Due to the existence of the "forbidden speech" mechanism, Bai Liu couldn't directly tell Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu that the game existed. He could only tell them that if they encountered any unexpected situations, they shouldn't panic. He would help them survive, but they had to find a way to inform him of their situation, specifically by telling him their location through the items they purchased.
So after entering the game, Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu followed Bai Liu's instructions. The moment they completed their first task, they used their only points to buy the four cheapest items: a wooden plug, a blade, a small torch, and a paperweight. Liu Fu also bought a vibrator. Together, the initials of the five items formed "Siren Town."
They had been terrified. They didn't know whether Bai Liu would understand the message, but it was the only thing they could think of. Buying these cheap items consumed almost all their points. The viewers criticized them for squandering their points, and their stream was sent to a division where almost no one visited.
Fortunately, their system soon glitched, as if someone had taken control of it. Their panel began operating on its own from time to time, automatically purchasing items for them. Trembling, they used items like a flashlight, a 3D projector, and alcohol. It felt as though another person was manipulating the panel to coordinate with them in playing the game. Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu rarely played games, but fortunately, they both possessed a strong will to survive. Even when they didn't fully understand how to use certain items, they gritted their teeth and pushed forward.
After surviving the chase battle, their progress became much smoother. Finally, they cleared the game together.
Yes, that's right. While Bai Liu was on the brink of death in the level-two game Exploding Last Train, he was also helping Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu clear their level. He was handling multiple things at once.
Even with Bai Liu's assistance, however, they were on their own most of the time.
Bai Liu himself was trapped in an extremely dangerous game, and his unreliable system would occasionally go offline. There would be long stretches with no activity, and he had no way of knowing the exact progress of Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu's game. As a result, they had to rely mostly on themselves to fight and clear the level. After coming out, they couldn't recover from their fear. Supporting each other, they stood up tearfully.
Logically speaking, when encountering something so bizarre and beyond conventional understanding, ordinary people would want to deny it or escape.
Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu were ordinary adults who didn't believe in gods or ghosts. Yet they didn't react with hysteria, denial, or panic as most people dragged into such a game.
Instead, they hugged each other and wept with joy at the exit.
"The young man's words were true," Xiang Chunhua said, her hands trembling as she supported Liu Fu. In the short time since losing Guoguo, she seemed to have aged decades. Tears fell from her deepening wrinkles as she crouched down and sobbed. "Do you think Guoguo can be saved? Will that beast really be punished?"
Liu Fu kept wiping his tears. The burly man sobbed openly. "Yes… Yes, it's possible. He said he would help us."
Before entering the game, they had sat face to face on the night of the June university entrance examination.
Three pairs of chopsticks and a large bowl of braised pork were placed on the table. Beside an empty bowl lay Liu Guoguo's admission ticket. The photo showed a girl in a school uniform looking at the camera with restrained anticipation. Her small smile carried uneasiness and hope for the important exam ahead.
Their house was near the street, and they could hear teenagers who had just finished the exam, excitedly or anxiously, discussing their answers.
Among those youthful voices, there should have been that of a 17-year-old girl.
But that voice had disappeared forever in a dark alley, reduced to a black-and-white photo on a distant gravestone.
The hands that should have held a pen were chopped into pieces and minced. To dispose of them quickly, they were sold as cheap pork for 10 yuan per 500 grams to an unknown buyer.
Liu Fu had frantically searched through the sewer to find Guoguo's right hand. Even by the time of her burial, he never found it. It had been reduced to pulp, mixed with other meat, and washed somewhere deep into the earth.
"I heard from Sister-in-law Zhang that physics was a bit difficult this year," Xiang Chunhua muttered blankly. "But wasn't physics Guoguo's strongest subject? Maybe this year's exam would've suited her."
"Yes… maybe she could've gotten into the school she liked…" Liu Fu couldn't continue. He covered his eyes and bent forward as if his world were collapsing. Letting out a hoarse, anguished howl, he slammed his fists onto the table—carefully avoiding the admission ticket. "Bastard! She was only 17! It's my fault, I shouldn't have let her go!"
