The Avenger

Wen Xishu decided to use the Invitation Letter.

When he touched the Invitation Letter, he received the following prompt.

Influenced by a special force, the Invitation Letter could be used three times in succession. One complete traversal counted as one use.

Due to the Invitation Letter's effect, even if the target failed to complete the task in the Desire Tower during the first two attempts, it would not count as a failure.

The final result would be calculated based on the last traversal.

If all three traversals were not used, the unused attempts could not be carried over to the next tower climb.

The explanation was quite detailed. Wen Xishu began considering how to use it. Three opportunities meant he could at least obtain items from three rooms.

However, Wen Xishu felt that using all three attempts would be too inefficient. He believed it would be best to resolve every doubt within two traversals and strive for another Level Six Completion.

That way, returning to the Bunker would trigger quite a reaction again.

"While climbing the bookshelf just now, I touched quite a few items and found that some contained a small amount of sinful aura, while others contained a great deal..."

"Based on that clue, if I searched slowly enough, I could purify this room."

"But I can't assume there's enough time. I can't assume that, just because this is only the sixth floor, obtaining information about the items will be easy."

"And one thing worth noting is that when the anti-idling check is triggered, you'll hear that greasy, disgusting prompt."

"That prompt can help me infer how the game's plot is progressing. On the other hand, once things reach a certain stage, it may provide clues."

Even without the Invitation Letter, Wen Xishu was certain he could find the true contaminant that needed purification by following certain clues.

But there was no need. Since the Invitation Letter could be used three times, he decided to use it first and worry about the rest later.

At that moment, however, Park Mihee had already begun talking about Zheng Zai's father.

"Director Zheng Yi, an A-rank official from the Bunker Security Bureau Third Division... is he your father?"

Zheng Zai nodded in surprise.

Park Mihee now assumed that Wen Xishu wanted to win Zheng Zai over, so she was willing to curry favor with him as well.

"I'm sorry, but your father is already... dead."

Zheng Zai shook his head desperately.

"Impossible. My dad clearly wasn't sentenced to death! He said he had connections..."

Park Mihee sighed.

"Connections? Do you know that as long as your father remained alive, his connections would never have peace?"

"The Bunker has Level Four Facility Prison and Level Three Construction Prison."

"Level Four Facility Prison is used to imprison serious criminals and... former officials."

"Basically, no prisoner in a Level Four Facility Prison can get out. That means whatever is done to them, however they are dealt with, is entirely up to the warden."

"I happen to know someone in the prison department."

Put simply, Park Mihee had slept with a warden.

Wen Xishu looked at Zheng Zai, wanting to know how this man would react upon suddenly receiving such devastating news.

Zheng Zai clutched his head.

"No... no... He said it. He said he'd come back out."

Park Mihee said, "I hope what I know is false, but I can't lie to you. In truth... I find it incredible that you survived and weren't implicated along with him."

"Your father loved you very much... He must have paid an enormous price for it."

Park Mihee could not quite bear it anymore. Whether she was pretending or not, she at least looked genuinely heartbroken for Zheng Zai.

Bloodshot veins gradually appeared in Zheng Zai's eyes. Those unbearable memories began resurfacing.

The clarity and panic in his gaze slowly gave way to anger.

"Ten years ago, the Bunker got its first sports arena, and the Sports and Culture Bureau was established."

"At the time, I thought that perhaps if I became an athlete, I might be able to... lessen some of my political sins."

"At the very least, I could gain a fair environment."

"My arms were very long, so I chose javelin throwing."

"In my first year, I placed fourteenth. The top ten were all featured on posters and received plenty of supplies... they were even allocated spots for the Desire Tower."

"I was greatly encouraged. I thought... perhaps if I worked hard enough and became an athlete who shook the sports world, reporters would dig into my past and investigate my father."

"My father really wasn't a bad man."

"In my second year, I placed ninth. I finally entered the top ten, but that year, the top six received the major coverage."

