chapter 25

Only Wang Shun's eyes lit up. "He's collecting the Monster Book! He's confirming the final weakness of every merfolk monster! Then he'll use that weakness to drive them back!"

The others, still in disbelief, murmured among themselves:

"No way?! He's really going to complete the Monster Book?"

"They say only the Shepherd God ever managed to do that in 'Siren Town.' For ordinary players, even a single page is a feat. Can this newcomer really pull it off?"

"I don't think it's possible. I've watched countless playthroughs of 'Siren Town' and never once seen anyone discover the third weakness of the mermaid statue or the merfolk sailor."

...

Bai Liu heard none of this. With a languid expression, he raised his pickaxe high and brought it crashing down upon the glass display case containing the Siren King.

Glass shattered, scattering across the floor. The Siren King, slick with liquid, slid to rest at Bai Liu's feet.

The mermaid statues recoiled in terror, fleeing the central hall in all directions. Even Lucy and Jelf, who flanked Bai Liu, clutched their heads and shrieked as if they'd seen a demon, bolting from the room.

Wang Shun gazed up at Bai Liu, who was calmly wiping the liquid from his fingers, his eyes shining with awe. He drew a deep breath:

"The third weakness of the mermaid statues and merfolk sailors is—the Siren King!"

Bai Liu crouched and lifted the Siren King's chin.

Droplets of viscous liquid clung to the Siren King's lashes, falling upon his vividly colored lips, tracing a luminous line of moisture between them, as if inviting a kiss. In this light, his face was so exquisitely beautiful it seemed to transcend human imagination, a visage that could only be described with words as strange and ancient as 'siren' or 'sea demon.'

The texture beneath Bai Liu's fingertips was cold and impossibly smooth. He had meant to remark on the game's impressive NPC modeling, but at the last moment, he remembered he was live-streaming. At such a climactic moment—having completed three pages of the Monster Book—the audience would surely prefer a more dramatic declaration.

So Bai Liu exhaled deliberately, smiled, and said, "All things begin and end with you, beautiful Siren King."

He bent down, hefted the Siren King onto his cart, tilted his head with a faint, mischievous smile, and, with a flourish, wheeled the cart and its regal cargo triumphantly out of the wax museum.

Not a single mermaid statue dared approach. They lingered in the museum's shadowy corners, cowed and fearful.

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

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

[Weaknesses: Direct eye contact, intense light, Siren King]

[Attack Method: Hatching]

[This page of the Monster Book is complete. Keep up the good work, player!]

——————————

['Siren Town Monster Book'—Merfolk Sailor (3/4)]

[Monster Name: Merfolk Sailor (Imago State)]

[Weaknesses: Fears strong light, amulet, Siren King]

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

[This page of the Monster Book is complete. Keep up the good work, player!]

————————

[System Notification: Player Bai Liu is but a hair's breadth from completing the entire 'Siren Town' Monster Book. Press on!]

Before Bai Liu's little TV, there was a silence so profound that even a pin drop would have echoed. Even Li Gou was momentarily stunned.

At last, Wang Shun's ecstatic cry—"He's almost done!"—shattered the heavy hush.

In an instant, as if a drop of water had fallen into boiling oil, every player watching Bai Liu's stream was swept up in a frenzy, unable to contain their excitement at this miraculous comeback from the brink of doom.

"Just one page left!"

"A Monster Book this close to completion—damn, I've never seen a true newcomer get this far. Incredible."

"I wish those forum loudmouths who claim 'I could do that too' could see this. If they were in Bai Liu's shoes, he'd be climbing the ranks, while they'd be digging their own graves."

"He's so strong—even when facing a god-tier NPC, he doesn't flinch, just smashes the case and drags the monster out as a tool."

Li Gou's face darkened. He struck his knife against the table, but the chorus of praise for Bai Liu drowned him out.

Even those who had mocked Bai Liu on the forums now flocked to his stream, their faces sour as they heard their names called out and were met with laughter and ridicule. Scowling, they slunk away.

