Who Made Her an NPC?!

Chapter 151 : Star Sea Boss First Kill, Unlocking the A-rank Psionicist Advancement Quest [10k words, begging for votes]

Chapter 151: Star Sea Boss First Kill, Unlocking the A-rank Psionicist Advancement Quest

"The Ship AI has been reset."

"Navigation data has been backed up."

"All unidentified sensors have been dismantled."

Inside the newly seized ship, listening to the reports from those few Players who had changed class to Mechanic, Bai Fu nodded repeatedly.

Good news. After all this fuss, this ship was finally hers.

This ship from the Flame Transfer House was a general-purpose model produced by a company called Interstellar Dream. Because it was durable and budget-friendly, it sold well throughout the entire Edge World Star Region. At any major Starport, one could easily spot several identical ships. Once the sensors were removed, tracking became impossible.

The Freighter she had piloted before was different. A century ago, it had also been a best-seller, but now it stood out too much in the star sea.

If not for the matter of the True Spirit Pillar, Bai Fu wouldn’t have been in a rush to switch ships. So what if it was an antique? Who said you couldn’t cruise the stars in a classic?

But the potential threats from those three factions forced her to be extra cautious.

In her view, the biggest risk wasn’t Fragment Star’s old ship—it was the True Spirit Pillar itself. After all, that was what the three major factions truly sought.

She couldn’t be sure whether those factions had any means of detecting the True Spirit Pillar’s location up close (they definitely had no long-range detection; otherwise, Fragment Star would have been caught long ago), so she planned to verify this through a ship swap, just in case she got caught wandering around.

While swapping ships with the Flame Transfer House, Bai Fu intentionally left several Players at Mining Zone No. 3. They didn’t join the battle but stayed behind pretending to be passersby.

These Players’ job was to serve as her eyes in Mining Zone No. 3, observing the response of the three factions once the Signal Transmitter broadcasted its signal.

If the three factions didn’t react, her next move would be to head back, find a chance, and give the Flame Transfer House a good stab—reclaiming the ship.

If the three factions swiftly rushed to Mining Zone No. 3 upon receiving the signal, then further observation would follow.

First, she would see if the incoming factions would engage the Flame Transfer House. If they did, all the better. She wasn’t worried about her identity being exposed—because as far as the Flame Transfer House knew, she and Yulia’s group had already been blown to pieces. Her only concern was whether the three factions had the means to detect the True Spirit Pillar’s location at close range.

To test this, Bai Fu deliberately gave a True Spirit Pillar Fragment to Convert to My Fu for safekeeping, then dropped him off in an uninhabited zone while piloting the ship past Mining Zone No. 4. She wanted to see if the factions could locate Convert to My Fu.

If they couldn’t, then from now on, as long as she didn’t foolishly take out the Fragment herself, she wouldn’t have to worry about being targeted in the star sea.

If they could—well, she wasn’t afraid either. No matter how fast those factions were, it would still take some time to move from Mining Zone No. 3 to No. 4. That window was enough for Convert to My Fu to commit suicide and return to the newly bound ship as his Respawn Point.

Speaking of which, the item binding mechanism in Beyond the Stars was worth mentioning.

After death, there was a chance for Players to drop items from their body—but only common items. Rare items like the True Spirit Pillar Fragment wouldn’t be dropped from suicide. However, if an NPC forcibly took it while the Player was alive, then it was just bad luck. That’s why Bai Fu stationed Convert to My Fu at Mining Zone No. 4 instead of No. 3—to guard against robbery.

"Everyone stay ready. If anything unusual happens, we leave the Sea Lion System immediately."

Bai Fu issued orders to everyone aboard the ship.

While checking the navigation records, she discovered that the Flame Transfer House had left traces throughout the entire Initial Gate Galaxy Cluster. She could easily follow these routes to jump to another star system.

If she still couldn’t shake those three factions even in another star system, then she would just flee back to Origin Star after acquiring Advancement Knowledge.

With that, she could complete a Class Transfer and spend a few years grinding on Origin Star—becoming a peak A-rank Psionicist before returning to the Sea Lion System. That would make operations much easier.

Don’t underestimate the strength of the Sword God of Ten Mile Slope!

Bai Fu stared expressionlessly at the ship’s dashboard. After around ten hours, she received an urgent notification from Excavation‑Princess.

"Fu-fu, the Flame Transfer House got cornered by Crystalite!"

