Chapter 303: Bai Fu has arrived, and the clear sky has returned!
Graywind Star was a planet located at the edge of the Tub Civilization’s star system.
Though situated on the frontier, Graywind Star was far from backward. It was one of Tub Civilization’s bases for external exploration. Having been developed for centuries, this place had become far more prosperous than the once-glorious Origin Star.
But all of this prosperity vanished when the Apostles’ Holy City unleashed the True Spirit Puppets upon it.
The colossal Calamity-class True Spirit Puppets roamed across the land. Wherever they passed, storms raged, lightning flashed, thunder roared, the earth overturned, mountains collapsed into valleys, and basins rose into towering peaks.
Ruins, ruins—everywhere was ruins… Cities, villages, ports… everything had been reduced to rubble.
In order to protect the homeland they had lived in for decades, the people of Graywind Star rose in resistance. They tried everything they could, but all their efforts were in vain.
There was nothing they could do.
The gap between them and a Calamity-class True Spirit Puppet was simply too vast.
On the entire Graywind Star, there were hardly a handful of S-rank Psionicists. As for weapons, some of Graywind’s armaments could indeed damage a Calamity-class Puppet—but they were far too cumbersome. In just a few blows, the Calamity-class Puppet shredded those weapons into dust.
What could they do?
Nothing.
The gulf from S-rank to Calamity-class was not something that could be bridged with hot-blooded shouting. It required systematic knowledge, extraordinary talent, and the accumulation of time.
For the people of Graywind Star, such things were utterly out of reach.
The only path awaiting them seemed to be vanishing into the wind.
“I don’t believe it! A turning point will come! I will never admit defeat like this! Just because we can’t beat those monsters now doesn’t mean we won’t be able to in the future. I’ll stake my whole life on it!”
Beneath the collapsed beams, a boy whose face had yet to shed all childishness shouted fiercely at his companions.
He had cried out such declarations countless times already, so his companions gave no response.
If shouting slogans could slay those alien monsters, Graywind Star would have long been at peace. Better to think about whether they could survive the night. Recently, those two massive monsters had not stirred much, but they had created swarms of small creatures, posing an immense threat to Graywind’s survivors.
“You guys… sigh.”
The boy let out a helpless sigh.
Of course, he could understand his companions’ thoughts. But people had to hold onto some hope to live, didn’t they?
He tilted his head up, sunlight dazzling his eyes. As he blinked them open again, he was stunned to see a spaceship emerging from behind the clouds… No, not one—two, three…
“What the hell is going on?!”
His sudden outcry startled his companions.
“Nesius, what the hell are you screaming for? If you draw those small monsters over with your yelling, what then?”
The companion cursed and stood up. But when they too raised their heads, they gave the same cry of shock as Nesius.
“What the hell?!”
Somehow, beneath the cloudy sky, thousands of spaceships of unfamiliar design had appeared, densely packed together!
“Where did these ships come from? Could it be that the monsters summoned them?”
Nesius’s heart thumped anxiously. Just then, a rustling came from a pit on the left front side. Something was rushing through the hole straight toward them.
“Damn it, monsters drawn by the noise!”
Nesius reacted fast, but his body lagged behind his mind.
He had only just turned, his legs not yet moving, when a small monster burst from the hole. Its sharp claws glinted in the sunlight, aiming straight for his pupils.
Was this… the end?
A single slip-up had cost him his life—and his companions’ as well.
A flood of regret surged from his heart.
Yet the claws never pierced him. The next second, a deep violet beam shot down from the sky, piercing the monster from head to tail, leaving a molten pit in the ground.
The corpse lunged forward with inertia, about to crush him. But then, a white shadow wrapped in a hurricane slammed down with a bang, shattering the monster into countless fragments.
The ground quaked. Dust flew.
Nesius lost his balance and fell.
He propped himself with one hand and slowly looked up.
At that instant, he saw countless white light-points pouring from the skyships above, streaking like meteors, like a torrential rain, covering the heavens. The sight battered the hearts of all who witnessed it.
Gulp—
Nesius swallowed stiffly, turning his head toward the white-armored stranger who stood tall atop the monster’s corpse.
“You… you are…”
“Damn, Lucky Star talent. This kid’s got protagonist potential, ￥#@.”
