chapter 24

After disembarking, Bai Liu was required by the sailors' "local custom" to remain in the wax museum until nightfall, to atone for the blood guilt of witnessing the mermaid hunt before he could be absolved and allowed to leave.

Lucy and Jelf accompanied him to the wax museum.

In the dim morning light, the wax museum was shrouded in gloom. The sailors escorted Bai Liu to the entrance, sternly warning him not to leave before night, and only departed after entrusting him to the care of the museum's keeper.

Lucy huddled behind Bai Liu, whispering, "Why is this place so terrifying, even in daylight?"

Everywhere, wax figures gazed down upon them, their mermaid faces even more lifelike than those Bai Liu had seen the day before.

Bai Liu noticed that two of the statues had shortened tails—only the portion below the knee retained the shape of a fish's tail, while their thighs had already transformed into human legs.

He scrutinized the faces of these two statues, whose features bore a subtle resemblance to Lucy and Jelf.

The wax figures wore eerie smiles, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on Bai Liu and the pair behind him.

Just as Bai Liu had surmised, Lucy and Jelf, who had spent the night here, had been "sacrificed," transformed into mermaid amulet wax figures, while the mermaid statues that had feasted upon the "offerings" were gradually taking on the likenesses of "Lucy" and "Jelf."

At present, the statues seemed to be in a state of metamorphosis, the "butterfly" within the mermaid wax figures not yet fully emerged, while Lucy and Jelf, as the "chrysalis" to be broken, still clung to a sliver of life.

Bai Liu had no intention of allowing their transformation to complete—not out of any saintly desire to save them, but because, should they fully transform, he would have two more formidable "butterfly" monsters to contend with.

With this in mind, Bai Liu drew his flashlight, intending to drive back the mermaid statues.

Yet, the moment the beam flickered on, it was Lucy and Jelf who first descended into madness, howling in agony. Jelf, wild-eyed, lunged at Bai Liu in a desperate attempt to seize the flashlight, but Bai Liu dodged in time and switched it off, only then did the pair subside, gasping and spent.

Lucy collapsed weakly to the floor, her upturned gaze at Bai Liu tinged with venom. "Your flashlight is too bright, Bai Liu. Are you trying to blind us?"

Jelf, clutching a statue for support, shrieked hysterically, "You'd better never turn that thing on again!"

Bai Liu spread his hands in feigned apology. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were so sensitive to light."

Of course, Bai Liu knew perfectly well that, having become part wax, Lucy and Jelf would fear the light. He cared little for their suffering, but had not expected such violent resistance, nor that they would try to wrest the flashlight from him.

Unlike true mermaid amulet statues, these two could move, and were no slower than Bai Liu himself. If every time he turned on the light they went berserk and tried to seize it, he would have no way to use the flashlight at all.

This severely limited his use of items.

It was clear that, at this point in the story, the game was using Lucy and Jelf to restrict the player's ability to repel the mermaid statues with the flashlight—hinting that a chase involving the statues was imminent, and to heighten the tension, the game had forbidden the use of strong light.

Bai Liu had often employed similar tricks in his own game designs: if a demon-repelling mirror could drive away monsters, he would add a cooldown period after each use, forcing players to hide and flee, thus amplifying the horror.

Though he had delighted in crafting such sadistic mechanics, experiencing them firsthand was far less enjoyable.

Obediently, Bai Liu put away the flashlight, raising his hands to show he would not use it again. At that moment, he glanced instinctively toward the museum entrance—already blocked by statues, which were slowly advancing upon him.

Now, if he turned on the light, Lucy and Jelf would attack; if he didn't, he could not repel the mermaid statues. Forced to remain here until nightfall, his fate was sealed.

Not only would the statues attempt to possess him, increasing his rate of transformation into a wax amulet, but there was another, even more pressing danger—

Bai Liu flipped the coin in his hand, and a panel popped up—

[Warning: The god-level NPC, Siren King, will awaken in seven hours. Please clear the level before then.]

At this alert, the new viewers before Bai Liu's small TV gasped in unison.

Even Li Gou stood, dragging his blade closer to the screen, then burst into raucous laughter. "A real god-level NPC! This guy's about to get annihilated—serves him right for taking my spot!"

Other spectators lamented:

"This map is supposed to be a game of hide-and-seek in the wax museum until nightfall, then a mermaid statue battle royale. Escape Siren Town and you clear the level. But with a god-level NPC, he'll never make it to night."

"Escaping only gets you the normal end, with mediocre rewards."

"I heard Mu Shen got the true end—you have to return the Siren's corpse to the sea and seal the town's ghosts. But here, the siren has become the Siren King. Once he awakens, it's game over. There's no way out!"

"He's trapped—this rookie is doomed."

Wang Shun's heart leapt into his throat.

He hadn't expected Bai Liu to obediently enter the wax museum! If he'd fled midway, triggering a chase and escaping Siren Town, there might have been a sliver of hope.

Now, trapped inside, he was caught in a deadlock.

Wang Shun sighed with regret. He had to admit, Bai Liu was a player of great potential, perhaps even Mu Sicheng's equal, but he simply lacked luck.

———

Bai Liu made his way toward the central exhibition hall, Lucy and Jelf trailing behind.

There, the Siren King's body floated in a viscous, translucent liquid, encased in a glass display.

Tiny bubbles drifted like snowflakes through the siren's long hair and pale lashes, as if a dusting of snow had settled upon him.

Bai Liu approached the case, gazing up at the not-yet-decayed mermaid corpse.

