Chapter 106: Slaughter Tower Curse

The next day.

Albert wore a black cloak and hood; from a distance, one could see his beard, but not his eyes beneath the hood.

This attire of Albert's was rare.

Wen Renjing said:

"Master, I see you in this outfit again. Every once in a while, I see you dressed like this."

This was a forbidden garden in the Desire Tower Academy department, the same place where Wen Renjing and Wen Xishu had once chatted.

Here, Albert often played chess with Wen Renjing.

But today, there was one more person coming.

"This is what you called... Three-Kingdom Chess?"

Albert looked at the improved chessboard Wen Renjing had made, showing some interest.

Wen Renjing said:

"Yes, it's rare that the three of us... that the two of us can play chess with you again, so I specifically learned this in the Desire Tower world."

Albert nodded:

"Very good. By the way, has your Desire Sequence had any new expansions recently?"

Wen Renjing nodded:

"It has."

Albert smiled:

"That's good. You must work hard, Jingzi. Although your level is higher than Xun Hui's, the Desire Tower's exploration difficulty is low, and the exploration depth cap is very high."

Wen Renjing agreed deeply:

"I have never slacked off, Master. It's just... sometimes my luck really isn't very good."

Albert said:

"Not long ago, I heard that kid Wen Xishu say he turned a guy who might have been a leader-level into a Dominator. In the exploration report he wrote about the seventh floor of the Mysterious Tower, there was a passage saying that saving the seven people in a certain apartment actually hinged on the seventh person."

Wen Renjing said softly:

"Yes, Master. Actually, I have also been following Wen Xishu's tower-climbing reports. Sometimes I have to sigh; he truly has astonishing talent. His potential might not be below Chao... Wen Zhaohua's."

Wen Renjing paused and continued:

"I actually remember that mission, but I asked quite a few people who explored that mission with me..."

"It turned out that the mission everyone received was to bring happiness to six people. Those six people were the six residents in the Miracle Building: the lawyer Jiang Yingce, the actor He Taiping, and others."

"The An Youxuan and An Jincheng that Wen Xishu mentioned... it's very hard to dig information out of those six people."

"Of course, it's not that there's no way to find out. It's just that it really takes a very long detour."

Wen Renjing had an exterior that everyone could like, and the ability to see through people's hearts, but he did not have an "Invitation Letter."

The exploration depth of the Desire Tower actually depends to a large extent on the entry time, location, and even identity.

Wen Renjing could use luck points to adjust, but without an Invitation Letter, he would always appear in a slightly distant location.

And having never experienced the Mysterious Tower, it was also hard for him to know what the deepest despair experienced by those Desire Tower mission targets was.

But on this point, Wen Xishu was different.

Wen Renjing said:

"I actually understand a little bit why Wen Zhaohua said those words to you back then."

Albert said:

"You mean that sentence about the Mysterious Tower being the most important?"

Wen Renjing nodded:

"Master, if one cuts into the various trajectories of the Three Towers World before the apocalypse directly from the Desire Tower, what one faces is that world of common people."

"That world is too big, which also makes it hard for me to find the correct entry point."

"But the Mysterious Tower is different. Through the Invitation Letter, Wen Zhaohua discovered back then that the way to enter the Desire Tower was completely different from others."

"Now, Wen Xishu has also proven this point."

Albert smiled:

"It's very fair, isn't it?"

Wen Renjing knew the meaning of this sentence.

"Yes, it is indeed very fair."

The Desire Tower doesn't require risking danger, but the Mysterious Tower does. Wen Xishu got an Invitation Letter; you can envy him, but no one is stopping you from using the same means to fight for it.

There are many people exploring the Mysterious Tower, but how many have gotten an Invitation Letter? Almost none.

Wen Renjing chuckled:

"Fair, so I don't dare to go. But fortunately, with the help of some Desire Sequences, at higher levels, I have also begun to gradually be able to find those breakers."

"I think there might come a day in the future when he and I can join forces."

The two's conversation was interrupted because a figure suddenly leaped directly over the iron gate.

"Jingzi, Old Man, sorry, I'm late."

The person speaking had a tall stature, sword-like eyebrows, and star-like eyes, but didn't appear overly burly. He sat on the third stool with great familiarity.