The stranger leaned close, studied him for several seconds, then shouted at the empty air.
“You guys, get over here! I think I’ve found this planet’s protagonist!”
Within seconds, masses of strangers swarmed down from the sky and all around, surrounding him, pointing and chattering.
“Damn, Guiyi, your luck’s off the charts.”
“What do we do with him? Send him somewhere safe?”
“Send him? No way, bring him along. He’s the protagonist! With his lucky aura blessing us, our haul will definitely be great this time!”
“Fine, then bring him.”
Nesius was baffled.
He couldn’t understand how these strangers spoke his language, nor what meaning lay behind their words.
He only knew someone pulled him up, threw him a combat suit and a gun.
“First of all, we’re not your enemies. We’re here to deal with the True Spirit Puppets!”
“Second, put on the suit, take the gun, and come with us.”
“And finally—”
No!
There was no need for a “finally.”
They were here to fight those monsters, weren’t they?
He would go with them!
Nesius threw on the combat suit at lightning speed and joined the squad led by Digging-Treasure and the others.
To be honest, he did not feel that Graywind Star was truly saved. Those two True Spirit Puppets had left a scar too deep.
Again and again, he had dared to hope, only to watch those Puppets crush that hope underfoot.
It hurt.
It hurt too much.
So at this moment, his thoughts were pure: fight a battle, win or lose, just fight. Otherwise despair would crush him sooner or later.
And so, he followed Digging-Treasure, Guiyi Wo Fu, Starfish-bro, and the others toward the Puppets’ lair.
Boom, boom, boom!
From rural ruins to urban ruins, from cities to jungle, and back to ruins again.
When at last he saw the looming lair in the distance, Nesius wiped his eyes in disbelief.
He wasn’t dreaming. In half a day, he had followed these strangers for more than 700 kilometers, along the way killing…
No. He had lost count completely.
All he remembered was firing his gun, again and again without pause. No matter how many small monsters blocked the road, none lasted more than a second before being ripped apart.
What was crushing dominance?
This was crushing dominance!
Could Graywind Star truly be saved?
He glanced at Guiyi Wo Fu. “I…”
Guiyi Wo Fu said, “From here on, you don’t need to do anything. Just watch. Those two Boss-class monsters aren’t something you can handle.”
Nesius nodded instinctively.
He stood in place, watching Guiyi Wo Fu and the others leave.
And then, he witnessed the most shocking sight of his life.
It was a little past four in the afternoon.
The silent ruins suddenly shook with thunderous shouts.
Voices of every kind interwove like stormclouds. From every corner of the city ruins, people poured out. Too many to count, so many the streets could not hold them. Some flew into the sky. But even the vast heavens could barely contain their numbers as they closed upon the lair.
They clustered into countless white hemispheres, encircling the nest.
And then—they fought!
Each displaying their own skills, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea.
Standing outside, Nesius couldn’t grasp what was happening. He only heard the roars and blasts, felt the earth tremble, saw the skies stained with strange colors of light.
“?”
Wait, was this how you fought monsters?
Nesius was stunned.
This was a whole new version he had never even dreamed of.
At first he worried for Guiyi Wo Fu and the others who brought him here, but now…
“Damn, this thing’s HP is so thick! My hit only shaved off 0.7%, and the bastard regenerates too!”
“Quick, debuff it with Bleed! If it keeps healing, we’re screwed.”
“Please, let me just land one shot! I only want some base rewards.”
The Players surged forward, fearless of the Puppets’ attacks.
Every single one of them knew—these two True Spirit Puppets were fierce, but no way could they withstand the onslaught of a million Players. After all, they were only Calamity-class. Sooner or later, they would be battered to death.
So now, what they needed to think about was not tactics, nor skill combinations, but how to rush in front of the Boss and land a hit before it died.
If they were too slow, and the Boss was slain before they reached it, then they would miss out on the quest rewards.
“Charge!”
“Kill!”
Some Players who rushed too quickly even accidentally charged straight into the gaping mouths of the True Spirit Puppets. Yet before dying, they still managed to land a vicious strike on the Puppet’s mouth.
Others, seeing that both ground and sky were overcrowded, simply burrowed underground, then suddenly burst upward, striking hard against the Puppet’s skin from below.
Faced with such unreasonable attacks, the two True Spirit Puppets screamed miserably.