……

Mining Zone No. 3, inside the temporary base of the Flame Transfer House.

Lava’s mood was like a roller coaster—up to the sky, then straight down to the core.

The slave capture mission failed, and all the slaves were blown up, but at least they scored a high-quality ship, so he had still been hyped.

But as he flew the ship back to the base, he was dumbfounded to find the base trashed, all remaining personnel killed, all valuables looted, and even his ship stolen.

"What the f***?! Who the hell did this?!"

Lava was about to explode with rage.

In an instant, countless familiar names flashed through his mind.

He had many rivals in this line of work and made plenty of enemies over time, so he couldn’t figure out which of his old acquaintances pulled this stunt.

"Go, ask around nearby. See if there were any witnesses. I swear, once I find out who did it, I’ll tear them to shreds!"

Lava roared in fury.

He wasn’t afraid of those enemies. Though he had left the Deadline Pirate Crew to go solo, he still had Backers there—otherwise, he couldn’t have assembled a team so fast.

While inspecting the scene and waiting for his Underlings’ intel, Crystalite Security Company came knocking.

"Crystalite?"

At the sound of that name, Lava’s pupils shrank sharply.

Crystalite was one of the top five private armed companies in the Sea Lion System, with an incredibly wide range of operations.

"What do they want from me?"

Lava’s face turned grim as he stepped outside.

Among the ruins stood a dozen tall Psionicists clad in black Combat Suits. At the head was a tall, lanky Psionicist with a face full of scales—Lava instantly recognized him. It was the famous team captain from Crystalite, a peak A-rank Psionicist from the Scaled People race—Fabian.

A peak A-rank Psionicist—even in top form, he wasn’t a match for that.

Lava toned down his attitude. "Is Crystalite interested in my business too?"

Fabian turned to look at Fragment Star’s ship. "That ship yours?"

Lava nodded. "You want it?"

Fabian said, "I don’t care about the ship. I’m interested in you—and more importantly, what might be on you."

Lava was confused. Was this how you did business?

"If you want to buy—"

Before Lava could finish, Fabian suddenly shouted, "Search!"

That one word sent Lava—already on the edge—into a full-blown fury.

You motherf—!

Crystalite was indeed powerful, but his Backer, the Deadline Pirate Crew, wasn’t a pushover either. While overall strength might not match Crystalite, when it came to top-tier combat power, they weren’t necessarily inferior.

"Stop it now!"

Lava roared, and his already bundled-up arms suddenly swelled like fiery red iron pillars. As the ground erupted with a thunderous boom, his entire body had already appeared in front of Fabian like a descending fire meteor, lighting up half the sky.

Faced with the sudden strike, Fabian calmly raised his right hand.

Buzz——

A cyan Shield abruptly unfolded and collided heavily with Lava’s flaming fist. At the point of contact, flames burst out like splattering lava. Those standing nearby felt as if they had fallen into a furnace, utterly miserable. The Shield trembled violently under the impact of the flaming punch, fine cracks forming across its surface.

Seeing this, Lava increased his Qi output.

Break it!

The frenzied flaming Qi surged into the cracks like a drill, finally tearing the Shield apart. But before Lava could even smile, Fabian’s scaled arm had already extended through the broken Shield and seized Lava’s fist.

Smoke billowed, and a harsh tearing sound rang out. But no matter how Lava struggled, Fabian and the captured fist remained completely still. The scales reflected the firelight, radiating a chilling killing intent.

"Let go of the boss!"

The second-in-command of the Flame Transfer House rushed over urgently, but before he could reach Fabian, several other Crystalite members had already pulled out mechanical chainsaw swords, forming a formation to block his path.

The chainsaw swords roared violently. Outnumbered, within just over ten seconds, the second-in-command was clutching his shredded chest and kneeling on the ground, panting continuously.

Lava’s eyes were bloodshot, smoke nearly coming from his head.

"Was it the Star Web Commonwealth who hired you to catch me?"

"Our cooperation with the Star Web Commonwealth doesn’t include pursuing you. I came here for this. Looks familiar?" Fabian brought up a 3D image of the True Spirit Pillar.

Lava was stunned. "What’s that?"

Fabian sneered. "Playing dumb with me? Keep searching!"

Under his command, Crystalite thoroughly searched the Flame Transfer House’s temporary base and the inside and outside of the ship—but found nothing.

The commotion drew many onlookers, including the Players left at Mining Zone No. 3. They kept their distance, pretending to be fearless Bystanders.

