Chapter 43: Shocking! Bai Fu’s True Identity
Bai Fu didn’t speak immediately, but instead slowly took a few sips of water, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.
Only after the live‑stream room was flooded with “Urgent urgent urgent, I’m the Urgent King” did she finally open her mouth.
“You should still remember what I said that night when you all came to my place, right?”
Excavation‑Princess, who had been sitting upright, couldn’t help but blush and quickly nodded.
Of course she remembered. How could she possibly forget? That night, Bai Fu had even “lifted her high” in the air.
Bai Fu placed her cup on the coffee table. “To be honest, I didn’t really believe in that Sacred Prophecy. Sacred Prophecies aren’t one hundred percent accurate to begin with. That night, after learning that you all were very likely the Undying Ones mentioned in the prophecy, my faith in it wavered even more.”
Excavation‑Princess: “……”
Good grief, was she being looked down on?
Just as the players in the live‑stream room were about to say something, Bai Fu spoke again.
“At the time, I couldn’t imagine the Undying Ones being more than just one person, let alone a whole group. It was even harder to imagine that a group who approached everything with such silliness and laughter could be the Undying Ones. But what happened later proved me wrong. Maybe your personalities are eccentric, maybe your strength is mediocre, but…”
A faint smile appeared on Bai Fu’s face—fresh and elegant like a jasmine blossom. The smile came and went so quickly that some players almost thought they had imagined it.
“Judging by your performance during the Insect Tide incident, there’s no doubt that you are the true Heroes of legend!”
As soon as these words landed, the players felt an immense relief, like something that had been suppressed for so long had finally been released.
So satisfying!
Especially those who had participated in the Insect Tide event—they were ecstatic, sharing their achievements non‑stop in the live‑stream comments.
Bai Fu chuckled inwardly.
Silly things, how could I not know how to stir your excited hearts?
Seeing the players had all fallen into her rhythm, she shifted the topic to a new stage.
“I know you really want to help me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have chased me all the way from the Abandoned Cooling Plant to here. But I must pour a bucket of cold water on you.”
“Ah?”
Excavation‑Princess had been overjoyed. She hadn’t expected Bai Fu to suddenly drop such a statement. Her hands clenched together involuntarily.
“Fu‑fu, go ahead.”
Bai Fu looked serious. “I admire your courage, but in the face of an absolute disparity in strength, courage alone is useless. It only leads to unnecessary sacrifice. Do you understand this principle?”
“I understand.” Excavation‑Princess paused, then couldn’t help but ask, “Fu‑fu, is the situation you’re facing really that dangerous? I know I’m weak, but Starfish‑bro, Ah Fu, their strength…”
“Hmph, I see you really don’t get it!”
Just then, Anya, who had been playing in the room, suddenly jumped out.
“Ah?” Excavation‑Princess was confused.
Anya put her hands on her hips. “You think Big-sister leader is afraid of those bugs? Or that meaningless woman? It’s just that Big-sister leader hasn’t recovered from her injuries. Back when she was in her prime, with just a thought—never mind those people—even this entire planet…”
“Anya!”
Bai Fu quickly stepped in to stop her.
But this time, Anya suddenly refused to comply. “Big-sister leader, what’s the harm in saying it? You are from the Garden of Silence…”
She had only spoken halfway when Bai Fu directly pulled out her trump card.
“You still want dessert or not?”
Anya shrank her neck. “Sorry, my bad.”
Seeing this, Excavation‑Princess quickly stepped up to smooth things over. “Fu‑fu, Anya didn’t mean any harm. Don’t be mad.”
Bai Fu nodded, then suddenly let out a long sigh, as if lamenting how hard it was to raise a child.
“Don’t take what Anya said to heart.”
Excavation‑Princess really wanted to say “okay,” but how could she possibly not take it to heart!
She was an UP host who specialized in digging up game lore. Although Anya had only said two incomplete sentences—not even a hundred words—the content of those words had gripped her like tentacles.
Here it comes, here comes the big one!
Now it all depended on whether she could catch this big wave.
Excavation‑Princess was so excited it was like she had just seen Ultraman beating up a monster with her own eyes. The other players in the live‑stream room felt about the same.
【Holy crap holy crap, did I just hear that right? Fu‑fu has been in an injured state this whole time?】
【Fu‑fu has been helping us all this time while injured, crying to death】
【Why are you crying your balls off, is this really the time? The key is what Anya said—“this planet”. Damn, that line carries way too much information】
【Exactly, was she referring to something on this planet, or the planet itself?】
【Either way, it proves Fu‑fu’s true strength is extraordinary. But if it’s the latter... damn, is Fu‑fu an alien?】
【Excavation‑Princess, don’t tell me you’ve uncovered a super, super massive hidden quest?】
Excavation‑Princess was actually thinking the same thing.
