Chapter 18: Find a Patron

White light flickered, the scene was frozen.

Bai Pu found himself in a cosmic starry sky.

Scene after scene, like fast-forwarded frames of a high-speed movie, swiftly passed by.

The roar of the Dead Plague, the oppression of Blood Ring Heavy Hammer Warriors, the heroic posture of the Female Knight...

The scene finally froze on Blood Hand Columbus with black blood seeping from the corners of his mouth, eyes wide open, dying while facing the sky.

Bai Pu checked the effects of the "Eagle Eye" title.

"Not bad, very practical. If only it could be used in the real world..."

Bai Pu shook his head, casting aside his greedy thoughts. This Eagle Eye title should reward his achievement of locating the command post of the Blood Ring Vanguard Army with just a "glance" in the vast Northlands.

Then, the Spirit Realm Will sent a new notification.

"Well, Spiritual Energy Field... this is the root of the decline of the state machine’s influence in the early Spiritual Era, the comprehensive retirement of thermal weapons, and individuals gaining extraordinary power, knights using martial arts to break prohibitions..."

However, with the development of the Spiritual Era and the establishment of official awakened forces, the chaos of the early stage had long been ended. Awakened individuals have Spiritual Energy Fields? The state has spiritual combat forces where everyone is awakened, all equipped with standardized equipment from the Spirit Realm.

Nowadays, even strong Awakened individuals must obediently obey the law in the real world.

In the real world, the government can dispatch large numbers of Secret Arrow Shooter units, Crossbowman units at any time to crush any Awakened who dares to challenge order with absolute numerical advantage.

Only the Spirit Realm is a legal gray area, not under any national government jurisdiction. No matter how lawless Awakened individuals are in the Spirit Realm, the law cannot reach them.

Of course, being an Awakened signifies high intelligence, and they wouldn’t be foolish enough to challenge the order of the real world. As long as they respect the law, the state is very favorable to Awakened individuals.

Plus, Awakened individuals are not lacking in money; enjoying life in the real world is much more comfortable than being on the run.

A satellite view map of the real world appeared before Bai Pu’s eyes. The perspective swiftly descended and zoomed in, and soon the structure diagram of room 3072 in the Superpower Group Hospital appeared before him.

Using the hospital bed as a center point, a huge circle encompassed the Jiangnan Base City, where the Superpower Private Hospital is located, and even other nearby satellite towns.

The return anchor point can be freely chosen, which is one of the pieces of information Bai Pu had long checked—of course, you must abide by Huaxia’s Awakened laws and cannot choose private property as the return anchor point; it’s best not to select private places of the opposite sex, like the women’s bathroom, as the anchor point for return, as although it doesn’t violate the law, it would be subject to societal moral condemnation.

Precisely because of this regulation by the Spirit Realm Will, it prompted the Superpower Group to urgently send people into the Spirit Realm to pursue and kill. Otherwise, they could just wait in room 3072 without all the hassle.

"Time to go back... The good show is just beginning!"

Amidst the flickering starlight, Bai Pu left this starry sky.

Jiangnan Base City, Xicheng, dark alley.

A flash of white light, and Bai Pu appeared at the end of the alley.

Bai Pu remained silent. The importance of fame in the real world in the Spiritual Era’s development up to today is well known to everyone.

The monthly roulette draw, which can yield Spiritual Points, Equipment, Tools, and various other things useful for the Awakened, already attracts many.

Not to mention, there’s a chance to draw a ticket from the roulette, meaning a chance to enter the Spirit Realm! This is something that lotteries in other Spirit Realm Planes do not have. Therefore, real-world fame is more important than the fame in most Spirit Realm Planes.

In today’s society, concerning "real-world fame," the Awakened have gone to great lengths. Some with good looks and charming personalities become streamers; some proficient in arts debut as celebrities; and a few confident in their strength join the Awakening League...

How do I have D-level fame?

Bai Pu was stunned. D-level fame means being at least a streamer with tens of thousands of followers or a secondary or tertiary actor in a significant role in a TV drama or movie.

Growing up in an orphanage, weak and sickly, Bai Pu had few friends and knew only a handful of people, so where does he get D-level fame?

