All the illusions shattered before Bai Liu like fragments of a broken mirror, and every version of Bai Liu within them burned away like photographs tossed into a fire.
Bai Liu slowly opened his unfocused eyes.
Everyone instinctively held their breath and stepped back. Huddled in the corner, Du Sanying stared at the vacant-eyed Bai Liu and swallowed hard, edging backward as well.
The feeling gnawing at him was strange. Bai Liu made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, yet at the same time filled him with a pulse-pounding thrill.
“What the hell is going on now...” Du Sanying muttered under his breath. “Did we just gain another monster on our side, or...”
Mu Shicheng’s pitch-black monkey claws were slowly being dragged out through the train door. His claws scraped weakly against the frame, as though he were trying to stop himself from being pulled away. The doors continued to slide shut, leaving only a narrow glimpse of Mu Shicheng’s empty snow-white eyes through the crack, filled with unwillingness.
Then Bai Liu moved.
He moved so fast it was nearly impossible to track. He crossed the carriage in a single burst, steel flooring denting beneath his footsteps. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the closing doors where Mu Shicheng was about to be dragged outside. Expression calm, Bai Liu jammed both feet into the narrowing gap, bracing himself against the frame just before Mu Shicheng’s hand vanished completely, forcibly stopping the doors from closing.
Bai Liu exhaled sharply.
He gripped both sides of the door and pulled outward with terrifying force. The muscles across his shoulders tightened so hard his shoulder blades visibly strained beneath his shirt. The thick glass doors shrieked with a piercing crack before exploding into countless fragments with a deafening bang.
The heavy carriage doors were torn open by Bai Liu’s bare hands.
“Holy shit...” Du Sanying gaped. “Did Bai Liu evolve into some kind of King Kong Barbie?!”
Outside the train, both the passengers and the Thief Didi dragging Mu Shicheng froze simultaneously. The sight of Bai Liu ripping the doors apart triggered an instinctive sense of danger in them. The Thief Didi let out a furious roar, flames erupting around his raised fist as he smashed downward at Bai Liu.
Bai Liu blurred sideways.
Tilting his head to evade the blow, he bent smoothly at the waist and yanked Mu Shicheng back inside in one clean motion before driving a kick into the Thief Didi and sending him flying.
That completely enraged the Thief Didi.
Flames burst across his entire body as he slammed a fist into the ground. The moving train carriage was engulfed in fire once more, violently pinned in place by brute force.
Zhang Kui was utterly dumbfounded.
“Bai Liu?!” he shouted uncertainly. “You didn’t lose your mind?!”
Bai Liu glanced back at him calmly. “There’s no need to restrain me. I’m conscious. Release your puppet threads and catch Mu Shicheng.”
He swung Mu Shicheng toward Zhang Kui in the next carriage while stepping directly into the Thief Didi’s path. The monster glared at Bai Liu in fury, yet instead of continuing to attack him, it immediately abandoned him and lunged again for Mu Shicheng.
The flaming fist tore through the air toward Mu Shicheng’s airborne body.
From the very beginning, the Thief Didi’s true target had always been Mu Shicheng.
By the time Bai Liu realized it, the monster’s savage punch was already descending. Bai Liu twisted around and violently grabbed the back of Mu Shicheng’s collar, flinging him away while taking the blow himself.
Blood burst from Bai Liu’s mouth, splattering across Mu Shicheng’s pale face.
Mu Shicheng’s charred blackened right hand twitched suddenly.
[System Notification: Player Bai Liu’s Health Points have dropped to 6!]
“Tch.”
Bai Liu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He flipped backward to avoid another attack from the Thief Didi and panted lightly before smiling at the motionless Mu Shicheng behind him.
“Nicely done. No wonder the Thief Didi was trying so desperately to drag you away. Turns out you stole his mirror shard. His aggro’s locked onto you.”
Clutched tightly within Mu Shicheng’s monkey claw was a heart-sized mirror shard.
