Bai Liu's lips slowly curved into a smile.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Puppet Master will come after us soon. He should already know the broken lenses are on the passengers. He's short on manpower and will need to control us to help him search. We obviously can't defeat him head-on, so my plan is this—"
He paused briefly.
"—We seek cooperation with the Puppet Master in exchange for allowing him to control Mu Sicheng and me."
Mu Sicheng exploded. "Bai Liu, what the hell are you talking about?!!!"
-----------------
Puppet Zhang toyed with the broken lenses in his hand, his sharp eyes selecting one that resembled a distorted diamond.
"I have twenty here. Mu Sicheng is good at stealing—he should have another twenty. There are around forty at each station, and ten stations in total…"
He stopped himself mid-sentence.
The three puppets stared at him blankly, unable to react to his sudden silence. Puppet Zhang almost sneered at their foolish expressions. For a moment, he had been worried they might have figured out the core mechanic of this game, which was why he withheld the rest.
Then he remembered—he had been using this batch of puppets for quite some time. Aside from Li Gou, the others had long since had their intelligence drained by him. And Li Gou himself wasn't particularly bright. It would be a miracle if this group of idiots uncovered the key to the game.
One health point could be exchanged for one mirror fragment. Four hundred fragments would cost four lives. Even if Mu Sicheng's group were completely wiped out, one of his own puppets would still have to fill the final quota.
Puppet Zhang had never felt pity for his puppets. They were consumables. The Kings Guild had plenty of reserves; if some were destroyed, new ones would be recruited. Only the useful ones were worth preserving.
Despite his cruelty, there were always players eager to become his puppets. After all, clearing a game alone carried a far higher death rate than serving under Puppet Zhang.
"I've identified the key clues," Puppet Zhang said in a tone of feigned benevolence. "Next, we find Bai Liu's group. I can't simply sacrifice you all."
He smiled faintly.
"I'll control them instead. Then I'll have them help gather fragments—and consume their health."
Li Gou's badly burned eyes lit up. "Master, are you going to attack Bai Liu?"
"No." Puppet Zhang studied the warped mirror fragment in his hand and smiled slowly. "We kill the seventh player first. I'm now certain the seventh player is Du Sanying."
Li Gou looked puzzled. "Master, how did you confirm that?"
"Bai Liu's luck value is zero." Puppet Zhang rolled the shards between his fingers. "With luck that low, he should have encountered me during those two chases in the carriage. The only reason he 'just happened' to miss me each time is that a high-luck player was accompanying him."
His smile turned arrogant.
"After all, I should be the greatest misfortune in Bai Liu's game."
He tossed the broken mirror fragments to Li Gou, who scrambled to catch them. Li Gou looked up nervously.
"Master? Why are you giving these to me?"
"Naturally, because I value you, Li Gou." Puppet Zhang gave a hypocritical leader's smile and patted his shoulder. "Take good care of them. This is an important task, and I expect you to handle it well."
If Bai Liu had been present, he would have immediately recognized that expression as a leader's trademark fake smile.
In truth, Puppet Zhang handing the fragments to Li Gou served the same purpose as Bai Liu giving them to Du Sanying—reducing his own risk and creating a layer of confusion.
Both Du Sanying and Li Gou were under the absolute control of Bai Liu and Puppet Zhang. Giving the items to them posed no real danger. The fragments could be reclaimed at any time before the game ended.
Yet both men—human in appearance, beastly at heart—wrapped their sinister intentions in a pleasant façade.
Bai Liu's version: This is the trust I place in you, Du Sanying.Puppet Zhang's version: I'm giving this to you because I value you, Li Gou.
"Now, let's find where those three are hiding." Puppet Zhang flicked his fingers. Transparent silk threads coiled around the joints of his three puppets. With a light twitch, the threads vibrated, and the puppets shuddered as if struck by electricity.
"Before that, I'll grant you an enhancement. All puppet players except Liu Huai—enhance!"
[System Notification: Player Puppet Zhang has activated personal skill 'Puppet Enhancement.' Half of the puppet's mental value is sacrificed in exchange for doubling all other attributes.]
[Player Li Gou — Personal Panel]Mental Value: 80 → 40Physical Strength: 251 → 502Agility: 270 → 540Attack Power: 310 → 620Resistance: 350 → 700
Comprehensive combat capability has increased. Total attribute points exceed 2000. Player rated as A-level.Player Li Gou has advanced from B-level to A-level.
