After reading about Li Gou's past, Wang Shun felt, for the first time, that possessing the "Know-It-All" skill—allowing him to check other players' information—wasn't a good thing. He looked at Bai Liu on the small TV with a trace of worry and sympathy.
The game over there hadn't even ended yet, and already a butcher was waiting outside for him.
Bai Liu truly had a luck value of 0.
[126 new people liked Bai Liu's small TV.]
[675 new people bookmarked Bai Liu's small TV.]
[0 people charged Bai Liu's small TV.]
[378 people stepped on player Bai Liu's small TV.]
[Player Bai Liu gained 3,000 viewers in one minute, but the like rate is less than one-tenth. It seems most viewers are here just to eat melons and watch the drama~]
[A high-level player, Li Gou, is watching player Bai Liu's small TV. Congratulations to player Bai Liu for gaining his first high-level player viewer!]
[Li Gou has stepped on player Bai Liu. Wu wu, it seems this high-level player doesn't like you.]
Bai Liu waited at sea until dawn. Before long, the large ship that had departed the previous night returned. He noticed that both Jeff and Lucy were standing at the bow.
Jeff appeared to be comforting Lucy, his hand resting on her shoulder.
Lucy buried her head in Jeff's arms as if she were on the verge of collapse, and he gently soothed her. From time to time, Jeff affectionately kissed her tear-streaked face. Lucy didn't resist; instead, she leaned against him with quiet dependence.
Seeing this scene, Bai Liu slightly raised an eyebrow.
It seemed that after one night, it wasn't only his "True Love Ship" that had successfully made it ashore. Jeff and Lucy had apparently boarded their own ship of true love as well.
When the ship drew closer, Lucy and Jeff saw Bai Liu draped in quilts as if he had been sleeping peacefully all night.
Lucy screamed in surprise, clutching her chest and pushing Jeff away. Jeff stumbled back a few steps in panic, gesturing wildly.
"Bai Liu, you're okay?! No—I mean, are you okay?"
Bai Liu calmly grabbed the rope ladder that had been lowered and climbed aboard. His gaze swept meaningfully between Lucy and Jeff before he offered a gentle smile.
"I'm fine. Good morning, Jeff. Lucy. I had a very pleasant evening. It seems you did as well?"
Lucy panicked and leaned forward to hug Bai Liu's arm, but he calmly avoided her. She covered her face and began to cry.
"No, Jeff told me last night that you and Andre might both die. I was so scared. I thought it was my fault. Jeff was just comforting me."
Bai Liu smiled but didn't ask whether Jeff had comforted her with more than words. His attention was elsewhere.
Lucy's face was pale, and her movements had a faint, unnatural stiffness. The texture of her hand… it felt very similar to the mermaid amulet statue Bai Liu had touched in the warehouse. It was crisp, almost fragile, like an eggshell. Thin and dry—without even a trace of a fishy smell.
Jeff hurried to defend himself, his eyes shifting uneasily.
"Yes, Lucy thought something had happened to you and Andre. She stayed with me because she was afraid. There's nothing between us." He forced a strained smile. "I know she's your girlfriend. I didn't do anything. You're my best friend, Bai Liu."
Bai Liu didn't share that sentiment.
"Where did you spend last night?" he asked calmly. "At the museum, right?"
Lucy cried out in surprise. "How did you know?" Then she began complaining in a rush. "Yes! They wouldn't let us return to the hotel. They said it's a custom here after participating in the mermaid fishing activity. To wash away the scent of blood and killing, we had to stay overnight at the Siren Museum. That place is horrible! The statues feel like they move at night. No matter where we went, statues blocked our way."
Jeff was still smiling.
"Bai Liu, where's Andre? Where did he go?"
Bai Liu smiled faintly. "He should be at the Siren Museum now, waiting for us."
Jeff glanced suspiciously at Andre's small boat floating nearby. The boat was smeared with dark, paint-like blood. Torn strips of leather—clearly from Andre's coat—were scattered across it.
Jeff's eyes flickered at the sight. He lowered his head, unable to suppress the hint of a pleased grin.
Bai Liu watched him carefully.
It was obvious that Andre's death had satisfied Jeff.
Soon, Jeff looked back at Bai Liu, feigning confusion as he pointed at the boat.
"But Andre's boat is still here. It's impossible for him to have returned to shore." He glanced timidly at Bai Liu, then withdrew his hand at just the right moment, stopping himself from saying more.
Lucy gasped again, covering her lips.
"Oh my god, Andre is really dead! Bai Liu!" She stared at him with disbelief and disappointment. "Did you kill Andre? Did you push him into the sea?"
Bai Liu thought she wanted to cry—but her eyes were completely dry.
Of course. How could a statue shed tears?
Jeff looked at Bai Liu with feigned sorrow. "You shouldn't have done something like that. Andre might not have been a good person, but he still had the right to live."
Bai Liu smiled as he met Jeff's gaze. "I could probably say the same thing to you."
Jeff stared back at him warily.
Bai Liu shrugged indifferently and turned to Lucy, who was still accusing him.
"You can wait until we reach the museum to see Andre. I wouldn't lie to you."
He added with a smile, "If I do, we'll break up."
