as long as players keep lifting her up, she will naturally spawn more new storylines.】
【Here’s an example—under normal circumstances, Bai Fu could never become Empress of the Rebirth Empire, right? But what if we players defeated the Emperor and forcibly crowned her?】
【I call this the method of raising a side-character heroine. An NPC’s future is intimately tied to what players do. This game is fascinating—we’re not just raising ourselves, we’re also raising NPCs and the storyline.】
This post had massive impact. After reading it, many players felt like a whole new world had opened up before them.
Bai Fu was also surprised when she saw that post. Good grief, the poster had discovered the true essence of the game!
From a mere side character to the legendary Protagonist of Origin Star—wasn’t that a real-life version of raising a side-character heroine?
The appearance of this post was good news for her. The term “raising” would make the bond between players and her even tighter. As she grew stronger, players’ sense of belonging to her would also rise accordingly.
【Look, this is the Fu-fu I raised!】
Bai Fu was delighted.
A pleasant surprise indeed!
Her return to Origin Star, combined with the viral analytical post, let Bai Fu ride the momentum. Her popularity soared again, widening the gap between her and other NPCs.
Passing through the crowd and spotting Old Nissen and “Poem for Fu” standing at the corner, her smile grew even brighter.
“Why are you two back?” Old Nissen’s face was full of surprise.
Xia Shi’s lips moved slightly, though she said nothing, but her eyes had already said plenty.
Bai Fu smiled and repeated what she had just told the players. Then she pulled Yulia out from behind and told her to catch up with Old Nissen.
“How have you been settling over these past two months?” Bai Fu asked Xia Shi.
Xia Shi’s expression remained gloomy but was less sorrowful. “Not bad. The Undead have a great demand for machinery, so I’ve been crafting various mechanical devices and haven’t had much time to dwell on things. My engineering skills have improved a lot in these two months.”
Bai Fu cast a Psionic Vision skill and discovered that Xia Shi had indeed leveled up quite a bit. The number of skills and blueprints she had mastered had also increased.
From their conversation, she learned that the players had made significant contributions here. They had brought large amounts of mechanical knowledge and blueprints to Xia Shi. With their support, her rapid growth became possible.
Bai Fu said, “Last time I asked if you wanted to go to the Star Sea with me, you refused. This time I’m asking again.”
Xia Shi pressed her lips together, frowning slightly. Her manner grew even more like Daiyu.
“You really think I can help you?”
Bai Fu smiled. “Of course. Ever since you left, I haven’t dared to wear that combat suit, afraid I might break it.”
If Xia Shi joined the team, she would be able to add many mechanical items to the store, helping Bai Fu harvest players more thoroughly. Once Xia Shi reached higher levels, a high-level Machinist would also provide greater tactical variety.
“Oh.” Xia Shi suddenly asked, “And compared to Yulia?”
That was a somewhat sharp question, but Bai Fu, with her impressively thick skin, remained calm and said, “Metaphorically speaking, you’re both my wings.”
“I see.” Xia Shi nodded and did not dwell further on the issue. “I want to go, but I also want to continue guarding everything you left behind on Origin Star.”
Bai Fu waved her hand. “That’s not a problem. One of the purposes of my return this time is to resolve that issue.”
She ordered the robots aboard the spaceship to bring down the Psionic Purification devices gifted to her by Fei Ye.
While Xia Shi studied the devices, the heads of factions like the Railway Guild began arriving one after another—Su Li was among them.
Bai Fu, Queen of Origin Star and spiritual leader of many Undead, had returned from the Star Sea. They were desperate to find out what she had come back for.
This development was completely unexpected.
Especially for those from the Old Republic—they were deeply frustrated. They had planned to use their foundation to slowly gain influence in the Reconstruction Project and play local tyrants during Bai Fu’s absence. Who would have thought Bai Fu would suddenly return?
Bai Fu greeted each representative with a radiant smile.
Since she rarely returned, it was time to show off some power—just in case anyone had ideas they shouldn’t.
Origin Star was her designated rear base, her secret garden. She would not allow anyone to disrupt that status.
“When I was talking to the Undead just now, I heard that you encountered extremely ferocious mutated lifeforms while building a new camp. Even after organizing large numbers of A-rank Psionicists and Undead, you couldn’t eliminate them. Instead, you were driven back by a beast tide they triggered?”
