Wen Xishu, the Bunker's Future

Sha Ruijing's way of survival was to prepare for trouble before it arrived and do in advance what his superiors wanted done.

He might only have been an interviewer now, but for someone from a poor family who rarely climbed towers and relied entirely on his ability to handle internal tower affairs, Sha Ruijing's career path had practically been a cheat code.

He was simply too good at handling people.

As an interviewer in a department under the Bunker Security Bureau, responsible for identifying and determining the affiliation of tower systems for the Security Bureau, Sha Ruijing had excellent relationships with every one of his colleagues.

But what he was best at was seizing opportunities.

Not long ago, Sha Ruijing had signed a confidentiality agreement that made his heart pound. Then... he began interviewing the boy mentioned in that agreement.

At the same time, Liu Jinsen, an officer from the First Bureau and the superior of his superior, had actually stepped in and instructed him to answer the other party's questions as thoroughly as possible.

Someone else might have thought, A death row inmate about to die in the Strange Tower—was that really necessary...?

But Sha Ruijing was not someone else.

This interviewer, who had made even Wen Xishu look at him in a new light upon their first meeting, had long since formed his own little plans.

If Wen Xishu died, then naturally, there was nothing to discuss.

But if Wen Xishu did not die, would that mean the Bunker was about to see a series of clashes between major figures?

If he made certain arrangements in advance, could he seize the initiative? Could he play a crucial role at a critical moment?

So Sha Ruijing began thinking about this person Officer Liu had specifically instructed him to look after...

If Wen Xishu came back alive from the Strange Tower, should they publicize his achievements?

After all, surviving did not necessarily mean his death sentence would truly be canceled.

The Wen family's atrocities had been terrifying. To offset them, he would probably have to bring back an abundant supply of resources.

That would be difficult.

If there were no resources... how would Officer Liu protect Wen Xishu?

Public opinion, of course. No matter what, those who explored the Strange Tower had contributed to the Bunker.

So the matter had to be exaggerated. It had to be publicized properly.

Sha Ruijing had once said that it was fine to do good deeds without seeking recognition, but one had to keep a diary, and that diary had to be exposed.

He firmly believed that even fine wine feared a deep alley, and even a good book feared getting no votes.

So Sha Ruijing reached out to some of his friends in the Bunker.

These friends could not be considered regular troops like the Media Bureau. They rarely produced anything that could make it into the public eye and spread widely, and they were seldom qualified to report major news.

But those bastards could make things up. The rumors they fabricated were each more outrageous than the last.

So, after Wen Xishu left the Bunker and entered the Three Towers Academy, Sha Ruijing immediately began worrying before his superiors worried and solving problems for them in advance.

He found those people who were good at making up stories.

They drafted three versions in total.

The versions were as follows:

If Wen Xishu returned alive with few resources, they would focus on portraying his poverty, hardship, and self-sacrifice. Though he had not brought back much, his spirit was precious.

Even if his strength was meager, he had still charged ahead without hesitation.

The second version was for if Wen Xishu brought back a decent amount of resources. Building upon the first version, it would add Wen Xishu's talent and promote how much of a genius this boy was—how, on his first exploration of the Strange Tower, he had already achieved so much.

The third version was the most exaggerated one.

Sha Ruijing felt he would never need the third version, but he made plans for it anyway.

That was if Wen Xishu brought back sufficiently abundant resources.

The truth was that Wen Xishu had really done it, far exceeding everyone's expectations. Even Sha Ruijing's third version was not as exaggerated as reality.

This version of the publicity campaign was aimed at creating a god.

The Bunker's saint, the Bunker's future, the pillar of the Bunker.

With his own strength alone, he had turned the tide and saved everyone.

Even Sha Ruijing thought this was fucking ridiculous, yet he had still made plans for that version.

And in the end, the plan was used.

At the first possible moment, those rumor-spreaders below contacted Sha Ruijing. A hospital had appeared on the lower levels, along with a vast quantity of supplies, and the hospital was even a Level Six Hospital.

Sha Ruijing's mind had gone just as blank as Liu Jinsen's had at the time.