"It's my fault too. If I hadn't wanted to make braised pork for her, she wouldn't have…" Xiang Chunhua's tears ran dry. Numbly, she patted Liu Fu's shoulder and whispered, "Don't be sad. That young man said he would help us. Go to sleep. It will be better when you wake up."
The moment they fell asleep, they entered the game.
After emerging, Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu supported each other. They remained vigilant in this strange land, cautious like adults accustomed to navigating complex social environments. The only person they trusted was the young man named Bai Liu, who claimed he had bought their souls and would help them survive the game.
Seeing someone pass by, Xiang Chunhua cautiously stepped forward. "Young man, do you know someone named Bai Liu?"
The man looked at them oddly. "Are you fans of Bai Liu? Go to the core screens in the central hall. Bai Liu just received a huge wave of likes and point donations. The audience is cheering so loudly that it looks like he's about to break into the Nightmare New Stars list. If you're in a hurry, you should go quickly."
They exchanged glances, thanked him, and hurried toward the central hall.
At the central core screens, Wang Shun stood before Bai Liu's small TV, his face solemn.
Bai Liu had just received a surge of points and praise for his performance, but none of the viewers looked relieved. His health had dropped to just 1 point. A single attack could kill him.
"Stay steady! Bai Liu absolutely can't take another direct hit!"
"Help! I need oxygen again! The last time I watched Bai Liu's stream, I felt like I needed oxygen. This time is no different!"
Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu arrived and saw everyone staring anxiously at the screen. They instinctively looked up.
They saw Bai Liu's familiar face and sighed in relief.
Then, in the corner of the screen, they caught sight of another man flashing past.
"Li Gou! That beast!!!"
-----------------
Li Gou sat on the ground, gasping for breath. Bai Liu, barely clinging to life, was protected by Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng. His lips were pale, but his eyes remained clear.
"I'll arrange the next station," Bai Liu said calmly. "We've collected 360 fragments. There are 40 left. But I don't think we'll be allowed to collect them at the next station."
"Not collect them?" Puppet Zhang frowned. "But if we don't collect them there, we'll reach Antique City. The train explosion is supposed to happen at Antique City. If we don't gather all the fragments at the second-to-last station, we'll face the explosion and die!"
Bai Liu spoke softly, his voice weakened but steady. "The reason I believe the next station won't be full of fragments is that there's still a monster missing from the monster book. The exploding passengers and the Brother Thieves both carried fragments. So I guess that the final monster will also carry fragments."
Puppet Zhang reacted quickly. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he narrowed his eyes. "That makes sense. Bai Liu, do you think this monster will appear at the next station? If so, we could gather the remaining fragments and clear the game immediately."
"Do you still remember the minimum death rate for this game?" Bai Liu replied with a question.
Everyone froze.
Bai Liu lowered his eyes. "The mortality rate for this level-two game ranges from 50% to 80%. In other words, if calculated according to the minimum rate, 50% of us should die in this game. That would mean three and a half players. However, none of us has died yet. This forced the system to reduce Du Sanying's luck value to maintain balance."
He turned abruptly to Du Sanying. "If the system wants to maintain the minimum mortality rate, then Du Sanying, what is your current luck value?"
Du Sanying hadn't expected to be suddenly called out. He pointed at himself in confusion. After confirming Bai Liu was indeed asking him, he quickly opened his personal panel and checked. "Eighty points."
"So the system has only reduced Du Sanying's luck by twenty points," Bai Liu concluded calmly. "If it intends to kill three and a half players among us, that reduction isn't nearly enough."
He made his judgment quickly.
"In Siren Town, the system heavily suppressed me to maintain balance. But in Exploding Last Train, it has only reduced Du Sanying's luck by twenty points. That's a very minor adjustment. The fact that all players survived the last station supports this. Yet the system hasn't continued lowering his luck. It's maintaining only a slight correction."