[Player Fang Ke — Personal Panel]Mental Value: 82 → 41
-----------------
[Comprehensive defense and attack power have increased. The total panel attribute points have exceeded 2000. Player Fang Ke is rated as an A-level player. Player Fang Ke's level has increased from B-level to A-level.]
Li Gou and Fang Ke lost focus instantly. They stood frozen in place, as if caught in a daze. Their minds were blank. Pain was evident on their faces, twisted into strange, struggling expressions. The sudden drop in mental value pushed both puppet players into a hallucinatory state. From their contorted faces, it was clear they were being tortured by what they saw.
Puppet Zhang, however, showed no concern for their suffering. With a flick of his fingers, he raised their joints using invisible threads, making them move in perfect synchronization.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face, his eyes filled with a sense of superiority. He idly flexed his ten fingers, casually manipulating his powerful puppets to perform various movements. Then he said arrogantly, "The decrease in your mental value might cost you the ability to think independently—but the thoughts produced by your stupid brains were useless anyway. It's better to exchange them for something worthwhile."
The only puppet who hadn't been enhanced, Liu Huai, shrank into a corner, trembling too violently to speak.
The way Puppet Zhang admired his puppets was like an artist admiring masterful works of art—creations without brains or independent thought, existing only to obey his commands. The gaze sent a chill down Liu Huai's spine. Puppet Zhang was an inhumane player who reveled in controlling and killing others.
Liu Huai truly regretted it. He regretted betraying Mu Sicheng. Mu Sicheng might not have been a good person, but he wouldn't discard someone after using them the way Puppet Zhang did.
But regret was meaningless. There was no turning back.
Puppet Zhang crouched on a subway seat. Li Gou and Fang Ke lay sprawled at his feet, their empty eyes resembling dolls whose batteries had run out. He crooked a finger at Liu Huai and smiled.
"Come here. I have a task for you. Go to Mu Sicheng and tell him you betrayed me and want to defect to their side."
Liu Huai swallowed hard. "T-They won't believe me. I'm Master's puppet."
"Is a betrayer's second betrayal really that hard to believe?" Puppet Zhang leaned back in his seat, hands folded beneath his chin, sneering. "Just say I'm inhumane and intend to exchange your health for fragments. Say you want to live, not die—so you betrayed me."
"B-But…" Liu Huai stammered. "Even then, they won't accept me so easily! I still have your puppet threads on me. You can control me at any time!"
Puppet Zhang extended his hand and made a grabbing motion.
A sharp, cramping pain shot through Liu Huai's limbs and joints. He screamed and collapsed to his knees. A roll of transparent silk threads, stained with droplets of blood, appeared in Puppet Zhang's hand. He shook the blood off them lazily.
"There. I've taken them back. Go."
Liu Huai stood frozen. He hadn't expected Puppet Zhang to retrieve the threads so easily and didn't know how to react.
Puppet Zhang wiped the blood from the threads against Li Gou's body as he spoke slowly, "They will accept you. As I said, they're short on manpower and need health to exchange for fragments. Even if they suspect you have ulterior motives, they won't reject you outright. They'll send you to collect fragments."
Liu Huai said nothing. He removed the puppet headgear from around his neck and gently placed it on the seat. Then he spoke cautiously.
"T-Then I'm leaving, Master."
As he turned nervously, Puppet Zhang's voice drifted over from behind him.
"Liu Huai, do you know how to control someone who might betray you again and again?"
Liu Huai paused, his voice trembling. "No, Master."
"Don't give them the opportunity to betray you." Puppet Zhang suddenly laughed. "Liu Huai, do you really think I removed all your puppet threads? Look down."
Liu Huai lowered his head—and froze.
A nearly invisible silk thread pierced through his chest. He followed it with his eyes back to Puppet Zhang. The thread running through his heart was wrapped around Puppet Zhang's little finger.
Puppet Zhang smiled without smiling. "Do you think I'm an idiot like Mu Sicheng, relying on trust to maintain relationships? Liu Huai, if you make even the slightest mistake, I'll kill you."
"I may lack many things—but I never lack self-righteous fools or puppet players." He slowly retracted his hand, raising an eyebrow as he watched Liu Huai pale and tremble. "Unfortunately, you happen to be both."
Liu Huai clutched his chest, his face ashen, and staggered through the swaying train. He had briefly entertained the thought of betraying Puppet Zhang, but now he didn't dare act against him in the slightest.
