High Score Pervert Wen

Jennifer suspected she was mistaken; this older brother was actually heading to Uncle Jack's room.

However, Wen Xishu was incredibly steady, and this calmness gave Jennifer some strength.

The hallway had become a maze, a ghost wall. The real exit might be in one of the rooms on this floor.

Wen Xishu wasn't sure either, until a prompt appeared.

"This floor has many rooms. Searching them one by one will likely cause a disturbance and waste time, but if we combine it with Jack's words, the correct option becomes obvious."

"As always, Jack's words are actually very clear hints."

Jack's room was indeed on this floor.

It wasn't far from Jennifer's home. This made Remian, who lived upstairs, very jealous.

The door was unlocked, left half-open, and a strange, chilling aura emanated from the room, making it impossible to approach.

Jack was once a genuinely good person.

Before he became a monster, he trusted the people here greatly. The door wasn't locked precisely to make it easier for others to find him for help.

There are people in this world who, despite their own poverty, find joy in helping others.

Wen Xishu wasted no more time and walked in with Jennifer.

As soon as the two entered, "Jack" appeared in the hallway.

Its face couldn't be seen clearly because it was covered by the faces of several other residents.

It had torn off their faces and attached them to its own, like a half-mask.

Four eyeballs, two crooked noses, and four oddly angled ears were stitched together with black thread.

Only the mouth was its own, still emitting a maniacal laugh.

This laughter seemed to possess a strange power, spreading to every room.

Only its own room was unaffected.

Sunlight streamed into the room, but it didn't make Jack's room bright and warm.

On the contrary, this little light made the gloomy room appear quite dilapidated.

Bare, somewhat damp walls stood silently. Two old, decaying chairs in the room, untouched by anyone, swayed slightly on their own, emitting a grating creak.

There was even a refrigerator in the room, but the smell emanating from it was nauseating.

It was the smell of blood.

Jennifer shivered. Wen Xishu held her small hand, and the warmth from his palm gave her a sense of security.

Up to this point, Wen Xishu hadn't spoken, only typing calmly:

"It seems this is the audience seating prepared for us."

Wen Xishu sat down directly. At that moment, he felt as if he were lying in an ice cellar, with a cold that penetrated to his bones.

The surrounding scenery also changed color, covered by a faint scarlet hue. In his mind, a giant smiling face flickered in and out of existence.

Wen Xishu remained unfazed, beckoning Jennifer with a smile that exuded a sense of security.

So, Jennifer also sat on the chair.

The performance began.

The scene Wen Xishu saw was bizarre.

A giant smiling face loomed over a city.

But everyone in the city seemed oblivious to this sky-obscuring smile.

The smile wasn't menacing; it even felt somewhat healing. Beneath the smiling face was a city named Moen.

This was a young city. The not-so-young Jack was in Moen City Hospital.

He had been taught from a young age to smile at others, be polite, and be someone who brings joy to people.

But the late-stage stomach cancer diagnosis made him unable to smile anymore.

As death approached, no matter whether you played the role of a workhorse or a slacker in society, you would realize—you are actually a human being.

At the end of his life, Jack wanted to be human again, to be a good person.

He took his medical report and returned heavily to that old building.

The room was unbelievably simple: a kettle, a bed, two chairs. And a refrigerator that no longer cooled, now purely a storage cabinet.

He found an old notebook and wrote down his wish.

"As a colleague, I really dislike Remian's backbiting. But I think life must have made him necessarily harsh."

"This world has many kinds of outer coverings; some keep you warm, others protect you from harm."

"Perhaps Remian's is the latter."

"I have my own outer covering too. I hope, as my mother used to say, it can bring people happiness."

"I should make peace with Remian. We're neighbors and colleagues, after all. I don't want anyone to resent me in the final moments of my life."

"I just want to be remembered as a good person, both on my tombstone and in people's memories."

Jack let out a long sigh, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"I like spending time with little Jennifer. Although Yulia always says that men these days dislike her because she has a child, that men are all pragmatic and cruel."

