Liu Jiayi took Tang Erda out of the game as soon as they logged out and had her call Su Yang to ask about the plane.
"Contact was lost while crossing the sea over the Antarctic," Su Yang said, his voice tightening. "Captain… you've seen it again, haven't you?"
He was asking whether Tang Erda, like before, had foreseen this future like a prophet.
"…Sort of." Tang Erda rubbed her brow, sounding exhausted. "But this time, when I saw it, it was already too late. Sorry."
"There's no need to apologize to me, Captain." Su Yang gave a bitter smile. "This is my responsibility."
Liu Jiayi suddenly jumped up, grabbed Tang Erda's phone, and spoke into it. "Captain Su, things might still be salvageable."
Su Yang's voice immediately turned sharp. "Is there anything I can do?"
Liu Jiayi replied quickly, "Help us check whether there's someone named Du Sanying—Du Jie, 'Number Three,' nicknamed 'Parrot'—in Mirror City."
"Okay, that's a rare name. Don't hang up—I'll be right back."
They heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Soon, Su Yang returned, slightly out of breath. "There's no Du Sanying in Mirror City. Should we widen the search?"
Liu Jiayi frowned as realization struck her—Du Sanying had changed his name in the game.
Trying to find a player when you don't know their real name was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Su Yang clearly understood this as well, and his voice grew urgent. "Is there any other distinctive information about this person? We'll do everything we can to help."
The plane over the Antarctic could be forced into an emergency landing at any moment. Every second now was as precious as five lives.
But unfortunately—
Liu Jiayi pressed her lips together before speaking.
"This man does have one distinctive trait."
Su Yang immediately asked, "What trait?"
Liu Jiayi answered: "He was extremely lucky."
-----------------
Bai Liu left the pool and, still dripping wet, logged out of the game within seconds to meet up with Liu Jiayi's group, who were searching for Du Sanying.
The meeting place was Bai Liu's house.
Bai Liu looked as calm as ever, aside from the slightly rumpled collar and cuffs of his shirt. Among the group, he appeared to be in the best condition.
He took one look at Liu Jiayi and immediately said, "You changed your name, didn't you? That's going to make finding someone much harder."
He spoke of trouble, yet there wasn't the slightest hint of concern on his face. His expression remained relaxed and composed.
That ease gave Liu Jiayi an indescribable sense of dissonance.
Bai Liu had logged out of the game.
That meant the heart had already been dealt with…
She knew what that heart meant to him. For someone who had just disposed of it, Bai Liu was far too calm.
But there was no opportunity to ask. Bai Liu quickly redirected her thoughts.
He looked at Liu Jiayi. "What's your next plan for finding him?"
"Start with people around us who might be connected," Liu Jiayi replied stiffly. "As you said, based on what you know about yourself—that is, Bai Liu (6)—if someone like Du Sanying existed with one hundred percent luck, you would never let him slip away."
"He'd be too valuable."
"Yes." Bai Liu lifted his eyes and smiled faintly at Tang Erda. "So now we'll need Captain Tang to patiently recall whether such a cute and lucky character ever appeared around the Wandering Circus in other timelines."
Tang Erda immediately understood Bai Liu's intention. He frowned, searching his memory. After a long pause, he spoke slowly.
"For most of its existence, the Wandering Circus consisted of you and four others. I rarely saw anyone else on the league field with you, or even around you."
"But… if not an official member of the Wandering Circus, there was someone like a reserve player associated with it."
Bai Liu gestured silently for him to continue.
Tang Erda had to think hard to recall the faint presence of that figure.
"He rarely played. But you—Bai Liu (6)—brought him along often. You kept him close, but…"
But for what?
The image of a boy who occasionally appeared on the field, sitting quietly on the bench with his head lowered, was blurry in Tang Erda's memory.
It was strange. Bai Liu (6) never kept useless people around, and yet Tang Erda barely remembered this boy at all—because Bai Liu (6) never actually put him on the field.
It was almost as if Bai Liu (6) had been deliberately sheltering him.
But what value does a reserve player have if he never competes?
Why bring him to every match?
Tang Erda suddenly jolted as a fragment of memory surfaced—
The boy standing timidly before Bai Liu (6) was helping him draw hostile cards from the box.
Drawing hostile cards was a crucial part of the league.
The league was divided into three stages: pre-season, mid-season, and post-season.
The pre-season tournament was a mixed competition, also known as the rookie tournament. It included veteran teams that failed to rank within the top thirty-two in the previous league, along with newly registered teams.
Only two teams would emerge victorious from this stage, but those two teams would gain direct entry into the playoffs.
The mid-season games, also known as the Star Games, featured the teams that ranked within the top thirty-two in the previous year's league. These teams were strong and highly competitive, most with star players, making it the most anticipated stage of the tournament.
They competed in multiple rounds, earning points. The eight teams with the highest total scores advanced to the playoffs.
