Level Four Completeness

"Name."

"Wen Xishu."

"Age."

"Eighteen."

"Gender."

"Bottom of the version."

"What the hell?" The clerk at the Three Towers Game assignment office was stunned.

"I mean male. Isn't it obvious from the outside?" Wen Xishu replied with a smile.

"No, no, no. There are currently twenty-nine known genders in the bunker... If you're male, you'd better say it clearly."

The clerk was the same one who had interviewed Park Young-so not long ago.

Thirty years old, with a look that reminded Wen Xishu of corporate interviewers from big companies—a bit greasy, smiling kindly, but with a numbness when his face went stern.

"Standard procedure—don't we first get assigned to a tower?" Wen Xishu asked.

The clerk spoke quite gently:

"Students from the Tower of Desire Academy and the Tower of Slaughter Academy are assigned directly by their school."

"As for others, generally, for first-time ascents, we have Tower Ascenders fill out some questionnaires."

"Those with a combative nature, or strong insight in battle, we send to the Tower of Slaughter."

"And those who make others feel comfortable, we arrange for the Tower of Desire."

Wen Xishu added with a smile:

"And those with exceptional talent?"

The clerk rubbed his forehead and said:

"Yeah, every so often, I see all kinds of sizes..."

"On the Dopamine Pleasure Ranking, third place is smoking, score 220. Second place is paying off debt, score 225."

"But first place—love between a man and a woman—scores 550. The pleasure gained is a league above the rest."

"This has also led people to generally believe that pleasing the Three Towers people and making them feel loved is the most direct method."

"So all sorts of people think they're suited for the Tower of Desire."

"Uh, the key point is, the bunker's higher-ups think it's reasonable."

"Indeed, quite a few men and women have brought back generous supplies from the Tower of Desire... they've made no small contribution to humanity."

"Which also means I've become a connoisseur of sizes at a young age."

This clerk was quite talkative.

Usually, clerks were impatient and stern.

For instance, the previous applicant trying to transfer from the Tower of Slaughter to the Tower of Desire, a Korean bunker citizen named Park Young-so, had made him very impatient.

But Wen Xishu was different—not because he was kind or handsome.

The real reason was—the higher-ups had put in a word.

A few hours earlier, Wen Xishu had undergone interrogation.

Perhaps because the higher-ups feared Wen Xishu might slip back into a deranged state, the intensity of the interrogation was actually low.

At least, brain-damaging truth serums and the like weren't used on him.

This was also thanks to Wen Xishu's half-mad, half-lucid performance. Facing the interrogation, he only ever gave one answer:

"I have to enter the Strange Tower to recall clues about Wen Chaohua."

That line was, of course, a stalling tactic, and a clumsy one at that.

But Wen Xishu was very sure there were only two possible outcomes:

One: The bunker's higher-ups weren't that stupid and didn't believe Wen Xishu's nonsense at all.

Then he wouldn't make it to Chapter Four. Protagonist dies. The end.

Two: Wen Chaohua was extremely important.

To find Wen Chaohua, the bunker's higher-ups would take any risk.

Even a flimsy excuse like "I have to enter the Strange Tower to recall clues" was something they were willing to believe in and gamble on.

Wen Xishu chose the second option.

Whoever left those three bizarre "dice" in his idiot brother's mind was definitely no ordinary person.

He gambled right, but that didn't mean his situation had become safe.

Shortly after the interrogation ended, a high-ranking cadre within the Bunker Security Bureau sought out Wen Xishu.

The man had an exceptionally stern countenance, a burly build, and a distinctly military bearing.

In that cramped, dimly lit room, the cold-tempered cadre spoke: "From today onward, your matters fall under my charge. My name is Liu Jinsen. You may call me Officer Liu."

Officer Liu got straight to the point: "If you want to escape death, you need to do two things."

"First, survive the Strange Tower. Otherwise, you're just dying somewhere else."

"Second, a Bunker citizen can stay in the Three Towers for a maximum of seven days."

"Within those seven days, you must recall any leads regarding the extreme criminal Wen Chaohua."

"I don't believe someone like Wen Chaohua would leave clues on you."

"But my superior is adamant. Since that's the case, I hope you really do have something."

Wen Xishu didn't dislike this temporary superior, Liu Jinsen. At the very least, the man's two pieces of advice were clear and logical.

