Originally, the warning—"The soul of the player who fails to complete the transaction will be imprisoned"—was issued to Bai Liu by the system when he obtained the Empty Old Wallet skill, in order to prevent him from abusing it.
If the transaction wasn't completed, the soul would be imprisoned by the system. It was a restrictive measure to force Bai Liu to keep his promises—like a Taobao merchant being locked in a "little black room." Who would've thought Bai Liu would use it instead to trap the very people he traded with?
For someone like Puppet Zhang, who loved meticulous planning and prided himself on being clever, nothing was more satisfying than watching everything unfold according to his design. He relished the sense of accomplishment when his prey stepped into his trap and, believing themselves in control, let down their guard. Only in such moments could Bai Liu search for a breakthrough.
Bai Liu lowered his eyes thoughtfully.
However, Mu Sicheng was indeed in trouble. Bai Liu had just learned about the complicated love-hate relationship between Mu Sicheng and Liu Huai. That was precisely why Puppet Zhang had brought Liu Huai along. Hallucinations caused by lowered mental value had little effect on Bai Liu, a man who cared only about money. But for someone with normal emotions and attachments like Mu Sicheng, the psychological impact of seeing a confidant and former friend who had betrayed him was likely immeasurable.
Mu Sicheng hadn't been quite right when he spoke about Liu Huai.
Bai Liu knew that most players in this game had a mental endurance value of around 70. At 60, it was already dangerous. Anyone who could leave the game without going insane after their mental value dropped below 20 possessed extraordinary psychological resilience.
But Bai Liu needed Mu Sicheng's mental value to fall even further, lower than Mu Sicheng's recorded lowest of 18. Only then would the hallucinations and psychological impact intensify.
With Liu Huai acting as a trigger, it was likely that Mu Sicheng would experience a severe breakdown.
It was risky.
-----------------
[The train has arrived at Huangquan Road—passengers are requested to board first before disembarking in turn.]
Puppet Zhang's index and middle fingers moved as if playing the piano. He tugged on the transparent silk threads, and Bai Liu was instantly pulled behind him. Puppet Zhang placed the puppet headgear that Liu Huai had previously removed onto Bai Liu's head and laughed.
"Well, now you really look like my puppet."
"I know you aren't truly willing. Perhaps you're only pretending to surrender. Perhaps you and Mu Sicheng have other plans." The corners of Puppet Zhang's lips slowly curled upward. He released the heavy, stifling puppet headgear as if locking a shackle around Bai Liu's neck.
Bai Liu's face was gradually engulfed by the headgear. He raised his eyes to look at Puppet Zhang. Before the headgear fully descended, he caught Puppet Zhang's final expression—malice, determination, and arrogant confidence, as if he controlled everything.
Puppet Zhang's voice was hoarse and low. "But Bai Liu, you must have underestimated Liu Huai's influence on Mu Sicheng. Thanks to Liu Huai, Mu Sicheng will never stay clear-headed enough to cooperate with you. No matter how many tricks you have, as long as Mu Sicheng collapses here—"
He smirked viciously.
"—Mu Sicheng is the most valuable card in your hand. Once he collapses, your entire plan collapses with him."
Bai Liu's expression didn't change, but his mind raced.
To a certain extent, Puppet Zhang was right. Mu Sicheng was indeed the core of his plan. The Mermaid Amulet was in Mu Sicheng's possession.
If Mu Sicheng completely broke down and lost all resistance—if Puppet Zhang obtained the Mermaid Amulet and completed the transaction—then everything would be over. Bai Liu had once considered having Mu Sicheng use the item directly to disrupt the plan, but—
[System tip: During a transaction, the transaction item (Mermaid Amulet) must physically exist. Otherwise, the transaction will be deemed invalid.]
If, during this period, Mu Sicheng fell into desperation or simply refused to listen and used the Mermaid Amulet, Bai Liu would be finished. He would truly become Puppet Zhang's puppet.
Thus, Mu Sicheng was crucial. If he collapsed, Bai Liu would be in grave danger.
