Chapter 299: The Brightest Star in the Star Sea · Bai Fu
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Titan Industries, the Rebirth Empire, and even the Supernova Legion—who hadn’t done anything this time, hadn’t even managed to watch the drama, but suddenly received the news—all raised huge question marks above their heads.
What the hell? Titan Industries sent people to ambush Bai Fu, but ended up with Bai Fu capturing Gagliani, and then she also captured the current Titan Industries chairman’s granddaughter?
This was more ridiculous than five players ganging up on one in a game, only to be counter-killed by that single opponent. After all, Titan Industries had sent god-tier equipment to deal with Bai Fu.
The very fact that Titan Industries had tried to ambush Bai Fu was already explosive news, but failing and being captured instead instantly pushed the news’ shock value to a new height!
In a short time, even in a remote tavern on a planet at the farthest edge of the explored universe, people were already discussing the incident.
Bai Fu had clearly become the brightest star in the star sea at this moment, her reputation skyrocketing like a rocket.
"Does Titan Industries even know how to play? How could they lose this?"
"I thought Titan Industries had been lying dormant because they were preparing something big, but turns out they just took a big dump."
"Just say—was it big or not?"
"If I were the chairman of Titan Industries, after this I’d resign immediately. This is so fucking disgraceful!"
"Holy shit, Bai Fu is way too exaggerated! The fastest ascension to Transcendent in history? And the moment she ascended, such a huge uproar? Is she born with a newsworthy constitution?"
"Good thing we operate far from the Edge Worlds. Otherwise, running into a monstrously powerful busybody like her… everyone better just change careers early, hahaha!"
Groups of space pirates gathered in threes and fives, raising their cups, either mocking or cursing, rowdy and noisy.
But in this world of alcohol and violence, one person behaved completely differently.
Wrapped entirely in a black robe, her face could not be seen, but from the curves of her waist and hips, one could tell she was most likely a woman.
She had been sitting here for a long time, and no one dared to approach her.
These pirates who lived by the knife were not fools. The overwhelming aura emanating from this woman screamed that she was not someone to provoke. Naturally, no one wanted to go up and "die".
After more than ten minutes of noise, the tavern doors suddenly swung open. A tiger-headed man walked in and sat down beside the woman.
"Have you made your decision?"
The woman nodded. "When will the assessment begin?"
Anyone familiar with her would instantly recognize this black-robed woman as Selena the Painter, recently wanted by the Rebirth Empire.
The tiger-headed man chuckled. "So impatient? Were you stimulated by the news of Bai Fu advancing to Transcendent?"
The Painter shook her head. "Titan Industries failing to take Bai Fu indeed shocked me for a long time, but that’s not what made me resolve to truly join you."
"Oh?"
The tiger-headed man raised his brows.
"Looks like something else happened recently that I don’t know about. And it put you in quite a good mood. Forget it, we’re not the type of organization to pry into others’ secrets. Welcome to the fold!"
The tiger-headed man stood, extended his hand, and gave a polite bow that looked out of place in a tavern.
The Painter extended her hand to shake his. "You’re welcoming me a bit too early. I haven’t passed the assessment yet."
The tiger-headed man laughed heartily. "With your current strength, it’s only a matter of time."
The Painter nodded.
Without the restraints of being an Apostle, though she had lost one trump card, she could now wield her power without reservation.
Just as the tiger-headed man thought, she indeed had full confidence in passing the assessment of his organization and becoming an official member.
This was an extremely mysterious and powerful organization.
She first encountered it more than twenty years ago.
Back then, she was mingling with a revolutionary army in the no-man’s-land between the Rebirth Empire and the Supernova Legion, long before she joined the Ethereal Research Society.
She devoted great effort to strengthening that revolutionary army, hoping it would one day grow into a towering tree capable of sweeping the decrepit Three Universal Civilizations into the trash heap.
Of course, she knew it was almost impossible. This was no longer the age of interstellar exploration when outlaws could rise to prominence. A revolutionary army rising under the watch of the Three Universal Civilizations was harder than climbing the heavens.
