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Chapter 175: Task Settlement, The Highly Admired Female Protagonist Bai Fu [74k]

The destructive power of Night Mother was far lower than that of most ordinary S+ level superpower users and even fell short of some S-level users. However, underestimating her because of this would surely lead to dire consequences.

She was just not skilled in object attacks. Of course, this lack of skill only applied to those powerful or uniquely capable S-level and S+ level superpower users. As for those below the S-level, they were absolutely no match for her, not even her little toe.

However, when it came to fighting people, Night Mother’s killing power was even more terrifying than four or five Scarlet Leafs combined.

All of this was due to her special ability.

During her battle with Scarlet Leaf, she used many special skills, including —

• Depriving target’s health based on attribute gap


• Absorbing target’s life to recover her own health


• Adding a debuff to the target with longer duration leading to more attribute and resistance reduction


• Temporarily turning her flesh into mist to dodge attacks


• Higher damage bonus as more life is absorbed

This ability was not particularly exaggerated when fighting a single enemy, but it was incredibly powerful in 1vN scenarios.

For example, take the Bug Tide.

Scarlet Leaf had to either rush in and kill or pull back to charge up and use wide-range attacks against the massive Dark Domain Bug Clan. In any case, time and resources were consumed significantly.

But Night Mother’s situation was different. She didn’t need to dodge at all; she simply stood in the Bug Tide, opened her skills, and waited for all the bugs to be drained by her.

Consumption?

No, the more she absorbed, the more energized she became!

Unless there were exceptionally strong individuals within the Bug Tide, the bugs coming in droves were merely fodder, and the more they came, the more her instantaneous combat strength increased, making her a true killing machine.

Bai Fu was glad she had Black Fu bring the player to support in time. Otherwise, Scarlet Leaf’s unstable state would have led to her being completely drained over time, and the player could be revived, while Scarlet Leaf would turn into nothing but a dried husk.

However, Scarlet Leaf’s current condition was also not looking good. After a violent tremor, she suddenly fainted.

!

Holding Scarlet Leaf, Bai Fu quickly cast a Spirit Vision.

She feared that Scarlet Leaf had sustained hidden injuries during the battle with Night Mother, which she had been suppressing without showing any signs.

Good news: Scarlet Leaf’s health was still healthy at 63%, and she did not have any debuffs like poisoning or bleeding. She fainted because she used powers not meant for her.

Bad news: An abnormal status appeared on Scarlet Leaf’s template, somewhat similar to Youlia’s True Spirit Son awakening progress, but with differences.

[Template]: Special – Void Infected (Void Progress 52.1% [Evolution Branch])

“52.1%, is it over half?”

Bai Fu clicked on the [Mutation Branch] and then a long explanation interface appeared before her eyes.

[Scarlet Leaf’s void process has reached the second stage, an almost irreversible phase where the genes of the void are gradually merging with her original genes, opening a new evolution door]

[Evolution Branch 1 – Shadow of the Void (71.2%)] : A life form resembling shadow, chaotic and unintelligent;

[Evolution Branch 2 – Devourer (82.1%)] : The original void race, deeply immersed in hunger and devouring;

[Evolution Branch 3 – Hanged Man (57.6%)] : A special life form with a half-human, half-void appearance, cruel and bloodthirsty;

[Evolution Branch 4 – Prophet (23.8%)] : A human-shaped void life, retaining the basic human features but also possessing a side of the void.

Each evolution branch had detailed characteristics upon expansion, and the game thoughtfully provided illustrations.

Bai Fu looked closely, amazed at these bizarre forms!

She could understand why Green Mud felt so desperate. Originally, Scarlet Leaf was quite attractive, though her chest had been “destroyed,” but other parts were truly exceptional. Now, if she turned into a void life form, there was a high chance she would become a monster.

Look at the Shadow of the Void, and the Devourer, even the champion of the League of Legends, the Void Reaver, looks cuter than them.

As for the Hanged Man… it could only be described as barely human, with a “lower body” that resembles a person upside down.

The Prophet’s appearance combined the beauty of human life and the mystery of the void, exuding a bold and exotic charm, but the chance of Scarlet Leaf becoming a Prophet was only 23.8%, less than a quarter.

In normal circumstances, Scarlet Leaf was in trouble, but the current situation was clearly not normal.

“Fortunately, Scarlet Leaf’s void progression isn’t too high.”

Bai Fu sighed with relief. Discovering it in time meant there was still a chance to adjust.

NPCs did not know how to change the chances of each evolution branch, but Bai Fu, like players, could see various panels, including her own, the player’s, and other NPCs’.

