Mu Sicheng was thoughtful. "In rain and fog, the beam from a strong flashlight forms diffuse reflections on the droplets."
"In normal weather, the flashlight's light scatters and doesn't concentrate enough to form such a visible beam. However, the performance and effects of items given by the system are better than in reality. Combined with the weather conditions, this effect can be achieved… Bai Liu can even make use of this?"
"Interesting." Mu Sicheng smiled, his tiger teeth biting into the candy. "Rain was clearly a condition given by the system to restrict Bai Liu, yet he actually used it to turn the situation around."
Bai Liu dragged the cart all the way to the beach. The mermaid sailors behind him hesitated for a moment before finally crossing the beam to chase him. However, the photophobic statues were indeed all blocked behind the beam. The danger here had already been greatly reduced.
At this point, the player only needed to enter the sea and send the Siren King back to the Siren's Gift sea area to clear the level. Since most players would be highly alienated, they would take on a form similar to a mermaid. This allowed them to go directly into the sea and return the Siren King.
Seeing this, Wang Shun understood why Mu Sicheng had said it was better not to cleanse the mental value. Mental value was linked to the alienation state. If a player's mental value rose, they would revert from a "mermaid" state back to "human." Humans couldn't enter the deep sea to send the Siren King back.
The final step in Siren Town was to return the Siren King, and it could only be completed by a "mermaid." Bai Liu's degree of alienation was just right. There was no need for cleansing. He could go directly into the sea in his mermaid form.
Wang Shun sighed in relief at this realization. Fortunately, Bai Liu hadn't cleansed his mental value. Wang Shun also felt somewhat ashamed of his earlier finger-pointing. The game sense of a great god like Mu Sicheng was indeed incomparable to that of a small fry like him. Yet even a newcomer like Bai Liu could remain steady and refrain from cleansing…
Comparing himself to others would only bring him misery. Wang Shun shook his head and stopped dwelling on thoughts that made him want to cry.
Logically speaking, Bai Liu only needed to drag the Siren King into the sea while finding a way to avoid the sailors chasing him. Yet when he reached the beach, he suddenly turned and didn't enter the water. Instead, he boarded the large ship he had previously taken to participate in the mermaid fishing activity.
The ship was docked at the shore. Bai Liu pulled the cart up the gangplank and boarded it.
It was the mermaid sailors' base.
Wang Shun felt like he was about to have a heart attack from Bai Liu's constant twists and turns. Clutching his chest, he said helplessly, "He was about to clear it! Why is he getting on the ship? Is he delivering himself to be captured?!"
Mu Sicheng was also startled by Bai Liu's seemingly suicidal move right before clearing the instance. He bit into his lollipop, accidentally choking on the candy and coughing several times. With reddened eyes, he thumped his chest and barely swallowed the pieces stuck in his throat. After coughing a few more times, he replied, "If Bai Liu rushes into the sea, the mermaid sailors will easily catch up to him. They move faster in the water."
"The conventional method of clearing is to use items to limit the sailors' movement speed. For example, like that newcomer earlier who floated on the sea using a fire torch. Or he could resist them directly. It doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't lose his mental value before completing the task."
"Bai Liu probably wants to get rid of the sailors behind him by boarding the ship." Mu Sicheng analyzed calmly. "However, that won't work. There are still sailors who haven't disembarked. The moment Bai Liu enters a confined space like the ship, he'll be easily caught by those remaining on board."
"Secondly, the sailors in the sea can also climb onto the ship. These monsters swim faster than the ship itself. Bai Liu's decision to board doesn't seem to make sense."
The moment Mu Sicheng finished speaking, Bai Liu on the small TV encountered danger.
He pushed the cart along the wooden plank connecting the land and the ship, running swiftly toward the deck. The mermaid sailors on board reacted to the noise and immediately rushed toward him. Meanwhile, the sailors chasing him from behind stepped onto the plank and were just about to grab his shirt.
The scene made Wang Shun's heart leap into his throat, but Bai Liu's eyes didn't flicker in the slightest. He took out a 3D projector from his pocket and tossed it to the side of the ship. The projector bounced twice on the deck and displayed an equally provocative projection of Bai Liu. The mermaid sailors hesitated briefly between the two targets before charging toward the projected one.
Sweat drenched Wang Shun's back. He pulled out a towel and wiped his forehead. "Is Bai Liu going to repeat the same trick—using the projector's light to restrain the sailors—or is he just trying to confuse them and buy time?"
