Chapter 58: True Charm and False Charm

Wen Xishu was somewhat surprised; Yue Yun's associative ability was indeed stronger than Zheng Zai's. This ability was not about reasoning, but rather about combining two seemingly unrelated things using intuition and imagination.

Wen Xishu said, "Just a coincidence. You wouldn't happen to think that I, Wen, am *that* Wen, would you? As for the special course... well, I can't tell you. But what about you two? How was your first class?"

Wen Xishu felt he didn't even need to make up excuses for questions that shouldn't be answered. Yue Yun didn't dwell on it much either and said, "The first class was just for getting familiar. They talked about the rules, the school's history, some basic knowledge about the Slaughter Tower, and then physical tests."

Wen Xishu asked, "Well, with your two monstrous physical stats, getting first place in the physical tests should be a piece of cake, right?"

Yue Yun's face frosted over, and he said deeply, "A guy named Miyamoto Yoshiki got first place. I was third, and Nison was second."

Nison added, "Anyone with 'shu' in their name seems pretty badass, but at first glance, he's just a total show-off."

*Miyamoto Yoshiki?* Wen Xishu committed the name to memory. Being physically more monstrous than both Nison and Yue Yun came as quite a surprise to him.

Nison continued, "This guy has terrible character. Even though his ability is powerful, he acts way too arrogant. Xiaoyun and I are going to beat him to the ground sooner or later!"

Yue Yun simply stated, "He's from the Miyamoto family, rumored to be one of the six major families beneath the Elder Council. Just like the Xun family, even though they could easily go to the Desire Tower, they value battlefield merits, so their family descendants are brought to the Slaughter Tower for cultivation. He is indeed very strong, physically superior to both Nison and me. It's likely because... he has a Sequence. I'm not making excuses for being inferior to him, but that speed is not something a human should have. And he is very arrogant."

At this point, Yue Yun clenched his fists. "This place uses a credit system, and he said he wants to earn twice the credits of the second-place runner."

This remark struck a nerve with Yue Yun, who wanted to be number one, because it implicitly assumed that everyone else was only fit to fight for second place. Consequently, Yue Yun was extremely resentful, yet utterly powerless. He rarely spoke this much.

Judging by Wen Xishu's understanding of pretenders, this guy probably pointed at the bridge of his nose with his index finger every single time, saying deep lines like "I must work harder" or "I will surpass them." This time, it seemed Miyamoto Yoshiki had truly dealt a heavy blow to Yue Yun. Geniuses from the lowest strata who arrived at an academy full of geniuses inevitably had to go through this phase.

Wen Xishu didn't care at all. If Albert was telling the truth—that exploring weird towers yielded double credits—then he was actually far ahead and leaving everyone in the dust. He only hoped it wouldn't deal too heavy a blow to his two roommates, especially the king of pretenders, Yue Yun.

He wasn't interested in Miyamoto Yoshiki's strength, but he was very interested in the six major families. Not long ago, in his conversation with Albert, it was mentioned that someone from one of the six major families would contact him later on.

...

Time rolled back to a day ago.

Shortly after successfully returning to the bunker, Wen Xishu ran into Jabal, Albert's assistant. It was as if the other party knew precisely when Wen Xishu would return from the three towers, coming to deliver a message not long after his arrival.

The five-foot-tall assistant led Wen Xishu to a garden in the Desire Tower academy district, where he met Albert.

Albert was playing chess, playing all by himself.

Wen Xishu happened to want a chat with Albert as well. He hoped Albert would keep an eye on Zheng Zai to prevent the boy from facing too much harassment. At the same time, he needed to cash in a favor—a favor owed by the Wenren family among the six major families.

He briefly recounted his experience, placing special emphasis on what he had acquired.

"You're saying you brought back a facility called the 'Capsize Cabin'? Hahahaha, an interesting name. Just hearing the name sounds fascinating; I must go experience how a cabin capsizes." After listening to Wen Xishu's account, Albert let out his signature hearty laugh.

"As for that kid named Zheng Zai you mentioned, I won't pay attention to him. Although he can clear a weird tower alone and obtain a fourth-tier reward, he still isn't worthy of my notice. However, someone will protect him."

Albert still gave Wen Xishu plenty of face. He had a hunch Wen Xishu would return, but he hadn't expected him to return and once again bring back sixth-tier supplies and facilities. What amused Albert the most was that Wen Xishu had installed the entertainment facility right next to the sixth-tier hospital facility.

