Chapter 13: The Breaker

Wen Renjing, the number one on the Tower of Desire's Heavenly Ladder, once summarized that every floor and every area of the Tower of Desire has its own story.

Although the people of the Three Towers possess intelligence no different from humans—and in fact, they are humans—they are like NPCs, manipulated by their original destinies.

Take Jack, Lei Mian, and Anderson, for example.

Even if Wen Xishu's appearance delayed Jack's progress, Lei Mian and Anderson would still bring despair and pain to Jack at the appropriate time.

This is their trajectory in the Tower of Desire.

Understanding the story content of an area is equivalent to mastering everyone's trajectory in the Tower of Desire, which helps in achieving a high completion rate.

And when different players enter the same area for the same mission—

It causes everyone to return to a certain time node, repeating fate all over again.

In layman's terms: the dungeon resets.

Yet, not long ago, Wen Renjing wrote another paper that shocked the entire Bunker.

The paper mentioned an existence known as a "Breaker."

Unlike ordinary people of the Three Towers, Breakers might retain some memories every time a mission resets...

They might remember parts of the memories from the last "dungeon reset."

Over time, Breakers realize that they are merely living in a game world, and this world is undergoing a cycle.

All effort loses its meaning, so it is better to indulge in pleasure, enjoy oneself wantonly, and constantly destroy.

"Rituals collapse and music decays"—this is how one describes a Breaker.

Since the world will reset anyway, and it's just a game, finding fun is what matters most.

Parents and friends are nothing but data. Whether it is teasing them, defrauding them, or killing them, it is all fine.

Simply put, Breakers are like those protagonists trapped in the same loop—

Unpredictable in behavior, abnormally familiar with the area they live in, and insane.

They will attempt to oppose players, defraud players, and toy with players.

And the higher the level, the higher the probability of Breakers appearing.

This can lead to many differential changes when different players enter the same area and accept the same mission...

Therefore, walkthroughs for the upper levels of the Tower of Desire have a certain expiration date, because the original storyline is very likely to be messed up by Breakers.

Naturally, the possibility of mission failure is very high.

And in this paper by Wen Renjing, it is also mentioned: Breakers are likewise bound by the rules of the Tower of Desire.

This is perhaps the price they pay for becoming Breakers.

If Wen Xishu had read this paper and knew that the Tower of Desire prohibits all violent acts—

Then he would understand why this "doctor" had that blank, confused expression.

Because the other party is a Breaker, and like a player, is bound by the rules of the Tower of Desire.

So much so that to kill an old lady, he cannot directly strangle her, but must use the momentum of a wheelchair to push her down.

In the original storyline, Jack was actually not diagnosed with stomach cancer.

He didn't even have the money to go to the hospital for a check-up, so naturally, it was impossible for him to know what was happening to him.

Also, in the original storyline, Jack did indeed encounter Lei Mian's backstabbing and Anderson's deception. But his mother did not die.

Jack always retained a shred of humanity; he ultimately spared Jennifer's life.

But with this doctor manipulating things from behind the scenes, Jack's fate changed.

The death of his mother was the major reason that truly crushed Jack's sanity.

Jennifer also heard that line from Jack in that building because of this—

"You have a mother, are you showing off to me?"

In the end, Jennifer looked back and chose her own mother, and was killed by Jack.

It's just that Wen Xishu's series of operations changed Jennifer's fate, letting her not look back. Jack, therefore, did not kill Jennifer out of jealousy.

Returning to the main topic, Wen Xishu did not know these things, but he had found the Breaker.

"This shouldn't be. Where did the problem arise? It was clearly the same as last time, but why did you suddenly appear in the hospital?"

The doctor was very surprised by Wen Xishu's arrival.

Wen Xishu said:

"Tell me, who exactly are you?"

The doctor shook his head lightly:

"Such questions are meaningless. I admit your appearance caught me off guard. I must have made a slip-up somewhere."

"But it doesn't matter. Since you can use violence, it proves you are just an ordinary person. I will keep an eye on you after the reset."

Wen Xishu did not understand, so he decided to change his way of communicating:

"Let me tell you a secret: I actually enjoy playing the role of a kind-faced person with stable emotions."

The doctor did not know why the other party would suddenly say this.

Wen Xishu's smile became increasingly friendly:

"Because only in this way, when I go crazy, will it be exceptionally satisfying—satisfying as if the world were misaligned."

Before the words had even faded, a heavy punch, disregarding all martial virtue, had already struck, deforming the doctor's handsome face.

The sound of the fist breaking the nasal bone echoed, but Wen Xishu did not stop.

He had noticed that this fake doctor seemed to fear violence.

This punch was just the beginning; a storm-like beating followed, and the doctor's face became a bloody mess in an instant.

His pig-head-like face made him look much more obedient.

