Chapter 261: The Path of Awakening, King of the Undying Ones—Bai Fu!
The Taim Disaster Relief Union was a civilian organization that had existed for hundreds of years.
Unlike those organizations that pretended to be charitable while hiding ulterior motives, the Taim Disaster Relief Union had been sincerely engaged in disaster relief from the very day it was founded. Their footsteps had spread across the entire Taim Civilization, and they would occasionally be invited to help neighboring civilizations. The number of people they had saved was countless, and so their reputation within the Taim Civilization was exceptionally high.
This time, the Glorious Forces had suddenly taken action, capturing all the high-ranking members of the Taim Disaster Relief Union. This could be said to have sparked public outrage.
Many people stood up to express their willingness to donate money to hire more people to deal with the Glorious Forces—among them were wealthy merchants who had once been helped by the Taim Disaster Relief Union.
But just as everyone was cursing the Glorious Forces, something even more shocking happened.
The Glorious Forces suddenly released a public announcement, claiming that the reason they had captured the Taim Disaster Relief Union’s executives was to take revenge on Bai Fu, who had dealt them heavy blows over the past few months.
【If Bai Fu doesn’t come, then we will livestream the execution of this group of prisoners!】
The Glorious Forces’ announcement spread rapidly across the Edge Worlds and even reached the star domains governed by the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations.
Such a thing was rare.
In the Star Sea, it was very common for villains to capture the loved ones or friends of good people to threaten them. But for someone like the Glorious Forces to capture complete strangers—good people they had never even met—just to threaten a good person, and to make such a massive spectacle of it? That was truly something not seen in a hundred years.
If a Calamity-class psionicist could be intimidated by such a tactic, would they still be worthy of advancing to Calamity-class?
Logically speaking, the Glorious Forces were doing something pointless—but this time, the opponent they faced was—
Bai·Queen of the Dark Zone·Savior Saint·Pure White Hero·Fu!
Considering the choices Bai Fu had made along her path, when faced with the Glorious Forces’ threat, could she really turn a blind eye?
Many people were speculating.
【This is way more interesting than a TV drama!】
【Only the folks in the Edge Worlds can pull off stunts like this. Even Taim Civilization’s civil war isn’t this entertaining.】
【Livestream, livestream—hurry up and give me a livestream.】
Under the loud demand, news agencies from the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations urgently dispatched reporters and filming crews to the Taim Civilization.
For a time, Bai Fu’s fame skyrocketed.
Everyone was waiting for her decision. In-game forums and player communities were abuzz with nonstop debates and arguments over this matter.
【I bet she won’t dare to go. The Glorious Forces have clearly set up a massive trap, just waiting for her to walk in.】
【If she doesn’t go, her reputation will be ruined.】
【This is moral coercion. The Glorious Forces really are born scum.】
【If you’re not scum, what kind of villain are you?】
Supporters of Bai Fu were anxious; bystanders didn’t mind stirring up trouble; those who disliked her just hoped she’d hurry up and walk to her death.
Not good, not good, not good!
Even the usually livestream-happy Excavation-Princess had gone completely silent this time.
She realized this was an even greater crisis than when they had faced the Insect Tide head-on at the Abandoned Cooling Plant.
The difference was that last time, they could still charge across the dusk-lit wasteland with Fu-fu, fighting for freedom and peace—but this time…
The Excavation-Princess clenched her fists tightly.
They were too weak—powerless!
Even if they had power, in the current situation, they couldn’t help, because the Glorious Forces’ stance clearly said: If you, Bai Fu, dare to call for help, we’ll execute the hostages.
“Arghhh… I’m going to go explode on the Developers! You can’t let Fu-fu die, or I’ll send you blades in the mail!!!”
Amid the chaos, Cersia found Bai Fu.
At that moment, Bai Fu was watching a Taim TV program that had invited many guests to analyze the incident—its ratings were exploding.
“From what I know of you, you’re not going to obediently walk into that meeting, right? Come on, what’s your plan?”
Cersia plopped herself right onto the table in front of Bai Fu, blocking her view.
Bai Fu spread her hands. “What plan could I possibly have? I’m just going to have Hei Fu go in my place.”
Cersia’s eyes were filled with worry. “If people find out it was Hei Fu who went instead of you, your reputation…”
Bai Fu replied, “As long as we can wipe out the Glorious Forces in this operation, no one will care about such a small thing.”
Cersia shook her head. “That’s easy to say, but can you withstand the Head of State’s retaliation?”
Bai Fu lightly waggled her right index finger. “Simple. If I advance to Domination-level, won’t I be able to handle it?”
Ah—advance to Domination-level?!
Cersia’s eyes widened.
“You’re going to advance to Domination-level?”
Bai Fu nodded. “In the next few days.”
Absolutely not!
Cersia yelped, pouncing on Bai Fu and pinning her to the floor. Without another word, she sent a Request to Enjoy Fu.
