The Web of Deceit in Siren Town

After reading Mike Li's history, Shawn was the first to realize that having access to the All-Knowing skill, which allows players to view others' pasts, wasn't a great benefit.

This game attracted people with intense desires—there was no shortage of vicious individuals here. On the contrary, this place was the perfect stage and battleground for them. Many seasoned players had blood on their hands.

Shawn worried as he looked at the small TV screen showing Liam. He sighed deeply.

While the game wasn't yet over, a butcher was already guarding Liam. 

Liam, you really are a walking disaster.

---

[126 people liked Liam's small TV. 675 people saved it. 0 people charged it. 378 people disliked it.] 

[Liam gained 3,000 viewers in one minute, but his like rate was less than one-tenth. Most viewers are just here for the drama.] 

[A high-level player, Mike Li, watches Liam's small TV. Congratulations to Liam for gaining his first high-level viewer!] 

[Mike Li disliked Liam's small TV. It looks like this high-level player doesn't think much of him.]

---

Liam spent the night alone on the sea, waiting for daylight. Before long, the large ship that had left last night returned. He noticed that Gerf and Lucy were at the bow, with Gerf seemingly comforting Lucy, his hand resting on her shoulder.

On the verge of breaking down, Lucy buried her head in Gerf's arms, being gently comforted. 

Gerf kissed the side of Lucy's tear-streaked face occasionally, and Lucy didn't seem to reject him. In fact, she depended on him a little.

Liam raised an eyebrow, observing the scene. Not only had his True Love Ship successfully docked, but Gerf and Lucy had also climbed aboard their own True Love Ship overnight.

However, when the ship got closer, Lucy and Gerf saw Liam, who appeared to have spent the night wrapped in a blanket like he had been sleeping peacefully. Lucy screamed, clutching her chest and pushing Gerf away.

Gerf seemed incredulous and then very flustered. He stepped back a few steps, his hands flailing as he asked, "Liam, you… you're okay? No, I mean, are you alright?"

Liam calmly climbed the rope ladder dropped from the ship, his gaze lingering meaningfully between Lucy and Gerf before offering a warm smile. "I'm fine. Good morning, Gerf Lucy. I had a rather pleasant night. Seems like you two did, too?"

Lucy flustered, reached out to hug Liam's arm, but he subtly avoided her.

Lucy covered her face and started crying. "No, last night Gerf told me you and Andre would die. I was so scared, I felt like it was all my fault, and Gerf comforted me."

Liam gave a half-smile but didn't press further. His attention shifted elsewhere.

With her pale face, Lucy seemed to experience an odd glitch in her movement. The texture in her hand was eerily like the mermaid wax statue charm that Liam had touched in the bottom warehouse earlier—a fragile, eggshell-like consistency with no strong fishy odour.

Gerf began to defend himself, his eyes dodging, "Yes, Lucy thought you and Andre would be in danger. She was just scared, and that's why she stayed with me. It wasn't anything."

He gave Liam a strained smile. "I know she's your girlfriend. I won't do anything. You're my best friend, Liam."

Liam wasn't convinced. "Where did you two spend the night? At the Mermaid Wax Museum, right?"

Lucy gasped, "How did you know?"

She began to rant. "Yes, they didn't allow us back to the hotel. It's some custom here, I guess. After participating in the mermaid fishing activity, we need to spend the night at the wax museum to wash off the blood and the killing aura."

"That place is terrifying, all those wax statues… it felt like they were moving at night. Wherever we went, there was always a wax statue blocking our way."

Gerf continued to smile awkwardly. "Liam, what about Andre? Where did he go?"

Liam smiled. "He's probably at the Mermaid Wax Museum waiting for us."

Gerf looked uncertainly at Andre's small boat on the sea. 

The boat was covered in dark, tar-like blood stains, with shredded pieces of clothing that clearly belonged to Andre.

Gerf's eyes flickered, and he looked down, letting out a grim smile of satisfaction.

Liam observed Gerf closely. It was clear that Andre's death seemed to satisfy Gerf.

But soon, Gerf pretended to be puzzled and looked at Liam, pointing to the boat. "But, Liam, Andre's boat is still here. He can't be back on shore yet…"

Gerf shrank back slightly, nervously avoiding Liam's gaze.

Lucy gasped, covering her mouth. "My God, Andre... he's really dead, isn't he, Liam?!"

She looked at Liam, a mix of disbelief and disappointment in her eyes. "Did you kill Andre?! You didn't push him into the sea, did you?"

