Chapter 209: Unlocking the Copy Ability, Super Endurance Queen Bai Fu

Bai Fu wordlessly flipped through the blank-label potions that Yulia had stuffed into her hand.

The ones with red labels were stamina-replenishing potions—three in total. The one with a blue label was a hydration potion—only one bottle.

Damn it.

If a player saw the potions in her hand, they’d definitely think the red one restored HP and the blue one restored MP. But in reality…

“I don’t need this—”

Bai Fu had just started to speak when Yulia cut her off.

“Relax. I carefully calculated based on the physical differences between Cecia and you. Unless you stay holed up with Cecia and don’t come back, three stamina potions and one hydration potion will be enough for two days.”

Calculated?

No, girl, was it really necessary to be this precise right now? And wasn’t this completely missing the point?

Bai Fu hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

At that moment, Yulia pulled a small green bottle from her pocket and gave it a light shake.

“Actually, I’ve got something even better here. This potion can reduce bodily perception—originally used to weaken an enemy’s combat capabilities—but if you take it before meeting Cecia, it might significantly boost your combat performance. But I don’t think you’d like this kind of thing, so I’m not giving it to you.”

As she spoke, she put the potion away again.

“Actually, I wanted to go with you at first. After all, if I possessed your body, I could enhance your stamina and endurance. But I figured you’d probably find it uncomfortable. Anyway, go early and come back soon. The Secret Tower should be busy locking horns with Starweb these days, but that doesn’t mean they won’t throw out a wild card to cause you trouble.”

Yulia walked over to Bai Fu and gently straightened the creases on her clothes with great care, like a young wife seeing her beloved off to take the imperial exam in the capital.

Bai Fu: “……”

It was heartwarming, but the kind of warm feeling you’d get from watching Hao Houmi try to cook a nice dinner for you and accidentally blow up the gas tank.

Way too weird!

She stared at Yulia intensely. “Anything you need? I can bring it back for you.”

Yulia fell into thought. “Something from Cecia? Taking a chunk of flesh is a bit too bloody. Let’s see… something easier to collect during contact… her hair, maybe. I want to see how much the spider has affected her. If I can figure out what’s changed, maybe I can make an enhancement potion—it might help Cecia absorb the spider better.”

Body enhancement potions were good stuff.

A stronger body meant better enjoyment of Fu!

Bai Fu nodded in agreement.

After bidding Yulia farewell, she also checked with Anya, Summer Poem, and Vic to see if they needed anything. As for Scarlet Leaf, she didn’t ask—Oathkeeper hadn’t left yet, and who knew what they were doing with Scarlet Leaf.

Ten minutes later, a small spacecraft carrying a hundred players and Bai Fu shot into the sky, quickly disappearing into the endless starry expanse.

Inside the spacecraft.

Bai Fu switched it to autopilot mode and began planning what she needed to do next.

The first order of business was, of course, completing the Nascent Esper Evolution Tree Atlas mission and unlocking the 【Copy】 ability. She already knew which skill she’d copy after unlocking it—Cecia’s 【Life Drain】.

With that ability, her survivability would increase drastically, especially against enemies who couldn’t beat her 1v1 and had to slowly whittle down her health with sheer numbers.

Whittle down her health?

Super Endurance Queen Bai Fu, ready for action!

A psychic priest who can drain others’ life to heal herself—who wouldn’t be afraid of that?

After completing the Nascent Esper Evolution Tree Atlas mission, Bai Fu’s next plan was to visit the places Cecia had marked for her. If she could collect all five base samples and complete the mission, that’d be perfect.

If not, then she’d work on improving both her and Scarlet Leaf’s 【Seer】 gene compatibility while managing the Dark Moon Tide private armed company.

In the Starsea, just improving your own strength wasn’t enough—you had to build your forces too, and bring along as many friends as you could.

While Bai Fu was pondering how to grow the Dark Moon Tide, she suddenly received a new game prompt.

“Huh, Secret Tower contribution score has gone up to 11.2%. Looks like Starweb and the others have started fighting them.”

……

Half an hour later, Starweb, Tidal Civilization, Eye of Heaven Alliance, and Cast Civilization each held press conferences announcing their victories against the Secret Tower.

With intelligence provided by Cecia, they destroyed six Secret Tower bases.

Although Secret Tower responded swiftly and evacuated people and key items in advance, losing those heavily invested bases was still a significant blow.

