Mu Sicheng staggered back two steps. His eyes were blank as he stiffly lowered his head to look at his arms lying on the ground.
[System tip: Player Liu Huai has used (Dark Night Sleeve Sword) to attack Player Mu Sicheng. Player Mu Sicheng's mental value is being eroded by darkness and is rapidly falling!]
[System tip: Player Mu Sicheng's mental field is violently shaking. His mental value is declining drastically!]
[System warning: Player Mu Sicheng's mental value has dropped to 40… 30… 20… 10. Player Mu Sicheng's current mental value is only 8. He has entered the rage state!]
[Player Mu Sicheng's Personal Panel (Rage State)]
[Mental value: 60 → 8][Physical strength: 339 → 797][Agility: 1040 → 2010][Attack power: 1311 → 2300][Resistance: 1310 → 2600]
[Comprehensive defense and attack power have increased. The total panel attribute points have exceeded 6000, and the player is rated as an A++ level player. Player Mu Sicheng's level has increased from A to A++.]
[The degree of alienation has deepened due to Player Mu Sicheng being in the Capuchin Monkey Tamed by a Thief state.]
Black buds quickly sprouted from Mu Sicheng's severed arms. They squirmed and gathered together, finally forming two black monkey claws that hung past his crotch.
Mu Sicheng raised his head and stretched. He exhaled, shook his newly formed arms, and stood up. His pupils had disappeared, leaving his eyes completely white. Fangs protruded from his mouth, and his ears had turned into monkey ears. His tail slowly brushed against the ground, swaying left and right.
The monkey headphones behind him laughed wildly, their eyes flashing with a dazzling red light. They screamed in a sharp, strange monkey tone: [Crazy!! Crazy!!]
Brother Thief rushed into the last carriage, flames engulfing his body. He raised his fist, about to smash down the group of people inside.
Mu Sicheng's pure white eyes shifted slightly. He bared his teeth in a sneer, a chilling animalistic note lacing his laughter. Moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, he swung his arm in a blur. He twisted midair and kicked the burning Brother Thief out of the carriage.
Brother Thief crashed heavily into the adjacent carriage. His two massive palms clawed at the window in an attempt to stop himself, but the remaining glass shattered. A long black scorch mark dragged across the ground.
Flames flared in Brother Thief's eyes. The monster seemed to possess the instinct to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. He roared in shock and fury, unable to understand why the prey he had been chasing could suddenly kick him away.
Mu Sicheng exhaled a stream of white breath amid the flames. The corners of his mouth curled into a strange smile, sharp teeth neatly bared. With a swift, simple leap, he stepped on the carriage wall and lunged forward without hesitation. His sharp monkey claws aimed straight for the large lens embedded in the monster's chest.
Brother Thief roared and erupted in a burst of flames. He flipped over and struck at Mu Sicheng, who was riding on his body. The sea of fire instantly engulfed the two monsters locked in combat.
Mu Sicheng was a monster now. No one who saw him would think he was human.
And yet, the one who truly wasn't human was clearly Bai Liu.
Du Sanying was completely stunned. He stared blankly at Bai Liu, as if he had never expected that Mu Sicheng would be sold off so cleanly by Bai Liu—the one who had been leading and planning everything. Du Sanying hadn't imagined that after buying Mu Sicheng's cooperation, Bai Liu would turn around and sell him without hesitation.
Bai Liu turned to Puppet Zhang and spoke calmly, "Master, the broken lenses are on Du Sanying. We should take advantage of Mu Sicheng and Brother Thief fighting to kill Du Sanying and seize his possessions."
Bai Liu's "Master" sounded even more practiced than Liu Huai's, who had been Puppet Zhang's puppet for several years.
Du Sanying was furious, anxious, and heartbroken. Tears welled up in his eyes as he shouted, "Fuck, Bai Liu, you really aren't human! Didn't you say we'd counterattack Puppet Zhang together? You really turned on us?!"
"I'm sorry," Bai Liu apologized sincerely. "The big boss who boarded the train disrupted my plan. This monster is too powerful. I realized I can't clear the game if I cooperate with you. So I've decided to surrender to Master and abandon the plan we discussed."
Liu Huai was dumbfounded by Bai Liu calling Puppet Zhang "Master" twice in a row.
He had once felt remorse for betraying Mu Sicheng. He had despised himself for a long time for becoming Puppet Zhang's lapdog. This was the first time Liu Huai had seen someone betray others and drive them to their deaths so swiftly.
What's more, Bai Liu didn't seem to carry the slightest psychological burden. After finishing off one teammate, he showed no hesitation in betraying another. He was even faster than Liu Huai, the undercover traitor. Liu Huai couldn't help suspecting that Bai Liu had been Puppet Zhang's man from the very beginning.
Bai Liu spoke rapidly, analyzing the situation with cold precision. "Du Sanying is trapped in this carriage. Brother Thief and the passengers are blocking the door. He has nowhere to escape. Even with a high luck value, he'll be caught sooner or later. There's no better time to attack than now."
"Fuck!!" Du Sanying ran across the carriage, tears streaming down his face. "Bai Liu, damn you! You're not human! Don't you have a heart?!"
Just as Bai Liu had said, even if Du Sanying had 100% luck, he had nowhere to run. It was like catching a turtle in a jar. He was at an absolute disadvantage. Even if his luck allowed him to hold out for a while, Puppet Zhang would eventually catch him.
Puppet Zhang didn't hesitate to extend his silk threads toward Du Sanying. Liu Huai joined the hunt. The other two puppets dealt with the ordinary passengers flooding in through the carriage door.
