Chapter 246: Civil War Begins, Bai Fu Dismantles a Battleship Barehanded
Months ago, the Head of State had already considered hiring Bai Fu to “deal with” the Glorious Forces, but during a related meeting, his proposal was met with strong opposition from most officials.
Those opposed argued that although hiring Bai Fu to take on the Glorious Forces would greatly reduce expenses, significantly lower casualties, and improve strike efficiency, there was still one major downside to it.
“If Bai Fu does everything, then what do we do—bring her tea and snacks, massage her feet and shoulders? Doesn’t that make us look completely useless?”
“The military definitely wouldn’t agree either. If they refuse to cooperate, things will get very messy.”
So—no. Hiring Bai Fu was out of the question!
Facing this opposition, the Head of State didn’t say much. He simply shrugged calmly.
Oppose all you want.
He did intend to use Bai Fu—but not yet.
The Taim Civilization wasn’t chaotic enough. Inviting Bai Fu over now was pointless. It wasn’t as if he actually intended for Bai Fu to eliminate the Glorious Forces.
Thus—
Bai Fu’s public challenge in front of the media received no response from the Head of State’s residence for more than half a year, which caused his already meager approval ratings to sink even lower.
“Weak, stupid, envious, and jealous!”
All sorts of insults were hurled at the Head of State.
As factional struggles within the Taim Civilization became more pronounced, and tensions rose across all governor districts and states, the ridicule grew even more intense.
Browsing the latest news aboard her spaceship, Bai Fu couldn’t help but complain inwardly.
Others staged their comeback after a scandal in the entertainment industry and stunned the world. But this old geezer of a Head of State—he’s pulling the same stunt in politics? You’re something else!
“Neris invited me over in preparation for the upcoming civil war. What’s the Head of State calling me in for?”
Bai Fu considered many possibilities and even discussed them seriously with Yulia, Anya, Cersia, and Vic.
No one could offer a definitive answer. It looked like she’d have to meet the Head of State in person first.
Her first stop in the Taim Civilization was a planet within the Costa Li Governor District, where Neris was hosting a special banquet.
The moment she stepped into the venue, all conversations halted.
Dozens of eyes turned toward her in unison.
Dressed in a black tight-fitting combat suit, Bai Fu stood out like a high-society debutante among the finely dressed guests.
“Is that the famous mercenary queen of the Initial Gate Cluster, Bai Fu?”
“That’s her. She’s probably already the strongest in the Initial Gate Cluster. Behind her are Night Mother Cersia, Little Demon Anya, and Yulia.”
The crowd whispered amongst themselves—until Neris, who had been greeting guests, approached.
“Rough trip?”
Bai Fu smiled and shook her head. “Not at all.”
Neris suddenly gave a mysterious smile. “There’s a special guest at this banquet. Half the reason he’s here is because of you.”
“Who?”
“I’ll take you to him.”
Neris didn’t answer directly but headed upstairs.
Bai Fu: “…”
All this mystery—don’t tell me it’s someone from Titan Industries?
She followed.
On the way, Anya wouldn’t stop muttering behind her.
“Sigh, I’m speechless. Who the hell gave me the lame nickname ‘Little Demon’? It sounds awful.”
Yulia said, “Stop complaining. At least you have a nickname. I don’t even have one. Oh, and Vic didn’t even get mentioned.”
Vic felt like he took an arrow to the knee and didn’t want to speak.
Before long, with Neris leading the way, they arrived at a room toward the back of the second floor.
The moment the door opened, Bai Fu couldn’t believe her eyes—it was the Head of State!
“?”
“Saint Bai Fu, long time no see.”
The Head of State bent deeply, giving her a full ceremonial bow filled with respect.
Neris, her aide Manny, and the others all smiled from the side.
Surprised?
Their expressions clearly said so.
Well played!
Bai Fu laughed as well. “Long time no see, Your Excellency.”
Only then did Neris offer an explanation.
In short, the assassination attempt on La Nie had pushed the Head of State over the edge. Always one to see himself as a defender of fairness and justice, he could no longer tolerate the current situation. He had decided to abandon his neutral stance and cooperate with Neris to save the Taim Civilization, which had veered off course.