Wen Xishu didn't waste the opportunity either: "Suppose—just suppose—I refuse to provide leads on Wen Chaohua. Even if I successfully explore the Strange Tower, will I still die?"

Liu Jinsen wasn't surprised that Wen Xishu brought up "refusing to provide leads on Wen Chaohua."

In fact, he was certain Wen Xishu knew nothing at all and was merely trying to buy a sliver of hope by exploring the Strange Tower.

"That probability exceeds ninety-nine percent."

"The remaining one percent is if you bring back something of critical importance."

Wen Xishu asked: "Like what?"

Liu Jinsen remained as cold and hard as ever, but he didn't skimp on answers: "The lower levels of the Bunker have been plagued by disease recently and are desperately short on medicine. If you can achieve a Tier Four reward, then you'll survive no matter what."

Wen Xishu pressed further: "Tier Four reward?"

Faced with what was almost common knowledge, Liu Jinsen paused for a second: "It seems you've never climbed the Tower before."

Wen Xishu shrugged.

Liu Jinsen recited like a textbook: "Exploring the Three Towers grants rewards of different grades based on your performance."

"Tier One completion: you receive basic rations and supplies sufficient to sustain a 'family of three' for three days."

"Tier Two completion: you receive basic rations and supplies sufficient to sustain an 'extended family' for three days, along with some daily necessities."

"Tier Three completion: building on the first two tiers, you bring back some items, equipment, and facilities."

"Tier Four completion: you bring back basic supplies sufficient to sustain a 'neighborhood' for seven days, along with some advanced civilization items, equipment, and facilities."

"Tier Five completion: building on Tier Four, you bring back certain era-defining 'technologies' or items, equipment, and facilities."

"Tier Six completion: you bring back enough supplies to sustain an entire 'Bunker level' for a certain period."

"Along with items, technologies, or facilities capable of sparking change for human Bunker civilization."

"As for obtaining skills, attributes, or items within the Three Towers, that's a separate evaluation standard."

"There's also a Tier Seven completion, but that can only be achieved within the limited levels of the Three Towers."

"You're a first-time Tower entrant, so your starting level won't be too high."

Liu Jinsen paused briefly: "If you can't provide leads on Wen Chaohua and want to survive, you can't count on trading one life for one. You'll have to trade one life for a hundred."

"Or even more."

Wen Xishu recalled a certain pair of Su brothers—the younger serving as a chancellor at court while the elder stirred up endless trouble, leaving the younger to clean up the mess.

Right now, he felt exactly like that: the elder brother courting death, the younger brother footing the bill.

He would have to at least bring back enough supplies to sustain hundreds of lives, saving hundreds of people, just to survive.

Of course, there was also a shortcut: fabricating leads about Wen Chaohua.

But the higher-ups weren't fools. His credibility for such claims wouldn't withstand many overdrafts.

And with so many experts on the Ladder Ranking, none had managed to change the harsh living conditions of the lower-level Bunker people...

That meant even for experts, a Tier Four reward was no easy feat.

Surviving the Strange Tower while achieving a Tier Four reward as a complete novice—it seemed almost like a fantasy.

Wen Xishu found Liu Jinsen increasingly agreeable.

On one hand, this man was very reliable, answering every question a death row inmate had without hesitation.

On the other hand, this Officer Liu actually believed that his odds of success were as high as one percent.

Three Towers Game Allocation Office.

The clerk's words pulled Wen Xishu's thoughts back.

"Your appearance is quite good; looks are actually more important. You're well-suited for the Lust Tower."

"If you can come back alive from the Strange Tower, I can tweak your physical data records."

"Those favored by the big shots all have this privilege, as long as you don't fill in anything too outrageous."

"Just like Officer Wang from the Bunker Commerce Bureau—his son is one meter fifty-eight tall, but I wrote eighteen for the relevant value, and he still thought it wasn't enough."

Cadre children fast-tracked into the Lust Tower? Ordinary folks sent to the Slaughter Tower as beasts of burden? The corruption in the bunker was severe...

But cleaning up the bunker's atmosphere wasn't something Wen Xishu needed to consider right now.

He cut off the chatty clerk:

"Arrange for me to enter the tower first. I want to contribute to the bunker people today."