Wen Xishu looked at the other party's bruised and swollen appearance, and his mood improved significantly. The better his mood, the more strength he had for beating people.

His smile began to change from kind to ferocious, and that bestial nature gradually manifested. This was the complete opposite of how he was when facing Jennifer.

The doctor had never been so terrified.

In his view, since this person could use violence, he must be an ordinary person, not an "Awakened One" like himself.

But looking at the smile that was gradually increasing in malice, a question arose in his heart: was this person going to kill him?

As an ordinary person, shouldn't he be afraid of the Morn City police? Shouldn't he consider the consequences of beating others?

The Breaker, who violated laws and discipline and whose rituals had collapsed, wanted to call the Morn City police to maintain order for the first time.

Wen Xishu really intended to beat the other party to death.

His logic was simple: the point of beating someone is to "obtain information" and "eliminate threats."

One of the two must be satisfied, right? Since obtaining information could not be achieved, then beat him to death to eliminate the threat.

And inexplicably, Wen Xishu felt very happy; using violence in the Tower of Desire made him exceptionally happy.

It was like sleeping in class; a bed is certainly more comfortable than a desk. But that taboo feeling of sleeping in class is truly satisfying.

Wen Xishu actually didn't need to worry about really beating someone to death.

When he first used violence to drag the doctor, he saw a health bar.

As well as his own weak damage values.

Although the health bar was still healthy, under such a beating, the doctor still began to beg for mercy.

Breakers at high levels of the Tower of Desire might also possess certain superpower aptitudes, just like Jack and the others.

But the doctor did not have this aptitude; facing a thug like Wen Xishu who started with zero-frame attacks, he really had no other choice but to beg for mercy and confess the truth.

Wen Xishu initially thought that the other party was part of some organization.

This world was about to become full of strangeness, and some people seemed to possess certain potential, such as Jack, who could become the Strange Jack.

With such people, naturally, there were also those who tried to manipulate them.

The bad news was that Wen Xishu guessed wrong; the other party's status wasn't that high.

The good news was that the existence of this doctor was even more interesting.

Through the doctor's description, Wen Xishu realized that this doctor was indeed a person of the Three Towers, but in terms of behavioral logic and characteristics, he was increasingly like a "player."

This was truly incredible; an NPC in the Tower of Desire had actually realized that he was experiencing some kind of cycle.

Wen Xishu was pleasantly surprised; this should be some kind of variant of the Three Towers people.

He could foresee that at high levels, such variables must be numerous, and everyone's original trajectory in the Tower of Desire might be messed up.

But in the face of various twisted developments, reversing the ending of a character made Wen Xishu feel a great sense of accomplishment.

The incident on the top floor of the nursing home did not attract any attention.

Wen Xishu actually did the nursing home a big favor, resolving a potential crisis.

Half an hour later, Jack arrived at the nursing home.

Jack's heartwarming reunion with his mother made Wen Xishu feel bored.

He had already started looking forward to returning to the Mysterious Tower, but the missions here had not all been completed.

Wen Xishu told Jack a lot, stating all his speculations, including those about Jennifer.

"You mean... Jennifer and I will be mutually attracted?" Jack felt this was somewhat unbelievable.

Wen Xishu said:

"You don't like Yulia, that's the truth, right?"

Jack nodded:

"That's the truth."

Wen Xishu smiled:

"And you are not a pedophile. If what you say is true, then you don't like other children either. So Jennifer alone is special."

Jack nodded again; he had said it before, aside from work, he really didn't want to have contact with other children.

Although he also mentioned going to the school for a performance, that was because he was short on money.

Thinking carefully about Wen Xishu's words, Jack did indeed feel that Jennifer could arouse his protective desire.

This was a very strange thing. At the very least, he had seen so many children, and among them were those cuter than Jennifer, but none made Jack feel like he wanted to get close to them like Jennifer did.

Wen Xishu said:

"Maybe it's hard for you to believe, but I do know some of the future."

"Jack, Jennifer has the same aptitude as you. While she attracts you, you are actually attracting her too."

"Master that power and protect her well. That era of calamity will arrive soon; only by supporting each other can you survive in that era."

Jack said in surprise:

"You mean... Jennifer, she is also like me, contaminated by something?"

"Not contamination. It's a pity, I have only just come into contact with these things, and my investigation journey is estimated to have a long way to go," Wen Xishu said.

Jack nodded slowly.

He could indeed feel that his body was a bit strange.

And the doctor, as a "Breaker," also knew that Jack was about to turn into a monster; it was very likely that this change would happen within twelve hours.

The essence of Breakers is that they are all fun-seekers. They just want to watch the chaos.

So the doctor thought about letting Jack experience a breakdown of his life before turning into a monster.