"But in my heart, little Jennifer is truly adorable. She's one of the few people who genuinely enjoys my performances."

"The meaning of my life is to bring laughter to others, though I am meaningless to many."

"But little Jennifer isn't like that... Little Jennifer and I have made plans to watch my new rehearsal at my place tomorrow."

"The troupe is doing worse and worse. I think maybe I should join some stand-up comedy shows while performing acrobatics."

"I can't keep up with the younger generation's sense of humor anymore, but Jennifer is even younger than the young people."

Thinking about little Jennifer coming to see his performance, Jack's smile grew warmer and more healing. Even with his clown makeup on, he wouldn't appear sinister, terrifying, or grotesque.

"And my good friend, Anderson. I've saved up some money, but I don't think I'll have the chance to use it."

"Anderson is a good person. In this building, he's the only one who talks to me often. Even though he's very busy, he still makes time to accompany me during his busiest moments."

"My money would just be wasted on myself. I should leave some for him... maybe it can help him live a little better."

"Lastly, my mother. It's a shame, but I might have to leave you first..."

"Mom, I love you so much, so much. I hope you can stay healthy and live a long life, even though you're also suffering from illness..."

"What saddens me even more is that I probably won't be able to work hard to earn money anymore. My time is running out."

"I've always listened to you. I've been eating well. My stomach problems are definitely not from starving, absolutely not. I don't know how they came about either."

"I've been living pretty well, but then I suddenly got sick."

"But I'll do my best to tidy myself up and appear healthy when I see you one last time."

Regarding his mother, Jack was somewhat being untruthful. He was afraid that after his death, his mother would think he got stomach problems because he didn't eat properly, and then feel guilty.

In reality, he often went hungry and was skin and bones. But he didn't want his mother to think that.

Just as he had always done, he only shared the good news and kept the bad to himself.

Little Jennifer, his confidante; Yulia, the one he loved; Remian, his colleague; Anderson, his friend; and his mother.

These people made up Jack's life.

That's why his apartment didn't even have a door that could be closed, and he never bothered to fix them.

It was as if, with the doors open, these people would walk in and chat with him.

Even if they asked for his help, adding more trouble to his already trouble-filled life, he considered it happiness.

Life is not a mirror; it doesn't necessarily respond to a smile with a smile.

After finishing his lengthy note, which was like a farewell to the world, Jack spaced out for a while before heading upstairs.

He was going to find Remian.

Soon, he apologized to Remian. He didn't mind Remian's condescending forgiveness.

As long as there was no one in this building who disliked him anymore.

He should have left then, but he suddenly thought that he needed to make things clear—he was dying soon, and how could a dead man still pursue the one he loved?

He wanted Remian to know that Miss Yulia wouldn't fancy someone like him, and that after his death, the apartment could be given to Remian.

He wanted to support and bless Remian, and encourage him to pursue love. Even if Miss Yulia was highly unlikely to like anyone from this building.

So Jack turned back and went to find Remian again.

Remian was on the phone.

"Yulia, please believe me. Jack's poverty is a given, but he's also lazy and has a wicked heart."

"You know his performances always make people uncomfortable, and he's no longer just limiting it to adults."

"Last week, he proposed performing at a school..."

"How malicious of him! How pitiful those children would be! His grotesque appearance would leave psychological scars on so many children. I will let everyone know his true colors."

"You know what? He doesn't love children! He actually hates kids."

"I heard he's even inviting Jennifer to watch his performance alone. Good heavens, please make sure Jennifer stays away from him too. She'll have nightmares!"

Jack stood at the top of the stairs, his smile long since frozen.

In fact, such scenes had occurred more than once.

Remian always liked to badmouth people behind their backs, sometimes to the circus ringmaster, sometimes to Yulia.

There's no such thing as camouflage; some people are just purely evil.

A hint of malice flickered across the giant smiling face in the sky.