At that moment, the system announced:

[10,003 people have liked Bai Liu's stream, 9,607 have bookmarked it, and 1,300 have tipped him. Bai Liu earns 1,300 points.]

[Bai Liu has received over 10,000 likes in a minute—his reputation soars! Achievement unlocked: 'Famed Overnight'!]

[Congratulations, Bai Liu! You've earned a prime spot on the central hall's main screen for solo games. Your viewership is skyrocketing...]

Wang Shun took a deep breath, his heart pounding for reasons he could not name.

It had been so long since he'd felt the thrill of witnessing such a masterful, exhilarating game. He cast a lingering look at Bai Liu's now-darkened stream and hurried away.

From now on, he would never miss a single minute of this player's broadcasts.

Wang Shun's sudden departure spurred the others into action.

"Damn! A prime promotion slot! Unbelievable—a true newcomer, and he's made it on his first try!"

"Stop shouting and move! If we miss any more of this, we'll have to pay for VIP access. With a video this good, it's sure to end up in the premium library!"

The player who had sneered, "If he's so great, put him on the main screen," now found himself the object of ridicule. He shot a venomous glare at Bai Liu's stream and slunk away in disgrace.

At the back of the crowd, Li Gou's expression was as dark as thunder. He gripped his broadsword until his knuckles cracked and made his way toward the central hall.

————————

Central Hall.

A young man squatted on the floor, wearing enormous headphones and sucking on a lollipop, his eyes scanning the central screen as if searching for a video to pique his interest.

A plush monkey, its long arms wrapped around the headphones, perched atop his head. Its eyes glowed red, and its mouth, stitched with rows of triangular teeth, was both cute and faintly sinister.

The young man's features bore an uncanny resemblance to the monkey's: a round face, dark red eyes, sharp canine teeth peeking from his lips—a blend of adorable and unsettling.

He grumbled, "Isn't there a single promising player? The rankings are getting worse—no one's even close to completing the Monster Book. How did these people get here?"

He slapped his knees and prepared to leave.

Just then, a leaderboard near the center of the main screen flickered. The previous player's stream went dark, replaced by the image of a pale, gentle face—one that seemed utterly harmless.

Yet this model student, with a cart in hand and a smile as if handing in homework, was briskly and efficiently ramming a breathtakingly beautiful mermaid into a crowd of hideous merfolk sailors, as if firing a cannon.

The merfolk sailors shrieked in terror and fled, tears of fear streaming from their grotesque eyes.

Behind them, Bai Liu let out a delighted laugh and continued his relentless pursuit.

Mu Sicheng, standing before the screen, was speechless.

Then: "?????"

Where did this wild-card player come from?! What kind of reckless playstyle is this?

Who drags monsters around the map in a cart?!

Mu Sicheng quickly pulled up the player's profile, frowning. "Bai Liu... why does that name sound so familiar? Where have I heard it before..."

He scrolled through the stats. "This guy's good—three pages of the Monster Book, all side quests complete... Wait, I remember now!"

He recalled that this was the newcomer rumored to be on the verge of surpassing his own solo score in 'Siren Town.'

In just a short time, the rookie who was said to be stuck on the 'True Love's Ship' quest had nearly completed the Monster Book and finished the 'Jelf's Bloody Conspiracy' side quest—something Mu Sicheng himself had never managed.

And Bai Liu's recharge points had already surpassed his own!

This man might truly dethrone him from the top spot.

With a mix of curiosity and reluctant admiration, Mu Sicheng joined the crowd watching Bai Liu's stream.

[Mu Sicheng, ranked fourth on the Rising Star Leaderboard, has joined Bai Liu's stream. He has yet to express his opinion—do your best to impress him!]

The other onlookers gasped, searching for Mu Sicheng.

"Mu God is here!"

"Where? Where?!"

"This newcomer is amazing—even Mu God is watching. He hasn't spectated anyone's stream in ages, only watches VIP videos. The last time was for Spade, the game's king."