In addition to destroying the bases, the four galaxy-level civilizations captured two S-rank espers from the Secret Tower and a bunch of unnamed underlings—this was one of the biggest hauls in decades.

Starweb’s spokesperson glowed with excitement during the press interviews, like someone who’d had too much fake booze.

“This is just the beginning!”

He passionately declared that with the joint efforts of the four galaxy-level civilizations and many devoted individuals like Bai Fu, the Secret Tower wouldn’t stay arrogant for much longer.

Rats in the gutter should just stay in the gutter. If they’re dumb enough to crawl out and cause trouble, there’s only one outcome for them—

Beheading!

Starweb’s spokesperson swung his right arm forcefully, prompting wild cheers from the crowd.

Viewers watching the news live were also stirred.

“If they can really eliminate the Secret Tower, that’d be great. Those maniacs are always causing trouble—I have to tiptoe through the Elven Trade Route every time.”

“It’s not that easy. They only destroyed a few outposts. Unless they catch someone holding critical intel, it’ll just be another false hope.”

“Yeah. Instead of listening to his hot air, better think about where to party after drinking. I heard Twilight Street on Gent Star is a fun place, hehe.”

On the outskirts of the Sea Lion Galaxy, on a Starweb colony planet called Gent, in an unassuming little tavern, a bunch of merchants from all over the universe were drinking, chatting, and goofing off in a warm, relaxed atmosphere.

As they talked, a horned man stood up from the table with a drunken hiccup.

“I’m gonna get some air.”

He strolled out of the tavern and leaned against the outer wall, gazing at the night sky.

Then, beams of light—dozens of them—lit up the sky.

“What beautiful beams.”

No sooner had he said it than he froze.

Beams of light?

Why would there be light beams in a perfectly fine night sky?

And beams this thick and focused usually meant…

“It’s an orbital laser strike!”

A terrified scream pierced the night. Everyone in the tavern heard it. But so what?

By the time the laser beams were descending, it was far too late to dodge. The only thing they could hope for was that their flesh and blood could miraculously withstand the laser impact.

But that was obviously impossible.

Forget ordinary people—even most espers couldn’t survive a main ship cannon strike.

In his final moments, the horned man could only open his mouth and curse in rage—

Damn it!

The next second, the falling laser cannon vaporized him and the tavern behind him.

“Warning! Warning! Warning!”

Shrill alarms rang throughout Gent Star.

The governor of Gent Star had fortunately not been in the governor’s mansion during the first wave of attacks. Realizing the planet was under massive assault, he immediately sent a distress signal to Starweb Commonwealth’s home planet.

“We’re under orbital bombardment. The attackers are currently unidentified. Gent Star is in terrible condition—we urgently need—”

“Governor, I have bad news. Before you contacted me, I already received two distress signals. The same thing happened to them. The attackers were the Secret Tower.”

Secret Tower?

The governor of Gent Star was dumbfounded.

Everyone who received the news was dumbfounded.

No one expected the Secret Tower to launch a counterattack against the four civilizations at the same time their own bases were being destroyed.

Within just half a day, the Secret Tower launched assaults on 13 planets. Twelve of them were hit by orbital bombardment. One—called Alamon, under the Eye of Heaven Alliance—was struck with a forbidden-class weapon. A flood of accelerated neutron radiation swept across the planet’s surface, wiping out 70% of all organic life in just one minute.

Post-action statistics showed that over 900 million civilians were killed in this retaliatory strike by the Secret Tower.

For large-scale interstellar wars, this level of casualties was not considered excessive. Randomly bombing a few planets—or even the deaths caused by just one—would far exceed this number.

But this was not a traditional war. It was a terrorist attack!

Brutal, merciless, deranged… similar adjectives appeared frequently in news reports.

In an extremely short time, the entire Initial Gate Galaxy Cluster was shaken. Countless people were shocked and terrified.

The Secret Tower actually possessed a neutron weapon capable of attacking an entire planet?

Such a weapon wasn’t easy to produce. As a terrorist organization, the Secret Tower theoretically shouldn’t have the capability to manufacture it. So, was this neutron weapon acquired through some special channel?

If the Secret Tower could buy a neutron weapon of this level, was it also possible they had purchased weapons like the 【Planet Terminator】 or 【Supernova Apocalypse】—ones capable of destroying planets or stars?