Anderson was Jack's good friend.

Jack had always felt that having one good friend in life was enough.

He wanted to say a proper goodbye to Anderson and give him some money.

But when he returned home, ready to take out the money, Anderson and his girlfriend were in Jack's room.

"This place reeks of mold, why would you keep money here?"

The woman said with disgust.

Anderson said matter-of-factly:

"This dump is my money box, no... it's my cash cow."

"That idiot Jack always hides his money in the lining of this old refrigerator. Besides me, no one really knows the money is hidden here."

The woman asked, confused:

"Then if you take his money, won't he know it was you?"

Anderson chuckled sheepishly:

"Of course, but it doesn't matter. I'll just make up some excuse, like I'm sick, and this idiot will believe whatever I say."

"He'll even worry about me, ask if I have enough, and sometimes when I don't have money, he'll tell me to wait and he'll go do odd jobs to earn it."

The woman was even more astonished:

"Is there such a person in this world?"

Anderson's smile grew more unrestrained:

"He's someone who claims he'd do anything for a friend, and I am his friend."

"So this money is actually mine to begin with. God saw I was working too hard and arranged a living money box for me to befriend."

"Let's go, my dear. I'll treat you to a good meal tonight, then we'll get a room!"

Anderson put his arm around the woman's waist. The woman vaguely felt something was wrong.

Anderson then said:

"Some people in this world offer tribute to love, and of course, some people offer tribute to friendship. I gave him the friendship he fantasized about, so he gives me money. Isn't that reasonable?"

The woman nodded, and their laughter drowned out the sound of tears falling outside the door.

The smiling face in the sky had turned ferocious, its eyes glowing with a sinister crimson, and the clouds were also dyed red.

Jack hid himself, looking somewhat disheveled. He wanted to scream hysterically, but in the end, he didn't.

He just waited for Anderson to leave, then quietly took out the little money he had left.

The banknotes in his hand silently watched his sad face. It seemed to be wondering who this man would give it to.

In this world, there are many ways for the rich to express affection: a smile, a greeting, a Weibo post thanking the world...

And countless people will rush to praise them.

But for the poor, the only way to express affection seems to be money. When you have no money, everything you do seems like an outdated performance from a circus...

It doesn't make people laugh, it only evokes disgust and mockery. It shouldn't be like this.

But Jack still took the money, preparing to give it to Jennifer and Yulia.

He called Yulia, wanting to say, "Yulia, if you're busy, can I pick up Jennifer from school for you?"

But Yulia rejected his call. When he called again, Yulia's phone indicated it was turned off.

He then walked towards the school, clutching his stomach along the way, feeling a pain in his stomach as if the world had collapsed, churning and cramping.

At the school gate, he saw Jennifer and Yulia.

Yulia seemed to have finished work early today.

Perhaps because of Remian's call, Yulia looked at Jack with extreme wariness.

Jack didn't know how to face Yulia. He could only look at Jennifer:

"Little Jennifer, you'll come to watch my performance, right?"

"Jennifer is busy tomorrow; she has to catch up on her studies." Yulia felt an equal level of disdain for everyone in this building.

She considered herself a beautiful woman, worthy only of handsome white rich men.

Her current situation in the slums was only temporary, just like Cinderella would eventually be found by a prince.

A domineering CEO would surely fall in love with me, a divorced single mother.

"Then... then the day after tomorrow is fine too."

"We have tutoring the day after tomorrow too."

"What about the day after that? Is that day okay? A few more days later is fine too..."

"No time, no time! We have tutoring, and Jennifer and I are moving out soon. Stop bothering us! Jennifer, let's go."

Yulia took Jennifer and left.

Jack had been enduring it with all his might, but he finally couldn't take it anymore. The pain made him drop to his knees, and he started dry heaving, though nothing actually came out.

He wanted to apologize to Jennifer, to not let the child see him in such a pathetic state.

But Yulia had already taken Jennifer away, as decisively as if shaking off a plague.