What are you doing?
What do you think I’m doing?
Of course, I’m…
Ah, too late! We’ll just do it here—hurry, before Bai Fu advances to Domination-level—one last attempt to make her meow!
Bai Fu: “?”
Come on, sister—even if you’ve grown a lot lately, my physical stats have been rising all along too!
Then—
Knock knock knock.
Yulia’s virtual image appeared in the room. “The Rebirth Empire and the Supernova Legion’s TV stations want to interview you. Are you going to ignore them and continue, or stop for a bit to meet them?”
Cersia froze.
Crap—she had forgotten Yulia had free access to this room!
She dove under the table, trembling.
Throughout this, Yulia’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
See—this is the kind of composure you need to compete with her for the position of main wife. With her, there would be no emotional fluctuations at all.
Bai Fu left the room, accompanied by Yulia, the Spokesperson of the Silent Court, to meet the reporters from the Rebirth Empire and the Supernova Legion.
Everyone cared about how she would handle this incident, and that was exactly what the reporters asked about.
“To be honest, this is a situation I’ve never encountered before. When I first saw the news, I was stunned. For several days in a row, I couldn’t sleep—I was constantly thinking about it.”
That was what Bai Fu said.
The reporters and the viewers, seeing her pale cheeks and weak demeanor, felt she wasn’t lying.
“So?”
Bai Fu walked directly in front of the camera, as if gathering her emotions, saying nothing. The silence stretched for dozens of seconds.
In the dead stillness, everyone’s hearts were in their throats.
Go—or not go?
It was truly a tormenting question.
But the question had to be answered eventually, for the Glorious Forces hadn’t given Bai Fu much time.
【Including travel time, we’ll give you only ten days!】
Now, three of those ten days had already passed. Bai Fu didn’t have much time left.
“I…”
Finally, Bai Fu opened her mouth. The viewers’ hearts were already in their throats, about to leap out from the tension.
What would it be?
“…will go.”
Bai Fu spoke her decision in one breath. As she did, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt several kilograms lighter.
Her back no longer ached, her legs no longer hurt, her eyes were no longer dim, and her face was now lit with a confident smile.
…
A stone cast into water, stirring up a thousand waves.
The news that Bai Fu would go meet the Glorious Forces appeared on the front page of every major news platform immediately.
“She’s truly the Queen of Hype. As long as she’s there, you’ll never worry about your news program having no viewers. But… what a pity.”
Many journalists, seeing the skyrocketing ratings and special program subscriptions, were grinning from ear to ear—though there was a trace of regret in their smiles.
It was coming to an end!
Almost no one believed Bai Fu could survive this clash with the Glorious Forces.
There were simply too many unfavorable conditions.
The Glorious Forces had probably acted now because they saw that the Taim Civilization was in chaos and no one would stand up for Bai Fu.
【Nooo! Even if this fits Fu-fu’s character, that road ahead is an abyss—an abyss that will swallow people whole!】
【It’s over. If Fu-fu dies, what happens to the Silent Court?】
【Fu-fu said she’d let Yulia inherit the position of Court Master of the Silent Court.】
【Not listening, not listening, turtle chanting scriptures!】
Players wailed in unison, half of their hope dying.
Some even went to beg their faction leaders to help Bai Fu—but it was useless. Few factions had Domination-level or Transcendent-level guardians, and ordinary Calamity-class powers didn’t dare intervene at such a time.
Some wanted to look for the Oathmaster, but she had stopped being a homebody lately, coming and going without a trace, and no one knew where she was.
The situation was critical!
With no other choice, some players went to block Bai Fu’s door, hoping to dissuade her from going.
But all these actions were in vain.
Well… not completely in vain. At least the players’ appearance made the whole affair even more dramatic.
“If this were turned into a documentary, the ratings would…”
The reporters from the Rebirth Empire and the Supernova Legion were ecstatic.
The Head of State, upon receiving the news, was equally thrilled.
Good, good, good—Bai Fu had finally taken the bait!
Once Bai Fu was dead and public anger surged, the stage would be his.
——
The day after her interview, Bai Fu began to move.
Her locator card showed the Head of State heading straight toward the Glorious Forces’ main force—right now was the perfect moment to strike their headquarters.
When setting off, she deliberately stalled, attracting countless players and NPCs to watch.
Before everyone’s eyes, Hei Fu piloted a spaceship into the depths of the starry sky.
By choosing to take off at dusk, the image of the ship flying into the crimson sunset painted the feeling of marching alone into fire deep into people’s hearts.
Too moving… sob sob sob…
【She’s like a lonely knight.】
【She’s also a defender of justice, a solitary watchman.】
【Sadly, at this moment, all I can do is tell her “good luck.”】
Bai Fu had thought Excavation-Princess was already a master at flattery, but on the ship bound for the Glorious Forces’ base, when she saw the praise-filled programs the local Taim TV stations had made about her, she realized there were always greater masters.
