Chapter 5: The Wild Dice

Bunker Security Bureau, Second Division.

Through the surveillance feed, Jin Sen Liu knew that Xi Shu Wen had already entered the Three Towers world.

At present, Wen Xi Shu was under his direct responsibility; other matters were almost entirely off his plate.

He did not want it to be this way—if possible, he wished to do more for the people at the bottom.

But given orders from above, he had no choice but to obey.

Only after confirming Wen Xi Shu’s ascent into the tower did he make a call.

“Sir Liu, why are you calling? Do you have the medicine now?”

The voice on the other end was anxious, but Jin Sen Liu’s response was a cold splash:

“Sorry, no one has brought back any medication yet.”

His call was to the Bunker Health Bureau.

Currently, a plague was raging in the lower living quarters; many had been infected.

The medicine supply for the bottom layers was severely insufficient.

The disease continued to spread relentlessly, and complete isolation was nearly impossible due to the dense population.

Especially troublesome were the white and black residents of the bunker’s lower levels, who prized their freedom, consistently refusing quarantine and skillfully invoking human rights to resist.

This only worsened the outbreak.

“How’s the situation now?”

“Terrible. Our medicine stocks are critically low, the population density too high, and the disease is spreading too fast. I heard even the upper levels... some people are infected?”

Jin Sen Liu did not respond to that.

The Health Bureau staff continued, “Honestly, we are close to giving up; after all, this isn’t the first plague.”

“But before, it was mostly the elderly who suffered. This time, it’s the young people, too.”

“If we don’t save these young people quickly, the number of expeditions into the Three Towers will drop... triggering the Great Devourer with unimaginable consequences.”

Jin Sen Liu just muttered an acknowledgment.

Yes, the bunker had seen previous outbreaks, but those only claimed the elderly.

The bunker’s upper echelons didn’t care.

Much like officials of an island nation before the bunker era who thought the epidemic would solve aging population problems...

They believed that if the elderly died, so be it—no need to intervene unless the seniors wished to work overtime until seventy, seventy-five, or eighty.

But this time was different.

Many young people in the bunker were affected.

If sufficient medicine couldn’t be brought back swiftly to quell the epidemic, the reduction in young population would diminish the core force for exploring the Three Towers.

Insufficient expeditions would trigger the Great Devourer... a massive disaster for humanity.

“Sir Liu, if only I had the ability, I would go to the Killing Tower and fight.”

“Right now, whoever brings back medicine is a hero!” the Health Bureau staff lamented over the phone.

Jin Sen Liu responded calmly, “Understood. Thanks for your hard work.”

He hung up.

At this moment, he longed to head to the Killing Tower himself, to fight fiercely and bring back even a small amount of medicine.

But he could do nothing.

His superiors demanded his full focus on one person.

Wen Xi Shu.

As a pragmatist, Jin Sen Liu would not pin hopes on vague possibilities.

For example, hoping Wen Xi Shu could bring anything back from the Strange Tower.

In fact, he did not even believe Wen Xi Shu would return alive.

...

Wen Xi Shu was naturally still alive, but how much longer he could survive, even he was uncertain.

When prompted with the choice to “Throw the Dice,” he chose without hesitation.

Confronting the unknown, he was as bold as investors facing a bull market.

After all, with the current risks, passing the Strange Tower without using some unknown means was highly unlikely.

Better to take a gamble.

Wen Xi Shu gambled—and the result was a tragic one.

The dice rolled three ones.

Red, white, and black dice—each showed a one.

[Please select one of the following effects.]

[1: Triple Height. (Tower level x3, triggered when all three dice show the same number.)]

[2: Triple Aspect Power. (Allows simultaneous use of abilities and rules from three tower types, triggered when all three dice show the same number.)]

[3: Minimalism. (Level too low for description. Triggered when dice total less than five.)]

Since he currently had no school and his level was too low, “Triple Aspect Power” and “Minimalism” could not be triggered. This time, the tower level was multiplied by three.

Thus, the novice with zero magic resistance and level one was inexplicably transported to the 21st floor of the Strange Tower.

This was a level inaccessible to novices and many veterans for a long time.

It was the 21st floor, not the third, because the level assigned when entering the Three Towers fluctuated randomly within a range.

Newcomers usually ranged between floors one and seven; a rare few with extraordinarily bad luck might get the sixth or seventh.