He had remained unconscious for so long, yet still refused to let go of it.
That had also been part of Bai Liu’s plan from the start.
Mu Shicheng had remembered.
As Bai Liu spoke, he twisted again and kicked the Thief Didi off the train. The monster roared furiously and tried to smash its way back inside. Bai Liu exchanged blows with it several more times. Just as the Thief Didi prepared to unleash another large-scale flame attack in a frenzy, Bai Liu coldly barked at the stunned group:
“Get over here and help me shut the door! Once the train starts moving again, we’re safe!”
The others finally snapped out of it and rushed over to force the mangled doors closed. After barely enduring the Thief Didi’s final strike—its strength already greatly weakened after losing the shard embedded in its chest—the battered train lurched forward once more, creaking and groaning as it slowly pulled away.
Everyone collapsed from exhaustion.
Zhang Kui and his three puppets leaned weakly against the doors, staring blankly at Bai Liu. Du Sanying slumped into a seat, panting like a dog, drenched in sweat.
Bai Liu walked to the corner and crouched down.
He, too, had reached his limit. The state caused by a broken mental value consumed enormous energy. Leaning back against the scarred carriage wall, Bai Liu’s chest rose and fell as he steadied his breathing.
He bought two bottles of Mental Value Bleach and two bottles of Stamina Recovery Agent.
After drinking one of each himself, he unceremoniously poured the remaining two bottles down Mu Shicheng’s throat. His method was so rough Mu Shicheng nearly choked to death midway through. Coughing violently, he finally regained consciousness.
Bai Liu sat beside him and handed over the bottles.
“Drink it yourself. Also, those two bottles cost 1,700 points total. Since I bought them on your behalf, there’s a ten percent service charge. That comes to 1,870 points. Thank you for your patronage.”
After saying that, Bai Liu very naturally held out his hand.
The meaning could not have been clearer.
Mu Shicheng, who had only just escaped death and recovered his senses: “...”
Silently, he transferred 1,870 points to Bai Liu.
Then his hand paused when he touched the blood smeared across his face.
That blood had come from Bai Liu taking the punch for him.
Bai Liu never brought it up, but Mu Shicheng had vaguely seen him step in front of him at the last second. For someone as cold-blooded as Bai Liu to save him without saying a word about it afterward...
It made Mu Shicheng feel strangely uncomfortable.
He looked away and casually tossed the mirror shard he’d protected the entire time toward Bai Liu.
“Here. Take it.”
Bai Liu accepted it naturally, without even asking why Mu Shicheng was giving it to him.
Everything between them felt oddly natural.
Mu Shicheng finally couldn’t hold back anymore. Pretending not to care, he asked, “Back there... you actually came to save me. I thought you wouldn’t bother with someone like me. Didn’t expect you to have a conscience after all.”
“It has nothing to do with conscience.” Bai Liu spoke casually while wiping blood from his mouth. “If our relationship were based purely on utility, I really could have abandoned you. I still would’ve been able to clear the game more easily that way.”
“But we’re partners. We made an agreement. I said I wouldn’t let you die, so I won’t let you die. That’s the transaction.”
Mu Shicheng let out a dazed scoff. “Transaction? What transaction?”
“A one-point transaction.”
Bai Liu took small sips from the Mental Value Bleach as though reminiscing about something.
“When we finalized our cooperation, you gave me one point. Don’t you remember?”
Mu Shicheng fell silent for a very long time.
He lowered his head as though remembering countless things—or perhaps nothing at all.
The dark-red glow in his eyes flickered before gradually settling into calmness. Suddenly, he chuckled softly.
“That was one hell of a cost-effective point... Bai Liu, you’re a really strange person.”
“You’re not the first person to say that.” Bai Liu tipped back his head and drained the rest of the bleach. “And you probably won’t be the last.”
[System Notification: Player Bai Liu used Mental Value Bleach. Mental Value restored to 60.]
