Chapter 59: Ah, I’m Going To Fight Bai Fu?
A few days ago.
After learning that Li Cheng was exposed and six Mutant Creatures died as a result, the always composed President of the Truth Society finally couldn't hold back and exploded.
"That idiot Li Cheng, how the hell does he do things? He failed to kill a nobody three times, and even managed to get himself killed in the process!"
He cursed Li Cheng for a full two and a half minutes in front of Minister of the Combat Unit, Bernardo, only stopping when his mouth went dry and he had to take a sip of water.
Bernardo explained, "President, Li Cheng did indeed mess up, but there’s something strange about this incident."
He then elaborated on the intelligence relayed from C6, with the most striking point being that Bai Fu seemed to already know he was a spy even before Li Cheng revealed his identity.
The President said, "You’re saying Division Four had already discovered his identity and set him up?"
Bernardo produced a file: "According to my investigation, Division Four likely didn’t know beforehand, otherwise their response during that operation wouldn’t have been so rushed."
"So the problem lies with Bai Fu." The President squinted his eyes.
Bernardo nodded. "That’s exactly what I think, but I just can’t figure out how Bai Fu discovered the secret. During Li Cheng’s second assassination attempt, one of her subordinates tailed the assassin Li Cheng sent, but that subordinate was quickly silenced. According to Li Cheng’s report, he personally confirmed that the subordinate followed alone and didn’t carry any communication device. Unless he turned into a ghost after dying and then his ghost informed Bai Fu, otherwise..."
The President sneered. "I don’t believe in ghosts."
"Then what does the President think?"
The President slowly delivered his conclusion: "There are two possibilities. First, Bai Fu can read minds. Second, we have a spy among us. Which one do you believe?"
It was reasonable for him to think this way—he couldn’t possibly imagine that a group of beings called Players had suddenly appeared in the world, capable of reviving after death.
Cold sweat poured down Bernardo’s back. "President, th-this can’t be, right? Only high-ranking members knew about Li Cheng’s identity. A spy among the top ranks, that’s..."
"Who dares guarantee anything?"
The President had already decided to initiate a thorough internal purge.
Actually, Li Cheng’s exposure didn’t significantly impact the larger picture, as he had already delayed for quite some time. But the President was simply furious.
Starting from the Abandoned Cooling Plant, that woman named Bai Fu had already messed with the Truth Society four times.
Although none of those incidents caused major damage, the mighty Truth Society couldn’t even handle a single woman—that was just too damn embarrassing.
Now there were even rumors outside saying the Truth Society should rename itself the Bug Society.
A chilling gleam flashed through the President’s eyes.
Bai Fu, huh? I don’t care what your true identity is or how mysterious you may be. Once you provoke the Truth Society, there is only one ending—death!
"Stop hiring assassins on the Dark Web. Send our own assassins!"
"Oh right, if I’m not mistaken, Yulia’s new Doppelgänger is currently with the Gene Primordials, right? Bai Fu was the one who let her escape at the Abandoned Cooling Plant. Send her too."
Upon receiving the order, Bernardo immediately sprang into action.
The Truth Society’s Elite Assassin Guido and Yulia received their notifications one after another, each reacting differently.
"Ah, I’m going to fight Bai Fu?"
Guido’s lips twitched.
Bai Fu had taken down six Mutant Creatures on her own—her strength was nothing to scoff at. Fortunately, Yulia would be acting alongside him, which cheered him up a bit.
With Yulia, the psionic genius, they could win!
Yulia’s reaction was vastly different from Guido’s.
"Ah, I’m going to fight Bai Fu?"
She uttered the same words, but her tone was filled with irrepressible excitement.
It was time.
She had been controlling her Doppelgänger from a secret lab within Gene Primordials territory all for this moment!
She held Bai Fu’s photo in her hands, eyes shimmering, cheeks flushed, and even her breathing turned rapid. Her symptoms closely resembled those of Players suffering from Fu addiction.
"I’ve finally waited long enough for this day, Bai Fu!"
Yulia gently stroked Bai Fu’s face in the photo with her nimble fingers.
She recalled that day at the Abandoned Cooling Plant. She remembered Bai Fu’s furious roar of "Enough," and the punch that landed squarely on her body.
From that day on, Bai Fu’s figure had been deeply etched into her heart.
