Godmode: My Infinite Game Odyssey

Liam Watson lay on his side in the back row of a cramped van. The seat was narrow and crowded, and even turning over was a struggle. Every time he shifted, a necklace slipped out from beneath his shirt.

His clothes were the same as they had been before entering the game: a white shirt and black pants, the typical daily wear of an office worker, a symbol of his former life. The only thing that seemed out of place was the necklace.

The pendant was a one-yuan coin with a hole punched through it. As soon as Liam touched it, a game panel popped up, just like the one he had seen before, with no additional information.

This must be something like the game's control panel.

Liam tucked the necklace back inside his shirt, not liking the sight of the damaged coin.

He poked his head out from the back seat. It was a seven-seat van, and besides Liam, there were four other people up front. As soon as Liam emerged, someone excitedly looked his way: "Liam, hey, my sweetie, you're finally awake!"

All six people, except for Liam, clearly looked foreign. The one who called him "sweetie" was a girl with brown curly hair in large waves, red lips, and brown eyes, dressed in hot pants and a tank top. As Liam saw her, the coin on his chest triggered a panel to appear, displaying her character information:

[NPC Name: Lucy]

[Character Summary: Your classmate, who really likes guys like you, but you feel too shy around someone like Lucy, who is ten centimeters taller and way more bold.]

Liam's gaze lingered on the "too shy" part for a moment before quickly turning away, deep in thought.

It seemed the game triggered NPC character information when the player looked directly at them, much like how a mouse-over in an online game displays information. In this game, the player's eyes were like the mouse or game controller.

He pondered, realizing that in this game, at least, he couldn't afford to lose his sight.

Lucy winked at Liam, "Hey, baby, did I tire you out? You've been asleep since we got in the van."

Liam, who had always been single, felt a bit complicated. "......"

His single life had ended without a struggle.

He quickly changed the topic and glanced out the window at the increasingly desolate, cold scenery, asking, "Where are we headed? Why does it look so isolated?"

A mocking, deep male voice came from the front: "Looks like we have a coward who wants to bail out." A tall man wearing tight jeans and a sports T-shirt crossed his arms and sneered at Liam. His body was built like a football player, his shirt almost bursting from the muscle mass.

He looked down at Liam with disdain, "Too late, Liam. Even if you're a coward wanting to back out, it's too late. We're already on our way to Siren Town."

A panel popped up:

[NPC Name: Andrew]

[Character Summary: Your rival, who likes Lucy but was rejected by her. He harbors a lot of hostility towards you. You made a bet to protect Lucy in the world's most dangerous place to prove your love for her, so you all are heading to Siren Town. Before boarding, you regretted it and cried, but Andrew forced you into the van.]

Liam had already seen "Siren Town" appear twice and chose to ignore Andrew's mockery, instead asking, "Siren Town—what kind of place is it?"

Andrew snorted and was about to retort when a constant, mumbling voice interrupted him:

"Siren Town is the only seaside town where remains of sea monsters have been discovered in history. Many people claim to have seen the Sirens there or heard their beautiful songs in the waves. Others say they've seen these bizarre-looking mermaids feasting on human corpses on dark rocks..."

"Gerald! Those are just stories made up by Siren Town to trick tourists into visiting!" Andrew interrupted impatiently, though a brief, almost imperceptible flicker of fear crossed his face.

A short guy wearing thick beer-bottle glasses hugged a book tightly to his chest. He seemed to shrink away from Andrew but still gathered enough courage to whisper, "Then how do you explain the mysterious disappearances of tourists in Siren Town? Last month, twelve tourists disappeared without a trace! The police searched everywhere, but there was no sign of them leaving Siren Town..."

Liam looked at the panel.

[NPC Name: Gerald]

[Character Summary: A strong enthusiast of sea monsters like mermaids. When he learned Lucy's group was heading to Siren Town, he insisted on joining. He's very familiar with the legends of Siren Town.]

Andrew scoffed, "Those people probably just drowned. People drown all the time near the sea. It's normal."

