Chapter 171: The Counterattack Begins, Bai Fu Becomes the Goddess of Victory
Bai Fu hadn’t expected her appearance to reverse the overall course of the war.
But that was alright—she hadn’t come to be some kind of savior hero.
Leave the heroics to Manu, who had resolved to act as bait to lure out the Bio-warship and the Brain Bug, or to Fei Ye, currently the number one expert on Tianhu Star.
That was just how things were. Manu and the others had a lot to consider, whereas Bai Fu’s considerations were far simpler.
Several hours earlier, her ramblings had fiercely boosted the morale of the dejected soldiers around her, while also firmly cementing her title as the “Savior Saint” in their hearts.
Now that the war had reignited, there was only one thing Savior Saint Fu-fu needed to do—appear on the city wall, become the Goddess of Victory, become an unyielding banner, and make that morale boost last longer!
Judging from the cries on the battlefield, Bai Fu had succeeded in this mission.
Not only had she fulfilled her mission, she had even surpassed her initial goal, raising everyone's spirits even higher.
Credit for this went to the advanced knowledge and Prayer Card blueprints Manu had given her.
These advanced Prayer Cards were truly different—they had directly multiplied her combat power even though her stats hadn’t improved significantly.
Although time was extremely tight and she couldn’t craft many Prayer Cards even working at full capacity, the ones she had on hand were already enough to create an explosive effect in a short time.
Cages hundreds of meters long and wide, Psionic Storms dozens of meters in diameter—once these two things were thrown into the battlefield, their bug-killing efficiency was higher than pouring lava into an ant nest. Occasionally, a large Adult Burrower would manage to escape from a Psionic Storm, but it would soon be finished off by battlefield cleanup teams composed of Lancers and Adjudicators.
In just over a dozen seconds, a vast empty space nearly a kilometer in diameter was cleared in front of Bai Fu.
Amid the surging Insect Swarm, this sight was incredibly eye-catching.
"Hiss—"
"Such powerful Prayer Cards!"
In fact, among the mercenaries recruited by the Star Web Commonwealth, there were also mages skilled in large-scale attacks. These mages could also unleash spectacular special effects.
But they couldn’t make magic scrolls, and no matter how dazzling their skills were, they could only use them themselves.
Bai Fu was different—she could craft Prayer Cards and distribute them to others. Even advanced Prayer Cards only required some psionic power to be injected via a Psionic Collector to activate.
The result was that once Bai Fu summoned two Psionic Storms on the battlefield, everyone else who had Psionic Storm Cards followed her lead and threw their activated cards as well.
Whoosh—whoosh—
More than thirty Psionic Storms rose simultaneously in front of the long, narrow wall.
The storms howled like black fire tornadoes surging across the plains. The sky, which had begun to brighten with the dawn, was instantly shrouded in darkness by the Psionic Storms. The oppressive aura they created truly gave the terrifying impression of black clouds pressing down on the city.
The high walls built by the Psionic Storms and the Prisons effectively blocked the bugs’ advance. Combined with artillery fire and the ranged attacks from other Psionicists, this largest wave of the Insect Swarm was beaten back significantly for the time being.
“Holy crap, badass!”
Cheers mixed with curses erupted on the city wall.
"With Bai Fu’s psionic talent, if she’s properly trained, even if she doesn’t become a Disaster-class, she could still be a war machine feared by ordinary civilizations!"
Manu had always had high hopes for Bai Fu, but he had never expected her to bring him such a massive surprise this time.
This time, Bai Fu had injected pure adrenaline into everyone behind the defensive line.
Given the number of Prayer Cards Bai Fu had rushed to produce, along with the current soaring morale, there would be no issue maintaining this scale of counterattack for another hour.
That was enough.
During this one-hour window, the Brain Bug would surely continue to intensify its efforts. And when its full attention was drawn to Bai Fu, that would be Manu’s golden opportunity to act!