Bai Liu was gambling—and it was a massive gamble. The only chip on his table was Mu Sicheng, an extremely unstable one at that. At present, his odds didn't look promising.
He had considered using Du Sanying. But Du Sanying was like a highly intuitive animal—a cautious rodent with keen survival instincts. If forced into a fight, Du Sanying might throw the amulet directly to Puppet Zhang just to reduce his own danger, just as he once tried to sacrifice his vehicle to escape perceived threats.
Du Sanying was too unstable. Once Bai Liu fell under the puppet master's control, he wouldn't be able to direct Du Sanying remotely. Moreover, Du Sanying bore far less hostility toward Puppet Zhang.
Mu Sicheng, on the other hand, held a grudge. That made him more usable.
In the end, Bai Liu chose Mu Sicheng.
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The carriage doors finally opened. Countless burned passengers wailed as they poured onto the train, their bodies still aflame.
Puppet Zhang deftly manipulated the other two puppets to move forward and seize the mirror fragments. He didn't use Bai Liu; it seemed he understood that Bai Liu's health was too low and that using him carelessly might result in death.
Puppet Zhang's control was swift and precise. In less than ten seconds, the two puppets glided through a section of the carriage like ghosts and returned with a pile of broken lenses in their charred hands. Puppet Zhang accepted them without looking, his expression darkening.
"Go. Clear the next carriage."
The passengers' hate value locked onto the two puppets. Puppet Zhang himself remained safe. The puppets moved with incredible speed. His operations were meticulous, almost causing no additional damage. After clearing one carriage, they entered the next and swept away half of it within a minute.
Previously, Bai Liu's group of three had struggled terribly with only Mu Sicheng—an A-rated player—on their side. Now there were three A-rated players, and Puppet Zhang himself was Super A. Between manipulating his puppets, he also eliminated passengers to make lens collection easier. It was nothing like Bai Liu, the "weak chicken," who could collapse from a single lash of the whip.
Mu Sicheng had told Bai Liu everything he knew about Puppet Zhang's personal skills. There were two main aspects.
The first was called Thread Doll—implanting puppet silk to manipulate others. The puppets retained self-awareness, but their limbs were controlled by Puppet Zhang.
If a puppet was unwilling or not fully subdued, implanting the silk into its struggling limbs required significant effort. That was why Puppet Zhang preferred voluntary puppets. Most of his regular puppets were hired willingly; forcibly controlling unwilling players like Mu Sicheng consumed far more energy.
The second skill was Puppet Enhancement. In this state, Puppet Zhang sacrificed 50 points of the puppet's mental value. The puppet lost autonomy, but all other attributes doubled.
Puppets in this state were harder to control. Since their mental value entered the danger zone, they were in constant pain and might instinctively struggle. However, being unconscious of fear, they barely reacted to attacks. Their combat power became terrifying. As long as the puppet master didn't release the silk threads, they would continue attacking regardless of pain.
However, Mu Sicheng had warned Bai Liu that this skill couldn't be used on puppets whose mental value had fallen below 20. At that stage, they entered a rage state beyond the puppet master's control.
"In this game, no one has ever tried to control a player whose mental value is below 20—not even Puppet Zhang," Mu Sicheng had said, narrowing his eyes at Bai Liu. "Except you. You're trying to make me remember your planned task when my mental value is only 10. That's completely impossible."
Bai Liu had only smiled. "How would we know if we don't try? We don't have any other choice, do we?"
As Bai Liu pondered this, the female announcer's voice echoed through the train.
"Heavy passengers and special items are boarding the train. In order to ensure the safety of all passengers and items, the station stop time has been extended to five minutes. Passengers are requested to remain calm and stay away from the doors—"
A massive charred corpse, several times the size of an ordinary player, forced the carriage doors open with two enormous, still-burning hands and lowered his head to squeeze inside.
Its eyes had been burned away, leaving blackened sockets filled with charred carbon. The skin had completely peeled off, exposing raw, bloodied muscle across its entire body. Embedded in its chest was a palm-sized broken lens, lodged within the bright red, bleeding pectoral muscles like a grotesque pair of protective goggles, gleaming amid the flames.
