A heavy silence fell over the car, each passenger's expression growing subtly strange.
Lucy let out an awkward laugh or two, while Andre responded with a cold snort—neither of them, it was clear, believed a word the driver had said.
The driver burst into hearty laughter. "Just joking! As if we'd eat mermaids. The fish here are simply our local specialty."
With practiced ease, he brought the car to a halt before a looming structure. "Here we are—the Wax Museum. Off you go."
Once everyone had disembarked, the driver added, "Take your time exploring. When night falls, call for me and I'll take you to the mermaid hunt." With that, he drove away.
Bai Liu glanced around, taking in his surroundings. Before him rose a building so tall he had to tilt his head back until it was nearly parallel with the ground to glimpse its summit. Atop the edifice, a flourish of English script spelled out: Siren Wax Museum.
[System Notification: Scene Unlocked—Siren Wax Museum]
The museum's architecture evoked the deep, mysterious hues of the sea, its roof supported by massive granite columns. From the threshold, Bai Liu could make out the shadowy forms of mermaid wax figures, their silhouettes hauntingly arrayed within.
Though the interior appeared newly renovated, the exterior walls bore the weathered look of old red brick. Tattered missing-person notices, pasted across the facade, fluttered in the sea breeze, one sheet slapping against Bai Liu's face.
He peeled the old newspaper away and found himself staring at a bold, black headline:
[Police Bulletin: Twelve Missing in Siren Town This Month. If you recognize any of the individuals pictured below, please contact the authorities immediately. Tourists are urged to exercise caution while sightseeing in Siren Town, avoid playing with large fish, and beware of falling into the water.]
Beneath the notice were twelve black-and-white photographs, each face beaming with the joy of a new arrival in Siren Town. Yet, as Bai Liu gazed at their smiles, something about them—set against the yellowed, timeworn paper—struck him as deeply unsettling.
He studied the entire sheet, intending to fold it and slip it into his bag. But as he creased the paper, he noticed something odd: it felt far too stiff, almost unnaturally rigid for newsprint, even one dried brittle by the sea wind. It was as if it were more than just a single sheet.
Examining the cross-section, he saw it was indeed thick, though there were no obvious layers—perhaps the paper had been pressed so tightly by the wind that any separation was imperceptible.
Bai Liu tucked the newspaper away, resolving to find some hot water inside the museum to see if he could separate its layers.
[Side Quest Triggered—Find a Hot Water Pool in the Wax Museum and Separate the Stuck Newspaper. Reward: 10 Points]
The museum's caretaker was an elderly man afflicted with cataracts, his eyes clouded with milky haze, yet he seemed to have no trouble seeing visitors.
As soon as Bai Liu and his companions entered, the old man turned his head sharply toward them. His gaze was vacant, his aged face fixed in a mechanical, formal smile. He hurried over, prompting a startled gasp from Lucy.
The caretaker's expression was tinged with a peculiar wistfulness. "It's been a long time since anyone visited… Ever since the incidents began last month, no tourists have come to the Siren Wax Museum, and it's been ages since a new mermaid statue was added."
Bai Liu asked, "Why haven't there been any new mermaid statues? Is it related to the lack of visitors?"
"Of course it is," the caretaker replied, his tone growing agitated as he waved his stiff limbs. "Without tourists, we rarely hold the mermaid hunts—those grand, laborious events. Without the hunts, there are no mermaids to… to…"
He broke off abruptly, and no matter how Bai Liu pressed, he would say no more.
"Has the museum always received a steady stream of new mermaid statues?" Bai Liu quickly changed tack. "Surely the museum's capacity is limited? If you keep adding new statues, there can't be room for them all."
"No!" The caretaker's lips twisted into a strange smile, his clouded eyes fixing on Bai Liu with a mysterious air. "For every new statue that enters the museum, an old one leaves. The Siren Wax Museum can never be filled."
Bai Liu arched an eyebrow, intrigued. "And where do these statues go once they leave? Are they thrown back into the sea?"
The caretaker fell silent, as if realizing he had said too much.
Bai Liu pressed on, "What happens to tourists after they arrive?"
"Nothing at all," the caretaker muttered. "You'll enjoy a pleasant holiday in Siren Town, and then you'll leave."
After that, he refused to answer any further questions.
Having learned the location of the hot water room, Bai Liu abandoned his attempts at conversation. He took the tickets and led his group into the Siren Wax Museum.
Just inside the entrance stood a resplendent wax figure of a middle-aged man, clad in a suit and hat. Unlike the mermaid statues, this one was entirely human, gilded from head to toe, his face set in an official smile as he greeted visitors with a raised hand.
The lighting inside was dim, casting ambiguous shadows across the statue's face, twisting its polite smile into something uncanny.
On the black stone pedestal, an inscription offered a brief biography: this was the wax likeness of Mayor Harris, unveiled at the museum's grand opening. The text, in florid language, lavished praise on the mayor's contributions to Siren Town—how he had developed tourism after the discovery of the mermaid skeleton, supported the construction of the museum, and transformed the once-backward seaside village into a thriving destination.
Another line was carved into the stone: [Mayor Harris loves every villager of Siren Town as unconditionally as he would his own child.]
As Bai Liu read, Jelf, who had been silent the entire way, sidled up and whispered, "Do you believe in mermaids? Do you think any of what's written about Siren Town is true?"
Of course, he didn't believe it all.
Such museums, built to boost tourism with their bizarre displays, might contain a kernel of truth, but most of their stories were local fabrications, concocted to lure visitors.
But this was a horror game.
"I think it's true," Bai Liu replied.
Andre crossed his arms and let out a derisive laugh, mocking Jelf and Bai Liu's credulity, but said nothing more, following Jelf into the museum.
Bai Liu and Lucy had planned to tour together, but he wanted to find the hot water room to separate the damp newspaper, so he sent Lucy ahead.
She expressed her disappointment, promising to wait for him in the exhibition hall, and wandered off alone. Bai Liu made his way toward the hot water room, as directed by the caretaker.