This kid had a competitive streak in him. Although he couldn't do anything to the bunker's upper management, he certainly wasn't completely submissive, constantly thinking of ways to disgust the higher-ups. One had to know that the bunker's leadership had never considered allocating entertainment facilities above the third tier to a level as low as the bunker's second layer.

Wen Xishu said, "I don't know what that Capsize Cabin actually is. The guide told me I'd come into a considerable fortune, but I have no idea how to cash it in."

Albert said, "Take some time to check out the Capsize Cabin, and you'll find out. I imagine that place holds the answers. Besides, Liu Jinshi and Sha Ruiqing have already started a second round of heavy promotion for you. Facilities aside, since their effects are unknown, sixth-tier supplies can grant a whole layer of people a new lease on life. The name 'Wen Xishu' will carry more and more weight, at least in the lower layers. If you get a chance to wander around the lower layers, you'll know what kind of figure you are in those people's minds. That PR team Sha Ruiqing hired—well, let's just say a small workshop uses fierce methods, completely aiming to manufacture a god. After the midterm exam, if you truly reclaim your name, your prestige will be terrifying. By then, the challenges and expectations you face will be entirely different."

Wen Xishu shook his head. "I won't let fame place me on a high pedestal. You don't need to beat around the bush to advise me. Fame is just a tool for me to survive, not the purpose of my survival."

Albert grew even more fond of this young man. "I've already had Jabal record your credits; you can choose to accelerate your exploration speed. Kid, it's actually still very hard for you to change your situation. Originally, I didn't hold such expectations for you, but you've already exceeded my expectations twice."

Albert's smile deepened. "Quantitative changes lead to qualitative leaps. If sixth-tier facilities keep appearing on the second layer of the bunker, and all of them come from the exact same person... Hehe, Hahahaha... I can't wait."

A sudden doubt arose in Wen Xishu, and he asked, "Am I the only one who can do this? There are plenty of hidden big shots in the bunker; why does everyone choose to... arrange those facilities on the upper layers? It actually defies logic. The second layer of the bunker shouldn't be so... barren."

Wen Xishu had thought about something. According to Sha Ruiqing, the bunker initially only had two layers, meaning the only functional layer was the second one. And legendary figures like Albert were also among the very first batch to explore the three towers. The sixth-tier facilities they brought back should logically have plenty stored on the second layer. Theoretically, the second layer should be densely packed with various facilities. If the bunker only had two or three layers in its early days, how could it end up with a situation where all high-tier facilities were concentrated on the highest layer later on?

Albert said, "Because of the Great Devouring. We'll skip this topic for now; you just need to know... the Great Devouring changed the layout of the bunker. For the rest, you can look it up in the library. Well, the reason I came here today is actually to tell you these things: Liu Jinshi and Sha Ruiqing are working hard to maintain your image. There are also people in the Security Bureau whom you can trust for the time being. Recently, you might be questioned by people from the Security Bureau and the Administration Bureau. But don't worry, you're my student now; they only dare to question you. They wouldn't dare interrogate you."

Wen Xishu knew this old timer was definitely about to issue a dismissal and kick him out. However, he didn't intend to end the conversation just yet; he still owed a major favor. Before coming to see Albert, Wen Xishu had already planned it out.

"Can you arrange for me to meet Wenren Jing?"

Albert was quite surprised. "Why do you want to see him? He's even busier than I am, and he doesn't mess with weird towers."

Wen Xishu shook his head. "You wouldn't know this, but I did him a huge favor. Explaining it is too much work, and you don't mess with the Desire Tower either. Telling you would be pointless."

*Tsk.* Albert rather liked having a student who dared to talk back to him with such audacity.

"Fine. Since you put it like that, I'll arrange it. The place will still be here, and I'll have Jabal notify you of the time. Jabal will lead you over then."

Albert stood up and said seriously, "If you can enter the Desire Tower through your own means, Wenren Jing will indeed be of great help to you. But I hope you truly did him a big favor, rather than seizing the opportunity to pry into things you shouldn't ask about. Kid, if you don't know certain secrets, but outsiders think you do... then you must understand, you'd better never let them know that you don't know."

Wen Xishu instantly understood this very convoluted sentence. He had thought his conversation with Albert was coming to an end as a final warning, but then Albert asked a rather absurd question:

"By the way, I almost forgot. You can see Wenren Jing, but your orientation is normal, right? According to LGBTQ terminology, you're a cisgender heterosexual male, correct?"

Wen Xishu was stunned. What kind of outrageous question was that?