It stood taller than the carriage itself, its neck twisted at an unnatural angle. As it forced its bulk inside, it nearly burst the carriage apart.
The giant scorched corpse seemed uncomfortable in the cramped space. With a thunderous roar, it slammed its fist into the roof. The ceiling exploded outward with a deafening crash, and flames surged from its body, instantly engulfing the entire carriage.
Puppet Zhang's face darkened. He immediately retreated into the next carriage. Interlacing his ten fingers, he pulled sharply. The two puppets were yanked back toward him like zombies dragged by invisible hooks. With his other hand, he grabbed Bai Liu by the back of the neck and lifted him.
Though Puppet Zhang moved quickly, he was still scorched by the flames—and so was Bai Liu.
[System tip: Players Puppet Zhang, Bai Liu, Fang Ke, and Li Gou have been hit by the monster's flames. HP -10. Player Puppet Zhang and Player Bai Liu: Mental value -20. Player Li Gou and Player Fang Ke: Mental value -9 (due to puppet state).]
Bai Liu coughed from the burns. Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth. Beneath the puppet headgear, his face grew even paler as he glanced at his personal attributes panel.
[Health: 11 (reduced after being attacked by player Mu Sicheng and burned by flames)]
[Physical Strength: 70 (restoring)]
[Mental Value: 69 (slightly alienated due to passenger attacks)]
He quickly opened the Monster Book.
[The Exploding Last Train Monster Book has updated—Brother Thief (2/3)]
[Monster Name: Brother Thief (Younger Brother)]
[Features: Extremely strong and tall. Moves very quickly. Can perform one large-scale attack every minute (Movement Speed: 1,400. Flames grant bonus damage. Prefers using fists to "discipline" opponents. Extremely high attack power.)]
[Weaknesses: ??? (Unexplored)]
[Attack Methods: Rage Hammer, Fire Impact (For player Bai Liu: if either hits you, you'll be seeing God. Amen.)]
Bai Liu licked the blood from his lips and said hoarsely, "…The large broken lens embedded in its chest should be its weakness—and the item we need to collect."
"Do you think I need you to point that out?!" Puppet Zhang snapped, cutting him off. He stared warily at the advancing Brother Thief. His fingers moved rapidly as he repositioned his puppets, teeth clenched. "This game is broken. We're stuck here for five minutes. Not only does that extend the chase time, but a boss-level monster just boarded…"
The death rate of this Level 2 game, Exploding Last Train, was already close to 80%. Even for him, maintaining stability was difficult.
Puppet Zhang's jaw tightened. He couldn't help cursing. "Damn it, Bai Liu, you really know how to pick! You chose the hardest instance out of all the Level 2 games!"
"Thank you for the compliment." Bai Liu's tone was lazy, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. "Aren't you going to try grabbing the broken lens from its chest?"
"Try my ass!" Puppet Zhang spat angrily, his composure cracking. "Did you see that attack just now? And a movement speed of 1,400? This thing is at least A-rated. How the hell am I supposed to send just two puppets to grab it? Even if I had six full-health puppets clearing this instance, I couldn't guarantee a smooth victory against something like that! If I had known this kind of monster existed in this game…"
He ground his teeth and retreated as he spoke, resentment boiling inside him. If he'd known this instance was this insane, he would never have entered so casually. He had never encountered such an absurdly great difficulty level before. Bai Liu had truly picked the most brutal one. No wonder his luck stat was zero.
"There's no way," Puppet Zhang muttered, pulling the two puppets in front of him and forcing himself to calm down. "My puppets can't beat it. The only one who might be able to handle this thing is Mu Sicheng in his rage state. But after that, he'll be on the verge of death—"
"Can't I handle it in my rage state?" Bai Liu asked calmly, subtly redirecting Puppet Zhang's train of thought.
Mu Sicheng couldn't die. The Mermaid Amulet was on him. If Mu Sicheng died, the amulet would drop. And if Puppet Zhang picked it up and completed the transaction, Bai Liu would truly become his puppet.
