Mu Sicheng took the Mermaid Amulet and went to the front carriage—the one furthest from the mirror—following Bai Liu's instructions. Bai Liu had said this was to prevent the god-level NPC's attack from reaching Mu Sicheng before he had time to use the item. It was safer to stay as far away as possible from where the mirror would be broken.
As he left, Mu Sicheng glanced back at Bai Liu.
With only a sliver of health remaining and a god-level NPC about to emerge, anyone else would've seemed doomed. If it were before, Mu Sicheng would've been certain this guy was going to die.
But if that player was Bai Liu…
Mu Sicheng took a deep breath, snorted, and turned away. He felt like he was worrying for nothing. Somehow, he had been influenced by that madman—he actually believed Bai Liu would survive.
A guy who handed over his items and left himself with almost no health… would definitely survive.
After all, Bai Liu had just spent 100,000 yuan on him. If Bai Liu died, that money would be wasted. A stingy person like him wouldn't let Mu Sicheng go so easily—not even if he became a ghost.
Mu Sicheng shook his head with a faint smile. He tightened his grip on the Mermaid Amulet, inhaled deeply, and walked away.
-----------------
Once Bai Liu confirmed that Mu Sicheng had left, he immediately opened his system panel.
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu is logging into player Mu Ke's system panel… Login successful.]
Bai Liu's expression remained calm.
"Call up the item: Mermaid Amulet."
A white mermaid statue fell into his hands. Mu Ke's Mermaid Amulet was unbound, so Bai Liu could use it.
He held the white fishbone whip in one hand and the statue in the other. After taking a slow breath, he stared at the mirror and murmured quietly:
"Tawil… I hope you're the self-aware, intelligent NPC I believe you to be. I hope you remember more than seven seconds—and that you remember what you promised me when you were a merman."
That was right. Bai Liu had already investigated this god-level NPC.
In Siren Town, the god-level NPC had introduced himself as Tawil. The original Siren banshee's name had been Meade, and the Siren King had given Bai Liu a completely unrelated name. Moreover, the previous siren banshee had never mentioned granting players' wishes.
This was clearly overwritten data.
After observing the NPC's highly self-aware behavior, Bai Liu classified him as an intelligent, wandering-type NPC—someone with his own name and independent identity. Almost like a powerful alternative player, drifting between games while playing the role of a horror boss.
Bai Liu believed Tawil retained his memories.
That was why he dared to risk breaking the mirror.
First, he also possessed a Mermaid Amulet. If he broke the mirror himself, it wasn't fundamentally different from Mu Sicheng doing it. Second, Tawil had once promised to grant him a wish. Judging from how he had repeatedly emphasized it, that promise clearly carried weight.
The only question was whether Tawil remembered.
Bai Liu closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. When he opened them again, he tightened his grip on the bone whip and struck the mirror without hesitation.
At that exact moment, the train exploded. Flames surged through the carriages like a rising tide.
Bai Liu's reflection shattered into countless fragments.
The train let out a long, trembling whistle. The shards that fell to the ground vibrated, slowly piecing themselves together into a fractured mirror.
A naked man appeared within it.
He had a pale, somber, and breathtakingly beautiful face, and a flawless body defined by elegant muscle lines. Fine shards of mirror clung to him like crystalline scales, embedding into his eyes and skin, decorating his perfect form.
His long, softly curled hair cascaded to his waist—bright silver, gleaming like polished glass. The entire image, framed within the shattered mirror, resembled a priceless work of art.
He seemed to awaken.
Slowly, he opened his eyes beneath long lashes. His pupils flowed like liquid mirrors, reflecting the raging explosion without a trace of emotion.
The instant his eyes fully opened, every window on the train shattered. Passengers screamed as shards tore through their bodies. Blood splashed across the carriage in seconds.
At the very front, Mu Sicheng was slashed repeatedly by flying glass. Just before his health hit zero, he gritted his teeth, crushed the amulet, and exited the game.
[System prompt: The mirror has been broken. Player Mu Sicheng has cleared the level. Calculating rewards…]
-----------------
Du Sanying barely managed to rise from the waterlogged train. The train suddenly stopped. Before he could process what was happening, the world before him fractured like glass—splintering, cracking, and scattering into pieces.
[System prompt: The ghost mirror has been broken. The mirrored train has ceased operation. Players Du Sanying, Fang Ke, and Liu Huai have officially cleared the level. Calculating rewards…]
-----------------
Tawil extended his cold, pale fingers toward the mirror and lowered his eyes slightly, as though awakening from deep sleep had left him faintly displeased.
"It's noisy," he murmured.
In an instant, everything froze.
The roaring explosion halted. Twisted metal hung suspended midair. Panicked crowds stopped mid-run. Even the train's whistle cut off abruptly.
