Speedrun Plan

Wen Xishu was intrigued.

The Bunker's two strongest—Xun Hui of the Slaughter Tower and Wen Renjing of the Desire Tower.

The two of them stood at the pinnacle of their respective tower systems.

Of course, Albert was not at the pinnacle. He was beyond the heavens. And it could not be ruled out that there were others beyond the heavens in the Desire Tower system as well.

But people recognized the Ladder Ranking. So, in a sense, Xun Hui and Wen Renjing were the most popular people in the Bunker.

If he could make Wen Renjing owe him a favor... that would not be bad.

Wen Xishu did not like all the schemes and factions in the Bunker. If possible, he would not mind joining Zheng Zai for a good killing spree.

But he was still too weak.

Everything had to be done in stages. At this stage, the only thing Wen Xishu wanted was to survive, establish himself firmly in the Bunker, and preferably have some connection with every major power.

As for the credit that had been stolen from him, the buildings and facilities bearing his name...

Wen Xishu believed that everything he had lost would be returned to him twofold.

"Thank you, you two. At least I now know one wrong direction. When it comes to charming people, I don't think I'm better than Wen Renjing, but at the very least... I can try another approach."

Wen Xishu did not intend to linger.

After getting a strategy guide for free, he immediately turned and left.

At that moment, Ji Boda desperately wanted to see Wen Xishu's wrist.

The last time, he and Liu Ruyan had noticed Wen Xishu making that turning motion.

But in the end, the two of them held themselves back.

Mainly because Wen Xishu had displayed an extraordinary background. Besides, as teachers, the academy's instructors were generally quite polite to their students.

As Wen Xishu disappeared from sight, Ji Boda said,

"I don't even feel like climbing towers anymore. I just want to rush to the Principal's Office and ask what the hell this kid's background is."

Liu Ruyan said,

"He wasn't lying. None of his muscles showed the excitement response people have when they boast. Only after learning of Wen Renjing's regret did he become excited instead. It was the excitement of a challenger."

Ji Boda said,

"Do you think he might be... that Wen Xishu?"

Liu Ruyan froze for a moment, then shook her head.

"Rumor has it that Wen Xishu's supplies came from the Strange Tower."

But after saying that, she suddenly recalled how furtive the young man had looked when activating his Login Device.

She looked at Ji Boda. Ji Boda smiled and said,

"If this is true, then it's a big deal. I really do need to ask the Principal. If I don't... I won't be able to rest easy."

"Come on, honey. Good luck to you, and good luck to me. I hope we can heal the unfortunate people in this Desire Tower soon."

Liu Ruyan nodded, and the two of them activated their Login Devices at the same time.

The world of the Desire Tower was a world with love.

But that love did not seem to come from the Desire Tower itself. It came from the Bunker.

The Desire Tower was like a sick world, while the Bunker was medicine. The Slaughter Tower and the Strange Tower were terminally ill; they needed to trace the source and administer strong medicine.

As Wen Xishu entered the Desire Tower, that thought suddenly came to him. The frequent spatial transfers had left his consciousness somewhat hazy.

But compared to the first time, he had adapted considerably. The thoughts in his mind were quickly swept away, because the scenery before his eyes had already become clear.

The sixth floor of the Desire Tower, Jiangcheng City.

The differences between cities were becoming increasingly minor, so Wen Xishu did not immediately recognize where Jiangcheng City was. But judging by the locals' accents, it seemed to be somewhere around Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Wen Xishu liked the soft Wu dialect here, but not the local cuisine. As usual, upon arriving in the Desire Tower, Wen Xishu received a prompt.

Tang Rui's current Happiness Value: 0. Mission status: Incomplete.

Remaining time: 47 hours, 59 minutes, 30 seconds.

Because he possessed twelve points of Luck Value, Wen Xishu had appeared not far from the mission target this time.

Luck Value affected many things. Every time one entered the Desire Tower, they would receive a plausible temporary identity for the adventure.

Whether that identity had enemies, whether it was legal, how much wealth it possessed, its starting items, its starting location, its initial favorability with the target...

All of those things were determined by Luck Value.

Even the timing of when one entered the mission was determined by Luck Value.

And people who entered through an Invitation Letter often received an additional Luck Value bonus.

For example, last time, Wen Xishu had arrived precisely at the point where everything began.

So, in a sense, differing Luck Values led to differing levels of difficulty when entering the Desire Tower. Put simply, the way you started was different.

Wen Xishu's luck was not bad this time. With his twelve points of initial Luck Value and the Invitation Letter bonus, he had appeared not far from the mission target.

It was a bar called Empty Cup Cut. The name was a homophone for the "do not let youthful ambition turn to empty sorrow" line.

The bar was not noisy. The bartender mixed drinks, while only a few people sat casually at the counter. The song playing nearby was also an exceptionally slow, gentle tune.

Wen Xishu had originally been considering simply asking people one by one whether any of them were named Tang Rui. He should not be too far from the target.

By asking around continuously, he could certainly narrow down the range quickly.

But suddenly, he realized that he seemed to be able to sense the target. This was something Wen Xishu had not possessed last time.

Weird Sequence 37: Mental Barrage gave Wen Xishu a certain ability to sense the weird.

And when conditions permitted under the rules, those with such abilities could sense one another faintly.

