All illusions shattered before Bai Liu like fragments of a broken mirror, and the countless grotesque deaths he had suffered within those visions turned to ash, as if photographs consumed by flame.
Slowly, Bai Liu opened his unfocused eyes.
Everyone instinctively held their breath and took a step back. Du Sanying, shrinking into a corner, watched Bai Liu's vacant gaze and couldn't help but swallow nervously, edging away in trepidation.
A strange premonition gripped Du Sanying—Bai Liu made the hairs on his neck stand on end, yet at the same time, his heart raced with a feverish excitement.
"What's happening now…" Du Sanying muttered to himself, "Did we just gain another monster on our side, or…?"
Mu Sicheng's pitch-black monkey paw was being dragged out of the train car. It scraped feebly against the doorframe, as if resisting its own departure. The door closed slowly, leaving only Mu Sicheng's hollow, snow-white eyes, brimming with unwillingness, visible through the narrowing gap.
In the next instant, Bai Liu moved.
He traversed the carriage with impossible speed, his steps denting the steel walls. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the door where Mu Sicheng was being dragged away. With a calm expression and tremendous force, Bai Liu wedged his feet between the closing doors, halting them just as Mu Sicheng's hand was about to be pulled out of the carriage.
Bai Liu exhaled. Gripping both sides of the door, he pulled with such strength that his shoulder blades strained against his shirt. The glass door screeched and then exploded into countless shards.
The heavy carriage door, twisted and deformed, was pried open by Bai Liu's seemingly slender hands.
"Damn…" Du Sanying was dumbfounded. "Did Bai Liu just evolve into King Kong Barbie?!"
Outside the door, the passengers and the thief's younger brother, who had been dragging Mu Sicheng, froze in unison. The sight of Bai Liu wrenching open the door filled them with dread. The thief's brother roared in fury, his fist igniting in flames as he swung it down at Bai Liu.
Bai Liu moved so swiftly he left only afterimages. Dodging to the side, he bent low and, with fluid precision, dragged Mu Sicheng back inside, then kicked the thief's brother away.
This thoroughly enraged the thief's brother. Flames erupted from his body as he smashed his fist into the ground, pinning the now-moving carriage in place with brute force and fire.
Zhang Gui was utterly stunned. He called out tentatively, "Bai Liu?! You're not insane?"
Bai Liu glanced at him, his demeanor utterly composed. "You don't need to control me. I'm lucid. Release your puppet strings and catch Mu Sicheng."
Bai Liu tried to toss Mu Sicheng into the next carriage, aiming for Zhang Gui. He stood between the thief's brother and Mu Sicheng. The thief's brother, seething with rage, did not attack Bai Liu further, but instead abandoned him to pursue Mu Sicheng, his flaming fists hurtling toward the airborne Mu Sicheng.
From beginning to end, the thief's brother's target was always Mu Sicheng. As Bai Liu realized this, the thief's brother's fist crashed down on Mu Sicheng, whom Bai Liu had thrown. Bai Liu twisted, yanking Mu Sicheng away by the collar and shielding him with his own body. Blood spurted from Bai Liu's mouth, splattering across Mu Sicheng's pale face. Mu Sicheng's charred right hand twitched.
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu's HP reduced to 6!]
"Click." Bai Liu wiped the blood from his lips, rolled aside to dodge another attack, and, panting, suddenly smiled at the motionless Mu Sicheng behind him. "Well done. No wonder the thief's brother tried to drag you away—you stole his mirror shard, so all his hatred is locked onto you."
Clutched in Mu Sicheng's tightly closed monkey paw was a shard of mirror, roughly the size of a heart. Though unconscious for so long, he had never let it go.
This, too, was part of Bai Liu's plan: to steal the mirror shard, a task Mu Sicheng had never forgotten.
As Bai Liu spoke, he spun and kicked the thief's brother out of the carriage again. The thief roared, trying to break down the door, and Bai Liu grappled with him in a fierce struggle. When the thief, in a fit of rage, prepared to unleash another wave of fire, Bai Liu barked an order to the stunned onlookers: "Hurry, help me close the door! As long as the train moves, we'll be safe!"
