Chapter 20: The Legend of the Bunker

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Wen Xishu was currently being interrogated. This was more or less what he had expected. He was well aware that he had accomplished a great feat. If it weren’t for his identity as a member of the Wen family, he would undoubtedly be highly sought after by now. The Bunker Security Bureau, the Bunker Administration Bureau, and various other departments within the bunker might all be eager to recruit him. However, the atrocities committed by the Wen family seemed outrageous. Although Wen Xishu did not know exactly what Wen Chaohua and the other family members had done, he was not surprised that the moment he returned to the bunker, he was immediately detained.

At this moment, he lay on a cold, medical folding bed, surrounded by numerous armed guards. Someone dressed in medical protective gear was setting up devices—a polygraph machine. Nearby lay an array of injections, clearly including truth serum. Wen Xishu was not anxious; mainly because being anxious was useless. Instead, he shifted his perspective: what he was about to experience was something entirely new. Deep down, however, he was waiting for the outcome of the power struggle among the high-ranking figures.

“The upper echelons want to completely annihilate the Wen family, yet there is something about Wen Chaohua that intrigues them.”
“My survival until now is due to this divided stance: part of them wants to eliminate Wen Chaohua, while the other part wants to uncover some hidden secret.”
“This division has sparked their game of chess.”
“The current situation isn’t the worst. The worst would have been if I died inside the Phantom Tower or barely returned without reaching above level four completion.”

Now, Wen Xishu had overachieved—an uninitiated newcomer who reached such an impossible feat in the tower. Logically, all insiders would associate this with Wen Chaohua, which only deepened the connection between Wen Xishu and Wen Chaohua. Those eager to extract Wen Chaohua’s secrets would want Wen Xishu alive, but interrogation was inevitable. Wen Xishu did not know if he could withstand it; at the same time, he sensed that additional unknown variables would emerge in this power struggle.

…
…

The Bunker Security Bureau had six branches. The second and sixth branches specialized in external affairs, primarily responsible for exploring the Three Towers. The other branches functioned more as bunker guards. Even before Wen Xishu’s return, the enormous amount of supplies he brought had already attracted attention. Upon receiving the news, Liu Jinsen was stunned. He had, in fact, assumed hours earlier that Wen Xishu would perish within the Phantom Tower.

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In truth, Liu Jinsen harbored no prejudice against Wen Xishu. As a senior official in the second branch, he knew that several members of the Wen family were innocent, including Wen Xishu, who was congenitally intellectually disabled. The Wen brothers were like night and day—while Wen Chaohua was astonishing, Wen Xishu was regrettable. Although Wen Xishu seemed to have changed recently, Liu Jinsen believed it wouldn’t alter much. However, when the supplies were confirmed to belong to Wen Xishu, a storm raged within Liu Jinsen.

“Level-six supplies? Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”
“Sir Liu, I wouldn’t dare joke about this.”
“Moreover… there’s even bigger news. I think you’d better prepare. The first branch has already taken Wen Xishu away. And also…”
“Speak quickly! Don’t be evasive in your report!”
“Yes! On the second floor of the functional level, a hospital has appeared, suspected to be a level-six facility.”

This series of explosive revelations completely shattered Liu Jinsen’s expectations of Wen Xishu. He felt he understood every word, but together they formed a reality he struggled to grasp. It meant Wen Xishu had obtained level-six supplies and brought back a level-six facility. A newcomer, a so-called madman from the Wen family, had reached level-six completion after his first Phantom Tower ascent? Was he living in some parallel world? Or maybe it wasn’t him who entered the tower, but Liu Jinsen himself? The shock made him doubt the truth.

If Wen Xishu had achieved level three or four completion, Liu Jinsen wouldn’t be so shocked. But level six was simply too extraordinary. Yet, this shock did not last long. He accepted the truth and suddenly realized that Wen Xishu was in danger. Liu Jinsen held no particularly negative or positive feelings toward Wen Xishu. But if Wen Xishu could truly save the common people, that would be an extraordinary merit. His political instincts told him that before Wen Xishu could receive any honors or rewards, he would likely face brutal interrogation.

Without hesitation, Liu Jinsen placed a call. The call was to the director of the Bunker Security Bureau, but it was the director’s assistant who answered.
“Jinsen? The director expected your call. Ha, you really haven’t changed,” the young voice on the other end said.

Liu Jinsen replied:
“Wen Xishu has done a great service. I’m not sure what the level-six hospital can achieve, but it will definitely alleviate the pandemic. Even if the hospital itself is a long-term boon for the common folk.”

The young voice responded:
“Actually, even if you hadn’t called, the director would have had me reach out to you. Listen carefully, Jinsen, this matter is very complicated.”
“It involves the Wen family case, and also some matters concerning the Three Towers.”

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“The factions within the Administration Bureau and the first branch of the Bunker Security Bureau insist on extracting every memory from Wen Xishu’s mind.”

Liu Jinsen said:
“Have they never considered the possibility that Wen Xishu did it on his own? That he didn’t rely on Wen Chaohua’s abilities?”

This gave the young man on the other end a moment’s pause. Liu Jinsen was not blindly convinced that Wen Xishu was a genius. He understood that surviving the Phantom Tower as a newcomer was already nearly impossible, let alone achieving level-six completion. Even among the elites on the Ladder Ranking, few reached level six, and level-six facilities were almost exclusively found on the highest functional floors.

Yes, what Wen Xishu achieved was incredible, naturally leading people to suspect whether Wen Chaohua had secretly assisted him. But Liu Jinsen remembered one thing—he had spoken with Wen Xishu before he left the bunker.

“If, I mean if, I refuse to provide clues about Wen Chaohua, would I die even if I successfully explored the Phantom Tower?”

From this, Liu Jinsen realized that the boy had no clues about Wen Chaohua. He just wanted to take a chance inside the tower. Because of this, Liu Jinsen spoke openly and honestly. In his eyes, Wen Xishu very likely was a natural talent for exploring the Phantom Tower.

“Jinsen, don’t be impatient. The director has said many times that a piece in a multi-sided game is the hardest to be taken out.”
“But now, both the first branch and the Administration Bureau insist on digging out everything from Wen Xishu’s mind. We need some outside influence.”

Liu Jinsen quickly asked:
“What kind of outside influence?”

The voice quietly replied:
“You know, the first branch holds the greatest power, but even they have figures they can’t control. You need to contact someone.”

“Who?”

“The principal of the Three Towers Academy, Albert Napolitano. Tell that old man that a child with talent rivaling Wen Renjing, Xun Hui, and Wen Chaohua is currently under interrogation.”

Liu Jinsen was stunned. He had heard the name—it was a legendary one. Although the level-seven building Three Towers Academy wasn’t built by one man alone, Albert Napolitano was undeniably the core figure. He had dedicated his life to climbing to the summit of the Three Towers and leading humanity out of the bunker. All senior bunker officials held him in deep respect. He had also saved countless lives during several major Devourings.

“Would such a person be willing to help Wen Xishu?”

“Uncertain. That’s why public opinion must also be managed. In any case, the director wants to protect Wen Xishu—not exactly to help him, but politically, if we can’t have him, then at least prevent our rivals from getting him.”

“So, Jinsen, your work must continue.”