Chapter 229: The Criminal Conspiracy of the First Person of the Slaughter and Trick Towers

Evelyn sighed:

"Actually, I shouldn't be telling you this, Albert. Old Jin has been insisting that I not say anything."

Wen Xishu said:

"This... do I need to step aside?"

Evelyn shook her head:

"Let's go to the academy first."

Albert did not speak, but it was clear he was anxious.

When it came to Mr. Jin, Albert was indeed very concerned.

This friend of his was, in truth, very mysterious.

Mr. Jin unified the bunker's language, unified the bunker's currency, and unified the bunker's various systems.

In a sense, Mr. Jin was the first person of the early bunker, and Albert was the one who followed in his footsteps.

In Albert's eyes, the early Mr. Jin was like a demigod.

He had always completed his level promotions at the fastest speed while climbing the towers.

Before the Trick Tower appeared, Mr. Jin was practically like a superman; back then, because the Trick Tower didn't exist, the Slaughter Tower was the symbol of death.

People were afraid to face the Slaughter Tower, but Mr. Jin was completely different.

Albert remembered how Old Jin had defied public opinion back then, arranging for many people to climb the Slaughter Tower, forcing many to climb the Slaughter Tower...

It was also at that time—that wealthy children and the powerful could climb the Desire Tower seemed reasonable to Albert.

Because the poor had only one path to promotion—risking their lives.

Once a military merit system was in place, the number of people climbing the Slaughter Tower naturally increased.

In short, Mr. Jin kept climbing towers back then, leaving everyone behind, and he also brought back facilities of various grades.

There was only one person who could keep up with his pace, and that was Albert Napolitano.

At that time, Albert was a pure talent freak; Mr. Jin had many people around him, but only Albert could command his attention.

Albert also still remembered what Mr. Jin had said:

"I can only be responsible for the early stages, but you can be responsible for the middle... no, perhaps you can do even better. Your talent is much better than mine, Albert; you are a gift from the heavens to humanity."

Mr. Jin was indeed right.

He and Albert were like the two heroes of an era, climbing towers like madmen.

Albert relied on his extraordinary talent—combat talent, learning talent.

And Mr. Jin seemed to have possessed powerful means from the very beginning.

Although the two were not at the same starting point, Albert was always able to follow in Mr. Jin's footsteps.

By the ninetieth floor, that true chasm and watershed, Albert became the only person who could walk alongside Mr. Jin.

That was many years ago.

Albert couldn't help but reminisce about those days; he had finally closed the gap between them, finally possessing the ability to fight side-by-side with Old Jin.

But after the ninetieth floor... Old Jin began to grow increasingly passive.

As Old Jin forcibly carried a few old subordinates past the ninetieth floor... Old Jin himself became more and more passive, as if he were hiding from something.

Finally, one day, the five elders appeared in the bunker, but that initial Emperor had vanished.

Albert, just as Mr. Jin had predicted, held things together during the middle period without him.

In fact, Albert even held on until the later period.

Sometimes Albert wondered...

Perhaps he was already stronger than Old Jin, but deep down, he still missed the man who was omnipotent, the one he had to realize all his own talents just to catch up to.

Three Towers Academy, restricted area of the Desire Tower department.

After everyone went to see the sea, the Three Towers Academy was quiet.

In the restricted area, not a hint of noise from the students could be heard.

Albert, Wen Xishu, and Evelyn sat in a triangular formation.

This was the first time Wen Xishu had been in this place with these two people, who were the true first-tier figures of the bunker.

He suddenly realized...

Isn't this a conversation between the three first-tier figures of the Trick Tower, Desire Tower, and Slaughter Tower?

Evelyn realized this as well.

Evelyn glanced at Wen Xishu:

"It's truly very interesting; who would have thought that the one to catch up to our pace would be such a young man."

Evelyn was naturally praising Wen Xishu.

Combined with what Albert had discussed in the elevator earlier, Wen Xishu had also come to understand Evelyn's power.

The Desire Tower and the Slaughter Tower were not the same thing.

But Wen Xishu was already certain... from the sixtieth floor on, the Desire Tower was sometimes even crazier than the Trick Tower.

Wen Xishu was very humble:

"I am still very far behind the two of you."

He intentionally placed Evelyn and Albert on the same level, because while Albert didn't care, the five elders surely wanted to be on par with the dual heroes of the past.

But Evelyn said:

"I am not as good as Albert and Old Jin. The Desire Tower is different from the other two towers; perhaps you have experienced very interesting... even arguably very bizarre experiences in the Desire Tower."

"But our entry points are different. I am still far from most stories. Wen Xishu, you are a true legend."

Wen Xishu had heard Wen Zhaohua say something similar.