"What’s going on?"

Among the crowd, Fabian grabbed Lava by the neck. "You’ve got a hard mouth. Tell me, where did you hide what was on that ship?"

Lava struggled with all his strength. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just stole that ship."

"Stole it? What about the people on it?"

"A bunch of country folk. I tried to enslave them, but they kept resisting, so I had no choice but to kill them all."

Fabian laughed in anger. You killed them all, yet now you’re telling me the item’s missing?

There were basically two possibilities: either you hid the item somewhere, or the ship had changed hands several times, and this broadcast was just a ruse by that bastard Fragment Star.

Fabian didn’t lean toward either answer. He had ways to check if Lava was lying.

"Hook him up to the Memory Reader!"

Hearing this, Lava laughed too—furiously.

I’m telling you the truth, and you still want to use force?

"You think you can read my memory? I was with the Deadline Pirate Crew. To prevent captives from leaking secrets after being caught, we’ve all undergone multiple brain modifications." Lava spoke coldly. "Fabian, you think just because I left the Deadline Pirate Crew, you can do whatever you want with me? Try forcing a memory read and see what happens. The Deadline Pirate Crew might not be able to beat Crystalite, but killing you would be as easy as squashing a chicken."

Fabian furrowed his brows at the threat.

He was ruthless—but only to those he could afford to be ruthless to. As for the Deadline Pirate Crew, he wasn’t sure if they’d truly retaliate over Lava’s memory being read.

Fabian flung Lava aside and quickly contacted company higher-ups.

"Yes, nothing found. If the Blessed Congregation were here... I don’t think they’d find anything either. Their Psionic Perception only covers a few dozen kilometers. Even if their Pope came in person, it’d be difficult. From my view, this might be a diversion tactic. That old bastard is deliberately misdirecting us for a longer-term scheme. But I can’t rule out Lava lying either. Details... Understood."

After the call, Fabian stared at Lava for a long time before finally issuing the order to forcibly read his memory.

For the True Spirit Pillar, the company was prepared for a conflict with the Deadline Pirate Crew.

Seeing that Fabian was set on ignoring threats, Lava sneered. Even as he was pinned to the machine, he didn’t forget to make another threat.

"Fabian, you’ll regret this!"

Several minutes later, Fabian stared helplessly at the machine’s data.

As Lava had said, all that came out was gibberish. Forcibly reading further would only cause brain death.

To resolve this, they’d need a stronger Mechanic or a soul expert. But if word got out about the True Spirit Pillar, the company would be in a disadvantageous position.

The competition from the Red Moon Mercenary Group and the Blessed Congregation was already giving the company a headache. Any more rivals, and the game would be over.

Fabian ordered his subordinates to continue investigating the area. All intel returned showed that Lava hadn’t left Mining Zone No. 3 today. He had indeed attacked a bunch of rural folks, killed them all, and taken the ship from them.

"The only questionable point is that Lava’s ship was stolen by another group. But this seems unrelated to the rural folks since all Flame Transfer House members saw them get blown up by Lava."

Fabian felt his head about to explode.

Forget it—have someone investigate the ship. He didn’t have high hopes. That model was too common. Sold in bulk, it was favored by criminals for quick getaways after dirty work.

"Boss, the investigation’s nearly done... Yes, I’d like to ask—what should we do with Lava?"

Crystalite’s side discussed briefly and decided to first reach out to the Deadline Pirate Crew. Fragment Star had resurfaced, and they were about to face competition from the Red Moon Mercenary Group and the Blessed Congregation. Resolving the issue peacefully with the Deadline Pirate Crew would be best.

Just cough up a bit of money—not a big deal.

Crystalite operated as a private armed force and dealt with black, white, and grey alike. Often, today’s enemy could be tomorrow’s business partner.

Upon hearing about Lava’s memory being read, the Deadline Pirate Crew was initially furious. But after learning that Crystalite was willing to offer compensation, they decided to let it go.

In the end, Crystalite bought the ship Lava had stolen at above-market price and even ceded some minor benefits to the Deadline Pirate Crew.

"Move out."

Fabian threw Lava aside and flew off.

But he wasn’t truly gone. Crystalite still didn’t trust Lava. So they bribed personnel at the Lightscreen Starport to monitor where Lava would go next with the ship.

"You’d better not be playing games."

Fabian frowned deeply and turned to ask the others on the ship.

