Chapter 57 Yet Another Generous Reward

A space filled with countless doors and clocks once again reflected in Wen Xishu's eyes.

Wen Xishu shook his head to clear it, his vision gradually sharpening. Through the countless clocks and doors, he once again saw the Guide.

"Oh, Wen Xishu, you visit far too frequently, and every time, you bring me surprises."

The three-headed Guide also saw Wen Xishu.

Its red head and white head hung low, eyes closed.

Although Wen Xishu had altered the destiny trajectory of Tang Rui in the Tower of Slaughter, and although Wen Xishu had completed the hidden mission of the Tower of Desire, both the red and white heads chose silence.

Since Wen Xishu had already chosen the black head, unless a major event occurred, these two heads—though visible—did not intend to communicate with him.

"We meet again, Mr. Guide." Wen Xishu waved his hand.

This time, the black head smiled even more gloomily and eerily:

"Yes, we meet again. I am very much looking forward to this meeting. Wen Xishu, you did a great job. Let's skip the small talk and start discussing your reward this time."

"Theoretically, your exploration reward cannot be higher than last time, given that was the twenty-first floor. But who could have predicted you would complete the hidden task?"

"The elevation of the Tower of Slaughter is no small feat. It didn't just alter a trajectory of fate; it changed the very layout of the tower."

"Right, before you check your panel, would you care to take a look at this letter first?"

The Guide produced a letter emitting a faint blue glow.

Wen Xishu took the letter, tore it open, and found the contents to be extremely brief.

[Once she is utterly unrecognizable, you can use this letter to find and identify her. The stationery will increase the probability of your encountering each other.]

The message consisted of just that single sentence.

After a moment of thought, Wen Xishu guessed that he had anchored Tang Rui's new trajectory.

Consequently, he had become a significant figure capable of influencing her.

Yet, one day in the future, Tang Rui might transform into a monster—unrecognizable, distorted, and terrifying—making it entirely possible that he wouldn't even realize it was her.

Perhaps this was the price of elevation.

However, with this stationery, his chances of encountering Tang Rui upon entering the Tower of Slaughter would increase, and a certain resonance would exist between the letter and her.

"This item can be considered a kind of prop, and it will occupy one of your inventory slots. You can choose to equip it when climbing the tower."

"It will raise the likelihood of you crossing paths with her. Only when the one linked to the stationery possesses an extreme yearning for a reunion with you will you have a certain chance of acquiring such a letter."

Jack had Jennifer, and Jennifer had Jack. But for Tang Rui, it seemed there was only Wen Xishu.

Within the world of the Tower of Slaughter, Tang Rui had not turned into a mindless monster driven solely by slaughter. In truth, she had retained her humanity.

Her life was no longer destined to plunge into complete loss of humanity after experiencing four despotic despairs.

Having endured three despairs, she had indeed met the person who genuinely helped her.

That person was Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu felt a stirring of emotion:

"It seems her sixth sense is quite accurate. With this thing, we might actually meet again."

"By the way, can you tell me what kind of existence she will elevate into?"

The black head of the Guide shook:

"No comment, but I can assure you, she will no longer be on the sixth floor. True elevation usually involves a rather substantial leap in floor tiers."

Wen Xishu nodded and pressed no further. His attention drifted elsewhere.

It was a rectangular block of light hidden within the letter.

Called a light block because it was literally a mass of light devoid of any weight, the moment Wen Xishu touched it, information notes immediately appeared before his eyes.

"This is quite the good item. You can think of it as your Sequence growing stronger," the Guide remarked.

Wen Xishu had already read it.

[Item Name: Rune - Synchronized Sentience.]

[Item Description: An eerie Sequence Rune used to enhance Sequences. This rune can only be embedded into a tiny minority of mental-type eerie Sequence runes. Once embedded, the rune cannot be removed.]

[Item Effect: Different Sequences paired with this rune will yield different effects. Please embed it into a Sequence to view the specific outcome.]

[Remarks: Crush the rune to embed it. When multiple Sequences are present, a selection prompt will appear.]

Wen Xishu began checking his attributes, summoning the magical mirror. The full-length mirror instantly materialized before him, displaying his panel statistics.

[Codename: Wen Xishu.]

[Tower of Slaughter Level: 1. Slaughter Value Limit: 100.]

[Tower of Eerie Level: 9. Demon Resistance: 15 points.]

[Tower of Desire Level: 9. Luck Value: 15 points.]

[Three Towers Inventory Slots: Four.]

[Sequence Slot Count: 1. Owned Sequence: Eerie Sequence 37 - Mental Barrage. This Sequence cannot be traded.]

The final line pertained to the Sequence introduction, namely the ability entries of the Sequence.