Panels were valuable tools, providing intelligence that NPCs struggled to research, since these were designed to enhance player enjoyment. Good news was that each of Scarlet Leaf’s four evolution branches had additional hints on how to increase the respective evolution branch’s probability.

Taking the [Prophet] as an example, to make Scarlet Leaf a Prophet, the first step was to boost her spirit and intelligence attributes. Once these went up, the likelihood of her becoming a mindless, strange void life form would greatly decrease.

But this wasn’t enough to guarantee she would definitely become a Prophet. Next, Scarlet Leaf needed to improve her life strength, resistance, gene strength, etc.

In short, this was a systematic process requiring Scarlet Leaf’s cooperation. If she did everything alone, the result would be that neither of them would be happy.

Scarlet Leaf had become this way to save herself, so Bai Fu wouldn’t abandon her. Besides, a stronger Scarlet Leaf would provide her with more benefits.

Bai Fu closed the panel and held Scarlet Leaf in a princess carry, quickly flying towards the spaceship from the battlefield.

At this moment, the dazzling light from the explosion had yet to fully dissipate.

From all directions, everyone watching was eagerly waiting to know the final outcome of the battle.

The current situation was delicate.

Ever since learning that Night Mother came from the Tower of Secrets, almost everyone was on edge.

That’s the Tower of Secrets!

“This is a trap, we’ve all been tricked!”

Manu’s face was as dark as a pot bottom. He kept pacing back and forth in the spaceship, anxiously waiting for the battle results and the response from the Joint Council.

After a full ten seconds, the deputy commander suddenly shouted, “There’s movement! There’s movement!!”

Manu rushed to the virtual display screen.

First, a glowing light curtain appeared in the starry sky, and at the center of the light curtain, a pale blue light ball gradually expanded, becoming increasingly noticeable.

Someone came out. Who was it?

He squinted his eyes hard.

When the blue light ball broke through the light curtain, and the iconic silver-white hair appeared in his vision, Manu clenched his fists and raised them high, then he looked up and let out a loud roar.

“We won, we won!”

This shout seemed to flip a switch, instantly, the entire battleship, and all the surrounding ships, erupted with deafening cheers.

We won!

Really won!

After the light curtain dissipated, Night Mother had vanished. Only Bai Fu holding Scarlet Leaf was seen flying in the starry sky.

Those skilled at seizing opportunities quickly activated the ship’s recording equipment, adjusted the angle, and started taking pictures of Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf non-stop, sensing that this would become a classic moment.

After letting out a roar, Manu quickly ordered the nearest ship to send out fighter jets to pick up Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf, and instructed all ships to move towards Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf.

After several dozen seconds, Bai Fu successfully boarded the approaching interstellar transport with Scarlet Leaf.

Entering the transport through the hatch, walking through two short corridors, she found Green Mud, Herbert, and others all inside the transport.

On one side, there were cheers.

“Holy Maiden!”

“Void War Princess!”

“Heroes are back!”

The cheers shook the transport, as if the transport itself was trembling.

If the transport had been prepared with confetti canons and champagne, Bai Fu felt she would be covered in them now.

The last time she received such treatment was when she defeated the Truth Society President and returned to Bai Fu Town?

Amidst the cheers, there were also a few panicked exclamations.

“Director!”

Green Mud squeezed out from the crowd and rushed to Bai Fu in a few steps.

Herbert and the others soon followed, their eyes fixed on Scarlet Leaf, their expressions as grave as Green Mud’s, but whether they were worried or secretly happy about Scarlet Leaf’s injury remained unknown.

Looking at the anxious crowd, Bai Fu gestured with Black Fu’s hand: “Everyone, don’t worry. Scarlet Leaf Director is fine, she just got a bit tired from the intense battle.”

Is that true?

Herbert and the others were skeptical, especially after seeing Green Mud’s reaction, which made them even more suspicious. It seemed Green Mud knew something.

Of course, it was true. Do you think I, Bai Fu, am the kind of woman who lies?

Black Fu smiled confidently.

In any case, she couldn’t let Herbert and the others realize that Scarlet Leaf’s condition was off, otherwise, who knows what chaos might ensue. She never lowered her guard against Herbert and the others.

While dealing with Herbert and the others, Bai Fu immediately called Green Mud through the communicator’s mental channel.

“Alright, Green Mud, don’t panic. Scarlet Leaf Director’s condition is a bit bad, the void progress exceeds half, but I have a way to control and guide the void blood in her body, ensuring she won’t turn into a monster.”

“What?”

