Mu Sicheng froze, his expression darkening. "You're saying there are two monsters on that page?"
Bai Liu nodded and continued his analysis. "Brother Thieves. If the younger brother is the brute-force, dumb-looking type, then I'd design the older brother as the high-speed, high-theft type. Once players accumulate a certain number of fragments, the older brother would trigger before the level is cleared. Then he'd steal the fragments to raise the game's difficulty."
"But that's Du Sanying," Mu Sicheng objected skeptically. "He's 100% lucky. No one's ever taken anything from him."
"That's only if he can maintain 100% luck," Bai Liu replied evenly.
"I used Du Sanying's excessively high luck to stall Brother Thief for six stations. I broke the game's balance. To restore equilibrium, the system will most likely lower its luck value."
Mu Sicheng stiffened. He remembered what happened in Siren Town; the system had declared that Bai Liu disrupted the balance and forcibly suppressed his stats while increasing the number of monsters.
A Du Sanying without 100% luck…
Mu Sicheng looked over at him in a daze. Du Sanying was awkwardly climbing into his tiny bumper car again, preparing to lure Brother Thief away. A chill ran down Mu Sicheng's spine. Without perfect luck, Du Sanying only had a C-grade attribute panel. A monster's attack would hit him just as lethally as it would Bai Liu. If his luck dropped, Du Sanying could die.
"If you make Du Sanying lure them, he'll do it," Bai Liu continued calmly. "Even if his luck drops from 100 to 99, that just means Brother Thief trips 99 times out of 100. He only needs to succeed once—"
Mu Sicheng stared straight into Bai Liu's eyes. There was no hesitation there.
"—and Du Sanying will die."
Bai Liu's voice remained steady. "Even so, he has to lure both of them. The rest of us are below 30 HP. Brother Thief could kill us with one punch. If Du Sanying doesn't draw them away, we can't collect the fragments."
The train doors slid open. The charred passengers surged in. Following Bai Liu's prior arrangement, the others began grabbing fragments. Du Sanying revved up his nearly-scrapped bumper car, preparing once again to lead Brother Thief away.
But then, Brother Thief's charred chest wriggled twice.
The Younger Brother Thief let out two low chuckles. From his chest, a pair of pitch-black, razor-sharp hands tore outward and slashed toward Du Sanying.
Du Sanying had just sat down. By sheer luck, he narrowly avoided the fatal blow—but—
He touched his cheek blankly. A thin scratch marred his face. Blood trickled down.
He was injured.
It was the first time he had been hurt in this game.
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has been attacked by Older Brother Thief. HP -2, Mental Value -2.]
[System tip (All Players): Since all players have survived so far, in order to maintain game balance, Player Du Sanying's Luck Value will now decrease. Please stop relying on luck and rely on your own strength to clear the level.]
[Player Du Sanying's current Luck Value: 98.]
Brother Thief's chest split open from within. His cheeks tore apart, and from the blackened brain cavity grew a small, baby-like dark head. Coal-burned markings ringed its eyes, but the white eyeballs rolled restlessly in their sockets. A grin stretched across a mouth full of gleaming teeth.
Its feet hooked into the Younger Brother's scorched ribs as its body swung outward. Its hands were nothing but long, coal-black bones—thin, flexible, and disturbingly agile. Its spider-like fingers flickered through the air.
In an instant, one hand slashed past Du Sanying's head—so fast it was almost invisible.
Du Sanying dodged backward in time—but he was struck again.
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has been attacked by Older Brother Thief. HP -2, Mental Value -2. Luck Value -2.]
[Exploding Last Train Monster Book Updated — Brother Thief (2/3)]
[Monster Name: Older Brother Thief]
[Traits: Extremely high movement speed (3,400). Flames grant bonus effects. Skilled at stealing.]
[Weaknesses: ??? (Unexplored)]
[Attack Method: Scratching and stealing.]
Du Sanying gritted his teeth, ignoring the blood running down his face. He flipped into the car and sped off as Bai Liu had instructed. Even with his luck reduced, 96 was still high enough to stall the two thief brothers for a while.
