The Breaker

Wen Renjing, ranked first on the Tower of Desire Heavenly Ladder, had once concluded that every floor and every region of the Desire Tower had its own story.

Although the Three Towers people possessed intelligence no different from humans—indeed, they had originally been human—they were also like NPCs, manipulated by their predetermined fates.

Like Jack, Remian, and Anderson.

Even though Wen Xishu's appearance had delayed Jack's progress, Remian and Anderson would still bring Jack despair and pain at the appropriate time.

That was the trajectory of their Desire Tower fate.

Understanding a region's story was equivalent to grasping each person's Desire Tower trajectory, which helped achieve a high Completion Level.

And when different players entered the same region and accepted the same quest—

Everyone would return to a certain point in time and repeat fate all over again.

Put simply—instance reset.

But not long ago, Wen Renjing had published another paper that shook the entire Bunker.

The paper mentioned an existence called a "Breaker."

Unlike ordinary Three Towers people, Breakers might retain certain memories whenever a quest restarted...

They might remember fragments from the last "instance reset."

Over time, Breakers would realize that they only lived inside a game world, that this world was trapped in a cycle.

All effort lost its meaning. They might as well enjoy themselves in time, indulge freely, and destroy without restraint.

The collapse of propriety and music was precisely what described Breakers.

The world would reset anyway. It was only a game anyway. Having fun was what mattered most.

Parents and friends were nothing but data. Teasing them, deceiving them, or killing them—none of it was a problem.

Simply put, Breakers were like those novel protagonists trapped in the same day over and over—

Their behavior was unpredictable, they were exceptionally familiar with the regions they lived in, and they were utterly insane.

They would try to oppose players, deceive players, and toy with players.

And the higher the floor, the greater the chance that Breakers would appear.

This could lead to many variations when different players entered the same region and accepted the same quest...

Thus, strategies for the upper floors of the Desire Tower had a certain shelf life, because the original storyline could very well be mangled beyond recognition by Breakers.

Naturally, the odds of quest failure would be high.

Wen Renjing's paper also mentioned that Breakers were likewise bound by the rules of the Desire Tower.

Perhaps that was the price they paid for becoming Breakers.

If Wen Xishu had read that paper and known that the Desire Tower prohibited all acts of violence—

Then he would have understood why this "doctor" wore such a dazed, confused expression.

Because the other man was a Breaker and, like a player, was bound by the Desire Tower's rules.

So when he wanted to kill an old woman, he could not simply strangle her. He had to use the wheelchair's momentum to push her down.

In the original storyline, Jack had not actually been diagnosed with stomach cancer.

He did not even have the money to go to the hospital for an examination, so naturally, he could not have known what was wrong with him.

In the original storyline, Jack had indeed suffered Remian's betrayal and Anderson's deception. But his mother had not died.

Jack had retained a trace of humanity. In the end, he had let Jennifer live.

But with this doctor manipulating things behind the scenes, Jack's fate had changed.

His mother's death was what truly crushed Jack's sanity.

And so, in that building, Jennifer had heard Jack say—

"You have a mother. Are you showing off to me?"

In the end, Jennifer had turned back and chosen her mother, only to be killed by Jack.

However, Wen Xishu's actions had changed Jennifer's fate, preventing her from turning back. As a result, Jack had not killed Jennifer out of jealousy.

Back to the matter at hand, Wen Xishu knew none of this, but he had found the Breaker.

"That shouldn't have happened. Where exactly did things go wrong? It was clearly the same as last time, so why did you suddenly appear at the hospital?"

The doctor was greatly surprised by Wen Xishu's arrival.

Wen Xishu said,

"Talk. Who exactly are you?"

The doctor shook his head lightly.

"A question like that is meaningless. I admit that your appearance caught me off guard. I must have made a mistake somewhere."

"But it doesn't matter. Since you can use violence, that proves you're only an ordinary person too. After the reset, I'll keep an eye on you."

Wen Xishu did not understand, so he decided to try another way of communicating.

"Let me tell you a secret. I actually enjoy playing the role of a kind person with a gentle face and stable emotions."

The doctor did not know why the other man had suddenly said that.

Wen Xishu's smile became increasingly amicable.

"Because only then, when I go crazy, does it feel especially good. It feels as good as if the whole world has slipped out of place."

Before his words had even ended, a heavy punch with no regard for fair play smashed into the doctor's face, warping his handsome features.

The sound of a fist breaking his nasal bone rang out, but Wen Xishu did not stop.

He had noticed that this fake doctor seemed very afraid of violence.

That punch was only the beginning. A storm of blows followed, and within moments, the doctor's face had become a bloody mess.

With his face swollen like a pig's head, the man looked much more obedient.