They had resisted in a frenzy, but the number of Players outside was simply overwhelming. After a short outburst that left even themselves exhausted, the incoming Players still stretched on endlessly, without sight of the end.
“Woooo—”
After two consecutive howls of pain, the two True Spirit Puppets that had slaughtered countless lives on Graywind Star collapsed to the ground.
At this moment, not a single intact part remained on their bodies.
They were dead.
Though they had not been slain by “toe-trimming,” the manner of their death was even more humiliating.
“Hell yeah!”
The Players who successfully secured rewards cheered in delight.
“Damn it!”
Those who had failed to squeeze into the front ranks vented their fury on the remaining smaller True Spirit Puppets.
And just like that, peace returned to Graywind Star.
When the survivors learned that the massive monsters were dead, and the smaller ones had been wiped out within a single day with not even corpses left, they were all dumbstruck.
“What exactly is going on?”
Even Nesius, who had watched the entire thing from beginning to end, did not know.
Who can understand this, brothers?!
Every day he had prayed for a hero’s arrival. Sometimes he even dreamed of becoming one himself. Today, a hero had finally come—yet this hero was nothing like he had imagined.
A hero had come, and not just one—a full million of them!
Since when did heroes in legend come in such numbers? And which legend’s heroes fought more monstrously than the monsters themselves?
Nesius stood bewildered in the joyous winds.
But in truth, he did not dislike the feeling. Against such brutal monsters, only such terrifying means that brought despair to them could be the proper response!
“Let me join you! I want to become a warrior like you!”
Nesius voiced his wish from the depths of his heart.
“To become a warrior like us? I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. Not because I look down on you, but because we are… special. Still, I can take you to meet our Legion Commander. She is a great person. I think she can show you the path forward.”
Digging-Treasure led Nesius to Bai Fu.
On the flagship of the Quiet Garden Players’ Legion, Nesius felt an even greater shock.
Undying Ones?
There were another twenty million Undying Ones aboard this ship?
And Bai Fu, who commanded them, could crush with a flick of her finger the very monsters that had turned Graywind into hell?
And the alien civilization that controlled those monsters… was even more terrifying than Bai Fu?
After watching the promotional video Bai Fu played, Nesius felt his entire worldview had been reshaped.
“Facing such a terrifying opponent, do you still wish to keep fighting?”
Nesius stared blankly at the white-haired woman before him. Even though she was not of his kind, in his eyes she was still beautiful, like a figure painted in a scroll.
Were the enemies terrifying?
Yes. Terrifying beyond words.
Just counting the rank gap made his body tremble uncontrollably.
But fear could not erase his will to fight. Otherwise, he would have lain down to die long ago, before these heroes ever descended.
Now that a group of strangers fought for his civilization, how could he possibly shrink back?
And he had also heard that among other civilizations struck by the Apostles’ Holy City, many too had refused to surrender. Instead, they had banded together, forming an Anti–Apostles’ Holy City Alliance to continue the war.
“Yes, I want to keep fighting! Please give me the chance to follow you!”
For the first time, Nesius’s face bore a look of absolute seriousness.
Bai Fu nodded. “Very good. Since you are willing to walk this difficult road, then from today onward, you will follow Ichi and Teresa. They have had experiences similar to yours, and will teach you from the beginning how to become a qualified Psionicist. I sincerely hope that one day, you may rise to Dominator or even Transcendent, and with your own strength, guide your civilization toward its future.”
Nesius dropped to one knee, bowing his head devoutly.
“Lord of Darkness, thank you. Until then, you shall be my guiding light.”
…
“And that concludes the account of our first battle upon arriving in the Tub Star System. Starfish-bro, Guiyi Wo Fu, and other Undying Ones displayed their valor and fearlessness, while Nesius showed the Tub people’s resilience and courage. In the face of mighty enemies, none faltered!”
“The Apostles’ Holy City is terrifying, but such terror cannot defeat us. We will exert our utmost strength to forge a towering wall within the Dark Zone, to hold back their onslaught!”
The newly built TV station broadcast its first program, with Bai Fu personally acting as the news anchor, introducing all viewers to the outstanding Players and Nesius.
The episode caused a tremendous stir.
