From the perspective of the live broadcast, assembling the ghost mirror after killing Bai Liu would create a far stronger impact, and the audience would be willing to pay more. It would generate the same explosive publicity effect as when Miao Feichi devoured his opponent.
If it were purely for publicity, then this was indeed the type of plan the Scavenger Zombies would choose.
In the past, some guilds liked to eliminate promising newcomers before the league began. In more "elegant" terms, it was called "sacrificing a dark horse to the festival flag—guild invincible." This happened every year. Powerful newcomers without guild backing were targeted and crushed long before they could rise.
This year, Mu Sicheng had originally been the one meant to be sacrificed to the flag, which was why he had rushed to collect escape equipment like the Mermaid Amulet.
Unexpectedly, Bai Liu appeared—someone even more arrogant than him. Bai Liu directly killed the top-ranked Puppet Zhang, and that stunt far outshone anything Mu Sicheng had done. Just like that, he took away Mu Sicheng's qualification to be sacrificed to the flag.
Mu Sicheng recalled the Scavenger Zombies' guild announcement he had seen. Miao Feichi, shackles fastened around his mouth, had filmed a short video and posted it on the guild's announcement interface, declaring that he would livestream himself killing and eating Bai Liu.
"It's just that I don't like eating older people. They taste better when they're younger," Miao Feichi had joked. "This is a regular sacrifice-to-the-flag operation. How much I eat depends on how much you donate. For you, I can eat a little more. At present, the support data calculates to 1.5 kilograms of internal organs—but that's nowhere near enough for me."
Miao Feichi licked his lips. "It would be a pity to waste his meat. It's worth selling for a few extra points."
Bai Liu glanced at Mu Sicheng strangely. He didn't know what Mu Sicheng was thinking, but the latter's expression had suddenly turned hideous, as if he truly wanted to eat someone.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. I just thought of something unpleasant." Mu Sicheng gritted his teeth, though he quickly forced his twisted expression back under control. "I'll follow you this time. Isn't it better for the two of us to go together rather than you going alone?"
Mu Sicheng kept pestering Bai Liu to enter the game with him, but Bai Liu refused to budge. He insisted that Mu Sicheng bring the newcomers instead. Mu Sicheng grew irritable.
"If something happens to you, bringing those two newcomers out of the game will be meaningless."
"Before anything happens, you can assume I'll be fine." Bai Liu patted Mu Sicheng on the shoulder and flashed him a polished, insincere business smile to placate him.
Mu Sicheng suddenly turned his head, his gaze crossing over Bai Liu's shoulder as he frowned at something behind him.
"They're here," he muttered.
Bai Liu followed his line of sight and saw two players approaching—one tall, one short. The one in front walked with arrogant, domineering strides. Ordinary players near the entrance quickly scattered, creating a vacuum around them.
They didn't retreat because the two were from the Scavenger Zombies—after all, players couldn't attack each other in the game hall. They retreated because of the system notification.
[System Tip to Players at the Entrance: The red-named player 'Miao Feichi' has appeared. This player killed 12 players in a 50-player multiplayer instance yesterday. All regular players currently logged in should keep their distance and avoid entering the same game as him. Protect your personal safety.]
Miao Feichi couldn't help smiling at the announcement. He was clearly used to it. His smile carried the arrogance of someone who controlled the lives of others—and enjoyed the fear he inspired.
He was a handsome young man with broad shoulders and long legs. He looked striking, and when he lowered his head to eat human flesh, the mysterious and bloody aura around him reminded people of elegant, dangerous creatures like vampires. His scenes created a massive impact and drove many viewers into a frenzy. His charged points were consistently high, and he was skilled at playing to the crowd. He had always ranked within the top twenty players in the beauty zone.
Bai Liu gave him a brief, objective assessment: his bone structure-to-feature ratio was far inferior to Mu Ke's. His posing felt overly deliberate, and there was a greasy undertone to the way he flaunted himself.
