Chapter 135: More Correct Than Slaughter

They were all dead.

The seven characters in the Mysterious Tower who could threaten Wen Xishu's personal safety were all dead.

Through the Death Barrage, Wen Xishu also learned the pasts of these seven characters.

But it was all meaningless.

Their pasts had been corrupted to an absurd degree.

Since this mission had no specific goal other than to make people happy, Wen Xishu thought for a moment...

It seemed no one was happy this time.

Only he himself was happy, so the mission was not yet complete.

After washing the bloodstains off his body, he thought he still had to complete the mission, so... he walked toward the temple on the mountain; that was Master Lingqing's temple.

Along the way, Wen Xishu started from the junkyard and passed through the center of Deer Island.

On the main street of Deer Island, police officers had already begun to cordon off the "Evolutionist Restaurant" scene.

The councilman from Hujiang was dead, and the owner of the Evolutionist Restaurant was also dead.

This series of incidents had put the Deer Island police on high alert.

But on the road, it was actually just people watching the excitement.

People's discussions went like this:

"Ah, I really wanted to eat my wife's hands. I was thinking that with Chef Watanabe's skills, he could make my wife's hands taste a bit better."

"Yeah, my son grew a third eye, but the perspective is very strange. It always feels like looking at a cracked mirror. I was thinking, either ask Dr. Hattori for help... or ask Mr. Watanabe to make an eye dish so it can eat its own third eye to supplement the other two."

"Right, right. Chef Watanabe is a pity. I wonder if his corpse can be eaten by us..."

"I'm so greedy, hehe, hehehe."

"Maybe the murderer killed people just to eat them. Maybe the corpse has already been eaten. I see those few policemen are also eager to eat, right?"

The style of everyone's discussion had become extremely bizarre.

This was certainly not caused by the Corruptor, or perhaps it was, but it wasn't Hoshino.

It was a Corruptor of a higher level and higher plane, or perhaps... some god.

In a sense, Hoshino was just a pusher.

The environment created Hoshino, and Hoshino was not yet the true mastermind behind the environment.

But clearly, that was not something the 42nd floor of the Tower of Desire could solve.

The residents of Deer Island had already begun to mutate. This mutation was not just physical distortion, becoming strange and grotesque.

Looking at their reaction to Watanabe's death, these residents' thoughts had also begun to mutate.

Man eating man... no, to be precise, the era of monsters eating monsters would definitely come.

But this Deer Island must still have true humans, humans like him who had not mutated.

Those people were the sparks.

On the edge of Deer Island, in a dilapidated temple on a lonely mountain.

Master Lingqing was tapping a wooden fish, his back presented to Wen Xishu, appearing incomparably lonely.

A lone monk in a dilapidated temple on a cold mountain, his cassock was already damaged, and his body also showed signs of mutation.

Wen Xishu said:

"Master, I have returned."

Golden light flared, and Master Lingqing pulled Wen Xishu into an illusion again, saying:

"Has my power been of any help to you, benefactor?"

"Yes, the will of the dead allowed me to figure out the cause and effect of many things. I also saw the lives of those seven people. In a sense, this thing allows me to see the lantern-lit memories of others before they die," Wen Xishu smiled.

Master Lingqing sighed:

"It seems they are all dead?"

Wen Xishu admitted frankly:

"Yes, they are all dead. I killed them. Are you regretful, Master?"

Master Lingqing nodded:

"I always thought I could cleanse their sins, always thought... they were also worth saving."

Wen Xishu smiled:

"They are worth it. But it's a pity, it's not this version anymore. I don't know how deep your understanding of us is, Master, but as the only person in my eyes qualified to survive in the apocalypse, I can tell you some things."

"Naturally, there were many people like me in the past. When they came here, perhaps you were still a nemesis of evil in people's eyes, Master."

"Perhaps there was still innocence in Mariko's heart, perhaps there was still a kind personality hidden deep in Tetsuya Fukang Zheye's heart, Sanshen Banzao might have just suffered some trauma, the delivery man carried the hopes of many, Watanabe might not have gone astray yet, Dr. Hattori might have hidden obsessions that could be resolved, and behind the vagrant Kinoshita's ability, there might also be a story hidden."

