From the moment Bai Liu entered the mirror, declared this was the game's reality, and resolved to shatter the glass, the audience before the small TV held their breath in silent suspense.
When Bai Liu insisted on breaking the mirror himself and Mu Sicheng refused to let him, a wave of agitation swept through the viewers—sorrow mingled with helplessness:
"Bai Liu really treats Mu God well. The two of them must be true friends, but this is a game. I still hope Bai Liu lets Mu God be the one to shatter the mirror…"
"…I'm a Mu God fan. I used to get annoyed when people always compared Bai Liu to Mu God, but now my feelings are so complicated… I don't want Bai Liu to die, but I don't want Mu God to die either…"
"I can't bear to watch. I love them both—if either dies, I can't accept it. Bai Liu is so brilliant, he must have a way out, right?"
"Bai Liu only has one point of health left—what way could there possibly be? Do you all think he's a god? I say let Mu Sicheng do it!"
When Bai Liu finally persuaded Mu Sicheng to leave, Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu, watching anxiously from the back, panicked. They barely knew Mu Sicheng, and all their hopes were pinned on Bai Liu's survival. Seeing Bai Liu step forward to face death, they were so distraught they could hardly stand still.
Some viewers disapproved of Bai Liu's choice, but even more admired his loyalty to his friends—
—Bai Liu had promised not to let Mu Sicheng die, and from beginning to end, he protected him to the last.
"I want to cry. It's such a pity. If both Mu God and Bai Liu could survive and team up, they'd be a god-tier duo, no less than the fifth and sixth on the all-time leaderboard."
"Mu Sicheng is actually very strong—he just needed a partner. Otherwise, he'd have surpassed Zhang Gui long ago. His personal skill has so much potential. He's the only one on the Rising Stars list who's ever stolen from Spades and lived. If Mu Sicheng were willing to be Bai Liu's blade, their rankings would soar."
"Don't forget, Bai Liu and Du Sanying have great synergy too…"
The moment the mirror shattered and the god-level NPC appeared, the audience's sanity plummeted, just as it had during "Siren Town." When the system finally dosed them with a blast of mental bleach and they regained their senses, Bai Liu's small TV had already gone dark.
A black screen meant only two things—a player had died, or a player had cleared the game.
Wang Shun bowed his head in grief, and the other viewers followed suit in silent tribute—this was how they mourned and honored a player they admired and respected.
Bai Liu couldn't possibly have survived.
Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu stumbled forward, pushing through the crowd. In their hearts, Bai Liu, who had avenged them, was no different from their own child. Seeing him vanish before their eyes, Xiang Chunhua's legs gave out and she collapsed, still reaching for Bai Liu's small TV, her vision blurred with tears.
Liu Fu tried to steady himself, helping Xiang Chunhua up, but his own face was etched with sorrow. Still, he forced himself to remain rational: "If Bai Liu really ends up like Guoguo, we'll go into the game, earn points, and bring them back!"
The next second, the small TV flickered to life, and the system's mechanical voice rang out:
[Congratulations, Player Bai Liu, for unlocking all main quests and completing the Monster Compendium in 'Exploding Last Train.']
[System: Player has achieved the true end—'The Last Train That Stops Forever.' From the moment of the explosion, the dead passengers were trapped by that dreadful mirror, forced to relive the agony of their final hour, day after day. They screamed, they hid, they desperately concealed the mirror's shards, but it was all in vain. The emotionless mirror burned them again and again, never ceasing, not even when they were reduced to ash. Until, at last, someone brought the blazing, mirrored last train to a halt. The passengers smiled as they stepped off the train—at last, even in death, they had reached their destination…]
Wang Shun looked up in astonishment. Xiang Chunhua and Liu Fu, drained by the emotional whiplash, both collapsed to their knees, then covered their mouths and wept with joy.
"He's alive! He cleared the game!" Xiang Chunhua's hoarse cry shattered the heavy silence.