At last, everyone scrambled to push the torn door shut. After barely withstanding the thief's weakened final blow, the battered train lurched forward, creaking as it pulled away.
Everyone was utterly spent.
Zhang Gui and his three puppets leaned dazedly against the door, staring at Bai Liu. Du Sanying, drenched in sweat, lolled on a seat like a panting dog. Bai Liu crouched in a corner, having reached his limit. The strain of a shattered psyche had taken its toll. He leaned back against the battered wall, chest heaving as he tried to steady his breath.
He had purchased two bottles of mental bleach and two bottles of stamina potion, downing one of each himself and forcing the other two into Mu Sicheng. Bai Liu's method was rough—Mu Sicheng nearly choked, coughing himself awake. Bai Liu, sitting beside him, handed over the bottles. "Drink these yourself. By the way, the total is 1,700 points, plus a 10% service fee for my help, so 1,870 points. Thank you for your patronage."
With that, Bai Liu held out his hand, utterly unabashed—pay up, now.
Mu Sicheng, who had just barely escaped death, transferred the points in speechless resignation. As he touched the blood on his face—the blood Bai Liu had coughed up to save him—his hand paused.
Bai Liu never mentioned taking a blow for him, but Mu Sicheng had seen, in a daze, Bai Liu stubbornly shielding him. For someone so heartless to do a good deed without seeking credit… it left Mu Sicheng a little uneasy. He turned away, and, feigning nonchalance, handed the mirror shard he'd clutched all this way to Bai Liu. "Here, take it."
Bai Liu accepted it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, asking no questions.
Mu Sicheng couldn't hold back. He asked, trying to sound casual, "Bai Liu, you really came to save me back then. I thought you'd leave me behind. Didn't expect you to have a conscience."
"It has nothing to do with conscience. If we were just using each other, I could have left you and cleared the level with less trouble," Bai Liu replied, wiping the blood from his lips as if it were nothing. "But we're partners, and we made a deal. I said I wouldn't let you die, so I won't. It's a transaction."
Mu Sicheng gave a dazed laugh. "A transaction? What kind?"
"A one-point transaction." Bai Liu, still sipping the mental bleach, recalled, "When we agreed to work together, you gave me a single point. Don't you remember?"
Mu Sicheng was silent for a long time, head bowed as if lost in thought, or perhaps remembering nothing at all.
His dark red eyes flickered, then grew calm and still. Suddenly, he gave a low, wry laugh. "That was a bargain for one point… Bai Liu, you really are strange."
"You're not the first to say so," Bai Liu replied, draining the last of the mental bleach. "And I doubt you'll be the last."
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu has restored mental value to 60 with mental bleach.]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu has obtained a large mirror shard from the thief's brother (1 large shard = 20 small shards), as well as the shards from Zhang Gui, for a total of 100. Collection progress: 1/4. Total required: —]
[System prompt: Mirror shards collected (100/400)]
['Monster Book: Last Train to Ruin' updated—Thief Brothers (2/3)]
[Monster Name: Thief Brothers (Younger Brother)]
[Traits: Exceptionally strong and tall, extremely fast, can use a wide-range attack once per minute (speed 1400, fire-boosted, prefers to use fists when enraged, extremely powerful)]
[Weakness: Chest mirror shard (1/3)]
[Attack methods: Furious hammer, blazing impact (due to the theft of the vital chest shard, the thief's brother has grown uncontrollably weak, with greatly reduced attack and speed, increasing player survival odds)]
[System warning: Player Bai Liu's HP is only six! On the brink of death! Please take care!]
Bai Liu closed his eyes, leaning back against the carriage wall. At last, he exhaled a long, weary breath, a faint, rare smile of triumph and human pride on his lips: "—Everyone survived. Seven stations remain."
Mu Sicheng was silent for a moment, then smiled as well. "Yes, we all made it, thanks to your mad plan."
Indeed, from the very beginning, Bai Liu's plan had been that outlandish scheme—
—He wanted everyone to survive.
This madman, Bai Liu, wanted to control everyone, and have them all live.