These things, accompanied by Wen Xishu's arrival and unreasonable beating, were all confessed by the doctor himself.

Wen Xishu knew the future, and Wen Xishu interrupted his plan; all of this also made the doctor terrified.

The doctor originally thought Wen Xishu was just an "NPC." But little did he know, he was the NPC in Wen Xishu's eyes.

Now, the doctor thought Wen Xishu was an Awakened One like himself.

But this was also the most terrifying part for him. Because since Wen Xishu was also an Awakened One... why couldn't he use violence, while Wen Xishu could?

In the doctor's eyes, his life would reset every so often. Even if he went to rob a bank or commit arson, it would be no problem; it could reset anyway.

But he couldn't do these things. He couldn't even use force to beat people.

Yet Wen Xishu could. The doctor couldn't help but wonder, could there be even higher-level Awakened Ones?

This self-brainstorming made him even more afraid of Wen Xishu. Both were existences capable of perceiving the cycle... one could use violence, and the other could not.

This was top-tier suppression.

Wen Xishu didn't know what the doctor was thinking, but his disdainful gaze made the doctor fear him even more.

Jack seemed to have accepted his fate, and Jack did not doubt Wen Xishu's words.

After all, according to the doctor's claims, it was very likely that he would undergo a mutation today or tomorrow.

Wen Xishu suddenly remembered something and exhorted:

"I'll leave this fake doctor to you. Your body will change very soon. After that, you will possess powerful strength."

"You can torture him as you please, don't be polite. Facing someone who wants to ruin your life, never return evil with good."

When the doctor heard this, he only prayed for the cycle to start quickly.

"Jack, a good person playing alone is a weak hand. If you must play, then be a good person with an edge."

"Being a person requires appropriate wildness, otherwise you will stifle yourself. I suggest you try it on Anderson and Lei Mian."

"Honestly, I quite like stepping on watermelons. One step down, and the watermelon bursts with juice. And keeping some meat in the fridge is also a good habit."

Wen Xishu was really worried that his intervention would make the Strange Jack boring and uninteresting, so he gave some reminders.

If there was enough time, he would even want to create a set of perverted test papers and only let Jack leave when he could score 97 points.

Of course, this could only be thought about. He still had to complete the final part of this mission.

Before leaving, Wen Xishu did not forget to squeeze some gold coins out of the "boss."

He took the money from the "doctor's" pocket.

Night.

In a high-end Western restaurant in Morn City, Wen Xishu invited Yulia to have dinner together.

There were many notices posted outside the restaurant—"Beware of rats." It seemed Morn City had been having a rat infestation recently.

However, this high-end restaurant still had good business; the waiters had clearly put in a lot of effort into driving away the rats.

Wen Xishu knew very well how to make Yulia happy.

However, this was not a female-oriented novel; the world was ending, so why bother with romance?

His purpose was merely to get closer to Jennifer. He wasn't even interested in the "exposing weaknesses" that most people loved to talk about.

Because Wen Xishu had already gained the favor of the Desire-Jennifer while in the Mysterious Tower, this made little Jennifer very close to Wen Xishu.

While Yulia was enjoying red wine, Wen Xishu proposed to have a little whisper with little Jennifer.

This made Yulia incredibly happy.

A handsome man, much younger than herself, looking to be at the most energetic age, seemingly having a bit of money, and willing to be good to her daughter—she felt she had met her true love.

Not far away, Jennifer was joyful and beaming. But Yulia didn't know that their conversation was like this.

"Jennifer, do you think it's cool to turn into a monster?"

"Huh? Can I really turn into one? That would be so cool!"

"Are you not afraid of rotting flesh, white bones, and skulls?"

"I am afraid, but if it's Uncle Jack, then it's very cool."

Wen Xishu liked this little girl who had double standards very much:

"Right? Remember your promise with Uncle Jack. He will invite you to see his performance."

"I remember, I remember, I really want to go, but Mom won't let me."

"It's okay, Uncle Jack will become very cool soon, and he will appear in front of you in a very cool way. I believe that performance will be unforgettable for you for the rest of your life."

"Really?"

"I certainly wouldn't lie to you. Jennifer, this world will undergo huge changes, but don't be afraid, because Uncle Jack will be with you."

"That's great, I also really want to play with Uncle Jack!"

Wen Xishu patted Jennifer's head.

The data in his eyes had changed:

【Jennifer's current happiness value: 99. Mission status: Completed.】

【After completing the Mysterious Tower trial, the Tower of Desire trial rewards will be unlocked simultaneously.】

This meant Wen Xishu could obtain double rewards from the Mysterious Tower and the Tower of Desire.

He smiled just as happily; in Yulia's eyes, his smile was very childlike.

But if this smile changed its gaze slightly, it would be no different from the Strange Jack's smile.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 14 =====