Seeing the other man bruised and battered put Wen Xishu in a much better mood. The better his mood, the harder he hit.

His smile began to shift from gentle to savage, and a bestial air gradually emerged. This was the complete opposite of how he had acted toward Jennifer.

The doctor had never been so frightened before.

In his view, since this person could use violence, he had to be an ordinary person, not an "awakened one" like himself.

But as he watched the growing malice in the other man's smile, a question arose in his heart. Was this man really going to kill him?

As an ordinary person, shouldn't he fear the Moen City police? Shouldn't he consider the consequences of assaulting someone?

For the first time, the lawbreaking, order-destroying Breaker wanted to call the Moen City police, the guardians of order.

Wen Xishu truly intended to beat the other man to death.

His logic was simple. The purpose of beating someone was either to "obtain intelligence" or "eliminate a threat."

One of those had to apply, right? Since obtaining intelligence was not working, he would beat him half to death and eliminate the threat.

And for some inexplicable reason, Wen Xishu felt very happy. Using violence in the Desire Tower made him exceptionally happy.

It was like sleeping in class. A bed was obviously more comfortable than a desk, but the forbidden thrill of sleeping during class was truly satisfying.

Wen Xishu did not actually need to worry about really beating the man to death.

When he had first used violence to drag the doctor, he had seen a health bar.

As well as his own pitiful damage value.

Although the health bar was still in good condition, under such a beating, the doctor began to beg for mercy.

Breakers on the upper floors of the Desire Tower might possess supernatural potential like Jack and the others.

But the doctor had no such potential. Faced with a thug like Wen Xishu, who struck without warning, he had no choice but to beg for mercy and confess the truth.

At first, Wen Xishu had only thought that the man was probably part of some organization.

This world was about to become filled with strange phenomena, and some people seemed to possess certain potential. For instance, Jack could become Deception Jack.

Where there were people like that, there would naturally be people trying to control them.

The bad news was that Wen Xishu had guessed wrong. The man was not nearly that impressive.

The good news was that this doctor's existence was far more interesting.

From the doctor's account, Wen Xishu realized that the doctor was indeed one of the Three Towers people, but his behavioral logic and traits were increasingly like those of a "player."

It was truly incredible. An NPC in the Desire Tower had actually realized he was experiencing some sort of cycle.

Wen Xishu was thrilled. This had to be some kind of variant among the Three Towers people.

He could imagine that there would certainly be many such variables on the higher floors, and everyone's original Desire Tower trajectory might be altered beyond all recognition.

But amid all these twisted developments, changing people's endings gave Wen Xishu an immense sense of accomplishment.

The incident on the top floor of the nursing home did not cause any commotion.

Wen Xishu had actually done the nursing home a great favor by resolving a potential crisis.

Half an hour later, Jack arrived at the nursing home.

Jack's warm reunion with his mother bored Wen Xishu.

He had already begun looking forward to returning to the Strange Tower, but the quest here had not yet been fully completed.

Wen Xishu told Jack many things, sharing all of his deductions, including those concerning Jennifer.

"You mean... Jennifer and I would be drawn to each other?" Jack found that rather unbelievable.

Wen Xishu said,

"You don't like Yulia. That's the truth, right?"

Jack nodded.

"That's true."

Wen Xishu smiled.

"And you aren't a pedophile. If what you said is true, then you don't like other children either. So Jennifer alone is special."

Jack nodded again. He had said before that, apart from work, he truly did not want to interact with other children.

He had mentioned performing at schools, but that was because he needed money.

Thinking carefully about Wen Xishu's words, Jack did indeed feel that Jennifer stirred his protective instincts.

It was strange. At the very least, he had seen many children, and some had been cuter than Jennifer, yet none of them had made Jack want to get close to them the way Jennifer did.

Wen Xishu said,

"Perhaps this is hard for you to believe, but I do know some things about the future."

"Jack, Jennifer has the same potential as you. While she draws you in, you also draw her in."

"Master that power and protect her well. That age of disaster will arrive soon. Only by supporting each other will you be able to survive in that era."

Jack said in surprise,

"You mean... Jennifer is like me too? She's been contaminated by something?"

"It isn't contamination. Unfortunately, I've only just come into contact with these matters. My journey of investigation probably still has a long way to go," Wen Xishu said.

Jack nodded slowly.

He truly could feel that something about his body was strange.

And the doctor, as a "Breaker," also knew that Jack was about to become a monster. Most likely, the change would occur within twelve hours.

At their core, Breakers were all people who lived for amusement. They only wanted to watch the world burn.

So the doctor had wanted Jack to experience his life falling apart before he transformed into a monster.