In this game where life is currency, it was the most cost-effective strategy.
Bai Liu would not waste a single point of anyone's life. This extreme greed made Mu Sicheng believe in him—believe that Bai Liu would not let him die easily.
Five minutes earlier.
Right after Bai Liu announced his intention to cooperate with the Puppeteer, Mu Sicheng exploded in anger: "You want to work with who?! The Puppeteer?!"
"We must cooperate," Bai Liu replied coolly. "Or rather, it's not cooperation—I must control everyone myself to maximize the efficiency of our life points."
"Our total HP is too low. I have only 21, you have just over seventy, Du Sanying is full, but even so, we barely have a little over a hundred. The Puppeteer, after this attack and spending 20 points for shards and 10 for testing, has at most 370. Altogether, we have just over six hundred, which is far too little for a game that requires 400 points to clear."
"That means, in effect, one of us is already dead," Bai Liu said calmly. "Unknowingly, we've already killed a player."
Mu Sicheng couldn't help but retort, "Most of the lost HP is yours! You alone lost over seventy!"
"Oh, is that so?" Bai Liu deftly changed the subject. "If the total shards are 400, and we've collected 40, we still need to lose 360 HP."
Bai Liu's tone grew serious. "But there's something important: we've passed two stations, but our Monster Book has only updated once."
He opened his system's Monster Book, pointing at the screen. "There are three pages in the 'Last Train to Ruin' Monster Book, which means there are at least two more monsters we haven't encountered."
Mu Sicheng's face darkened. "If we're twenty percent through, new monsters usually appear at this stage."
Bai Liu nodded. "By the nature of these games, the next monsters will be even more troublesome than the 'Exploding Passengers.'"
"To get their mirror shards will be even harder. Knowing we'll likely lose another 360 HP, and that we'll have to fight two unknown, stronger monsters, even if all the deaths are on the Puppeteer's side, we'll be left with just two and a half people."
Bai Liu spread his hands. "Do you think our odds of clearing the game are higher, or our odds of total annihilation?"
Mu Sicheng and Du Sanying fell silent.
Mu Sicheng looked at Bai Liu. "So what do you propose?"
Bai Liu was calm. "My proposal is to keep everyone alive and strengthen our fighting force."
Du Sanying was confused. "But didn't you say before that it was impossible for everyone to survive?"
"That was from Zhang Gui's perspective," Bai Liu replied. "If he's in control, then yes, it's impossible for everyone to survive. We need their strength to fight monsters and protect us, but they don't need us weaklings. If a new monster is tough, he could easily sacrifice us to clear the level."
Du Sanying was even more confused. "Then why cooperate with the Puppeteer? Isn't that just handing ourselves over to be controlled?"
Bai Liu's lips curled in a faint smile. "Exactly. We want him to think he controls us all."
Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng were both stunned.
"If I were Zhang Gui, I wouldn't confront us directly—it would cost him more HP. To minimize losses, he'd split us up and pick us off one by one. For someone like me, who's weak but values profit, he'd try to tempt me and cut off my escape route. My escape route is obviously Mu Sicheng, the strong player," Bai Liu said, turning to Mu Sicheng.
"For a strong player like Mu Sicheng, if I were Zhang Gui, I'd use underhanded tactics, not direct conflict. I'd try to lower your mental value and control or sacrifice you when you're delirious."
Mu Sicheng's mouth twitched at Bai Liu's calm analysis of his own demise.
Arms crossed, Mu Sicheng raised an eyebrow. "And you still want to work with Zhang Gui? He might sacrifice us after gaining control. How will you keep everyone alive after cooperating with him?"
"He controls everyone, but I control him through 'cooperation,'" Bai Liu replied, meeting Mu Sicheng's gaze. "It's that simple."
Mu Sicheng sneered. "How will you control him? What makes him cooperate with you?"
Bai Liu looked at him intently. "You, Mu Sicheng. You'll do something risky, something that could get you killed. But I can use that to control Zhang Gui."
Mu Sicheng was taken aback.
"But even if you have only one HP left, I'll keep you alive," Bai Liu said, his eyes steady and forceful. "Mu Sicheng, you're my most valuable card. As long as you stick to my plan, I'll make sure you survive."
