Chapter 11: The small town of Siren

Four intense beams of light blazed from every direction, converging on the mermaid wax figures. For a moment, Bai Liu's small TV screen was so dazzlingly bright that the pure white glare overwhelmed the neighboring screens, forcing viewers to shield their eyes.

The mermaid wax figures recoiled under the assault of the torchlight. Their stiff forms jerked backward as if in agony, their melting hands moving instinctively to shield their hollow, eyeless faces.

Under the relentless beams, the figures began to shrink and curl into themselves like criminals caught in a spotlight. Some crouched low, their bodies folding inward, while others tried to bury their heads in their arms, desperate to escape the glare.

Bai Liu crouched before them, a devilish grin playing on his lips. His voice was soft but cutting: "I was right. You really are afraid of the light."

The crowd watching his small TV screen fell silent.

One player, who had just criticized Bai Liu moments earlier, broke the quiet, his voice raised in disbelief. "No way! There's no way those cheap projectors could reproduce torchlight this perfectly! That's not scientific!"

Another spectator snorted. "Scientific? Really? You're looking for logic in a game where mermaid wax figures are a thing?"

Someone else added, "Actually, I just checked the manual for those projectors. They're optical projectors. Most of their specs are garbage, but they're crazy efficient at reflecting light. Something like 80% energy efficiency."

"Seriously? You didn't even bother reading the system instructions before trashing the guy?" another viewer laughed. "Kind of embarrassing, no?"

"I mean... I just bought three of those projectors myself. Couldn't resist," a viewer admitted sheepishly.

Meanwhile, on the neighboring screen, the torch-wielding player was having a much rougher time. Waving his blazing torch frantically, he shouted threats at the encroaching wax figures. His movements were panicked as he attempted to force his way toward the newspaper floating in the "hot tub."

The wax figures, their grim faces and outstretched claws, pushed him closer and closer to the brink. The scene was tense, thrilling even—a chaotic, life-or-death struggle.

But compared to Bai Liu's side, it felt almost comical.

Bai Liu, accompanied by his three projections, had encircled the wax figures like an officer leading a tactical operation. The intense torchlight kept the wax figures cowering pathetically in the center, their once-menacing forms now helpless and motionless.

As the wax figures quivered under the light, Bai Liu stood calmly by the hot tub, casually reading the newspaper as if on vacation.

The contrast was undeniable, and the audience couldn't ignore it.

[347 people liked Bai Liu's TV, 355 people favorited Bai Liu's TV, 21 people charged Bai Liu's TV, awarding him 21 points.]

[Player Bai Liu has gained over 300 likes in under a minute. His reputation is soaring!]

[Congratulations! Player Bai Liu has earned a promotional spot on the central lobby game screen's fringe section. Views are rapidly increasing...]

The sudden surge in attention left viewers stunned.

"I've never seen a newbie player make it onto the central gaming lobby screen—let alone so quickly," one muttered in awe.

"It's like we're witnessing the rise of a new star..." another whispered.

[Siren Town Monster Book Updated!]

[Monster Name: Mermaid Wax Figure (Nymph Status), Amulet Wax Figure (Cocoon Status)]

[Weaknesses: Direct eye contact with humans, exposure to strong light (2/3).]

[Mode of Attack: Hatching.]

[Player Bai Liu is one weakness away from completing the "Mermaid Wax" Monster Book page. Completing it will unlock a corresponding reward at the end of the game.]

Bai Liu had long suspected that the mermaid wax figures had an aversion to light. It wasn't a difficult deduction.

The driver had mentioned earlier that large fish are typically caught at night because they tend to avoid light. Since the mermaid fishing event in Siren Town also occurred at night, it stood to reason that mermaids—and by extension, mermaid wax figures—were light-averse creatures.

Still, Bai Liu hadn't yet drawn a definitive connection between mermaids and their wax figure counterparts regarding this particular trait. His observations provided a clue: during the day, no mermaid wax figures were visible anywhere in Siren Town.

This absence was telling. If mermaid wax figures truly feared light, then perhaps they only emerged at night when the shadows offered them protection.

Bai Liu, as always, would patiently piece together the puzzle in due time.

The dimly lit hotel and the Siren Wax Museum were rife with mermaid wax figures. Bai Liu had already deduced that these figures were creatures devoid of hearing or smell, relying solely on their extraordinary vision. This heightened sensitivity to light was likely their greatest weakness.

The conclusion was almost self-evident: mermaid wax figures fear strong light.

Once Bai Liu arrived at this hypothesis, he resolved to test its limits systematically.

How much light would it take to repel a mermaid wax figure?