"Spade is number one overall, so that's normal. But who is this newcomer, to draw Mu God's attention?"

Mu Sicheng stood in the corner, his monkey headphones morphing into a monkey baseball cap. He pulled the brim low, his eyes glowing dark red beneath the shadow as he watched Bai Liu's stream.

With a crunch, he bit through his lollipop, then tilted his head and smiled thoughtfully.

"This newcomer is... interesting."

————————

Bai Liu strode down the street, pushing the Siren King before him with a leisurely, almost insolent smile, turning a tense horror game into a casual stroll.

Behind him, at a cautious distance, the merfolk sailors glared with venomous eyes, torn between their desire to approach and their fear of the Siren King.

Bai Liu, unfazed, wheeled his cart toward the sea, as if holding a king hostage to command the lords.

But the relationship between the Siren King and these monsters was far more complex than that.

Deducing that the Siren King was their final weakness was simple. Bai Liu's reasoning had two points:

First, the Siren King had no weaknesses, making him the most formidable being in the game—a threat not only to players, but to monsters as well.

Second, the game's narrative revealed a hierarchy: merfolk, mermaid statues, and merfolk sailors, corresponding to larva, chrysalis, and imago. Not only did they represent stages of evolution, but also a food chain.

Merfolk sailors and statues, and even the stronger merfolk, preyed upon the weaker. Those in the process of mutation served the sailors, scavenging leftovers and laboring for them.

The sailors decided which statues could hatch, just as a company boss decides who gets promoted.

Thus, a clear hierarchy emerged: Merfolk (servants and food) → Mermaid Statues (underlings) → Merfolk Sailors.

At the top of this chain stood the Siren King, wielding absolute authority and instilling fear in all others.

But Bai Liu realized, after last night's events, that the monsters were not merely afraid—they were wary, even dreading the Siren King's awakening.

He deduced this from the oddities of the wax museum. In a town ruled by monsters, the museum's existence was unnecessary, serving only to conceal evidence. Yet the statues were always kept at a fixed number, as if guarding something.

This was not mere display, but vigilant imprisonment.

Yes, the mermaid statues were guarding the Siren King.

Some unknown method—perhaps the viscous liquid in the display case—kept the Siren King subdued. The liquid clung like glue, forming a shell on his lashes and exuding a dizzying scent. If the game had told Bai Liu the Siren King had a weakness, he would have guessed it was this liquid.

But the Siren King had none. The liquid could only restrain him briefly; he would soon awaken on his own.

In truth, Bai Liu was not wrong. The ordinary 'Siren Banshee' was indeed vulnerable to this liquid, unable to awaken without a player's help, and even then, the liquid was needed to keep her docile.

But Bai Liu faced the Siren King—a bugged, god-tier NPC who could awaken unaided.

Thus, even though Bai Liu had deduced the truth, the liquid was of little use; it could not be relied upon to subdue the Siren King again.

The wax museum was his prison, and the monsters' terror stemmed from the knowledge that his awakening would spell their doom.

These monsters had only appeared after the Siren King was dredged up. If he returned to the sea, they would vanish.

That was why they feared him so, and dared not interfere with Bai Liu's brazen parade.

What they did not know was that if the Siren King awoke, Bai Liu himself would be doomed.

He dared to act so boldly only because he knew the Siren King would not awaken for five hours, as the system had informed him. Thus, he could safely use the King as a 'hostage' to repel the monsters.

Now, Bai Liu's goal was to sail to the 'Siren's Gift' and return the King to the depths, ending the game.

[Congratulations, player, you have unlocked the full story and entered the final chapter.]

[Because you escaped the wax museum by day, and the statues cannot move in daylight, but now possess a great advantage, the weather will change to balance gameplay. Prepare yourself.]

[Weather change: Cloudy → Torrential Rain]

Rain poured down in sheets, drenching Bai Liu in an instant. He gripped the cart with one hand, the other raking wet hair from his eyes as water dripped from his lashes to the ground.