Behind Miao Feichi stood a quiet middle-aged man. Tall and powerfully built, with a dark complexion and a string of Buddhist beads hanging around his neck, he had two ivory-like fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth. His eyes were clear, his steps steady, and his demeanor calm. Compared to the ostentatious Miao Feichi, this man seemed far more dangerous.
This must be Miao Feichi's father and partner, Miao Gaojiang.
Miao Feichi swaggered toward the game wall at the entrance. Several players trailed behind him, clearly Scavenger Zombies guild members helping search for Bai Liu. They were obviously afraid of him—an instinctive, prey-like fear toward a predator at the top of the food chain.
No one dared meet his eyes. Even his own subordinates were sized up by him with narrowed eyes, as if he were evaluating cuts of meat. Bai Liu privately described the scene as a group of trembling herbivores following a carnivore. The herbivores racked their brains to flatter him.
"Brother Miao, are you here to find Bai Liu and have some fun? You don't need to come personally. We can handle it."
"Those people on the forums were talking nonsense, provoking our Brother Miao. Didn't someone say Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng's coordination would be a highlight of next year's doubles league? Even if they team up, Brother Miao and Father Miao could crush them easily!"
"Hey." Miao Feichi narrowed his eyes and pretended to stop the sycophants from praising him to the heavens. "You talk too much. Still, I hope he doesn't team up with Mu Sicheng. After all, I can't eat two adults."
"Fuck." Hidden in the crowd, Mu Sicheng cursed and rolled up his sleeves, only for Bai Liu to grab his wrist. Bai Liu shot him a look before releasing him.
"Fuck," Mu Sicheng muttered again. "Miao Feichi is the most small-minded league player I've ever seen. Someone on the forums praised our teamwork and speculated we'd be a threat next year? That's probably why he targeted you. He can't stand any duo being better than him."
The words of those "herbivores" were unpleasant to hear, but they reflected the prevailing opinion on the forums. Aside from Bai Liu's and Mu Sicheng's fans, most bystanders were pessimistic. They believed the two of them would likely be eliminated by Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang.
In Exploding Last Train, only Puppet Zhang had been considered a relatively high-level player. Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang, on the other hand, were professional league players—on an entirely different level. Many players were already posting RIP messages for Bai Liu and Mu Sicheng, lamenting that they probably wouldn't make it to next year's league.
It wasn't surprising. Bai Liu had offended too many people. The fans supporting guild players during the support season were fanatical. He had killed Puppet Zhang, a member of the Kings Guild's reserve team, and the system had even commented that he was the second Spades. In one move, he had offended the fanbases of both the first- and second-ranked guilds—the ones with the strongest combat power.
To them, the Scavenger Zombies killing Bai Liu for publicity was something worth applauding.
Bai Liu lowered his voice. "Hurry and take the newcomers through the game. Don't stay here to watch the show."
Mu Sicheng glared at him resentfully. "You're really not going to let me follow you?"
"Yes," Bai Liu admitted without hesitation. "Take good care of the newcomers and clear a level-one multiplayer instance with them."
Mu Sicheng struggled. "I can take them to clear the instance with you. Wouldn't that still count as bringing newcomers?"
"The only new game on this wall is a level-two instance. Since Miao Feichi is targeting me, I can't enter old games that have already been played. I can only choose a new one." Bai Liu's tone was calm. "You can't carry three newcomers through a level-two game. It's already risky enough for me to attempt this instance with Mu Ke, but at least he has cleared two instances on his own and follows my instructions. We can barely manage. And now you want to drag Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu along to join the chaos? Are you trying to hold a group funeral?"
Mu Sicheng was irritable and anxious, like a monkey on the verge of exploding at any moment. "Even so, my personal skill can counter Miao Feichi! I've found five black fingers. Once I equip them, I can at least fight him head-on. How are you supposed to handle two S-grade players by yourself?"
"And what about Liu Fu, Xiang Chunhua, and Mu Ke?" Bai Liu looked straight at him. "If you force them into this instance just to help me, will you care whether they live or die? If you don't take Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu to practice on their own, how will you ever build teamwork with them?"