"Everyone, prepare and follow my command!"
Manu stared fixedly at the surveillance screen in front of him.
In the midst of blood and fire, his heart pounded like a war drum.
For the Star Web Commonwealth behind him, for everyone who had fought in this war—this time, they had to succeed!
Not everyone felt thrilled by Bai Fu’s dazzling performance. At the very least, Herbert and other executives of the Star Covenant Organization couldn’t share in the excitement.
The brighter Bai Fu shone, the greater the threat she posed to them in the future. What was shredded by the Psionic Storms wasn’t just the bugs—it was their very hearts.
But no matter how displeased they were, they didn’t dare lay a hand on Bai Fu.
The Void Valkyrie Fei Ye was far from being as simple as she appeared.
Her current destructive power was already enough to shake the earth and tear apart cities. But she still had a hidden trump card she rarely revealed. That card was the true reason she was called the Void Valkyrie and considered to be approaching the level of a Disaster-class!
Just as Herbert and the others were cursing Fei Ye’s dumb luck in their hearts, an unusual tremor suddenly came from the ground.
"It’s underground!"
Fei Ye’s expression changed instantly.
As soon as she spoke, the ground directly in front of Bai Fu exploded violently, and a massive bug with a sharp head, dozens of meters long, burst out of the crater.
It flipped through the air like a whale breaching the water.
Time seemed to slow at that moment.
Everyone turned their heads in shock. At that instant, they could do nothing—say nothing—only watch in horror as the giant bug’s venomous mandibles came crashing down on Bai Fu’s head.
Bai Fu was flattened. The city wall caved in. Venom splattered. Shattered metal filled the sky.
Boom!
Only when the bug landed did the noise finally shatter the silence of the moment.
Bai Fu was dead? Smashed into nothingness?
Most of those who witnessed the scene felt as though struck by lightning, something in their hearts crumbling apart.
"Ahhh, I’ll kill you!"
Fei Ye erupted on the spot, her pink hair flaring wildly.
Almost as soon as her eyes turned red, she appeared before the giant bug. Her terrifying strength crashed down onto its head with a straight punch.
That punch landed like a hammer on glass. A web of cracks spread before her, extending from the space itself to the bug’s body. The bug didn’t even have time to shriek before its massive head shattered into countless fragments, falling like crumbling concrete.
The bug with the exploded head wasn’t fully dead. Its body continued to attack Fei Ye out of instinct. But with Fei Ye’s power, how could she possibly be afraid? Scarlet flames erupted skyward, igniting its body instantly. Under the searing blaze, the giant bug writhed for several seconds before finally falling still.
Before its corpse even hit the ground, Fei Ye landed atop the shattered city wall. She crouched, palms pressed to the ground, her face full of sorrow.
“It’s all my fault. If I had sensed the movement of that bug earlier, you wouldn’t have died. Wuwu... now I can only ask Yulia for two of your clothes to build you a cenotaph.”
Fei Ye raised her hand, just about to wipe the corners of her eyes, when she realized her hand had been grabbed.
“I’m not dead yet.”
Hm?
Fei Ye suddenly looked up.
The one holding her hand was none other than Bai Fu, wearing a helpless expression—not only alive, but not even her clothes or hairstyle had been disturbed.
“You... really didn’t die?”
Fei Ye was stunned. She had no idea how Bai Fu had reappeared. She abruptly stood up and reached out to touch Bai Fu’s face all over.
What dead or not dead—what an ominous thing to say!
Bai Fu pushed her hand away.
When the giant bug burst out, she had used Shadow Doppelgänger, instantly becoming an ethereal phantom and leaving an illusion behind as her whole body launched backward like a projectile. Because the speed of her launch exceeded her expectations, and she was wearing bladed high heels, the heel tilted unexpectedly mid-flight, nearly making her fall on her butt. Fortunately, her ethereal form was invisible to the naked eye, so no one noticed anything unusual. Only after adjusting herself did she reappear to reassure Fei Ye.