After much contemplation, the only thing likely to have greatly increased his fame in the real world is the Superpower Group.

And it must be infamy!

Possibly, Bai Pu’s name is already registered in the Police Department.

"This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If handled correctly, infamy can be transformed into good fame. I am naturally at odds with the Superpower Group, and given the significant gap in our current strength, I must strive to gain real-world fame! The higher my fame, the less room the Superpower Group has to act against me—eh?"

"I didn’t expect that after getting healthy, my attractiveness would be this high." Bai Pu admired himself for a moment in the window of a military green jeep by the roadside, slightly lost in thought, "Should I consider learning to sing, dance, and rap, and debut as a star?"

No wonder the female natives of the Flesh and Blood Plague: Origin Plane have been warming up to him so quickly. Although his appearance has been adjusted for compatibility in the Spirit Realm, the hidden Charm Value attribute does not decrease; if his original attractiveness was high, the adjusted attractiveness won’t be low either.

The car window suddenly slid down, revealing a lady with tea-colored glasses and tanned skin. Her eyes shot through the top edge of her glasses: "Hey, are you drunk? Roaming around half-naked in the middle of the night, beware of being caught as a pervert and dragged to the Police Department!"

Bai Pu didn’t expect someone to be inside the car.

Hearing the words "half-naked," Bai Pu was suddenly shocked, realizing he’s not wearing any clothes at all, save for a barbed iron shoulder guard.

The clothes Qin gave him couldn’t be brought out of the Spirit Realm; the tattered linen clothing he received by default from the Spirit Realm Will disappears upon leaving the Spirit Realm.

Bai Pu entered the Spirit Realm nearly naked, and he returned to the real world almost as naked.

Recently, Bai Pu’s Endurance Attribute has grown too fast, making his perception of external cold and heat less clear; in other words, he doesn’t easily feel cold.

Fortunately, the woman can only see his upper body and hasn’t discovered the embarrassing fact that he’s not wearing pants.

Bai Pu swiftly made a flashing move and fled quickly.

The lady with the tea-colored glasses leaned out from the car window, watching Bai Pu’s quickly disappearing figure, muttering: "Didn’t expect him to be Awakened. Just returned from the Spirit Realm?"

After a slight pause, the lady with the tea-colored glasses added: "...His butt is quite perky, though."

Half an hour later, Bai Pu was walking down the street wearing a set of old clothes. The only piece of equipment—the iron shoulder guard—had been stored in his storage space.

He was wearing a tracksuit jacket on top and faded jeans below. This was what Bai Pu picked out from a community charity’s old clothing recycling station—where old clothes casually donated by residents are provided to those in need.

Bai Pu really needed them now.

"I might be the most downtrodden Awakened."

Bai Pu mocked himself.

In the real world, he doesn’t want to steal or rob, not because of high moral standards, but because of his self-imposed limits.

In the Spirit Realm, the Awakened can act without constraint, but not adapting in the real world can make it difficult to distinguish between the Spirit Realm and reality—leading to disregard for life, rules, and ultimately a path of no return.

"The influence of the Superpower Group in reality is much greater than in Flesh and Blood Plague: Origin. But in the real world, with set rules and order, success depends on who better utilizes the real world’s game rules!"

"Now, the Superpower Group may have the upper hand, possibly employing official powers to monitor my account and social connections... I cannot use the balance in my personal account, nor can I appear in my former community! Otherwise, the Superpower Group will soon lock onto my location."

Bai Pu silently pondered, which is why he didn’t choose to return to Jiangnan Base City, the capital of the Jiangnan Region, upon his return, but instead opted for Xicheng, eighty kilometers away.

In Xicheng, although unfamiliar with the place, Bai Pu’s movements are restricted, but he also thinks that the Superpower Group’s surveillance would be weaker.

"I need to find an ally for support!"

Bai Pu looked up, seeing a large screen in Xicheng Square broadcasting news:

"Welcome to Mr. Bladon, General Manager of Byrons Pharmaceuticals Group, visiting Xicheng for a survey. This Byrons delegation will discuss trade cooperation with well-known enterprises like Great Tang Pharmaceuticals, potentially involving several large-scale procurement projects of pharmaceutical raw materials, injecting new vitality into Xicheng’s economic development..."