“I don’t know who sent the assassin. All I know is that a group of people is trampling upon the very institutions and laws that allowed the Taim Civilization to flourish—for their own selfish gain. This is unforgivable!”
Disgust showed simultaneously on the faces of both Neris and the Head of State.
Bai Fu nodded.
The more she heard, the clearer the Head of State’s true plan became.
So that’s how it is!
The Glorious Forces were a part of his strategy. Neris was another piece of that plan.
The former would be used as a sharp blade to eliminate rivals and boost his own reputation. The latter would serve as a facade to hide his true intentions. When the time came, he would likely sacrifice Neris and inherit everything from her.
The only question now was whether Neris was in the dark—or if, like the Glorious Forces, she was just another of his pawns.
Figuring that out was important.
Still, not knowing for now didn’t change anything.
The Head of State couldn’t make a big move until the Taim Civilization was in total chaos. If he revealed himself too early, exposing his true strength and ambitions, the outcome would be unpredictable.
Sure, he had backing from a universe-scale civilization—but so did other factions.
Bai Fu said nothing. She asked nothing.
She simply went with the flow, echoing Neris and the Head of State’s condemnations of those bringing ruin to the Taim Civilization.
Afterward, Neris went out to host the banquet.
There were two purposes to today's banquet. First, to align the thoughts of internal faction members once again. Second, to discuss the upcoming special operation.
Since the assassination attempt, ten days had passed. During those ten days, online public opinion had surged like a flood, yet the various factions within the Taim Civilization remained unusually quiet. They simply continued with scheduled campaign speeches by their respective candidates.
But everyone knew—this was merely the calm before the storm.
There were twelve days left until the official vote for the Head of State. By this point, the outcome of the election was already fairly clear.
Neris and La Nie were far ahead among all the candidates. The candidates backed by the Old Nobility and the New Military Aristocracy weren’t doing disastrously bad, but they certainly had no real competitiveness.
If things continued as they were, the new Head of State would be either Neris or La Nie.
Obviously, the Old Nobility and the New Military Aristocracy would not accept this outcome. They were bound to cause trouble.
The only question was—would they act before the official vote, or after the results were announced?
“If they do make a move, their first step definitely won’t be a full-scale assault. Instead, they’ll aim to sabotage military factories, warehouses, and—especially—the star routes!”
Neris projected a virtual map.
Behind his rise to power, aside from backing from a universe-scale civilization, Neris had the support of several other well-known powers—the most prominent being:
Arctic Dynamics.
Arctic Dynamics was a security company whose operations extended even to Titan Industries.
They didn’t export direct combat forces, but they supplied everything from small laser rifles to heavy space fortress battleships.
Thanks to support from Arctic Dynamics, Neris remained calm even knowing he might face simultaneous attacks from both the Old Nobility and the New Military Aristocracy.
However, if the main star route from Arctic Dynamics to the Costa Li Governor District was severed, calmness would be the last thing on his mind.
Without enough high-performance battleships, even an army of Calamity-class and Sovereigns wouldn’t win in large-scale interstellar warfare.
“We must ensure these star routes aren’t destroyed. Otherwise, we’ll be at a major disadvantage once war breaks out.”
Neris looked around and began assigning tasks.
Bai Fu was assigned to defend an observation station called Lockheed, located millions of light-years from the Costa Li Governor District. A natural wormhole suitable for rapid warp travel lay nearby.
She would be acting alongside two other Calamity-class mercenaries—Steel Curtain, a tank-type Gene Modifier, and Marren, a Psionicist.
These two were fairly well-known in the mercenary world of the Taim Civilization and surrounding regions.
“Just one star route defense mission and they’re deploying two Calamity-class and my team? The major factions in Taim Civilization really are loaded,”
Bai Fu mused privately.
Once again, she hadn’t brought Scarlet Leaf. The reason was simple—Scarlet Leaf’s identity was far too sensitive.
Although both she and Scarlet Leaf were members of the Star Pact, everyone knew Bai Fu was just nominally affiliated, whereas Scarlet Leaf was truly a part of it.
If Scarlet Leaf showed up to help Neris, it could easily be mistaken as the Star Pact officially backing Neris. To avoid that misunderstanding, Scarlet Leaf had to lay low.