“Impressive. I almost want to recruit this TV station.”
Yulia rolled her eyes.
“Are you sure you can really advance to Domination-level?”
Bai Fu said, “Ninety-nine percent chance.”
The awakening quest required her to defeat, not kill, the opponent—so it was much easier.
Yulia asked, “What if you can’t advance?”
Bai Fu spread her hands. “Then we move the whole family and pledge ourselves to the Oathmaster. No matter how arrogant the Head of State is, he wouldn’t dare trouble me right under her nose. We just endure, and one day he’ll be the one worn down.”
Yulia nodded. “As long as you’ve thought it through. I’m hanging on you—if you die, I’ll die with you.”
Bai Fu gave a soft hum. “Times have changed. I’m not so easy to kill now. Three days to reach the Glorious Forces’ headquarters—relax. When the fighting starts, you’ll have enough reason to be tense.”
Yulia sat down.
With nothing to do, they called over the shyly waiting Ying Fu, and the three of them started playing cards.
“Attack!”
“Evade!”
They played, on and off, for nearly three days.
During those three days, the outside world was in an uproar, speculation never ceasing.
Amid the buzz, Bai Fu’s ship arrived near the Glorious Forces’ headquarters earlier than planned. She didn’t rush in. After confirming the place really was their main base, she waited.
A day later, tracked by countless nanobots, Hei Fu’s ship arrived at the Glorious Forces’ rendezvous point. Like Bai Fu, she didn’t rush in, but instead used the general broadcast channel to call out to them.
“I’m here. Let the Disaster Relief Union people go. If you don’t, I’ll turn around and leave right now. Don’t think you can stop me—I have special abilities for rapid jumps!”
The Glorious Forces’ commander chuckled. “Bai Fu, with the hostages in our hands, do you think you have the right to negotiate? Be smart and come over, and we’ll release them.”
The scene seemed at an impasse.
Just when viewers thought Bai Fu would give in, Hei Fu stood her ground.
“Don’t take me for a fool. If I came over right now, without leverage, you could do whatever you wanted to the hostages. Release them—I’ll give you ten minutes to decide. If you don’t, I’m leaving.”
The general broadcast fell silent.
No one had expected Bai Fu to suddenly grow this tough.
It did seem the best approach—these villains weren’t likely to keep their word. If Bai Fu really went, they might kill the hostages right in front of her.
Helpless, the commander contacted the Head of State for instructions.
Minutes later, he announced over the broadcast, “We’ll release most of the hostages, keeping only one. That one will be freed when you come to our designated spot.”
As he spoke, he sent Bai Fu new coordinates.
After confirming most hostages were indeed freed, Hei Fu stopped arguing.
Come on—what’s the point of trading barbs? Let’s do this for real.
Hei Fu flew toward the new coordinates, passing through an asteroid belt and a small star-gate. The nanobots from news media were stopped outside and could only fume helplessly.
After nearly half an hour of weaving about, Hei Fu reached the destination.
“You’re well hidden. With all the noise you’ve made, I thought you’d be braver. Release the last hostage. If you want to kill me, come straight at me—I’m standing here. If you don’t even have that courage, what right do you have to chant your slogans? Who would trust or follow you? Or are you just a terrorist group, using slogans to fool people?”
The commander laughed. “Looks like you’re confident in your strength.”
He waved his hand. “Brothers—together!”
He wasn’t about to fight Bai Fu alone.
Even though his strength was at the peak of Calamity-class, what if he got killed by accident?
He had studied all Bai Fu’s battles and found she had a devastating burst-type move, but it couldn’t be used repeatedly. If enough people surrounded her, it could prevent her from using it to seriously wound him.
At his call, over a dozen Calamity-class fighters and a vast mechanical army closed in on Hei Fu.
Hei Fu remained utterly calm.
She had already checked the commander’s stats—Strength 4109, exactly what her awakening quest required.
“That’s all? No one else?”
The commander replied coolly, “To deal with you, this is enough!”
Hei Fu: “…”
A whole group against just me, and you’re proud of it?
Fine—since everyone’s here and the Head of State won’t be fighting personally, let’s begin!
In an instant, Hei Fu went all-out.
Legion Deployment! Fictional Lifeform—activate! Blessing of the Mind—activate! Dark Desperation—activate! Against All Odds—activate! Apocalypse Attribute Transfer—activate!
In almost no time, her Inspiration shot from 5009 to 7261.
Thanks to a special item from Yin Zhu that hid energy fluctuations, the Glorious Forces didn’t notice right away. They only vaguely saw a strange deep-purple gleam in her eyes, but didn’t take it seriously.
That moment of carelessness let Hei Fu teach them a lesson. By the time they sensed something was wrong, it was already too late.
Blink!