Bai Liu slowly lifted his gaze.
"—Which means there's only one explanation. The system likely believes that the mortality rate of this game is already balanced. It only needs a small correction."
The others were still confused, but Puppet Zhang suddenly understood. A chill ran through him. He looked at Bai Liu, whose face was pale.
"You mean… there's a stage before clearing the game that will drastically increase the death rate? At least three of us are likely to die in the next phase?!"
A mandatory death stage, where someone had to die for others to pass, wouldn't appear in a single-player game, but it was common in multiplayer horror games. To ensure difficulty and spectacle, the game often required sacrifice.
In short: sacrifice a teammate for survival.
To spectators outside the horror game, it was thrilling.
To those inside, it was only cruel.
"What do you think a 'death stage' would look like in a game called Exploding Last Train?" Bai Liu asked evenly.
Puppet Zhang slumped back into his seat, staring at the fluorescent lights overhead.
"…An explosion," he murmured. "We'll have to go through an explosion. That means we won't be able to gather the fragments at the last station beforehand."
"We have to survive the explosion and reach the station before collecting the fragments."
"Three and a half will die—so three and a half can live, right?"
Li Gou's hoarse voice suddenly cut in.
While no one was paying attention, he had crawled across the floor, slipping past Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng. His filthy hands grabbed Bai Liu's ankle. His eyes burned with desperate intensity.
"You'll decide who lives and who dies, won't you? You must have a way to ensure at least three of us survive, right?! Bai Liu, let me live! I'll do anything!"
Mu Sicheng kicked Li Gou away.
Even after being kicked aside, Li Gou kept crawling back until Mu Sicheng extended his monkey paws in warning. The feral, scorching desperation in Li Gou's eyes made Mu Sicheng's scalp prickle. Instinctively, he stepped in front of Bai Liu, baring his teeth in threat.
Li Gou finally retreated to the corner, but his gaze never left Bai Liu.
"I do have a way to survive the explosion," Bai Liu said calmly, locking eyes with Li Gou. "However, this plan requires the sacrifice of two people."
That was why Bai Liu had insisted on saving everyone earlier. He had anticipated a lethal checkpoint like this.
The air went still. Even Mu Sicheng held his breath.
Bai Liu raised his eyes.
"I checked earlier. All water-related and explosive items in the system store have been banned. I can't even buy a bottle of mineral water. The prohibition on water suggests that water is one of the monsters' weaknesses. I guess that these high-temperature corpses will undergo a dissolution reaction upon contact with water. Water is essentially a powerful weapon against them."
He sighed lightly. "Unfortunately, neither the train nor the system will provide us with water. At the next station, we can't keep using Du Sanying as a distraction. If we rely on him again, the system will continue lowering his luck. That won't work. So we need a large amount of water to deal with the monsters on the next platform."
He continued clearly, "Water can also solve the explosion problem. Death from an explosion mainly comes from shock waves, extreme heat, and explosive fragments. If we can introduce a massive amount of water into this section of the subway tunnel, it will significantly reduce the heat and dampen the shock waves. That will increase our survival rate."
Mu Sicheng frowned. "Where are we supposed to get that much water? Even if the system allowed us to buy mineral water and all seven of us spent every point we had, it wouldn't be enough. Do you understand the scale? A subway tunnel is about eight to ten meters high, and the distance between stations is roughly 1.5 kilometers. You'd need over five hundred swimming pools' worth of water to fill it."
"That doesn't mean it's impossible," Bai Liu said with a small smile. "Isn't there one conveniently located at the next station?"
Mu Sicheng blinked.
"Reservoir!" Puppet Zhang suddenly exclaimed. "I remember the subway map from before we boarded! The name of the last station is 'Reservoir'! That's where the water is! A reservoir can't logically be built next to an underground hollow structure like a subway station. That inconsistency is a hint from the game! If it's a medium-sized reservoir, it would absolutely contain enough water to flood the circular subway track!"