Puppet Zhang never left loopholes in his plans.
Liu Huai didn't believe Mu Sicheng or Bai Liu stood a chance against him. The gap in ability was too wide. Mu Sicheng might possess strong personal skills, but when it came to manipulating people's hearts, he was nowhere near Puppet Zhang's 93-point intelligence.
As for Bai Liu, Liu Huai had watched his videos before. He had to admit that Bai Liu was clever—but not clever enough to rival Puppet Zhang. At the very least, Puppet Zhang would never ally himself with Mu Sicheng and Du Sanying in a collection-based game. One was a thief, the other someone who thrived on picking up scraps. Teaming up with them would bring no real benefit.
Still, Puppet Zhang did not underestimate Bai Liu. His plan echoed in Liu Huai's mind.
"This game requires exchanging health for broken lenses. It has become a contest of trading lives. I have three lives on my side. I certainly won't sacrifice myself."
"There are three on Bai Liu's side as well. Since the four of us are bound together, they won't easily target us. I believe Bai Liu expects us to take the initiative and attack—he may even be setting a trap, waiting for us to walk into it. Sending you is a test."
"Four hundred fragments are required. I will not consume my own health. You will tell them that I intend to consume my puppets' health for fragments. This caused them to rebel, and conflict broke out. As a result, I cannot guarantee absolute control."
"My puppet manipulation isn't flawless. If a puppet resists desperately, I suffer backlash. I temporarily removed the more obvious threads from you. The one through your heart cannot be seen by anyone except you and me. Tell them you fought to the brink of death and forced me to withdraw the threads to avoid backlash."
"On their side, Du Sanying won't lose any health. Bai Liu's attributes are F-grade. Mu Sicheng will be the primary target for health consumption. After two rounds of chase battles, his mental value must be close to the threshold. It can be cleansed with bleach—but I doubt Bai Liu will allow it."
"Because Bai Liu needs Mu Sicheng's lowered mental value to trigger his rage state and increase combat power. Mu Sicheng likely isn't in a stable state right now. The last time he entered rage, he was impulsive and irritable—and killed four of my puppets. I don't believe Bai Liu can fully control him."
"Therefore, before the train reaches the platform and the chase begins, I suspect the thief—driven by hatred and urgency—will attempt to steal our fragments while attacking me. If I'm controlled, things become much easier for them. Without my personal skill enhancement, my puppets are only B-level players and easily defeated."
Liu Huai didn't fully understand why Puppet Zhang was making the situation so complicated.
Given Puppet Zhang's strength, he could win in a direct confrontation. Why resort to espionage and layered schemes?
Puppet Zhang looked at Liu Huai as if he were an idiot. "Naturally, it's to preserve everyone's health. I don't want to consume my health—or Mu Sicheng's and Bai Liu's. An ambush reduces losses. A frontal clash would cost too much. If we fight recklessly and the total health loss reaches 400, everyone dies."
"Since Bai Liu has survived this long, he must have formed some type of partnership with Mu Sicheng. But that partnership is fragile."
Puppet Zhang smiled faintly. He patted Liu Huai's face lightly with the back of his hand and drawled, "Once Mu Sicheng sees you, he'll remember your unpleasant partnership. He already carries painful memories. With low mental value, such memories will spawn countless hallucinations and drive him mad. Liu Huai, your only task is to keep reminding Mu Sicheng that you betrayed him."
Liu Huai recalled those instructions as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Puppet Zhang had beaten him deliberately to make the act convincing—to create the appearance of conflict.
Even so, Liu Huai felt deeply unsettled. He wasn't certain Mu Sicheng would believe him. After all, he had once betrayed Mu Sicheng to survive.
But Puppet Zhang had smiled and said:
"It's precisely because you betrayed Mu Sicheng to live. If you now betray me for the same reason, it becomes believable."
"Remember—you truly want to live. Your desire to survive is what drives your betrayal. That is why I chose you."
Liu Huai took a deep breath and continued forward. Gradually, bloody handprints appeared along the carriage walls—remnants of the previous battle. Players had clearly passed through here not long ago. Realizing he was getting closer to Mu Sicheng, Liu Huai's heartbeat quickened.
[The train is about to arrive at the station. The next stop is Huangquan Road. Passengers who are getting off, please line up and allow passengers to board first.
The carriage lights flickered.
Liu Huai stepped into the last carriage and saw Mu Sicheng leaning against the wall with his arms folded, while Du Sanying crouched beside his small go-kart.