But Gerald was unconvinced, "The police have been searching for a month and found no bodies. Even if they drowned, it still doesn't make sense..."

His voice grew dark and eerie, with a touch of excitement, "Unless their bodies were eaten by the Sirens. That would explain why the police can't find them..."

Andrew finally snapped. He slapped Gerald hard on the head. "Shut up! You damn four-eyed freak! Always talking about mermaids! You look like a damn mermaid yourself!"

Andrew's slap sent Gerald's head crashing into the seat. Dazed, Gerald collided with Andrew. This only made Andrew angrier, and he slapped Gerald several more times, knocking a tooth out of his mouth.

Gerald silently picked up his tooth, casting a subtle, vengeful glare at Andrew, and mouthed something quietly.

No one else heard it, but Liam had always had good hearing. He caught the words, "The mermaids will tear you apart and swallow you whole, Andrew."

Liam raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The relationships between the NPCs were complicated.

It seemed that Andrew had been bullying Gerald for quite some time, and now Gerald appeared to be planning his revenge using the "mermaids."

The driver, a local from Siren Town, had been hired by Liam. From Lucy's conversation, Liam realized that he was a rich second-generation heir. He had paid for everyone's food and lodging, even hiring the driver and asking him to find a local hotel.

The van drove through the night until it finally reached the mysterious Siren Town. According to the driver, Siren Town had always been a small, remote place that survived by fishing and salvaging shipwrecks. It was rundown until the new mayor started using mermaid legends to attract tourists, and the town developed its tourism industry.

However, since last month, tourists have been going missing. These people weren't drowning, as Andrew suggested. Some had never even made it to the seaside. They mysteriously vanished from different parts of Siren Town. For example, one tourist checked into a hotel one night, but the next morning, he was gone. His door was locked, no one saw him leave, and the bed was still warm, but the person had vanished.

Due to these disappearances, Siren Town, normally bustling during peak tourist seasons, was eerily quiet. Many hotels have shut down due to poor business practices.

Siren Town was indeed in decay. There were broken fences and fishing nets everywhere, with dried shells, seaweed, and mud covering the ground. Only a few hotels had decent decor. When Liam and the others arrived, it was already late, but there were still many people walking around.

These townsfolk, who had originally been heading toward the sea, stopped as soon as the van entered. They all turned their heads in unison and stared fixedly at the vehicle.

Seeing so many people staring at them in the dead of night made Lucy uneasy. She let out a soft scream and instinctively shrank into Liam's arms.

But Lucy was much taller than Liam, and her head popped over his shoulder, making it look like Liam was actually the one shrinking into her arms.

Liam: "..."

Liam turned to the driver and asked, "It's already midnight. Why are these people going to the sea?"

The driver shook his head. "Tourism is down recently, and the economy is bad. They've had to go back to fishing. You wouldn't know this if you haven't fished, but many valuable fish avoid bright light, so they only come out at night."

The townspeople's eyes glowed eerily green in the dark, like cats. Their faces wore strange expressions as if they were smiling, but their lips were stiff and twitching unnaturally at the corners.

They held fishing nets and hooks, some with oil lamps that emitted soft light. Their eyes never left Liam's van, tracking its movement as if ready to pounce on the vehicle with their fishing gear at any moment.

"Be careful around these guys," the driver warned. "They're desperate for money, and you've got plenty."

Because of Liam's reputation as a rich heir, the driver arranged for them to stay at the best hotel in town.

The hotel was a lavish five-star establishment, extravagant enough to look out of place in such a rundown town. There was even a fountain at the entrance.

In the fountain stood a mermaid statue made of limestone, with white cold wax for the body.

The mermaid statue was lifelike, her skin gleaming in the dim moonlight, resembling human skin. Her long hair cascaded down, covering her breasts, and her fishtail rose from the water. She looked down with a sorrowful expression, holding a water jug from which fake mother-of-pearl pearls spilled, creating the sound of waves splashing in the pool.

The driver drove around the fountain and parked at the hotel's front door.

Suddenly, Gerald screamed, pointing at the mermaid statue at the entrance. "She was looking at me! She just moved!"