Lucy hesitated.
Her gaze briefly flicked to Bai Liu's trouser pocket—where his wallet was kept. She seemed to calculate the high cost of their vacation before finally closing her mouth.
Bai Liu had already figured out the remaining 10% of Jeff's Bloody Conspiracy.
He realized he had overestimated the human nature written into this game's NPC settings.
There were no slightly kind teammates here.
When designing games, Bai Liu had often been pressured by his boss to emphasize friendship. At the very least, he would include one pure and kind teammate, because audiences preferred that kind of story.
He hadn't expected this game to be entirely populated by villains.
The violent Andre.
The cold-hearted Jeff.
And Lucy, his girlfriend, who dated him for money and could betray him at any time.
A setting where no one was good…
He liked it very much.
The corners of Bai Liu's mouth lifted.
Once he let go of the assumption—"Jeff is familiar with the mermaid lore, so he must be a good person worth keeping until the end"—it became easy to guess the final 10% of Jeff's Bloody Plot.
No wonder Jeff had been so wary of Bai Liu, and no wonder the progress bar had increased twice in such a strange way. From beginning to end, Jeff had wanted to kill two people: Andre and Bai Liu.
The task given to the driver wasn't just to kill Andre. It was to kill Bai Liu as well—perhaps even to rob him.
Thinking back, it was strange that the group had come to Siren Town together, especially since the initiator was supposedly the player himself. According to the character setting, he was timid—someone who would even cry while getting into the car to head to Siren Town. Such a person would never choose a dangerous and unfamiliar place like Siren Town for a bet.
As for the others, Andre clearly hadn't known much about the place. It was Lucy's first time there as well. The only one familiar with Siren Town—who could have suggested it for a so-called courage bet—was Jeff, who had studied mermaid legends for years.
The reason such a timid person would make a bet with Andre and come to Siren Town was likely Jeff's instigation.
Jeff had a perfect motive for choosing Siren Town. He had researched it thoroughly and knew about the high crime rate and the police's inability to solve most cases. Missing persons were rarely found. Based on this information alone, Siren Town was the ideal place to commit murder.
There was no better location to dispose of a body.
Jeff's "mermaid expert" setting wasn't meant to help them clear the game.
It was meant to help him kill them.
[Side Task — Jeff's Bloody Conspiracy: 100% Progress. Completed. Reward: 50 points.]
[Hidden Character State Unlocked — Jeff Who Resents Everything]
Bai Liu brushed the coin lightly over Jeff.
[NPC Name: Jeff (Status ???)]
[Character Profile: A devoted enthusiast of unnatural creatures such as mermaids and sea monsters. After learning that Lucy's group planned to visit Siren Town, he actively requested to join them. He is skilled at recounting the legends of Siren Town.]
[Hidden Character Profile: After being bullied by Andre for years without daring to resist, Jeff harbors deep resentment toward everything. After accidentally gaining your trust and becoming your friend, he grew jealous of your wealth and your seemingly perfect girlfriend. He resents you for failing to stand up for him and views you as a hypocrite. He wants to take everything from you and even use you to eliminate Andre.]
[When you and Andre made the bet, Jeff saw an opportunity. He knew the most perfect crime location in the world. It wouldn't be him who killed you and Andre—it would be the mermaid he deeply admires. He decided to use his beloved legends to end both your lives…]
[Warning: After unlocking this side story, Jeff's trust level toward you is extremely low. He is likely to attack. Please ensure your own safety.]
In front of the small TV, Wang Shun suddenly understood.
"So that's how it is. I was wondering why Jeff kept trying to kill the player during the land chase."
Other players were discussing it as well, some complaining loudly.
"Fuck! So, Jeff was this type of character? His setting said he was knowledgeable about mermaids, so I thought he was an information NPC who couldn't just die casually. I saved him several times during the chase and almost got killed myself!"
"There's definitely something special about this player. He exposed the traitor the moment he landed."
"His thought process always feels jumpy, but somehow it's incredibly steady."
The audience members praising Bai Liu were speaking animatedly when Li Gou suddenly slammed his machete down impatiently. The crowd fell silent at once.
Li Gou stared at Bai Liu's screen and sneered.
"Isn't it just a side story? I thought he was something amazing. People on the forum are already calling him the next Mu Sicheng. Those praising him must not have played many games or reached many promotion spots. Him? The next Mu Sicheng? Is he worthy?"
Wang Shun opened his mouth to argue but ultimately said nothing. He simply shook his head helplessly.
Lack of experience?
He had watched countless Siren Town recordings. The only players who had come close to completing the entire side story were Mu Sicheng and Bai Liu.
Mu Sicheng's Siren Town gameplay video was stored in the system's VIP archive and cost 40 points to view.
That price alone proved its value. If the side story were easy to complete, it wouldn't have been placed in the VIP library.
Moreover, Wang Shun clearly remembered that even Mu Sicheng hadn't obtained the final 10% of Jeff's Bloody Conspiracy. When Mu Sicheng played Siren Town, his luck stat was 56.
From Wang Shun's perspective, Bai Liu reaching this point meant that, at least in this game—
Bai Liu was far superior to Mu Sicheng.