Mu Sicheng staggered forward, his eyes vacant and hollow. Slowly, stiffly, he lowered his head to gaze at his own hands upon the ground.
[System Notification: Player Liu Huai has attacked Player Mu Sicheng with the Night Dagger. Mu Sicheng's sanity is being rapidly corroded by darkness!]
[System Notification: Mu Sicheng's mental domain is violently shaken, his sanity plummeting!]
[System Warning: Mu Sicheng's sanity has dropped to 40… 30… 20… 10. Current sanity: 8! Entering berserk phase!]
[Player Mu Sicheng's Personal Panel (Berserk State)]
[Sanity: 60 → 8]
[Stamina: 339 → 797]
[Agility: 1040 → 2010]
[Attack: 1311 → 2300]
[Resistance: 1310 → 2600]
[Overall defense and attack have soared, total attribute points exceed 6000. Rated as A++ player. Mu Sicheng's rank has risen from A to A++.]
[Due to the effect of "Monster Book: The Ring-tailed Monkey Tamed by a Thief," Mu Sicheng's mutation deepens—]
From the stump of Mu Sicheng's severed arm, black flesh buds sprouted at a terrifying speed, writhing and converging until they twisted into two long, black monkey claws that hung past his hips.
He tilted his head back, bones shifting, exhaling a plume of white breath as he flexed his newly grown arms and rose to his feet. His eyes were now pure white, pupils vanished; fangs jutted from his mouth, and his ears had become those of a monkey. His tail slowly swept the floor, swaying from side to side. Behind him, the monkey headset cackled maniacally, its eyes flashing with a blinding red light, shrieking in a bizarre, piercing simian voice: "Crazy!! Crazy!!"
The reckless thief brother, wreathed in flames, charged into the final carriage, fist raised to strike the crowd. Mu Sicheng's pale eyes shifted minutely; he bared his teeth in a chilling, bestial sneer. In a blur, he swung onto a handrail, body arcing, and with a powerful kick from his waist, sent the flaming thief brother hurtling out of the carriage.
The thief brother crashed heavily into the next car, his enormous hands clawing at the windows in a futile attempt to stop himself, shattering every pane and leaving a long, blackened scar across the floor. Fire flickered in his eyes—this monster, too, seemed to possess an animal instinct for self-preservation. He roared in confusion and rage, unable to comprehend how the prey he'd chased so mercilessly had suddenly gained the strength to send him flying with a single kick.
Mu Sicheng exhaled another plume of fire-scorched breath, his lips curling into a grotesquely wide, sinister grin, razor-sharp teeth gleaming in his mouth. With a swift leap, he sprang from the wall, launching himself at the monster, claws bared to seize the great mirror shard embedded in its chest.
The thief brother bellowed, erupting in flames, and with a violent twist, hammered at Mu Sicheng, who straddled him. In an instant, the two monsters were engulfed in a sea of fire.
Mu Sicheng was now a monster himself—no one who saw him could mistake him for human.
Yet, if anyone was less human, it was Bai Liu.
Du Sanying was utterly stunned, staring blankly at Bai Liu, unable to fathom how Mu Sicheng could be so ruthlessly betrayed by the mastermind who had orchestrated everything—Bai Liu.
What shocked Du Sanying even more was that, having sold out Mu Sicheng, Bai Liu turned without hesitation and betrayed Du Sanying as well.
Bai Liu faced Zhang Gui, his tone calm and cold: "Master, the mirror shard is on Du Sanying. While Mu Sicheng and the thief brother are locked in combat, let's kill Du Sanying and take what he carries."
Bai Liu's "Master" was uttered with a precision that even Liu Huai, who had served as Zhang Gui's puppet for some time, could not match.
Du Sanying, furious and desperate, burst into tears and cursed, "Damn it, Bai Liu, you're not even human! Didn't we agree to turn on Zhang Gui together? How could you betray us like this?!"
"Apologies," Bai Liu replied, utterly devoid of sincerity. "This monstrous newcomer has disrupted my plans. He's too powerful. I realized that cooperating with you would likely doom us, so I've decided to truly submit to the master and abandon our previous arrangement."
Liu Huai was left dumbfounded by Bai Liu's heartfelt cries of "Master" to Zhang Gui.
He himself had long regretted betraying Mu Sicheng, suffering self-loathing before finally becoming Zhang Gui's lackey.
But never before had he witnessed such swift, thorough, and merciless betrayal.
And, astonishingly, Bai Liu showed not the slightest psychological burden—having just disposed of one teammate, he turned on the next without pause, outpacing even the most seasoned double agents.
Liu Huai began to suspect that Bai Liu had always belonged to Zhang Gui.
Bai Liu spoke rapidly, his analysis cold and precise: "Du Sanying is now trapped in this carriage. Ahead lies the thief brother, below the door a horde of explosive passengers. He has nowhere to run. Even with his luck, it's only a matter of time before we catch him. There will never be a better moment to strike."
"Damn it!!" Du Sanying, tears streaming, ran frantically through the carriage. "Bai Liu, you bastard! You're inhuman! Do you have no heart?!"
As Bai Liu had predicted, even with perfect luck, Du Sanying was utterly cornered, a turtle in a jar, wings clipped, at the mercy of his enemies.
Even if he could hold out for a while, Zhang Gui would inevitably catch him.