"But that is all in the past. Perhaps Deer Island could have been a place that could be moved by love, but it's a pity, when it was my turn... there is only one person left here who can be saved."

Master Lingqing's hand tapping the wooden fish suddenly stopped.

Wen Xishu said:

"Yes, it is you, Master. When it was my turn, everything began to collapse under the influence of 'that person'."

"Everything is too late."

Master Lingqing sighed:

"So, when the error can no longer be corrected, you choose to break the situation with slaughter, benefactor?"

"Otherwise? When a person first has a slight lesion, one only needs to change their lifestyle and adjust their diet, and perhaps the lesion can be eliminated."

Wen Xishu paused and continued:

"But if a person is terminally ill, then if he wants to live, he must endure the knife. Those diseased parts must be cut out in one stroke. He might lose some functions afterward, but he survived."

"Living means there is hope."

Master Lingqing did not deny it; he actually agreed with this point of view. Deer Island was that terminally ill patient.

And Wen Xishu's approach could preserve a few normal people.

It was just that Master Lingqing couldn't help but think:

"All living beings suffer. Does the benefactor... have to prove the Dao through slaughter from now on?"

Wen Xishu had actually thought about this question, but not deeply.

Now that Master Lingqing asked, he began to think about this question again:

"Hard to say. Slaughter is a last resort. The special abilities I possess, including slaughter, were actually left to me by my older brother."

"Actually, I'm wondering, is there something he couldn't do but I can, by leaving me this ability?"

"If there is, that thing is definitely not slaughter, because his heart for slaughter is heavier than mine."

After a moment of silence, Master Lingqing said:

"In other words, ordinary people cannot solve problems through slaughter like you, benefactor. But your brother can."

Wen Xishu nodded:

"Yes, Master. All my abilities come from... well, I can't say that either. Even without this ability, perhaps I could still be very capable, but I wouldn't have ended today's situation so refreshingly."

"In short, he left me very precious power, perhaps power that can overturn everything."

"But I'm wondering, what is the meaning of him giving me this power? Another companion, or the hope of seeing different possibilities?"

Wen Xishu brought the topic back:

"My brother should be a person with heavier slaughter karma than me. I think if he were to handle Deer Island's situation... he wouldn't just kill eight people, but would slaughter the entire island. Well, actually, I'm thinking the same thing."

"Although... I haven't met him, but actually... I am very familiar with him. I don't know if you think I'm talking nonsense, Master?"

Master Lingqing shook his head:

"It seems your situation as brothers is very special now. But I can feel your confusion and sincerity, benefactor."

"In my opinion... Benefactor Wen, your brother left you these powers because you are more outstanding than him. He hopes to see you make choices different from his."

Wen Xishu smiled:

"Please continue, Master."

Master Lingqing then said:

"If his heart for slaughter is heavier than yours, perhaps he bestowed this power upon you to see how you would choose..."

"To know, in a situation where slaughter is possible, would you use the method of slaughter?"

Wen Xishu was silent.

Undoubtedly, he chose slaughter.

This bunch of trash in the Tower of Desire would all become threats to the Mysterious Tower in the future. Killing them now was, of course, the correct approach.

On Deer Island, which had collapsed to such a degree...

In a situation of collapse where everyone could no longer be pulled back to a normal state, slaughter was indeed a last resort and a correct move.

But clearly, what Master Lingqing was discussing with him was whether there was a better way than slaughter?

Wen Xishu thought over and over...

"Perhaps. Just like my choice today, if killing everyone is the correct approach, of course I will kill everyone."

"I can only stay here for 48 hours. Compared to the collapse after countless cycles by the Corruptor... that is, 'that person', what I can change is minimal. The biggest influencing parameter is life and death."

"So from a rational perspective, I will also choose slaughter. Master, do you think there is a better solution?"

Master Lingqing shook his head:

"No solution, at least no solution in this situation. I also agree with your approach, benefactor. But if slaughter is a last resort, and it's a last resort every time, wouldn't that be a losing game?"

