Chapter 279: Fresh Players Arrive, the Squeezer-Princess Bai Fu Activates!
Bai Fu invited Dimitri inside for a detailed discussion.
As soon as he entered, Dimitri came straight to the point and expressed his intention to cooperate.
“The Empire is very interested in your abilities and hopes to establish a deeper cooperative relationship with you. Rest assured, the Empire never shortchanges any partner.”
Bai Fu found Dimitri’s words believable.
Many of the Empire’s cutting-edge combat forces were not cultivated by the Empire itself, but rather joined for various reasons.
The Empire had always been exceedingly generous toward these affiliates and was never known to seize anything from them.
Take Chong Xiao for example.
Chong Xiao was the patriarch of the Mechanical Firepower Sect. He possessed a cosmic treasure considered a mechanical holy relic—the Vital Machine Soul. The Vital Machine Soul could greatly enhance fleet combat power, and it even provided notable bonuses to the Empire’s Glorious Mainframe.
Yet, when Chong Xiao made it clear that he would not hand over the Vital Machine Soul, the Empire did not try to take it by force. Instead, they offered more benefits in exchange, so that Chong Xiao would lend the treasure when necessary.
With such precedents, Bai Fu felt confident enough to cooperate with the Empire.
Of course, the Empire’s generosity was not because its rulers were all magnanimous. It was because outside forces such as the Supernova Battle Group and Titan Industries were formidable competitors.
If the Empire ever tried underhanded tricks on its affiliates, by nightfall those two rivals would be digging away at their foundation with shovels.
Dimitri took a sip of water and continued, “The Empire will spare no effort in cultivating you. We’ll provide every resource you require to advance quickly to the Transcendent rank. Not only that, but the Empire will entrust you with full authority over the Dark Zone exploration sector toward Origin Star. Once cooperation is established, you will even gain the right to mobilize part of the Rust Corps’ fleet. This is our preliminary offer. If you have additional requests, feel free to raise them, and we can negotiate further.”
Bai Fu tapped the table lightly, lost in thought.
There were many things she lacked at the moment. First, advanced knowledge, skill books, and blueprints. Second, resources to cultivate the Sacrificial God Scepter. Third, more and better starships. Fourth, experience. Fifth, certain conditions needed to complete tasks.
The first three would come one after another once she agreed to cooperate with the Empire.
As for experience, the Empire could not directly provide it, but they could tilt missions in her favor so she could earn more.
Still, that was not enough.
Completing missions was never as easy or as pleasant as exploiting Players.
Players—Bai Fu needed to consume more Players!
“I have a small request.”
Dimitri smiled. “Go ahead.”
Bai Fu said, “To better carry out Dark Zone exploration, I need more of the Undying Ones. I hope you can help me send more of them to Origin Star.”
After a brief pause, Dimitri agreed.
The immortal nature of the Undying Ones had made them shine brilliantly in the Dark Zone exploration era. Many Imperial legions and professional expeditionary teams wanted to recruit them as trailblazing vanguards.
Sending more of them to Bai Fu would certainly spark dissatisfaction among those legions and expeditions.
But if their leaders learned that Bai Fu could help them break through their bottlenecks, then all dissatisfaction would turn into devotion.
Scold Bai Fu?
They wouldn’t have time—too busy licking her boots.
Bai Fu continued slowly, “Besides this request, I also have another research project I wish to cooperate on with the Empire.”
“Oh?” Dimitri became intrigued.
Bai Fu pulled out the Void Converter blueprint she had obtained from Rufas.
Among all her missions, the one she craved most was the reward for completing the Void Converter blueprint.
Yet she had no knowledge of the Void at all. To finish the blueprint, she had no choice but to rely on others.
And clearly, no one’s power could compare to the Empire’s.
Bai Fu did not mind revealing the Void’s secrets to the Empire. The pie of the Void was far too large for her to consume alone. Only by drawing more people into the game, to develop it together, could she get a slice.