Then confusion struck him again. "But the mermaid sailors aren't afraid of light. Even if the projected Bai Liu takes out the strong flashlight, it can't stop them. The light beam on land didn't stop them."
"You're wrong. Didn't you record the Mermaid Sailor's page in the monster book? Take a closer look at the weaknesses listed there." Mu Sicheng gazed at the calm Bai Liu on the small TV, admiration evident in his eyes. "Now I understand why he boarded the ship. This person is incredible. No wonder the system tried so hard to weaken him."
Wang Shun hurriedly turned on his electronic recorder. He had indeed noted down the mermaidsailor's page. Clicking it open, he examined it carefully.
[Siren Town Monster Book – Mermaid Sailor (3/4)]
[Monster Name: Mermaid Sailor (Butterfly State)]
[Weaknesses: Fear of bright light, amulet, Siren King]
[Attack Method: Biting and scratching (certain probability of triggering alienation upon being scratched)]
"Eh, that's strange." Wang Shun pointed at one of the listed weaknesses and muttered, "The mermaid sailor's weakness is clearly a fear of bright light. Why did they seem completely unaffected on land?"
"The amulets," Mu Sicheng explained. "They're protected by the amulets, so strong light doesn't work on them."
Wang Shun suddenly looked up at the small TV. "Right! That means Bai Liu is going to—"
Mu Sicheng smiled at the screen. "Yes. Bai Liu is heading to the bottom of the ship, where the monsters store the amulets. He's going to smash them. Once the sailors lose their protection, the bright light item in their hands will be able to restrict their movements."
On the small TV, Bai Liu had already shaken off the monsters chasing him and entered the warehouse. He raised the pickaxe—the same one he had used to smash the bulletproof glass—and began striking the mermaid amulet statues placed below deck.
The statues shattered into fragments at his feet. As the Bai Liu inside the warehouse destroyed most of the amulets, the projected Bai Liu on deck raised his flashlight at just the right moment. It was as if the two Bai Lius were perfectly coordinated.
The projection smiled, lifted the flashlight, and flipped the switch in a motion resembling pulling a trigger. With a sharp click, a brilliant beam of light swept across the sailors surrounding the projection.
The light struck them directly. Having lost the protection of their amulets, the mermaid sailors screamed harshly, covering their eyes and collapsing onto the deck. Even Wang Shun, Mu Sicheng, and several audience members shielded their eyes—the glare from the small TV was blinding.
"This is too… cruel," Wang Shun said with mixed feelings. "I almost feel sorry for those monsters."
However, the sailors quickly scattered to either side of the beam. Some even leapt into the sea, preparing to climb up from another direction to attack Bai Liu.
Wang Shun frowned. "Even with the flashlight, there's only one beam. And he doesn't have any more projectors. The beam can restrict their movement, but it can't completely trap them as he did on shore."
Mu Sicheng crossed his arms and replied calmly, "Even if two light sources were aligned in a straight line, it still wouldn't fully contain them. This is a ship—it's different from the town."
"On land, Bai Liu could block the road between the town and the sea with light. But on a ship, a single beam just splits the space. The sailors can dodge to either side or jump into the sea. It won't work."
"True." Wang Shun stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There's no time to buy another projector to record an image. The only option would be to buy another flashlight and connect three beams into a triangle. That way, the sailors could be trapped inside the triangle formed by the light."
"I think so too." Mu Sicheng nodded. "But buying a flashlight at this stage would cost a player dearly. Near the end of an instance, key clearance items become much more expensive. In Siren Town, a flashlight at this point would cost at least 100 points."
"100 points?" Wang Shun was stunned. "That's outrageous. Isn't that practically daylight robbery?"
Mu Sicheng narrowed his eyes. "So would you buy a flashlight for 100 points at a critical moment like this?"
Wang Shun fell silent for a moment before answering with a single word. "Buy."
Bai Liu emerged from the warehouse carrying the pickaxe and pushing the cart. He also held a flashlight in his hand. It seemed his thoughts aligned with Wang Shun and the others—he opened the system store the moment he stepped out.
As he scrolled through the interface, Wang Shun caught sight of the flashlight's price in Bai Liu's store and couldn't help complaining, "A flashlight costs 250 points? Is this a robbery? That's ridiculously expensive!"