In seconds, the world blurred into a mist of rain.

Bai Liu was soaked and bedraggled, but the merfolk sailors behind him raised their heads, gulping down the rain as if drawing strength from it. Their features twisted, gills flaring, webbing sprouting between their fingers, eyes glowing green as they advanced.

Statues lurking in the shadows also drew near, their white stone tails gliding across the ground with unnatural speed, their faces contorted into savage grins, black cracks spreading across their bodies, their upper halves shedding human form for the monstrous shapes of deep-sea fish.

The Siren King's long lashes fluttered, rain washing the last of the restraining liquid from his tail, silver-blue scales gleaming in the storm.

Bai Liu scanned the monsters with his coin-operated game manager.

[Monster: Mermaid Statue (Rain-empowered, faster on land, Siren King's deterrent weakened, attack power increased)]

[Monster: Merfolk Sailor (Rain-empowered, faster on land, Siren King's deterrent weakened, attack power increased)]

[Monster: Siren King (Rain has no effect, but with the liquid washed away, awakening time is reduced to three hours. Hurry up!)]

Bai Liu glanced over the stats with a lazy air. "This game is a bit of a cheat—if you're winning, it just nerfs you."

"And isn't this a bit much? Not only are all the monsters buffed, but my time is cut short, my movement and sense of direction are hampered, and my stats are in the red. In a chase like this, death is almost certain..."

"But it's not unplayable." He swept his dripping hair back with his fingers.

Rain slid down his jaw, his soaked collar clinging to his throat, making it hard to breathe.

He undid the top button of his wet shirt, lifted his eyes, and smiled faintly. "I hope the game's final reward is worthy of my efforts. I don't play games with unbalanced rewards."

[If you win, you will not be disappointed. Our reward will fulfill your deepest desire.]

Bai Liu smiled. "Then I'll thank you in advance."

His tone was so natural, as if the reward were already his, that the audience was left speechless.

With his stream now featured on the main screen, many new viewers arrived, some drawn by the hype of 'Mu Sicheng is watching this rookie's stream.'

These newcomers, having missed Bai Liu's earlier feats, saw only a man in dire straits, still exuding confidence, and were left unimpressed:

"I thought Mu God was watching some prodigy, but it's just this guy. Monsters buffed, stats in the red, time cut short, and he's still showing off? Maybe I just don't get it."

"I saw the forum hype, but now that I'm watching, I don't see what's so special. How did he get the top spot—on looks alone?"

Others, mostly those who had followed Bai Liu from the solo game zone, spoke in his defense:

"He's completed three pages of the Monster Book and you call him weak? Let's see your record—how many pages have you finished?"

"Who's claiming to be better than Bai Liu? Oh, a bunch of viewers who haven't even scored ten recharge points. Never mind, then."

Players could check each other's recharge points, and this jab only fueled the argument.

The debate raged on.

Wang Shun watched in silence, worry in his eyes.

Bai Liu truly had zero luck—targeted both in and out of the game, and now by the harshest audience in the system.

Wang Shun sighed, glancing at the leading group of viewers—guild players, notorious for their ruthlessness toward promising newcomers who might threaten their dominance.

Such was the crowd now hounding Bai Liu.

——————

[32 people liked Bai Liu's stream, 89 bookmarked it, 0 tipped, 3,807 downvoted it]

[Over 3,000 downvotes in a minute, over 5,000 total—Title earned: 'Detested']

[It seems everyone wishes you'd leave—or die here]

[Your prime promotion slot is about to expire]

Wang Shun sighed again. It had come to this.

Some of Bai Liu's loyal viewers were red-eyed with anger, while the central hall's regulars gloated.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "Another newcomer from the rookie zone just got a promotion slot on the edge of the central hall!"

Another one—first Bai Liu, now someone else.

Wang Shun looked over and saw a player wielding a flaming torch and a bubble underwater, swimming across the sea, driving off merfolk sailors with the torch, clutching the skeleton of a true 'Siren Banshee'—not Bai Liu's Siren King.