Dimitri opened the blueprint and instructions sent by Bai Fu. The more he read, the more shocked he became.
In fact, all the major civilizations were researching the Void, but with little progress. If Bai Fu’s information was genuine, then it marked a monumental breakthrough in Void research history.
Wait a minute.
Girl, aren’t you supposed to be part of the Ethereal Realm Research Society? How did you suddenly start dabbling in Void research?
Dimitri’s expression turned a little strange.
“I’ll send this data to Glorious Mainframe immediately, and have it connected with the appropriate researchers.”
Ten minutes later, the Empire replied.
Cooperate!
They must cooperate!
The Empire had come to recruit Bai Fu, but instead, she had delivered them a grand gift.
If they could complete the Void Converter, they would be able to harness Void energy with almost no side effects—a tremendous boost to the Empire’s strength.
And if they uncovered the reason for the Void Dimension’s exile, it would be an even greater triumph!
To repay Bai Fu for this gift, the Empire promised to deliver, with utmost speed, all the resources she needed to feed the Sacrificial God Scepter.
Bai Fu nodded in satisfaction.
Excellent. This way she could soon possess a true cosmic treasure!
The boost to her combat strength would be immeasurable. She would officially wield power capable of threatening a Transcendent!
By handing the Void Converter blueprint to the Empire, she no longer needed to trouble herself with the task. She only had to wait for the Empire to perfect the design and hand it back to her, and she would reap the rich rewards with ease.
The effect of the initial Seeker of the Way title remained uncertain. But that Prayer Card blueprint, 【Old Dominator】, was a gem. With it, she could summon another Domination-level combat unit.
Bai Fu—one person stronger than six!
“Here’s to a pleasant cooperation in the future!”
Bai Fu signed the cooperation agreement with a smile.
Only when her full name was written, and Glorious Mainframe certified her as a top-tier partner, did Dimitri finally breathe a sigh of relief.
At last, Bai Fu was secured.
Next came the matter of dealing with the spies sent by other factions, and arranging for the first batch of trustworthy individuals to receive Bai Fu’s personal guidance.
Speaking of those spies, Dimitri still had quite the headache.
Origin Star was not a military base, but a settlement and exploration transfer hub.
People came and went, so it was impossible to completely lock it down.
Stopping spies from other factions from sneaking in to gather intelligence was extremely difficult.
Even if the Skyeye Alliance monitored everyone, clever spies still had many ways to slip through surveillance.
“Actually, it’s not as troublesome as you think, Annihilation Lord.” Bai Fu smiled calmly, full of confidence.
Dimitri was startled. “You have a way?”
“This is when those Undying Ones come into play!”
At present, most factions only used Players for extremely dangerous exploration or assault missions.
So they had no idea that Players had another special ability.
When a Player looked at enemy Players or NPCs, the name they saw appeared in red.
By using this feature to catch spies, the accuracy was absolute.
Of course, NPCs did have some countermeasures.
They could hire people from other factions to complete tasks.
They could also use special items or make use of game mechanics in special quests to hide themselves.
But so far, most forces in the Star Sea had no idea such tactics even existed.
Thus, when the Supernova Battle Group, the Ten Saints Council, and Titan Industries sent people to Origin Star, those people were shocked to discover the same thing.
Come on, brothers, why are you always tailing us?
I already said, I’m not some popular celebrity.
I’m not even good-looking.
I’m just a passerby here for supplies, for sightseeing, or to pay respects to Bai Fu.
Please, mighty Undying Ones, just treat me like air and let me go!
Unfortunately, no matter how much they explained, Players didn’t listen.
Not red? Take a look yourself!
Your name is so red it looks like it’s dripping blood!
Dimitri was dumbfounded.
During his time on Origin Star, he had been surprised more often than in the past decade.
The officials from factions like the Supernova Battle Group were also dumbfounded.
How was this possible?
Dimitri couldn’t figure it out.
He didn’t see Players carrying any special equipment.
Nor did their power seem unusual.