Still, she had to do something. Sitting at home crying day and night would not kill the Three Civilizations.
While she was struggling for the revolutionaries, a nobody in that army approached her and told her she had become an Observed.
Yes—the very man before her, the tiger-headed man!
Through him, she learned of the organization’s strength and goals, and thus entered into cooperation.
She had not joined officially back then, partly because her strength was insufficient, partly because she still had reservations.
But after all these stormy years, those reservations no longer mattered.
Shedding the burden of being an Apostle, her heart now held only one thought——
【I want the Three Universal Civilizations dead!】
After calming herself, the Painter asked, "The undercover agent you planted in the Rebirth Empire’s upper echelon—is he safe?"
The tiger-headed man smiled. "He has already withdrawn safely. Though his identity was exposed, the Empire cannot trace us through him anytime soon."
The Painter exhaled in relief.
Good.
Now she could be at ease.
Having reached a new consensus, the Painter and the tiger-headed man left the tavern.
Though their departure drew some attention, on this remote planet it caused no stir. Everyone’s focus remained on the conflict between Bai Fu, the Rebirth Empire, and Titan Industries.
Everyone was speculating on how this farce would end.
If the Rebirth Empire and Titan Industries actually clashed, then things would get troublesome.
……
The Rebirth Empire originally wanted to mobilize legions to threaten Titan Industries. But just as the mobilization began, the Imperial Senate and the Emperor suddenly received the news that Bai Fu was unharmed, while Titan Industries had taken a huge loss.
So what army mobilization was there to make!
The Imperial Senate heavyweight Buvalo immediately contacted the Titan Industries chairman and let out a hearty sneer.
The chairman of Titan Industries was furious enough to smoke from the ears, but with his own granddaughter in Bai Fu’s hands, he dared not speak harshly. Instead, he immediately convened the upper echelon of Titan Industries for an online meeting.
What now?
The decision to ambush Bai Fu’s ship and capture her had been made at a high-level meeting not long ago. Naturally, dealing with this fallout required another meeting.
The participants all wore faces black as soot, as if they had just rubbed their faces in a pot bottom.
Not long ago, they had dreamed of capturing Bai Fu, basking in her guidance, and rising in strength. Now, they were told Bai Fu wasn’t caught, while their forces had been routed. It was hard not to be furious.
And what stoked their fury further was that they soon learned the battle’s details from Thunderblade.
Tch.
It turned out that though they had misjudged Bai Fu’s strength, the situation had not been hopeless. All the blame lay with Snow Spring, who fled twice mid-battle, with the traitor that surfaced among them, and with Rufas who appeared suddenly to aid Bai Fu!
Goddamn it, Snow Spring! Couldn’t you just die already? Look what mess you made—ruining everything, and in the end even getting captured by Bai Fu. Now, in negotiations with the Rebirth Empire, Titan Industries would surely be even more passive.
Though Snow Spring was the chairman’s own granddaughter, not a single person spared her any face during the meeting.
She was nothing but pure trash!
Titan Industries’ Industrial Committee was not a dictatorship under the chairman. Each committee member represented a major affiliated faction. Though weaker than the chairman’s own clan, the difference was not great, giving them plenty of confidence to go against him.
Facing the accusations, the chairman had no defense. Never had he imagined Snow Spring would be such a colossal failure.
Now, he could only lower his stance, concede some interests, and appease the fury of the other committee members.
As for Thunderblade and Metal Lord Zero, though their mission failed, no one blamed them at this moment.
What if scolding drove them away?
Let Snow Spring, the traitor who leaked information to the Rebirth Empire, and Rufas shoulder all the blame.
"I’ve already assigned people to investigate the traitor’s identity. I believe news will come soon enough." Chairman Delano tapped the Mechanical Throne. "Next, let’s talk about Bai Fu and Rufas. What exactly is their relationship, and what is their purpose?"
Everyone in the conference room exchanged looks.
Rufas, crossing billions of light-years to be the first to rescue Bai Fu—honestly, when they first received this intel, they thought they had misheard.