Green Mud was shocked, staring at Black Fu with disbelief.

After all, even the Ultra-Class Sworn One hadn’t solved Scarlet Leaf’s problem, stating that only the Super Nova Task Force could do it, but Bai Fu claimed she had a solution.

“Think about it, ever since I met you, have I ever said a single lie or exaggeration? When have I failed to accomplish something I said I would do?”

Bai Fu calmly questioned Green Mud.

In fact, she rarely told the truth, truly being a master of deception, but others didn’t know this.

To outsiders, she was the savior, the goddess of victory, and the pure hero!

“This…”

Green Mud carefully recalled and realized things were indeed as Bai Fu said.

Bai Fu calmly stated, “Don’t let Herbert and the others notice anything unusual. After Scarlet Leaf Director wakes up, I’ll explain everything to you. For now, join in the celebration.”

Green Mud reluctantly nodded, trying to suppress his unease and doubts, then he acted as if he had suddenly understood.

“It was just exhaustion, thank goodness, Director is fine.”

Upon hearing that Scarlet Leaf was fine, the surrounding people cheered even louder.

Green Mud laughed along, but his gaze eventually landed on Bai Fu’s tall figure.

What was Bai Fu’s identity?

To boldly claim she could control the void blood, this was beyond the capabilities of a mere low-level civilization leader from the Dark Domain!

…

“Commander, Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf are both confirmed to be fine, just a bit injured and exhausted.”

In the battleship control room, after hearing the report from the communications officer, Manu breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good that they were okay!

Manu’s joy showed on his face: “Arrange rest places for Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf, tell them, the best military doctors from Heaven Lake Star will arrive shortly. Also, provide nutritional supplements, wound repair sprays, whatever is available, send it over!”

The communications officer nodded hastily.

In fact, the people on the other ship were already doing this.

After instructing the communications officer, Manu continued to stare at the communication device directly connected to the Joint Council, and after a minute or so, the device finally rang.

“Manu, we’ve received your message.”

“What about the investigation results?”

“That woman is indeed the Catastrophe Tier seed of the Tower of Secrets, Thessia. The Tower of Secrets has allied with the Dark Domain Bug Clan.”

Manu’s expression darkened: “It was indeed a trap, it seems our month-long operation must be terminated.”

“No!”

The person on the other end gave a negative answer.

Huh?

Manu was puzzled.

“It’s indeed a trap, but the Tower of Secrets may not know that we know it’s a trap. So, this is an opportunity. We’ve contacted the Tide Civilization, the Celestial Eye Alliance, and the Castor Civilization. They’ve agreed to send fleets to attack the Dark Domain Bug Clan’s lair in the Sea Lion Galaxy System. With luck, we might deal a heavy blow to the Tower of Secrets and avenge our fallen comrades on Heaven Lake Star!”

Manu fell silent for a moment.

He felt this was worth a try. Even if it didn’t work out, it was fine. If successful, it would deliver a decisive blow to the increasingly arrogant Tower of Secrets.

“How should I assist?”

“Withdraw from Heaven Lake Star first. Since we know Heaven Lake Star is a bait laid by the Tower of Secrets and the Dark Domain Bug Clan, there’s no need to stay there for now. After our operation ends, we’ll redeploy troops.”

“I understand.”

“The remuneration for those mercenaries has already been prepared by the Joint Council. Just handle it according to the rules.”

Manu nodded.

Just after experiencing a life-and-death battle, it was time to give some good news to make everyone happy and relaxed.

…

After bringing Scarlet Leaf into the rest area, Bai Fu sat down on a nearby chair, but before she could check Scarlet Leaf’s condition, she received news that the Heaven Lake Star garrison was withdrawing from Heaven Lake Star.

But compared to this, she was more concerned about another piece of news—

Task completion, Manu was going to distribute the task rewards!

Even the usually serious Herbert smiled, and Bai Fu was even more excited.

Here it comes, the part she had been looking forward to!

To her surprise, although she had previously agreed with Manu to convert all credit point rewards into advanced knowledge and prayer card blueprints, Manu still transferred an additional 500,000 credit points to her account during the task settlement.

“Alright, alright, you guys know how to be humane.”

Bai Fu’s affinity with the Star Network Commonwealth skyrocketed.

500,000 credit points were enough to buy 25 low-purity spiritual energy crystals. Among them, 10 could be used to upgrade the [Anomaly Construction] to Lv2, unlocking an additional permanent spiritual energy construct slot.