"Did you find any useful data?"

"No, all the data on this ship has already been wiped. Only the takeoff and landing records from Mining Zone No. 3 remain. That Signal Transmitter is also very ordinary—no extra traces left behind."

Fabian smoldered with fury.

That damned old dog Fragment Star—after so many years, has he come back?

Fine, come back then. You even have the guts to make waves? Go on then. Sooner or later, I’ll kill you!

"Keep an eye out. Wake me the moment Lightscreen Starport contacts us. I’m going to rest for a bit."

……

While Fabian drifted into sleep filled with rage, on the other side, Bai Fu was so excited she felt like dancing.

Her operation had been a massive success, and all the news she received was good.

"Aside from the Blessed Congregation, none of the factions can detect the True Spirit Pillar. That means I no longer need to hide all over the place!"

Bai Fu let out a long breath and nearly lunged over to hug and kiss Yulia—the yet-to-awaken Child of True Spirit.

With the threat from Fragment Star’s ship and the True Spirit Pillar resolved, she could finally spread her wings in the Star Sea.

And that wasn’t all she had gained. According to the conversations eavesdropped on by Players mingling with the crowd, Crystalite now likely believed that Fragment Star was still alive.

That made things simple.

If she ever needed to do shady things in the future—especially against Crystalite, the Redmoon Mercenary Corps, or the Blessed Congregation—she could totally act in Fragment Star’s name.

His reputation was already in the mud anyway, so what harm was there in dragging it down further?

Happily piloting her ship near Lightscreen Starport, Bai Fu first picked up Convert to My Fu from Mining Zone No. 4, then released the freshly respawned Hei Fu. After a quick disguise, Hei Fu spent a bit of cash at Mining Zone No. 4 to board a short-range Interstellar Passenger Craft to Zone No. 3.

Sadly, Crystalite hadn’t killed Lava, so she failed to complete that newly triggered mission. She’d have to handle it herself.

Fortunately, thanks to Fabian severely injuring both Lava and his deputy twice in a row, she now had full confidence in letting Hei Fu personally snuff out the Flame Transfer House’s fire.

……

"Boss, you gotta come back soon!"

The gang members of the Flame Transfer House stared hopefully at Lava.

Lava nodded silently.

After suffering such a massive loss, there was no way he’d let Fabian off the hook. But that was a matter for later. Right now, he had to find a ship and reconnect with his old boss—someone who had gone to great lengths to protect him.

He didn’t bring many people, only a few close subordinates. For one, the more people flew out, the more it cost. For another, most of his underlings weren’t respectable enough to meet with members of the Deadline Pirate Crew.

"Let’s go."

Lava gave the order, his expression dark as ever.

When he returned, the first person he would kill was the bastard who stole his ship. Then he’d start grinding out jobs. With more money came more status. And with that status, he’d finally be in a position to exact revenge on Fabian.

The flying motorcycle roared across the grey-brown earth, heading straight for the nearest stop of an Interstellar Travel Company.

Wind blew across Lava’s face, sweeping his tangled hair back in a gust.

The freedom of the wind improved his mood slightly—until he noticed strange white lights entering his field of vision.

What was that?

Just as a sense of danger hit him, over a dozen strands of black flame suddenly burst from the ground beneath the flying motorcycle. In a split second, the bike was obliterated.

Luckily, Lava had his focus up. As a Grappler, he adjusted his posture mid-air before hitting the ground, narrowly avoiding the thorny, entangled black flames. His companions weren’t as lucky—some just fell and hit their heads, while others landed right on the black thorns and screamed like slaughtered pigs.

"Who—Fabian? Or…"

Lava surged with Qi, his expanding body wrapped in flames, exuding a terrifying presence. But only he knew he was faking it.

The resistance from those bumpkins and Fabian’s earlier attacks left him with at most thirty percent of his peak power. His armor-like skin, if looked at closely, was webbed with cracks.

His answer came in the form of over a dozen streaks of white light descending from the sky.

Lava clenched his fists, Qi gathering. With a shout of "Break!", a flame wheel the size of a millstone flew out, shattering several incoming white streaks.

He protected himself—but his followers weren’t so lucky. Except for his deputy, an A-rank Psionicist like him, the others were struck by the white beams. Each shot pierced their chests, blood spraying everywhere.

"You motherf***er!"