But the matter had indeed happened. Snow Spring was captured alive by Bai Fu, and that was ironclad proof. No matter how much Bai Fu and Rufas denied it, it was useless.
One committee member spoke: "Bai Fu and Rufas are in cahoots. And Rufas once sided with the Apostolic Holy City. Could it be that Bai Fu is actually a spy sent by the Apostolic Holy City?"
Another committee member sneered: "What kind of joke is that? If Bai Fu were really their spy, then her helping the Rebirth Empire’s Sovereigns and Transcendents strengthen themselves—wouldn’t that mean she’s brain-dead? Or are you saying she’s deceiving the Rebirth Empire, but no one in the Empire has noticed?"
That made sense.
"Since they aren’t from the Apostolic Holy City, then it must mean Rufas was actually working with the Saints to infiltrate them and gather intel. He almost succeeded, but for some reason his cover was blown recently, and so the Apostolic Holy City issued a statement claiming Rufas and Bai Fu were together."
This reasoning gained most of the room’s agreement.
At first glance, there seemed no flaw in it. It neatly tied together everything that had happened so far.
Why had Rufas suddenly become stronger than Annihilation after his evolution?
Because Rufas had received Bai Fu’s guidance!
Why had the Saints’ hideouts been repeatedly discovered by the Rebirth Empire?
Because Rufas had leaked them!
"That bastard Rufas hid really deep."
What did it mean to be an acting emperor?
This was it!
The Titan Industries committee members were seething with resentment.
After all, they were the victims. How could they possibly praise Rufas’ performance at this point?
"First, mobilize troops and strengthen border defenses, in case the Empire uses negotiations as a cover for a sudden attack."
"As for Bai Fu and Rufas… contact the Supernova Legion, see what they think."
Thus the emergency meeting of Titan Industries ended. Everyone left with blackened faces, and it was foreseeable that Titan Industries would know no peace.
And the unrest first manifested in Eternal Investments, the largest consortium in the explored universe, headquartered within Titan Industries’ territory.
Upon receiving the news, Eternal Investments’ true controller, Jose, immediately summoned the investment representative for the Edge Worlds and unleashed a torrent of curses.
Eternal Investments was hailed as the number one consortium of the star sea, the emperor of investment. Yet from the time Bai Fu first made her mark to the moment she connected with the Rebirth Empire, they had never once made direct contact with her—only signing a few licensing contracts through their game 《Cosmic Web》. Was this fucking acceptable?
Look instead at Origin Consortium and Multidimensional Capital!
Origin Consortium, thanks to investing in Bai Fu, now moved through the Edge Worlds unhindered on the strength of her reputation, already becoming the top local consortium there.
Multidimensional Capital, also thanks to investing in Bai Fu, had secured nearly half the logistics supply contracts for the Rebirth Empire’s Dark Zone Exploration Project. Their wealth was skyrocketing. If Bai Fu in the future managed to undergo three or even four Divine Evolutions, Multidimensional Capital would inevitably become Eternal Investments’ great rival.
After raging for half an hour, Jose pointed at the investment representative in front of him.
"Pack up your things and get the hell out. From today on, you’re fired!"
The berated representative felt wronged.
It wasn’t as if he had never considered investing in Bai Fu. When she advanced to Calamity, he had already noticed her. But her growth was too fast. While he was still investigating, she had already entered the Rebirth Empire’s sights. By that stage, Eternal Investments had far more to consider before investing.
But how could he dare argue with Jose, a notorious tyrant? He could only pack up his things and process his resignation.
As for where to go afterwards, he decided to throw himself at Bai Fu’s side.
Bai Fu had set up the Bai Fu Foundation, specifically to invest in Undying Ones and geniuses. He figured he could shine there.
……
Not long after Titan Industries’ emergency meeting ended, the Supernova Legion received their message.
Titan Industries revealed Bai Fu’s ability to help Sovereigns enhance racial potential, hoping to invite the Supernova Legion to pressure the Empire together, thus avoiding direct conflict, while also forcing the Empire to share Bai Fu’s ability.