Zhang Gui, without hesitation, cast his puppet threads to ensnare Du Sanying. Liu Huai joined the hunt, while the other two puppets dealt with the ordinary passengers flooding in through the doors. Du Sanying, weeping and wailing, flung items like a bullied child tossing toys, hurling anything and everything to slow Zhang Gui and Liu Huai's pursuit.
All the while, he cursed Bai Liu, but Bai Liu, who looked the least human of all, was paradoxically the safest player in the room.
After speaking, Bai Liu stood quietly in the corner, motionless and prudent. Zhang Gui even went out of his way to shield him from harm, using puppet threads to fend off any passengers who drew near.
As Zhang Gui once again flicked away a would-be assailant, he glanced at the silent Bai Liu, a chill running through his heart. His instincts, honed by countless games, screamed that something was amiss.
—Bai Liu had somehow usurped his place as the mastermind, orchestrating the entire scene from the shadows. When had this happened?
Zhang Gui's heart sank as his gaze swept the carriage.
Mu Sicheng, sent to battle the boss by Bai Liu's machinations; Du Sanying, weeping and exhausted, hounded by Liu Huai; Liu Huai, in pursuit; the two puppets guarding Bai Liu; and himself, unconsciously entrusting his back to Bai Liu—
—Everything, somehow, had begun to revolve around Bai Liu's actions.
Zhang Gui's face darkened as he tried to recall when he had lost control. It seemed to have started when Bai Liu pushed Mu Sicheng toward Liu Huai, when Mu Sicheng severed his arms and fought the monster. From that moment, Bai Liu had quietly seized the reins, and in the chaos, Zhang Gui had instinctively trusted the very man he thought he controlled, unwittingly following Bai Liu's lead.
For two clever men, nothing is more fatal than believing the other's submission is genuine.
A shiver ran through Zhang Gui—he snapped awake.
"No! This isn't right!" Zhang Gui shouted, yanking his puppet threads. "Liu Huai, come back! Watch Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng! We've been led by the nose! Du Sanying has, at most, twenty shards and perfect luck—we'll never get the mirror pieces from him easily! We've wasted too much time! The real prize is the shard Mu Sicheng took from the monster!"
"Tch, have I been found out?" Bai Liu sighed with a hint of regret, glancing at the countdown on the carriage's LED screen. "But it's about time. The train is about to depart."
"The train is about to depart. Passengers, please take your seats and hold on—"
[System Notification: Friendly reminder to player Zhang Gui—the train is about to depart. Please fulfill your agreement with player Bai Liu and retrieve the Mermaid Amulet from Mu Sicheng for him. Otherwise, as punishment, your soul will be imprisoned in Bai Liu's old wallet as a soul bill, and Bai Liu will hold your soul debt.]
Zhang Gui's face fell. Even if he didn't understand all the terms, he knew he'd been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Bai Liu.
"That wallet…" Zhang Gui snapped his head up, staring at Bai Liu, realization dawning. "Your personal skill is… trading?! What kind of absurd skill is that? Soul debt? How can you possess a skill so close to system authority? The system shouldn't allow it!"
[System Notification: "Soul Debt" is a blocked term. Audio muted for player Zhang Gui.]
Bai Liu rubbed his nose, shamelessly: "But I do possess it. Sorry."
Zhang Gui's jaw clenched, his gaze flicking to the LED countdown—one minute left. He gritted his teeth; there was no time for verbal sparring.
He rapidly manipulated his puppet threads. "Liu Huai! Forget Du Sanying—he's just Bai Liu's decoy to waste our time!"
With icy resolve, Zhang Gui commanded his four puppets to charge toward Mu Sicheng's carriage: "—Kill Mu Sicheng! Seize what he carries! He can't hold out much longer—kill him and take the prize!"
Liu Huai, realizing the urgency, turned to rush toward Mu Sicheng, but was met by a wall of fire erupting from the carriage, forcing him to halt.
He gave a bitter laugh, standing before the inferno: "Master, the battle in Mu Sicheng's carriage is too fierce. I can't get through. Only berserk Mu Sicheng can withstand those flames—anyone else would be burned alive."
Zhang Gui's chest heaved. He looked toward Bai Liu, who lounged nonchalantly against the door, and yanked the puppet threads, dragging Bai Liu over.
Bai Liu was hauled over in a sorry state, the thread around his neck choking him into a fit of coughing as he instinctively tried to tear it away.
Zhang Gui hoisted Bai Liu by the neck, snarling in his face: "You sent Mu Sicheng into a berserk frenzy to fight that monster! You knew we'd never be able to intervene and take the prize from him, didn't you?! This was your plan with Mu Sicheng all along! You pushed him into such peril, and he still agreed to work with you!"
"We reached an understanding," Bai Liu replied, face flushed and eyes bulging from lack of air, yet still smiling. "We both agreed—the safest place to hide something is the most dangerous."
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Zhang Gui's jaw trembled with rage. He had never suffered such a loss. The thread tightened, lifting Bai Liu off the ground.
Bai Liu's eyes bulged, bloodshot, as he choked and coughed, yet his tone remained calm: "My personal skill remains effective after my death. Killing me is useless, Master."
"If you kill me, you'll only lose a clever puppet and waste time venting your impotent fury. It's meaningless." Bai Liu coughed and laughed, his face turning a purplish red from asphyxiation. "Will you kill me, Master?"
Yet, even now, he was still smiling.