With Wen Xishu's arrival and his unreasonable beating, the doctor had personally confessed all of this.

Wen Xishu knew the future, and Wen Xishu had interrupted his plan. All of this terrified the doctor deeply.

The doctor had initially thought Wen Xishu was merely an "NPC." Little did he know that he was the NPC in Wen Xishu's eyes.

Now, the doctor believed that Wen Xishu was an awakened one like himself.

But that was also what he found most terrifying. Since Wen Xishu was also awakened... why was he unable to use violence while Wen Xishu could?

In the doctor's eyes, his life reset every so often. Even robbing banks, killing people, and setting fires should have been no problem, since everything would reset anyway.

But he could not do any of those things. He could not even rough someone up.

Yet Wen Xishu could. The doctor could not help wondering if there were awakened ones of an even higher level.

That line of thought only made him more afraid of Wen Xishu. Both of them could perceive the cycle... but one could use violence, while the other could not.

That was absolute suppression.

Wen Xishu did not know what the doctor was thinking, but his contemptuous gaze only made the doctor fear him more.

Jack seemed to have accepted his fate, and he did not doubt Wen Xishu's words.

After all, according to the doctor, he might undergo his transformation today or tomorrow.

Wen Xishu suddenly remembered something and reminded him,

"I'll leave this fake doctor to you. Your body will undergo changes soon. After that, you'll possess great strength."

"You can torture him however you want. Don't hold back. When facing someone who wanted to ruin your life, never repay evil with kindness."

When the doctor heard those words, he only prayed for the cycle to begin sooner.

"Jack, being a good person without an edge is a weak hand. If you have to be a good person, then be one with claws."

"People need to be a little wild sometimes, or they'll suffocate themselves. I suggest you try it out on Anderson and Remian."

"Honestly, I quite like stepping on watermelons. One stomp, and they burst with juice. And keeping some meat in the refrigerator is a good habit too."

Wen Xishu was genuinely worried that his interference would make Deception Jack dull and boring too, so he offered a few reminders.

If there had been enough time, he would have even wanted to make a perverse test paper and only let Jack leave after he scored ninety-seven points.

Of course, that was only wishful thinking. He still had to complete the final part of this quest.

Before leaving, Wen Xishu did not forget to loot a few coins from the "boss."

He took the money from the "doctor's" pocket.

Night.

At an upscale Western restaurant in Moen City, Wen Xishu invited Yulia to dinner.

Many notices were posted outside the restaurant—Beware of rats. It seemed that Moen City had recently been suffering from a rat infestation.

But business at this upscale restaurant was still excellent. The waiters had clearly put considerable effort into driving away rats.

Wen Xishu knew very well how to make Yulia happy.

But this wasn't some female-oriented romance novel. It was the apocalypse—who the hell had time for love?

His only goal was to get closer to Jennifer. He had no interest whatsoever in giving anyone the leverage that most people so eagerly sought.

Since Wen Xishu had already earned Desire Jennifer's favor in the Strange Tower, little Jennifer was quite close to him.

While Yulia savored her red wine, Wen Xishu suggested having a private word with little Jennifer.

This delighted Yulia beyond measure.

A handsome man, much younger than her, seemingly at the peak of his strength, apparently with a little money, and willing to be good to her daughter—she felt as though she had met the man of her dreams.

Not far away, Jennifer bounced with joy, beaming brightly. But Yulia had no idea that their conversation went like this.

"Jennifer, do you think turning into a monster is cool?"

"Huh? Can you really turn into one? That'd be so cool!"

"Aren't you scared of things like rotting flesh, white bones, and skulls?"

"I am, but if it's Uncle Jack, then it's cool."

Wen Xishu really liked this little girl's double standards.

"Right? Do you remember your promise with Uncle Jack? He'll invite you to watch his performance."

"I remember, I remember! I really want to go, but Mom won't let me."

"It's fine. Uncle Jack is about to become very cool. He'll appear before you in a very cool way. Believe me, you'll never forget that performance for the rest of your life."

"Really?"

"Of course I wouldn't lie to you. Jennifer, this world is about to undergo enormous changes, but don't be afraid, because Uncle Jack will stay with you."

"That's great! I really want to play with Uncle Jack too!"

Wen Xishu patted Jennifer on the head.

The data in his eyes had changed.

Jennifer's current happiness: 99. Mission status: Completed.

After completing the Strange Tower trial, the Desire Tower trial reward would be unlocked simultaneously.

That meant Wen Xishu could receive the dual rewards of the Strange Tower and the Desire Tower.

He smiled just as happily, and to Yulia, his smile seemed wonderfully childlike.

But with the slightest change in his gaze, that smile became no different from Deception Jack's.