Mu Sicheng pressed his lips together and said nothing, but his silence was an admission. He didn't care much about the life or death of those three, nor did he particularly want to cooperate with anyone.
"I do have an opinion about your attitude toward your future league teammates," Bai Liu said lightly. There was no lecturing tone, no harsh rebuke. He simply looked up at Mu Sicheng. "You won't be partnering only with me in the future. You'll have to work with others. I'm not just training Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu—I'm training you as well."
He paused. "I won't die. I survived the last encounter with the ghost mirror, and I won't die easily this time either. You should at least have that basic level of trust in me."
"I'll come out, and we'll compete in the league together." Bai Liu's voice was steady. "I always keep my word. Have I ever lied to you, Mu Sicheng?"
Mu Sicheng gritted his teeth. In the end, he gave a reluctant nod, his voice hoarse when he agreed.
Bai Liu watched him leave.
Using his shorter stature to his advantage, Bai Liu slipped quickly through the crowd and finally found Mu Ke standing in a corner of the entrance hall. Mu Ke was startled when he saw him, but then he remembered that the game altered appearances. Still, he would never mistake that voice. It was the voice that had saved him.
Bai Liu briefly explained the situation. "We'll be hunted the moment we enter. Are you sure you want to come with me? This is your last chance to regret it. I just saw someone who isn't even as good-looking as you make it into the top of the beauty zone by relying on novelty and cannibalistic livestreams. If you properly develop your looks, you could easily surpass him."
"…I'll go with you." Mu Ke's gaze was unwavering.
"Alright. Since we're being hunted, we can't enter old games. We'd have no advantage there." Bai Liu spoke quickly. "Single-player games would actually be safer, but their revenue is too low—and they're all full right now. We can only choose a new multiplayer instance. I checked. There's only one."
He lifted his eyes to Mu Ke. "We might have seen it before. It's called Love Welfare Institute."
Before entering the game, Mu Sicheng had once asked Bai Liu about "parallel time and space." If reality had a fixed, inevitable outcome, how could parallel timelines exist? Just like Bai Liu and the children's welfare home—if he had never chosen to go there, he wouldn't have died, and there would have been no trace left behind.
Yet now it felt as though an invisible hand was pushing everything into place. The pursuit, the robbery, the ambush by veteran players—all of it forced Bai Liu onto a predetermined path. The only viable option left was this game related to the welfare home.
Lu Yizhan had always liked to say that providence lurked in the darkness. If that so-called providence meant dragging him into this game, then he neither could escape nor wanted to.
Bai Liu glanced at Mu Ke. "We'll split up and enter separately."
On the game wall, the icon of a lifeless children's welfare home suddenly lit up.
[Game Instance Name: Love Welfare Institute]
[Level: Level 2 (instances with a player mortality rate greater than 50% and less than 80% are classified as Level 2)]
[Mode: Multiplayer (0/6)]
[Description: This is a dual-line deciphering operation. Players will have two identity lines, each equivalent to a part of their body. Protecting the child is protecting yourself; killing them is also protecting yourself. Which will you choose? Will you become a child, or remain a filthy adult…?]
[The game 'Love Welfare Institute' has gathered two players. Four more are required to begin.]
[System Tip: The player Bai Liu, whose small TV you have bookmarked, has logged into the game. Please tune in to watch~]
The notification made Miao Feichi's eyes gleam. He snorted. "You think I can't find you just because you entered a game? There are only so many options."
Miao Gaojiang analyzed calmly, "Bai Liu must have chosen a new game. He has no advantage in old ones." His gaze scanned the wall before settling on a corner icon.
It depicted a gloomy welfare home gate. Through the bars, several children could be seen playing and laughing. It was a new, previously unseen game.
"Love Welfare Institute?" Miao Feichi stared at the children in the icon and licked his teeth, eyes gleaming with bloodthirsty anticipation. "That name suits my appetite perfectly."
"Brother Miao, we've confirmed that aside from this one, all other games are either full or old instances. This is the only one with two players logged in."