While thinking, a game notification rang in Bai Fu’s ears.
【You’ve triggered the faction quest [Gate That Shall Not Fall]】
The quest required her to defend the Lockheed Observation Station and the nearby natural wormhole for 20 days. Rewards included 5 million Credit Coins, 100–300 million XP, and 0–500 Faction Reputation.
A fairly standard faction quest.
Credit Coins and XP needed no explanation. But Faction Reputation—now that was valuable.
Though it wasn’t visible to NPCs, Faction Reputation was used to gauge how much contribution was needed to satisfy an NPC’s requests. In negotiations, it served as a key metric.
Of course, some factions actually calculated it—like the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations, whose super AIs standardized and quantified everything with perfect rationality.
“Since the situation is this urgent, I won’t waste any more time here. I’ll bring my team to Lockheed immediately.”
Steel Curtain and Marren exchanged a look and also said they would follow at once.
Being in the same operation as Bai Fu filled them with confidence—but also sparked a fierce sense of rivalry.
If they could outshine Bai Fu during this mission, their mercenary corps would instantly become famous across the Edge Worlds. Even if they couldn’t surpass her, a strong performance would still earn them plenty of perks.
After the banquet, everyone in Neris’s faction moved into action.
Bai Fu immediately gathered the first wave of hundreds of thousands of players she’d brought.
These players had joined Neris’s faction alongside her. So there was no need for her to post additional quests—just a pre-battle speech would do.
…
Several days later.
Rudder Galaxy, near the Lockheed Observation Station.
More than a hundred ships, bearing no flags or insignia, suddenly appeared.
This fleet answered to Admiral Lister of the New Military Aristocracy. That faction was not entirely united internally—Admiral Lister, who came from the Colonial Expeditionary Corps, was a typical hardliner.
“Currently one light-year from Lockheed Observation Station. No abnormal signals detected. Temporary signal station completed. Next, we will proceed at full speed to Lockheed. Once captured, we’ll immediately destroy the nearby wormhole with a spatial disruptor. Glory to Taim!”
Fleet Commander Fleming ended his communication with headquarters. He glanced around the bridge of the flagship, where every face was brimming with confidence.
They were fighting for the future of the Taim Civilization!
The Taim Civilization had reached a critical phase of development. The Edge Worlds stood at a turning point of destiny. Only they—these warriors under General Lister—could carry forward Taim Civilization’s legacy into this turbulent era.
As for the outdated types like Gustav, and the naïve fools like Neris and La Nie—they weren’t fit to govern Taim Civilization.
If they rose to power, the Taim Civilization would be overtaken by its former nemesis—the Free Star System Alliance.
For a brighter tomorrow—there could be no retreat!
Fleming was very pleased with the morale of his troops.
“Neris definitely has something up his sleeve, but no matter what he’s prepared, as long as he hasn’t sent someone like Bai Fu—one of those broken Calamity-classes—there’s no way they can stop us!”
To guarantee mission success, General Lister had specially assigned him a Four Seas-class fortress battleship.
A fortress battleship was no ordinary warship. Not only could it withstand Calamity-class impacts, but its main cannon could inflict significant damage on Calamity-class targets.
In addition to the fortress ship, he had three other Calamity-class units accompanying him—another reason for his confidence.
Half an hour later, the ship AI suddenly issued an alert.
“High-level energy entity rapidly approaching!”
In an instant, everyone aboard the ship rushed to the virtual main screen.
A high-level energy entity—it was either a high-powered attack, or a psionicist, or a supernatural lifeform.
Within a dozen seconds, a massive beam of deep purple light appeared directly ahead.
“We’re under attack!”
Fleming’s spirits lifted. Neris’s forces were making their move—but…
He grinned.
“Let them witness our strength!”
They were warriors forged in the blood and fire of battle—not to be compared with mere mercenaries!
Boom!
The beam struck the ship at the front of the fleet. The shields flickered repeatedly, but ultimately, it caused no real damage.
Fleming barked, “Begin preheating the fortress ship’s cannons! All forces, advance in wedge formation! Take Lockheed in one blow!”
Just a few dozen seconds later, Fleming received a report from his subordinates.
“Commander, enemy vessels and enemy Calamity-class psionicists spotted!”