The playoffs were divided into two parts: the challenge round and the main competition.
In the challenge round, the two pre-season champions randomly challenged two of the eight playoff teams. If they won, they replaced those teams and advanced. If they lost, their journey ended there.
The main competition was a single-elimination bracket among the remaining eight teams. Winners advanced, losers were eliminated. There was no room for error. It was the most intense and thrilling stage—for both players and the betting audience.
By this stage, the spectators were often nearly hysterical. Fights breaking out after matches were not uncommon.
Card draws were especially critical during the pre-season and playoff challenges. In these more unpredictable matchups, teams determined their opponents by drawing cards from a box.
If you were lucky enough to draw a weaker team or one whose abilities were poorly matched against yours, your chances of victory increased significantly.
And this kind of luck frequently favored Bai Liu.
But Bai Liu was a player with zero luck.
Tang Erda's account confirmed Bai Liu's suspicions.
Since Du Sanying had appeared near Bai Liu (6) in other worlds, there must be some point of intersection between him and Bai Liu in this world as well.
After all, the one who sought to transform Bai Liu back into Bai Liu (6)—into "God"—would not overlook any variable that differed between them.
In other timelines, that "God" had simply delivered Du Sanying directly to Bai Liu (6).
But Bai Liu had never truly controlled Du Sanying—likely because of Du Sanying's unique nature.
With one hundred percent luck, it would be far too easy for him to slip beyond the grasp of an unlucky man like Bai Liu.
Which meant— "God" must have placed Du Sanying somewhere within Bai Liu's reach in this world as well, so that Bai Liu could use the reserve player prepared for him at any time.
Over the years, due to work and other reasons, Bai Liu had been constantly on the move, frequently changing rental properties, and living in many different places.
Only one place had been relatively permanent for him.
But even that place had been demolished and rebuilt.
Bai Liu narrowed his eyes. "Have Su Yang check the patients, caregivers, and doctors at the nursing home that was built on the site after my orphanage was rebuilt."
Tang Erda dialed the number. Su Yang answered and asked, "What kind of person should I be looking for inside?"
Bai Liu replied, "I'm very lucky myself, but the people around me… they're especially unlucky."
-----------------
Shrine.
The hooded man opposite the prophet snorted in boredom, propping his palms on the table as he stared at the werewolf card, shaking his head slightly. "Shame. I thought I'd get to see Bai Liu corrupt the heart himself."
"After all, it was a game of metamorphosis I had so carefully prepared for him," the prophet said. "Bai Liu will not do that."
The man's eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked at the seer. "But my purpose was achieved nonetheless."
"You see, Bai Liu is no longer repelled by water. He will even dive in willingly, using it to his advantage to deter opponents. He no longer lingers over a fading heart, or even—"
"That was not his heart!" the prophet interrupted sternly.
The man continued the sentence slowly, deliberately. "—and he would even offer to take the [lucky man] I prepared for him."
He smiled. "What a transformation. Bai Liu no longer sees the people around him as human. His feelings were stripped away with that heart's death. His flesh has been alienated by the corpses. His eyes see only the league… and the ultimate desire for money."
"Tome, he's only one win away from Bai Liu (6)."
"Although the process wasn't exactly what I expected, I had intended to strip away his only feelings by fourteen, with the help of Xie Ta's death. Unfortunately…" The man lowered his eyes, brushing the red eyes of the werewolf brand with the hollow of his index finger. "…but it doesn't matter. He'll soon be exactly what I want him to be."
The prophet's petrification reached his waist. His chest rose and fell weakly. "What you do… is not the way of God."
The man laughed. "That's right. Because I am an evil god."
"Playing with humans, profiting from them, enslaving them—that is what I enjoy most."
"Like this idiot card." He casually tossed a card onto the table. "I'm not fond of purely good cards that wolves can't even knife in tempo, but this one… seems interesting, and valuable for a Bai Liu (6) team."
On the card was a boy in a hospital gown, scowling slightly, as if afraid of someone. Freckles dotted his cheeks, and the bridge of his nose, and a pair of boxy glasses rested awkwardly.
The man gazed down at the card, folding his hands. "An idiot with one hundred percent luck. Nice setup. Every Bai Liu (6) in every world line loves him—I'm sure the Bai Liu (6) in this world line does too."
The prophet spoke hoarsely. "Because he saved Bai Liu (6)."
"Save?" The man smiled, shaking his head. "I prefer to call it destiny."
He stretched out a few fingers, nodding casually toward the idiot card. "During a conflict with the Heretic Handling Bureau in reality, the mad hunter attacked Bai Liu (6) in a suicide strike with a skill-targeted weapon, leaving him critically injured."
"An accident. The wandering circus ringmaster hides in the heart of a car crash."
"And the only person who survived the center of that crash was Du Sanying—the lucky one."