Jennifer really wanted to turn back and hug Jack. Tears welled up in her eyes, but Yulia's hand grabbed Jennifer, and she sternly shouted:

"Jennifer, no turning back!"

This was the last thing Jack heard Yulia say.

Then, laughter finally filled the air, but it wasn't happy laughter; it was mockery. Jack started sobbing uncontrollably.

A grown man kneeling and crying drew the mockery of a group of children.

Jack suddenly felt like giving up, like lying on the ground to rest for a bit. But at that moment, a call came in.

"Mr. Jack, we are from Moen City's Fourth Nursing Home. Your mother had a small accident not long ago."

"We... we did our best. Perhaps you should come to the nursing home."

The phone fell to the ground, and the already cracked screen gained another crack. But it made no sound; the world seemed to freeze at that moment.

All the beauty and hope in his life had died before his life did.

The giant smiling face in the sky had become terrifyingly distorted, the red light in its eyes illuminating the world, casting a blood-red hue over everything.

The sounds of mockery abruptly stopped, but another manic laughter faintly rose.

Under immense pressure, the person who wanted to bring joy to the world seemed to be alive, yet also dead.

What Jack didn't know was that he had already been chosen by the Tower. His fate would not end here.

The two chairs stopped rocking.

Wen Xishu and Jennifer woke up simultaneously. Jennifer's eyes were full of tears, unsure if it was from fear or sadness for Jack's experience.

Wen Xishu, on the other hand, looked calm, his attention drawn elsewhere.

On the bare wall, two blood-red numbers appeared.

97, 61.

Wen Xishu frowned slightly, then broke into a smile.

Notes appeared in his eyes, but due to his low anti-magic value, they were still garbled.

However, he still guessed the meaning of the numbers.

As an audience member, Jennifer had scored 61 points for watching this performance, a passing grade. A score suitable for an NPC, not too high, not too low.

And Wen Xishu had scored 97 points.

He was so sure because, although Wen Xishu couldn't decipher the garbled notes, he had received another prompt.

[You have shared the same thoughts as Ghoul Jack multiple times. Throughout the viewing process, you did not pity Jack; instead, you felt a desire for bloodshed. You only diverged on one point. You are truly Ghoul Jack's confidant.]

[Obtained Item: Invitation: Happy Jennifer.]

[Ghoul Jennifer's Favorability Increased.]

Simply put, while watching Jack's desperate day from a special perspective, Wen Xishu did not cry like Jennifer, nor did he lament Jack's pitiable state.

He even thought, Boring, why cry? I want to see a river of blood. Fast forward to him becoming ten times stronger after going dark, and then let him kill to his heart's content.

When he thought about Jack actually going on a killing spree in reality later... he even felt a sense of exhilaration during the viewing process.

Wen Xishu hadn't expected this to earn him an unbelievably high score:

"I bonded with a pervert, and thus received a special item?"

In his pocket, he indeed found an invitation letter with a peculiar texture. He opened it and read:

[Jennifer in the slums of Moen City is not very happy recently. Perhaps you have a way to make her happy.]

[Press your fingerprint on the invitation to interrupt and pause the Ghoul Tower's progress, enter the corresponding level of the Desire Tower to obtain important items, and unlock hidden plots for the Ghoul Tower and Slaughter Tower.]

Wen Xishu was astonished.

He realized that invitations might be something triggered by only a very small number of people.

In his limited memory, no one had ever mentioned such a thing.

This thing could actually bypass the login device's restrictions and forcibly transfer to another tower?

What surprised Wen Xishu even more was that the invitation mentioned not only the Desire Tower but also the Slaughter Tower. The connection between the three towers was tighter than he had imagined.

He thought of the differentiated notes like Ghoul Jennifer and Desire Jennifer. Could there also be a Slaughter Jennifer?

Little Jennifer suddenly spoke, interrupting Wen Xishu's thoughts:

"Big brother... look, the stairs have appeared!"