“Transmit the visuals. I want to see who it is.”
“Yes, sir.”
The flagship quickly sent the surveillance feed to the fortress mothership and zoomed in until faces were clearly visible.
First figure.
“Steel Curtain? Just a tin-plated turtle. He can protect himself, but can he protect Lockheed?”
Fleming dismissed him.
Second figure.
“Psionicist Marren? His attacks pose some threat to the fortress ship, but the fortress ship is a far greater threat to him. He’s not worth mentioning.”
Fleming kept ignoring.
Third figure.
“That one is... Night Mother Cersia? Isn’t that—”
A sudden sense of dread arose in Fleming’s heart.
He quickly looked at the fourth figure.
“Goddamn it—it really is Bai Fu!”
Fleming’s eyes widened sharply. He screamed so loudly that his voice cracked, screeching like a drill bit.
What kind of cursed luck was this?!
He had just said that as long as they didn’t run into someone broken like Bai Fu, this mission would be easy—and now she was right there, waiting for them!
Screw this!
Fleming was struck with a powerful urge to retreat.
But it was too late. He knew full well that Neris’s people wouldn’t let them walk away.
“Fight! Forward and central forces, engage with full firepower! We’ll hold Bai Fu here at all costs. Rear forces—ignore everything else! Charge Lockheed at full speed! Once inside, deploy the spatial disruptor on the wormhole!”
Fleming immediately devised the best possible response.
If the rear forces succeeded, Bai Fu and her team would be forced to retreat—and they could use that window to escape.
“The enemy firepower is a bit intense.”
Bai Fu commented aloud.
She had participated in a few fleet battles during her skirmishes with the Secret Tower, but compared to those ships, these ones were in a completely different league.
Still, even though the ship firepower had increased significantly, it didn’t affect her at all.
The ships had grown stronger, but so had she—and by a much greater margin.
“I’ll handle that fortress ship. The rest of you, take on the other vessels.”
Bai Fu swiftly drew two 【Legion】 cards and summoned Hei Fu.
She might appear to be alone—but once combat began, she was a whole army.
Amidst the bombardment from hundreds—possibly thousands—of cannons, Bai Fu and Hei Fu entered Void Form and darted forward at high speed.
Even with the extreme density of cannonfire, as well as wide-range torpedoes, shock bombs, and space traps, none of it managed to harm her or Hei Fu in the slightest.
They twisted and weaved with elegance, like mermaids dancing underwater. Even when hit, their psionic shields easily absorbed the impact.
After maneuvering past dozens of ships, Bai Fu hurled the two 【Legion】 cards from her hands. In an instant, the already crowded battlefield became densely packed with summoned units.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Waves of psionic beams, psionic storms, and psionic waves blasted out toward the surrounding ships, shaking their shields until they flickered unsteadily.
At that moment, Hei Fu appeared directly in front of one of the ships.
Just as its shield dimmed, Hei Fu crossed her hands and slammed downward.
A terrifying burst of psionic energy exploded outward, and under its impact, the ship’s shield cracked like glass.
Crack—
The fractures spread instantly. Everyone could almost hear the sound of shattering glass.
Then, a massive invisible force radiated from Hei Fu’s body. With a single clench, she ripped off a section of armor plating in front of her.
The very next second, the psionic summons behind her opened fire all at once.
biubiubiu~
By the time the observers around them came back to their senses, the ship had already been blown into countless fragments from the inside out.
No one survived.
In the vast silence of space, only debris and twisted ship components drifted.
For a moment, everything fell into dead silence.
Steel Curtain, Marren, and Fleming all stood with mouths agape, utterly speechless.
They had already been doing their best to overestimate Bai Fu—but even compared to eight or nine months ago in the Dark Zone, her strength had risen by another massive leap!
Even bamboo didn’t grow that fast!
Bai Fu, holding the Zenith Sovereign that had evolved from the Shadow Staff, stood poised amidst the stars, gazing calmly at the fortress ship hundreds of kilometers away.
Confident and composed.
Hei Fu was powerful—but Bai Fu was even more powerful.
Today, I—mercenary queen Bai Fu, with six and a half years of practice—am going to dismantle that fortress ship right here and now!