In fact, even if she hadn’t used Shadow Doppelgänger in time and was directly struck by the giant bug, Bai Fu wouldn’t have feared it.
Her Peerless Physique, combined with her innate Critical Immunity and Death Immunity, wasn’t for show!
Of course, this wasn’t the real reason for her confidence. What made her confident was the fact that standing here was Hei Fu—her hair had turned white, and her clothes now matched hers. Even if Hei Fu was killed, she could revive—utterly fearless.
【This Bai Fu is absurdly strong yet excessively cautious】
The Insect Swarm of the Dark Zone had originally aimed to shatter the defenders’ morale with a surprise attack on Bai Fu. But instead, Fei Ye’s instant obliteration of the giant bug and Bai Fu’s unharmed return caused a dramatic morale rebound after rock bottom.
That’s it?
What a lousy bug—in front of Savior Saint Bai Fu, it seemed utterly pathetic, unable to even scratch one of her toes!
“These bugs must be at their limit already. Otherwise, why would they resort to assassination tactics?”
The defenders’ will grew even more resolute.
They just had to survive this wave—and victory would be theirs!
The Insect Swarm of the Dark Zone, having failed its strike, immediately launched a new assault. But no matter how fierce the offensive became, it still couldn’t break through the final line of defense for the time being.
In the distance, Manu, who had been monitoring the battlefield, finally exhaled in relief.
It was good that nothing had happened to Bai Fu!
Now that the bugs’ attention had been completely diverted, it was time for his side to strike.
“Prepare!”
A shout echoed inside the Freighter Bridge, and all the personnel aboard instantly tensed.
Preparation commenced. The freighter ignited. All weapons entered preloading mode. Shields were activated. The spatial fluctuation detectors were primed. The final pre-launch countdown began.
10, 9, 8...
Massive digits flashed at the center of the screen. When the number finally hit zero, a thunderous roar erupted from the military port at the center of Tianhu Star’s defense base. A 1580-meter-long Crimson Tide-class light battleship lifted off and soared into the sky, followed closely by over fifty White Bird-class heavy frigates forming a V-formation to flank the battleship on both sides. On the ground, more than twenty Planetary Array Cannons raised their barrels, fully charged and ready to fire.
This wasn’t the full strength of Tianhu Star’s fleet—Manu had only deployed about one-seventh of the ships. He feared that if they failed and all ships were controlled by the Brain Bug, the entire Tianhu Star would be scorched into glass.
“It’s begun.”
Bai Fu, Fei Ye, Yulia, Herbert, the Players—everyone else present looked up.
Manu had charged into the Star Sea with the resolve to die.
To prevent the fleet he led from annihilating the bugs that had been dropped to the surface via remote transmission, the Brain Bug hiding in a subspace would definitely take action. It might release the Bio-warship formed from a Stellar Beast, or it might act personally. No matter which, the moment it acted would be the perfect opportunity for this desperate assault to succeed.
As long as they could detect the source of the spatial fluctuation at that moment, lock onto the subspace’s location, and launch a Dimensional Wave Disruption Bomb into it, they could force the Brain Bug out.
Then would begin the hunt!
Manu closed his eyes and silently prayed in his heart, praying that all the ancestors who had brought the Star Web Commonwealth to this point would bless him.
It was unknown how long had passed before he suddenly heard a shout.
“There’s a fluctuation!”
Manu’s eyes snapped open, sharp as thunder flashing in his gaze.
A virtual screen popped up before him, displaying the data from the spatial fluctuation detector.
Was it the Brain Bug, or the Bio-warship?
No—that didn’t matter!
With the shield strength of the Crimson Tide-class light battleship, it could absolutely withstand the first wave of attacks from both the Brain Bug and the Bio-warship. What he needed was to locate the Brain Bug before the ship was compromised!