The moment Liu Huai entered, Mu Sicheng raised his monkey claws warily. Liu Huai quickly lifted his hands in surrender, looking both embarrassed and frightened.
"Brother Si… I'm here to surrender," he whispered.
Mu Sicheng's expression darkened. He lowered his claws and sneered. "So Puppet Zhang brought you along this time."
"I… Brother Si…" Liu Huai didn't dare meet his eyes. His voice grew weaker. "I was just trying to survive."
"In order to survive, you chopped off my hands and handed me over to Puppet Zhang?" Mu Sicheng's sneer deepened, the red glow in his eyes nearly dripping with blood. "Didn't you join the Kings Guild? And now Puppet Zhang is personally taking you into games? Not bad. A high-level player willing to carry you—looks like you've been living well."
"And now you're betraying Puppet Zhang? Let me guess—this is his trick. Don't think I'll fall for the same scheme twice."
Seeing Mu Sicheng about to attack, Du Sanying hurriedly stepped in to stop him. They were short on manpower—there was no need to drive someone away, even if he was suspicious.
Liu Huai repeated everything Puppet Zhang had instructed him to say. Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng exchanged glances. His words aligned closely with Bai Liu's earlier analysis—Puppet Zhang was willing to sacrifice his own puppets for fragments.
"Wait." Mu Sicheng's eyes darkened. He pulled out a scale and suddenly grabbed Liu Huai by the throat.
A drop of blood splashed into Liu Huai's eye as the red glow in Mu Sicheng's gaze intensified. Liu Huai struggled for air, limbs flailing, face flushed as he rasped hoarsely, "I'm not lying! I really came to ask for help!"
Mu Sicheng sneered, his expression turning increasingly brutal as his grip tightened. "You say you're not lying, but I have my own way of judging."
[System Notification: Player Mu Sicheng has used the item 'Judge's Scale' on player Liu Huai. Truth or lie—your conscience will be weighed.]
[Judge's Scale: Can be used on the same player up to three times per day. Only yes-or-no questions may be judged. Complex questions cannot determine truthfulness.]
"Now I'll ask. You answer." Mu Sicheng smiled darkly, holding the struggling Liu Huai in one hand and the strange scale in the other. One side read Truth, the other Lie.
"First question. Did Puppet Zhang send you here?"
Liu Huai coughed and instinctively lied. "N-No!"
The scale tipped toward Lie.
Mu Sicheng sneered. "Second question. Is Puppet Zhang safe right now?"
Liu Huai choked, tears streaming down his face. "Brother Si! I didn't know you had this item! Please let me go! You still need me!"
Mu Sicheng's grip tightened coldly. "Answer."
"Yes!" Liu Huai cried hysterically. "He's safe! He's protected by two enhanced puppets! Even if I came at his request, Brother Si, I don't want to harm you! I came to join you! I won't betray you again! I'll never cut off your hands again! Puppet Zhang is insane—I couldn't survive with him, so I came to you!"
"Last question." Mu Sicheng stared at Liu Huai, but suddenly, hallucinations flooded his vision.
He saw blood seeping through his fingers. Slowly lowering his gaze, he saw his shoulder severed again—the blood flowing down just like the day Liu Huai cut off his arms.
[System Warning: Player Mu Sicheng's emotions have fluctuated drastically. Mental value has dropped to 60. Mild hallucinations have begun. Please restore mental value immediately.]
Mu Sicheng blinked. Blood dripped down his face onto Liu Huai's cheek. He lowered his head expressionlessly.
"You said you won't betray me again."
"Then answer this. Are you still loyal to Puppet Zhang? Are you part of his plan and still under his control—or have you truly betrayed him completely?"
His eyes were steady, unyielding.
Liu Huai's chest heaved violently. Sweat poured down his face. His palms burned with numb heat from tension. He had seen this look before—when Mu Sicheng's mental value dropped below safety. In that state, Mu Sicheng killed without hesitation. That was the state in which he slaughtered four of Puppet Zhang's puppets.
"I came because of Puppet Zhang's plan, but I really betrayed Pupp—"
Before he could finish, the invisible thread around his heart tightened sharply.
Puppet Zhang.
If he claimed to have fully defected, Puppet Zhang would kill him instantly.
Despair clawed at him. His overwhelming desire to live forced the words out.
"I won't betray Puppet Zhang."
