Painlessly ended his single life.

He quickly changed the subject. Liam White glanced out the window at the increasingly remote and desolate scenery and asked, “Where are we going? Why does it look so deserted?”

“Looks like a coward is thinking of running away again.” A mocking, deep male voice came from the front. A tall man in tight jeans and a sports T-shirt crossed his arms and looked at Liam White with disdain. The man was so muscular that his shirt looked like it was about to burst, making him look like a football player.

He looked down at Liam White with his arms crossed and sneered, “Too late, Liam White. Even if you, the coward, want to run away now, we’re already on the road to Siren Town.”

A panel popped up:

【NPC Name: Andrew Carter】

【Character Description: Your love rival, likes Lucy but was rejected by her, is very hostile toward you. Previously, you made a bet with him to protect Lucy in the most dangerous place in the world to prove your love for her, so your group drove to Siren Town. But you got scared and cried your eyes out before getting in the car, regretting it and not wanting to go, and he forced you into the car.】

Liam White had now seen the name Siren Town twice. He ignored Andrew Carter’s taunts and asked, “Siren Town, what kind of place is it?”

Andrew Carter snorted coldly again, just about to continue mocking Liam White, when a soft, incessant muttering interrupted him:

“Siren Town, the only seaside town in history where a mermaid’s remains have ever been found. Many people claim to have seen the silhouette of a siren here, or heard the beautiful singing of mermaids in the waves. Some have even seen these strange-looking merfolk feasting on human corpses atop the dark reefs...”

“Jeffrey Howard! Those are just stories made up by Siren Town to trick tourists into visiting!” Andrew Carter impatiently cut off the other’s rapid, low words, but a flash of fear crossed his face.

A short boy with thick, beer-bottle-bottom glasses hugged the book to his chest and shrank back, seeming a bit afraid of Andrew Carter. He retorted in an even lower voice, “Then how do you explain the mysterious disappearances of tourists in Siren Town? Just last month, twelve tourists vanished completely after coming here! The police searched everywhere, but no one saw them leave...”

Liam White looked at the panel.

【NPC Name: Jeffrey Howard】

【Character Description: A passionate fan of mermaids and other unnatural creatures. After learning that Lucy’s group was going to Siren Town, he volunteered to join. He knows a lot about the town’s legends.】

Andrew Carter shot back, “Most of those people probably just drowned. It’s normal to drown by the sea.”

But Jeffrey Howard was unconvinced: “The police have been dredging for a month and haven’t found a single body. Even if they really fell into the sea, that’s not normal...” As he spoke, his tone grew low and eerie, tinged with excitement. “Unless their bodies were eaten by sirens, so the police couldn’t find anything...”

Andrew Carter finally lost his temper. He angrily smacked Jeffrey Howard on the head. “Shut up! You damn four-eyes! Always going on about mermaids! You look more like a mermaid yourself!”

Andrew Carter hit hard—Liam White could clearly see Jeffrey Howard’s head knock against the seat, and then, dazed, he bumped into Andrew Carter again. This only made Andrew Carter angrier, and he slapped Jeffrey Howard several times, knocking out one of Jeffrey Howard’s teeth.

Jeffrey Howard lowered his head, picked up his tooth, and said nothing. He shot a subtle, resentful look at Andrew Carter, and silently mouthed a sentence.

No one else heard, but Liam White had always had good hearing. He heard Jeffrey Howard say: 【The mermaids will tear you to pieces and swallow you, Andrew Carter】

Liam White raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing. The relationships between these NPCs were a bit complicated.

It seemed that Andrew Carter’s bullying of Jeffrey Howard wasn’t a recent thing, and this Jeffrey Howard seemed to have already plotted a revenge plan involving “mermaids.”

The driver was a local from Siren Town whom Liam White had hired. From Lucy’s conversations, Liam White realized he was a rich second generation; he was covering all the group’s food and lodging, and had paid a lot to hire the driver, even asking him to help find a local inn.

The car drove on until late at night before finally arriving at the mysterious Siren Town. According to the driver, Siren Town was a small place that survived by fishing and salvaging shipwrecks. It had always been remote and rundown, until the new mayor took a different approach and used mermaid legends to attract tourists, which finally made the town’s tourism industry flourish.

But last month, tourists kept having accidents. These tourists weren’t just drowning as Andrew Carter claimed—some hadn’t even made it to the sea before vanishing without a trace in various corners of Siren Town. For example, one tourist checked into a hotel at night, and by the next morning was gone. The room was locked, no one saw him leave, and the bed was still warm—but the person had simply disappeared.