Considering Bai Fu’s serious demeanor earlier and Anya’s “arrogant” tone just now, she felt there was a ninety or even a hundred percent chance that Bai Fu was a “cosmic being” stranded on Origin Star. The crux lay in the term “ji_jing_zhi_ting”.
As long as she could figure out whether the Garden of Silence was native to Origin Star, she could draw a conclusion.
Of course, even if she figured that out, it would only be lifting one of the countless veils over Fu‑fu’s face.
Excavation‑Princess decided to test things a bit and took the initiative to break the long silence.
“Fu‑fu, so you’ve been fighting all this time while injured?”
Bai Fu shook her head. “Don’t worry, those injuries won’t affect my actions.”
Excavation‑Princess changed the topic. “Then... the Garden of Silence, is that the organization you belong to?”
This question made Bai Fu fall silent again for a long time. She appeared to be struggling, but in reality, she was peeking at the players in the live‑stream room conspiring loudly.
【Digging, don’t waste your time trying to dig deeper. There’s no way Fu‑fu would reveal this stuff】
【Yeah, no story just spills all its secrets right away. Normally you have to complete a chain of quests, and go through several major patches to uncover the truth】
【That’s true for other games. Beyond the Stars is different】
【What’s different about it?】
【Fu‑fu won’t talk, but Anya is another story. She’s not tight‑lipped—we can get close to her and try to fish for intel】
【Hiss, that might actually work!】
A bunch of players got excited.
Bai Fu got excited too.
Perfect, it looked like the players had fully taken the bait!
This way, Anya’s standing in their eyes would also rise dramatically. Even if Bai Fu wasn’t around, Anya could still command them.
Everything Bai Fu said today had been carefully planned. She deliberately used Anya to let slip that she’d been injured, to fill a massive narrative gap.
Once the players accepted this setup, they wouldn’t question her future rocket‑like rise in strength. It would also give the Developer room to write enhancements into her character.
As for the rest of Anya’s comments, they were meant to send the players into wild speculation.
She wasn’t afraid they’d imagine too grand a backstory for her—what she feared was a lack of imagination.
Even if in the end they found out she wasn’t a “cosmic being,” Bai Fu wasn’t worried.
Anya never finished her sentence, after all. That gave her the leeway to explain it however she wanted.
“This planet” could be expanded into “This planet will also explode,” or “Even the strongest beings on this planet must die.” As for the final explanation, that would depend on how her story developed and which enhancement path the Developer chose.
“There are some things I don’t want to tell you—not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t,” said Bai Fu. “Even knowing those names would bring you endless nightmares. With your current strength, if you truly want to help me, if you truly want to become the savior Heroes of legend, then the most important thing is to improve yourself through tempering.”
So Fu‑fu really wasn’t giving a direct answer?
Just as Excavation‑Princess started feeling disappointed, a surprise came forth.
“Big-sister leader, they’re not completely useless, right? At least here, if their strength gets just a little higher, they could help us find that thing.” Anya peeked her head out sneakily.
Nice job, Anya!
Excavation‑Princess excitedly echoed, “Yeah, exactly!”
Bai Fu stared at Excavation‑Princess for a while before finally saying, “Alright then. When your strength improves a bit more and you reach the advanced threshold, we’ll talk again. Otherwise, even if you are one of the Undying Ones, it’s just too dangerous.”
She subtly signaled Anya to continue.
“That’s right, reaching the advanced threshold should do it.”
As soon as Anya—now acting as a Quartermaster of the Faction—finished speaking, Excavation‑Princess noticed she had triggered a quest—
【Improve Strength】
The rewards were nothing special: just 1000 XP and 5 points of Faction Reputation. But Excavation‑Princess still jumped up in excitement. This was the key to getting close to the real Fu‑fu! Who cared about the reward? She’d go for it even if there was none!
“Haha, I triggered a que—”
Halfway through her leap, she awkwardly sat back down.
Stay calm. Fu‑fu was still sitting across from her.
【Damn it, I’m dying of jealousy. Digging really got ahead of everyone this time】
【Don’t get cocky. I’ll be in Lynn the day after tomorrow. Who’ll unlock the advanced class first is still up in the air】
The players in the live‑stream room were all fired up.