A last resort every time, wouldn't that be a losing game?

Yes, if the Mysterious Tower is very dangerous every time, and the only solution for the Tower of Desire is to prove the Dao through slaughter, breaking the situation managed by the Corruptor...

Then it seems the Tower of Desire only has one ending left.

Perhaps Wen Zhaohua encountered such a dilemma back then. He felt that slaughter was the only solution.

Just like Deer Island this time, the means of persuasion and salvation simply didn't work. Facing such despair, one could only kill.

But if it's like this every time, will he kill his way through the entire Tower of Desire?

If that's really the case, what will the consequences be?

Wen Xishu suddenly thought that before the 20th floor, there were no Corruptors.

Does that mean the characters humans can recruit and unlock can only be from the first twenty floors?

If so, then in the Three Towers War, if the human side appears, the allies will likely be relatively weak characters.

Although people like Tang Rui and Jack are not weak...

But clearly, in the higher levels, there are still many characters with far greater potential than them.

Mariko, Sanshen, Tetsuya Fukang, Hattori, Kinoshita, Watanabe... I'm afraid these people will also be powerful existences in the future.

Killing them, of course, won't turn them into enemies, but it won't turn them into allies either.

The orientation of the Corruptor's existence leads to him only being able to kill the targets... then doing so every time will indeed give a feeling of being calculated on a macro level.

Wen Xishu fell into deep thought.

Clearly, he also felt the confusion. This was the path Wen Zhaohua had walked before. Wen Zhaohua had also felt confused just like him.

"But did Wen Zhaohua... realize that he couldn't change this situation? And I can change this situation?"

"What is the biggest difference between me and Wen Zhaohua?"

This answer was not something Wen Xishu at this stage could know.

Master Lingqing suddenly spoke, breaking the silence:

"Benefactor, perhaps you need to master a power that makes your appearance not so late. Perhaps the Corruptor you speak of also has some method... to reduce their numbers?"

"If terminally ill patients keep appearing in the hospital, then as a doctor, your approach is understandable: cut out all lesions. Just as you have done."

"But perhaps, if your power is far more powerful than you imagine... you can try to change the external causes so that there aren't so many terminally ill people?"

Master Lingqing no longer knelt on the cushion but stood up:

"Just like me, I thought my cultivation could save the lonely souls in the troubled times. But I couldn't withstand a policy in the external causes that instantly turned this world into a Shura hell."

"If I am obsessed with saving Deer Island, then I will inevitably be swallowed by Deer Island."

"My eyes cannot see a bigger world; I can only see the demons and ghosts of Deer Island."

"But what if I go to Hujiang and curb all this at the source? Perhaps... perhaps I could bring this country back to life?"

Wen Xishu suddenly understood.

Yes, if one is fixated on the result of a certain floor, then one will always fall into the situation of fighting to the death with the "Corruptor" and eventually killing the Corruptor.

Can one kill in the Tower of Desire? Of course one must kill. Honestly, killing the Corruptor is quite refreshing.

But if one cuts everything in one stroke... then what is harmed might be the foundation of humanity's future.

So is there a way to only kill the Corruptor and let time rewind to before the collapse?

Wen Xishu suddenly thought of Scorpio and Pisces.

Scorpio's ability is gamification, and game abilities include but are not limited to "reloading" and "reading files."

And Pisces' ability is even more directly related to time...

Perhaps he could obtain the power of some constellations and change certain results from the source.

Thinking of this, Wen Xishu was enlightened, having a feeling of the world opening up in one thought.

Twelve constellations, twelve divine powers, perhaps he could obtain the power to change everything from them.

It's just... couldn't Wen Zhaohua do it?

Wen Xishu always felt that Wen Zhaohua giving him the power of the Dice of Reversal was not just spreading... it was more like a transfer, a longing to see some new variables.

He subconsciously felt... could it be that Wen Zhaohua couldn't borrow or obtain the power of other constellations?

Wen Xishu shook his head slightly, no longer thinking about this question.

"Forget it. Wen Zhaohua is still too mysterious. I'd better start with the present."