[System Notification: Player Bai Liu obtained the large mirror shard carried by the (Thief Brothers) (1 large shard = 20 small fragments). Combined with the shards in player Zhang Kui’s possession, total collected fragments: 100.]
[Collection Progress: Mirror Shards (100/400)]
[The Last Train to Blast Off Monster Book Updated — Thief Brothers (2/3)]
[Monster Name: Thief Brothers (Didi)]
[Characteristics: Extremely large and powerful. Exceptionally high movement speed. Can launch a large-scale area attack once every minute (movement speed 1400; flames provide a movement bonus). Becomes violent when angered and enjoys using fists to force others into obedience. Extremely high attack power.]
[Weakness: Mirror shard embedded in chest (1/3)]
[Attack Methods: Furious Smash, Blazing Impact (Due to the theft of the vital mirror shard within its chest, the Thief Didi has entered an unstable weakened state. Attack power and movement speed have greatly decreased. Player survival rate in combat has increased.)]
[System Warning: Player Bai Liu’s Health Points are only 6! Player is on the verge of death! Please prioritize self-protection!]
Bai Liu closed his eyes and leaned back against the carriage wall.
Only then did he finally let out a long breath.
A tired smile appeared on his face—victorious, smug, and carrying a rare trace of humanity.
“Everyone survived,” he murmured. “And there are still seven stations left.”
Mu Shicheng was quiet for a moment before laughing as well.
“Yeah. We all survived. Thanks to your insane plan.”
That’s right.
From the very beginning, Bai Liu’s plan had been the impossible Option One—
—He wanted everyone to survive.
This madman wanted to control everyone and keep every single one of them alive.
Because in a game that constantly consumed health points, that was the most cost-effective strategy possible.
Bai Liu wouldn’t waste even a single point of anyone’s health.
It was precisely that extreme greed that made Mu Shicheng trust him.
Trust that Bai Liu truly would not let him die so easily.
***
Five minutes earlier.
The moment Bai Liu said he intended to cooperate with the Puppet Master, Mu Shicheng exploded.
“Cooperate with who?! The fucking Puppet Master?!”
“We have to cooperate.” Bai Liu remained perfectly calm. “Or rather, I need to control everyone myself to maximize the efficiency ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) of health point allocation.”
“Our total health points are already too low. I only have twenty-one left. You have seventy-something. Du Sanying is still at full health. Even combined, we only have a little over one hundred.”
“Meanwhile, after deducting twenty points for shards and another ten for testing, the Puppet Master’s side still has around three hundred seventy. Together, we have barely over six hundred health points.”
Bai Liu’s tone remained flat.
“That’s far too little for a game that requires consuming four hundred health points to clear.”
“In other words,” he continued evenly, “one of us is already dead without realizing it.”
“We’ve already killed one player.”
Mu Shicheng couldn’t help complaining, “Most of those lost health points came from you! You burned through more than seventy yourself!”
“Oh? Really?” Bai Liu immediately pretended ignorance and changed the subject without missing a beat. “Anyway, if the total shard count is four hundred and we currently estimate forty consumed per stage, then we still need to lose another three hundred sixty health points.”
Then his expression sharpened slightly.
“But there’s an even more important issue. We’ve already passed two stations, yet the Monster Book has only updated one page.”
Bai Liu opened the System Monster Book and pointed at it.
“‘The Last Train to Blast Off’ Monster Book contains three pages. Which means there are at least two more monsters we haven’t encountered yet.”
Mu Shicheng’s face darkened. “At twenty percent game progress, that usually means new monsters are about to appear.”
Bai Liu nodded.
“And following standard game logic, the monsters introduced now should be more troublesome than the Explosive Passengers.”
“It’ll definitely become harder to obtain shards from them. Assuming we still need to lose three hundred sixty health points while fighting two stronger unknown monsters...” Bai Liu spread his hands. “Even if every death comes from the Puppet Master’s side, we’d still only have about two and a half people left alive.”
