Bloody Prelude

Teammate -1.

Those words surfaced in Wen Xishu's mind, and he was delighted.

The chances of Sita being a spy planted by the higher-ups were low, but Wen Xishu did not like him. If someone like that died, then he died. Wen Xishu felt no pity whatsoever.

On the contrary, now that he knew this place was truly dangerous, Wen Xishu was overjoyed.

No matter how heavily a person had been built up beforehand, they might not survive even a minute in the Strange Tower. That was simply wonderful.

That way, perhaps he only needed to make use of the rules, manipulation, and deception to turn a multiplayer game into a single-player one.

If he were not hiding some kind of secret, if he were as well-liked as Wen Renjing, Wen Xishu would not have minded forming bonds of comradeship in the third tower.

But if these people could potentially harm him, if they were tools the higher-ups had sent to investigate him...

Even if they were most likely innocent, Wen Xishu did not care. Admittedly, in many stories, protagonists had an almost perfect powerhouse companion.

But Wen Xishu did not think that kind of luck would belong to him.

Sita's body instantly became riddled with holes, as if countless sharp objects had pierced through it. The music box grew louder and louder.

Wen Xishu could not make out the tune, but it seemed to be a school song, the sort played during breaks between classes, with upbeat lyrics and singing brimming with youthful energy.

The first teammate died so abruptly that the others were left stunned.

Although Wen Xishu had not seen what happened and had chosen to hide, the others had not reacted as quickly as he had. They were able to witness that eerie, horrifying scene.

When Sita chose to purify the item, the incorrect purification caused a cloud of black smoke to emerge from it. Then, amid the hazy smoke, countless tentacles pierced into Sita's mouth, ears, nostrils, eyeballs, and even... his lower body.

One tentacle went in through his mouth, while another came out through it, like two trains traveling in opposite directions.

Sita died.

Those tentacles continued to ravage Sita's body.

At that moment, Park Mihee, the captain, shouted:

"Quick! Hide! Wen Xishu hid himself! Do what Wen Xishu did!"

Her words worked.

Kane and Mendemuer also chose to take cover at that instant. The enormous room had many obstacles that could block their view, such as table legs, scattered stationery, wall corners, and so on.

In short, they had to find a way to keep themselves out of the tentacles' line of sight.

Zheng Zai reacted the fastest.

He was the first to rush toward Sita, but his body was extraordinarily agile at that moment, and his awareness of fear was unusually acute.

His craving for flesh and blood vanished in an instant. The sense of danger brought by the eerie aura frightened him awake.

Fear made him calm.

He regained control of his body, and its capabilities seemed to have been greatly enhanced.

Like a wild beast, Zheng Zai dodged a tentacle's thrust. Then, moving at incredible speed, he climbed onto a desk far taller than himself, like a cheetah scaling a tree.

The monster inside the clothing continued to ravage Sita.

Only after Sita had died completely and thoroughly did the monster slowly crawl back into the clothing.

Silence.

The music box had been growing louder and louder. The song inside had already played through once and had begun a second time.

But gradually, as everyone hid, the music box also slowly quieted.

Until it finally fell silent.

Another minute passed before Wen Xishu emerged.

There were desks and office tables in the room, and there was a blind spot between an office table and a bookshelf.

Park Mihee had followed Wen Xishu closely, so Wen Xishu and Park Mihee were both within that blind spot.

Wen Xishu smiled and said, "Captain, your instincts are remarkably sharp. I hid because I was scared, but I never expected you to figure out that hiding was the only way to survive."

Naturally, Park Mihee found it difficult to say much. She merely gave Wen Xishu a long look. She believed Sita's death just now had most likely been arranged by Wen Xishu.

He knew how to make someone die under the Strange Tower's rules.

Although that was not the truth, and Sita had merely gotten himself killed, Wen Xishu's decision to hide had indeed saved everyone else.

Under these circumstances, Park Mihee did not want to become someone Wen Xishu disliked.

Seeing Park Mihee and Wen Xishu emerge and return to the center of the study, Kane, who had been hiding beside a desk leg, and Mendemuer, who had been hiding beside an office table leg, also revealed themselves.

From Sita's death, Wen Xishu drew the following information:

"There are many contaminated items. These items may all indicate that they contain the aura of sin. But there is only one item that truly needs purifying. Choose wrong, and you die."

"The game is already obvious. It is a game of finding things and hide-and-seek. You have to search, and you also have to hide."

"As long as I don't tell them the rules... or deliberately use false rules to lure them into purifying items, they will all die."

Wen Xishu was still considering whether to do that. If he did, how exactly should he carry it out?

But before he could think it through, the sound of flesh being chewed suddenly diverted his attention.

Zheng Zai, who had jumped down from the desk more than three meters high, was gnawing at flesh like a starving hunting dog.

That flesh belonged to no one else. It was Sita's.

In truth, the scent of animal droppings emanating from Sita had long attracted Zheng Zai.

The sight made everyone take a step back. No matter how vicious and ruthless someone might be, no one could remain calm while watching a person eat human flesh with their own eyes.

But Wen Xishu was the exception.

Wen Xishu had not seen how Zheng Zai dodged the tentacles and escaped so nimbly. But he remembered one thing: Zheng Zai had been very close to Sita at the time. Under those circumstances...

Zheng Zai had still managed to hide atop a desk relatively far away...

It was simply unbelievable.

This man possessed astonishing explosive power.

The iron muzzle on Zheng Zai's face had long since disappeared. Evidently, Zheng Zai had broken it with brute force.

Combining Zheng Zai's earlier behavior—

Wen Xishu formed a guess.

This was not an illness.

It was a Sequence, an Eerie Sequence.

When Zheng Zai first explored the Strange Tower, he had most likely obtained a Sequence with severe side effects.

Wen Xishu remembered something else. Zheng Zai actually possessed reason; it was simply that his desires forced his body into action.

So Wen Xishu slowly walked over to Zheng Zai.

He wore the same warm smile he had shown Jennifer before.

Whether he was facing Jennifer or Zheng Zai now, Wen Xishu did not genuinely want to be someone who warmed others.

He understood very clearly that Jennifer, Jack, and Zheng Zai at this very moment were all tools for his survival.

"Eat slowly, Zheng Zai. Don't be afraid of what we might do to you either. If the desires in your heart truly cannot be suppressed, then don't suppress them."

"Sometimes, people need to run wild and vent a little. Only by actively letting out the monster in your heart will you gain the ability to lock it back up."

"But if it runs out on its own, beyond your control, then it may already be too late."

"Is it good? Is there enough? Want a bite of mine?"

Wen Xishu rolled up his sleeve.

His smile was as radiant as Wen Renjing's. When Wen Renjing faced the Tower of Desire inhabitants in the Desire Tower, his smile had been just as bright and warm.

At that moment, tears suddenly welled in Zheng Zai's eyes.

He truly did not want anyone to see his monstrous side, but he truly could not control it.

When he bit into Sita's body, he had actually been despairing inside. He had even thought that he would become a monster in every teammate's eyes from then on.

But then Wen Xishu appeared.

As if carrying holy light.