But he understood clearly now:
If he were unlucky even once, he would die.
At present, he was the only one with nearly full HP. No one else could withstand even a single exchange with the brothers. There was no one to help him.
His luck had pushed him into this position. So he would bear the responsibility. Even if his luck fell to zero, Du Sanying wouldn't run away and watch Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng die.
He slammed the accelerator with a bitter expression. This was clearly a death mission, yet he didn't feel despair. Instead… something strange stirred inside him.
He had always been the scapegoat, the "vase player" others despised. This was the first time he'd been entrusted with something crucial, drawing the boss's hate value.
From the moment Bai Liu assigned him the task, there was no doubt in Bai Liu's eyes. Even though Du Sanying was clumsy, Bai Liu never once questioned whether he could do it.
Being trusted so completely felt unfamiliar.
At first reluctant, Du Sanying now found himself filled with a strange sense of obedience and faith. He had a gut feeling—no matter how low his luck dropped, Bai Liu would find a way. Just like with Mu Sicheng, Bai Liu wouldn't let him die easily.
Du Sanying trusted that instinct.
Behind him, the thief brothers smashed into the rear of his car. The back panel tore off and wedged into a seat, but fortunately, Du Sanying himself wasn't flung out. Still, the coordinated assault injured him again. Younger Brother Thief's flaming fist sent fire crawling up from the wrecked rear, scorching Du Sanying's eye sockets.
He wiped away the blood, teeth clenched.
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has been attacked by Older Brother Thief. HP -20, Mental Value -20.]
"Du Sanying, hold on! Stall them until we finish collecting the fragments. Can you do it?" Bai Liu's voice rang out.
Du Sanying coughed twice but steadied his breathing. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he floored the accelerator. "I'll try my best!"
Bai Liu laughed lightly. "Then I'll leave the rear to you."
As Mu Sicheng helped collect fragments, he shot Bai Liu a worried glance. "Du Sanying's only C-grade. His only advantage was 100% luck. Now it's not even 100. Do you really think he can hold off both of them? If he fails, we won't be able to defend!"
"I'm not sure he can survive," Bai Liu admitted honestly.
"But he agreed. So I assume he can." Bai Liu's voice was calm. "Just like earlier, when you weren't sure you could stay conscious with a mental value of 10. I assumed you could."
Mu Sicheng paused. "…What if he can't?"
"Then it's you and me," Bai Liu replied evenly.
Up ahead, Du Sanying slumped over the steering wheel, dizzy, coughing up blood. His luck had finally failed him. Under the Older Brother's interference, he'd been forced to take a direct hit from the Younger Brother to protect the fragments. Even with a defensive item, the damage was severe.
His HP and Mental Value had both dropped below the safe threshold.
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has been attacked by Older Brother Thief. HP -20, Mental Value -20.]
He forced himself upright and drank a can of mental bleach. His mental value stabilized, but exhaustion weighed heavily on him. Mental bleach restored stability, not stamina. Fatigue still gnawed at his body.
He was nearing his limit. These two brothers were too difficult.
The Younger Brother hit hard but moved more slowly. Du Sanying could evade him with speed. But the Older Brother had over 3,000 movement speed. No matter what items Du Sanying used, he couldn't shake him. Worse, the two coordinated flawlessly.
The Older Brother giggled. The Younger Brother hurled him forward. He landed on the hood of Du Sanying's car and reached out with coal-black claws to steal the fragments.
Du Sanying yanked the steering wheel violently, spinning the car in frantic circles to shake him off. The vehicle whirled like a top. Du Sanying himself nearly vomited from the motion, but the Older Brother clung on stubbornly.
Left with no choice, Du Sanying activated another item.
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has used "Sunny Umbrella" on Older Brother Thief.]
A translucent umbrella decorated with a bright sun snapped open before him, bursting with dazzling light.
The Older Brother shrieked and leapt backward from the hood—only to lash out and seize the umbrella with his claws.
[System tip: The Sunny Umbrella was scrapped by Older Brother Thief and can no longer be used.]
