Chapter 4: The Bunker and the Three Towers

With a solemn respect, the staff member immediately said,
“Truly worthy of Officer Liu’s special attention—you always put the people first.”

Wen Xishu could tell that Officer Liu held a high position within the bunker.

Suddenly, he grew curious:
“You should know who I am, right?”

The staff member remained gentle and replied,
“Although this is somewhat classified information, I do know you are the brother of the most notorious criminal in the bunker’s history.”

“But what does that matter? There are no real villains in this world; so-called villains are merely the losers of power struggles at the top.”

“Maybe your brother committed terrible crimes, but since even Officer Liu Jinsen has intervened… it wouldn’t surprise me if you become a hero someday.”

“Villains are just the products of failed infighting among those in power.”

This insight impressed Wen Xishu deeply.

Judging by his demeanor, this man was clearly a natural-born political insider.

If he were in Wen Xishu’s original world, he would definitely be a rustic from Shandong.

“What’s your name?”

“Sha Ruijing.”

“Good name. If you were in Handong Province, someone would probably build a basketball court in your honor. Keep it up; you might have better luck in officialdom than Liu Jinsen.”

“Ha ha, I wouldn’t dare say that,” Sha Ruijing laughed it off, indifferent to what Handong Province was.

After all, the second young master Wen often spoke nonsense.

Sha Ruijing quickly got down to business:
“Climbing the tower is actually quite easy; the paperwork is all done, and you can ascend anytime. You’ve never climbed the tower before, right?”

As he spoke, Sha Ruijing pulled out a peculiarly designed wristwatch.

Its band was black leather, perforated with numerous tiny holes. The dial featured a pattern resembling a DNA double helix, predominantly black.

Wen Xishu noticed a black number zero on the dial.

“This device is called a login token. It’s the tool for ascending the tower. Managed by the Bunker Reproductive Office, it’s linked to your ID code.”

“The black watch is for entering the Trick Tower, the red for the Slaughter Tower, and the white for the Desire Tower.”

Wen Xishu realized these three colors corresponded to the three dice he had in his mind.

His adaptability was strong, so he wasn’t too surprised and asked,
“Through a teleporter? I thought it might be some kind of elevator that takes you out of the bunker, then into the three massive towers.”

Sha Ruijing laughed heartily:
“Ha ha ha… you’re funny. The bunker doesn’t have an exit. We simply cannot leave.”

Wen Xishu was even more shocked:
“So the bunker’s exit is blocked off?”

“No, the bunker simply has no exit at all.”

Considering Wen’s history, Sha Ruijing thought it normal for him to ask such bizarre or naive questions.

“The bunker is completely sealed. There’s even a saying that the bunker is alive.”

“At the beginning, it had only two levels: the functional level and the residential level.”

“But as humans continued to explore the three towers, the bunker grew larger—more functional levels, more residential levels.”

Wen Xishu fell silent. This world was crazier than even his own mind.

If the bunker couldn’t be left, then Wen Chaohua’s words, “We will meet outside the bunker,” sounded rather eerie.

He pressed on,
“If you can’t leave the bunker, how did humans enter it in the first place?”

Sha Ruijing shook his head:
“Who knows? Maybe you’ll find the answer in the Three Towers game.”

“Some speculate that the essence of exploring the Three Towers is moving these towers. The bunker grows bigger and taller, until it eventually reaches the surface.”

Wen Xishu mulled over this theory—it made a certain amount of sense.

He asked again,
“Then have you never seen the sky? Are there plants and animals inside the bunker?”

Sha Ruijing smiled kindly:
“Animals and plants exist on the functional levels. The bunker even has a zoo.”

“As for the sky and ocean, those can be experienced within the Three Towers.”

Wen Xishu recalled Officer Liu mentioning that besides material rewards, exploring the towers could yield technological or facility bonuses.

So the zoo could be considered some kind of facility?

Suddenly, he wondered—could a foot bath parlor be brought back?

If it were possible to bring such a project into covered healthcare, he might even run for the position of bunker chief.

His desire to climb the tower surged—not for trivial comforts like foot baths, but to contribute to the people.

