It was 6:30 the next morning.
Bai Liu had refused to sleep on the damp mushroom-straw bed. Instead, he had stacked books on the floor as a makeshift cushion and spent the night sitting there.
By morning, the pages beneath him had stuck to the ground. The room's humidity was so high that the paper had absorbed moisture and turned soft, nearly pulpy. Dew clung to the walls. Bai Liu frowned at the sight. With three humidifiers running nonstop, the room felt more oppressive than the peak of the rainy season.
Yet the humidifiers had been placed there by the nurses and were strictly forbidden to be turned off, just as bright lighting was prohibited in the ward. It was all part of the hospital's rules.
Bai Liu sat quietly on the damp books and waited for little Bai Liu (6)'s call. That child would definitely call in the morning. After all, he charged by the minute.
At 6:45 a.m., the walkie-talkie crackled. This time, Bai Liu (6) wasn't running. His breathing was steady, his footsteps light—like someone sneaking out cautiously.
"Good morning, Mr. Investor," he said softly, his voice almost airy. "The child who chased us yesterday is gone. When I came out, I saw the teachers talking in the corridor. They're taking us to the church today as witnesses. It symbolizes that the children who have suffered have officially entered a sheltered place and been reborn."
The children had entered the welfare home yesterday. Today was Monday. Bai Liu instantly thought of the "Born on a Monday" line from the nursery rhyme.
According to the rhyme, the children would be "Christened on Tuesday." If the sequence held, they would be baptized tomorrow.
"Tomorrow is Tuesday," Bai Liu (6) continued quietly. "We'll be baptized to wash away the suffering we experienced outside. For the baptism, parents must be present. Since we don't have relatives—except for Liu Jiayi—our investors will attend instead. Tuesday is an open day. I heard the teachers say that those who invested in us will receive invitation letters to watch the ceremony."
Bai Liu asked, "What happened last night?"
"Besides me, Miao Feichi from my room also went out to make a call. We both made it back safely. He cried all night, so he should be fine. He runs fast. He probably cried the entire time but wasn't caught." His tone was utterly flat. "Then, in the early morning, something strange happened. I heard children's footsteps in the corridor. And the flute."
"They were humming the nursery rhymes played by the flute. I got up to look. They didn't seem asleep. They were just like the children in the fairy tale—jumping in a line, following the sound. It's dawn now, and they haven't returned."
That matched the real-world information Bai Liu remembered. A group of children had followed flute music at dawn—and disappeared without a trace.
"Do you think the flute has a hypnotic or disorienting effect?" Bai Liu asked. "Did you feel tempted to follow it?"
Little Bai Liu (6) didn't hesitate. "No. It sounded terrible. I just wanted to go to the bathroom."
"…." Bai Liu considered how resistant he had always been to hypnotic suggestion. Even in the real world, psychologists had struggled to guide him. "Were the other children in your room affected?" he asked.
There was a pause, as if the boy were recalling details. "I don't think so. Aside from Miao Feichi crying all night, the others slept soundly."
If there was no hypnotic effect, why would the children voluntarily follow the flute?
Bai Liu pondered deeply. Was there truly a "piper" monster in this instance? But if so, why were only a few children taken each time? In the original story, the piper summoned all the children indiscriminately. Here, only a handful disappeared, and they followed willingly. What was the mechanism?
Little Bai Liu (6)'s voice suddenly lowered. "The teacher is coming to check on us. This call lasted twelve minutes and thirty-seven seconds—rounded up to thirteen minutes. Combined with last night's 1,700 yuan, that makes 3,000 yuan total. Thank you for your patronage. See you next time, Mr. Investor."
He hung up coldly. Bai Liu was certain now. That kid must have been timing the calls with a stopwatch.
At 9:00 a.m., an announcement echoed through the wards and corridors.
"Good morning, patients. It is 9:00 a.m., and you may now open your doors. Patients who have found their medicine will receive it from a nurse in five minutes. Patients who have not yet found their medicine, please proceed to the hospital restaurant on the first floor for breakfast. Afterward, continue searching. You are already critically ill…"
Bai Liu opened his door. Other patients on the floor did the same. After one night, they appeared strangely refreshed—less dry, as if they had absorbed moisture from the humidifiers.
