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Chapter 61: With the Gun in Hand, Follow Bai Fu
The power of the Flag was something Bai Fu was very clear about.
She had hoped to get some information out of Xia Shi. If she found nothing and Xia Shi died, then wasn’t all her effort wasted in getting close to Xia Shi?
Just as she was considering whether or not to persuade Xia Shi not to get involved in the assault on the Truth Society’s base, Xia Shi suddenly spoke up.
“Enough, let’s not talk about this. You came to me for the power armor, right? I finished it this afternoon. Anya, call her over. We’ll test it now.”
Seeing that Xia Shi didn’t want to continue talking about personal matters, Bai Fu didn’t press further. She didn’t want to risk lowering Xia Shi’s affinity with her, which would make it even harder to receive quests.
“I’ll go fetch Anya.”
Ten minutes later, the three arrived at the testing site.
A power armor approximately 1.6 meters tall stood quietly in the corner. The armor was silver-gray, with large areas of alloy armor installed on its chest, back, shoulders, wrists, and elbows. It wasn’t particularly stylish, but its rounded design exuded an intimidating pressure at all times.
“For the power skeleton, I used the best T23 model in this price range. The materials for each armor component are also the latest III-type alloys. You can rest assured about its strength; even Captain Xu Hong’s power armor doesn’t compare to the one you customized for Anya in terms of overall performance.”
Xia Shi pressed a button on the power armor, and it immediately unfolded. She gestured for Anya to step inside and try it out.
Bai Fu casually threw out a spiritual vision, and the data panel of the power armor popped up.
This could be considered the longest equipment description she had seen so far. Upon a quick glance, the panel had nearly thirty lines, each detailing the modules of the power armor and their respective functions.
She only skimmed through the more critical points.
【T23·Modified Power Armor】
【Quality】: Blue
【Skeleton】: T23 type, Durability 300/300, Loadable Modules (8/14)
【Power Source】: MF Fusion Core, Energy 500/500, Energy is sufficient, no need for replacement
【Attributes】: Strength 27, Agility 16
The durability of each part of the power armor is calculated separately.
The remaining descriptions mainly introduced the additional modules attached to the skeleton, such as the detection module added to the head, the weapon module added to the hands, and the buffer module added to the feet.
Anya was only 1.3 meters tall, and the fully fitted power armor was 1.6 meters tall primarily due to the addition of the foot buffer module.
“27 points of strength. This strength attribute is almost as good as Li Cheng before he activates Blood Rage, except for the agility being a bit lacking.”
Bai Fu was very satisfied with the attributes of the power armor.
She didn’t need the power armor to have fast speed. Her positioning for Anya was a stationary cannon, so she spent a lot of money to have Xia Shi add a heavy machine gun and a mini-cannon to the power armor.
The drawback of a stationary cannon is that it’s easy to become a target. Although this power armor has high durability and defense, it can still easily be destroyed if hit too many times.
But it didn’t matter. Bai Fu had long thought of a solution.
During the days leading up to the official start of the operation, she spent her free time making prayer cards, even though the success rate was low. However, by putting in the time, she managed to make quite a few prayer cards, including 5 【General Card·Spiritual Shield】 and 3 【Custom Card·Battle Etiquette】.
The most important among them was the 【General Card·Spiritual Shield】.
【General Card·Spiritual Shield】: After use, it generates a full-body shield with 390 shield points, lasting for 5 minutes.
With this card, Anya and her mech could last longer.
Considering the distance from Lynn, Bai Fu decided to bring Anya along with her. She was afraid that Anya might encounter unexpected situations when she wasn’t around. Bringing Anya along would not only allow her to provide assistance but also enable her to quickly evacuate with Anya if things went south.
While she was thinking, Anya in the power armor had already started testing.
Movement, running, jumping, shooting—all test results were qualified.
Bai Fu believed that if she threw the current Anya into the player group, she could easily slaughter dozens of players. This is the power of money!
“Is there anything else you want to change? If so, I can help you now.” Xia Shi asked.
Bai Fu shook her head repeatedly. “No, this is enough.”
In addition to the power armor, she also purchased many weapons from Xia Shi. Everything was done to maximize the benefits during the upcoming operation. Going after the Truth Society with the Gene Progenitor was a rare opportunity to earn rewards, and who knew when she would have another chance like this.
