Chapter 15: The small town of Siren

"Holy shit!" Wang Shun blurted out, his voice filled with panic. "I haven't gathered any information on god-tier NPCs yet, don't do anything reckless!"

"That wax figure will alienate you when you touch it," Wang Shun continued, his tone urgent. "And once you're alienated, your mental value will drop. If it reaches zero, you'll start to lose your grip on reality and spiral into delirium. Before you know it, you'll be screwed!"

Wang Shun's animated warning caught the attention of several players watching the broadcast on the small TV. The [Comedy of Death] division, where the game is often played with deadly excitement for the sake of entertainment, was buzzing with reactions. Some players loved the thrill of such risky moves, while others preferred to avoid danger at all costs.

As the audience watched, their eyes widened when they saw Bai Liu reaching out to touch the wax figure of a mermaid. "Wow, I've never seen this kind of death. He's touching a monster by himself... what's he thinking?" one spectator commented, clearly fascinated.

Wang Shun turned toward the audience, his voice dripping with disdain as he pointed at Bai Liu on the screen. "I followed this player all the way from the center screen. He's been racking up points so quickly—almost a hundred points in one go! And do you know what he spent those points on?"

"Hundreds of points?" the spectator replied, surprised as they glanced at the time record on the TV. "It's only the second day in the game and he's already got hundreds of points? That's impressive. So, it must be leading up to the [Comedy of Death] division."

Before the spectator could finish, Bai Liu on the screen was already nearly pressing his face to the wax figure, tracing its features with his fingers. The crowd gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.

"But it makes sense. With his style of play, he would've made it here quickly... But what did he buy?" the spectator mused. "If there's something useful for Siren, a hundred points could buy a lot... maybe a flaming torch or some water bubbles. That would be perfect for this situation."

"No way?!" The audience collectively stared in disbelief. "Nine barrels of alcohol?! Who even buys that stuff?"

Wang Shun nodded, his face serious. "In theory, the flame and light intensity from burning alcohol wouldn't be enough to affect the mermaid wax figures or the sailors..."

He leaned in closer to the screen, his curiosity piqued. "But what's going on? He's been touching it for so long, why hasn't he started to alienate? He should've already begun to lose his mental value."

Other viewers furrowed their brows in confusion. "It's been five minutes… he should be alienated by now, his spirit value should be dropping to zero."

Bai Liu, unfazed by the situation, continued to casually touch the wax figures of the mermaids, his fingers moving along the lines of the sculpture as if he were a sculptor admiring his own work, not a player interacting with a monster.

His expression was calm, almost detached, as he spoke aloud to himself, as if conversing with the wax figure.

"Your face hasn't changed into mine yet. When those mermaid wax figures tried to attack and hatch me before, their faces would resemble mine. But yours… your face remains in the cocoon form, unchanged, meaning touching you doesn't alienate me. You're still in your chrysalis state — you can't hatch me because you're—"

Bai Liu smiled up at the wax figure.

"You're a talisman for the sailors. A cocoon for them. You won't hatch me. You're not coming back."

Bai Liu was holding a wax figure of a mermaid with the exact features of a sailor he had seen on deck. Up close, he noticed something unusual — the wax figures had lost their color, and the material felt brittle and thin, unlike the wax figures he had encountered elsewhere.

These wax figures seemed similar to the one in the hotel lobby known as the [Talisman], which, in monster lore, was called the [Cocoon Form]. If Bai Liu's theory was correct, the wax figures of the mermaids were amulets for the sailors on board. These figures were their [cocoons], lifeless and incapable of attack. When a wax figure transformed from [chrysalis] to [cocoon], it meant the creature inside had already metamorphosed into something else, leaving behind an empty shell.

The sailors wandering around the ship were the monsters trapped inside these cocoons.

[Siren Small Town Monster Book Update – Mermaid Sailor (3/4)]

[Monster Name: Mermaid Sailor (Butterfly Status)]

[Weakness: ???? (To be explored)]

[Attack Method: ???? (To be explored)]

Wang Shun and the spectator in front of the small TV were both staring in stunned silence.

Leaning closer to the screen, Wang Shun watched the refreshed monster book in disbelief. "I've watched the Siren Small Town clearance video so many times," he muttered, "and never once did I notice a monster here that I didn't have to avoid. Even God Mu, the top scorer for this version of Siren Town, missed the fact that this place is a cocoon, not a chrysalis."

He rubbed his eyes, trying to process what he was seeing. "Usually, you have to get chased by these amulets to trigger the mermaid sailor monsters and unlock this page of the monster book. How the hell did Bai Liu know he could avoid the wax figure?"

The spectator, equally bewildered, gasped. "Wait... is he going to collect all the monster books in Siren Town to clear the level? That's insane! The last time someone did that was God Mu!"

Wang Shun snapped back to reality, immediately shaking his head. "No way." He adjusted his glasses, eyes narrowing as he gave Bai Liu a mixture of appreciation and regret. "He wasn't lucky with the second page... the monster book that was swiped was a wandering NPC."

He leaned in, explaining further. "The Siren King has no weaknesses. To collect that page, players need to trigger the Siren King's awakening. But once that NPC attacks, it's game over — players are guaranteed to die."

The spectator was left speechless. "Wait, he even swiped a roaming NPC?!" The crowd's excitement surged. "I've never seen a player with a wandering NPC still alive! Everyone who swiped it just quit the game... this guy is still going, and he's not even panicking?!"

Wang Shun chuckled. "You're all uninformed, I guess. He's new."

Their loud conversation drew the attention of more spectators, who were now gathered around, captivated by the unfolding drama on the screen. Bai Liu's actions, combined with the refresh of a three-page monster book on the very first day, drew in many curious onlookers.

The viewers in the [Comedy of Death] section, known for their love of players who break the mold, were particularly impressed.

"This is awesome!" one player shouted. "I love it when he plays like this, so crazy and fearless!"

"Don't back down, Bai Liu! Go for it! Let's see what you do next!"

[205 new people liked Bai Liu's TV, 200 new people favorited Bai Liu's TV, 35 people charged Bai Liu's TV, player Bai Liu earned 35 points.]

[297 people are currently watching Bai Liu's mini-TV.]

[Congratulations to Bai Liu for becoming a hit in the Death Comedy Zone! You've been awarded the title of Death Comedian! Keep entertaining your viewers with your clever gameplay and keep them on the edge of their seats!]

Despite the growing excitement around him, Bai Liu's focus remained sharp. He had paused his ascent when he realized the sailors were monsters. "If I'm right," he mused, "the doorway to the warehouse that lured me down is definitely guarded by sailors. If I go up there now, I'll trigger a chase with the sailors — not a good idea."

The real danger came from the wax figures. "If players don't know these wax figures are harmless, they'll get ambushed when they rush away, and the sailors will attack. It's a death trap, no less."

Bai Liu smiled wryly, a slight amusement crossing his face. "The game design is so obvious; it's easy to figure out how to crack this chase. All I need to do is jump into the sea."

He paused for a moment, gazing out at the waves. "But I don't like the sea."