In the corridor, a nurse pushed a cart swiftly from ward to ward, delivering medicine.
Bai Liu tried to follow her for a closer look, but she moved too quickly. He only caught a glimpse of sealed stainless-steel containers. As she passed him, he heard a faint sloshing sound from inside.
Liquid. So the life recovery medicine was likely liquid. He made a mental note.
Mu Ke and Bai Liu had previously confirmed they were on the same floor, the ninth. When Mu Ke stepped out, the dark circles under his eyes were even heavier than before. He looked like a student cramming overnight for finals.
The moment Bai Liu appeared, Mu Ke fixed him with an intense, expectant stare. His eyes were bright despite the exhaustion, like a cat that had stayed up all night but remained full of energy—practically begging for praise. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging.
Bai Liu humored him. "Did you find anything?"
"The game wants us to locate the prescription in the medical books," Mu Ke said, covering his mouth as he spoke. Tears of fatigue welled in his eyes. "Because of my illness, I've read a lot of related literature before. I'm pretty good at this. Originally, I planned to split the work with you and read half. But since patients couldn't leave their rooms on the first day, I just started reading."
He paused. "Last night, I read twenty-one books." He sniffed and complained, "This game's setting is awful. The room is dark and damp, and we're not allowed to use strong lighting. My eyes almost went blind. Thankfully, I used a pen to guide my focus, or I might've developed astigmatism."
Bai Liu fell into a brief, strange silence. The books in this game were absurdly thick, thick enough that Bai Liu hadn't even wanted to touch them. And Mu Ke had read twenty-one in one night.
"Do you actually remember what you read?" Bai Liu asked.
Mu Ke looked at him in confusion. "Of course, I remember it when I look at it. Why wouldn't I?"
"..." Bai Liu couldn't remember. He suddenly felt the quiet contempt of a top student toward a hopeless academic underachiever.
"How many books did you read?" Mu Ke asked.
The academically challenged Bai Liu was silent for a moment before answering honestly, "0.01 books." He had turned two pages before closing it.
Staying up late and overexerting his brain had significantly slowed Mu Ke's reaction time. He stared at Bai Liu for a long moment before repeating blankly, "0.01 books?"
That was practically the same as not reading at all!
Then Mu Ke quickly reacted. He stepped closer to Bai Liu anxiously and, after glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby, lowered his voice. "Are you really planning to go to the ICU to steal the life recovery medicine? Bai Liu, if you don't want to read, you can let me do it. I read very fast—I can finish the entire bookcase in three days at most!"
"Even if you finish reading everything, do you know what the prescription for the life recovery medicine looks like?" Bai Liu turned his head and asked calmly.
Mu Ke froze. He truly didn't know.
He had read 21 books overnight and could remember every word, yet he had no idea what he was actually looking for. The system's description of the life recovery medicine was too vague. There were no clear clues. Was it a specific drug? A treatment plan? Something else entirely?
"There are no precise instructions," Bai Liu continued patiently. "It's difficult for us to determine what the life recovery medicine actually is. Moreover, the system prompt only says it can be found in the hospital bookcases. It doesn't specify that it must be in our ward."
"But the bookcases in every ward are identical." Mu Ke looked uneasy. "I specifically checked when I came up. Before the other patients closed their doors, I took a look inside their wards. All of them have bookcases. I have a good memory—I clearly remember the books. They're all the same. If the system wants us to find the life recovery medicine by reading, then it has to be in those books."
"Then is there any difference between their books and ours?" Bai Liu asked steadily. "Is there any difference between the books you read last night and the ones you didn't?"
Mu Ke thought carefully before suddenly realizing what Bai Liu meant.
"The notes!" His voice was filled with understanding. "If someone reads under lighting like this, they'll definitely leave notes. Without a pen to guide my eyes, I wouldn't even be able to find the last sentence I read."
"Imagine this hospital has no doctors, and everyone is treating themselves," Bai Liu explained. "Assume they entered the hospital just like we did. They read the books to find ways to cure themselves. Bright light sources are forbidden, so they have to read under poor lighting. That's why there are so many pens in the drawer."