The gist was that Wen Xishu didn't seem to need things like luck points... to get close to the core objective.

The Desire Tower was a vast world, containing many, many tasks.

Take the Reverse Seven Apartment, for example; when others entered the relevant Desire Tower, the task they received was to make one of the seven people happy.

But Wen Xishu was directly linked to the An brothers.

For Wen Xishu, he didn't seem to need a large amount of luck points to ensure he achieved the true "main storyline."

Others needed to expend a large amount of luck points just to ensure the "side quests" they received didn't veer too far off course.

Wen Xishu thought about it; he attributed all of this to the fact that he was climbing the Trick Tower.

Wen Zhaohua's words, "The Trick Tower is the most important," seemed to be reflected here.

Albert interrupted:

"Neither of you needs to be humble; speak up, Evelyn, you can't keep us in suspense anymore."

Evelyn nodded and got straight to the point:

"I am no longer hiding this matter for Old Jin... and have chosen to tell you all of this, hoping you understand my thoughts."

Albert said:

"Even if you didn't do this for me, Evelyn, you are still my friend."

Evelyn was a bit surprised by Albert's words. But then she thought about it... she seemed to understand.

In Albert's view, it didn't matter who he helped, because deep down, he always trusted Old Jin.

"That child actually appeared not long after you two logged into the ninetieth floor."

"He is not from the bunker."

Wen Xishu pricked up his ears; this was an absolute secret.

Albert frowned:

"Continue."

Evelyn said:

"Old Jin made some kind of deal with someone... well, that's my guess; he shouldn't have had the ability to let someone who didn't belong to the bunker enter the bunker."

"In any case, by making a deal with someone of very high authority, Old Jin obtained that child."

"Since then, I have been the one responsible for... erasing that child's memories."

"But I could only manage to erase them; I could not peer into his memories."

Little Jin's memories—Wen Xishu remembered the Chosen Train. That train had let Little Jin see the fear deep within his heart.

Could those fears be things that Little Jin had forgotten?

"However, later on, Old Jin would often have me do things like that."

"At the same time, he would also shape that child's memories over and over again."

Albert said:

"How did he shape them?"

Evelyn looked into Albert's eyes:

"Using my sequence to make him gentle, kind, honest, and loving."

"In short, the kind of good person that fits the conventional definition."

"After deleting the child's memories and reshaping them... we would find ways to start training him, take him to do all sorts of interesting things, and watch how he would make his choices."

"For example, the trolley problem. Old Jin would even make him face boring choices like 'If your grandfather and your girlfriend fell into the water, who would you save first?'"

Albert seemed to understand:

"Are you testing whether this child has truly become gentle, kind, honest, and friendly?"

Evelyn nodded:

"Yes, that is the case."

Albert asked again:

"And then what? Could it be that he was only trained recently? You said he has been in the bunker for a long time, yet I only recently learned that he actually has a grandson."

Evelyn was silent for a short while, then sighed:

"No, actually, based on his actual performance, after the first time his memory was erased and the shaping was completed, this child was already a kind, gentle, friendly, and honest child."

"But what happened next was very bizarre. In my opinion, after that child was trained..."

"Old Jin would have me erase his memory. Let him return to a state of having no memory at all."

Wen Xishu and Albert were both stunned.

What was this for?

Erasing a person's memory, then implanting memories to make them possess many wonderful virtues.

But after successfully doing so, suddenly erasing this person's memory again?

Wen Xishu felt as if he had heard a "reset to zero" command from a computer.

Evelyn said:

"Hard to understand, right? I can't understand it either, why exactly Old Jin would do this?"

"But Old Jin... just as you, Albert, trust him, I also trust him. The things he asks me to do are very strange, but as long as it is him asking me to do it, I will do it."

"So next, I started shaping memories again. This time Old Jin gave me many variations, and I still had to make this child become a good person in the public sense... even possessing the virtues of a saint."

"But the material for the story changed; simply put, the path changed. I needed to make this child the same as last time, but with different experiences."

Achieving the same result but pursuing a different process. That is understandable.

In this world, no two people have the same experiences, but there are not many types of people, either.

"And then? Would Old Jin have you repeat this process over and over?"

Evelyn gave a bitter smile:

"Yes. Every time, I put a lot of effort into finding the material; I even go to collect the pasts of those kind people at the bottom and weave them into stories."

"But in the end, after that child successfully passes the assessment and becomes a good person, Old Jin would have me erase his memory again."

"I have forgotten how much material I have found, how many memories I have bestowed upon him, and then erased—how many times this behavior has been repeated."

"Until not long ago... Old Jin started telling me to give this child new memories. Of course, this time it was different."