“Commander, we’re receiving an unknown signal intrusion!”
“Hold it back with everything we’ve got—just buy me two minutes!”
Two minutes. Normally short, now agonizingly long.
Manu, most of the crew aboard the ship, and those in the ground-based control towers, all fixed their eyes on the spatial fluctuation detector data.
The fitted curve fluctuated wildly, almost like an EKG of those watching. After a full minute, the curve finally began to calm.
“Got it!”
Manu was overjoyed.
He clenched his right fist tightly, watching the curve align with the average. But before he could celebrate, the curve suddenly fluctuated violently again. He had a bad feeling, and sure enough—when the curve stabilized, the screen didn’t display a single coordinate, but a range.
To the front-right—a spherical zone with a diameter of six million kilometers. The Brain Bug was hiding in there.
But six million kilometers—what kind of attack could he use to hit the Brain Bug precisely within that zone with a Dimensional Wave Disruption Bomb?
“Why is it a range?”
Manu couldn’t understand. Data from over a dozen spatial fluctuation detectors yielded roughly the same result.
Then he saw it—a Bio-warship several hundred meters long burst from deep space, charging straight at the battleship he was on.
A wave of helplessness and despair crashed over him. Everything had been going so well—only to stumble at the most critical moment.
It was over.
This time, it was truly over.
Manu barely managed to stay on his feet.
At the same time, on the ground, many people were urgently asking,
“Did you find the Brain Bug’s location?”
The people in the control tower wore bitter expressions. This wasn’t something they could hide. All they could do was give a wry smile and shake their heads, then forward the detected data to everyone whose communicator was still functioning.
Bai Fu quickly opened her communicator. Upon seeing that set of data and the star chart, her pupils shrank.
“This...”
In fact, shortly after Manu led the fleet into the starry sea, she had suddenly developed a strange kind of perception. She faintly felt she had sensed something far away.
Because the sensation was weak, she didn’t think much of it at first, assuming it was just a side effect of intense combat and workload. But after seeing the data from the control tower, she suddenly realized what she had perceived.
“There are two presences I sensed, and their locations happen to be within the range shown on the star chart. Could it be that what I sensed were Brain Bugs—two of them?!”
Bai Fu was shocked.
She wasn’t a Mental Esper. Her Psionic path wasn’t even one focused on sensory perception. How could she have sensed the Brain Bugs’ positions?
At this moment, Yulia stepped forward.
“This star chart... I seem to vaguely perceive something in this area.”
Yulia had this ability too?
Bai Fu’s first thought was about the Sanctified Link and Miracle Resonance. Thanks to these two skills, she and Yulia were constantly connected. Their bond was as tight as if tubes had been inserted between their bodies for two-way flow.
But the issue was, neither the Sanctified Link nor the Miracle Resonance said anything about sharing sensory input. If their senses were linked, wouldn’t that be way too much? Imagine doing experiments with Yulia—you’d need serious mental prep beforehand!
If it wasn’t a side effect of those two skills, then...
Bai Fu quickly contacted Anya, who was in the rear doing psychological counseling for the wounded.
As expected, Anya had also sensed it—and her perception was much clearer than Bai Fu’s or Yulia’s.
“It’s the effect of the Dissociative Agent!”
The common point between her, Yulia, and Anya was that they had all used Dissociative Agents. Anya’s perception was the clearest because she had triggered a Mental Mutation after taking the Dissociative Agent.
“Does this mean the Dissociative Agent is related to the Insect Swarm of the Dark Zone? If so, does that mean the Secret Tower that developed the Dissociative Agent is also connected to the Insect Swarm of the Dark Zone? And maybe—this is my opportunity to trigger a Mental Mutation and evolve into a new species!”
Bai Fu became excited.
She didn’t dare jump to conclusions, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. From the starry sea to the ground, the morale of Tianhu Star’s defenders was collapsing fast due to the failure of the desperate assault.