He looked at them calmly.
“So what do you think is more likely? Clearing the game—or a total wipe?”
Mu Shicheng and Du Sanying both fell silent.
After a moment, Mu Shicheng looked at Bai Liu and asked, “So what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Simple.” Bai Liu’s voice remained calm. “Everyone survives first. That way we maximize combat strength.”
Du Sanying looked dizzy from trying to follow. “But didn’t you already say it was impossible for everyone to survive?”
“I said that from Zhang Kui’s perspective,” Bai Liu corrected. “If Zhang Kui controls the situation, then yes—it’s impossible.”
“We need their combat strength to fight monsters and protect us, which means we need them alive. But from their perspective, weak players like us have very little value. If the next monsters become difficult enough, Zhang Kui could simply sacrifice us to clear the game.”
Du Sanying became even more confused.
“Then why cooperate with the Puppet Master at all?! Wouldn’t that just mean handing ourselves over for him to control?”
A faint smile curved Bai Liu’s lips.
“Exactly. We want him to believe he’s already controlling all of us.”
Both Du Sanying and Mu Shicheng froze.
“If I were Zhang Kui,” Bai Liu continued, “I wouldn’t confront us head-on. That would increase health point consumption. The most efficient method would be to separate us first and recruit us individually.”
“For someone like me—profit-driven and weak—he’d probably use temptation and cut off my escape routes. And my obvious escape route is Mu Shicheng, a player with a powerful status panel.”
Bai Liu turned toward Mu Shicheng.
“As for a strong player like Mu Shicheng, if I were Zhang Kui, I wouldn’t fight directly either. I’d use schemes instead. Since this game includes Mental Value, I’d try every possible method to lower your Mental Value first, then control or sacrifice you once you lost coherence.”
Mu Shicheng’s mouth twitched.
Hearing Bai Liu openly discuss plotting against him right in front of him felt bizarre.
Crossing his arms, Mu Shicheng raised a brow.
“And despite knowing all that, you still want to cooperate with Zhang Kui? Once he controls us, he could sacrifice us whenever he wants. How exactly are you planning to keep everyone alive?”
“He controls everyone,” Bai Liu said while lifting his eyes to meet Mu Shicheng’s directly, “and I control him through Cooperation.”
“It’s that simple.”
Mu Shicheng sneered.
“And how are you planning to control him? What exactly are you relying on to force Zhang Kui into cooperating with you?”
Bai Liu looked straight at him.
“You, Mu Shicheng.”
“You’re going to do something extremely dangerous. Something with a very high chance of getting you killed. But through that, I’ll be able to control Zhang Kui.”
Mu Shicheng froze.
“But even if you’re left with only one health point,” Bai Liu continued steadily, “I’ll keep you alive.”
His gaze was calm yet strangely forceful.
“Mu Shicheng, you are my most valuable card. As long as you follow my plan, no matter what happens, I guarantee your survival.”
The final plan Bai Liu proposed was full of uncertainty and variables.
Mu Shicheng didn’t even know Bai Liu’s personal skill, nor whether Bai Liu’s so-called Cooperation ability could possibly overpower the Puppet Master’s Puppet Threads.
And yet, in that instant—
while being stared at by Bai Liu without a trace of hesitation—
Mu Shicheng found himself irrationally persuaded.
Almost unconsciously, he agreed to this absurd, reckless gamble.
Looking into Bai Liu’s eyes, Mu Shicheng saw his own reflection clearly mirrored there.
And he remembered Bai Liu whipping the monster again and again, exhausting himself just to keep the monster’s aggro focused on him.
This man was a lunatic who never retreated.
Several times Bai Liu had nearly fallen from the train, yet not once had he looked away from Mu Shicheng.
Just like Bai Liu himself had said:
To ensure your survival, I won’t miss a single strike.
Back then, Liu Huai had once played a similar role—drawing aggro and keeping watch while Mu Shicheng stole.