How long would the effect last?

Could light effectively break an encirclement formed by the wax figures?

To find answers, Bai Liu deliberately lured the wax figures into an enclosure. Using intense beams of light and a 3D projector, he attempted to force his way out.

Failure was always a possibility, but Bai Liu wasn't one to shy away from taking risks.

With a 10% or better chance of success, Bai Liu would gamble without hesitation.

For him, risk was intrinsic to the nature of games—and even more so in their creation. Failure wasn't discouraging; it was part of the process.

Having dealt with the wax figures, Bai Liu's attention shifted to the softened newspaper soaking in the sink.

Grabbing the paper, he carefully tore it apart at the back.

Sure enough, it wasn't an ordinary newspaper.

[Player Bai Liu has completed the task: Separate the newspaper at the hot tub. Bonus: 10 points.]

[Charge points: 21. Current points balance: 31. Would you like to buy props?]

Bai Liu declined the offer and examined the torn newspaper.

Upon closer inspection, the thickness of the two halves was different. One section was visibly thinner. Curious, Bai Liu gripped the thicker half and tore it again.

It separated once more.

His brow furrowed. Despite the system confirming the task was complete, the hidden layers within the newspaper suggested otherwise. If Bai Liu hadn't scrutinized it further, he might have missed crucial information.

This game really knew how to bait players into traps.

After seven or eight tears, the sink was filled with soaked scraps of old newspaper. Satisfied that there were no further tricks, Bai Liu scanned their contents.

The headlines were uniform across all nine newspapers: police reports and missing persons notices for tourists.

The number of disappearances was staggering.

The earliest case dated back to the previous year, coinciding with the Siren Wax Museum's opening. Initially, there were only a few reports of missing tourists, often accompanied by signs of robbery.

In a popular seaside tourist destination, a couple of disappearances per month weren't unusual. Crowded attractions often attracted crime. Some incidents were dismissed as accidents—overboard falls or abductions. These cases were typically handled quietly.

But according to Jeff, the outside world remained oblivious until just last month. Despite the growing number of disappearances, tourism in Siren Town thrived unabated.

It wasn't until twelve tourists went missing in a single month, accompanied by increasingly eerie occurrences, that the situation could no longer be suppressed.

Bai Liu suspected Mayor Harris, the so-called "people-loving" leader of Siren Town, had concealed the earlier disappearances to maintain the town's tourism-driven economy.

But now, the truth was unraveling too fast to hide.

From these newspapers, one thing was clear: the townspeople of Siren Town were experts at covering up crime.

After pocketing the newspapers and projector, Bai Liu shone his torch backward. The mermaid wax figures remained motionless in the corridor, allowing him to leave unimpeded.

He made his way to the central gallery of the Siren Wax Museum, where Lucy and the others awaited him.

The central gallery was a circular hall, dominated by a glass display case at its center. The case, made of bulletproof, crystal-clear glass, contained what the driver described as "the immaculate mermaid skeleton"—the catalyst for everything.

The lights illuminated the case from every angle, creating an ethereal, almost reverent glow around the figure within.

Bai Liu stopped dead in his tracks as he entered the gallery.

The figure in the case wasn't what he would consider a "skeleton."

Lucy, gazing at the figure with fascination, murmured, "It's so beautiful... I've never seen anything this perfect—not even computer-generated models."

Jeff, the bespectacled boy, stood frozen, his disbelief evident as he stared up at the display.

Andre, ever skeptical, scoffed. "You've all been fooled. It's a trick—probably just a human body with a fish tail sewn on to draw attention."

Still, even Andre couldn't resist a grudging compliment. "But... it does look well-made."

The figure in the glass was mesmerizing.

Its right arm, from shoulder to hand, was stripped to bare white bone, while the rest of its body retained lifelike flesh.

Its sinewy musculature was elegant and severe, the contours of its body framed by the deep, sapphire-blue liquid in the case.

Delicate bubbles rose slowly through the water, curling through the figure's dark, flowing hair before settling like pearls on its long, pale lashes.

Its eyes were closed, its face breathtakingly flawless. Long, slightly curled hair framed its sharp features, and tucked behind the strands were ears unlike any human's.

Its left ear was shaped like a shell, shimmering with a mica-like texture. Its right ear, however, was skeletal—bare white bone exposed through the waves of hair.

The figure's lower body ended in a magnificent tail, like a silver-blue ribbon glinting under seawater. Translucent scales caught the light, while the fins between its fingers and along its tail shimmered like fragile glass.

Its left hand, skeletal and stark, rested across its chest, intertwining with its flesh-covered right hand.