Little Mu Ke couldn't respond for a moment. "Why won't we be taken away if it's our baptism day?"
Bai Liu (6) explained, "Based on my general understanding of baptism, we shouldn't be eligible to have our blood drawn before it. We are sinful before baptism. Only the lord's blood can wash away our sins."
His voice carried a lazy tone. Having stayed up two nights in a row, he was a bit sleepy. "Haven't you realized it yet? That group of flute-playing children is saving people."
Mu Ke was startled. "Saving people?"
"Yes, saving people." Bai Liu (6) closed his eyes and placed his hands on his chest, lying peacefully as if he might fall asleep the next second. "They have IV tubes and bags on their bodies. They should've come from the private hospital. My guess is that they know the terminally ill investors are going to draw the children's blood next, so they're taking away the ones who were selected."
"For example, the kid in our room who was taken away. I saw him earlier today. The dean took him to register and said an investor wanted to adopt him." Bai Liu (6)'s tone remained calm. "I believe you saw clearly what happens after adoption in your dream, Mu Ke."
Mu Ke recalled the blood-drawing torture in his dream and shuddered.
Bai Liu (6) continued evenly, "If I'm not mistaken, that's precisely why the children who are taken away first see what might happen to them in the future under the flute's hypnosis. After that, they see this group of strange-looking children."
"The flute-playing children likely tell them that they're victims of blood extraction and that they'll take them somewhere safe, where they'll never need to return. That's why the children follow them so joyfully."
He paused. "Meanwhile, our investor has given up drawing blood from us. So even after being baptized, we're safe. We don't need salvation. We won't be taken away."
Mu Ke turned onto his side and looked at Bai Liu (6), who seemed to be asleep. In a low voice, he asked, "Bai Liu (6), why are you so sure your investor won't secretly register to take you away and draw your blood?"
Bai Liu (6)'s breathing was steady. He didn't answer, as if he had already fallen asleep. Mu Ke sighed softly and muttered, "Bai Liu (6), you're so naive to trust your investor." Then he drifted off to sleep, still worried.
Just as Mu Ke was about to lose consciousness, he seemed to hear Bai Liu (6) calmly reply, "If he lies to me, I'll kill him."
In the darkness of the children's bedroom, two pairs of eyes remained stiffly open.
Little Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang trembled under their quilts. They had overheard the conversation between Bai Liu (6) and Mu Ke, and they had also seen the terrifying flute-playing child who broke in. Perhaps because they were awake, the flute-playing child had hovered above them for a long time.
At this point, they hadn't yet experienced the many horrors of the game or become famous S-grade players. They were so frightened that they were drenched in sweat and didn't dare move. Ultimately, they were still just children.
Or perhaps not entirely ordinary. After all, one would grow up to have the courage to kill his mother, and the other to indulge his child in eating his wife's corpse. But killing someone else was not the same as being killed themselves.
Little Miao Gaojiang's clothes were soaked with sweat as he barely maintained his composure. He was terrified.
Miao Feichi, who in the future would burn his terminally ill mother to death with boiling water and delight in eating children's flesh, was completely unable to accept being treated like this. The thought of becoming that dried, skeletal figure made little Miao Feichi so frightened that he nearly collapsed. His feet twitched uncontrollably.
Even with the quilt pulled over his head, he let out a stifled whimper that he tried to suppress but couldn't fully silence.
Hearing the heavy breathing and faint cries in the bedroom, a strange smile appeared on the face of little Bai Liu (6), who had seemed asleep for a long time.
At 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Bai Liu's phone rang.
"Good morning, Mr. Investor," little Bai Liu (6) greeted politely. "Last night, I found out—"
"Children playing flutes?" Bai Liu opened his system panel and asked with interest.
[The Love Welfare Institute Monster Book has refreshed—Deformed Child (1/3)]
[Monster Name: Deformed Child (violent version after blood was drawn)]
[Features: Likes to wander at night and take children away.]
[Weaknesses: ??? (Unexplored)]
[Attack Method: Blood Ejection (A+) / Phone Positioning (A+)]
[New Attack Method: Small Flute Player — A-grade skill. The sound of the flute can lure away the player's secondary identity line.]
[Congratulations to player Bai Liu for collecting all of the Deformed Child's attack methods.]
Bai Liu (6) remained silent. He didn't ask how Bai Liu knew what had happened and continued his report calmly. "Yes. They appeared around 2 a.m. They used sleep hypnosis to make the children see investors drawing their blood in the future…"
Bai Liu listened quietly, thoughtful. "It seems the deformed children are on the same side as you. Both of you are victims. So the deformed children chasing you at night are probably like the flute players. Even if they make you disappear, their main purpose is to take you away and hide you. In fact, it's to prevent me from finding you."
But where could a group of ghost children hide real children so that the living couldn't find them? Were they hidden in the netherworld or still among the living? Bai Liu had the uneasy sense that the children taken away by the deformed children experienced another kind of death—euthanasia.
According to the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the children were supposed to drown, yet they died happily under the sound of the flute.