Liam thought she might cry, but her eyes were dry. Right, how could a wax statue cry?

Gerf gave a pitiful look at Liam. "You shouldn't have done that. Even though Andre wasn't a good person, he still deserved the chance to live."

Liam gave a light laugh and stared directly into Gerf's eyes. "The same could be said for you."

Gerf became cautious and met Liam's gaze.

Liam shrugged casually, grinning at Lucy, still blaming him. "Once we get to the wax museum, you'll see Andre. I wouldn't lie to you."

"If I'm lying, we're done," Liam added with a mischievous smile.

Lucy hesitated, glancing at Liam's pants pocket, where he kept his wallet. Thinking of the expensive vacation costs, she finally fell silent.

Liam understood he was now 90% through Gerf's Bloody Conspiracy side mission.

He had overestimated the humanity of this game's NPCs. In this game, there wasn't a single teammate who showed even the slightest kindness. 

When he used to design games, the bosses would force him to praise friendship, truth, and beauty. At least they'd design a good NPC to pass through approval. He never expected that in this game, everyone would be a villain.

Liam grinned. This kind of full-evil setup was perfect for him.

Once he broke out of the Gerf-is-a-good-guy-because-he-knows-mermaids mindset, the last 10% of the Bloody Conspiracy mission was easy to solve.

No wonder Gerf had been so wary of Liam, and the progress bar for the Bloody Conspiracy mission had moved strangely twice. Gerf had wanted to kill two people all along: Liam and Andre.

The driver's task wasn't just to kill Andre and Liam. It probably included stealing their loot and other operations as well.

Looking back, it was odd that the player-led group had come to Siren Town. The player character was supposed to be a coward who would scream in fear even before boarding the boat to the cursed town. He would never have chosen to bet in a place like Siren Town.

The others didn't know about this place either—Andre clearly hadn't. Lucy was also a first-timer. The only one who knew about it and would suggest it for a dare was Gerf.

It made sense. Gerf had researched Siren Town and understood the dangerous nature of its residents and the difficulty of police investigations. Many people had disappeared without a trace. Siren Town was the perfect place to dispose of bodies.

Gerf's knowledge of mermaids wasn't to help the players succeed.

It was to help him kill them.

[Side Mission: Gerf's Bloody Conspiracy, 100% complete. Reward: 50 points]

[Unlocked hidden character state: Gerf, the vengeful]

Liam scanned Gerf with a coin:

[NPC Name: Gerf (??? status)] 

[Character Bio: A passionate lover of mermaids and sea monsters. After hearing that Lucy and the others were going to Siren Town, he volunteered to join, knowing the town's stories.] 

[Hidden Bio: After being constantly beaten by Andre and suffering from school violence, Gerf harbours a deep hatred for everything…] 

[...After earning your trust, Gerf grew envious of your beautiful girlfriend and wealth. He resented you for not helping him stand up for justice and wanted to take everything from you, even plotting to use you to kill Andre.] 

[Upon the chance encounter of betting with Andre, Gerf decided to use his beloved mermaids to kill both you and Andre.] 

[Warning: Gerf's trust level is extremely low. He is likely to attack the player. Please be cautious.]

Shawn finally understood, "So that's why! I've always wondered why Gerf kept trying to kill players in the later land chases. Even Mason nearly got killed."

Other players were grumbling:

"Damn! Gerf's really like that! I thought his mermaid knowledge would be useful, and he was an NPC who couldn't die easily! I saved him a few times when I was being chased. I almost got killed!"

Just then, the crowd of viewers praising Liam fell silent as Mike Li slammed his knife on the floor. 

Mike Li sneered, looking at the small TV screen showing Liam. "It's just a side mission. I thought it was some big deal. Everyone's saying he's the next Mason Shepherd." 

"Whoever said that hasn't played enough games or been on enough promotion spots. This guy? The next Mason Shepherd? He doesn't even deserve it." 

Shawn opened his mouth to respond but closed it again, shaking his head. 

Had they seen enough?

Shawn had watched many *Siren Town* livestreams. He knew that only Mason and Liam had come close to completing a side mission like this. 

Mason's recorded gameplay videos were in the VIP system library, costing 40 points to access. This price spoke volumes about the value of the information in those videos. The side missions Mason completed weren't easy, or they wouldn't be in the VIP library. 

Even Mason had failed to fully complete Gerf's Bloody Conspiracy—he had never unlocked the last 10%. 

From Shawn's perspective, if Liam could make it this far in this game...

—Liam far outshined Mason Shepherd in this round.