"Chess? Why are we playing this stuff again? Can't we play something that relies on luck?"

"Xun Hui, your killing intent has become a bit heavier recently," Wen Renjing said.

The person who arrived was none other than the number one on the Slaughter Tower ladder, Xun Hui.

The only person who could get both Xun Hui and Wen Renjing to come play chess was Albert.

Albert laughed heartily:

"I knew you didn't like chess, so I actually brought a deck of playing cards."

Wen Renjing gave a bitter smile and then put away the chess pieces and board.

Xun Hui said:

"It's not that I don't like it, but if you're calling the two of us here, it must be for serious business, right?"

"I'm a person who likes to compete; I must win in everything. Listening to serious business while using my brain with you two is too tiring."

"Just playing something that relies on luck is fine. Old Man, don't shuffle; if you shuffle, there's no point in playing. Let Jingzi do it; Jingzi doesn't have the ability."

Wen Renjing thought to himself, as expected.

Whenever it came to card games, the job of shuffling always fell to him because Albert and Xun Hui's hand speed was too fast. It was very easy to cheat.

And these two people, one could only say they were worthy of being master and apprentice; the old one would never play by normal rules if he could cheat, and the young one was the same.

After a long time, the two had to reach a tacit understanding to let Wen Renjing, who was relatively incapable of cheating and lacked astonishing hand speed, do the shuffling.

The three began to draw cards, and Xun Hui said:

"Speak, Old Man, what is the matter that you called me here for?"

Albert didn't answer but said first:

"Have you felt that your temper has become more and more irritable recently?"

Xun Hui nodded:

"Yes."

Wen Renjing's expression became more serious.

At this moment, Albert's hand moved a bit fast while drawing cards. Xun Hui said coldly:

"Talk about business, don't fucking cheat."

Albert didn't change his expression, put the cards back, and continued:

"Have you smelled anything?"

Xun Hui looked at Albert; at this moment, the old man was wearing a black cloak, as if deliberately hiding himself.

Xun Hui said:

"Old Man, there's the smell of blood on you."

Wen Renjing was startled:

"Master, you... what did you do?"

Albert was very satisfied:

"Very good, very good, kid. Your five senses have become stronger. What floor of the Slaughter Tower are you on now?"

Xun Hui's tone was neither cold nor hot:

"Floor 59."

"Oh, about to break through the sixtieth floor. Truly not bad; you're only a third-year student and haven't even graduated yet," Albert said, feeling increasingly gratified.

But the next second, all the smiles on his face disappeared:

"This is the first thing I wanted to tell you today by having you come here: Xun Hui, it's time for you to kill someone."

These words were truly shocking. It was only because Wen Renjing had the special ability to soothe his own emotions that he appeared very calm.

Xun Hui frowned slightly, his resolute face saying:

"Old Man, explain yourself clearly."

Albert said:

"You can choose to hang around the Desire Tower, enjoy life in the Desire Tower, and dissipate your hostility."

"You can also choose to stay in the bunker for a long time and no longer consider hanging around the Slaughter Tower."

"But if you still want to hang around the Slaughter Tower and want to become stronger, then the hostility in you will become heavier and heavier."

"Recently, you should have started to have some inexplicable irritability, right?"

Xun Hui didn't hide it; Albert and Wen Renjing were the two people he trusted most.

"Yes, I started dating a girlfriend not long ago. When doing certain things, I would think of some strange images."

Wen Renjing pricked up his ears to listen to the gossip. Xun Hui said:

"Looking at her fair skin and listening to her somewhat painful gasps, I suddenly wanted to tear her apart. It was as if that was more pleasurable to me than intimate contact with her. I wanted to see her blood splatter and her flesh shattered."

Xun Hui said these hair-raising words very seriously. Because he had killed too many monsters.

Xun Hui also suppressed this desire. Since childhood, Xun Hui had been a straightforward person; he felt that he was just stating some thoughts now, which didn't count as a crime.

So he was very calm.

Regarding killing, Xun Hui also felt it wasn't something that needed to be covered up; it was just a job.

Albert said:

"I had your reaction when I was on the fortieth floor or so. You're better than me; you still suppressed it. I didn't suppress it at the time."