Little Bai Liu (6) shared the same perspective. He said coldly, "I don't think it's protection. It's still death. If children are taken away every night, that's a huge number. I don't believe you. Rich investors wouldn't notice. And I don't think a group of dead children could shelter a group of living ones."
"Yes, but there are indeed places where they could be used." Bai Liu narrowed his eyes. "That group of flute-playing children should know how to leave your fully enclosed welfare home."
Bai Liu (6) was silent for a moment. "Do you need me to escape from the Love Welfare Institute?"
"Yes," Bai Liu replied. "The question now is how to protect yourself from those flute-playing children if you leave with them. Not only do you have to escape, but you have to bring other children with you."
His fingers tapped lightly against the bed as his eyes darkened. "Everyone inside, including Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang. You have to take them out and then—"
"Kill them and get their blood for you, right?" Little Bai Liu (6)'s voice remained steady. "I have no problem with that. I can make them follow me, but it'll cost extra. One hundred thousand per person."
Bai Liu was briefly stunned before smiling lazily. "Deal."
"However, there are two core conditions. If you violate either one, the deal is void," Bai Liu added casually. "First, the core task is to escape, but you must prioritize your own safety, followed by Mu Ke's and Liu Jiayi's. If you can't guarantee that, don't act recklessly."
"Second, killing Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang isn't your task." His voice softened. "If possible, leave them to me. You're only fourteen. I'm twenty-four and more suited to do this. Of course, I'll still pay you two hundred thousand."
This time, Bai Liu (6) was silent for a long while. When he finally spoke, his voice carried genuine confusion. "Is there any difference between a fourteen-year-old and a twenty-four-year-old doing this?"
"In essence, no." Bai Liu paused. "I just don't want you to do it. When you're an adult, you can take responsibility for your actions and decide whether you want to be a bad person. For now, let me be the bad guy. I'm the adult."
Little Bai Liu (6) hung up.
Bai Liu stared at the darkness outside his hospital window and exhaled. He thought wryly that he had truly been conditioned by Lu Yizhan.
The moment little Bai Liu (6) mentioned killing, Bai Liu's first reaction had been that he was instigating a minor to commit a crime—a serious felony. Lu Yizhan had always been most afraid of him doing exactly that. After all, Bai Liu was very good at it.
Lu Yizhan had repeated it hundreds of times a day: don't manipulate minors, don't involve them in crimes. So much so that even in the game, Bai Liu instinctively avoided crossing that line.
Still, it was better for him to handle it. Little Bai Liu (6)'s mission was already complicated enough. For a fourteen-year-old to deal with Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang would only create unnecessary risk. His core objective was escape—so it was better to leave the most dangerous tasks to Bai Liu.
It was nine o'clock in the morning. The ward broadcast informed all patients that they could come out for activities and notified the new patients to attend their children's baptism.
[System prompt: A side task has been triggered. All players who have been notified by their child's phone call are invited to go to the Love Welfare Institute to watch their investment child's baptism.]
Bai Liu was currently in Mu Ke's ward. Today was the baptism day. However, "Bai Liu" was dead. Five investors were supposed to attend the baptism, so one would inevitably be missing. Either Bai Liu or Mu Ke had to give up this side task, and it was obviously Mu Ke.
Mu Ke was in terrible condition. He hadn't slept for two consecutive nights, had been cramming information, had his blood drawn, been chased, and cried for an entire night. Now the young master's eyes were swollen like a goldfish's, and he lay stiffly on the bed, unmoving.
He disliked the damp straw bed intensely, but he didn't have the energy to care. It was clear that after overusing his eyes and brain, he desperately needed rest. Bai Liu had decided to attend the baptism in Mu Ke's place. Still, needing rest and being able to rest were two different things.
Mu Ke couldn't fall asleep at all. Even though he was exhausted to the point of not wanting to speak, the moment he closed his eyes, chaotic scenes and fragments of information flooded his mind. His cerebral cortex remained overstimulated by intense emotions, giving him a splitting headache. Bai Liu let him lie down, but sleep refused to come.
Seeing Bai Liu stand up to leave, Mu Ke struggled to sit up as well, looking at him with concern. "Should I go instead? I'm the real Mu Ke. If they use any items or detection methods to expose lies, I can handle it."
"No." Bai Liu straightened his hospital clothes. He had slept on the floor the previous night, using books as a pillow. He hadn't slept well, and fatigue showed on his face.
He turned to Mu Ke. "I have something for you to do in the hospital—something only you can do."
Mu Ke was startled. "What is it?"
"I need you to check some medical records for me."
The timeline of this instance was ten years ago—the same period when the entrepreneurs began investing in the children's welfare home and preparing the first batch of children.
The two welfare homes were different manifestations of the same instance. Based on past examples like Exploding Last Train and the Mirror City Bombing, the game instance and the real-world event often differed in form but shared the same core. It was highly possible that those sick entrepreneurs had drawn children's blood to cultivate a blood ganoderma lucidum to cure themselves.
