The thief's younger brother swept his eyeless, black sockets over the group, then suddenly lifted his head, as if sensing the location of the mirror shards, and charged off in pursuit of Du Sanying, who had already fled far down the carriage.
The entire train shook and rattled with the force of his pounding footsteps, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
Liu Huai let out a slow breath, relieved that they wouldn't have to fight as before. He managed a wry smile at the thought—he had no desire to chop off Mu Sicheng's hand a third time and drive him berserk. Mu Sicheng, the one being chopped, seemed unfazed, but Liu Huai, the one doing the chopping, was developing a trauma of his own.
Zhang Gui glanced at Bai Liu, a glimmer of realization in his eyes. "Did you deliberately have Du Sanying hang the mirror shard outside to lure the thief's brother away? You knew he'd appear at this stop, and had Du Sanying lead him off?"
"That's right." Bai Liu nodded. "At the last station, I noticed these monsters don't reset with each stop—some follow us from the previous platform."
"How did you figure that out?" Zhang Gui asked.
Bai Liu lifted his eyelids. "Because the number of Exploding Passengers increases at every station, and some are the ones we've already fought."
Zhang Gui understood. The number of passengers had indeed swelled compared to the last stop, and with more monsters, it became even harder for players to steal shards and escape. No wonder Bai Liu had Du Sanying lure the thief's brother away—if he and the growing horde of passengers attacked together, they'd be overwhelmed.
But whether you were the one stealing the thief's brother's heart-shard or the one luring him away, your odds of survival were slim. Zhang Gui's face darkened further—no wonder all previous players had been wiped out. This game was truly vicious: after the thief's brother appeared, there were seven stations left, and seven players in total—one per station, one death per stop, until the last was gone…
Yet under Bai Liu's command, they had reached the fourth station without a single casualty. Last stop, Mu Sicheng had been dragged to the gates of hell and pulled back; this time, Du Sanying…
Tsk.
Zhang Gui studied Bai Liu. This guy really knew how to use his head—and his people.
Du Sanying was useless at most things, but his odds of dying or losing items were vanishingly small. Using him to bait the thief's brother was the best possible choice. However—
"Aren't you worried Du Sanying might refuse to lure the thief's brother, or just stash the shard in his system inventory? This is dangerous—how can you be sure he won't bail at the last minute? If he does, the thief's brother will turn back and attack us, and we'll all be in danger."
Bai Liu replied, "He and I are partners."
Zhang Gui understood, and was a little shocked. "But Du Sanying has a hundred percent luck—he still fell for your tricks and let you control him?!"
He'd tried to control Du Sanying many times, but his puppet strings never even touched him—always interrupted by some inexplicable force.
Du Sanying also had a famous item, the [Anti-Control Jacket], which rendered all control skills useless. That was one reason Zhang Gui had given up on controlling him.
Bai Liu shrugged and smiled. "Maybe, for a player like Du Sanying, being controlled by me is the luckiest thing that could happen to him."
Zhang Gui silently watched Du Sanying, who was now being chased by the thief's brother, wailing and flailing in panic. "…"
Fine, if you say that's Du Sanying's little stroke of luck, so be it.
This round of shard collection went remarkably smoothly. Aside from a few choice curses from Du Sanying, everyone else completed the task with an ease that bordered on disbelief, quickly gathering all forty shards. But since they couldn't avoid the burning damage from the passengers, Liu Huai and Mu Sicheng, who were responsible for collecting shards, each lost twenty HP.
"Even with bandages and other defensive items, the fire damage can't be reduced." Mu Sicheng's clothes were scorched, exposing his sweat-streaked chest and abs, his face smudged with soot from wiping away sweat—he looked like a coal miner.
Panting, Mu Sicheng sat on the floor, wiped his cheek with a bandaged hand, then rested his wrists on his knees, looking up at Bai Liu. "I'm down to forty HP. I can last two more stations at most."
Liu Huai wiped the sweat from his chin, collapsed on the ground, and said wearily, "I've got seventy left—three more stations for me."
Bai Liu thought for a moment. "Everyone, report your HP. I'm at six."