This kind of thought was too dangerous to dwell on. The more one thought about it, the more fearful and uneasy it became.

“Have they gone mad?!”

The moment she saw the related news, Bai Fu was also stunned.

Over 900 million people!

In the Halo game series, the famous Reach campaign resulted in only around 700 million human casualties, and yet this one terrorist attack claimed over 900 million lives…

【Damn, birthright, huh!】

Even the most seasoned Players couldn’t help but curse out loud, including Black Tiger Ah Fu, who normally didn’t care much about the life or death of NPCs and only sought thrilling battles.

It was just that 900 million was simply too large a number for Players who had just entered the Star Sea—it was hard not to be moved.

This time, the Secret Tower had truly provoked public outrage.

Their retaliatory attack not only enraged civilians of the Initial Gate Galaxy Cluster, but also angered all nearby civilizations.

Even if the Secret Tower achieved victory in future confrontations against forces like the Star Web, they would never again walk in the sunlight. If they ever dared show themselves, they would inevitably face a joint counterattack from all wary civilizations.

But no one was thinking about that now.

After the retaliatory attack, forces like the Star Web were thrown into chaos, scrambling to organize relief efforts and tightening security everywhere. Fleets were temporarily assembled to prepare for any potential emergencies.

This attack had a disastrous impact on the Star Web and other factions. It not only dealt a blow to their morale, but also made their potential enemies sense opportunity. One misstep, and the situation could spiral into a deep abyss of chaos.

Bai Fu arrived at her meeting place with Cecia while listening to experts analyze the incident.

After disembarking, she hadn’t walked far before spotting a pale-faced Cecia—clearly, she had also seen the news.

Only upon seeing Bai Fu did Cecia’s expression improve slightly.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“How could I not? I promised to personally deliver the Undying Ones to you, so I will. Come on, let’s find a place to sit and talk. I have something I want to discuss with you.”

Cecia shook her head. “For safety, it’s better not to wander around. Let’s go to my place.”

“That works too.”

Bai Fu followed Cecia to her temporary residence.

To her surprise, Cecia turned out to be quite the cook. Though the dishes didn’t look appealing to her, they tasted unexpectedly good.

“You’ve seen the news, haven’t you?”

During the meal, Bai Fu suddenly asked.

Cecia replied, “I did. The Secret Tower’s response this time is strange. Based on my understanding of the Chief Steward, no matter how much was lost at Jingu Star, he wouldn’t launch such a violent counterattack. The risks were simply too great. Apart from instilling fear in the Star Web and other civilizations, it yielded no additional gains. I think this counterattack most likely wasn’t orchestrated by the Chief Steward, but by the Master of the Secret Tower himself!”

Bai Fu pondered. “What about the strength of the Chief Steward and the Master of the Secret Tower? What are their positions within the Secret Tower?”

Cecia patiently explained, “The Chief Steward’s strength is unknown. The Master of the Secret Tower definitely possesses Domination-level strength. As for status… nominally, the Master ranks much higher, but most of the time, we deal with the Chief Steward. Other than managing a top-secret project, the Master rarely intervenes.”

At this point, she frowned.

“When I was in the Secret Tower before, I hadn’t seen the Master up close for years. Now that he’s suddenly returned, something major is bound to happen. Given his personality, the trouble ahead for the two of us is likely far from over.”

Bai Fu apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry. If I had managed to kill Foster and his people at Jingu Star in time, you wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.”

Cecia didn’t respond to that and instead asked, “Didn’t you say you had something to discuss with me? Were you referring to the Secret Tower matter?”

Bai Fu shook her head. “No, it’s like this…”

She explained her purpose for coming—two things in total.

The first was a request from Yulia. Although she could’ve secretly plucked a few strands of Cecia’s hair, she chose to be upfront to avoid reducing Cecia’s Favorability if she ever found out.

The second was that she wanted to use the Nascent Esper Evolution Tree Atlas to scan Cecia’s abilities. The whole process would take 23 hours. Though she could’ve done it secretly, she chose to be honest, leading with sincerity.

Cecia paused briefly. Since Bai Fu was willing to speak openly, she didn’t intend to make things difficult.

It’s just hair, right?

Fine, I’ll give it to you!

If you want other samples—like somatic cells or bodily fluids—that’s fine too!

After Bai Fu’s performance at the Esper Well, Cecia’s Favorability toward her had already surged to 80. Though still a way off from 100, it was a very high number.