Effect 1: The thoughts in your heart will materialize at certain moments. This effect is regarded as a summoning effect.

Effect 2: When the observed target's emotional value reaches a certain threshold, their inner thoughts will appear in the form of a barrage, visible only to you.

Effect 3: When your emotions reach their absolute peak, they will also appear in the form of a barrage in the eyes of specific targets.

Effect 4: You can manipulate the materialized barrage. However, this requires you to possess sufficient Tower Power value.

These were the original attributes of Eerie Sequence 37 - Mental Barrage.

While gazing at the mirror, Wen Xishu used his hand to crush the rune's light cluster. The originally rectangular block of light shattered into countless fluorescent motes.

These fluorescent motes danced around Wen Xishu, then gathered together once more, shooting like a straight arrow of light straight into his forehead.

A fifth effect appeared on the attribute mirror.

Effect 5: When the opponent's emotions reach an extreme and mental barrage appears, you can expend a certain amount of stamina to resonate mentally with the opponent, acquiring additional memories of the same emotional attribute.

Looking at the newly appeared fifth effect in the mirror, Wen Xishu understood how the rune worked.

This was quite a heaven-defying attribute.

Simply put, if someone fell into an extreme state of anger, he could use the barrage to access memories of when that person experienced similar emotions.

Although he no longer possessed the Wine Glass of Truth, with this entry, inciting someone's emotions in the Tower of Desire in the future would make it possible to analyze them.

Tang Rui had truly sent a magnificent gift. While incomparable to a Sequence, it profoundly amplified his Sequence.

"This is essentially saying that Sequences can be enhanced and expanded," Wen Xishu observed.

The Guide nodded:

"Precisely. Don't underestimate seemingly weak Sequences; as long as the rune is chosen well, their combination cannot be taken lightly."

"The effect of most runes is to increase damage, reduce mana consumption, or shorten cooldowns. Those are called general runes."

"Some Sequences are non-unique, and it is possible to encounter people holding the exact same Sequence. But runes will make the performance of two identical Sequences vastly different."

"The rune you obtained is even more extraordinary. It is an exclusive rune carrying Sequence effects, granting your Mental Barrage the capability of a hundred intertwined feelings."

"I must inform you that the mission target you encountered this time has high affinity with you—you two are exceptionally compatible. Exclusive runes actually come with one drawback."

Wen Xishu asked:

"What drawback?"

The Guide replied:

"It's not really a drawback, more like... the possibility of awkward situations."

"The drops vary depending on the boss. The rune you dropped might prove completely unusable if given to someone else, rendering it a useless piece of garbage."

Wen Xishu understood:

"I see. In other words, exclusive runes can only match a select few Sequences."

"Exactly. The rune you obtained this time happens to match your Sequence, and even... the combined effect is rather monstrous. Your luck is phenomenal. Or rather, being able to encounter that mission target was your fortune."

The black head of the Guide broke into a mysterious smile once more:

"Yet this is not your biggest haul this time. I think we should discuss your other rewards."

Wen Xishu inquired:

"What was my completion rating?"

The black head chuckled:

"Level six. Otherwise, why do you think I'd wear such a cute and charming smile?"

With that pitch-black face and hairless, round head... any expression it made had nothing to do with being cute or charming.

Wen Xishu muttered inwardly.

Still, he wasn't as astonished as last time. A level-six completion rating brought a pleasant surprise, but it wasn't unexpected, as he knew he had altered the contents of all three towers.

The Tower of Eerie, the Tower of Slaughter, and the Tower of Desire had all undergone massive transformations—verging on transforming a parrot into a vulture.

The Three Towers Guide stated:

"However, this time, due to the low floor tier, the rewards are subject to checks and balances, meaning you cannot actively choose the level-six facility you wish to acquire."

"That is the bad news."

Wen Xishu asked:

"And the good news?"

The Guide grinned:

"The good news is that this level-six facility is extremely interesting, and it can bring you substantial revenue. It will inject a bit of joy into the otherwise tranquil bunker."

Wen Xishu shrugged:

"That hardly counts as good news. Although the level-six facility belongs to me, given my current situation, my belongings still face the risk of being forcibly requisitioned."

The Guide shook its head, accidentally bumping into the other two heads. The red head snapped its eyes open and glared fiercely at the black head.

The black head then extended a finger, shaking it slightly in denial:

"No, no, no. This time is different. No one will be willing to approach the Shipwreck Cottage, but experiencing the Shipwreck Cottage requires a fee—it is an entertainment facility. It will generate considerable revenue for its owner."

"An unimaginable amount of revenue."

Wen Xishu suddenly felt these words were rather niche. No one was willing to approach it, yet it charged a fee and would generate unimaginable revenue.

Combining these phrases left Wen Xishu somewhat baffled.