Li Gou: "Sixty-five."
Fang Ke: "Eighty."
Zhang Gui: "Eighty-five."
Du Sanying, still disheveled from being chased, was silent for a long moment before swallowing. "…One hundred."
Even Bai Liu fell silent at that.
Mu Sicheng and Du Sanying exchanged a look. Mu Sicheng asked, a little incredulous, "You got chased that badly and didn't lose a single point? The thief's brother moves at 1400 speed—he never caught you?"
Du Sanying averted his eyes, scratching his face. "He almost caught me a bunch of times… but he kept tripping over the train seats."
Zhang Gui was speechless. He'd seen Du Sanying's luck in action before, but this was absurd! The boss tripping over seats while chasing a player—what was this, slapstick?
"How many times did he trip to never catch you even once?!"
"Oh, just… a few hundred times, I guess…" Du Sanying replied, eyes distant.
Bai Liu, Zhang Gui, Mu Sicheng: "…"
A few hundred times… Did the thief's brother ever even get up in front of you, Du Sanying?
As the train sped toward the next station, Bai Liu began to redeploy.
He glanced at the countdown on the LED display, then turned to the group sitting on the floor and issued calm, concise orders. "Two minutes to the next stop. Next round, Li Gou and Liu Huai will be the main attackers, stealing shards; Zhang Gui and Fang Ke will assist. Mu Sicheng, you're off this round. After that, Li Gou and Fang Ke will attack, the others assist. Then Zhang Gui and Fang Ke, and so on. Rotate so everyone's HP stays above twenty. We still have one more monster in the 'Monster Book' to encounter—save your strength for the boss fight."
"Du Sanying, you keep distracting the thief's brother."
Mu Sicheng looked at Bai Liu, puzzled. "If I'm off, what do I do?"
Bai Liu met his gaze, unflinching. "You're on standby for the boss fight. You're crucial, the main force for the boss, so you can't die. Keep your HP above thirty."
Mu Sicheng glanced at his battered body, raised an eyebrow, and spread his hands. "You want me to go berserk again for the boss, don't you, Bai sir? Just keep milking me, huh? If my sanity keeps swinging like this, I'll lose my mind. Bai Liu, not everyone can break their sanity like you."
He wasn't wrong. After his last mental crash and recovery, Mu Sicheng's eyes had grown unfocused. Even after Bai Liu restored his sanity, the aftereffects lingered—his focus and energy were still depleted.
When Mu Sicheng had been the main attacker against the Exploding Passengers, he'd nearly been burned to death several times. Only with three people assisting—and Bai Liu watching him closely—had he barely survived.
Bai Liu's tone was even. "Judging by your performance, you're not in good shape. So I'm pulling you out. Rest now, recover your energy. I need you sharp for the boss. Take a sleeping pill if you have to—you've got about twenty minutes."
Sleeping pills could be bought from the system shop, and they worked wonders—one pill and you'd sleep till dawn, perfect for restoring mental strength. But Mu Sicheng could only laugh. He lay back, folding his hands behind his head.
He looked at Bai Liu, half-smiling. "If I sleep, who'll protect me? Everyone else is off stealing shards."
Bai Liu met his gaze, unruffled. "I will."
Mu Sicheng choked, about to retort that Bai Liu only had six HP—how could he protect anyone? But when he met Bai Liu's calm eyes, the words died on his lips. He scratched his head, frustrated. "You've only got six HP. Are you kidding, Bai Liu…?"
Bai Liu explained, unhurried, "Of everyone here, only I can guarantee your survival. Do you disagree?"
Mu Sicheng's gaze swept over Zhang Gui's dark expression, Du Sanying's tear-streaked face, Liu Huai's evasive eyes, and the blank stares of Zhang Gui's puppets, before finally settling on Bai Liu's unwavering eyes—the same look he'd had when he insisted on controlling Zhang Gui, that look that said, I know this is risky, but I won't change my mind.
After a few seconds, Mu Sicheng clicked his tongue, then raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, I have no objections."