"In this kind of lighting, it's almost impossible to read without a pen. And once there's a pen, people will leave marks—circling important passages so they can find them again."
Bai Liu looked at Mu Ke calmly. "According to the song, we fall ill on Thursday and die on Friday. The illness worsens over time. The ICU patients have been sick the longest and are clearly receiving treatment. That means the notes in their books are the most likely to reveal the so-called life recovery medicine mentioned by the system."
Mu Ke frowned. "Even so, we can't get into the ICU."
There were too many nurses watching. And Miao Feichi was there as well. Suspicious behavior near the ICU would definitely draw attention. Besides, whatever was inside the ICU… no longer seemed human. It was likely a monster.
"I was worried I wouldn't be able to remember so many notes," Bai Liu said quietly. "But if you're there, I can rest assured."
"I can help you memorize them!" Mu Ke nodded quickly, though he still looked troubled. "But how do we get into the ICU?"
Bai Liu gently patted Mu Ke's head and lowered his voice. "You're willing to do anything for me, right? Mu Ke?"
Mu Ke hesitated before lifting his head to meet Bai Liu's gaze. Bai Liu's eyes were deep and calm, but when he looked at someone like that, the darkness in them felt like the depths of the sea. Mu Ke swallowed, uneasy, yet he bit his lip and answered, "I'm willing, Bai Liu."
"Then are you willing to kill me?" Bai Liu asked softly.
He took out his white bone whip and placed it into Mu Ke's trembling hands. His voice remained gentle. "Can you use my fishbone whip to strangle me until I bleed, Mu Ke?"
Mu Ke went rigid.
Ten minutes later, the emergency alarm rang throughout the private hospital.
At that moment, Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang were eating on the first floor. They weren't in a hurry to hunt down Bai Liu. Their priority was to obtain clues to clear the instance. When the emergency alarm suddenly blared, they immediately assumed a plot event had been triggered.
Miao Feichi stood up alertly, pulling out his weapon. In a corner, Liu Huai, who had been eating while worrying about his sister, also drew the hidden blades from his sleeves.
A blood-soaked patient stumbled down the emergency stairs. He was clutching a white bone whip and running in panic. This instantly caught Miao Feichi's attention.
He vaulted over several cafeteria tables and moved swiftly, blocking the player's path with two knives in hand. The blades slammed into the floor, startling the fleeing patient.
The crying patient slipped on the damp floor and crashed down hard. Tears streamed down his face as he screamed, "Bai Liu, don't come after me! The monster killed you! I just took advantage of the situation and cut you!"
His face was smeared with blood, his breathing ragged. It was clear he had witnessed something terrifying. His eyes and hands trembled as he knelt on the ground, clutching his head and sobbing hysterically.
"You're useless." Miao Feichi had no interest in ordinary players like this. He kicked the man, sending him flying backward into a pillar beside a dining table. "Get up and come here."
The player slammed into the pillar and fell, crying out in pain.
Mu Ke's eyes were brimming with tears, filled with terror. The crushing guilt of injuring Bai Liu, combined with the anxiety of personally harming the one who had always protected him, pushed him close to collapse. His mental value began to fluctuate wildly.
When Bai Liu had wrapped the white bone whip around his slender neck, Mu Ke had shaken his head frantically, almost begging him not to force him into this. Through tears, he pleaded, "Bai Liu, you can kill me instead. If I'm the injured one, you can still enter the ICU, right?"
But Bai Liu had smiled faintly. "That won't work. I have a poor memory—I can't remember that many notes. I have to be the injured one. You're the one who needs to stay clear-headed, Mu Ke."
"If you want to compete in the league with me, you can't always rely on me. You need to grow. And the first step to growth is learning to act without me."
He guided Mu Ke's hands tighter around the bone whip at his neck. The sharp fishbone segments pierced his skin, and blood poured from the wound, soaking the straw mattress and staining the white sheet crimson.
Like a fledgling forced from the nest, Mu Ke shrieked in despair.