Wen Xishu also stood up and looked at Master Lingqing:

"I have one more thing... to tell you, Master."

Master Lingqing sighed:

"It's about Mr. Murata, right?"

Wen Xishu was startled:

"You knew?"

Master Lingqing shook his head:

"Not sure. Actually, I have always been suspicious. I suspected that Mr. Murata, who accompanied me, had already met with foul play... but I never had any evidence."

"Or rather..."

A touch of loneliness appeared in Master Lingqing's eyes:

"I have always refused to face this matter directly."

Wen Xishu was secretly shocked, not expecting the Master to have guessed it long ago. He found that he had underestimated the Master's state of mind.

Master Lingqing said:

"Some paths... really shouldn't be expected to have companions. After all, the path is so dangerous."

"Benefactor, I am going to Hujiang. But before that, I want to provide a safe refuge for others."

The future of the Mysterious Tower will undergo major changes... although Wen Xishu knew that the death of those seven people would naturally cause changes.

But now it seems this change will even alter the form of the game.

Wen Xishu said:

"You are going to... face the 'god' that influences Hujiang alone?"

Master Lingqing smiled:

"Although I am hideous at this moment, if this face were seen in the past, I'm afraid I would be treated as a demon."

"But not anymore. Thanks to that policy, I don't think I will attract too much attention on the road to Hujiang."

Wen Xishu felt a sense of awe in his heart.

Honestly, he thought Master Lingqing would be devastated.

After all... the Master is actually very young. In the end, he is also a young man.

After learning of Officer Murata's death, he was actually very sad too.

Wen Xishu had seen that kind of loneliness hidden deep in his eyes.

But at such a time, the Master did not care about personal joys and sorrows. Upon learning of Mr. Murata's death, the Master just stood up... and made the decision to leave Deer Island.

Perhaps it was because he no longer had his only bond, or perhaps it was because Wen Xishu's breaking of the situation through slaughter had caused him to think.

In short, the Master, already a lone hero, chose to challenge a greater dilemma—Hujiang.

For the island nation, that true source of the apocalypse where demons and ghosts hide.

Wen Xishu was originally a bit helpless that the version he arrived at on Deer Island... was a version that could only break the path through slaughter.

But now, he suddenly began to rejoice.

So this trip wasn't just me arriving at the wrong time. It turns out there are also people here worthy of my learning and awe.

Wen Xishu said:

"Master, I am very grateful for this encounter. You made me understand some things. I will not stop you from facing things that are more difficult but more correct."

Master Lingqing also smiled:

"Actually... it was precisely your actions, benefactor, that made me realize that if I don't leave here, I will only be able to kill everyone here in the future."

Wen Xishu smiled:

"Then we can be considered to have influenced each other. Since that's the case, Master, your path will not be lonely."

"Where you are going, perhaps there are existences with higher status than 'that person'. Perhaps we will meet again in the future, and even join forces."

"But please, before that... do not be eroded, do not be corrupted."

Master Lingqing said:

"In that case, let that be an agreement between you and me, benefactor. I have never spoken falsely in my life, and I value agreements the most."

Wen Xishu said happily:

"Then I am not. I have lied countless times in my life and am best at deceiving people, but I will definitely keep this appointment."

Hujiang.

Wen Xishu could imagine that there were extremely many urban legends, demons, and ghosts in that area. That place must be an extremely high level.

He would definitely go there again.

Master Lingqing put his hands together toward Wen Xishu and bowed slightly:

"In any case, thank you for everything you have done for Deer Island, benefactor... is transcendence not a form of salvation? Benefactor, take this. Perhaps it will be of some help to you."

Wen Xishu liked this kind of person who wasn't pedantic, wasn't a saint, and could hit the core. He took the gift the Master sent...

It was a wooden fish. The kind of thing that gives merit +1 when tapped.

Wen Xishu wasn't sure if this thing counted as a prop and if it could be taken away, but after thinking about it, he still took the wooden fish.

He also put his hands together:

"See you in Hujiang."

"Good, see you in Hujiang."

After making the promise, Wen Xishu finally received the prompt that the mission was complete and he could return to the Mysterious Tower.

