chapter 22

The forum was ablaze with fierce debate over the merit of Bai Liu's tactics, yet Wang Shun had long anticipated such a scene.

Bai Liu's previous performance had been nothing short of dazzling; the sheer number of "charge" points he had amassed in a single round was staggering, already surpassing five hundred. For reference, the previous record-holder in "Siren Town," Mu Sicheng, had only managed a little over a thousand charge points.

For a complete newcomer, five hundred points was an extraordinary sum.

Such brilliance was bound to incite envy. While other low-ranking players, after braving terror and peril in "Siren Town," could barely scrape together a hundred or two points after deducting item costs, Bai Liu had effortlessly vanquished monsters with a handful of inexpensive items, reaping hundreds of points in profit.

The spectacle he provided and the cost-effectiveness of his clear were both so remarkable as to defy belief. In Wang Shun's estimation, barring unforeseen circumstances, Bai Liu's name would soon grace the Nightmare Rising Star rankings.

Yet Wang Shun remained puzzled by Bai Liu's decision to purchase several extra barrels of alcohol. He had always regarded Bai Liu as a player who would never squander a single point, but the idle stockpiling of five barrels of alcohol, coupled with the purchase of a Water Bubble, was a move he could not fathom.

According to the usual progression, the next stage would take players ashore, where mermaid wax statues awaited—impervious to fire, and unafraid of anything but intense light, which the alcohol's flames could not provide.

Wang Shun gazed at the small screen displaying Bai Liu's ascent to the solo game section, lost in thought.

This solo game section was far grander than the Death Comedy area, which resembled an old video arcade from the 1980s.

The solo game section was a pristine, spacious hall, divided into various recommended zones. Bai Liu currently occupied the "System Recommendation" area.

Situated at the entrance of the solo game hall, the "System Recommendation" zone enjoyed excellent foot traffic and relatively lenient entry requirements, making competition for it perpetually fierce.

Typically, veteran players with a solid fanbase would leverage their accumulated audience from previous rounds to secure this promotional spot at the start of a new game.

It was a classic springboard—good visibility, prime location, and accessible criteria. As long as a player performed well, they could ascend to even higher promotional slots, making it a coveted battleground.

This spot was usually the arena where seasoned players, backed by their fans, vied for dominance. The struggle for it was so intense that mid- and lower-tier players often descended into chaos, while newcomers rarely managed to claim it.

Bai Liu, a complete novice, had seized this position, sparking considerable controversy and drawing a flood of curious onlookers. The ongoing forum uproar over his unconventional tactics only fueled the crowd's fascination with this unorthodox new player.

As Wang Shun pondered, the crowd behind him swelled ever larger.

Each player's "small TV" viewing area within the game could expand infinitely, accommodating countless spectators. From the outside, it appeared a modest space, but inside, it could hold thousands upon thousands of viewers.

A dense throng of players gathered beneath Bai Liu's small TV, murmuring among themselves:

"Isn't this round of System Recommendations supposed to be for the top dogs? How did a newcomer get in?"

"Damn, look at this rookie's stats—these numbers are insane for a first-timer. No wonder the system is giving him a push."

"But if this newcomer made it up here, that means someone else got bumped… Who did Bai Liu replace?"

"Let me check… Shit! He knocked out Dog Bro!"

"Oh hell, this rookie is doomed!"

"I heard on the forum that Dog Bro has already cleared his game and should know he's been ousted. Someone light a candle for this newcomer."

At that moment, a towering, broad-shouldered man with a long scar slashing across his right eye strode into the area.

His face was thick with flesh, jowls sagging heavily, jaw clenched like a savage mastiff on the verge of attack. Bare-chested, he wore a black studded leather strap slung across his torso, supporting a machete as wide as two hands.

Spectators quietly made way for him.

This was Dog Bro. Rumor had it that in his last multiplayer game, he had murdered his teammates before clearing the level, stealing their items and points for the sake of spectacle and loot.

He had skinned and dismembered them for show—there were quite a few twisted viewers who relished such blood-soaked scenes.

Dog Bro was no stranger to violence, his hands stained with blood long before entering the game. To certain fans, his butchery was almost an art.

He stopped beside Wang Shun, casting a sidelong, baleful glance that made Wang Shun shudder and hastily yield his prime viewing spot.

Dog Bro promptly sat cross-legged on the floor, exuding menace as he let out a cold chuckle, eyes fixed on the screen. "Let's see what little brat stole my spot. Next round, I'll follow him and see just how capable he really is."

The crowd, which had been buzzing with whispers, fell instantly silent.

Though Bai Liu had earned his place through skill, crossing a ruthless figure like Dog Bro meant that even if he survived this game, he might not live through the next.

In his previous round, Dog Bro had amassed over thirty-six thousand points and a trove of items by murdering his teammates—a fortune no mere rookie could hope to match.

Frowning, Wang Shun opened his game manager and used a skill to pull up Dog Bro's profile:

[Player Name: Li Gou]

[Pre-game Occupation: Butcher]

[Reason for Entering the Game: Imprisoned for the brutal rape and murder of a high school girl who had come to buy meat from him one afternoon. During his trial, a desperate will to survive drew him into the game.]

[Core Wish: To escape prison and exact revenge on all who testified against him. He has already devised a plan: upon release, he intends to set fire to the home of the girl who accused him, killing her entire family.]

[Recommended Shop Items for Wish Fulfillment: Sin-Erasing Cream (a new face and a new life for those guilty of capital crimes; one bottle lasts ten years, priced at 12,000 points), Trace-Free Arson Matches (ignite one to cause an "accidental" fire at the location, with no connection to you; one match costs 21,000 points).]

Beneath this was a detailed record of Li Gou's crimes. Wang Shun hesitated, then clicked to read further.

Li Gou had assaulted and murdered a high school girl in a narrow alley. She was a senior, taking a break from studying to buy meat for her parents, only to fall prey to his depravity. When she resisted fiercely, Li Gou, enraged, severed her hand with a cleaver, and she bled to death.

To avoid discovery, he dismembered her body and sold her flesh as pork.

Her parents, puzzled by her long absence, assumed she had gone for a walk to clear her mind, and even bought meat themselves. When the truth emerged, they nearly collapsed from grief.

Li Gou, however, insisted it was not premeditated murder—he claimed he only meant to tease her, but accidentally killed her in the struggle. The subsequent dismemberment and sale of her flesh, he argued, was an act of panic and regret, not deliberate cruelty.

The girl's parents, however, refused to relent, exhausting their resources to see him sentenced to death. This, in turn, fueled his resentment and thirst for vengeance, becoming the very reason he entered the game.