For a few stunned seconds, the audience stared in disbelief—then erupted into tears and laughter, shouting at the screen:
"Holy shit!!! How did he survive?! One point of health! Against a god-level NPC! How did he do it?!"
"Who cares! He's alive! Quick, like, favorite, charge him up! Push him to the top promo slot! Hurry!!"
"Yes, yes! Push him to the top! Go, Bai Liu! We can't let such an incredible player go unnoticed! Go, go! Let's see if we can get 6-ge onto the Nightmare Rising Stars board!"
"Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng are already third and fourth on the Nightmare Rising Stars screen. I checked—the other slots are taken, so it's tough. If any of the others drop out, maybe he can make tenth. Damn, Bai Liu's luck is really bad."
"So many new stars are fighting for promo slots. It'll be hard for Bai Liu to make it. I don't think he can. There just aren't enough core viewers. It's a shame—this was such an amazing game video."
"Should we keep trying? It feels hopeless…"
Suddenly, the system chimed: [Players Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng have strongly recommended Bai Liu's small TV!]
The audience froze, then quickly rushed to the forums to see what was happening, and soon cries of excitement broke out:
"Damn! Mu Sicheng put Bai Liu's small TV on his own promo screen as soon as he left the game! He even posted on the forum that he'll pick three people who like Bai Liu's TV and take them through a level-one game for free!"
"Du Sanying did it too! He's got Bai Liu's TV up, and he's offering to pick ten people who like, favorite, and recommend Bai Liu's TV and give them a system item worth six hundred points for free!"
"Shit! These two are going all out to help Bai Liu climb the ranks! They've put his TV front and center, not caring if they lose their own promo slot rewards!"
"I'm in tears! Is this what brotherhood looks like? Go, Bai Liu! I won't give up on you either!"
"Go, Bai Liu! You're the true nightmare and rising star!"
Viewers poured in—some curious, some clueless, some drawn by Du Sanying and Mu Sicheng's endorsements—crying and laughing as they watched that tiny TV screen, eager to see what kind of player could inspire such devotion.
But they all knew: in that nightmarish game, without this man, not a single player would have survived.
In a sense, to the dead, Bai Liu was a nightmare more terrifying than the game itself; but to the living, he was a star brighter than any other.
"We're so close! Just a little more!"
[System Notification: Players Fang Ke and Liu Huai have strongly recommended Bai Liu's small TV!]
Wang Shun exhaled, looking up at Bai Liu's little TV. From the day he'd found it on the edge of the central hall, unremarkable and overlooked, to now, when he had to crane his neck to see it, revered and admired by thousands.
No player had ever reached the Nightmare Rising Stars board in just two games—except for that legendary player, the all-time points leader, Spades.
But Wang Shun had a feeling that soon, Bai Liu would break that record.
[System Notification: All data for Bai Liu's small TV is being finalized…]
The audience paused their frantic likes and charges, watching the screen with bated breath, whispering:
"I'm so nervous—can he make it?"
"We did our best. If he doesn't make it… I'll just have a good cry and help 6-ge next time!"
"I don't ask for much—just tenth place on the Nightmare Rising Stars board. I know that's already a lot to hope for…"
[100,007 people have liked Bai Liu's small TV, 126,700 have favorited it, 41,190 have charged it. Player Bai Liu has earned 67,100 points.]
[Player Bai Liu has received over 100,000 likes and more than 60,000 points in one minute! The audience is wild for you!]
[Congratulations, Player Bai Liu, on securing the final promo slot and entering the central screen as the second-ranked Nightmare Rising Star. Your view count is soaring…]
A long, almost frozen silence fell before the small TV. Then, as if unable to believe what they'd achieved, the audience's jaws dropped—then broke into wild, delirious laughter, cheers, and shrieks that threatened to shake the very screen:
"Oh—!!!"
"Bai Liu is the strongest!!!!"
"Holy shit!!! Second place on the Nightmare Rising Stars board!!!!!!"