After leveling up, the remaining 15 spiritual energy crystals could be given to Youlia, which should be enough to help Youlia break through and become an A-class superpower user. With Youlia’s abilities, after promotion, she would be much stronger than most ordinary A-class superpower users.

“It’s time to further build my team.”

Bai Fu nodded silently.

In the Star Ocean, reputation, connections, strength, and team building were all important!

After enjoying the benefits from the Star Network Commonwealth, Bai Fu turned her attention back to the task.

[You completed the hidden quest [Floodlike] ]

This task had five branches and one hidden reward.

The requirement for Branch One was to withstand the first wave of attacks from the Dark Domain Bug Clan. Although Bai Fu did not personally engage in battle, her two large Black Fufu dolls and the prayer cards she created earned her a significant amount of contribution, resulting in a total of 16.7 million experience points.

The requirement for Branch Two was to ensure that the three defensive lines held for ten days. By the end of the war on Heaven Lake Star, the third line was still standing, but the second line collapsed too quickly, resulting in a lower evaluation for this branch.

“9.2 million experience points and three ultra-healing potions. The ultra-healing potion can restore 10,000 health points in a very short time. While the experience gain was not much, this potion was very valuable. 10,000 health points were nearly half of my HP bar.”

Bai Fu was quite satisfied with this reward.

Branch Three was a kill quest, rewarding 200,000 experience points for each adult bug killed. During the previous battle, she had eliminated 37 adult bugs, resulting in a total of 7.4 million experience points.

Branch Four required eliminating biological warships, but since the biological warships were destroyed by ship cannons and planetary array cannons, Bai Fu received no rewards.

It was a minor disappointment, but it didn’t matter much.

Because the reward from Branch Five [Securing Time] was enough to make Bai Fu forget this small loss.

The reward for Branch Five varied based on the contribution of the team members, and both Bai Fu and the player had made significant contributions in the Heaven Lake Star campaign, so the reward for this branch was also generous.

[Gain Reward: +400 affinity with Star Network Commonwealth, 24 million experience points, 10 attribute points]

These 400 affinity points brought the Star Network Commonwealth’s affinity with Bai Fu to 480, changing from [Friendly] to [Respected], with only 520 points away from [Reverent].

Adding the newly obtained 24 million experience points, Bai Fu now had over 60 million experience points. Earning 60 million experience points from one mission was certainly not a small amount, but compared to exploiting players’ experience…

She shook her head, gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to relish the taste of success.

It still had to be the players!

Coincidentally, the players had also gained a lot of experience. After returning to Ulysses, it was time to find an excuse to exploit them.

After all, these players couldn’t level up with their experience stored, so it was better to give it all to her, allowing her to enjoy it thoroughly. When she was satisfied, she could provide more benefits to the players.

Bai Fu opened her attribute panel, adding 10 attribute points to Inspiration first, then she upgraded all recently acquired skills and prayer cards to their maximum levels.

“The diameter of the Mind Storm was already tens of meters, and after reaching +10, it soared to 300 meters. This power is enough to easily destroy a small town.”

Bai Fu was very satisfied with the results of this upgrade.

The only issue was that these +10 high-level prayer cards had a high production cost. Without the Star Network Commonwealth providing free raw materials, she had to be careful when making and using them, or she would soon bankrupt herself.

After accounting for the regular rewards, Bai Fu opened the hidden reward triggered after reaching 300 faction reputation.

The hidden reward was one thing—

[Skill Advancement Stone]

As the name suggests, a Skill Advancement Stone could advance a skill to a higher tier, provided the skill was already at its maximum level and had a corresponding high-tier skill.

“Sss—”

After reading the item description, Bai Fu’s eyes widened.

Was there really such a good thing?

She quickly flipped through her skills: various passives, Heaven Burial, Cyclone Flying Blade, Spiritual Energy Repair, Summon True Spirit, Psychic Field…

Wait, it’s decided, Psychic Field!

Bai Fu had long craved the upper-tier replacement for Psychic Field. Using the Skill Advancement Stone on Psychic Field transformed it into [Advanced Field]. Compared to a Level 1 Advanced Field and a Level 10 Psychic Field, the damage reduction ratio and damage coefficient remained unchanged, but the original repulsion field became multifunctional.

Repulsion, compression, tearing, traction, distortion—the practicality of the field surged significantly.

“Cool!”

Bai Fu was delighted. No wonder it was a skill replicated from Youlia, and the Advanced Field could even be further upgraded.

“This mission wasn’t wasted.”

Before coming to Heaven Lake Star, she was stuck at the peak of the A class. After leaving Heaven Lake Star, she not only successfully promoted to S class but also obtained three pieces of advanced knowledge, multiple high-level prayer cards, 500,000 credit points, three production lines, a large amount of reputation and affinity, and many secret intelligence, making it a huge harvest.