"Too lucky to survive an accident that killed everyone instantly." The man folded his fingers lazily. "But his fortune must always be accentuated by the misfortune of others. He must draw misfortune toward those around him."
He looked up at the prophet with a smile. "For God is fair. Misfortune and fortune must remain balanced."
The prophet's voice was almost mute. "…Du Sanying's father, mother, sister, and older siblings—all died in the crash. It was the Quan family's trip to celebrate the end of his senior year, and you let them all die. All in front of Du Sanying. For a teenager to know that these people died because he was lucky…"
The man spread his hands. "One must always be aware of the price of their good fortune, or they cannot truly appreciate it."
"It is a blessing from God," he said lightly. "And the price I charge will only be higher."
The prophet stared at him. "But he has paid. You made him save the wounded Bai Liu (6)—isn't that enough?"
"No, no, no." The man shook his head, smiling. "I didn't ask him to save him. It was Du Sanying's choice."
"Du Sanying's life is surrounded by those who pay for his luck. He seems incredibly fortunate to have a good family and good brothers. But he cannot prevent the misfortune of anyone around him—even when it is caused by him."
The prophet said coldly, "It was caused by you."
"One could say the same," the man replied, smirking. "And Bai Liu (6), a man with zero luck, is the only one whose misfortune is not caused by Du Sanying."
"Bai Liu's (6) misfortune is innate; it has nothing to do with Du Sanying. In fact, Du Sanying's presence brings him luck. Bai Liu (6) is the only person in the world whose misfortune Du Sanying can prevent."
The hooded man smiled. "So Du Sanying will risk his life to protect Bai Liu, to save him—even becoming the most obedient pawn, the most faithful puppet, without trading souls."
"Du Sanying is desperate to protect the Bai Liu (6) he encounters at the center of every world's crash because he no longer knows any other meaning in his existence."
The prophet interrupted, "Provided Du Sanying remembers that this happened to him."
"He'll remember soon enough." The man lowered his gaze to the idiot card on the table. "His destiny has arrived."
-----------------
Within five minutes, Su Yang returned the call, speaking rapidly.
"We should have found the person you're looking for—original name Du Ying. He's the third child in the family, with an older brother, an older sister, and a younger sister. Their family belongs to an ethnic minority and isn't restricted by family planning, so it's a large family."
"The family has generally been stable but strangely unlucky. For example, Du Ying's father, a lawyer, has faced extremely dangerous situations from time to time. Whenever Du Ying accompanied him, however, the father would end up in a major confrontation and get injured, while Du Ying remained unharmed."
"Du Ying used to enjoy waiting for his father to finish work, but after realizing the trouble his presence caused, he never went back."
"In primary school, Du Ying's class was attacked by vengeful individuals. All the children sitting in front of and behind his desk were stabbed to death—except Du Ying, who survived."
"After that, no one dared befriend him. He sat alone in the corner of the classroom where the rubbish bins were kept, with no one in front or behind him, only the bins."
"When he reached junior high, his class master, Mr. Ren, was a pedophile who had been observing Du Ying for some time. One day, Du Ying's sister volunteered to pick him up from school, and the class master saw her. After that, he stopped his pursuit."
Su Yang took a deep breath. "Du Ying's sister was almost sexually assaulted after a period of stalking, but Du Ying discovered it just in time."
"Du Ying had a heated physical confrontation with his teacher and was forced to transfer to another school. After the transfer, he had little contact with his family, felt isolated, and eventually moved out on his own."
"However, the family believed this was a falsehood. They thought Du Ying had saved his sister and were reluctant to give up on him, always trying to reconnect. Even his sister had approached him to confide in him."
"She believed her brother was brave, that the class teacher was at fault, and that her father had used the law to achieve justice. She felt the incident caused her no harm and spared her brother from disaster."
"Luckily, I found a text message that his sister had sent to Du Ying."
"Gradually, Du Ying came around. He moved back home during his senior year and decided to study law, aiming to become a lawyer like his father to fight against the injustices he had witnessed."
Su Yang exhaled. "Du Ying excelled in the entrance exams, scoring extremely high marks—number one in the city—even though he usually had average grades. The Quan family was thrilled."
"After he submitted his application, the family decided to celebrate with a graduation trip."
"But the family's car was involved in a catastrophic series of crashes on the motorway. No one survived—except Du Ying, who was completely unharmed."
"Du Ying developed a peculiar mental condition called amnesia, leaving him able to remember only events from the past week. Everything before that was lost."
"A year ago, his memory problems worsened, preventing him from maintaining a normal life. His doctor recommended hospitalization, and Du Ying entered the nursing home where he now resides in room 906."
"This information comes directly from his medical records."
Bai Liu and Liu Jiayi exchanged glances—this is the nursing home room where Bai Liu had stayed in Love and Welfare.
It seems that, even then, those behind the scenes had already arranged for Du Sanying to take his place.