The journey on the 42nd floor of the Tower of Desire had actually ended.

In the following time, Master Lingqing bid farewell to Wen Xishu and went to other parts of Deer Island.

What Master Lingqing wanted to do was to build a safe residence. To provide a place to live for the few survivors on Deer Island.

Wen Xishu guessed... he had killed one Corruptor and seven people with ghost-level aptitude.

Then theoretically, when he went to the Mysterious Tower again, there would be more survivors in the Mysterious Tower, no longer just a few.

Master Lingqing's magic power also seemed to be gradually deepening.

Wen Xishu could feel that this was perhaps the most positive and highest-aptitude character he had encountered in the apocalypse.

Honestly, he was quite worried about whether this character would suffer some huge devastation after arriving in Hujiang, leading to changes in his heart.

But everyone has their own story, and Wen Xishu could only offer his blessings.

Wen Xishu was ultimately unable to wait for Master Lingqing to build the refuge.

He didn't have much time, but fortunately... he could see a brand-new simulation of fate trajectories.

【Due to changes in the plot of the Tower of Desire, the 42nd floor of the Mysterious Tower "Seven Nights of Deer Island Terror" will be restarted.】

【All players currently participating in this mission (except for invitation holders) will have their memory modules changed synchronously.】

【Memory module changing.】

【The Mysterious Tower is starting a logic repair simulation.】

【Simulation starting.】

【After the fated person bid farewell to Master Lingqing, Master Lingqing began to build a refuge on Deer Island.】

【Master Lingqing's magic power increased day by day as the apocalypse approached. He did not feel complacent because of this, but only felt the difficulty of his responsibility.】

【Master Lingqing drew 108,000 forbidden curse talismans to protect the refuge. The hundred ghosts could not approach, and the survivors would obtain a safe stronghold under the protection of the talismans.】

【The death of several key figures on Deer Island led to the progress of some things being shelved. A commissioner from Hujiang came to investigate, and Master Lingqing was escorted to Hujiang as the culprit.】

【Although the way of arriving in Hujiang was not very decent, for the Master, he finally went to Hujiang, and... entered a very critical place.】

【Deer Island was a large-scale experiment, far exceeding Hujiang in scale, but Hujiang was the origin of all evil experiments.】

【Master Lingqing, as a new experimental subject, began to be studied. Master Lingqing himself did not resist.】

【After suffering inhuman torture and experiments, Master Lingqing's body became even more bizarre and terrifying, but he did not distort his nature.】

【Master Lingqing and some other experimental subjects escaped from the laboratory together. They formed the Hujiang Demon-Cleansing Monks.】

【A new force will appear on the Hujiang battlefield—the Demon-Cleansing Monks.】

【Your favorability with Ghost·Master Lingqing has increased to 95.】

【You have attracted the attention of Libra, and your favorability with Libra +7.】

This was the entire simulation result.

After Wen Xishu finished reading this simulation, he was quite shocked.

Saving Deer Island, then being taken away by a Hujiang commissioner, imprisoned as an experimental subject, suffering inhuman torture... but ultimately finding a breakthrough and forming the Demon-Cleansing Monk force with some experimental subjects.

What kind of powerful will is this? After seeing Master Lingqing being captured in the simulation text, Wen Xishu was thinking... it's over, is he going to be corrupted and become ten times stronger?

But the Master did not become corrupted, but held fast to his will and original intention.

Wen Xishu sighed that he was still too weak. If he became strong enough...

Now he wanted to go to the Hujiang battlefield and fight side by side with Master Lingqing.

At the same time, Wen Xishu noticed two things—

The first thing, he actually attracted the attention of Libra. Honestly, this was the first time Wen Xishu had truly attracted attention in a real sense; the collective watching during the Scorpio incident didn't count.

"What does Libra care about? What is its appearance related to?"

This made Wen Xishu very curious. Could it be that the god in Hujiang... is Libra?

But that shouldn't be, because if that god really were Libra, Libra should have lowered its favorability toward him, not increased it.