This player was clearly mutated, scales covering his face, his legs fused into a tail, moving swiftly through the water.

He, too, had reached the final chapter—just needed to return the banshee to the sea to win.

His odds of survival were far better than Bai Liu's.

This drew even more ridicule from the guild players:

"Hilarious! Wasn't Bai Liu supposed to be the best? Someone else is finishing the game faster with the standard strategy!"

"Bai Liu just likes to show off. You'd be better off watching real pros, even if you have to pay."

"Let's go. We elite guild players have nothing to say to these amateurs. No point wasting time here."

Viewership plummeted as people left Bai Liu's stream for the newcomer's.

[7,060 people have left Bai Liu's stream, 3,900 have joined the other newcomer's]

[Your performance is abysmal—no viewers, no likes, only scorn. The system is disappointed and will swap your promotion slot with the other newcomer's]

Wang Shun was stunned as the system notification appeared:

[Bai Liu demoted to the edge of the central hall]

[Mu Ke promoted to the main solo game recommendation slot]

Bai Liu lasted less than ten minutes in the spotlight before being replaced.

Few followed him to the new slot, among them a man in a strange monkey hat, who caught Wang Shun's attention.

Feeling a pang of emotion after Bai Liu's dramatic rise and fall, Wang Shun struck up a conversation: "Why did you follow him? Are you a fan too?"

The man lifted his cap, revealing cunning red eyes. "Because I believe this so-called replacement for me is far from showing his true strength."

Bai Liu, a replacement? Wang Shun was startled, then realized who he was speaking to and nearly cried out.

But Mu Sicheng silenced him with a gesture and a sly smile.

"Besides, he played brilliantly, didn't he? Three pages of the Monster Book—apart from me, I've never seen anyone get this far. If the last page weren't the Siren King, I'm sure he'd have finished it by now."

"He's not showing off—he's genuinely strong." Mu Sicheng grinned. "I've never seen the system go to such lengths to nerf a player."

"If it's for balance, that means Bai Liu needs to be weakened this much to keep things fair. For anyone to doubt he can clear the game..."

He chuckled. "These self-important guild players are a joke."

[Mu Sicheng, ranked fourth, has joined Bai Liu's stream]

[Mu Sicheng liked Bai Liu's stream—he seems to think highly of you!]

[Mu Sicheng has used his privileges to recommend Bai Liu's stream on his own, soon-to-be-live channel. A flood of viewers is on the way!]

Wang Shun was dumbfounded. After a moment, he asked, "If you think Bai Liu is so strong, why didn't you say so earlier? If you'd spoken up, maybe he could have kept his spot."

Mu Sicheng smirked, glancing sideways. "Because I was waiting for him to fall."

"For a player like this, a timely favor is worth more than praise at the height of glory. Now he owes me."

Wang Shun was left speechless by such shamelessness.

This legendary player was nothing like his cold, decisive in-game persona—he was thick-skinned and utterly brazen.

——————————

Bai Liu was oblivious to all this.

Behind him, the rain-empowered monsters closed in, and though he fended them off with the Siren King, their numbers grew and their fear waned.

A merfolk sailor's claws raked his arm, blood spurting. Bai Liu ducked into an alley, dragging the cart, his mind reeling as the system flashed a red warning:

[Warning: Player Bai Liu has been scratched by a merfolk sailor, triggering mutation. Sanity drops to 60—about to fall below the safe threshold. If it does, hallucinations will begin.]

Clutching his bleeding arm, Bai Liu leaned against the wall, rain-soaked and gasping.

He closed his eyes, steadying his breath against the dizziness and numbness.

Dropping to his knees, gray-black lines spread across his face, green scales sprouting beneath his eyes, his skin growing deathly pale.

Head bowed, he panted, rain pouring over him like a dying fish hauled from the sea.

"I miscalculated," he said calmly. "Didn't expect dropping to sixty sanity would affect me so much."