This was indeed a big win!

However, Bai Fu was well aware that the benefits she gained from the Heaven Lake Star mission extended far beyond these.

[You triggered a hidden plot, Initial Gateway Star Cluster exploration progress +0.2%]

Exploration progress!

This meant she could look forward to another round of enhancements. Additionally, as her reputation grew, there were bound to be many other benefits waiting for her.

Bai Fu closed all the panels.

After bidding farewell to Manu, who was distributing rewards, she headed straight for where Scarlet Leaf was resting. She planned to conduct a comprehensive and thorough physical examination on Scarlet Leaf and check online how people in the Sea Lion Galaxy System were evaluating her.

As she walked down the corridor, everyone greeted her warmly, and many people handed her things. She had become the most eye-catching person in the entire fleet, as if she were surrounded by a halo of sanctity.

Such popularity!

…

Just as the Heaven Lake Star fleet was packing up and evacuating from Heaven Lake Star, somewhere in the distant starry sky, [Night Mother] Thessia suddenly woke up from her bed.

She placed a hand on her chest and took deep breaths.

Moments later, someone knocked on the door, and the scene outside appeared before her. She saw that the person knocking was a man whose head was obscured by a constantly flickering rainbow of lights.

The Tower of Secrets’ Head Butler!

Thessia’s mind flashed with this title.

She got up from the bed, opened the door, and bowed her head: “I’m sorry, I messed up. I didn’t bring back the prototype, nor did I manage to kill the woman called Bai Fu.”

A gentle voice sounded: “It’s not your fault. Just now, the survivors sent a message from the subordinates whom Holt took to Heaven Lake Star. They said that before dying, Holt revealed an important piece of information to them.”

Thessia was stunned: “What information?”

The Head Butler replied: “Holt said that Bai Fu is not human at all.”

“Special race?”

Thessia’s pupils dilated.

Isn’t that the same as her? No, not entirely the same. Bai Fu was never human to begin with, while she was originally human but later turned into a half-human, half-monster.

The Head Butler continued: “Bai Fu’s abilities are very special, and with the presence of the Void War Princess, your failure was understandable. Rest for now, I’ll come back with a new mission when there is one.”

Thessia nodded, and as the Head Butler was about to leave, she hurriedly asked: “How does the leader view my failure?”

The Head Butler replied: “The leader hopes you continue to hone your abilities, as they are gifts from the heavens.”

Continue honing her abilities?

Thessia felt a pang in her heart.

Actually, she despised this ability and despised herself for having it. But if the leader, who had given her a second life, wanted her to hone her abilities, she had no choice but to comply.

After the Head Butler left, Thessia left the room.

Passing through the corridor, everyone she encountered shrank aside in fear, looking at her as if she were a monster.

Yes, that was exactly the look!

In the Tower of Secrets, apart from normal task handovers, no one dared to contact her, not even though she had a more seductive appearance than a fox and a more perfect physique than a fitness queen.

Because she was a monster parasitized by a spider!

The spider was consuming her body, and she was consuming the spider’s body.

A few minutes later, Thessia arrived at the gravity training room. She wasn’t there to train but to bathe.

Due to using the Life Manifestation ability near the brain worm’s corpse, she had expended a lot of energy, causing sweat to pour out from every pore. The sweat accumulated between her skin and the black tight suit, making her feel uncomfortable when rubbing against it.

She asked the AI to prepare hot water, set the virtual environment, remove her clothes, and step into the bathtub.

When her head rested lightly on the soft cushion, Thessia said, “Turn on the biggest news channel of the Star Network Commonwealth.”

A virtual screen popped up, broadcasting news about Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf.

In the news, Bai Fu was referred to as the Savior Holy Maiden and the Goddess of Victory. She was surrounded by people, with spotlights focused on her, wearing a faint smile, gentle like water, naturally attracting attention.

Thessia lowered her head, looking at her chest just submerged in the water, and the strange patterns that had been covered by the black tight suit.

Why? Even though everyone wasn’t human, why could Bai Fu become the highly admired protagonist, while she could only hide in this bathtub, despising and hating herself as a monster?

A fierce emotion rose in Thessia.

This emotion was called—

Jealousy!

Thessia raised her right hand and forcefully grabbed the virtual screen in front of her. The screen shattered, and the news report’s sound disappeared, leaving only her rapid breathing in the bathroom.

PS: Thanks to Shi Hua for the tip

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