"Fuck!" Du Sanying had plenty of items, but he still couldn't stop himself from cursing in heartache.
He had already lost seven or eight protective items, all destroyed by Older Brother Thief. The problem was that he was almost out of resistance items. Du Sanying glanced at his system warehouse. At most, his remaining items could withstand two more attacks from Younger Brother Thief.
But two… Du Sanying's face darkened. That wasn't enough.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Older Brother Thief was thrown again by Younger Brother Thief. He flew across the train carriage like a bat and landed on Du Sanying's car. His hands moved with astonishing speed, skimming over Du Sanying's body like a skilled pickpocket.
Du Sanying hurriedly dodged. At first, he had hung the broken lenses around his neck. Later, thinking that position was too dangerous, he changed it—
—Du Sanying decided that, aside from his butt crack, the safest place was inside his pants.
Older Brother Thief hesitated. His eyeballs rolled suspiciously over Du Sanying's entire body, clearly sensing something was wrong when he couldn't find the broken lenses. He paced in front of the car and let out sharp noises, as if questioning where Du Sanying had hidden them and demanding that he hand them over.
Du Sanying gritted his teeth. "If you can't find them, just give up."
Older Brother Thief seemed irritated; his whistling grew louder. The two stared at each other strangely for a moment. In the monster's eyes, Du Sanying seemed both disgusting and infuriating. Then Older Brother Thief clenched his mouth shut, as if making up his mind, and stretched out a trembling hand toward Du Sanying's crotch.
This move had a very Chinese-style name: "Monkey Steals the Peach." (Grabbing someone by the balls.)
Bai Liu had just finished on his end when he heard Du Sanying let out a scream that tore through his lungs.
"Ahhhhhhh—let go of my [beep]!!! You rogue! Don't pull my [beep beep beep]!"
Mu Sicheng and the others fell into an awkward silence.
"Damn it! Get away!" Du Sanying shouted as he yanked up his pants. He had never seen such a shameless monster before. "You're disgusting! Take your hand out of my pants! Are you some damn train molester?!"
Older Brother Thief's eyeballs bulged, and his teeth chattered. His slender hand was still shoved inside Du Sanying's pants. His face split open and fell away, revealing charred flesh and blood inside. The corners of his mouth twitched viciously as he screamed madly, as if cursing Du Sanying for shamelessly hiding the broken lenses there.
Seeing Younger Brother Thief about to catch up and Older Brother Thief's hand about to grab the lenses, Du Sanying cursed and was forced to use an item.
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has used Clown Spring on Older Brother Thief.]
Older Brother Thief was suddenly bounced backward by a clown's head that sprang out from the front of the car. A massive elastic spring extended beneath it. The clown kept laughing as it blocked several of Older Brother Thief's scratches without breaking.
Before Du Sanying could sigh in relief, Younger Brother Thief roared and raised his fist. His entire body ignited violently, and a scorching gust of wind swept through the carriage. The air grew blistering hot, and every window shattered at once. Younger Brother Thief looked up, raised his burning fist, and launched himself forward in two or three strides, aiming directly at Du Sanying.
Du Sanying felt suffocated, as if something invisible were crushing his lungs. His instincts screamed that something catastrophic was about to happen. He turned and stared at Younger Brother Thief leaping through the air, his face twisted with violence. Du Sanying's eyes narrowed.
Fire Impact and Rage Hammer are his two ultimate moves.
The moment that fist landed, the entire carriage would be reduced to a sea of flames.
Du Sanying knew he was going to die.
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has used Clown Spring on Younger Brother Thief.]
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has used Golden Bell Cover on Younger Brother Thief.]
Younger Brother Thief's punch came down mercilessly. The entire carriage shook violently for several seconds.
A deafening explosion erupted. Instantly, the carriage was swallowed by fire.
Mu Sicheng stared at the blazing wreckage and shouted, "Du Sanying!!!"
There was no response, only smoke and the charred remains of Du Sanying's little car, burned beyond recognition. Nearby lay a scorched clown head, still wearing its grotesque grin. A shattered golden bell lay in fragments beside the car's burnt tire.