Liu Huai had been extremely suited to that role.
But Mu Shicheng suddenly realized something.
If Liu Huai had been here today, in that situation where the monster’s mirror shard needed to be stolen...
Liu Huai probably would’ve failed.
Because Liu Huai would never have thrown himself away like Bai Liu did.
Bai Liu had openly revealed the core of his entire plan to Mu Shicheng without hiding anything at all—
the effect of the Siren’s Amulet.
If Mu Shicheng used that item, Bai Liu would become Zhang Kui’s puppet completely, and the entire plan would collapse.
Mu Shicheng fell silent for a moment before sneering.
“You just told me all of that? Aren’t you worried I’ll betray you and use it for real?”
Bai Liu simply watched him quietly.
His pupils were dark—so dark that when he looked at someone while slightly tilting his head upward, the other person appeared reflected within them as clearly as in a mirror.
It created the illusion that this calculating, manipulative man was trusting you wholeheartedly.
Very softly, Bai Liu asked:
“Will you use it?”
Mu Shicheng closed his eyes slightly.
After a long silence, he answered:
“Bai Liu, I can’t guarantee that I won’t use the Siren’s Amulet if my Mental Value drops below ten. Survival instinct makes people do a lot of strange things.”
“Including betraying others.”
After saying that, he paused.
Bai Liu didn’t rush him. He simply waited quietly amid the roaring wind outside the speeding train.
Mu Shicheng took a deep breath.
“But if I really didn’t use the Siren’s Amulet...” He looked up. “Then that means, just like you wanted, this lunatic plan of yours succeeded.”
“It means I managed to stay sane even with my Mental Value below ten.”
“If you don’t use the Siren’s Amulet, Mu Shicheng,” Bai Liu said calmly, “then as long as I’m alive, I will save you.”
***
The Central Hall — Small TV Wall.
Aside from Bai Liu, the unlucky player trapped inside the Grave Dancing Area, nearly every player in The Last Train to Blast Off had secured a promotion slot within the Central Hall.
Even Li Gou had managed to squeeze into the Central Hall Edge Promotion Slot.
Zhang Kui, Du Sanying, and Mu Shicheng had long since occupied solid promotion positions.
At present, Zhang Kui’s promotion slot was the strongest.
Originally, he had been in the Central Hall Multiplayer Popular Promotion Slot, but after successfully controlling Bai Liu, the likes, recommendations, and donations on his small TV exploded, propelling him directly into the Central Hall Core Promotion Slot.
Meanwhile, Mu Shicheng and Du Sanying’s situation was less optimistic.
After the two of them were “controlled” by Bai Liu, audiences found their streams less entertaining and gradually drifted toward Bai Liu’s small TV instead, causing their rankings to slip.
And Zhang Kui, thanks to controlling Bai Liu, became the first player in The Last Train to Blast Off to break into the Core Promotion Slot.
The viewers in Zhang Kui’s stream were ecstatic.
“Zhang Kui is insane this round! As expected of someone with 93 Intelligence!”
“He completely seized control of the field!”
“Wait, let me think about this... Zhang Kui controls Bai Liu, Bai Liu controls Mu Shicheng and Du Sanying... Holy shit, doesn’t that mean Zhang Kui indirectly controls everyone?!”
“I’m crying for my Xiao Zhang! He chased after God Mu for so long, and today he finally conquered him through someone else!”
“I’m dying laughing. The love-hate finale between Zhang Kui and Mu Shicheng finally happened. I thought Bai Liu, the third wheel, might interfere, but Bai Liu really is nowhere near Zhang Kui’s level. The gap in status and strength is way too huge!”
The audience continued discussing excitedly.
Then suddenly, one viewer noticed something strange.
“Wait a second... that’s weird. Zhang Kui’s performance is amazing right now, so logically the viewers from Mu Shicheng and Du Sanying’s streams should all be flowing here...”
“Then why is everyone still running to Bai Liu’s small TV instead?”