Bai Liu's plan was fraught with uncertainty and risk.
Mu Sicheng didn't even know what Bai Liu's personal skill was, nor whether this so-called 'cooperation' could overpower the Puppeteer's strings.
Yet, in that moment, as Bai Liu's unwavering gaze met his, Mu Sicheng felt himself inexplicably convinced, agreeing to this mad, gambling plan.
He remembered the way Bai Liu, exhausted, had drawn the monsters' hatred to himself for Mu Sicheng's sake.
This man was a lunatic, never retreating or flinching. Even when he was about to fall from the train, Bai Liu never took his eyes off Mu Sicheng. As Bai Liu himself had said, "To ensure your survival, I won't slack off for a single moment."
Back then, Liu Huai had played the same role—drawing the monsters' attention so Mu Sicheng could steal the shards.
Liu Huai was well-suited to that job, but Mu Sicheng thought that if it had been Liu Huai with him today, in that moment of theft, Liu Huai might have failed—because he would not have risked everything, as Bai Liu did, to save him.
Bai Liu had revealed the entire plan's key—the function of the 'Mermaid Amulet'—to Mu Sicheng. He told him, "If you use this item, I'll become Zhang Gui's puppet, and the plan will fail."
Mu Sicheng was silent for a moment, then gave a wry laugh. "You just told me that? Aren't you afraid I'll betray you and use it?"
Bai Liu simply looked at him, his eyes so dark that, when he lifted his head, Mu Sicheng saw his own reflection as if in a mirror—a schemer who, in that moment, seemed to trust him completely.
Bai Liu asked softly, "Will you use it?"
Mu Sicheng closed his eyes, silent for a long time before answering, "Bai Liu, I can't be sure I won't use the Mermaid Amulet if my mental value drops below ten. The will to survive can make people do strange things, even betray their partners."
He paused, and Bai Liu waited quietly, the wind of the moving train filling the silence.
Mu Sicheng took a deep breath. "But if I really don't use the Mermaid Amulet, then it means I managed to keep my sanity, just as you, this madman, demanded."
"If you don't use the Mermaid Amulet, Mu Sicheng," Bai Liu said, "then as long as I live, I will save you."
———
Central Hall, small TV wall.
Except for Bai Liu, who had the misfortune to fall into the 'Grave Dance Zone,' nearly all the players in 'Last Train to Ruin' had made it onto the Central Hall's featured slots. Even Li Gou had managed to snag a spot on the edge, while Zhang Gui, Du Sanying, and Mu Sicheng had long since occupied prime positions.
Zhang Gui's slot was the best. Previously, he'd been in the 'Central Hall Multiplayer Hot Slot,' but after he gained control of Bai Liu, his TV's likes and tips surged, propelling him into the 'Central Hall Core Slot.'
But things weren't so rosy for Mu Sicheng and Du Sanying. After Bai Liu took control of them, viewers found it less entertaining and began drifting to Bai Liu's channel, causing their rankings to slip.
Meanwhile, Zhang Gui's control over Bai Liu triggered a wave of tips, making him the first player in 'Last Train to Ruin' to break into the Core Slot.
Zhang Gui's viewers were ecstatic:
"Zhang Gui's on fire this time! No wonder he's got 93 intelligence! He's totally in control!"
"Let me see… Zhang Gui controls Bai Liu, Bai Liu controls Mu Sicheng and Du Sanying—wait, does that mean Zhang Gui controls everyone?!"
"I'm tearing up for little Zhang, he's waited so long for this! You've chased after Mu God for ages, and now you've finally got him—thanks to someone else!"
"Hilarious! I finally get to see the love-hate showdown between Zhang Gui and Mu Sicheng. I thought Bai Liu would be the third wheel, but clearly, he's no match for Zhang Gui—he's just not in the same league!"
The audience chattered excitedly, but suddenly, someone noticed something odd: "Wait, what's going on? Zhang Gui's doing so well, shouldn't all of Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng's viewers be flocking to him? Why are they all heading to Bai Liu's channel instead?"