The second thing: the original Hujiang battlefield did not have the "Demon-Cleansing Monk" force. The leader of the Demon-Cleansing Monk force must be Master Lingqing.

But in the previous trajectory, Master Lingqing was in another room, housing monsters.

But after he influenced Master Lingqing, Master Lingqing's thoughts began to change from the root.

From the initial "sealing all evil objects" to provide space for survivors, it changed to "even if all evil objects are sealed, there will still be a constant stream of evil born from the source. I must go to the source to cleanse everything."

This was the thinking brought to the Master by Wen Xishu breaking the situation through slaughter.

And the Master's approach also gave Wen Xishu inspiration. Perhaps there is a more important approach than breaking the situation through slaughter, although he doesn't have any ideas on how to do it specifically yet.

The simulation ended here, and Wen Xishu's journey in the Tower of Desire also came to an end at this time.

"Oh, forgot to say, if you can't beat them, you can escape Hujiang and go to Wind City..."

"Forget it, I guess Master Lingqing probably won't leave Hujiang either."

As Wen Xishu's thoughts shifted, the surrounding scene also began to transform.

He returned to the Mysterious Tower again and saw that room again, only this time, the content of the game had completely changed.

Mysterious Tower, 42nd floor, Deer Island.

A room covered with forbidden talismans appeared before Wen Xishu's eyes.

【After experiencing many choices, you have found another room. But are the people living in this room human? If so, do you have a way to get them to open the door for you?】

【The radiation moon is about to appear, and the thick fog will also dissipate... You don't have much time left. Please find a room before the "Moon Strength Time" arrives. Remaining attempts: 5.】

When this prompt appeared, Wen Xishu knew that his way of playing had completely changed.

"Good guy, I went from an opener to a knocker?"

Wen Xishu began to carefully search his memory and found that the game mechanics had undergone a earth-shaking change.

The original gameplay was to open the door or not open the door, allowing oneself to live in the room for seven days.

The current gameplay is to find a room and request to open the door...

Only one room is correct.

In other words, the other rooms are full of monsters.

But if you enter a monster's room, don't be afraid. The monster will determine if you are human... this process takes time.

Because in the monster's cognition, all humans live in the safest houses.

Every night, there will be a "Moon Strength Time." Moon Strength Time means the moonlight becomes extremely intense.

And being exposed to the moonlight for too long... will make you a monster.

Once you become a monster, you cannot return to the bunker and can only become a part of this place.

This is a mechanism for bunker people to smuggle into the Three Towers, but no one would be willing to do this, because after becoming a monster, one loses memory, and thinking ability also decreases.

So bunker players have seven days here... the game starts, and the bunker players are in a dark cave.

At night, players can choose to go out before the Moon Strength Time arrives to find a room.

Those who open the door for you and those who don't might both be monsters. Players need to judge whether the people in the room are humans or monsters.

At the same time, if a player enters a monster's room, they must find a way to disguise themselves as a monster and not be discovered by the monster.

The luckiest ones can find a human room before the first night's Moon Strength Time arrives, and the game ends...

However, this kind of luck is one in a million.

And as players keep entering the wrong rooms... the probability of players encountering the correct room will also accumulate.

This is the new survival game.

"It seems there won't be a Mysterious Tower floor descent this time... Deer Island is worthy of being Deer Island. Although several core monsters are gone, changing the gameplay makes the death difficulty just as high."

Wen Xishu remembered one thing: in the old version, the night was safe, and the day was dangerous.

In the current version, the night is only safe during "Moon Weak" time. If you don't find a room to stay in during the "Moon Strong" phase, the game is over.

Both day and night are unsafe.

"Does this mean... the radiation has deepened? Did some inhumane policy come out in Hujiang?"

"Also, the probability of finding the correct room in this game is minimal. To put it bluntly, it's almost impossible to get it right on the first try."

"So, one must enter the wrong room, that is, the room where the monster lives, and forcibly disguise oneself as a monster..."

"This difficulty actually feels... a bit harder than my previous version?"

In the previous version, at least those seven people could check and balance each other.

In this version, there shouldn't be any checks and balances in the monster's family.