But he reacted faster than Liu Jinsen. He reacted even faster than the upper-level conference room, since he did not need to hold meetings with a group of people whose positions were complicated.

So while the Bunker meeting was still in discussion, Sha Ruijing's third publicity plan had already begun.

Otherwise, why would the crowd that rushed into the hospital have shouted:

"This was brought here by someone codenamed Wen Xishu! My god! This is a Level Six Hospital!"

"We're saved! We're saved!"

"Wen Xishu, Wen Xishu! He brought us a Level Six Hospital! Hurry! Go call the people from the Health Bureau!"

Soon afterward, those Bunker residents were driven out.

But Sha Ruijing's publicity campaign was only just beginning.

Although the appearance of a Level Six building had been beyond expectations, the people Sha Ruijing had found to spread rumors were all professionals.

Adapting on the fly and revising copy with zero delay were no challenge for them.

By the time the official publicity vehicles arrived late, and Liu Jinsen began heading toward the Three Towers Academy...

By the time the upper levels were still discussing whether to reserve some of the medicine and whether to station guards around the Level Six Hospital and turn it into a hospital for nobles...

Sha Ruijing's team had already begun fabricating stories.

To push the exaggeration to its absolute limit, the lead writer responsible for marketing Wen Xishu this time was said to be descended from the Asian branch of the Japanese Isles.

Though it was a detestable ethnicity, they were exceptionally skilled at chuunibyou nonsense.

In this era, when the upper levels were indifferent and the sealed levels disregarded whether those below lived or died, when the Great Devourment was about to arrive and Albert Napolitano had already grown old...

He, Wen Xishu, had emerged out of nowhere.

Whenever a great calamity approached, a genius would descend. Every transformation of an era required the arrival of a genius.

Wen Xishu, the man who drove the era forward—the fierce tiger of the Strange Tower, the destructive dragon of the Strange Tower, the twin-born tiger and dragon, the Asura feared by every ghost in the Strange Tower—had walked out of hell.

Wen Xishu was described in increasingly godlike terms.

Of course, they did not forget to promote Wen Xishu's character either. Sha Ruijing wrote plenty of things about realizing the value of one's life and doing it for all the people of the Bunker.

These claims were not actually very credible. The people on the lower levels were not fools.

But when combined with the Level Six facility and the enormous stockpile of resources, all of which belonged to Wen Xishu, it became different.

For a time, everyone on the Bunker's second level was discussing Wen Xishu.

Some said they had seen him when he was young, and that he had been a boy whose eyes glowed.

Others said he was Albert Napolitano reincarnated.

Still others said they had once seen Xun Hui spar with Wen Xishu in the Slaughter Tower, with Wen Xishu winning by half a move.

All of this fermented in just a few hours.

Of course, there was one thing Sha Ruijing did not do.

He did not whitewash the Wen family.

He knew very well that protecting Wen Xishu did not mean overturning the Wen family's case.

If he bragged about Wen Xishu and was held accountable, Officer Liu would protect him, and it might even earn him more favor with Officer Liu.

But if he whitewashed the Wen family, he might not even know how he died.

In short, under Sha Ruijing's manipulation, by the time the upper levels finally decided to seize Wen Xishu's credit and began saving people...

The image of Saint Wen had already been established.

The public's memories could be manipulated, but at least while the topic was at its hottest...

No one could conceal that tide.

"We want to see Wen Xishu! We want to thank Wen Xishu!"

Such cries rose and fell one after another.

Even doctors distributing medicine were asked by patients, "Can I thank Wen Xishu in person?"

This would soon be fed back to the upper levels as well, and it would be of some help once Wen Xishu's interrogation ended.

Listening to the waves of cheers from the crowd below, Sha Ruijing, hidden in the shadows, suddenly wanted to hum a few lines. Who says those standing outside the Three Towers don't count as heroes?

Wen Xishu, being interrogated far away on the fourth level, still had no idea that he was becoming famous.

If he knew, he would surely appreciate Sha Ruijing's help, but... this help alone was not enough.

The person who could decide his fate had not yet appeared.