Wang Shun watched, tense. "He's on the brink—one more point and he'll start hallucinating."

Mu Sicheng's expression grew serious. "Once it drops below sixty, it's easy to die in a chase—you can't tell real monsters from hallucinations, can't find your way."

"Would buying a sanity-restoring item help?" Wang Shun asked anxiously. "He has enough points now."

Mu Sicheng shook his head. "In other games, maybe. But here, it's best not to."

"Why?" Wang Shun pressed.

Mu Sicheng did not answer.

On screen, Bai Liu staggered to his feet, peering out of the alley at the approaching monsters, their silhouettes looming in the rain.

With his sanity low, Bai Liu's speed was reduced. If he ran now, he'd be caught for sure.

He needed a plan.

Outside, the monsters crept along the walls, eyes glowing, mouths dripping with slime.

Reaching the alley, they sniffed the air, grinning with razor-sharp lips, crawling rapidly toward the entrance.

Wang Shun held his breath, fists clenched.

Running was useless—Bai Liu was too slow. The only hope was that the monsters would not find him.

But they were closing in.

Suddenly, Bai Liu burst from the alley, cart in tow, into the pouring rain.

Wang Shun: "!!!!"

"No! He's doomed if he runs!"

As expected, the monsters swarmed the alley entrance, joined by the statues.

Bai Liu kept running, eyes calm as he approached the encircling monsters.

Wang Shun realized—Bai Liu was going to break through by force!

He was frantic. Even if Bai Liu broke out, the monsters were faster and would catch him.

Mu Sicheng frowned. "Sanity loss may have clouded his judgment. He shouldn't have run."

"Right," Wang Shun sighed. "We forgot to account for the effects of low sanity on his thinking and stamina. He must be panicking."

The audience was equally dismayed.

Some even mocked Mu Sicheng for recommending such a 'noob.'

Mu Sicheng pretended not to hear, pulling his cap lower.

But Bai Liu swung the cart, shoving the Siren King into the monsters, who stared after him as he ran.

Wang Shun's heart leapt—They're going to chase him!

But instead, the monsters hesitated, then all surged into the alley.

Wang Shun: "??"

Mu Sicheng: "???"

The audience: "??????????"

Why weren't the monsters chasing the player? What were they doing in the alley?

The camera panned to reveal another Bai Liu inside, brandishing the cart and making aggressive gestures.

He even beckoned the monsters with a crooked finger, taunting them into a fight. Enraged, they attacked.

The audience erupted:

"Wow, what is that?!"

"What kind of item is this? Isn't it cheating to use a clone in a level-one dungeon?"

"You can't use high-level items in low-level dungeons—the system would kick you out for breaking balance."

"Then what is it?"

But the first monster's attack revealed the truth—the Bai Liu in the alley dissolved into a phantom, then reformed, still wearing that lazy, infuriating smile.

In a flash, Wang Shun remembered an item in Bai Liu's inventory. He shouted, "It's the 3D projector! Bai Liu used the 3D projector!"

"In this dungeon, the monsters are too stupid to tell a projection from the real thing."

He pulled up the item description, reading rapidly: "In the rain, the projection appears more solid, and Bai Liu's taunting gestures make it even more likely to draw the monsters' aggression."

"So, faced with a fleeing player and one ready to fight, the monsters will always attack the greater threat."

Wang Shun's eyes shone. "He used the item to shake them off!"

A viewer objected: "But even stupid monsters will realize after a few failed attacks that they've been tricked, and then chase the real Bai Liu, who's much slower."

"Unless he can restrict their movement."

Even as the words were spoken, the monsters began to sniff and prod the projection, quickly realizing it was not real. Enraged, they shrieked and prepared to give chase.

At that moment, the projected Bai Liu smiled, drew a flashlight, and, as if pulling a trigger, shone it directly at the monsters' backs.

A blinding beam of light pierced the alley, sending the mermaid statues into a frenzy, clutching their eyes and howling in the rain.