"I only hated that I hadn't worked hard enough. So I began training relentlessly, and in my third year, I became fourth."

"Heh, but that time, the ones who received special coverage and attention were the top three."

"I hated my own weakness so much. That year, I kept telling myself, Zheng Zai, if you work just a little harder, someone will care about Dad."

"In my fourth year, I took second place. First place went to a Black man from the Bunker..."

"And that year, they only reported on first place. He alone took all the rewards and publicity."

"I knew it still wasn't enough, still not enough... The road to saving Father was still long."

"In my fifth year, I took first place with an absolute crushing lead. I broke every record from the previous years."

"I thought, finally, it should be my turn..."

"But it wasn't. It wasn't! It wasn't!"

Zheng Zai began pounding the floor madly.

"Those bastards only took a group photo of the athletes who had received special attention in the past and brushed it off with one sentence: this year's javelin competition was just as exciting..."

"I finally understood. There was an invisible mountain in this world, built specifically to block the children of criminals like me. Every step I climbed, the mountain grew two steps taller."

"When I worked hard for five years and thought I could finally see the light... I discovered that everything above was even darker."

Wen Xishu did not usually care much about other people's suffering.

Yet for some reason, he was moved.

Would he eventually end up the same way after continuously exploring the Strange Tower?

The Bunker Security Bureau would not be grateful to him. Wen Xishu had always known that.

Perhaps one day, after his value and secrets had both been squeezed dry, the Bunker Security Bureau would discard him once he had served his purpose.

He even knew clearly that this was not merely a possibility. It was inevitable.

After all, Wen Chaohua's crimes were far greater than Zheng Zai's father's.

"But I wasn't willing to accept it. I kept working hard. I began climbing towers. I thought that as long as I could bring back enough supplies, the Bunker would remember me."

"Wen Xishu's appearance..."

Zheng Zai glanced at Wen Xishu. He still trusted Wen Xishu, believing that the Wen Xishu before him merely shared the same name as the legendary Wen Xishu of the Bunker.

"I mean, the Wen Xishu who saved countless people in the Bunker gave me hope."

"I thought... I should explore the Strange Tower."

Blood had already appeared on Zheng Zai's fists.

"I already... I can even give up my life. During my last exploration of the Strange Tower, I even contracted some bizarre illness."

"I became neither human nor ghost, bloodthirsty and violent. In the Bunker, I was afraid my bloodlust would surface, so I sealed my mouth with an iron mask. I've already sacrificed so much!!"

Zheng Zai raised his head, his eyes filled with fury and savagery.

"But why? Why is he still dead? What was the point of everything I did?"

"Is there still any fairness or justice in this Bunker?"

Wen Xishu saw flames of destruction. It was a madness that seemed ready to destroy the entire world.

He could imagine that if Jack's mother had died back then, Jack would have kept asking why as well.

But no one would answer his questions.

Wen Xishu liked that look very much. He suddenly decided to keep Zheng Zai alive.

No matter how well he had treated Zheng Zai before, Wen Xishu had always considered killing him in the end if necessary.

Because he could not bear any risk of his secrets being exposed.

But now, Wen Xishu changed his mind. He saw the bullet comments that only he could see.

They were densely packed bullet comments, the true embodiment of extreme emotion.

I want revenge! I want revenge! I want revenge!

A continuous flood of dense bullet comments swept through Wen Xishu's vision like an army of thousands upon thousands.

Wen Xishu had to admit that if Zheng Zai were not a Bunker person, but a Three Towers person...

Surely, with such an experience, he would be a boss-level player in the Slaughter Tower, wouldn't he?

After hearing Zheng Zai's past, Wen Xishu stopped delaying and activated the Invitation Letter, preparing to head to the Desire Tower.

See you later, you two, Wen Xishu silently thought.

At that moment, time suddenly stopped.

Park Mihee and Zheng Zai, who had still been talking, were both frozen by strange energy.