Its features were hauntingly beautiful, with an uncanny, mesmerizing strangeness, as if at any moment it might open its eyes, shatter the bulletproof glass with a sweep of its powerful tail, and return to the sea in a frenzy of slaughter.

Lucy glanced around, then asked, "Bai Liu, you said Andre was here in the wax museum. Where is he?"

Without turning, Bai Liu's gaze remained fixed on the Siren King. "Didn't you pass him on your way in? Jelf even touched him."

"I touched him?" Jelf pointed at himself in confusion. "Bai Liu, there's no one here but the three of us."

"That's right," Bai Liu replied offhandedly. "When did I ever say Andre was still human?"

Lucy hugged herself, shivering as she retreated a few steps. "Bai Liu, don't joke around. Where is Andre, really?"

Bai Liu's ears caught the muffled sound of wax dragging across the floor. He turned.

A grotesque mermaid statue, bearing Andre's twisted features, loomed behind Jelf and Lucy, poised to strike.

Bai Liu smiled coolly. "Lucy, Andre is right behind you."

Lucy and Jelf spun around instinctively, unleashing a piercing duet of screams. Bai Liu, prepared, covered his ears.

Andre's skeleton had been taken by the mermaids the previous night, and the wax museum had received two fresh sacrifices—Jelf and Lucy.

By rights, two mermaid statues should have been able to possess the sacrifices and leave, so Andre's skeleton was naturally made into a mermaid statue to fill the vacancy. That was why Bai Liu had said Andre was at the wax museum.

Though Lucy and Jelf's statues had not yet departed, Andre's had already joined the ranks.

Behind Andre, a horde of statues crowded the entrance, their faces subtly morphing to resemble Bai Liu's, eager to possess him.

Bai Liu arched a brow, sidestepping Lucy's desperate attempt to cling to his arm.

To Lucy and Jelf, the statues posed no threat—they were already halfway to becoming wax figures themselves. The real danger was to Bai Liu, who now faced both Lucy and Jelf as enemies, with his flashlight rendered useless and alcohol ineffective against the statues.

These statues were far more resilient than mermaid larvae; Bai Liu's only remaining weapon was "direct human gaze."

But this method had a fatal flaw—humans blink.

Jelf and Lucy, no longer truly human, could not restrain the statues with their gaze; only Bai Liu's eyes had any effect.

Each time he blinked, he could feel the statues creeping closer.

In the dim hall, the mermaid statues began to melt, their faces warping into grotesque parodies, yet each one subtly resembling Bai Liu. Their lips split to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth, scales flaking from their tails, the air thick with the stench of fish.

Lucy and Jelf pressed close to Bai Liu's sides. If he so much as reached for his flashlight, they would be the first to go mad.

Of course, Bai Liu had considered simply killing Lucy and Jelf, but destroying their amulet forms would only enrage the corresponding mermaid statues, unleashing two sailor-class monsters—swift and deadly, and with Bai Liu's stamina still in the red, he would stand no chance.

At this, Wang Shun closed his digital recorder, sighing with mixed emotions as he prepared to leave.

Many spectators felt the same; few cared to watch a game headed for certain failure.

But before leaving, Wang Shun glanced up at the small TV.

He froze, unable to believe his eyes. "Why… is Bai Liu smiling?"

Bai Liu, head bowed, was slowly drawing out a smile. He found the game, at this stage, rather interesting.

It was, in fact, a fine game—he hadn't played a horror title with such rich mechanics in a long time.

His fingers spun the coin with dazzling speed, panels popping up one after another, leaving the audience before his small TV dazzled and breathless.

Curious viewers pressed closer to the screen, trying to see what he was doing.

"Is he panicking? Flailing in his final moments?"

"Item shop, monster book, quest panel… wow, he's opening everything. Is he planning to spend all his points before he dies?"

Wang Shun said nothing, holding his breath as he watched Bai Liu on the small TV, reopening his digital recorder.

He could see clearly that Bai Liu was handling the situation with astonishing speed—not panicking, as the others thought, but processing everything so quickly it only appeared chaotic.

At this point, even Wang Shun was tense, eager to see if this remarkable newcomer could pull off a miraculous comeback.

Bai Liu remained calm and methodical:

[Item shop, I need a pickaxe capable of shattering bulletproof glass.]

[17 points, deal.]

[I need a two-meter-long cart for transporting a giant animal corpse.]

[7 points, deal.]

[System, open the monster book to the mermaid statue and mermaid sailor pages.]

[Understood. Opening "Siren Town Monster Book"—complete.]

——————

["Siren Town Monster Book"—Mermaid Statue (1/4)]

[Monster Name: Mermaid Statue (Chrysalis State), Amulet Statue (Cocoon State)]

[Weakness: Direct human gaze, strong light exposure (2/3)]

[Attack Method: Hatching]

——————————

["Siren Town Monster Book"—Mermaid Sailor (3/4)]

[Monster Name: Mermaid Sailor (Butterfly State)]

[Weakness: Fears strong light, amulet (2/3)]

[Attack Method: Rending and clawing (being scratched may trigger mutation)]

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[You are only one weakness away from completing both the first and third pages. Keep up the good work!]

Bai Liu's rapid maneuvers left the audience before his small TV utterly transfixed. Those who had mocked him fell silent, every eye fixed on Bai Liu's smiling face as he navigated the panels with effortless speed.

The shifting colors of the panels cast his face in sharp relief, and the calm, unhurried air about him was so convincing that no one could doubt he was in control. Several players, voices trembling, whispered, "What on earth is he planning…"