The scale trembled twice before slowly tipping toward Lie.
Mu Sicheng loosened his grip, his expression strange and mocking.
"…So you really couldn't survive with him, just like you couldn't survive with me back then."
"You're only loyal to yourself, Liu Huai." He sneered. "That makes you useful."
Liu Huai coughed violently, staring at the scale in confusion.
Was it because Puppet Zhang had just attempted to kill him, causing him to genuinely consider betrayal? Or had the thought of betraying Puppet Zhang been growing ever since he was made into a puppet?
Did Puppet Zhang anticipate even this? Did he know Mu Sicheng possessed such an item?
A chill ran down Liu Huai's spine.
Mu Sicheng questioned him again about everything that had happened. This time, Liu Huai told the truth. After listening, Mu Sicheng snorted.
"Trying to provoke me into attacking him? If I wanted to attack, I'd wait until he had nearly collected all the fragments. No need to split Bai Liu and me."
At that moment, Liu Huai noticed something strange.
"Where's Bai Liu?" he asked cautiously.
Du Sanying scratched his face awkwardly. "Well… when we were discussing plans, Bai Liu suggested cooperating with the Puppet Master. Mu Sicheng disagreed. They had a huge argument. Bai Liu left and went to seek refuge with Puppet Zhang."
Mu Sicheng let out a cold hum and turned away. "Do I need someone to separate me from Bai Liu? We can fall out on our own."
Liu Huai: "..."
Liu Huai: "?????"
What? Who did Bai Liu go to?!
-----------------
[The train is about to arrive at the station. The next stop is Huangquan Road. Passengers who are getting off, please line up and allow passengers to board first.
Bai Liu walked calmly toward the front carriage.
There, he found Puppet Zhang lounging leisurely in his seat, two hollow-eyed puppets standing before him. Puppet Zhang didn't look surprised at all.
"Come, sit," he greeted naturally. "You arrived sooner than I expected."
Bai Liu sat opposite him and sighed. "You sent Liu Huai over. Mu Sicheng, your chess piece, has been discarded. I have no choice but to surrender."
"You're intelligent," Puppet Zhang replied with a meaningful smile. "Just unfortunate enough to meet someone smarter."
He sprawled comfortably across the seat, chin lifted, smiling arrogantly.
"This game requires four sacrifices to clear. Your attributes are far too poor to stand against me directly. I will win, but a direct confrontation would consume too much total health. After I control you, I may even choose to sacrifice you to gather the 400 health points required."
"For you, Bai Liu, the optimal strategy is cooperation. You'll be under my control, but at least I won't discard you easily."
"Of course, Mu Sicheng would never agree to that." Puppet Zhang sighed theatrically. "And you wouldn't approach me willingly either. Few people desire to be controlled. You might even consider having Mu Sicheng steal from me. So I had Liu Huai 'persuade' you."
From the very beginning, the fish Puppet Zhang wanted to catch was Bai Liu, not Mu Sicheng.
To obtain Bai Liu, he had to destabilize the partnership between Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng. And nothing could shake Mu Sicheng's trust in a teammate more effectively than Liu Huai.
If Mu Sicheng's mental state were stable, he might suppress his suspicions for the sake of clearing the level. But with his mental value lowered—and constant reminders of betrayal—his doubts and hatred would spiral beyond control.
Of course, Mu Sicheng could restore his Sanity to normal—but that definitely wasn't what Bai Liu wanted.
If Bai Liu chose to cooperate with Mu Sicheng to the end and stand against Puppet Zhang, then Mu Sicheng needed to remain in his rage state to have the combat strength to fight him.
Bai Liu could also force himself into a rage state to boost his own combat power, but Puppet Zhang didn't think he would do that.
The rage state was extremely dangerous, and there were still eight platforms left to pass. Bai Liu was only an F-grade panel player; his base attributes were far weaker than A-grade Mu Sicheng's. In a violent state, Bai Liu would become a high-output but low-defense fighter—one mistake, and he would die easily.
Puppet Zhang's plan was simple: defeat them one by one. Kill Bai Liu first, then use Liu Huai to control Mu Sicheng. As for Du Sanying, he could die at an appropriate time. Puppet Zhang had no interest in someone who had climbed to the top by luck alone.
Bai Liu spoke frankly. "I actually advised Mu Sicheng to cooperate with you. Not only did he refuse, he even beat me up."