If there were truly no chance, that would be one thing. But now that there was a lead, she didn’t want to sit back and watch the mission fail!
“I’ll come find you right away!”
After telling Anya not to run around, Bai Fu dashed out of the freighter, contacting Manu as she ran.
“What? You sensed the Brain Bug’s location?”
Manu froze when he heard this.
Bai Fu nodded. “I’m not certain the coordinates are accurate, but having a target is better than having none at all!”
She then had Anya mark the location on the star chart and sent it to Manu.
Manu held his breath and stared at the star chart Bai Fu had sent.
Two coordinate points—did that mean there were two Brain Bugs?
It was certainly possible. Otherwise, why would their data yield a range instead of a fixed position?
Right now, the fleet was under attack by the Bio-warship. Several frigates had already lost control. The situation was critical. Even if this attempt failed, it couldn’t get any worse.
“Quick, input the coordinates! Launch the attack on these two targets!”
Manu gave the order loudly.
Although the others were completely confused, with Manu’s command, they could only comply.
The battleship’s gravity-launch systems began aiming. Once locked in, both launchers activated simultaneously, hurling the Dimensional Wave Disruption Bombs outward.
This was an even longer minute than before.
Manu waited with sweat dripping from his palms, forehead, and back. After a minute, the bombs reached the target zone and began spinning at incredible speed, releasing strange shockwaves in all directions.
“It’s a subspace fluctuation!”
Aboard the freighter, an Observer shouted.
Two terrifying spatial storms erupted in deep space from the rupture of the subspace. Within the storms, two enormous bugs resembling bearded brains appeared, their forms captured by the freighter’s deployed probes.
“Goddess of Victory—it’s Bai Fu, the true Goddess of Victory!” Manu’s voice trembled with excitement. “Transmit the footage. Let everyone know what happened here!”
Seconds later, everyone on the ground knew the Brain Bugs had been located, and that the intel had come from Bai Fu.
They were stunned—no one expected such a massive reversal in just a few minutes.
Then came the celebration.
The Brain Bugs were found!
The plan had succeeded!
They had clawed their way out of hell for the third time!
And each time they escaped hell, it was thanks to that woman—it was her, it was her, it was her! The Savior Saint, the unyielding banner, the goddess who symbolized victory and hope—
Bai Fu!
“Savior Saint!!!”
“She can even sense the Brain Bug’s location—so powerful!”
Hey hey hey, what are you all trying to do? That’s my Bai Fu!
Seeing the strange gleam in everyone’s eyes, Fei Ye quickly moved to shield Bai Fu behind her, afraid someone would try to steal her away.
This wave—yeah, her popularity really exploded.
Bai Fu calmly lifted the silver-white strand of hair beside her ear with her right hand, smiling warmly like a spring breeze.
Composed. Composed. She wanted to keep a low profile, but she was just too excellent—her radiance, like the lightning around her, couldn’t be hidden. Just by standing there, she embodied dignity. Unlike Fei Ye, who, no matter how much she puffed up her chest, still looked pitiable.
After the celebration, the crowd on the ground was quickly consumed by fury.
These past days, how much pressure had they endured? How many times had they watched comrades part forever? It was all because of those two Brain Bugs that had just been blasted out!
“Damn it, you think we’ll just let them off?!”
With Manu’s order, a large number of personnel boarded the freighters. Bai Fu, Fei Ye, Herbert, and others were among them.
Only a portion needed to remain on the ground—along with the now freely usable automated weapons, that would be enough.
The decisive battle was here. There was no need to hold back anymore. Whether Tianhu Star’s war ended in victory, whether they could successfully draw the attention of the Insect Swarm of the Dark Zone and buy the main fleet enough time, all depended on this assault.
Once boarding was complete, hundreds of freighters roared into the Star Sea.
The counterattack—started now!
PS: Thanks to Mikiboon and EMT for the tips.
摆碗求票～