Lava stormed out of the Dark Thorns’ coverage zone. He was enraged but not irrational. While dashing forward, he tried to call for reinforcements, only to find his communicator jammed.

The enemy came prepared!

Damn it.

Lava crushed the communicator and roared, "Cover me!"

The surviving Flame Transfer House thugs scrambled to pull out all kinds of firearms.

And not the junk guns from Origin Star—these were magnetic rifles, electromagnetic snipers, particle guns. These weapons packed a serious punch.

Tutu-tutu——

Under the torrential hail of electromagnetic bullets and particle beams, Lava charged ahead.

As he rapidly closed the distance, he finally saw his attacker. From the silhouette alone, it was someone completely unfamiliar. But at this point, Lava didn’t care. What he felt was an overwhelming pressure.

The attacker wore a simple mechanical face mask. Lined up to both sides of them were ten black spheres, absorbing surrounding light and distorting the air around them. Five more identical black spheres arched above their head.

Though he didn’t know what those black spheres were, the aura they emitted—eerily similar to the black flames—made Lava feel like he had plunged into an abyss.

This was a formidable foe!

In his current condition, even a slight delay in the battle would turn the tide against him. But he had nowhere to dodge—because the moment he laid eyes on the enemy, all fifteen black spheres had already activated.

Fifteen black beams weaved together like hundred-meter-long black blades, slicing toward Lava with terrifying force. He dodged quickly, blasting the ground beneath his feet and shifting sideways several dozen meters. Looking back at the area hit by the "black blades," he saw only a massive crater and scorched earth stained with thin traces of black flame.

That move… felt awfully familiar!

In the next instant, he saw Hei Fu charging straight at him. The speed wasn’t fast—but for his heavily injured state, it still forced a clumsy defense.

"Killing me won’t be that easy!"

Lava swung both fists, weaving an impenetrable net of fire in front of him.

The move was unexpectedly effective. The Psionic beams fired by the Fixed Void Ball either slashed or pierced, but none could breach the fire net’s blockade upon collision. That fire net was like a Wall of Sighs.

But Lava had little time to be pleased. The moment Hei Fu closed in, she unleashed her Mental Esper Field. She was here for a swift kill, completely unconcerned with conserving Psionic power and even less so with blood trades.

Lava had vaguely guessed Hei Fu’s identity—or at least her killing technique. Though his body appeared rigid, every cell in him was actually trembling with readiness. At any sign of movement, he could twist his body and dodge Hei Fu’s Dark Burn strike.

But to his surprise, Hei Fu didn’t use that move at all this time—instead, she directly “burned” with her Mental Esper Field.

The Repulsive Force shock made Lava suddenly lose his footing, revealing a momentary opening in the fire net. Hei Fu's right hand clenched into a fist and pierced that opening instantly, aiming straight for Lava’s chest.

A fierce glint flashed in Lava’s eyes.

He punched out—a fist nine times the size of Hei Fu’s, embodying overwhelming destructive power. But the moment his punch expanded, a torrent of Psionic energy erupted at the point of contact.

Lava felt like he had been rammed by a freighter. The tremendous force blasted him backwards. Two of his knuckle bones snapped. Before he even hit the ground, an invisible Psionic Wall slammed into him.

Heavenly Burial!

The strike left Lava dizzy, the muscles on his chest cracking like shattered stone. Blood gushed uncontrollably, quickly soaking the ground.

But Hei Fu wasn’t unscathed either. Lava’s iron fist also sent her flying. The other A-rank Psionicist from the Flame Transfer House, who had been hiding nearby, quickly raised his Particle Gun and pulled the trigger without aiming.

Boom!

The Particle Beam tore through the Mental Esper Field, punching another hole in the Psionic shield and hitting Hei Fu square in the abdomen, searing a black fist-sized wound.

Fortunately, Hei Fu didn’t feel pain. She kipped up like a carp, and without missing a beat, fired two Penetrating Spears at the shooter.

The A-rank Psionicist scrambled to dodge. When he raised his weapon again to buy Lava some time, he was shocked to see several little figures, about thirty to forty centimeters tall, suddenly appear around him.

"Shit."

Just as he cursed, those tiny figures exploded violently, kicking up a turbulent Psionic storm and a blinding cloud of dust.

The A-rank Psionicist coughed loudly. Thanks to his detection gear, the dust didn’t hinder him much—but his leg was injured, and he needed to retreat immediately.

"You think you can still run now?"

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out.

What?