"Hehehe, just like last time, you can choose its tier and location."

Without a moment of hesitation, Wen Xishu chose the second floor. He placed it close to the level-six hospital, merely a hundred meters away within the bunker.

The Guide cackled with laughter:

"Hahahaha cacklekekeke, how fascinating! The next time you come, be sure to tell me about the joy this house brings."

Wen Xishu felt somewhat puzzled. The Guide's reaction seemed even more intense than when the level-six hospital was introduced last time.

"What is the effect of this thing? What does Shipwreck Cottage mean?"

"Precisely what it sounds like: a cottage where friendships are shipwrecked. Trust me, its business will be booming."

No one was willing to approach, yet business would be booming—Wen Xishu's interest was piqued.

This exploration reward was quite generous. Although it was the sixth floor, the hidden rewards included a rune, and the conventional rewards included level-six supplies and facilities.

It was enough to sustain the consumption of an entire bunker level for a while. Wen Xishu could foresee his reputation rising to prominence once again.

Influence meant little to the upper echelons who held genuine power.

Yet for individuals like Albert who needed to verify their qualifications, it held immense importance.

Presumably, his capabilities in exploring the Tower of Eerie had already been verified.

At the same time, Zheng Zai would likely be investigated. However, Wen Xishu had not displayed any secrets related to Wen Zhaohua in front of Zheng Zai, and Zheng Zai himself was a tough nut to crack.

Wen Xishu wasn't overly concerned about Zheng Zai; he had another question to ask:

"What is the situation with Eerie Gemini and Eerie Virgo?"

The eerie black head was startled:

"You... actually encountered Eerie Virgo!"

It stared straight at Wen Xishu. At that moment, even the red slaughter head and white desire head lifted their gazes.

Yet the three heads remained silent.

Wen Xishu asked:

"What's going on?"

The three heads answered in unison:

"You've been targeted."

"Who has targeted me?" Wen Xishu asked.

All three heads shook simultaneously, then bumped into one another.

"Hard to say."

"Hard to say."

"Hard to say."

Wen Xishu's blood pressure spiked.

"I suddenly feel a strong urge to beat you all up—the kind that triggers a mental barrage."

The remaining two heads swiftly engaged in tactical feigned sleep, leaving only the eerie black head to speak:

"Farewell, Wen Xishu. I look forward to you reaching even higher floors next time, hehehe."

The eerie black head waved its hand, issuing an eviction notice.

With that, Wen Xishu successfully completed his second exploration of the Tower of Eerie and returned to the bunker.

...

...

Three Towers Academy, campus district, student cafeteria.

"I heard a new level-six facility appeared on the second floor—an entertainment facility!"

"Oh? Does that mean us folks at the bottom get a level-six entertainment facility too?"

"Shipwreck Cottage? Is it talking about Shipwreck Cottage?! I just got the call, though I don't know its effect yet. Level-six facilities all have miraculous functions."

"Shall we go check it out after classes this afternoon?"

"By the way, who brought back the level-six facility?"

"Wen Xishu! It's Wen Xishu again!"

"Damn it, him again? How long has it been? He brought back another one?"

"Unbelievable, simply unbelievable. Has the bunker really produced a genius like this? Was it the Tower of Eerie again?"

Almost the entire cafeteria buzzed with a single topic: Wen Xishu had brought back yet another level-six facility.

Yue Yun, Nissen, and Wen Xishu were all in the cafeteria.

Yes, Wen Xishu had already returned—he came back yesterday.

This time, he didn't undergo any interrogation.

Upon returning to the bunker from the Three Towers, Wen Xishu merely met with Albert. Neither the Bureau of Security nor the Bureau of Government Affairs came to disturb him.

This made Wen Xishu feel quite pleased. It could be said that his situation after this second exploration of the Three Towers was better than the first.

At this moment, countless teachers and students across the cafeteria were discussing Wen Xishu, which made him feel inexplicably awkward.

Yue Yun clenched his fists secretly:

"We've only just finished our first class... and yet he has already climbed a tower once. Faced with such a genius, how on earth am I supposed to catch up?"

Nissen also bobbed his head rhythmically:

"Yo~yo~, little Yun, don't be jealous. That's the genius Wen Xishu! His hospital has saved countless lives, and now he's brought back Shipwreck Cottage. Trying to surpass him is a dead end~"

His improvised beatboxing caused a spray of saliva to land in Yue Yun's food. Surprisingly, Yue Yun didn't find it all that repulsive.

The King of Pretension was gradually accepting his dark-skinned friend.

Yue Yun seemed to recall something suddenly:

"Wen Xun, what was going on when you suddenly left? Can you talk about your special course? The moment you returned... Wen Xishu brought back a level-six facility again? Are the two of you connected?"