Bai Fu explained, “This is the innate ability of the Undying Ones. They can see things we cannot. But I don’t know the details—it’s very mysterious. Every time they try to explain it, all I hear are garbled sounds or nonsense like aba-aba.”
Such a thing?
Dimitri’s expression grew solemn.
Such a collective phenomenon could not be explained merely as a racial talent.
If anything, it seemed as though these Undying Ones had been “interfered with” by some special existence.
What kind of existence could that be?
It seemed necessary to organize further research on the Undying Ones after returning.
“With these Undying Ones here, I no longer have to worry about spies mixing into Origin Star.”
Bai Fu shook her head. “Not that simple. While ordinary spies can be easily caught, if the spies are Undying Ones themselves, then it’s hard to tell.”
Enemy Players could quit their own faction first, then come to Origin Star as spies.
This way, other Players would see nothing unusual.
And with missions backing them, they didn’t need to worry about their contributions being erased when leaving and rejoining their faction.
Dimitri pondered. “I see. Then the next step for the Supernova Battle Group will surely be to send large numbers of Undying Ones. If we can’t tell whether they harbor ill intent, then…”
Bai Fu laughed. “That’s not a problem. So what if they’re Undying One spies? Send as many as they want—it makes no difference.”
She wasn’t worried about other factions sending Players.
She was only worried they wouldn’t send enough.
No matter what identity these Players carried, once they arrived at Origin Star, they were all her targets for exploitation.
Stand still.
Don’t move.
Hand over all the experience points you’ve worked so hard to save!
Don’t hand them over?
She’d kill them on the spot and throw them out.
Hand them over?
Excellent.
Then they could investigate however they pleased.
As long as they didn’t cause massive destruction, she would pretend not to see.
“Heehee, if those factions realized that sending Players here not only failed to uncover any useful intelligence but also fattened me up instead, would they feel like ‘sending your girlfriend undercover only to have her stolen’—that kind of humiliation?”
Bai Fu chuckled to herself.
As a professional actress, she controlled her smile perfectly.
Dimitri had no idea what ridiculous thoughts were running through her mind.
He assumed she had another method of dealing with the Undying Ones.
“As long as you’re confident. In a few days, the Empire’s engineering teams will arrive. They’ll build more space fortresses around Origin Star and upgrade its security level to II.”
“Then I’ll trouble you with that.”
Bai Fu smiled as she saw Dimitri off.
Her task was now simple—just wait.
Wait for the Empire to deliver what they promised.
Wait for the other factions to adjust their strategies and send more Players.
……
“What? Most of the spies we sent out were captured?”
“How did Bai Fu pull that off?”
The factions that had dispatched spies were baffled.
Not until they contacted their own Players did they finally understand.
“So, you’re saying you’re confident Bai Fu won’t catch you?”
“That’s right!”
The questioned Players puffed up their chests, full of confidence.
This was the perfect chance to climb higher, and they had to seize it.
After some consideration, the factions finally decided to let a portion of trustworthy Players try.
【Our chance has come!】
At that moment, Wind Rises Among the Stars excitedly tagged everyone in his little group chat.
Ever since the new version launched, he had been searching for a chance to join the Ten Saints Council and follow Sui Xi’s lead.
But the Ten Saints Council was too well hidden, and he had never been able to reach them.
Now, the situation was different.
He heard that the Ten Saints Council had also sent spies to Origin Star.
If they still wanted to investigate, they would surely reach out to recruit some Players.
What kind of Players would they recruit?
Dedicated anti–Bai Fu Players like them were the perfect choice!
Loyal!
They would never betray!
To bring down Bai Fu, they were ready to unleash 120% of their fighting strength!
The one lurking in the group, Clucking Chicken, immediately voiced agreement: 【This is indeed an opportunity!】
She not only agreed, but also eagerly offered strategies.