…
The next day, before the official departure, Si Chu held another meeting.
In the meeting, Lu Yulin introduced the goals of this operation and the tasks undertaken by Si Chu in this operation.
“Two weeks ago, the agents from Division Three intercepted a secret report from the Truth Society during their operation. The report mentioned that the Truth Society secretly built a Bagalos Base in Bagalos Shelter, located between the Gene Progenitor and the Former Republic.
“At that time, a plan was made to raid the Bagalos Base, but due to Li Cheng’s covert sabotage, the plan was postponed. After Li Cheng was captured, we checked all communication records between Li Cheng and the Truth Society and found no intelligence related to the Bagalos Base.
“Now we cannot determine whether this secret report was deliberately leaked by the Truth Society. Even if it wasn’t, due to the two-week gap, we cannot know if the Bagalos Base has strengthened its defenses.
“This operation is full of uncertainties, but the decision has been made. Even if the Bagalos Base is a trap set by the Truth Society, we must dismantle it. You understand what I mean…
Lu Yulin helplessly spread his hands.
“Our task is to lead the military, with the primary goal of collecting intelligence on the Bagalos Base. In necessary moments, we will carry out a decapitation operation against the leader of the Bagalos Base.”
The attendees silently nodded without expressing any opinions.
They had known these details for a few days, and today was just a review.
As the meeting was about to end, Lu Yulin reorganized the special operations team participating in this mission.
Xu Hong’s team originally consisted of five people, but two members were severely injured during the clearance of the roamer camp and were still unable to get out of bed. Thus, there were only three people left now.
After consulting with Bai Fu, Lu Yulin agreed to have Bai Fu join Xu Hong’s team as an external aid.
“The people you recommended will all be under your direct command, but we have agreed beforehand that this operation is different from the usual. Before making a decision, you must discuss with us first. Otherwise, once problems arise, I might be able to handle it, but the military representatives won’t be so lenient. They will shoot at the people you recommended without hesitation. I don’t want things to escalate to that point.”
Bai Fu casually agreed.
Her attention was fully focused on the newly triggered game prompt.
【You have triggered the Faction Conflict Quest [Bagalos]】
Faction Conflict Quests and Faction Quests both bear the word “Faction,” but they are fundamentally different.
A Faction Conflict Quest only triggers when conflict erupts between two factions. Typically, multiple quest objectives exist under one Faction Conflict Quest, and completing each objective yields corresponding rewards. If multiple objectives are completed, hidden rewards may be obtained.
Bai Fu carefully reviewed the objectives of the 【Bagalos】 quest.
【Quest Objectives:
1. Investigate the Truth – Explore the internal situation of the Bagalos Base, rewards based on contribution;
2. Merciless Slaughter – Killing a member of the Truth Society rewards 1000 experience points;
3. Decapitation Operation – Killing the leader of the Bagalos Base, rewards based on contribution;
4. Teamwork – Command your squad to complete the mission, rewards based on the squad’s contribution;
5. Destroy the Bagalos Base – Rewards based on contribution.】
The five objectives progress in layers, with the fourth objective being the most attractive to Bai Fu.
The game judged her as the squad commander, but she could actually only command players and Anya. Did this mean that contributing in this Faction Conflict Quest would also earn her certain rewards?
It seemed necessary to test this.
If it was indeed so, she couldn’t treat players as disposable cannon fodder. She needed to tailor appropriate tactics for the players to better earn rewards.
After the meeting, Bai Fu first discussed with Xu Hong, then informed the players of the action time together with Xu Hong.
The players who received accurate information cheered and ran to the community to boast.
[“This moment has finally come. Last time in the abandoned cooling plant, Pai Da Xing had a great performance. This time, I won’t fall behind!”]
[“Bai Fu has taken on this quest. Peasants, envy and jealousy us, hahaha”]
[“This is the first time I’ve received such a richly rewarded quest. It feels amazing!”]
[“If it weren’t for Bai Fu, Si Chu wouldn’t care about us. Bai Men!”]
Those players who couldn’t participate in the quest felt envious.
[“Damn, I’m going to vomit blood. I can’t reach Lynn until tomorrow, but Bai Fu is leaving today.”]