Bai Liu nodded calmly. "That's what I think as well. The only question is how to introduce the water into the subway station."
He paused slightly. "I suggest using a bomb."
"You want to blow up the reservoir?" Puppet Zhang responded immediately, then frowned. "But explosive items have been removed from the system store. Where are you going to get a bomb?"
Bai Liu smiled and took out a massive oval mirror with a triangular gap in its center. "Of course," he said softly, "from here."
"This is the mirror formed from the 360 broken mirror fragments."
Puppet Zhang stared at the reconstructed mirror in confusion, unable to understand why Bai Liu was showing it to them while discussing a bomb.
"I once discussed something with a friend," Bai Liu said calmly. "How did the two thieves in the Mirror City Bombing board the train with such a large explosive? A bomb capable of destroying several carriages must have been enormous. Where could they possibly have hidden it to pass security? The news claimed it was concealed inside a mirror. I always found that strange. What kind of mirror could hide that much explosive material?"
As he spoke, Bai Liu placed his hand on the smooth surface of the mirror.
Suddenly, ripples spread across it like water disturbed by a pebble. The reflective surface transformed into something resembling a lake of liquid mercury.
Bai Liu's smile widened.
Before everyone's astonished eyes, he slowly sank his hand into the mirror as though it were fluid. A moment later, he pulled out a massive black bomb several times larger than the mirror itself. It hit the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up dust and releasing a sharp scent of gunpowder.
"Now I understand," Bai Liu said lightly, dusting off his hands. "It really was hidden in the mirror."
Puppet Zhang was stunned, but his mind quickly caught up. He stared at the explosives on the ground. "If you've taken the bomb out of the mirror, does that mean the train won't explode?"
Bai Liu didn't answer directly. He reached into the mirror again and pulled out another bomb just as large. He shrugged.
"I suspect the explosives are infinite," he said. "So both the train and the mirror are destined to explode."
Puppet Zhang's expression darkened.
"That's why this plan requires sacrificing two players," Bai Liu continued, raising two fingers without hesitation. "One person must deliver this explosive to the reservoir. I estimate there won't be enough time to return within two minutes. That will be the first sacrifice."
Puppet Zhang frowned deeply. "That only accounts for one. Who is the second?"
Bai Liu smiled faintly. "The second person must wrap Du Sanying's Fake Cloth around this mirror and hold it in place. The cloth is 'fake,' meaning it doesn't exist or break in a conventional sense. It can contain the mirror fragments after the explosion, so we won't need to search for them again. The cloth won't tear, but it must be physically held. That means the person holding it will be too close to the blast and will likely die."
He slowly lowered his two raised fingers and looked up, the smile on his face layered with meaning.
"So the only question is, who will those two be?"
A heavy silence settled.
"To be honest," Bai Liu added evenly, "aside from Mu Sicheng and Du Sanying, none of you are particularly valuable to me. Puppet Zhang, your health and that of your three puppets, have already dropped significantly. The combat power you can provide is limited. I don't mind if two of you die at the next station."
He sighed lightly, the gesture almost theatrical. "It's simply because you're no longer useful to me."
Puppet Zhang and his three puppets slowly turned their eyes toward Bai Liu. Their expressions stiffened.
He was completely serious.
And worse, he was telling the truth.
Even though Bai Liu had acquired Puppet Zhang's soul and Puppet Zhang possessed high-level strength, that strength held little long-term benefit for Bai Liu after this instance. In fact, it might become a liability.
Puppet Zhang was a high-ranking player in the Kings Guild. The fact that he was being controlled by Bai Liu would be displayed publicly on the small screen. A guild of that scale would never tolerate one of its high-level members remaining under another player's control, especially not someone who possessed insider knowledge of the guild.
In short, Puppet Zhang was a problem.
If he died inside the instance, it would merely be considered an in-game conflict. The Kings Guild wouldn't necessarily pursue Bai Liu beyond that.