Du Sanying wailed and frantically threw out items like a bullied child. In his panic, he tossed out anything he could, as long as it might stop Puppet Zhang and Liu Huai from catching him.
As he ran, Du Sanying cried and cursed that Bai Liu wasn't human.
And perhaps he wasn't.
Bai Liu was the safest player in this entire game.
After saying those words, Bai Liu stood quietly in the corner, not acting rashly. He appeared obedient, knowing when to advance and when to retreat. Puppet Zhang deliberately protected him, manipulating his silk threads to eliminate any passengers who tried to approach Bai Liu.
Once again, Puppet Zhang redirected a passenger who had attempted to attack Bai Liu. He glanced at the silent Bai Liu, and his instincts honed from countless games told him something was wrong.
—When had Bai Liu quietly replaced him as the one occupying the safest position behind the scenes while orchestrating the entire situation?
Puppet Zhang's heart sank as his gaze swept over the whole scene.
Mu Sicheng had been set up by Bai Liu and was now fighting the big boss. Du Sanying was crying as he was chased by Liu Huai. Liu Huai was hunting Du Sanying. Two puppets were protecting Bai Liu, and at some point, Puppet Zhang had unknowingly turned his back on him…
He didn't know when it had happened, but everything had begun revolving around Bai Liu's actions.
Puppet Zhang's expression darkened. He began retracing the moment things had slipped out of his control. It started when Mu Sicheng was provoked by Bai Liu, when his arms were cut off, and he began fighting the monster. From then on, Bai Liu had calmly taken control of the field. Puppet Zhang had subconsciously trusted Bai Liu, who was supposedly under his control. Amid the drastic shifts in the situation, he had gradually been led around by this man.
For two intelligent people, nothing was more fatal than believing the other was truly obedient. Puppet Zhang shuddered, snapping back to his senses.
"No!!" Puppet Zhang shouted sharply, yanking on his puppet silk threads. "Liu Huai, come back! Keep an eye on Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng! We've been led around by him! There are at most twenty mirror fragments on Du Sanying. His luck value is still at 100%; we can't get the broken lenses from him. We've wasted too much time on Du Sanying. The lenses Mu Sicheng took from the monster are the real prize!"
"Tsk, you figured it out?" Bai Liu sighed regretfully. He turned his head to glance at the countdown on the train's LED screen and muttered, "But it's almost time. The train is about to depart."
"The train is about to start. Passengers, please sit down and hold on—"
[System tip: The system will give a friendly reminder to Player Puppet Zhang. The train will soon depart. Please fulfill the agreement with Player Bai Liu in a timely manner and obtain the Mermaid Amulet from Player Mu Sicheng. Otherwise, as punishment, your soul will be placed into Player Bai Liu's old wallet as a soul banknote. Player Bai Liu will then hold your soul debt rights.]
Puppet Zhang's expression turned grim. He might not understand every term, but he clearly understood one thing—he had been tricked by Bai Liu.
"That wallet…" Puppet Zhang raised his head and stared at Bai Liu, quickly piecing it together. "Your personal skill is trading? What kind of ridiculous skill is that? How can you have a personal skill close to the system's authority? The system would never allow it!"
[System tip: 'Soul debt rights' is shielded vocabulary. A small TV silencer has been placed on Player Puppet Zhang's words.]
Bai Liu rubbed his nose shamelessly. "But I do have it. Sorry."
Puppet Zhang's face was taut. His gaze swept to the countdown on the LED screen—only one minute remained. Grinding his teeth, he abandoned the urge to argue with Bai Liu and swiftly manipulated the silk threads with his fingers.
"Liu Huai! Forget Du Sanying. He's being used by Bai Liu to stall for time!"
Puppet Zhang's eyes were icy as he issued orders, directing his puppets toward Mu Sicheng. "Go kill Mu Sicheng! Take what he's carrying and bring it to me! He shouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Go! Kill him and seize his items!"
Liu Huai realized the urgency as well. He turned and rushed toward Mu Sicheng. However, before he could take more than two steps, the flames in Mu Sicheng's carriage erupted violently, forcing him to halt.
Liu Huai gave a bitter smile as he stood before the blazing carriage, unable to advance. "Master, the fight over there is too intense. I can't get in at all. Apart from Mu Sicheng in his rage state, none of us can withstand those flames. We'll be burned alive if we enter."
Puppet Zhang's chest rose and fell violently. His gaze shifted to Bai Liu, who was leisurely leaning against the corner door. With a vicious tug on the silk threads, Puppet Zhang dragged Bai Liu over. Bai Liu stumbled awkwardly, the puppet thread tightening around his neck. He choked, instinctively clawing at it.
Puppet Zhang seized Bai Liu by the throat and lifted him up, his voice vicious. "You deliberately forced Mu Sicheng to fight that monster, didn't you? You knew we wouldn't be able to get in to retrieve the item from him. Was this your plan with Mu Sicheng? You pushed him into such a dangerous situation, and he still agreed to cooperate with you?!"
"We reached an agreement." Bai Liu could barely breathe under the constricting thread. His face flushed red, tears welling up from the strain, yet he was still smiling. "We agreed that the most dangerous place is the safest place to hide something."
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Puppet Zhang trembled with rage. He had never suffered such a heavy loss before. The thread around Bai Liu's neck tightened further, nearly lifting him off the ground.
Bai Liu's eyes were bloodshot from suffocation. He coughed and gagged, but his tone remained calm. "My personal skill remains effective even after my death. Killing me is pointless, Master."
"Killing me won't earn you anything except the loss of a clever puppet cough. You'd just be wasting time venting your own incompetence." Bai Liu smiled through his coughing fit, his face turning a dark purplish red. "Will you kill me, Master?"
And even now—
He was still smiling.