Puppet Zhang narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "In theory, yes. But you only have a sliver of health left. Even in a rage state, you'd almost certainly die from a single hit. You're my puppet now. Compared to Mu Sicheng, I'd obviously rather let him die than you. You can still be useful to me. Mu Sicheng will never submit."
He sneered and gathered the puppet silk tightly. Bai Liu and the other two puppets stood behind him.
"Then he can go die—!"
[System tip: Player Puppet Zhang has used the item "I Want to See You" on player Liu Huai and will teleport to Liu Huai's current location within 10 seconds.]
Bai Liu felt a wave of dizziness. When his vision cleared, he found himself in another carriage.
There stood Liu Huai, Mu Sicheng, and Du Sanying, collecting broken lenses together. Their coordination was strained and difficult, but they were managing to hold on.
Mu Sicheng was in the worst condition. Without Bai Liu drawing hate value, most of the passengers targeted him. Liu Huai blocked some attacks, but Mu Sicheng's state was deteriorating rapidly. His face was streaked with blood. The red glow in his eyes flickered erratically, and his breathing was ragged as he rolled across the floor.
Puppet Zhang's expression turned icy. He tugged lightly on the silk thread with his finger.
Liu Huai's heart clenched instantly. It felt as though something inside him had been pulled in a specific direction. The tug served as a warning. Instinctively, clutching his chest, he turned his head toward the source.
Through layers of corpses and fire, he saw Puppet Zhang hidden in the adjacent carriage.
Expressionless, Puppet Zhang pointed at Mu Sicheng and drew a sharp line across his own throat, silently issuing an order.
"The plan has changed," he commanded Liu Huai coldly. "There's a boss now. Give up on Mu Sicheng. Push his mental value into rage state and let him fight the boss. Don't concern yourself with whether he lives or dies."
Liu Huai had heard the train announcement and understood what it meant for a boss-level monster to appear. Even so, when he saw Puppet Zhang so readily preparing to abandon Mu Sicheng, his heart trembled. His expression darkened, but he understood Puppet Zhang's reasoning.
The boss was likely extremely difficult to deal with. Only Mu Sicheng in his rage state could possibly take it on. But wasn't this just a Level 2 game? How could there be a monster that required Mu Sicheng to enter a rage state?
As Liu Huai hesitated, the massive charred corpse charged forward in fury. It smashed through the carriage windows with its fists, flames igniting everything in its path. Passengers screamed as they were incinerated into ashes by Brother Thief, a clear display of its terrifying lethality and heat.
Puppet Zhang yanked the three puppets and rushed into the carriage, where Mu Sicheng and the others were. The sight of the enormous corpse behind Puppet Zhang stunned Du Sanying.
"Fuck! What the hell is that thing?!"
Puppet Zhang violently tightened the puppet thread around his pinky and shouted at Liu Huai, "Liu Huai! Do it! Otherwise, we're all going to die!"
Liu Huai's heart twisted painfully as the silk thread tugged at him. Gritting his teeth, he drew two hidden swords from his sleeves. Standing behind Mu Sicheng, Liu Huai lowered his head and murmured an apology before thrusting forward without hesitation.
Du Sanying saw it and screamed, "Mu Sicheng! Behind you!"
Mu Sicheng had already noticed. He rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the backstab, then sprang to his feet in one smooth motion. Blood dripped from a cut along his brow; he wiped it away with his elbow. The first evasive move hadn't been completely clean—he'd been grazed.
Mu Sicheng sneered. "Liu Huai, do you think I'd expose my back to you so easily? Impossible."
"Of course," Liu Huai replied. His smile was complicated—a mix of sorrow and cruelty. "Brother Si, we were once the best partners. 'Assassin and Thief.' We could steal anything, kill anyone." His voice lowered. "That includes each other, doesn't it?"
"We've always acted for ourselves, Brother." Liu Huai's expression hardened completely as he raised the swords again. "You stole for yourself. I tried to assassinate you for myself. Everyone is selfish."