Wen Xi Shu was originally bound for the seventh floor; now he was abruptly on the 21st.

Without doubt, given that monster strength increased with higher floors—

Though he did not know the exact region he was heading to, it was certainly one where monsters could kill him instantly.

“Brother Morning Flower really is my real brother; he’s a master at screwing me over.”

Internally grumbling, Wen Xi Shu was not too upset.

To him, the dice’s abilities were bug-level.

He vaguely sensed just how absurdly powerful it would be to use three tower types’ abilities and rules simultaneously.

If the Desire Tower’s sequence were in the Killing Tower, wouldn’t that be like a walking succubus?

If the Killing Tower’s sequence were in the Desire Tower, wouldn’t that be like an immortal cultivation master dimensionally reducing an ordinary world?

Of course, Wen Xi Shu didn’t know the precise mechanics, and as a novice, he was not prepared for certain prerequisites.

The surrounding scene shifted continuously; countless white lines crisscrossed, forming the area he was about to enter.

New information appeared in his mind.

[Mission Description: Welcome to the Strange Tower. You have received a distress call from Jennifer, a tower inhabitant on the 21st floor.

On this floor, there is a peculiar old building from which sinister laughter occasionally echoes.

You have infiltrated this old building and successfully contacted Jennifer. However, this building, now contaminated, seems different from when you arrived.

The exit from here has become strange and complex.

Escorting Jennifer out of this building will earn higher praise, or your ability may only suffice to escape alone.

Of course, more extreme actions are also anticipated.]

The message quickly vanished from his mind, and Wen Xi Shu began his first Three Towers game.

...

Strange Tower, 21st Floor.

Location: Moen City slums, Jennifer’s residence.

Wen Xi Shu was somewhat surprised that his starting point was, in fact, “Old Wang's comfort zone”—under the bed.

He crouched beneath the bed, one hand supporting his body, the other clamping over a little girl’s mouth.

The girl’s face bore freckles considered cute by Western standards, her hair tied in a ponytail, her big eyes blinking—she should have looked lovely.

Yet the fear in her eyes made her visage somewhat chilling.

Their situation was grim.

“Jennifer—where are you? Say something!”

“My dear Jenn—i—fer! I will find you; I can almost hear your heartbeat, heh heh.”

A man’s voice came from nearby, tinged with a disturbing excitement.

Wen Xi Shu quickly grasped the situation.

The Three Towers was not a single tower; it encompassed an entire world.

A certain level’s region might be just a corner of that vast world.

His mission was a rescue.

The girl hiding under the bed with him was presumably Jennifer.

And the man calling for Jennifer was likely a dangerous individual.

The reason Jennifer needed to escape this building.

Wen Xi Shu was about to speak, to ask Jennifer for details.

But just as he was about to open his mouth, a wave of crisis surged over him.

In his past life, Wen Xi Shu’s name appeared frequently on death records.

His video comment sections were full of remarks like “Waiting for the feast.”

This gave him an extraordinary sense for impending death.

He noticed Jennifer holding a phone, which was on silent mode.

His own hand covered her mouth.

A chilling sense of death instantly enveloped him, yet he forced himself to remain still.

Even his breathing was light.

“Jennifer! Where are you! Please let me hear your voice!” the man’s voice rang out again.

Wen Xi Shu hadn’t expected such malevolence in this game—an instant kill at the start. No wonder no one wanted to enter the Strange Tower.

Jennifer’s silent phone, her covered mouth, and the man’s words all implied that if she spoke, the man would hear.

Clearly, his hearing was not limited to Jennifer alone.

If the tower climber here habitually spoke to ask questions—

Most likely, the man would immediately appear and find Jennifer.

The game would end instantly.

Of course, there was a possibility of using force to defeat the monster and forcibly clear the level.

But Wen Xi Shu’s magic resistance was zero.

And this was the 21st floor of the Strange Tower, which demanded a high magic resistance.

With such low resistance, numerous negative effects occurred—

He couldn’t properly perceive items, couldn’t harm enemies, enemies’ attacks would instantly kill him, and sometimes his vision of the world became indescribable...

In short, Wen Xi Shu had no realistic chance of forcefully clearing this level, at least not at this stage.

The man’s voice grew louder—not because he shouted harder, but because he was getting closer.

Hiding under the bed meant certain death.

But if he recklessly left the bed, any noise would immediately draw the man’s attention.

This was almost a no-win situation.