"I told you, I won't let you die, Mu Sicheng." Bai Liu walked over and smiled at him—a smile meant to comfort, though on Bai Liu's face it looked almost insincere. Still, Mu Sicheng felt himself relax.
Bai Liu patted his shoulder and sat beside him. "Sleep."
With that, Mu Sicheng closed his eyes, letting his guard down. He'd been tense for so long, but Bai Liu's soft "sleep" was like a spell, and he couldn't help but relax, slumping against the door. He thought, I'll just rest my eyes—I won't really fall asleep. No one as vigilant as me would ever sleep in a game…
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu has used a high-efficiency inhaled sedative on Player Mu Sicheng.]
Mu Sicheng frowned at the message, his hands twitching as if to resist, but Bai Liu pressed his hand to Mu Sicheng's nose, and after a few breaths, Mu Sicheng's muscles relaxed and he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Bai Liu glanced at Mu Sicheng's sleeping face, then at the white powder in his hand. "This inhaled sedative is really something."
Du Sanying was dumbfounded. "Why did you just knock Mu Sicheng out like that?!"
"His last mental crash hit him too hard. The best way to recover is deep sleep." Bai Liu held his breath, dusted off the powder, and only when it had dispersed did he turn to Du Sanying. "I need Mu Sicheng in top form for the boss. Let him sleep."
Du Sanying was confused. He leaned in, whispering, "But Bai Liu, before, you used Mu Sicheng because there were only three of us. Now you have so many people—why not use someone else against the boss?"
He shot a sidelong glance at Zhang Gui and the others, his eyes full of mischief and gossip, as if to say, Why not use these guys instead?
"In the next rounds, their HP will drop below thirty as they search for shards, and their combat effectiveness will fall. If total HP drops below four hundred, we'll all be trapped in the game." Bai Liu lowered his voice, though he knew the others could hear perfectly well.
"And in this dungeon, only Mu Sicheng has a real chance against the final boss."
"Only Mu Sicheng?" Du Sanying echoed, puzzled. He looked at Mu Sicheng, now fast asleep, and asked, "Why is he the most useful?"
Bai Liu's eyes softened as he looked at Mu Sicheng's sleeping face, a smile touching his lips. "Because he's the best thief I've ever met—the only one who's ever managed to steal from me."
"Far better than those mirror-stealing brothers."
Du Sanying didn't understand, but he was used to not understanding Bai Liu. He hesitated, then asked, "But even so, are you really going to protect Mu Sicheng while he sleeps? Wouldn't it be safer to have someone else guard you both? It's too risky—one asleep, one with only six HP!"
"No." Bai Liu refused flatly. "With only three people on shard duty, one attacks, two defend. That minimizes HP loss. If total HP drops below four hundred, we're all trapped."
Du Sanying wanted to argue, but seeing Bai Liu's impassive face, he knew it was pointless. He could only sigh and walk away.
Before leaving, he glanced at the sleeping Mu Sicheng and Bai Liu, who sat watch beside him, and let out a complicated sigh.
It was the first time he'd seen a player risk their life just so another could sleep.
Of course, Bai Liu was only doing it to make better use of Mu Sicheng later.
He wondered if Mu Sicheng was lucky, or just terribly unlucky.
————————
Mu Sicheng jolted awake from a deep, dreamless sleep.
The train was racing through a dark tunnel, wind howling through the hole the thief's brother had made in the roof. The sound roused him, and though everything looked the same as before, Mu Sicheng noticed the carriage was even more battered, as if it had weathered battle after battle, with gaping holes everywhere.
The others' appearances confirmed his suspicions.
Zhang Gui and Liu Huai huddled in a corner, faces pale. Li Gou and Fang Ke were covered in blood, utterly disheveled. Du Sanying sprawled on a bench, tongue lolling like a dog, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, looking like a drenched parrot, eyes glazed with exhaustion.
Bai Liu was no better, his face white as death as he leaned against the door, whip in hand, sweat dripping from his soaked shirt, head tilted back as he gulped a stamina potion, empty bottles at his feet.
When Mu Sicheng woke, Bai Liu slowly turned his eyes. "You're awake, Mu Sicheng. The sedative worked well—twenty minutes of sleep. How do you feel?"