[“Feels like losing a billion dollars”]
[“Curse you to die at the hands of the Truth Society as soon as you show your face, then force resurrection in Lynn”]
[“Damn, the person above is really vicious, but I like it”]
As the arguments continued, the time came to the afternoon.
At that moment, at Lynn Station, agents and players from Si Chu gathered together.
More than twenty vehicles loaded with various weapons lined up, causing the surrounding players to itch with excitement.
[“That’s a rocket launcher, right?”]
[“Oh my god, it’s power armor. If I could have one, that would be great.”]
Lu Yulin looked around and shouted, “Count the numbers, confirm everything is correct, and we will depart immediately!”
The army sent by the Gene Progenitor had already departed earlier. They needed to catch up as soon as possible.
Bai Fu drove herself, letting Anya in the power armor sit in the back seat. This way, the passenger seat was empty. After looking around for a moment, she called Jiujiao over.
“You, get in. I’ll take you. I happen to have an empty seat here.”
Jiujiao got into the car with a look of surprise.
This sudden change confused the surrounding players. So, having high affinity with Bai Fu meant such treatment?
Bai Fu didn’t call Jiujiao over randomly.
Jiujiao’s combat ability was very weak, but she was undoubtedly a top war correspondent, with outstanding promotional abilities. This operation required her promotional skills.
Bai Fu’s decision to take players to attack the Bagalos Base wasn’t made on a whim. She had three main reasons:
First, to use players as meat shields; second, to help her complete dangerous missions; third, to use these players as promotional examples, telling all players that following her would yield benefits.
After Si Chu finished counting the numbers, Bai Fu accelerated out of Lynn.
The distance from Lynn to Bagalos was several hundred kilometers. At normal driving speed, it would take about half a day to arrive, but due to severe pollution and rampant infected life forms along the way, the convoy took two days to reach the destination.
The destination was near a small settlement about 30 miles away from the Bagalos Shelter, where the Gene Progenitor military had already stationed personnel to meet them.
After getting off the vehicle, Xu Hong specifically warned the players, “Don’t run around before receiving Bai Fu’s orders.”
The players nodded repeatedly, indicating they wouldn’t cause trouble.
However, shortly after Xu Hong left, the Iron Rain Guild’s people began to act.
Sword Aura Sky Piercing realized this was their only chance. Once they missed this opportunity, it would be impossible to inform the Truth Society when Si Chu launched their operation.
“Charge! Success or failure depends on this one move!”
After much effort, Sword Aura Sky Piercing and Lao Gou managed to successfully avoid all the surveillance of Si Chu and leave the settlement.
They freely ran toward Bagalos.
“We made it, hahaha, we made it!”
At this moment, their mood was as exhilarating as winning the lottery jackpot.
No, winning the lottery jackpot wasn’t as exhilarating. They could monopolize the entire faction’s quest, including faction quests and the faction’s main quest.
The game setting of Above the Stars is that each new planet has more than one main quest. Players can freely choose one main quest to do, and the outcome of different main quests will determine the final direction of the planet’s plot. There is no saying that justice always prevails.
This was one of the reasons why Sword Aura Sky Piercing dared to bet on the Truth Society.
However, at this moment, Sword Aura Sky Piercing never imagined that Li Cheng had sent back the footage of their outrageous criticism of the Truth Society to the Truth Society headquarters.
Bagalos Base.
The elite assassin Guido, who had recently arrived here, was reviewing Bai Fu’s information. As he flipped through the pages, he stumbled upon the information about Li Cheng’s second attempt to assassinate Bai Fu.
“These people are formidable, and they are willing to sacrifice their lives for Bai Fu without hesitation. They don’t fear the Truth Society at all. They must be extraordinary individuals.”
Guido frowned slightly.
But soon, his frown relaxed.
In that operation, the assassins sent by Li Cheng killed several of these fanatics. The remaining few, no matter how crazy they were, couldn’t cause much trouble.
Just then, Guido suddenly heard commotion outside.
“What happened?”
The passing Truth Society member hurriedly replied, “Lord Guido, a few people came claiming to join us. They also brought information about the Gene Progenitor.”
“Oh, interesting.”
Guido decided to check it out.
PS: Thanks to Ying Li Li and Shu You 20211109173921827 for their support.
Today I had some things to attend to during the day and only returned late at night, so the update is 4000 words. Tomorrow there will be 6000.