The A-rank Psionicist’s expression changed drastically. He saw Hei Fu barreling toward him, pushing through Lava’s flame blasts. They were only one meter apart. Hei Fu’s right arm whipped sideways like a meteor hammer, trailing a streak of death-bringing black flame, and smashed directly into his temple.

Buzz——

He felt himself plunge into an endless deep sea. First his brain trembled, then his body, and all sound slipped away—until nothing remained.

"!!!"

The A-rank Psionicist saw Lava’s mouth move—but it was too late.

The Psionic Blast detonated inside his brain, scoring a devastating triple weak-point critical hit. In the next moment, a metal-wrapped right foot arced up, slicing his chin like a blade and launching him skyward, taking the last sliver of his health with it.

K.O.

Hei Fu secured her first elite monster kill in the Star Sea, at the cost of being blasted away by Lava and losing over 700 HP.

But it didn’t matter.

As always—she felt no pain.

Hei Fu stood up and reactivated her Mental Esper Field. Rather than retreating, she charged straight at the Grappler Lava, who was several times her size. Trading blows with such a low-health enemy was well worth it.

Four fists collided, forming a blur of illusions too fast to discern.

"It’s you!"

Lava was stricken with fear. He recognized Hei Fu—but there was nothing he could do.

Why was Hei Fu still alive? Could she resurrect herself?

While using Psionic Blast to suppress Lava, Hei Fu didn’t forget to divert attention to use Heavenly Burial to harvest the lives of the surrounding mob.

Seconds later, the Aberration Corrosion effect reached full stack. At the end of a three-second countdown, it exploded inside Lava’s body. His body froze. He felt death looming—but the pain erupting from deep within made him unable to control his body. All he could do was swing his right fist with all his might, hoping to push Hei Fu back and buy himself a moment.

Hei Fu ignored the raging flames, sidestepping the fist itself and driving her elbow into Lava’s throat.

As Lava instinctively lowered his head, she grabbed his face, unleashed a surge of Psionic energy from her palm, and forced him down, slamming his head repeatedly into the Dark Thorns-covered ground.

Bang bang bang!

Blow after blow—the ground cracked apart, and Lava’s skull and face were reduced to bloody pulp.

Bang!

Another slam cracked his skull, and his brain was crushed into paste.

"Country bumpkin girls aren’t so easy to mess with!"

Hei Fu stood up. She raised her right foot, her five-centimeter-tall metal heel stomping down on Lava’s forehead, bursting his skull completely. Blood splattered everywhere, but thanks to the Mental Esper Field, none of it got on her.

[You have killed Lava. Contribution: 68.1%. After level adjustment, you gained 1.9068 million EXP.]

Star Sea BOSS First Kill GET!

Hei Fu calmly removed her filthy gloves and burned them to ash. Turning around, she spotted several surviving members of the Flame Transfer House trying to flee unnoticed.

"Kill them."

With a wave of her hand, fifteen Fixed Void Balls fired simultaneously, turning the survivors into sieves on the spot.

Just then, the quest completion notice popped up.

[You completed the mission "Crisis Descends", earning 3 million EXP and a one-time skill card: Lava.]

Since it was an anonymous kill, the Lightscreen Starport reputation system was not triggered.

For Bai Fu, not gaining reputation for killing Lava was a good thing.

She had Hei Fu leave a line of block print next to Lava’s corpse.

[I’m back, Crystalite. Do you like the first gift I sent you? Just one little decoy and you’re all in a frenzy. I’ve remembered everything you did to me. Now, I’ll show you what real fear feels like.]

Bai Fu didn’t sign it, but she believed the moment this message reached Crystalite, they’d immediately think of Fragment Star.

Go on then, play your games of wits and courage with Fragment Star.

Bai Fu had Hei Fu walk a distance away and self-destruct. Watching her Twin Moons talent enter cooldown, she nodded with satisfaction.

After circling around Mining Zone No. 3, she had reaped a substantial harvest—five million experience points in total, and even acquired a skill card called [Lava Iron Net]. This Lava Iron Net was the skill Lava had used to block her Fixed Void Balls, and its effect was quite impressive. If Lava hadn’t been seriously injured and unable to use a bunch of skills, she wouldn’t have dared to risk sending Hei Fu to fight him again.

Still, it was a bit dangerous. The weapons carried by a mere slave dealer were already that powerful. If she were to face even greater powers and more advanced weapons in the future, she’d be in even more danger.