Sha Ruijing returned to the main point:
“Press the button beside the watch face, and you’ll enter the world of the Three Towers.”

Wen Xishu nodded and then asked,
“Am I not qualified to use the login tokens of other colors?”

Sha Ruijing nodded, speaking gently:
“You’re currently under supervision. You can only use the black login token to enter the Trick Tower.”

“Even for regular bunker citizens, applying to switch towers requires at least a six-month interval.”

“The total number of the three types of login tokens equals the adult population of the bunker.”

“But everyone desires to go to the Desire Tower, so requirements for entry have become higher.”

“In the past, a vocational diploma sufficed. Now even undergraduates must prove their physical fitness; those without connections get assigned to the Slaughter Tower.”

Wen Xishu understood.

Among the Three Towers, survival in the Desire Tower was the easiest.

And it was likely that the process of challenging the Desire Tower was not only painless but enjoyable.

This explained why everyone wanted to be a Desire Tower climber.

It was akin to becoming one of those people in his previous life who had easy jobs yet earned decent money.

Like a certain Qi Peijia, who played games every day instead of updating novels.

Sha Ruijing added,
“Of course, as we talked about, some people have unique talents suited for the Desire Tower…”

“For those individuals, we can relax the entry requirements to let them in.”

“To prevent people suited for the Desire Tower from dying in the Slaughter Tower—or those suited for the Slaughter Tower from indulging in the Desire Tower—”

“The bunker has established many institutions.”

“The Three Towers Academy, the Three Towers Research Bureau, the Three Towers Game Assignment Office…”

“These organizations systematically and objectively assign each person to the tower best suited to them.”

“To avoid everyone crowding into the Desire Tower.”

Wen Xishu nodded; the system was very scientific:
“But the Trick Tower is an exception?”

Sha Ruijing replied helplessly:
“To be honest, the monsters in the Trick Tower aren’t even as strong as those in the Slaughter Tower.”

“But the Trick Tower is notorious for its unpredictability. Many who enter die mysteriously.”

“Moreover, high-level veterans from the Slaughter or Desire Towers must start from zero in the Trick Tower.”

“So the leadership believes newcomers should explore the Trick Tower, rather than pulling experienced people from the other two towers.”

Wen Xishu fully agreed.

Losing novices is better than losing experts.

“Actually, just exploring the Slaughter and Desire Towers can meet the bunker’s current survival needs.”

“That’s why no one ventured into the Trick Tower for a long time.”

“But recently, the hypothesis of the Three Towers joint expansion was preliminarily confirmed, so various policies and benefits for exploring the Trick Tower have appeared.”

Sha Ruijing stood up and patted Wen Xishu on the shoulder:
“Brother, good luck! Seize this chance and come back alive!”

…

After completing the tower ascent procedures, Wen Xishu returned to his prison cell.

His identity was special; even in prison, he had a solitary cell.

Other inmates were not allowed to approach him.

Having asked all his questions, Wen Xishu wasted no time. He activated the login token.

The black wristwatch tightened instantly, as if gripped firmly by an unseen force.

Something extended from the tiny holes on the strap and pierced into his skin.

The double helix pattern on the dial began to spin, faster and faster.

Everything in Wen Xishu’s vision blurred, accompanied by a tremulous sensation.

Suddenly, he saw a vast world shattering—both in space and time, the world was sliced into countless fragments.

Fragments from various time points piled up layer upon layer, ultimately forming three colossal towers.

Some of these fragmented scenes felt strangely familiar—bearing a resemblance to his own world.

Then, information about the tower ascent appeared in Wen Xishu’s mind:

[Welcome to the Three Towers game.]
[Current maximum accessible level: Seventh floor.]
[Account not yet registered; please register with the guide after completing your first task.]

Usually, this would be followed by a task introduction and teleportation to the Three Towers area.

But Wen Xishu encountered an extra step—

[Special item detected: “Dizzying Dice.”]
[Dizzying Dice: A magical die that subverts the rules of the Three Towers. Once possessed, it exempts some restrictions and unlocks additional privileges based on the dice roll combinations.]
[Roll the dice?]