"Should we accept Titan Industries’ proposal? I think cooperating with them could benefit us."
The Legion’s assistant turned his head toward Chief Fitz standing nearby.
Fitz stroked his long goatee, his eyes narrowing. "Indeed, cooperating with Titan Industries could bring us many benefits. But, I have a plan that could bring even more."
The assistant was confused.
What plan?
Fitz said: "Reject Titan Industries. We’ll cooperate with the Rebirth Empire."
"???"
The assistant’s eyes widened. If he remembered correctly, the Supernova Legion bore a grudge against Bai Fu. And not a small one—it was no less than Titan Industries’.
Fitz asked: "Who do you think is our greatest enemy right now?"
The assistant thought for a moment. "The Apostolic Holy City."
At this, he suddenly understood.
"Chief, you mean we can use fighting the Apostolic Holy City as a reason to ally with the Rebirth Empire? If that’s the case, then with Bai Fu’s saintly temperament, she certainly wouldn’t hold our past offenses against us. For the greater good, she would most likely even guide our Sovereigns and Transcendents. Brilliant—cooperating with the Rebirth Empire truly offers greater potential gains than with Titan Industries!"
The assistant grew more excited, his eyes brightening.
To join Titan Industries in pressuring the now-stronger Rebirth Empire—if successful, fine. But if it failed, sparking a three-way war, no one would come out unscathed.
Now the situation became much clearer.
Under joint pressure from the Rebirth Empire and the Supernova Legion, unless Titan Industries wanted to become lackeys of the Apostolic Holy City, they would have no choice but to bleed and concede.
Obviously Titan Industries would never accept becoming the Apostolic Holy City’s lackeys. A Universal Civilization had its pride. And knowing nothing about the Apostolic Holy City, if they rushed to become subordinates, would they not fear being stabbed in the back and devoured whole?
Fitz smiled and nodded. "Going straight to the Rebirth Empire would seem insincere. Prepare a lavish gift to deliver to Bai Fu as compensation for our previous attempt to kill her."
The assistant quickly agreed. "I’ll prepare it at once."
Fitz watched him leave, his thoughts drifting toward the future.
The Apostolic Holy City’s invasion was both a threat and an opportunity.
Without this external enemy, the Rebirth Empire, under Bai Fu’s guidance, would eventually grow strong enough to defeat both them and Titan Industries.
Now that the Apostolic Holy City had arrived, though the pressure was enormous, if they endured this crisis, then even without Bai Fu’s guidance, they might not need to fear the Empire afterward.
Chaos was the ladder of progress.
The blood of war in Fitz’s veins began to boil.
……
After reuniting with the Rebirth Empire’s reinforcements as well as Oathmaster, Yuan Yi, and Curse Lord, Bai Fu finally relaxed.
She first checked her mission rewards.
Upon completing 【Deep Space Lost Voyage】, she had received 5 billion XP, one Psionic Construct Blueprint Evolution Card, one Supreme Copycat Card, and one single-use 【Home of the Lost】 Equipment Skill Card.
The harvest was delightful.
The value of the Supreme Copycat Card went without saying. After having used the Painter’s 【Wonderful Moment】, obtaining another 【Home of the Lost】 Equipment Skill Card was a timely supplement.
As for the Psionic Construct Blueprint Evolution Card, Bai Fu planned to use it on her Combat Suit.
However, before using it, she wanted to have Curse Lord upgrade her current blueprint first, then use the evolution card, to maximize its effect.
On her way to find Curse Lord, Dmitri suddenly called out to her.
"The Supernova Legion just contacted us. They said they want to apologize to you and discuss fully cooperating with the Undying Ones."
"Oh?"
Bai Fu raised a brow.
She hadn’t expected the Supernova Legion’s apology to come even faster than Titan Industries’.
"If they want to talk, then let’s talk."
Bai Fu was very interested in the so-called “full cooperation with the Undying Ones.”
The Players were her bread and butter. How could she not value them?