However, sending Puppet Zhang to his death created another complication: once he died, his three puppets would lose control.
Bai Liu briefly considered using the Empty Old Wallet skill to seize control of the three puppets. But the chances of success were slim.
First, they were already wary of him. They knew he possessed a control-type ability, and his transaction skill required mutual consent. Even if he managed to trick them into initiating a transaction within a few minutes, the odds were low.
Second, even if he succeeded, underwater combat would render the ability nearly useless. The soul banknotes were still paper. Paper feared water just like Bai Liu himself. That would effectively neutralize his skill. If the weakness became known, he would be in grave danger.
Before clearing the instance, Bai Liu would naturally carry the broken lenses himself to maximize rewards. If the others realized he couldn't manipulate soul banknotes underwater, they might gang up on him and seize the fragments.
And Puppet Zhang had likely already deduced this.
He had witnessed Bai Liu using soul money to rescue Mu Sicheng. He knew Bai Liu relied on paper-based items to control others. That knowledge alone was dangerous.
It was highly probable that Puppet Zhang had already analyzed the conditions, limitations, and weaknesses of Bai Liu's personal skill. If released from control, he would no longer suffer the disadvantage of ignorance.
Bai Liu was keenly aware of his informational disadvantage. Puppet Zhang belonged to a powerful guild with far more resources and intelligence channels. If Puppet Zhang broke free and resumed hunting him, escape would be nearly impossible.
Worse, Puppet Zhang could publicly expose Bai Liu's skill. Though versatile, the ability was heavily constrained by its transactional requirement. If its details were revealed, Bai Liu would be cornered.
Bai Liu's gaze shifted slightly and met Puppet Zhang's guarded, calculating eyes.
There was a dormant aggression there like a predator waiting for the perfect moment. Bai Liu only had a sliver of health remaining. The opportunity Puppet Zhang sought was approaching.
"Puppet Zhang will hold the exploding mirror," Bai Liu said decisively.
Puppet Zhang's face changed. He hadn't expected to be chosen, but he recovered quickly.
"If I die, the three puppets will lose control," he argued. "Bai Liu, you can't choose me."
Bai Liu narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile resting on his lips.
"On the contrary," he replied calmly, "if I don't choose you, I'm afraid you'll kill me the moment I'm unprepared. I only have a sliver of health left. You are the greatest threat to me."
Puppet Zhang paused almost imperceptibly.
"Bai Liu, we've cooperated until now," he said steadily. "I truly have no intention of plotting against you. I did my best to protect you earlier, didn't I?"
He inhaled deeply, then slowly raised both hands in surrender, trying to meet Bai Liu's eyes with sincerity.
"I can give you everything I have. I only want to clear the level. I'm ranked around 200. You've already controlled me; keeping me alive benefits you more than killing me. I'm valuable."
His throat tightened. He lowered his head respectfully, exposing the back of his neck.
"Bai Liu… Master. I swear I won't kill you. You can have Mu Sicheng use the Judge's Scale to verify my honesty. You may doubt me, but can't you at least trust the item?"
It was an extremely submissive posture. Bai Liu began to laugh. He bent down as well, tilting his head to examine Puppet Zhang's expression.
"Puppet Zhang, this kind of body language and psychological suggestion doesn't work on me. I've already seen through you."
He rolled his eyes lazily. "Do you know why, from beginning to end, I never tried to negotiate cooperation with you and instead chose to control you directly?"
Puppet Zhang, still kneeling on the ground, stiffened. A vague sense of danger crept up his spine from the smile on Bai Liu's face.
The smile remained, but Bai Liu's eyes were calm—so calm it felt as if they could pierce through a puppet's wooden shell. His tone even carried a trace of admiration.
"It's because you're very similar to me. People who seek to maximize their interests think alike. We're both greedy. From the start, I wanted to extract the greatest benefit from you—just as you wanted the most from me."