When Bai Liu calmly scrolled past the flashlight without any change in expression, Wang Shun grew anxious. "Hey, Bai Liu! It's expensive, but it can save your life! After this, you'll clear the instance for sure. Don't worry about the points!"
The other audience members were just as nervous. He was only one step away from clearing the instance, yet Bai Liu was still leisurely browsing the shop. The flashlight was right there, but he seemed unwilling to buy it.
"Bai Liu! Don't worry about that little bit of money! I'll recharge you—just buy it!"
"Quick! Pool together for a flashlight! Help the kid out!"
"Damn it! Why are you still scrolling? Listen to me! Even the 100-point flashlight is fine! I'll cover the cost!"
Even Mu Sicheng opened his own points wallet, ready to transfer points to Bai Liu.
Just then, Bai Liu suddenly stopped scrolling. It seemed he had finally found what he wanted. A wide smile spread across his face as his gaze locked onto an item. He purchased without hesitation.
[Do you want to buy the High-Definition Mirror?]
"Yes."
[System notification: 3 points have been deducted. Thank you for your patronage.]
Bai Liu placed the mirror in a corner of the ship. Then he tied the flashlight to the bow and switched it on. The white beam pierced through the sea fog and struck the mirror. The reflected light merged with the beam from the projected Bai Liu.
The three intense beams—blinding as high-wattage LED lamps—formed a dazzling triangular zone on the deck, trapping the mermaid sailors inside. The sailors covered their eyes, rolling on the ground and wailing in agony, unable to escape the enclosed area.
Bai Liu lifted one knee and sat casually on the bow. The sea breeze and heavy rain tousled his hair, strands obscuring his eyes, but the smile on his lips was unmistakable.
"Return to sunny days, sailors."
[System notification: Since most monsters have been restrained by player Bai Liu, the heavy rain can no longer weaken him. The weather will now change. Please prepare.]
[Weather change: Rainstorm → Sunny Day]
Light slowly rose behind Bai Liu. One foot rested on the cart while the other dangled off the edge of the ship. Golden sunlight broke through the overlapping dark clouds, the heavy rain dissipated, and warm rays poured down onto him. Paired with his faint smile, it gave him an almost surreal charm.
[Player Bai Liu has entered the ending of Siren Town—Return the Siren King.]
For a brief second, the audience in front of Bai Liu's small TV fell silent.
Then they erupted.
Screams filled the hall as points were recharged in a frenzy. Players hugged one another and clapped excitedly. The number of likes soared almost by the second.
Mu Sicheng slowly withdrew his hand from his wallet interface. He stood stunned for two seconds before breaking into laughter and applause. "It really is you, Bai Liu."
Wang Shun clapped as well. His palms turned red, sweat streaming down his face from excitement. The other audience members were no better—they looked as though they might burst into song at any moment.
"It rains when he says it rains, and the sun comes out when he says so! Bai Liu, are you the son of the weather?!"
"Who called him the son of the weather? I'm dying of laughter—hahaha!"
"A three-point mirror to turn the entire situation around. Every item used perfectly, forcing the system to suppress him—and then surrender. Damn! This scene deserves to go down in history. This has to be the most thrilling play ever made in Siren Town!"
"Make him trend! Boost him! Recharge him and push him to the top! Bai Liu! Charge into the Rising Stars rankings!"
[12,011 new users liked Bai Liu's small TV.]
[12,000 users bookmarked Player Bai Liu.]
[2,077 users recharged it. Player Bai Liu gained 3,011 points.]
[Over 300 users recharged more than 1 point.]
[Player Bai Liu has received over 10,000 likes and more than 3,000 points within one minute. His popularity has reached a new high. Player Bai Liu has obtained the achievement 'Initial Success'!]
[Congratulations to player Bai Liu for earning a promotion to the highly recommended central single-player screen in the central hall!]
[Welcome back to your original position, player Bai Liu.]
The moment Bai Liu was promoted, nearly all the audience from the outer sections rushed after his screen. The excited crowd crossed the game hall with flushed faces and bright eyes, drawing the attention of passersby who stopped them to ask what they were watching.
"What are you guys watching? Why's it so lively?"
"The son of the weather!"
"Mirror god—holy shit!"
"The guy so awesome that even God Mu acknowledged him!"
The players who had asked: "???"
What on earth were they watching on that small TV?
Curiosity drew more and more players over.