Blood bubbled from Bai Liu's mouth as he coughed, yet he still managed to smile indifferently. Even as his airway filled with blood, he gently stroked Mu Ke's head, like a teacher delivering final instructions to his student.
"Mu Ke, whether in this game or the next, we have to win. We must win until the end."
"This part is up to you."
"You have to deceive Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang and earn their trust. Otherwise, we really will die."
Mu Ke gritted his teeth, suppressing the bone-deep pain from Miao Feichi's kick. His heart clenched violently from the emotional turmoil, making him nauseous. Even so, he remained committed to his role. He clutched his head and trembled, acting like a clueless, ordinary player.
The nurses rushed through the corridors in chaos. Several of them pushed an emergency stretcher while speaking urgently.
"Which patient triggered the emergency? What's his name?"
"The patient's name is Bai Liu! I rang the emergency bell. There's a laceration on his neck and severe blood loss. He needs immediate treatment!"
"How did he get a laceration? Did he open the door last night?"
"We confirmed with the nurse who was patrolling that floor. He did open the door last night. It's very likely that something entered his ward…"
"Quickly send him to the operating room for a blood transfusion and sutures! Is there a nurse or patient in our hospital who can perform stitches?"
"There is! The bed in the ICU ward is ready. Once he leaves the operating room, he can be transferred directly there!"
Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang stiffened. They exchanged incredulous looks, and Miao Gaojiang frowned. "Bai Liu opened the door last night and was attacked? Is it really Bai Liu?"
"It should be. NPCs don't misidentify players," Miao Feichi replied with a laugh as he watched the nurses rush upstairs, shouting about the patient's critical condition. He couldn't hide the gloating in his voice. "Judging by the situation, Bai Liu might end up donating blood for us while we do nothing."
Then Miao Feichi let out a fake sigh. "What a pity. I was planning to use him for a live broadcast. If he dies, it won't be as entertaining." After speaking, he nudged the trembling Mu Ke on the ground with his foot. He tapped Mu Ke's face lightly with the flat sides of his twin knives in a patronizing manner.
"Get up. We have a few questions for you, and you're going to answer them honestly." Miao Feichi smiled maliciously. "Otherwise, we'll make sure you feel very uncomfortable."
Then he took out a pair of scales. Mu Ke had seen this item before in the VIP footage of Bai Liu's Exploding Last Train. It was called the Judge's Scale, a commonly used lie-detection tool. Mu Sicheng had once used it on Liu Huai.
This item was extremely common among professional league players. Puppet Zhang had owned one as well before Mu Sicheng stole it. Whenever a team suspected that an opponent liked to play mind games like Bai Liu, many professional players would carry one as a precaution.
This time, Miao Feichi had brought it specifically to guard against Bai Liu.
Mu Ke's pupils shrank when he saw the scale, but he quickly forced himself to slow his breathing. Stay calm. He could only answer yes or no. He remembered that answers could be manipulated through emotional framing. That was how Mu Sicheng had once been misled by Liu Huai.
"Don't even think about lying. I'm not as easy to fool as Mu Sicheng. Of course, if you are Mu Sicheng, then I apologize in advance." Miao Feichi crouched down, his two knives bracketing Mu Ke's body. "You'd better not try anything clever. The scale might have flaws when judging complex questions, but it works perfectly for simple ones. If you lie, I'll kill you. It'll take less than a second."
He pressed one blade lightly against Mu Ke's neck. "First question. Did you really cut Bai Liu, as you claimed?"
"Y-Yes." Mu Ke raised his head under the pressure of the knife, his voice trembling. "I personally used the fishbone whip to cut his neck."
He lifted the bloodstained whip toward Miao Feichi.
The Judge's Scale wavered briefly before tilting toward the side of truth.
Miao Feichi narrowed his eyes. "Well, even if you did cut him, Bai Liu is the type to scheme behind the scenes." He stared coldly at Mu Ke. "Next question."
Mu Ke's heart pounded violently in his chest. His throat felt tight as he gripped the bone whip harder, his palms slick with sweat.
"Are you Bai Liu's accomplice—" Mu Ke held his breath.
"—Mu Sicheng?" Miao Feichi finished icily.