Just like that player said, the winner had yet to be decided. Excavation‑Princess may have been the first to arrive at Lynn and the first to receive a quest from Bai Fu, but she was only level 7, and also not good at action games. It was still unclear if she’d be the first to unlock the advanced class.
For a while, nearly all the players in the Abandoned Cooling Plant were itching to act—including the Iron Rain Guild who were planning to defect to the Truth Society.
Sword Qi Soaring had a clear idea. If they wanted to defect to the Truth Society, they needed to first make contact with someone from it. Until then, his plan was to orbit around Bai Fu just like the others.
He wasn’t interested in increasing Bai Fu’s Favorability. His main goal was to gather intel about her and then use that information as a gift when pledging allegiance to the Truth Society.
【Charge!】
【Step by step, I’ll climb to the top, surpass Excavation‑Princess, and become the player closest to Fu‑fu!】
【No sleep tonight—I’m grinding all the way!】
Seeing the players all fired up, Bai Fu finally felt at ease.
She was now essentially bound to this group of players.
The faster they leveled up, the faster she could level up with their help.
The Truth Society wants to assassinate me?
Then I’ll bring tens of thousands of players with advanced classes and show you what true worldly terror looks like!
“It’s getting late. You should get some rest. I’m heading back first.”
Bai Fu stood up.
Excavation‑Princess still wanted to ask her to stay the night, but Bai Fu politely declined.
What a pity, but understandable.
Just before parting, Anya secretly glanced at Excavation‑Princess and saw that she was still grinning like a fool.
Poor Excavation‑Princess really thought she had gained something big, when in fact she was being toyed with by Big-sister leader.
I, Anya, am the true treasure in Big-sister leader’s heart!
Anya lifted her chin proudly and followed behind Bai Fu.
After leaving the hotel, Bai Fu couldn’t wait to open the Community.
As expected, players were already analyzing her identity. The most eye-catching post among them was—
《I suspect Bai Fu is actually the final Boss of Beyond the Stars!》
“???”
Question marks filled Bai Fu’s head.
She had worked so hard to finally sever her ties with the Wildfire Gang, all to avoid being treated as a villain by the players. And now, what do you know—someone just slapped a final Boss label right on her?
She clicked in, curious to see what insights this player had.
In fact, the post contained no analysis at all. The player was simply comparing it to another game the entire time.
【In another game I played before, there was a very special NPC in the newbie village. She was as beautiful as Fu‑fu, cared about players like Fu‑fu, and had a mysterious identity like Fu‑fu. In the end, after completing a series of quests, players discovered she was a legendary Apostle, even the final Boss in the game! So, I boldly conclude...】
【I’ll boldly smack you with a hammer】
Unsurprisingly, the post got flamed. Also unsurprisingly, it went viral.
Though the poster was clearly talking nonsense and not doing proper validation like Excavation‑Princess using dialogue and lore, the theory that Bai Fu was the final Boss still hit many players’ XP points.
White-haired final Boss? I’m in!
【If Fu‑fu really is the final Boss, I’ll be the first to join her】
【You think you’ll be first? I’m first】
Bai Fu twitched her lips.
She had no interest in being any kind of Boss—unless it was the kind that didn’t have a visible HP bar.
She’d wait a bit more, see if any of the upcoming player theories were useful. If so, she’d copy them outright.
Wait no, copying player ideas in a game wasn’t copying—it was meeting player expectations!
Bai Fu, with Anya in tow, quickly returned to the area near Xia Shi’s residence. But as soon as she reached the staircase, she stopped.
The lights were off inside. Xia Shi wasn’t home?
She looked around.
The agents that Division Four director Lu Yuelin had sent to protect her were also missing.
That was clearly not right.
Bai Fu had always been one to suspect the worst in any unusual situation she encountered.
A few seconds later, she heard footsteps in the stairwell, along with the static of a walkie-talkie.
“No sign on my side. Hurry up over there.”
Right after that, a fully armed man stepped out from around the corner.
“Hmm? Bai Fu?”
The man clearly hadn’t expected to run into Bai Fu here. He paused for a moment, then a smile crept onto his face.
“Well, what a pleasant surprise. You messed with the Truth Society—serves you right to die here tonight.”
So it really was a Truth Society assassin.
Bai Fu began to worry about Xia Shi’s safety, but now wasn’t the time for that. She placed her hand on her thigh, where her gun was holstered.
“Anya, get behind me.”
Time to see just how much her strength had improved since unlocking her advanced class!