"A bit interesting. The Master's departure has completely changed the game's mechanics."

"But I have already lived for three nights before... in other words, in the new version, I have already failed to encounter the correct room for two nights."

"Then logically, the probability of me encountering the correct room should have increased significantly."

Wen Xishu began to ponder the prompt from a moment ago—

【After experiencing many choices, you have found another room. But are the people living in this room human? If so, do you have a way to get them to open the door for you?】

"Even if I find the correct room, I have to make the humans believe I am human... I suppose taking off my pants shouldn't work."

Wen Xishu stopped thinking and walked up.

This room also only had a peephole that allowed him to see the scene inside. After he knocked on the door...

The people inside were also observing him through the peephole.

"Spin around."

A voice came from inside the room.

This scene... was really familiar. Wen Xishu obediently spun around.

He missed an old principal's prop—Forgot the Key.

"Take off your pants, take off your clothes too."

Actually, it was nothing. Take them off if you have to. Compared to life safety, what is this?

But Wen Xishu soon realized...

A problem arose here. If the people in the room were monsters, then after you stripped naked...

They would know you were human.

In this way, after you entered the room, you wouldn't be able to disguise yourself as a monster.

"It really looks like a way to verify if I am human. It seems I should do as they say."

"But the difficulty of this game lies in the fact that if I do this, after I expose that I am human, I won't be able to survive in the monster's room anymore."

The new version of the game is actually more difficult.

Because the biggest contradiction lies in... if the other party is human, you need to prove you are human. After all, they wouldn't open the door for a monster.

So you need to prove you are human, but if you really prove it... and the one who opens the door is a monster, you won't be able to play the monster anymore—after all, you've already proven you're human.

So should you prove you are human or not? This is the core game theory point.

Undoubtedly, Wen Xishu was now trapped in this dilemma.

"How do I know if you are human?" Wen Xishu said.

"None of my business. You monsters just want to trick us into opening the door for you! We won't believe it. If you don't take it off, get lost!" said the person in the room.

Very good, Wen Xishu had a feeling of a boomerang hitting himself.

He had also yelled at monsters to get lost, just in the previous version.

"This is fun now..."

Wen Xishu began to think.

First of all, the house was built by the Master, and what makes me different from others is... although I am also just coming into contact with the new version of the game, the new version of the game was created because of my interaction with the Master.

In other words, I know the origin.

Other players still need to explore the story background, but Wen Xishu already knew the new version's story background—

The Master who guarded Deer Island finally decided to go to the source to find the source of evil and change the apocalypse. Before leaving, the Master built a safe house.

"Built by the Master... built by the Master..."

Wen Xishu recited this sentence, and suddenly he had the answer in his heart. He remembered something.

Wen Xishu suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground, like the Master chanting scriptures.

Then he took out the wooden fish.

Yes, at the end of the Tower of Desire storyline, Master Lingqing gave the wooden fish he often tapped and chanted with to Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu was still wondering at the time, does this thing count as a prop? Does it have any substantial effect?

Now, he suddenly thought, perhaps the function of the wooden fish lies here! He is that "fated person."

And so Wen Xishu began to tap the wooden fish.

At this time, the "person" in the room said angrily:

"Damn it! Damn it! You hateful Master! Get lost! Get lost!"

The sound of the wooden fish made the person in the room feel angry.

Wen Xishu knew... this was not the room he wanted to visit.

So he left quickly and began to look for a room.

After a turn...

The surrounding scene changed again. A new prompt appeared in Wen Xishu's mind.

【After experiencing many choices, you have found another room. But are the people living in this room human? If so, do you have a way to get them to open the door for you?】

【The radiation moon is about to appear, and the thick fog will also dissipate... You don't have much time left. Please find a room before the "Moon Strength Time" arrives. Remaining attempts: 4.】

Although the wooden fish could help Wen Xishu confirm whether the person in the room... was a monster or not.

But if he never encountered the correct room, it would also be difficult.

Wen Xishu knocked on the door again. This time, after the other party heard the wooden fish sound, it was still cursing, and the voice even showed a monster's vocal line, which was definitely not a sound a human could make.