"After completing the class advancement, I need to find a way to upgrade the Psionic Shield skill. Also, Little Bai Fu needs optimization. Ordinary detection methods aren’t quite sufficient in the Star Sea."

Bai Fu closed the quest panel.

Besides the quest rewards, when she looted the Flame Transfer House’s temporary base earlier, she pocketed over 17,000 Titan Credits, stripping the Flame Transfer House down to paupers. She now only needed 5,000 more Titan Credits to purchase all the advanced knowledge she required.

"5,000 points, huh, doesn’t sound too hard."

Bai Fu’s gaze swept over the players.

The players had already “borrowed” once in Mining Zone No. 3, easily raking in over 400 Titan Credits. Now that NPCs in the Star Sea still didn’t know that players could resurrect, she could take them to a few more planets to “borrow” money. After about ten rounds of “borrowing,” she should have enough saved.

Though players lost experience when they died, after becoming a legendary protagonist of Origin Star, her daily faction quest quota was enough to make up for the experience they lost. She just needed to manage their death intervals carefully so they wouldn’t die too many times in a short span and be unable to respawn.

Alright, Bai Fu Phantom Thieves, let’s set off now!

After gathering all the players onto the freighter, Bai Fu piloted it away from Lightscreen Starport for the time being.

They’d already “borrowed” once from Mining Zone No. 3. If they hit up nearby planets again, someone might notice. So this time, she decided to go farther.

After all, she had the route map Lava had left behind. She just needed to follow the planets marked on it, one by one.

Though what she was doing wasn’t exactly honorable, Bai Fu felt no guilt.

If a planet was specially marked on the route map by a slave dealer like Lava, could it possibly be a good place?

A quick search on the Cosmic Web proved her right. Every planet was notorious. Calling them dens of all five poisons was putting it lightly.

On the tenth day of Bai Fu’s player-led “borrowing” tour, back on Mining Zone No. 3, someone discovered Lava’s corpse and the message beside it. The discovery was promptly reported to Lightscreen Starport, and soon, Shijing Security Corporation, Redmoon Mercenary Corps, and the Sanctified Link all received word.

"I knew it, that Fragment Star bastard is behind this. He deliberately sold the freighter to some clueless bumpkins and left a Signal Transmitter on it to draw our attention!"

The higher-ups of Shijing Security Corporation were furious.

Now it seemed the freighter either got snatched by one of Lava’s enemies—or by Fragment Star. But no matter who took it, finding it in the vast Star Sea would be incredibly difficult.

Real fear, huh?

He was a piece of trash years ago, and just because he managed to survive this long, he thinks he can become some ghost floating over the Sea Lion System and strike fear into them?

Shijing Security Corporation immediately issued a bounty on Fragment Star—50,000 Titan Credits. Titan Credits were a valuable and hard-to-trace interstellar currency. That number was enough to drive most people in the Sea Lion System insane.

While having her freighter refitted at a repair shop, Bai Fu saw the news on the Sea Lion System news channel.

"50k, impressive. Too bad Fragment Star’s already a pile of ashes thanks to me."

Bai Fu shook her head and swiped to the next headline.

[Shocking! Recently, across various planets in the Chaotic Star Route, many people have been borrowing money and never paying it back. Most were killed by local lenders, but strangely, even after killing them, the lenders didn’t recover a single Titan Credit. Furious, they posted videos online saying loan standards would be ten times stricter in the future!]

Bai Fu: "……"

Tragic. The “borrowing” path was now blocked in the Sea Lion System.

Fortunately, the past few days had been fruitful. The players had borrowed a total of 8,000 Titan Credits, then spent over 6,000 Titan Credits on her for Prayer Cards and advancement knowledge, pushing her savings past the 24,000 mark.

"It’s done, boss. Come check the goods."

At that moment, a freighter mechanic in overalls walked up to Bai Fu.

Bai Fu scanned the freighter’s data and saw the durability and all other stats were in perfect shape, so she paid up.

Just a repaint and some interior tweaks—didn’t cost much.

After leaving the repair shop, she went to the nearby trading center and finally bought the three Psionic advancement knowledge items she had longed for.

[You begin reading… Current progress…]

After three consecutive system prompts, Bai Fu finally received the notification.

[You have unlocked the class advancement quest. Please choose one of the following three branches to complete.]

Bai Fu trembled with excitement like she’d been electrocuted.

It’s here. It finally arrived!