"There are only two ways to obtain maximum benefit: trade or seize. You look down on trading with me, yet what you want happens to be in my hands. No matter how much you pretend to cooperate, the only way for you to truly obtain those things is to kill me and take them by force. Isn't that right?"
Bai Liu smiled faintly.
"So I never considered cooperating with you. Cooperation is too fragile between people like us. It can be broken at any time. Didn't you break our cooperation first? I simply used that to gain control over you. Since I finally managed to control you, why would you think I'd let you go?"
It would be foolish to believe that an equally ambitious and intelligent person would genuinely surrender.
Bai Liu understood this perfectly.
Whenever he and Lu Yizhan played games together, even if they formed an alliance early on, Bai Liu would not hesitate to eliminate him at a critical moment to secure the greatest benefit. He knew that Lu Yizhan was intelligent enough to do exactly the same.
"Also, you suggested using the Judge's Scale to verify your honesty?" Bai Liu chuckled and lowered his gaze. "Let me correct a small mistake."
His lips curved slightly as he leaned closer to the stunned Puppet Zhang and whispered,
"The Judge's Scale isn't Mu Sicheng's item. It was yours. Mu Sicheng stole it from you, didn't he? And you expect me to trust an item you're intimately familiar with? I'm not that naïve, Master."
Puppet Zhang stared at Bai Liu in shock before instinctively glancing at Mu Sicheng. For a brief second, he suspected Mu Sicheng had revealed this information, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Mu Sicheng would never disclose the origins of his stolen goods. That was basic professional instinct.
Mu Sicheng himself was equally stunned. He had never told Bai Liu where the Judge's Scale came from.
"How do you know I stole it from Puppet Zhang?!" Mu Sicheng demanded instinctively.
"Because he used the same trick on you before—through Liu Huai," Bai Liu replied lazily, leaning back against the wall. His eyes were half-closed as his fingers tapped idly against the chair. "People tend to trust items they're familiar with. They use them repeatedly."
"At a life-or-death moment, Puppet Zhang didn't suggest using his own item. Instead, he instinctively pushed me to trust yours. Considering that you two were hostile before, doesn't that seem suspicious? Given your abilities, this is the most reasonable conclusion."
Puppet Zhang felt his heart pound violently. It was as if every layer of his disguise had been peeled away.
His palms pressed against the floor were soaked in sweat. Beads of perspiration slid down his jaw as he stared at Bai Liu in genuine fear.
From the very beginning, Bai Liu had intended to eliminate him.
From the moment he was controlled, Bai Liu had already been preparing for his death.
Was this really only his second game?
Why did he show no hesitation toward killing? What kind of life did this person live outside the game?
"Alright," Bai Liu said calmly, shifting his gaze to the three puppets in the corner. "Next, we'll choose one of you to deliver the bomb."
His vision blurred from blood loss and exhaustion. His body swayed, and Mu Sicheng stepped forward to steady him.
Bai Liu lowered his head and coughed violently.
Mu Sicheng glanced at him with a complicated expression. "Are you really going to make Puppet Zhang hold the mirror? You've already controlled him. He should be valuable to you. Why not keep him alive?"
"There is value," Bai Liu replied casually, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. It came away red—he had coughed up blood again. He flicked the droplets aside without concern.
"But it's too wasteful to have you constantly guarding me because of him. So I can only eliminate him."
He spoke lightly, as if discussing something trivial.
"I chose Puppet Zhang to hold the mirror because once I fall into the water, my control will likely weaken. I won't be able to control everyone. If Puppet Zhang seizes that moment to retaliate, you won't be able to handle him. However, you can handle the remaining puppets. So it's acceptable if they fall out of my control."
"At the next station, I'll use them to quickly collect the remaining broken lenses before the explosion. Then we'll grab the fragments and retreat. Their movement speed can't compare to yours, and Du Sanying still has eighty points of luck."
Bai Liu's voice remained calm. "That's enough for the three of us to clear the instance."