"…Du Sanying should've used Clown Spring and Golden Bell to block it. But even their combined effects can't stop that punch." Puppet Zhang's expression turned grim. "Du Sanying is most likely dead. Even an A-grade player at full health would probably have their HP cleared by that attack."
"Not to mention, Du Sanying's luck value isn't at 100%. His attribute panel is only C-grade—he can't withstand that blow."
"His luck value might not be 100%, but it should be above 90. I don't think he's dead," Bai Liu calmly refuted. "Mu Sicheng, I'll distract Younger Brother Thief. He just used a major skill; there should be a one-minute cooldown. Draw away the fast-moving Older Brother Thief to give Du Sanying room to escape."
Puppet Zhang couldn't stop himself. "You don't need to do this for Du Sanying. He's probably dead—"
Before he could finish, Bai Liu's whip lashed out, striking Younger Brother Thief and cutting him off.
Younger Brother Thief roared and turned toward Bai Liu. Enraged, he stomped the ground and charged at him.
Mu Sicheng swung himself up onto the overhead handhold rings. Older Brother Thief circled the car, searching for something. Mu Sicheng aimed a monkey paw strike from midair, but Older Brother Thief sharply dodged. Furious, the monster flicked his long, skeletal hand toward Mu Sicheng's heart.
The two brother thieves were successfully drawn away.
Then, the ashes of the car shifted. Twice.
A half-dead Du Sanying crawled out from the wreckage. He coughed violently before collapsing onto the floor, eyes blank, like a half-roasted parrot.
"…I thought I was going to die… luckily, I have a personal skill…"
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has used his personal skill 'Legal Apprentice' to reduce damage by 90%.]
[System tip: Player Du Sanying has been attacked by Younger Brother Thief. HP -20, Mental Value -30, Luck Value -10.]
The moment Du Sanying emerged, Younger Brother Thief seemed to sense the broken lenses' location and instantly turned toward him.
Du Sanying gasped and scrambled up. "Bai Liu—!! I can't hold on much longer!"
"That's enough," Bai Liu replied with a faint smile. "Leave the rest to me. Give me the broken lenses."
Du Sanying ran frantically toward Bai Liu but tripped halfway. Younger Brother Thief nearly crushed his spine with one stomp.
"Throw the lenses!" Bai Liu shouted.
In panic, Du Sanying hurled the broken lenses into the air. "Bai Liu! Catch!"
The instant they left his hand, Younger Brother Thief changed direction and reached for them. Bai Liu's whip snapped out, pulling the monster away just in time. The swift Mu Sicheng snatched the lenses first.
Du Sanying collapsed on the ground, paralyzed in tears, barely able to breathe.
Bai Liu patted his shoulder. "Good job. Leave the rest to Mu Sicheng and me."
Du Sanying relaxed slightly but looked at Bai Liu with worry. "But you only have three HP left. It should be me—"
"Three points are enough."
Bai Liu flicked his whip and calmly faced the two charging monsters.
"Mu Sicheng, let's begin."
Mu Sicheng swung down from the ring and grabbed Bai Liu by the back collar, lifting him effortlessly. He sneered. "Hold tight. At full speed, my movement stat is in the tens of thousands."
With one hand carrying Bai Liu, Mu Sicheng adjusted the headphones around his neck. The moment he put them on, the monkey eyes on the headset glowed bright red. The monkey's mouth stretched into a huge grin as it shrieked, "Quick—quick—!!"
[System tip: Player Mu Sicheng has activated personal skill: Thief's Stealth — Super Full-Speed Mode.]
[Thief's Stealth has upgraded from A- to S-. Movement Speed +9003. Warning: This skill has been forcibly activated and will cause severe stamina depletion. Duration: one minute. Physical strength cannot be restored with supplements during cooldown. Player Mu Sicheng, confirm activation?]
Mu Sicheng's eyes darkened. The corner of his mouth curled into a scornful smile.
[Confirm.]