Behind Bai Liu, flames poised to swallow him froze in place. Countless glass fragments hovered around him, trembling, their sharp tips aimed directly at his body—yet none advanced.
Bai Liu looked down.
The Mermaid Amulet had shattered the moment Tawil opened his eyes. It crumbled into powder, white grains slipping through his fingers.
He raised his head to meet Tawil's gaze. After a long breath, Bai Liu smiled. "Long time no see, Tawil."
Since he hadn't been attacked, his smile widened slightly. "It seems you still remember me."
Tawil regarded him calmly, silver hair flowing like quiet waves.
"It hasn't been long since I last saw you, Bai Liu. The last time I awakened, the first person I saw was also you. It would be difficult to forget you in such a short time."
"Is that so?" Bai Liu smiled gently. "Then do you remember promising to grant me a wish?"
Tawil hummed softly. "Do you have one?"
"Yes." Bai Liu's eyes curved. "Attack me. Attack me in a way that won't kill me. Tawil—that is my wish."
Tawil fell silent for several seconds. "I rarely encounter humans like you," he said at last. "Every time… you ask me to attack you. Do you enjoy it?"
If Bai Liu had known that his answer would lead to deeper misunderstandings with Tawil in the future, he might have replied more carefully.
But he was on the verge of clearing the level. And faced with Tawil—a game NPC whose design he genuinely admired—his nerves relaxed.
He couldn't resist teasing him.
"Maybe I like it because it's you hitting me," Bai Liu said lightly. "Or maybe we're fated. Maybe that's why I keep asking."
A faint trace of confusion flickered across Tawil's otherwise impassive face before vanishing. His gaze swept over Bai Liu's body with cold detachment.
"You have very little health remaining," Tawil stated evenly. "No matter how I attack you, you will die."
Bai Liu, ever the rogue, replied calmly, "That's for you to figure out. This is my wish."
Tawil stared at him for a long time.
Then, slowly, he leaned out of the mirror. Lowering his long, pale eyelashes, he bent down and bit Bai Liu's lips—very, very slowly.
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu has been attacked by the god-level NPC, the Ghost Mirror!]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu has lost 0.5 health. Remaining health: 0.5. Please exit the game as soon as possible!]
"Is this acceptable?" Tawil asked softly in Bai Liu's ear, his trembling lashes brushing down as his voice dropped to a near whisper.
Bai Liu tilted his head slightly, clearly uncomfortable. He raised a hand to wipe the faint bite mark left on his lips. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. In the end, he simply nodded.
"…It's fine. Thank you."
Last time… Tawil had seemed to kiss him in the same place. Did this NPC have a preference for his lips? Probably just an illusion.
[The Exploding Last Train Monster Book has been updated—Ghost Mirror (3/3)]
[Monster Name: Ghost Mirror (God-level NPC)]
[Features: ??? (Unknown, cannot be explored by the system)]
[Weaknesses: None (Players are not required to discover this monster's weaknesses)]
[Attack Mode: Fish Tail Strike; Bite (2/???) (Note: Since the upper limit of attack modes cannot be determined, the player will collect the page upon recording one attack mode.)]
[System prompt: Congratulations to player Bai Liu for completing the Exploding Last Train Monster Book.]
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu has subdued the monster within the mirror. Level cleared. Calculating rewards…]
Bai Liu's body dissolved into scattered points of light. Before completely disappearing, he waved with a faint smile.
"Thank you, Tawil. See you next time—if fate allows."
Inside the mirror, Tawil lowered his eyes and touched his lips where he had bitten Bai Liu.
"…It's still warm," he murmured.
Bai Liu's body temperature had been nothing like a cold mirror or a frigid mermaid. He hadn't been entirely afraid of Tawil either. It was also the first time Tawil had encountered a human who actively asked to be attacked.
After being touched and attacked, Bai Liu hadn't turned into a cold corpse lying on the ground in fear and resentment.
He hadn't become a monster, recoiling in terror and fleeing from Tawil.
Instead, Bai Liu had smiled at him and said, "See you next time, Tawil."
It was strange. Warm again.
"See you next time."
What did Bai Liu take him for—the ultimate monster?
If Bai Liu truly understood what kind of existence he was, would he still be able to say such words so casually?
"See you next time, Bai Liu," Tawil whispered to the empty space where Bai Liu had vanished, before slowly closing his eyes.
In the next instant, the mirror shattered completely. The train was swallowed by a violent explosion. People screamed in agony—but the monster who had brought about the catastrophe was undisturbed.
He closed his eyes and sank into sleep among the cold, broken shards that had just been kissed, quietly waiting for their next encounter.
A trace of warmth lingered on his lips, a warmth that did not belong to him.