"I'm very curious what life has done to you to turn you into this." Little Bai Liu (6)'s voice was cold, stripped of warmth. "It makes me feel a bit disgusted."
"You've been lying to me from the very beginning. You knew I liked money. You knew what would arouse my curiosity, and you understood my motivations and psychological structure. You used all of it to constantly guide me into doing things for you." His voice sharpened, precise and merciless. "I am your secondary identity line. You deliberately let me realize that, didn't you? It was to ensure I would keep in contact with you after I successfully escaped from the welfare home."
"You needed to make sure I wouldn't betray you—and that I would continue paying you more than the amount you initially gave me. You knew money alone couldn't sustain a connection with me for long."
Little Bai Liu (6)'s breathing came through the poorly connected phone line, heavy and uneven, like water suddenly rushing through a broken channel. "You aren't speaking now because you're waiting for me to calm down, right?"
Bai Liu didn't respond. He held the phone loosely in one hand while the other supported his elbow. Leaning casually against the wall, his expression remained indifferent. He was indeed waiting for Little Bai Liu (6) to regain his composure.
Little Bai Liu (6) was a highly rational child.
The breathing on the other end fluctuated twice, quick and sharp, as if he were forcing himself to inhale deeply and suppress his emotions. Gradually, it stabilized, returning to its usual measured rhythm. When he spoke again, his tone had regained its calm.
"I have to admit," Little Bai Liu (6) said quietly, "you understand yourself very well. I will never betray myself."
He was, after all, half the soul of a strange investor who wished to drain his blood. It took the fourteen-year-old Bai Liu (6) only about a dozen seconds to accept this reality. Once he did, he immediately moved to the core of the matter with cold efficiency.
"The two main obstacles to escaping tonight are the deformed children and the teachers. The teachers will inspect the bedrooms of all baptized children. We aren't allowed to remain outside after curfew. I don't know why, but Liu Jiayi is extremely familiar with this welfare home—as if she had lived here before."
His voice lowered subtly.
"She has already figured out the teachers' inspection schedule. She told me the teacher will finish inspecting our bedroom at 9:15, and hers at 9:30. After 9:30, the five of us can leave our rooms and escape. Based on her familiarity with the welfare home, Liu Jiayi has already planned an escape route."
Little Bai Liu (6) paused briefly before evaluating her in a detached, analytical tone.
"She is very proactive when it comes to planning. She seemed slightly flustered at first when I negotiated with her, but once she confirmed I was sent by her brother, she began providing accurate and effective information immediately. This level of planning is far beyond what you would expect from a blind eight-year-old girl." He added flatly, "She is more useful than Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang combined."
"If she weren't blind—and if the deformed children weren't wandering the grounds—I believe she could escape the welfare home on her own tonight."
Bai Liu remained silent, allowing Little Bai Liu (6) to continue.
It was only natural that Liu Jiayi was familiar with this place. She had lived here before. Moreover, judging from the poisonous mushroom incident in reality, her mentality and intelligence were exceptional. Bai Liu had never worried that Liu Jiayi would slow them down during the escape.
Little Bai Liu (6) continued, "The wandering deformed children are indeed a problem. But after checking the items stored in the coin you gave me, I found one that will work here."
Both of them spoke at the same time.
"Passengers' Blessing."
This buff-type item was the primary reason Bai Liu had entrusted the coin to Little Bai Liu (6).
[Total reward for collecting the Exploding Last Train Monster Book: Passengers' Blessing (Excellent Quality). The passengers are grateful to you for saving them from their tragic fate and have bestowed their blessing upon you. As long as you sit in a vehicle seat, their souls will guard you and prevent any monster from harming you.]
[Note: The vehicle cannot be forcibly brought into the instance. It must belong to the original scene.]
This item had not been dropped when Bai Liu pretended to die and handed everything over to Miao Feichi. Because it was a buff-type item, it wasn't bound to a physical object but directly to the player. It couldn't be separated or looted, which was why Miao Gaojiang hadn't suspected anything.
"There's a toy car in the children's playground," Little Bai Liu (6) said calmly, as if discussing nothing more serious than an ordinary game. "I believe it qualifies as a vehicle within the welfare home. However, the teachers lock it up at 6 p.m."
"Liu Jiayi said she can lure the teacher carrying the key away by lying to them. Then we'll knock the teacher unconscious, steal the key, and escape using the toy car."
"I remember that toy car can only seat four people," Bai Liu said thoughtfully, touching his chin. "Where will the fifth person sit?"
Little Bai Liu (6) fell silent for two seconds.
"We're also preparing to steal a baby walker," he replied at last. "There's one used by disabled children. It can be attached to the toy car and moved together."
Bai Liu paused.