“That's right.” Su Li nodded solemnly. “Those mutated lifeforms have incredibly strong vitality and high infectivity. Ordinary people don’t dare go near them. Because of that, they’re even harder to deal with than the President of the Truth Society.”
Everyone around nodded in agreement.
“Leave those mutated lifeforms to me. Take the Psionic Purification devices and either figure out how they work and produce them yourself, or slowly purify with what you have.”
Bai Fu appeared very confident, but others around her were not so sure.
True, Bai Fu was very powerful—she had already surpassed the President of the Truth Society and was now the strongest Psionicist in Origin Star’s history. But even so, could she really deal with those massive mutated lifeforms?
It had only been two months. Even if she had improved, how much improvement could she possibly make?
Wait, no!
They suddenly recalled that Bai Fu had returned on a massive spaceship. If that spaceship joined the battle, it would be easy to obliterate the mutated lifeforms.
Bai Fu smiled and gave no explanation.
Sure, bombing them from the ship would be highly efficient—but it wouldn't be impressive. It would make people think, “If Bai Fu can do it, so can I. I just don’t have a spaceship right now.”
That would never do.
Her goal was to intimidate these factions. To do that, she needed to show off in the most devastating way.
“I won’t be staying long this time. Let’s go take care of those mutated lifeforms right now.”
Bai Fu invited everyone aboard the spaceship. She even brought along many players—not for any practical reason, but to show off the interior space of the ship, to let players see how many people she could take to the Star Sea. It was all to prepare for harvesting players later.
The spaceship shot skyward. Before anyone could say much, it was already hovering above the target area.
Just as everyone wondered what Bai Fu would do next, she entered a room, took off her gown, changed into her Psionic Construct, then opened the hatch and flew straight out.
“She’s flying?”
All the faction leaders were dumbfounded.
They didn’t see any propulsion gear or flight packs on Bai Fu. Yet she flew—just like that!
They thought this was already the most shocking thing, but what happened next showed them how limited their imaginations truly were.
Who said that two months wasn’t enough to see explosive growth?
Bai Fu hovered mid-air, standing tall and proud like an unshakable mountain.
Under countless gazes, she drew more than a dozen Prayer Cards in succession. These were Penetrating Spear cards, now enhanced at +5, quadrupling their output.
She aimed at a colossal beast on the ground—four to five meters tall, the so-called King of Mutated Lifeforms. It had previously withstood a siege by six A-rank Psionicists and hundreds of players and had escaped unscathed. Its strength was undeniable.
But that strength only applied within Origin Star. In Bai Fu’s eyes, its power was still capped at B-rank. What difference was there between a level 40 B-rank and a level 50 B-rank?
“Roar—”
The beast on the ground noticed Bai Fu and immediately let out a provocative roar.
Bai Fu smiled and flung out four Penetrating Spear cards in quick succession.
The moment the prayer card dissipated, a massive white Psionic Javelin suddenly materialized in the sky. With a sharp whoosh, the javelin launched like a missile, slicing through the sky in an instant and piercing straight through the massive beast’s body before it could even react.
Blood spurted from the gaping wound as the giant beast let out a furious roar—only to be answered by several more Psionic Javelins.
Boom boom boom!
The remaining three javelins all hit their mark. The giant beast’s roar cut off abruptly. Its eyes widened as it twitched twice, then collapsed heavily to the ground in unwilling defeat. From beginning to end, it hadn’t managed a single counterattack.
Crushing—absolute crushing.
King of the Mutated Lifeforms, my ass. I'm the Queen of Origin Star!
Ten Spinning Demon Blades flew from Bai Fu’s palm, rapidly spinning as they chased down the fleeing Mutated Lifeforms that had scattered after witnessing their leader’s instant death. Often, the blades would have already severed the creatures in two before they even noticed—their momentum carried them several more steps before their bodies fully split apart.
Splurt splurt splurt——
The severed beast bodies formed a rectangular array across the land, geysers of blood gushing like fountains.
From the spaceship above, the scene was both gruesome and surreal. More importantly, everyone realized just how terrifying Bai Fu truly was.
These monsters, which had tormented them for so long, were annihilated by Bai Fu in barely over ten seconds!