"Two?" Miao Feichi sneered. "So he teamed up with Mu Sicheng. Fine. It's only a level-two instance. I won't bring anyone else—I'd just be distracted looking after you lot. My father and I are enough. You can leave."
With that, he entered the game alongside the taciturn Miao Gaojiang.
[The game 'Love Welfare Institute' has gathered four players. Two more are required to begin.]
[System Tip: The players Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang, whose small TVs you have bookmarked, have logged into the game. Please tune in to watch~]
At the entrance, players watched as the two followed Bai Liu into the instance.
They glanced nervously at the Love Welfare Institute icon. Few ordinary players dared to attempt new games. With a pair of bloodthirsty league players inside, even fewer were willing to risk it.
Yet someone had been staring at the icon ever since Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang logged in.
Liu Huai.
He stared at the large "Love Welfare Institute" title. The gate on the icon was identical to the one at the welfare home where Liu Jiayi lived.
Liu Huai had survived Exploding Last Train. He knew about the Mirror City Bombing. At first, he hadn't thought much of it—but after hearing Bai Liu's words and encountering yet another game modeled after real life, doubt began to creep in. This instance seemed to be based on his sister's welfare home.
He had asked Liu Jiayi what happened there, but she was blind and couldn't describe much. Still, strange, spotted bruises like clusters of mushrooms had covered the little girl's pale, fragile body. When he questioned her about them, she had been confused. She didn't know where they came from.
The official conclusion had been food poisoning. Liu Huai didn't believe it, but there were no clues in reality. If answers existed anywhere, perhaps they were hidden inside this game.
Grinding his teeth, Liu Huai equipped his skills, glanced at the points he had borrowed from other players, and stepped into the instance.
[The game 'Love Welfare Institute' has gathered five players. One more player is required to begin.]
The very next second, a little girl in hospital clothes appeared quietly in a corner of the entrance hall.
She seemed blind. Her eyes moved vacantly, as though she didn't understand where she was. She touched her arm in confusion and softly called for her brother.
Then she was pulled into the game, vanishing instantly from the bustling entrance hall.
[The game 'Love Welfare Institute' has gathered all players. The game has officially started.]
A notification announced the start of the six-player match. Yet in the multiplayer game zone, only five small TV screens lit up simultaneously.
The audience members, having received the system alert, were confused.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a six-player game? Why are only five screens showing? Is there a high-ranking player here?"
In the game system, players ranked within the top 100 on the total points leaderboard were granted the privilege of turning off their small TV livestream once per month.
Among the players in this instance, the highest-ranked was Miao Feichi at No. 107. He did not qualify for that privilege. However, his ranking was close enough to the top 100 that, if he were willing to pay an enormous price to the system, he could potentially obtain temporary permission to shut off his broadcast.
But someone like Miao Feichi relied heavily on livestream exposure for publicity. This time, he had orchestrated such a sensational gimmick precisely to attract attention. There was no way he would voluntarily turn off his broadcast.
If it wasn't Miao Feichi, then who?
None of the other players were anywhere near the top 100. They were far from meeting the qualifications required to disable their streams…
The answer soon appeared on one of the lit screens.
Fans of Bai Liu quickly recognized the player on the small TV—it was Liu Huai, who had followed Bai Liu through the previous instance.
Liu Huai's face turned deathly pale as he stared at the person who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Liu Jiayi.
His knees gave out, and he dropped heavily to the ground. He stared at Liu Jiayi, who was sitting blankly on the floor, his voice trembling with uncontrollable fear.
"Jiayi… why are you in this game?"
Liu Jiayi looked equally confused. Dressed in a hospital gown, she hugged her knees tightly, shrinking into herself. She shook her head in a daze. Liu Huai's reaction frightened her even more. A thin layer of tears clouded her unfocused eyes, and her voice quivered as if she were about to cry.
"I don't know… I was about to fall asleep, and I suddenly thought that I really wanted to see you. Then a voice said it could grant my wish to see you."
"I… I agreed," she whispered, her voice shaking. "And then I ended up here."
She clutched her gown nervously.
"Brother… did I do something wrong? Did I agree to something I shouldn't have?"