The walker was a crude contraption—little more than a wheeled frame resembling open-crotch pants mounted on four small wheels. Its speed depended entirely on the strength of the person's legs. The rider had to sit with their legs spread, pushing themselves forward awkwardly.
For children of seven or eight, it was deeply humiliating—like running wildly in oversized floral cotton pants.
"Who will ride in the walker?" Bai Liu asked.
"Liu Jiayi can't see. Sitting behind us would be too dangerous." Little Bai Liu (6) paused, a faint, undisguised trace of malicious amusement slipping into his voice. "So naturally, the shortest one is the most suitable."
"I'm not the shortest."
"Mu Ke is."
As their conversation continued, Bai Liu heard the crisp, receding sound of the nurse's high heels moving away.
Moments later, new footsteps approached the door.
More than one person.
Bai Liu's gaze darkened slightly.
Those steady, rapid footsteps could only belong to Miao Feichi and his group.
Miao Feichi had clearly seized the narrow window between the nurse's patrol and her departure. This was the advantage of players—faster, more opportunistic than NPCs. They could exploit gaps in movement patterns.
Unlike Bai Liu, who had nearly been hunted to death the previous night.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A trembling voice sounded from outside.
"I—I'm Mu Ke. I came."
Bai Liu's eyes shifted toward the door. He lowered his voice and spoke into the phone.
"I'm hanging up."
"Wait." Little Bai Liu (6) paused. "When should I call you again?"
"Anytime after 9:30 in the morning," Bai Liu replied calmly. "Call time is still charged by the minute."
"If I'm alive to answer."
Little Bai Liu (6) was silent for two seconds.
"From a financial standpoint, I want you to live," he said honestly. "However, based on the plan you told me—and your identity—it will be very troublesome for you to survive. Your most valuable assets are already in my possession. From that perspective, I would prefer you to die."
Then he hung up without hesitation.
Bai Liu didn't mind. He smiled faintly and lowered the phone.
The hand holding it was no longer human.
It was a monkey's hand.
Bai Liu looked down at it calmly.
Before leaving the welfare home, he had manipulated the system interface and fixed Mu Sicheng's soul money panel onto himself. This allowed him to continue using Mu Sicheng's abilities even after transferring the Game Manager authority to Bai Liu (6).
However, there was a cost.
He could only use Mu Sicheng's abilities.
He could no longer switch between other players' soul banknotes.
Because the Game Manager coin bound both his primary and secondary identity lines simultaneously, Little Bai Liu (6) could monitor his living conditions, personal attribute panel, and system notifications. He would know immediately if Bai Liu died.
From the moment he heard the approaching footsteps, Bai Liu had already partially activated the monkey hand.
His stamina had been completely drained the previous night. He couldn't use Mu Sicheng's full abilities yet. All he could do was use Mu Ke as bait, guiding Miao Feichi here indirectly and delaying the inevitable confrontation.
But—
Bai Liu glanced at the clock on the ward wall.
It wasn't only Miao Feichi whose stamina recovered at 9:15.
It wasn't only Miao Feichi who had allies.
Slowly, Bai Liu lifted his gaze toward the shadow behind the door.
Liu Huai stood there silently, daggers in both hands.
He was perfectly still—like a true assassin waiting in the darkness. His body radiated cold resolve, the determination of someone wagering everything on a single moment.
After receiving Bai Liu's signal, Liu Huai nodded.
He inhaled deeply, then leapt upward with silent precision, hooking his legs over the ceiling lamp and suspending himself above the doorway.
Looking down at Bai Liu, his emotions were more complicated than ever.
His eyes lingered on the monkey hand.
He had never imagined that, after so long, he would once again cooperate with Mu Sicheng's abilities in this way.
This might be the last time the thief and the assassin fought together.
Liu Huai closed his eyes briefly and touched the doll resting against his chest.
It resembled him—crudely stitched, uneven, and clumsy.
It was Jiayi's gift.
She had made it herself, fumbling blindly, crafting the image of her brother through touch alone.
Liu Jiayi loved dolls.
Though she could not see them, she explored them with her fingers, shaping them carefully—as if trying to understand the world she had never seen.
Her dolls were ugly.
But precious.
Just like the bear dolls Liu Huai had once made for her. They had been equally ugly. Brother and sister shared a lack of artistic talent.
Fortunately, Liu Jiayi had never seen their flaws.
She had loved them anyway.
Perhaps this would be the last time Liu Huai would see the doll she made for him.
He inhaled deeply. Then, gently, silently, he opened the ward door. The door creaked open into the darkness.
Before the figures outside fully came into view, two blades flashed through the air in a deadly arc toward Bai Liu—
And Mu Ke screamed: "Bai Liu!!!"