Some are unfathomable because their depths are unknown. Bai Fu, however, seemed like one whose depths had already been fully explored—until one pushed a bit further and realized it still went far deeper.
“What the hell kind of monster is that?”
“Good thing we didn’t make any reckless moves lately. Just imagined some things in our heads, that’s all…”
The top brass of the Old Republic nearly pissed themselves in fear.
Unlike the NPCs, the Players were thrilled. They had already known through livestreams that Bai Fu had grown immensely stronger, but since she had been far away in the Star Sea, none of them had a real sense of how strong she’d become—until now. Now they saw clearly—this was strength capable of instantly wiping out multiple Truth Society Presidents in one breath!
【As expected of Fu-fu, she's insanely savage, damn】
【So freaking cool, feels like watching a blockbuster with heavy VFX】
【Damn, Fu-fu's thighs just keep getting juicier. Slurp. This time I must cling on tight and rub all I can!】
Bai Fu looked down with satisfaction at her handiwork. The most troublesome monster in this area had been eliminated—she’d leave the rest for the Players to slowly handle.
She flew back to the spaceship, where Players immediately swarmed around her in excitement. If they weren’t worried about being smacked away or losing Favorability, many would’ve rushed up to rub against her already.
So powerful. My dear Fu, you are my goddess!
With a calm expression, Bai Fu said, “Next, let’s stroll around a few other places.”
“Ah, yes, a stroll. A stroll sounds good.”
Representatives from all the major factions of Origin Star hurriedly agreed. In front of such a powerful Bai Fu, what else could they say?
Your Majesty, please grant me the honor of licking your feet?
Clearly, Bai Fu was not into that sort of thing.
Within half an hour, Bai Fu traveled to seven different locations, instantly eliminating every Mutated Lifeform that was overpowered for the Players.
At the same time, the effectiveness of the Psionic Purification Device was confirmed. Despite their shock, the major factions of Origin Star fell into irrepressible excitement.
With this, Origin Star truly could be restored to its former state—and all of it was thanks to Bai Fu!
The leadership of the Old Republic, deeply chastened, ultimately decided to abandon any subversive intentions, resolutely taking a stand to become Bai Fu’s most loyal… human stepping stools. Not foot-lickers, no—definitely not that.
They had learned their lesson.
What choice did they have, when Bai Fu’s power was so absurd?
If they faithfully followed Bai Fu, perhaps one day their humble surface civilization might shine brilliantly across the Star Sea.
Watching the skyrocketing Favorability from each faction, Bai Fu remained composed. As she expected, everything was going according to plan.
With the challenges of the Origin Star Reconstruction Project now resolved, she finally had time to harvest the Players’ long-accumulated XP.
That very night, she announced to the Players of Bai Fu Town the second reason for her return to Origin Star—
To recruit Brave Souls for a mission into the Star Sea: to support Fei Ye, who had lent her a spaceship!
Though the Players had already speculated, the confirmed announcement still stirred a storm.
【Fu-fu is awesome!】
【Fu-fu, I love you!】
【Last time there were only 96 slots. This time there are thousands. I have to make it!】
【Damn it, is it still in time to reincarnate to Origin Star?】
The Players all eagerly awaited, each looking like tall, green leeks in Bai Fu’s eyes.
They were waiting to be harvested—how could she not oblige?
In the past, Players initiated Offline PvP to select the strongest. This time, Bai Fu issued a mission directly under Fei Ye’s name.
Want to join the Dark Moon Tide Corporation? Want to support Fei Ye with me? Then come take the test. Only the top 3000 scorers will be allowed aboard the spaceship!
Bai Fu deliberately designed the test mission to be repeatable rather than a Player-vs-Player duel, aiming to drive more sales in the shops.
She had stocked the shop with many enhanced Prayer Cards, as well as a batch of explosive Skill Books she had picked up at the trade center before her return. Because the test was repeatable, Players striving for higher scores would definitely splurge in the Instance Store.
Perfect. Everything was ready. All she needed now was to lie down and devour the Players’ hard-earned XP.
“This time, I should be able to gorge myself in one go.”
Bai Fu licked the corner of her lips with excitement.
The Star Sea Succubus was on the move!
Fei Ye, right? You lent me a spaceship—I’ll repay you with thousands of Players… and a Bai Fu who has reached the peak of A-rank Psionicist!