She thought of Bai Fu’s body when she ate, when she bathed, and even as she slept—Bai Fu had almost become her entire obsession.
"When I catch you, I will slice open your body bit by bit, and see exactly how you escaped from my control as an Envoy."
Yulia's eyes shimmered with a strange light.
As long as she figured this out, she would have a chance to break free from the Truth Society’s control.
……
"Achoo."
Bai Fu sneezed as she left Excavation‑Princess’s place.
She felt like something terrifying had its eyes on her, but it was probably just an illusion.
Earlier, she had found Excavation‑Princess and the others to officially confirm the departure date to attack the Truth Society base—it would be the day after tomorrow.
Time was tight. She needed to hurry and make more Prayer Cards. The more Prayer Cards she had, the more life-saving trump cards she'd have during the battle.
Not long after Bai Fu left, Sword Qi Soaring immediately gathered the higher-ups of the Iron Rain Guild for a meeting in the virtual conference room.
"Everyone, I have good news!"
Ever since Bai Fu came to inform him, Sword Qi Soaring had been in an excited state.
"What good news?" asked Vice President Cheese Snow Leopard in confusion.
The Kobold grinned. "Sword Bro, don’t keep us in suspense. If you don’t tell us, I will."
Sword Qi Soaring quickly replied, "Didn’t I ask everyone to search for the Truth Society’s whereabouts? Just now, I found them."
Nani, is the intel real?
Everyone in the conference room looked at Sword Qi Soaring in surprise and delight.
Sword Qi Soaring explained, "Bai Fu just informed me that Division Four’s next operation is to attack the Truth Society base. Looks like lying low beside her for so long finally paid off!"
"This is an opportunity, Sword Bro." Cheese Snow Leopard’s mind was racing. "If we can leak this intel to that base in advance, we’ll be valued when we join the Truth Society. That would be incredibly beneficial for our future growth."
Sword Qi Soaring fully agreed. "Exactly what I was thinking. The only problem is how to inform them in advance. Bai Fu didn’t tell me the base’s exact location, so we can’t get there ahead of time. We’ll just have to play it by ear. But even if we can’t notify them early, it’s fine. Our main goal this time is to join the Truth Society. We can build up our Faction Reputation later. As far as I know, no Player has joined the Truth Society yet. If we succeed, we’ll become the top guild in version 1.0!"
His words sparked endless imagination in the conference room.
The Iron Rain Guild was already quite well-known, but still a step away from being a top-tier guild.
Sword Qi Soaring’s greatest dream was to lead the Iron Rain Guild to the summit, achieving both fame and fortune.
Honestly, he had been getting along with Bai Fu quite well lately. If he weren’t the leader of the Iron Rain Guild, he might have just stayed by Bai Fu’s side.
But there were no ifs in this world. If he wanted to be number one, he had to use Bai Fu as a stepping stone.
In the time that followed, Sword Qi Soaring and the core guild members discussed how to notify the Truth Society in advance.
……
The day before the operation, Bai Fu watched as Li Cheng was shoved into the car heading for Haidu.
She had heard that the higher-ups of the Gene Primordials in Haidu planned to interrogate him personally.
She didn’t care much about such things. Right now, she just wanted to test the Power Armor made by Xia Shi.
To her surprise, when she arrived at Xia Shi’s workshop, Xia Shi was nowhere to be seen.
After looking around nearby, she found Xia Shi dressed in athletic wear, ponytail tied, panting heavily while running.
She was drenched in sweat, her body flushed as if waterlogged, yet she kept running.
"Are you nuts? Running here in the middle of the night?" Bai Fu looked baffled.
Realizing it was her, Xia Shi stopped. Her expression was a bit grim. "Whenever I feel agitated, I like to run. Running helps me clear my mind so I can think better."
"Agitated? Don’t tell me you think the custom fee I gave you for the Power Armor wasn’t enough?"
"That’s not it." Xia Shi shook her head. "When Li Cheng was sent off, he said that line to me again."
"What line?"
"You haven’t even figured out who you are."
Bai Fu patted Xia Shi on the shoulder. "That’s philosophy. Lots of people don’t really know who they are. Don’t overthink it."
Xia Shi looked dazed. "I don’t think he was just being cryptic. I just can’t figure it out. Once this operation ends successfully, I plan to take a leave and go home to have a proper talk with my dad."
Bai Fu paused for a moment.
Wait, did you just raise a death flag?