"Master! Grab Mu Sicheng!" Liu Huai shouted as he lunged again.
Puppet Zhang remained silent as he flicked a sharp puppet thread around Mu Sicheng's ankle. Mu Sicheng caught a hanging ring with his fingers and swung away, narrowly escaping. Du Sanying hurried to drive his small bumper car forward to assist, only to be blocked when Puppet Zhang hurled a puppet directly at him.
Now it was Puppet Zhang, Liu Huai, and Li Gou against Mu Sicheng alone. Du Sanying was restrained by a puppet, sweating profusely, his face flushed with anxiety.
Bai Liu had said Mu Sicheng needed to hold on until the train departed. He couldn't be restrained by Puppet Zhang.
But how could Mu Sicheng possibly hold on like this?
Instinctively, Du Sanying glanced at Bai Liu.
Mu Sicheng was barely maintaining control under the assault of three opponents, but the arrival of the massive corpse shattered the fragile balance. It was about to crash into their carriage. Puppet Zhang tightened his control further, filling nearly the entire carriage with puppet silk threads. Mu Sicheng couldn't move an inch. His face was crisscrossed with bloody scratches from the razor-thin threads, and his thieving hands were bound tightly.
Puppet Zhang panted. "Liu Huai. Do it."
Breathing heavily, Liu Huai approached Mu Sicheng step by step, hidden blades raised.
Suddenly, Mu Sicheng grabbed the puppet thread and let out a strained sigh. "Bai Liu, if you have anything up your sleeve, use it now. I really can't hold on much longer. I can hold the thread controlling you for now. Puppet Zhang manipulates through fluctuations in the silk. If I grip it tightly, he can't transmit the movement. But soon my fingers will be sliced open. You need to move."
Puppet Zhang was startled. He hadn't noticed when Bai Liu had moved behind Mu Sicheng. His gaze dropped to Mu Sicheng's hand—sure enough, he was gripping the puppet silk tightly. Blood dripped from Mu Sicheng's palm onto the scorching floor, evaporating almost instantly.
Behind him, Bai Liu slowly lifted the puppet headgear. The painted smile on the puppet shell looked pure and harmless.
Puppet Zhang's expression changed abruptly.
"Fuck!! These two still formed an alliance!" Puppet Zhang roared. "Liu Huai! Do it now!"
He tried to manipulate the silk, but the vibrations couldn't pass through Mu Sicheng's grip. He truly couldn't control Bai Liu at the moment. Puppet Zhang pulled the threads tighter, trying to sever Mu Sicheng's fingers, shouting frantically, "Liu Huai! Hurry! Bai Liu has no attack power!"
Du Sanying also yelled desperately, as if clinging to his last hope. "Bai Liu! Hurry up!"
Liu Huai stabbed forward without hesitation.
At that moment, Mu Sicheng instinctively glanced back at Bai Liu.
The puppet head still wore that innocent smile.
Bai Liu opened his arms and gently placed his hands against Mu Sicheng's back.
Then he pushed. The completely defenseless Mu Sicheng stumbled forward. Mu Sicheng's pupils shrank.
Du Sanying's mouth fell open. Puppet Zhang released the puppet silk in shock. Liu Huai froze, staring blankly as blood slid down the edges of his hidden blades.
Mu Sicheng was thrust straight into Liu Huai.
The hidden swords pierced through Mu Sicheng's shoulders and sliced downward, severing both arms. They fell to the floor with a dull thud.
It was eerily similar to the last time Liu Huai had betrayed him and cut off his hands.
Except this time—
It was Bai Liu who had pushed him.
Blood gushed violently from the stumps of Mu Sicheng's shoulders.
"I actually think Master Zhang made a valid point," Puppet Bai Liu said brightly, the painted smile still fixed on his face. "Mu Sicheng, if you don't sacrifice yourself to enter rage state, everyone will die."
"It's useless to cooperate with you. You're too weak to clear this level." Bai Liu's tone was cool and gentle. "So I've decided to wholeheartedly become Master's puppet and obey his orders."