“Actually, besides those two things, I came for one more reason,” Bai Fu suddenly said.

Cecia was momentarily stunned. “What is it?”

Bai Fu smiled. “To see whether the injuries you mentioned really aren’t serious. Let’s take a look now.”

Her gaze swept over Cecia, who had changed out of her deep V-neck outfit and into casual clothes with an apron.

“You didn’t lie to me. The only problem is that your face is a little too pale. Was it because you were shaken by the Secret Tower’s counterattack?”

“Ah, that…”

Cecia suddenly became flustered.

Bai Fu had guessed wrong.

The truth was, she had been casting spells over the photo Bai Fu sent her, day and night, to the point of exhaustion.

But she couldn’t possibly admit that. Her image in Bai Fu’s mind was already perverted enough. If Bai Fu learned this, it would be even worse.

She wasn’t a pervert. It was just that she was bored and needed something to do!

So, Cecia nodded firmly. “Yes, I was shaken.”

Then she quickly changed the topic. “That day, you told Foster you liked me too, but didn’t confess because you were worried I didn’t like you. Was that true?”

Ah, that?

Bai Fu was caught off guard.

If she said it was false, Cecia’s Favorability would probably drop to zero, and an angry Cecia would slam her onto the table.

If she said it was true, Cecia’s Favorability would probably continue to rise—and an excited Cecia would slam her onto the table.

Wait a minute… whether she said true or false, Cecia would slam her onto the table either way. Then it’s better to say it’s true.

Bai Fu stared seriously into Cecia’s eyes.

“What do you think?”

“I…”

“Of course it’s true.”

Whoosh!

Cecia felt ignited. Her royal engine activated on the spot.

She had fed Bai Fu—now it was Bai Fu’s turn to feed her, right?

Didn’t Bai Fu say the scan needed them to be together? Perfect. They’d stay together for 23 hours!

Cecia grabbed Bai Fu’s hand and swiftly dragged her into the nearby basement.

As the basement door closed, white spider silk shot out of her body like a waterfall, instantly engulfing them both.

A long while later.

Basement.

The spider silk had completely dissipated. Sitting on the ground, Bai Fu looked at the potions Yulia had given her before and muttered,

“Told you I wouldn’t need this stuff. Though… they weren’t entirely useless either.”

She stood up, walked over to Cecia, and fed her two bottles.

After feeding, she looked at the dispirited Cecia, then at the chaotic floor and walls covered in strange substances. Recalling Cecia’s earlier confident demeanor, she almost burst out laughing.

A failing student might own all the stationery in the world, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re a failing student!

With some strength recovered and her mouth no longer dry, Cecia weakly opened her eyes.

Looking at the still lively Bai Fu, she nearly exploded with anger.

Impossible, absolutely impossible! She had used every weapon she had, and still lost to Bai Fu. This couldn’t be due to her lack of skill—it must’ve been because she had already exhausted too much energy before Bai Fu arrived. Otherwise, with her physique, how could she possibly lose to Bai Fu, that little weakling?

She wouldn’t accept this!

“Again!”

Best of three!

Bai Fu ignored Cecia’s challenge.

So bad yet still so eager—this had to be Cecia. Even Yulia would laugh at this performance.

Seeing Bai Fu unfazed, Cecia could only give up on redeeming herself for now. She understood that in her current condition, all she’d be doing was giving Bai Fu more win points—but that didn’t mean she’d admit it out loud.

【That was just a fluke… just a fluke… next time, once I’ve trained all my skills and weapons, I’ll definitely win!】

Cecia was about to explode from anger. She staggered to her feet and said coldly,

“I just remembered—I know a Psionicist with S-rank Esper Power. Didn’t you say your Nascent Esper Evolution Tree Atlas is only missing one more scan target? I’ll take you to him.”

“Sure.”

Bai Fu didn’t provoke Cecia and obediently followed her out of the basement.

After resting for about half an hour, the two of them took Players and headed straight for the Chaos Starpath of the Sea Lion Galaxy.

The Psionicist Cecia mentioned, who supposedly had S-rank Esper Power, turned out to be just a B-rank Psionicist. After finding him, Bai Fu completed the scan smoothly in only one minute.

At the moment the scan completed, she received a mission completion notice along with an unlocked 【Copy】 ability.

“Perfect!”

Bai Fu beamed.