"I tell you, I really killed someone. You just had the desire, but I didn't suppress the desire. When Old Jin and I were climbing the tower back then, an official from the Government Bureau scolded me for not showing enough respect to Old Jin."

"So I tore him apart in front of Old Jin. The people around were scared silly because I was a lunatic, hahahahaha. Many of those who still remember this incident back then now hold high positions."

"They are all afraid of me."

"After killing the person, I felt much more comfortable, and that irritability was gone."

"Old Jin noticed something wrong with me at the time and talked to me for a long time. Later on, I discovered that every once in a while, I craved killing."

"So Old Jin and I concluded that this is a curse. Living to this age, I have also verified many guesses, and these guesses are all correct."

"Xun Hui, Jingzi, I kill people often, it's just that you don't know, and I want to tell you that the higher the tower-climbing level, the stronger that desire for crazy killing will be."

"I have been to the Desire Tower; there, I couldn't use violence. Under the constraints of the rules, I gradually found peace. But a cycle takes seven days, and obtaining peace often takes several cycles."

"It's a pity, I can't stay that long; I must find a way to keep climbing the tower."

"Of course, these were all things from decades ago. Later, Old Jin and I gave that official's family a sum of merit points, and they lived quite well."

The teacher actually has such a brutal side? Wen Renjing was secretly surprised.

Xun Hui said nonchalantly:

"Is there only this one method? And why am I like this?"

Albert said:

"It's very simple. After passing the twenty-fifth floor, people who meet certain conditions will have these changes and start to crave killing and become irritable. You are a person who meets the conditions, it's just that your inner heart is extremely strong, which allows you to suppress that desire to kill."

"If you continue to explore the Slaughter Tower regardless, then your desire to kill will become stronger and stronger. If it is not released periodically and left to accumulate..."

"Then you will become a bloodthirsty and brutal monster. It's just like killing too many monsters by accident but forgetting to light a campfire."

Xun Hui's face seemed to have only one expression; he didn't care that this had already happened to him, just asked coldly:

"Why? I clearly kill to the critical value every time, but I definitely haven't crossed the line... I consider that I control every killing very well."

Albert smiled:

"That is the reason. Once the killing value exceeds the limit, you will become a monster. So many people's safety lines are not set at the critical point; most people leave once they meet the Slaughter Tower departure standard."

"Only people like you and me... will always think about maximizing the benefits each time and completing as many kills as possible. So every time, we are stuck at the critical point and try to stay for several days, or even stay until we are almost at the full seven days."

Xun Hui was puzzled:

"But the rules allow us to do this, why not? Killing monsters is a very interesting thing; waist-cutting, dismemberment, decapitation, these behaviors can make me gain peace. And doing so can also get stronger and better rewards."

Wen Renjing had the feeling that he had completely become a supporting character for the first time.

It wasn't the first time the three of them had talked like this, but it was indeed the first time they had talked about this topic.

Wen Renjing only then realized that the Master and Xun Hui were... so bloodthirsty in their bones.

Albert said:

"On this point, the two of us are quite similar; I prefer to use sequence power to melt enemies directly."

"This is not the point; the point is... killing to the critical point every time will cause certain forces to affect your temperament; you can understand this as a kind of curse, and in fact, it is indeed a curse."

Albert suddenly narrowed his eyes and said seriously:

"Understand it as the Slaughter Tower being afraid of you, so some kind of rule is refusing you entry into the Slaughter Tower, or assimilating you."

Xun Hui heard these things for the first time, and he was also a little surprised:

"You have never talked about these before."

Albert said:

"Because I was too used to all this. I didn't expect that someone would have the same symptoms as me so soon."

Xun Hui said seriously:

"I don't want to give up exploring the Slaughter Tower, and I don't want to slow down the pace of exploring the Slaughter Tower. Old Man, I hope to fight side by side with you before I am thirty."

"I'm really afraid that you'll be too old and die first."

Albert laughed heartily again:

"Hahahahaha, Jingzi, on this point you are not as good as Xun Hui; I like talking to Xun Hui."

Wen Renjing smiled, feeling quite helpless.

Albert said:

"Hanging around the Desire Tower or staying in the bunker, in essence, relies on time to wear down your hostility."

