Mysterious Youth Reappears

(It's time for another late-night update.)

The Tower of Desire Rest Area.

Wen Xishu found himself back in this place for the second time. Unlike last time, the sixth floor was accessible to most people.

Below the twentieth floor of the Tower of Desire, the areas were essentially risk-free.

Those familiar shouts echoed again.

"Looking for strategies to beat Miyazaki Takagao!"

"Floor twelve, selling tips for the 'Business War: Destroy Jingdong' mission. Only need a Talk Show Actor! Guaranteed effective, looking for names, hit me up!"

Wen Xishu couldn't help but marvel at the atmosphere in the Tower of Desire's Rest Area. It was truly pleasant.

It was worth noting that most people, after arriving in a certain area of the Rest Area, were reluctant to leave it.

After all, the designation of each area indicated a similar level, and within a short hour, everyone would naturally prefer to interact and team up with those of a similar level.

Of course, a small number of people would venture to the Rest Areas in higher-level zones to seek advice from those who had been there before.

However, such individuals were few.

But Wen Xishu was indeed planning to head towards the Tian Yuan Area.

Along the way, he had encountered quite a few people from the Tower of Desire Academy. These students were quite eager to display their Three Towers Academy student IDs, both male and female.

Wen Xishu paid them no mind as he walked towards the Tian Yuan Area, wondering if he would meet anyone interesting.

He wasn't particularly interested in academy students, unless it was the Tower of Deception Academy in the future.

He soon reached the Tian Yuan Area.

To Wen Xishu's surprise... he ran into acquaintances this time.

"Yo, kid, didn't expect to see you again."

The man speaking still had a smile on his face, making him seem very approachable.

The woman beside him remained as cold as ever, but upon seeing Wen Xishu, she also nodded with a smile.

Coincidentally, these two were the same people Wen Xishu had met last time—

Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan.

Wen Xishu also smiled:

"It's nice to see you two again. I'm just here for a stroll this time. What floor are you two on this time?"

Liu Ruyan replied:

"The twenty-sixth floor."

Wen Xishu remembered that Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan sold various strategy guides and information, so he considered whether he should inquire about some first.

Unlike last time, when Wen Xishu had received an Invitation Letter that directly revealed the mission target was Desire·Jennifer.

But this time, the Invitation Letter was given at the start, meaning he hadn't unlocked the mission target's name.

He would only be able to get a clue after entering the Tower of Desire world.

So Wen Xishu said:

"May I ask, do you two still have any information? I'd like to inquire about some strategies."

Ji Boda chuckled:

"Young friend, are you still planning to exchange strategies for strategies this time?"

Wen Xishu suddenly noticed something else: the badges worn on Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan's chests.

"Are you two... teachers at the Tower of Desire Academy?"

Ji Boda nodded with great satisfaction:

"Last time I was thinking, for such an outstanding young man, why aren't you from our academy?"

"Since you recognize our accessories, I assume you are also from the Tower of Desire Academy?"

Wen Xishu didn't answer that question but asked another:

"Did you two borrow any items from the Materials Department? Why are you two always matched together?"

Liu Ruyan and Ji Boda were now even more convinced that this child was from the Tower of Desire Academy.

Liu Ruyan's expression softened considerably:

"A purple item, the Mandarin Duck Lock. It allows two individuals of different genders to go to the same area and undertake the same mission. It must be used before entering the Three Towers."

Wen Xishu's knowledge expanded:

"Does this item belong to you two? Or to Old Principal Albert?"

Ji Boda replied:

"It's ours. My wife and I obtained this item after completing ten consecutive missions related to love."

"There's also the Comrade's Wristband, which reportedly has a similar effect, but is limited to individuals of the same gender."

"The Old Principal seems to have that thing."

Wen Xishu suddenly chuckled:

"Hypothetically, if I were a student at the Academy, could I borrow this item from you two?"

Ji Boda laughed heartily:

"Hahaha, no way. The Materials Department has asked us for it several times, and we absolutely won't lend it out."

"The atmosphere at the Tower of Desire Academy isn't quite right... sigh, students these days are increasingly fond of taking shortcuts. This trend of taking shortcuts only fosters other unhealthy tendencies."

"Exploring the Tower of Desire is a sacred undertaking. Other items are fine, but this kind of item, which allows males and females to enter a certain area together, you students... you'd only use it for that."