Mu Sicheng rubbed his aching temples and stood, too tired to even be angry at Bai Liu for drugging him. He frowned at Bai Liu. "Which station are we at? How many shards have we collected? How much HP do you have left?"
"We just passed the eighth station—two more to Antique City. We've collected three hundred shards." Bai Liu, as if not hearing the last question, continued, "You seem recovered. Let me brief you on your task for the ninth station. You'll need to work with me…"
Mu Sicheng's eyes flashed with irritation. He stepped on Bai Liu's whip, interrupting him, "I asked you, Bai Liu, how much HP do you have left?"
Blood trickled from Bai Liu's lips; he licked it away and lifted his eyelids. "Knowing that will only shake your trust in me when we work together."
"Not knowing will shake me even more." Mu Sicheng sneered. "Tell me. Whether I trust you or not, haven't you always forced me to cooperate?"
Bai Liu was silent for a moment. "Three."
Mu Sicheng couldn't help himself. "Fuck!"
He bit back further curses, standing up in frustration. Bai Liu watched him impassively as he kicked a chair, then forced himself to calm down.
Mu Sicheng turned, gritting his teeth. "You have three HP and you want to talk about teamwork? One burn and you're dead!"
"Three burns," Bai Liu corrected. Before Mu Sicheng could explode, he calmly reassured him, "But Mu Sicheng, you make too many mistakes with the others. I have to work with you now, because from here on, there can't be any slip-ups."
"As long as you don't make a mistake, I won't die." Bai Liu met his eyes. "So you can't make a single mistake. Understand?"
Mu Sicheng took a deep breath, then shouted, "No mistakes! You lunatic, just tell me what you want me to do! What are we teaming up for? I've already braved a sea of fire for you!"
Bai Liu smiled. "Nothing so dramatic. I just need you to steal something for me."
"What?" Mu Sicheng asked, puzzled.
Before Bai Liu could answer, the train's PA crackled to life: "Two stations remaining. Next stop, Lujia Alley. Passengers disembarking, please queue at the doors. Board after others have exited…"
Charred corpses crowded the doors, their heads twisting with creaks and groans. The thief's brother stood at the front, wreathed in flames, his eye sockets crackling with fire, bones glowing red, as if a pair of burning eyes glared out from the inferno. He roared, pounding the door in fury over the stolen shard from his chest.
"These monsters are about to board! Bai Liu, what exactly do you want me to steal?" Mu Sicheng asked, pulling Bai Liu back as they retreated.
Bai Liu propped his chin on his hand, looking lazy. "I'm not sure what I want you to steal."
Mu Sicheng sputtered. "What? You're not sure? At least give me a target!"
Bai Liu gripped the fishbone in his hand, exhaled, and his eyes grew serious, though a faint smile played at his lips. "If I'm right, what I want you to steal might be all three hundred mirror shards, or maybe just twenty. It depends on whether Du Sanying can hold out."
"Three hundred shards? But aren't they with Du Sanying?" Mu Sicheng glanced at him, a little speechless. "Steal them back? You mean the thief's brother will take them from Du Sanying? That's impossible—he's chased Du Sanying for six stations and never even touched his sleeve. How could he steal the shards?"
"Do you know the 'double-jump' principle for horror game bosses?" Bai Liu asked suddenly.
Mu Sicheng shot him a look. "No, what's that?"
Bai Liu smiled. "It means that before players clear the level, the boss will always go berserk—whether it's attack power, accuracy, or some other stat, there's always a sudden leap in difficulty, a final hurdle that causes massive player deaths."
"But what's strange is—" Bai Liu's eyes narrowed, "this thief's brother has followed us for six stations, clearly the main boss, but he hasn't shown any signs of going berserk. We're almost at the end, and he's as easy to handle as ever. That's not good design."
Mu Sicheng raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"So I think he's a different kind of double-jump." Bai Liu's gaze sharpened. "If there's no stat boost, then there must be a new monster. Do you remember the name on the second page of the Monster Book? 'Thief Brothers.' But we've only seen the younger brother. Where's the elder?"