So Wen Xishu's remaining attempts became 3.

The third visit was the same.

Wen Xishu's remaining attempts became 2.

On the fourth visit, Wen Xishu decided to make an attempt. He couldn't just sit and wait for death.

"Take off your clothes." Facing Wen Xishu's request to knock on the door, it seemed that every homeowner would ask Wen Xishu to do this action.

Wen Xishu took out the wooden fish this time and just tapped it once. Clearly, he felt the murderous aura coming from the room.

And that kind of heavy breathing sound.

That low roar that could only come from a beast's throat was captured by Wen Xishu.

But at this time, what Wen Xishu thought was—

"The monster has already been exposed. It was like this before. The monster is exposed, I leave..."

"In the monster's eyes, I who left must be human. But what if I don't leave?"

Wen Xishu said:

"Actually... I come from Hujiang. I killed a monk, and this wooden fish is my trophy. I think this is enough to show my identity?"

"I heard the sound you made. We are the same kind. I hate this wooden fish sound just like you, but I decided to keep it because it is my trophy."

"I think you must be very willing to listen to me tell a story about how I killed the Hujiang Demon-Cleansing Monk."

The name of the Demon-Cleansing Monk had already spread to Deer Island. After hearing Wen Xishu say this, the other party was indeed willing to open the door.

Wen Xishu's remaining visit attempts were 1 at this time. This didn't mean he could only visit once more; it meant that after one more visit, the Moon Strength Time would arrive.

Seeing that he had successfully gained the monster's trust and successfully moved in as a monster...

Wen Xishu couldn't help but thank the Master.

The Demon-Cleansing Monk must have really made a great contribution, killing quite a few evil spirits and demons.

Otherwise, it wouldn't make these monsters so hateful.

Wen Xishu said:

"Oh... I suddenly remembered one thing. I won't go in for now. Thank you for opening the door."

Wen Xishu turned and left.

Not long after, he turned a corner again... the surrounding scene changed again.

A new room appeared in front of Wen Xishu again.

A prompt appeared in his mind again.

This time, Wen Xishu knocked on the door directly.

"Take off your clothes... we need to know if you are human." The person in the room had a very soft voice.

Wen Xishu certainly didn't take off his clothes; he just took out the wooden fish and tapped it.

But this time, the reaction of the people in the room was completely different:

"Hey, why did the talisman move! Is the Master back?" This was another person's voice.

This voice also startled Wen Xishu.

So... am I really this lucky? I didn't need to think of a way to crack it in the last visit at all?

Did I really encounter it?

Sometimes it's like this. When you are not prepared, you can't encounter the kindness of fate no matter what.

But when you are prepared... perhaps the good luck you've been waiting for arrives.

Just when Wen Xishu was thinking about how he should make up a story...

The door opened. The one who opened the door was the short-haired man he met in the previous version.

And this time, the short-haired man was no longer hostile to the Master. When he saw the wooden fish, the short-haired man immediately invited Wen Xishu in:

"It really is the Master's friend! Come in! Come in! The Moon Strength Time is coming soon!"

The desperate dark night suddenly dissipated at this moment.

In the room that didn't belong to the Deer Island atmosphere, there was light, warmth, and humans... humans without any mutation.

They gathered together, not worried about the erosion of demons.

And this was the Mysterious Tower, the Mysterious Tower after the apocalypse had descended.

Everything was unreal, but everything was also incomparably real.

Although the past was incomparably dark and desperate, incomparably twisted and corrupted, the Master still preserved the very few survivors of Deer Island.

In Deer Island, the most corrupted and twisted place, there was still a happy and warm residence.

"They no longer hate you... they also survived safely."

After Wen Xishu walked into the door, he only felt that he could finally have a good sleep and then return to the bunker.

All helplessness could not be changed, but in the end, the best outcome achievable at the current stage was reached.

At the moment Wen Xishu found the real room and entered it—

A prompt that the mission was complete also appeared in his mind.

"I don't know what kind of evaluation this mission will give me, and... has the Great Devouring descended on the bunker?"

(End of chapter)