As he spoke, Bai Liu displayed his personal panel to Puppet Zhang. Next to his Health value were the words: 'Decreased by 40 after being attacked by Mu Sicheng.'
This damage had actually come from when Bai Liu used Mu Sicheng as transportation at the beginning—Mu Sicheng had punched him in anger. Now, it conveniently served as proof of Bai Liu's "sincerity."
Bai Liu sighed regretfully. "I only have a little over 20 Health left. There's no way I can clear the level like this. I originally hoped Mu Sicheng would kill you in his rage state. Didn't he destroy four puppets while enraged before? Unfortunately, after learning about Liu Huai's existence, I completely gave up on cooperating with him."
Puppet Zhang gave Bai Liu an approving look. "With Liu Huai present, Mu Sicheng's rage state will become unstable. He'll indeed be more likely to attack his teammates."
"It's too easy for me to die," Bai Liu said calmly. "I want to win—but I also want to survive. So I came to you to cooperate."
If Mu Sicheng were here, he would definitely curse this money-obsessed lunatic for spouting nonsense. But Puppet Zhang didn't know Bai Liu valued money more than his own life. He smiled with satisfaction and pulled out a roll of transparent puppet silk thread.
"Then you know my condition," Puppet Zhang said. "To cooperate with me, you must become my puppet."
"Yes," Bai Liu replied without hesitation, as if he had expected this all along. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But cooperation requires both sides to show sincerity, doesn't it? If I become your puppet, shouldn't you demonstrate some goodwill? For example, what benefits do I get?"
Puppet Zhang found this surprisingly refreshing. "How would you like me to show my sincerity?"
"There's an item Mu Sicheng stole from me—the Mermaid Amulet." Bai Liu lowered his gaze slowly. "We even fought over it. If possible, I hope you can retrieve it for me."
"That's all?" Puppet Zhang was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected such a simple condition.
"It's a life-saving item." Bai Liu smiled faintly. "My Health is too low. If you can get it back before the train starts moving again, I'll be much safer. You don't want me to die right after obtaining me, do you?"
"Yes," Puppet Zhang replied with a smile. "I prefer willing puppets. Bai Liu, you're sensible and know how to negotiate. Then I will—"
The puppet silk thread in Puppet Zhang's hands suddenly trembled violently. The needle-sharp tip pierced into Bai Liu's bones, and the thread wrapped tightly around him.
Bai Liu shuddered in pain, gasping reflexively.
[System Notification: Player Bai Liu has become the puppet of Player Puppet Zhang.]
Puppet Zhang slowly opened his mouth. The smile on his face turned twisted and sinister.
"—That's as far as it goes. Bai Liu, you actually thought you could bargain with me? Let me teach you the rules."
[System Notification: Player Puppet Zhang has used the personal skill 'String Doll' on Player Bai Liu.]
"Now, Bai Liu, hand over everything you have—especially your weapons." Puppet Zhang hooked a thread around his finger. "I won't give you another chance to turn the tables."
Bai Liu's movements were stiff, his face pale from pain. His hands mechanically opened his system panel, and items began falling out one by one.
A white fishbone. Some miscellaneous trinkets. An old wallet.
When the wallet dropped, Bai Liu's expression shifted slightly—just enough to catch Puppet Zhang's attention.
Puppet Zhang bent down and picked it up. "What's this? Your personal skill?"
He tapped the worn wallet and sneered. "Looks shabby enough."
Opening it, he froze for a brief moment. His eyebrow lifted slightly as he pulled out a thick stack of point banknotes and held them up in front of Bai Liu.
"What's this? A solid points wallet? You actually like collecting this junk? There's quite a lot in here… Twelve thousand points."
Puppet Zhang smiled. "Then I'll kindly accept it."
Under control, Bai Liu's expression looked bleak. He lowered his head and bit his lower lip as if suppressing something he wanted to say. After a moment, he forced out stubbornly:
"Take it. Consider it my payment for helping me."
Puppet Zhang sneered. "If that makes you feel better."
However, had Puppet Zhang looked more closely, he would have noticed that Bai Liu's eyes were calm—and the lip he was biting had begun to curl upward ever so slightly.
[System Notification: Player Bai Liu has transferred 12,000 points to Player Puppet Zhang. Player Puppet Zhang must retrieve the item 'Mermaid Amulet' for Player Bai Liu before the train departs.]
[If either party fails to complete the transaction, the system will punish the defaulting player by imprisoning them inside the Empty Old Wallet, turning them into soul currency.]