The sensation was incredibly weak. He could not even determine the direction. It was like an elusive scent drifting in the air, or a sigh from an immeasurably distant place.

Wen Xishu understood. It was Three-Phase Power. The so-called conditions permitted under the rules meant that within the Desire Tower, he could use powers and items from the Strange Tower system.

This had originally been absolutely forbidden. But because of the Mad Dice, Wen Xishu could now use the power of Sequences.

No wonder that when he had encountered Zheng Zai before, his first reaction had been that Zheng Zai's problem was not an illness, but a Sequence.

Now he had that feeling again. Somewhere in this bar, there seemed to be someone like him, concealing the aura of weird power.

Wen Xishu began searching for that person. Suddenly, his gaze met that of a woman around twenty-six or twenty-seven.

The woman looked at Wen Xishu, and Wen Xishu looked back at her.

There was a certain confusion in her eyes, as though she had suddenly sensed something, but the feeling was too faint for her to grasp any details.

Wen Xishu walked straight toward her.

The woman had a head of fluffy short hair and looked like a delinquent girl.

Her hair was dyed in a striking mix of pink and green.

Her tattoos were exaggerated, covering her entire arm.

She wore leather pants, while her upper body was unusually scantily clad, exposing her flat stomach.

She looked like she belonged in some bar where people thrashed wildly under deafening heavy metal, rather than here.

She smoked, and the confusion in her eyes gradually turned into a hazy look, as if she were slightly drunk.

"Are you Tang Rui?" Wen Xishu asked directly.

"Yes. Who are you?" Tang Rui was not frightened when Wen Xishu approached. Instead, she raised her glass.

Perhaps the slightly roguish air radiating from Wen Xishu did not disgust her.

Wen Xishu looked at the glass she had raised and suddenly smiled.

No wonder so many people were willing to use their authority to solve problems on the lower floors.

At low levels, a slightly higher Luck Value could give you an opening like Wen Xishu's.

Under such hazy lighting, liquid swirling in a wineglass could always stir up passion. Besides, this girl had the kind of appearance that could move Wen Renjing.

Wen Xishu was not interested in that kind of approach. If he messed around with women in a Desire Tower instance world... he would feel like he was about to screw someone over, and that sooner or later, someone would screw him over too.

Time was precious. As a pure plot-focused player, Wen Xishu did not want to waste time—

He needed to find out what Tang Rui had experienced, and investigate why the stage involving Weird Tang Rui was connected to four different scenarios.

What were the four contaminated items corresponding to those four scenarios?

Why had this girl still chosen suicide after Wen Renjing brought her such a beautiful love...

If he investigated slowly, forty-eight hours would be nowhere near enough.

So—Wen Xishu decided to speedrun it.

He could now confirm that he could use Strange Tower items and Sequences.

Without hesitation, Wen Xishu took out the Truth Serum Wine Cups.

"Do you dare drink a few cups from my wine cup? This cup has a very magical effect. Once you drink from it, you'll find happiness."

Tang Rui did not hesitate. She took the cup and began pouring herself a drink.

That convinced Wen Xishu that this girl's world had truly shattered beyond repair.

Although the Truth Serum Wine Cups were exquisitely crafted, drinking from a stranger's cup in a place like this, and pouring herself a drink with almost no hesitation... was still far too dangerous.

This was not the inexplicable trust in strangers Jack had displayed. She simply did not care what happened afterward.

It was as if she were certain that things were already terrible enough, and that she could never experience anything worse.

Wen Xishu thought that was quite good. It made things easy. He had started in a bar and could immediately cheat with a Strange Tower item to ask about cause and effect.

It gave Wen Xishu the feeling that he was playing a speedrunning game.

What Wen Renjing could not accomplish in seven days, perhaps Wen Xishu could achieve with just a few cups of wine.

Tang Rui said,

"So you'll find happiness too?"

"Of course. We'll use the same kind of cup, and I don't know what will happen after we drink. But fate brought us together. Perhaps in some future season, we will both bring luck to each other."

Wen Xishu filled his own cup as well.

He was not lying. There were two Truth Serum Wine Cups, and he and Tang Rui each had one at this moment.

But Wen Xishu knew what the Desire Tower's world was. He did not mind telling a being inside the Desire Tower every truth about himself.

Tang Rui said,

"How do we play? Spin the bottle? Roll dice?"

Wen Xishu smiled.

"You pick the rules. Just one thing—make it as fast as possible."

Tang Rui inexplicably found that exciting.

"Then we'll roll dice and guess odd or even. If it's odd, I drink. If it's even, you drink."

"No problem."

Tang Rui asked the bartender for dice. The two of them left the bar counter and moved to a slightly more secluded seat.

During the last few days of her life... Tang Rui wanted to go crazy.

Wen Xishu liked this kind of rapid start, but what he did not know was that although he would soon learn the full story...

This trip through the Desire Tower would be bloodier than his trip through the Strange Tower. Fortunately, he would be the one creating the bloodshed.

(Starting tomorrow, and for several days after that, the chapters should count as this book's first small climax. Old readers who know me should understand—it'll be those extra-long chapters with lots of words... Even though it hasn't been released yet, I'll still go all out when it's time to go all out. I hope you won't stockpile the new book~ Thank you, everyone.)