At the front lines, the forces of the Three Universal Civilizations were engaged in direct battle with the Apostles’ Holy City. The videos sent back mostly showed fleet bombardments, and clashes of Dominators and Transcendents—scenes too distant for ordinary people to grasp, at best giving them war reports.
But Bai Fu’s footage focused on the surface, close to ordinary life, naturally evoking far greater resonance. And with Bai Fu herself as the anchor, it was irresistible.
NPCs, upon watching the news, felt uplifted. Some with lofty aspirations even considered joining Quiet Garden.
Players too were elated. “Damn, victory settlements can even come with new features like this?!”
Seeing Starfish-bro and others appear repeatedly on the broadcast, both guild Players and solo Players burned with envy.
“I want to be on TV too!”
Thus, not long after the broadcast, large groups of Players immediately volunteered for missions.
This was exactly the effect Bai Fu wanted.
The more eager the Players were, the more she could extract from them later.
Since only eight days remained, she immediately divided the twenty million Players into twenty groups, sending them to liberate neighboring planets under attack by True Spirit Puppets, while she herself stayed behind on Graywind Star to build a temporary base.
When sending Players out, she specially reminded them to look for NPCs with talents like Nesius. If found, they were to be recruited back.
For years now, Bai Fu had consistently invested in NPCs with Luck or Fortune talents.
Her earliest investments were the protagonists of the Beginner Planet Indigo— Ichi and Teresa. After over ten years of following her, they had already advanced to Calamity-class. As for the S-rank and S+-rank “protagonists,” Quiet Garden had collected nearly a hundred.
These “protagonists” gathered together, forming a mid-tier cadre entirely composed of “protagonists,” a unique hallmark of Quiet Garden.
But Bai Fu was still not satisfied.
Only a hundred? Too few.
“Back when we wandered the Edge Worlds, the main storyline was too scattered, so finding protagonists wasn’t easy. But now, with the plot fully centered on civilization conflict, this is the best time to gather protagonists!”
If possible, she wanted to gather every “protagonist” under her banner.
With so many “protagonists” united, how terrifying would their “protagonist halos” be?
Even if such “halos” were useless, every NPC recognized as a “protagonist” had unique talents. If she could cultivate them all, how powerful would Quiet Garden become?
With Players in one hand and Protagonists in the other, she could crown herself King of Kings, Lord of All Paths!
As for the Three Universal Civilizations and the Apostles’ Holy City—shut the gates, release the Players and Protagonists upon them! If they couldn’t be killed, then Bai Fu would change her name to Hei Fu!
…
Under Bai Fu’s command, Quiet Garden unleashed its full might.
In just two days, the Players swept through planet after planet in the Tub System like a storm, wiping out the True Spirit Puppets entirely. Even a locust swarm could not clear so thoroughly or so fast.
Their terrifying record made even the Three Universal Civilizations turn their heads—not just turn, but stare in shock, and even with faint worry.
Because—
The Undying Ones had only just reached S-rank, and were already this strong. If they all reached Calamity-class, then…
“They would become a true Calamity!”
Tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of immortal, highly cooperative Calamity-class Psionicists attacking a single civilization together— even the Three Universal Civilizations would be left bloodied.
And if among them some advanced to Dominator or Transcendent? The horror would be immeasurable.
In such worry, some secretly gave the Players the nickname: Cancer of the Universe.
Yet, no matter the fear, for now the Three Universal Civilizations could not move against the Players. The urgent task was still to fight the Apostles’ Holy City. Bai Fu and the Players would only be dealt with after victory.
Unlike them, however, the people of the Tub Civilization on invaded planets looked upon the Players with reverence and hope.
Who said the Players were a threat? They were incredible!
They wished the Players would descend upon their planet the very next second, slaughtering monsters like pigs.
As the saying now went: When Bai Fu and the Undying Ones arrive, the clear sky returns!
Such fervent emotions gradually influenced those of the Apostles’ Holy City, who were constructing their Stargate in the Tub System.
“Bai Fu’s actions may not harm our foundations, but having such a fly buzzing about is unbearably vexing. And she is also tied to Rufas, the one who stole the Cosmic Treasure. We must find a chance to capture her, and extract Rufas’s whereabouts.”
After deliberation, the Apostles’ Holy City decided to feint at the Three Universal Civilizations’ main forces, but secretly divert to Graywind Star, to strike Bai Fu in one sudden blow.