The ones who ran the fastest were Wang Shun and Mu Sicheng. As Wang Shun ran, he noticed that Li Gou was there as well. Li Gou should have hidden the moment he saw Mu Sicheng—but instead, he ran forward, gripping his knife, his face dark and tense. He had probably seen Mu Sicheng openly supporting Bai Liu and realized that Bai Liu was no longer someone he could deal with as he pleased.
Wang Shun couldn't help sighing in relief for Bai Liu. It would be best for him to stay as far away as possible from players like Li Gou.
By the time Wang Shun and the others reached the recommended central position, a large crowd had already gathered in front of Bai Liu's small TV. Some were viewers who had followed him before but left midway. Others were shocked to see Bai Liu rise back up again.
There were also those who had previously mocked Bai Liu, claiming his audience had poor taste. No one knew what these people were thinking. They clearly disliked him, yet they were the first to rush over when he was promoted to the central screen. They crowded at the front, pointing and loudly criticizing Bai Liu's small TV.
"Hey, how did he get promoted again? He's so annoying to watch."
"Why are there so many people liking him? This lowers the overall standard of the recommended section. No way—I'm going to downvote him."
"I seriously don't get it. What's so impressive about pretending to be awesome? He tricked people into giving him over 10,000 likes and thousands of recharge points. Are they all idiots? Wasting points on someone like him? Don't they have better things to spend them on?"
"So irritating. Can he get off the recommended spot and make room for players on the same level as God Mu?"
Their noise disrupted the normal viewers who were simply trying to watch the broadcast. But most of the regular audience didn't want to clash with this group of troublemakers, so they endured it in silence.
Mu Sicheng watched the group, the corners of his mouth slowly flattening as his expression darkened slightly. He looked displeased, though a faint smile still lingered on his face.
He removed his monkey cap, walked to the front of the crowd, then turned around and smiled at the loud spectators. One hand rested on his chest while the other held his hat as he gave them a polite bow. The plush monkey hat made the gesture look faintly ridiculous, yet it didn't stop several audience members from gasping.
"God Mu! You're God Mu, right? You're really watching his broadcast?!"
Someone directly questioned him. "God Mu, may I ask why you recommended this player? He doesn't have any real game skills. It's honestly annoying that he's occupying a recommended slot in the single-player section."
Mu Sicheng smiled. "Hello. I overheard your conversation just now. It made me feel a bit nostalgic."
The crowd grew even more animated, taking his words as encouragement to continue criticizing Bai Liu.
"God Mu, you think this kind of player is annoying, too, right? Someone who pretends to be awesome like this should've died long ago. Why is he taking up a spot that many capable players can't get?"
"It's such a hassle when browsing streams. Since he's on the screen, I can't see any high-quality broadcasts. I hope he dies soon and drops out of the strongly recommended section!"
"God Mu, you should start your own live broadcast and squeeze him down!"
They spoke excitedly, as if watching a newcomer get crushed was entertainment. Suppressing newcomers had always been a favorite pastime of some central-screen viewers—especially lower-level ones. They would rather see every newcomer eliminated than promoted.
"No," Mu Sicheng said lightly, his smile turning genuine. He chuckled around the lollipop in his mouth. "What I meant by nostalgic is this—when I first entered the promotion position, many central-screen viewers stepped on me and cursed me exactly like this."
The previously outspoken critics seemed as though someone had grabbed them by the throat. They abruptly fell silent, exchanging awkward glances.
Seeing them shrink back so quickly, Mu Sicheng laughed aloud. He leaned forward slightly and asked, "Do you know what happened to those audience members?"
They found themselves staring directly into his dark red eyes. A few shuddered.
Reflected in his pupils was a grinning cartoon monkey, its eyes glowing a vivid crimson. Those standing closest suddenly realized the redness in Mu Sicheng's eyes didn't come from him—it was the reflection of the monkey's eyes shining within them.
Faced with that unsettling gaze, the once-loud spectators swallowed nervously and stepped back. A chill ran down their spines as they shook their heads.
Mu Sicheng casually lifted the cartoon monkey hat and held it up as if presenting it. "Since I disliked those viewers," he said mildly, "I simply killed the particularly annoying ones in the game."
He spoke as though killing someone was no more remarkable than brushing dust off his sleeve.
"If Bai Liu comes out, I'll support him in killing the ones who talk too much." He tilted his head slightly. "Just some advice from someone who's been here before."
His smile remained perfectly polite.
"You're really very noisy," Mu Sicheng added softly. "You're disturbing me while I'm watching his broadcast, idiots."