Wen Xishu could pretty much guess what "that" referred to.

Things like, "Come on, I'll take you to the Tower of Desire world to get a room."

Liu Ruyan also chimed in:

"While exploring the Tower of Desire may be simple, it shouldn't be trivialized. The students at the Tower of Desire Academy, in this regard, are not as good as those from the Tower of Slaughter Academy."

Because they lack a sense of crisis, Wen Xishu inwardly assessed.

He didn't want to delay any further and asked:

"I am indeed a student of the Three Towers Academy, but I have no information to exchange this time. However, I really want to know about the strategy for a certain area on the sixth floor, in Jiangcheng."

Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan exchanged a glance, not expecting the young man's tower climbing progression to be so significant.

At the same time, they decided to ask the question they hadn't managed to ask last time:

"Young friend, what Completion Level did you achieve last time?"

This was a very crucial question. Wen Xishu pondered, if I say Level Six...

That would basically be like blowing my cover, right?

But saying Level Five or Four didn't seem appropriate either, as he wasn't sure if any Level Five or Four facilities had recently appeared in the Bunker.

However, these two might very well know.

Therefore, in this situation, lying might leave a bad impression on them.

A person's value is sometimes self-determined. Wen Xishu was the type of person who would never be low-key when he shouldn't be.

Like now, he knew that if he acted too modestly, it might lead to them looking down on him.

In an academy, you either earn respect through your background or your talent. Being too mediocre, even the teachers will look down on you.

Wen Xishu thought for a moment and said:

"I apologize, but although you two are my teachers, I truly cannot answer this question."

Ji Boda was clearly displeased.

It was one thing when the Academy wasn't open yet, and you, as a prospective freshman, didn't know my identity. But now that you've been admitted and know I'm a teacher, why are you still putting on airs with me?

Of course, his expression didn't change; he still wore a smile.

However, Wen Xishu's next sentence immediately made Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan change their attitude:

"I promised the Old Principal that all my achievements are confidential. But I do have a connection with you two teachers."

"So, if Teacher Ji and Teacher Liu really want to know, you'll have to trouble yourselves to ask Principal Albert."

Liu Ruyan was the type of person who could observe subtle changes in facial expressions. She noticed Wen Xishu's calm and composed demeanor when he mentioned Albert's name and immediately realized that this child wasn't lying.

Ji Boda looked at Liu Ruyan as if seeking confirmation, and Liu Ruyan nodded slightly.

Ji Boda was astonished.

What level of freshman would be personally handled by the Old Principal?

Confidentiality of achievements was unheard of! If it weren't for the excellent impression this young man had made on Ji Boda previously, and his wife Liu Ruyan also hinting that he wasn't lying...

Ji Boda would have thought the guy was just showing off.

But showing off in academies usually involved things like, "My dad is an official in such-and-such bureau." No freshman dared to use Albert as their backing directly.

"Then, you should at least tell us your name."

Wen Xishu still shook his head:

"Teachers, even my name holds a secret. You'll have to ask the Principal about that too."

He remained calm and collected, neither servile nor overbearing.

This piqued Ji Boda's interest greatly. Ji Boda wondered, even his name is a secret?

Does the Bunker have such powerful families? Even the Wen family or the Xun family couldn't achieve this.

Wen Xishu's name was indeed a secret.

Because a simple inquiry would reveal that Wen Xun was from the Tower of Slaughter Academy.

A student from the Tower of Slaughter Academy appearing in the Rest Area of the Tower of Desire was already unreasonable.

Therefore, Wen Xishu threw the problem to Albert. At the same time, he was also using Liu and Ji.

Facing Albert, Wen Xishu didn't fear exposing his secrets. Just being in the presence of someone of that caliber made him feel as if he were completely seen through.

Coincidentally, Wen Xishu also wanted to use Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan to gauge Albert's attitude and, if possible, demonstrate his own value to Albert.

When everyone suspects you're hiding a secret that can ensure survival in desperate times... you'd better actually be hiding such a secret.

"What do you want to know?" Ji Boda realized he wouldn't get any answers by asking himself.

He might as well help this young man. After completing the Tower of Desire mission, he could go ask the Old Principal.

However, the Old Principal was elusive. His eccentric phone calls, referred to as "Mysterious CEO Call," were impossible to get through. He wasn't sure if he'd ever run into the Old Principal.