"If you don't want to waste time, then there is only one way to alleviate the curse, which is to kill."

Wen Renjing asked:

"So Master... actually, you have been killing people all these years?"

Albert didn't deny it at all:

"Yes, just today, I killed a person, a person in charge of case arbitration in a subordinate department of the Government Bureau. I feel refreshed now."

Wen Renjing shook his head first, then sighed:

"I guess this person really deserved to die? Did he do many harmful things?"

Albert said:

"Yes, the people I kill currently all have these characteristics. The person I killed this time used his position for convenience and misjudged many cases."

"And before, I killed rapists, scammers, and those who set up honey traps. Once I pretend to be a foolish, rich, and senile old man, the bad guys around me increase. I like them to do bad things, the more heartless the better."

"Of course, even if one day there are no bad people in this world, as long as I still want to climb the tower, I will not give up killing."

"I will kill good people just the same."

The kind-looking old principal said these words with a calm expression and a slow speaking speed, without any ripples.

Wen Renjing didn't speak; he knew that the Master was committed to solving the mystery of the top of the Slaughter Tower, and for this, he would sweep away any obstacles in his path.

Xun Hui said:

"You have been killing people for so many years; Old Man, you hide it really deep. It seems you won't defend yourself for killing people either."

Albert gave a contemptuous smile:

"There is nothing to defend. If this world were all 'A is wrong, B is right,' it would be too perfect. Unfortunately, it is not so. This world is often 'A is wrong, a little less wrong; B is also wrong, a little more wrong.'"

"All choices in life are nothing more than choosing the right one, or when there is no right option, choosing the one with the smaller loss."

Wen Renjing was somewhat helpless, but he knew very well that the Master was already controlling it as much as possible.

Xun Hui completely agreed with this point, and he didn't mind killing at all.

"Since that's the case, please give me a list of people to kill; I need a three-year supply. I will not stop my pace of climbing the tower."

Xun Hui gave the impression of a cold-blooded yet decisive image with overflowing killing intent.

Albert shook his head:

"Crazy, what kind of people to kill must be investigated slowly."

Wen Renjing suddenly spoke:

"Master, why didn't Wen Zhaohua have these manifestations?"

Albert shook his head:

"If we don't count that thing he did, just looking at his previous performance, he seemed to be unaffected by the curse. Speaking of which, he was also like us, pursuing the completeness rating every time and killing to the killing value limit as much as possible."

"But every time he saw me, I couldn't feel a bit of killing intent. The curse seemed to have no effect on him."

Wen Renjing said:

"Does that mean he knew some way to avoid it? Perhaps he didn't know it himself, but just inadvertently did certain behaviors to avoid it?"

"Although this is a bit far-fetched... but I always feel that Wen Zhaohua and Wen Xishu are relatively special. Perhaps we can find a way to suppress the Slaughter Tower curse from Wen Xishu."

Wen Renjing sighed:

"This curse is indeed simple to deal with; killing... for people of our status, it is actually very easy. But a curse is a curse; I think if it can be lifted, we should at least try."

Xun Hui thought for a while and then said:

"Wen Xishu, is he Wen Zhaohua's younger brother? That guy who has been in the limelight recently and has had four consecutive level-six completeness ratings in the Mysterious Tower? Jingzi, you actually think he can help the Master and me get rid of the curse?"

Wen Renjing shook his head:

"I just think he might find some special paths. This feeling is strange, but I am indeed thinking that he might be like Wen Zhaohua, a person who can always bring surprises."

Albert was very satisfied with the turn of the topic:

"Yes, that's the little guy; he's very interesting. Since we're talking about him, let me talk about the next thing."

Xun Hui and Wen Renjing both listened carefully, and Albert said:

"This is a very interesting little guy. Regardless of whether you think Wen Zhaohua gave him some opportunity or treasure... but now in my opinion, this little guy will be able to fill Wen Zhaohua's vacancy in the future."

These words shocked both Xun Hui and Wen Renjing. The Master's evaluation of Wen Xishu seemed a bit too high.

Albert just laughed heartily:

"Xun Hui, he is climbing the tower today, along with Old Jin's grandson. You go with them. This is his first time logging into the Slaughter Tower."

(End of chapter)