Seeing Wen Xishu look at him with an expression reserved for an idiot, Albert burst out laughing. "Hahahaha, sorry, sorry. I figured you probably were, but the social climate of the bunker has been warped by those idiots in the upper echelons. There are way too many genders. Anyway, you're a pure male who likes women, and only likes women, then there's no problem. Why ask... you'll find out when you meet Wenren Jing."

...

In the cafeteria.

Wen Xishu, Yue Yun, and Nison were still discussing the Miyamoto family of the six major families.

For the longest time, the Miyamoto family had been the second-greatest Slaughter Tower family. The premier Slaughter Tower family was still the Xun family, and the number one individual on the Slaughter Tower ladder remained Xun Hui. However, it was rumored that Miyamoto Yoshiki was a super genius capable of surpassing Xun Hui. Although he had just entered the Slaughter Tower academy this year, his future tower-climbing progress would definitely make everyone's jaws drop.

Nison and Yue Yun talked back and forth. Nison had a carefree attitude—as long as he was happy, it was fine. Yue Yun, on the other hand, acted as though every genius was his enemy, fond of constantly pushing himself to the limit.

Wen Xishu found it quite interesting and intended to invite the two of them to visit the Capsize Cabin together. As the owner of the cabin, he at least needed to know what it actually did.

"Should the three of us take advantage of tomorrow afternoon's break to check out that Capsize Cabin on the second layer?" Wen Xishu suggested on a whim.

"No problem!" Nison immediately became interested.

Yue Yun said coldly, "I heard it's a test of friendship. What, are you interested in something that's of no help to getting stronger?"

Wen Xishu said, "Let's try it. Don't push yourself so hard all the time. If Nison and I both go and you don't, wouldn't you feel like our friendship is already starting to capsize? Don't you treat us as friends?"

Yue Yun fell silent for a moment. "Alright, let's go take a look."

Wen Xishu thought the king of pretenders was quite cute. Although he liked acting cool, the moment someone mentioned not treating them as friends, he would immediately change his attitude. Such a person was actually very reliable.

It was right at this moment that Jabal appeared in the cafeteria. He walked straight toward where Wen Xishu was sitting, drawing the gazes of many onlookers.

Three stinking men from the Slaughter Tower academy eating together wouldn't cause Desire Tower students to bat an eye. But Jabal's arrival quickly made the trio the focal point of the crowd.

Even though Jabal spoke in a very soft voice, Nison heard him clearly. Nison stood straight up, shouting, "Whoa! Bro! That's so cool! So cool! Wenren Jing! My mom, my sister, my grandma, my little sister, my aunt, and my brother all adore him to death! Oh, though half of them died in the plague not long ago, they'll still love Wenren Jing even in heaven! Wenren Jing is actually inviting you to play chess proactively! Wen Xun, can you help me get his autograph?!"

Nison was so overly excited that everyone in the entire cafeteria heard what was going on.

With that, the young men and women of the Desire Tower academy could no longer sit still. Wenren Jing—the heartthrob beloved by everyone in the entire bunker—was actually inviting a fresh recruit from the Slaughter Tower to play chess?

Everyone was speculating which family this Slaughter Tower freshman belonged to. Many handsome or stunning students from the Desire Tower academy couldn't help but wonder: *Why him?*

Wen Xishu remained quite calm. After bidding farewell to Yue Yun and Nison and agreeing on a time to visit the Capsize Cabin together, he quietly followed Jabal away.

A sense of frustration flickered in Yue Yun's eyes. "How does Wen Xun have connections with such a big shot? Just who on earth is he?"

...

Jabal's pace was consistently moderate and steady, like a machine. Wen Xishu drew many glances all the way until he entered that garden, only to find that all the surrounding people had suddenly vanished. The spot where he and Albert had played chess and conversed yesterday seemed like a forbidden zone within the academy.

He didn't really care what kind of person Wenren Jing was, nor how much charm this heartthrob possessed. To Wen Xishu, fake succubi relied on mere appearance. True succubi were like the people of the old Liu family, driving a bunch of fierce men to dedicate themselves to the point of death.

Wen Xishu's ambition was also to become a succubus—a weird tower succubus dedicated to having the Slaughter Tower filled with his devoted "godfathers." Therefore, Wen Xishu was already pondering how to extract the maximum amount of information and the highest reward from the Desire Tower's top climber through this cross-class conversation.

He soon arrived at the spot where he had conversed with Albert yesterday.

Wenren Jing was already waiting there.

Although he had mentally prepared himself beforehand and guessed from everyone's reactions that Wenren Jing's appearance would be deeply captivating to women—and even men—the moment Wen Xishu cast his first glance, he was still jolted by a fierce wave of astonishment.