Wen Xishu said:

"I don't know much about this area mission... but the general keywords are: sixth floor, young girl, fall, parrot, Jiangcheng City."

Ji Boda and Liu Ruyan exchanged glances again. Wasn't this the very mission that had caused Wen Renjing so much guilt for so long?

Wen Renjing had many regrets in his life, but this mission was practically a "white moonlight" level regret.

It was Wen Renjing's biggest regret from his earliest days climbing the tower.

"We do know a little about this mission, but unfortunately, I can't tell you how to do it."

"That young girl named Tang Rui, she wasn't looking for love."

"You know Wen Renjing, right?"

Wen Xishu nodded. Ji Boda continued:

"The heartthrob of this academy, the top person in the Tower of Desire, showed immense talent very early on."

"He always remembered that the Tower of Desire is a tower filled with love. He used love to heal others."

"Of course, not in the vulgar ways many of our current students imagine..."

"Wen Renjing was very good at comforting people, and coupled with his unparalleled looks, he seemed like a man stepped out of a dream."

Wen Xishu mused that "unparalleled looks" could be used for a man; this Wen Renjing must have been quite something.

"When dealing with Tang Rui, he discovered she had suicidal thoughts. At that time, he was arrogant. He believed all suicidal thoughts stemmed from not being recognized or valued by the world."

"It was due to problems with her original family's upbringing that led the young girl to consider ending her life."

"While there were certainly reasons related to that, Wen Renjing was very naive then, thinking all problems could be solved by someone loving her."

"He spent seven days taking Tang Rui to experience all sorts of romantic things."

"She loved food, so Wen Renjing made her the best food she had ever tasted in her life."

"She loved to sing. Although her voice wasn't great, Wen Renjing still invited her to sing together in an open-air park, attracting applause from many tourists."

"She wanted to see faraway places, but due to regional map restrictions, some places were inaccessible. Wen Renjing couldn't fulfill this, so in the shortest time possible, he personally painted the most beautiful scenes he could imagine on huge backdrops."

"He gave that young girl named Tang Rui... arguably the love that countless women dream of."

"And he truly saw a light appear in Tang Rui's eyes."

"But in the end, Wen Renjing paid the price for his haste. The mission Completion Level was only one."

"Even though the girl was incredibly happy, and had been loved by a man as perfect as if he didn't exist, she still received only the lowest Completion Level."

Ji Boda said:

"Wen Renjing was depressed for a long time. He finally understood that the girl wasn't looking for love, or... she wasn't that superficial."

"The suffering she endured was of a different kind."

"Wen Renjing later said—

All missions in the Tower of Desire require sincerity. I overestimated my charm, thinking love could clear away all the gloom in a girl's heart.

But it's not like that. Many people's lives are filled with suffering, and they don't even have the chance to experience love. Let alone suffer from a lack of it.

I regret my perfunctory approach, and I became a fool who doesn't understand others' struggles. I also regret her ending."

Wen Xishu was confused:

"How did he know the ending?"

Wen Xishu now knew the mission target was Tang Rui. He added:

"Generally, once a mission is completed, you return directly. The target's final outcome... we don't actually know, do we?"

Ji Boda nodded:

"That's true. But Wen Renjing later learned about the girl's ending in other missions in Jiangcheng City, at a later point in the timeline."

"You might not know, but you're still a freshman who's only recently started climbing the tower, right?"

"Actually, the Tower of Desire has anchoring possibilities. Wen Renjing felt immense guilt, thinking if he had been more sincere, if he had anchored that story..."

"Perhaps the girl wouldn't have died."

At this moment, Liu Ruyan interjected:

"Wen Renjing... might have had some feelings for that girl too."

Ji Boda looked at Liu Ruyan with slight surprise.

Liu Ruyan sighed, "In the process of loving others, you often feel loved yourself."

"He cares so much about that young girl, it must be because that young girl also pleased him greatly. It's just that he knows there's a deep chasm between them."

"Many Bunker people fall for Three Towers people, but Wen Renjing knows very well he cannot do that."

"He later said he sincerely hoped someone could anchor that story and change that girl's ending."

"But to this day, no one has done that. No one has changed that young girl's ending."

(Two chapters' worth to help you sleep~ But don't worry, hold onto your courage, there will still be updates during the day.)