【I think if we do it like this, we’ll have a greater chance of contacting the Ten Saints Council】
Under Wind Rises Among the Stars’ mobilization, the little haters in the group showed off their tricks, publicly denouncing Bai Fu as a hypocrite, a shameless profiteer, and the Exploitation-Princess.
After much effort, one Player was finally approached by an emissary sent from the Saints.
Once one got picked, things became much easier.
But one thing was worth noting—many Players in this group were very famous in the community.
If they went undercover, they would be recognized instantly.
So although the Ten Saints Council recruited many, very few were actually sent to Origin Star.
“Finally, finally!”
The moment Clucking Chicken stepped onto the ground of the outer ringworld of Origin Star, she trembled all over with excitement.
Not only had she successfully infiltrated the little hater organization, but she also finally had a chance to meet Bai Fu up close.
This was simply too blissful!
The Player beside her, who didn’t know the truth, thought she was excited because she would soon get a chance to trick Bai Fu.
In any case, it was time to act!
That night.
Digger Princess suddenly came to find Bai Fu.
“Fu Fu, something bad has happened!”
“What happened?”
“An Undying One just came to me. He said he wasn’t truly loyal to the other factions as a spy, he was only forced by circumstances. Now he wants to defect to us, and at the same time, report those who came with him.”
Bai Fu was slightly surprised. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
Digger Princess scratched her head. “If it were just a few, then yes, but the number of people who came to me privately was huge. They all reported each other. Fu Fu, could this be some kind of trick?”
“？”
After Bai Fu asked for details, she understood what was going on.
Most of the Players who secretly approached Digger Princess were from the Ten Saints Council faction.
More precisely, they mostly came from a group created by a Player named Wind Rises Among the Stars.
They claimed they had joined that group only to collect intelligence, then they would defect with that intel to her in order to foil the group’s plot against her.
Bai Fu’s expression turned strange.
It was indeed possible this was a scheme devised by Wind Rises Among the Stars, but if it was, it was unlikely to be very effective.
Most likely, the truth was that the group Wind Rises Among the Stars ambitiously created was mostly full of fake haters but true actors.
“……”
Bai Fu began to feel sorry for Wind Rises Among the Stars.
“Fu Fu, what should we do now?” Digger Princess asked.
Bai Fu replied, “Whether they are truly defecting or faking it, we can handle it by staying the same.”
She never expected these Players to provide great intelligence anyway.
As long as they could feed her experience regularly, that was enough.
Digger Princess nodded. “Then I’ll answer them that way.”
To appease those Players, Bai Fu ended up issuing them a quest.
But the quest content was only four words—
Wait for the right time!
Thus, after a wave of counter-espionage, Origin Star entered a rare period of calm.
Only, beneath the calm surface, whirlpools of excitement swirled everywhere.
The factions who had sent Players were excited.
They had finally succeeded in planting many spies on Origin Star.
Now they could investigate what was going on with Bai Fu, Yuan Yi, and the Lord of the Pact.
The Players who were sent were also excited.
Those loyal to Bai Fu finally had a chance to join her.
Those against Bai Fu finally had a chance to strike at her.
Not only that, they discovered something even more exhilarating.
“Skill books, advanced knowledge tomes—hahaha! All we need is a little worthless experience to buy them. So爽,爽,爽!”
“Buy Bai Fu’s things to use against Bai Fu—if she knew about this, she’d faint from anger, right?”
Yes yes yes, I’m about to faint already.
Go on, push harder, and I promise I’ll faint right now!
Bai Fu laughed.
The Three Major Interstellar Civilizations had joined hands, and in a short time, sent her nearly two million Players.
These two million Players were ones she had never tapped before.
If she could exploit them all, in the current version she could easily gain tens of billions of experience.
As for the upper limit—that would depend on how much these Players loved studying.
“At this pace, as long as the Transcendent Awakening quest isn’t too difficult, I should be able to advance before Version 3.0.
Thanks to the gift of the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations!”
Bai Fu went to find Cypriss.
With leveling no longer a concern, it was time to resolve the issue of the Mental Sanctuary.