However, Lu Yizhan's investigation in reality had turned up nothing. Ten years had passed; most clues had long since vanished. The children whose blood had been drawn were dead, and evidence was nearly impossible to trace.
Moreover, Bai Liu suspected that even if evidence had existed, it would have been erased by those powerful figures. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared abandon the welfare home and relinquish control over a crime scene.
Even if Bai Liu exited the game and told Lu Yizhan everything—and even if Lu Yizhan believed him—without concrete evidence, they could do nothing against a group of prestigious entrepreneurs.
Still, Bai Liu had accepted Lu Yizhan's payment and promised to investigate. He liked completing transactions thoroughly. What couldn't be done outside the game might be possible inside it. What was missing in reality might not be missing here.
He looked at Mu Ke. "I'll write down a few names. During the day, the nurses are lax. See if you can enter the file room where patient records are stored and find these people's medical files. Memorize everything."
"In particular, the name of the child used as medicine, and the dates of the blood draws. The more complete, the better. When I return, tell me everything."
The records would be complex and numerous. Memorizing them undetected within a short window would be nearly impossible for most people—but for Mu Ke, it was simple. He nodded immediately. "Yes. Tell me the names."
Bai Liu listed several names, then asked, "Do you remember them?"
Mu Ke nodded, then frowned. "These are real-world entrepreneurs. They should be ordinary people. Why would their names appear in this game's archives?"
Bai Liu lowered his gaze. "They might not be ordinary. In this game, they should be monster-like existences. If you can, memorize as many registered investor patients as possible."
"…You want me to memorize all of them? Why?"
"A large welfare home that operated for ten years has recently begun losing investment…"
He paused slightly before continuing.
"The operating costs of a private welfare home are enormous. Without a substantial profit chain behind it, it wouldn't last that long. Multiple investment groups wouldn't provide free funding unless an industry chain had formed."
He spoke calmly. "The only commodities a children's welfare home can provide are children and their by-products. Ordinarily, I would suspect a trafficking chain—but here, it's blood."
His tone remained almost devoid of emotion. "The home operated for ten years and housed hundreds of children at a time. Considering how many could provide blood… more people were likely saved than the ones I mentioned. That's why I believe that when the welfare home opened, the terminally ill patients in line weren't limited to the visible entrepreneurs."
He looked at Mu Ke with such composure that it made Mu Ke's scalp prickle. "If I'm right, aside from the players who logged into this game, the information in that archive—"
"—should belong to people who drew children's blood in reality to cure themselves."
[System prompt: Player Bai Liu's statement touches on the core of the game. Player Bai Liu's small TV has been blocked and muted during this conversation.]
Mu Ke was utterly stunned. His hands trembled as he climbed off the bed, his back cold with sweat. "Wait. Bai Liu, you mean—no, if I have to memorize all the patients' information, I might not manage it in such a short time. My brain isn't functioning well right now. What exactly do you mean?"
"I'll explain later." Bai Liu cut him off gently. "If you can't memorize all of them, focus on the names I gave you. Crimes like this usually form tight networks. Pull one thread, and the rest will follow."
He opened the door and nodded at Mu Ke, who sat dazed on the edge of the bed. "Rest. I need you at peak precision. There's still a lot for you to remember."
"I don't need rest. I can't sleep. I'll go memorize the records now… If I have more time—" Mu Ke blinked slowly and shook his head, but suddenly his body sank back onto the straw bed. He inhaled sharply as he stared at Bai Liu, who stood by the door, watching him.
"You need rest," Bai Liu said quietly.
[System tip: Player Bai Liu has used high-efficiency inhalation sleeping pills on player Mu Ke.]
Mu Ke's vision darkened; the room spun. He struggled to lift his eyelids and saw Bai Liu turn and close the door. He reached out, but his fingers only twitched twice before falling limp.
"I don't want to rest… I have to do something…"
Before losing consciousness, he heard Bai Liu's final words. "The sleeping pill will last until around 11:30. The nurses will be at lunch then, and the file room will be empty. That's the best time for you to wake up."
"Sleep well, Mu Ke."
Curled into a small ball on the straw bed, Mu Ke's breathing gradually evened out as he finally fell into deep sleep.
After confirming he was asleep, Bai Liu left and locked the door.
Mu Ke had been in a terrible state since last night—overstimulated, shaken, like a trembling cat with its fur bristling. Without proper rest, his memory would suffer.
There were few safe windows in the game for Mu Ke to recover. His hypervigilance was understandable.
Today, Miao Feichi was absent. Nurse patrol density was high during the day, and the probability of monsters appearing was low. There was no better opportunity for Mu Ke to rest and restore himself.
However, Bai Liu's departure would strip away most of Mu Ke's sense of security. The moment Bai Liu had stood up, Mu Ke had forced himself upright, red-eyed and desperate to follow.
So Bai Liu had simply used medicine to make him sleep.
At 9:30 a.m., all the investors attending the baptism gathered at the hospital entrance.