"This time, this child is a heaven-sent prodigy, the grandson of the person with the most supreme power in the entire bunker. Compared to the previous material... this child's identity this time is extraordinary."

"I even wonder if Old Jin is torturing this child. After all, the memories are all going to be erased in the end."

"But it's strange, this time, Old Jin did not have me erase his memory."

"Not long after, this child appeared at the Three Towers Academy; Albert, that is your territory."

"And even more coincidentally, Wen Xishu, he is your roommate."

Wen Xishu and Albert exchanged a glance.

Albert said:

"What is your take on this, Evelyn? Why do you think Old Jin is doing this, tossing this child back and forth like this... what is it for?"

Evelyn shook her head:

"Regarding this child, Old Jin seems to think highly of him, but if you are asking me what exactly Old Jin is doing... I'm sorry, Albert, I can't guess either."

"I have actually thought about whether Old Jin has gone mad. After all... the way he is now, he looks like he is wary of something. This is not like him."

"Actually, there was one time when I was talking with Old Jin, I used the power of my sequence, trying to stir up his emotions. Whether it worked or not, I don't know; after all, my methods don't really work on you or Old Jin."

"But that time, Old Jin did indeed chat with me about many memories of us fighting together in the past. He actually misses it too, and feels guilty for not fighting alongside you."

Albert was silent. How could he not feel the same?

Evelyn said:

"That day, Old Jin finally agreed to say a bit more. He said he cannot leave because he doesn't want to die; he is afraid that someone will come to kill him."

"He also said that the bunker is not absolutely safe either; perhaps people from the Three Towers world will come to kill him. I asked him if he was sure."

"He shook his head—not sure, but even if not sure, one must treat it as if it were certain."

"He doesn't want to die, and he cannot die; he also longs for the day he can get rid of his current troubles."

The topic had been diverted. But Albert didn't mind. He seemed to have gained a clue.

"Old Jin thinks... he is being targeted by some assassin? Someone from the Three Towers battlefield will kill him?"

Evelyn nodded:

"Judging by these words, perhaps that is the case."

Albert looked at Wen Xishu:

"Little guy, what is your take?"

Wen Xishu said:

"If we treat Old Jin's bizarre behavior as a puzzle, then the key to this puzzle lies in who exactly Little Jin is."

"Old Jin repeatedly has you create memories for Little Jin, then delete them... you don't understand this behavior. But I feel like it is a way of deepening a cover-up."

"First, I must assume that Old Jin is normal, and assume that everything Old Jin does is meaningful."

"Then, creating memories for Little Jin can be understood as being for the purpose of shaping him, because perhaps the original Little Jin... was not friendly, not honest, not gentle, and not kind."

"But creating new memories, then deleting them, then creating them again... perhaps Old Jin believes that multiple layers of encryption are needed."

Evelyn was thoughtful:

"Go on."

Wen Xishu said:

"Two aspects. On one hand, it is to create a certain foundation; repeatedly making Little Jin a good person, then deleting the memory, perhaps it is to cultivate Little Jin's personality foundation. Even if one day Little Jin loses his memory, or recovers all of his memories..."

"Then, because of the many kind memories from different trajectories, they will be able to counterbalance the original evil memories."

"The other aspect is that Old Jin believes there will be someone in the future who can read Little Jin's memories."

"So he created layers of memories, so that the person reading Little Jin's memories would always see and read only kind memories."

"And regardless, hidden within Little Jin's original memories is, in all likelihood, Little Jin's identity and the reason for Old Jin's sudden change in behavior."

"So, if there is a way to read Little Jin's original memories... all the mysteries could be solved."

Albert very much wanted to figure this out.

But Evelyn indicated she was powerless:

"I cannot do that."

Albert sighed:

"If you cannot do it, then no one in the bunker can."

Wen Xishu said:

"Senior, can you awaken his fear?"

Evelyn thought for a moment:

"Perhaps I can. I can try; in a specific environment... my sequence power can indeed mobilize certain emotions."

Wen Xishu said:

"If both of you feel... that this is not an offense to Old Jin, I actually have a method to know Little Jin's memories."

"Last time at the Great Vortex, Little Jin experienced a deep inner fear, and so he might have recalled certain memories."

"And that is what led to Little Jin's memory being deleted by you again."

"So I am thinking, perhaps fear can induce Little Jin to recall certain things."

"And under extreme fear, I would be able to know parts of Little Jin's memories."

Evelyn and Albert looked at each other, neither having expected that Wen Xishu would have such a trick up his sleeve.

"Really?" Albert was somewhat excited.

Wen Xishu said:

"Naturally, I am serious. Although this will hurt Little Jin, I am also quite curious... what secrets are hidden in the bunker, and what exactly is Old Jin hiding and afraid of?"

Sometimes, people fall into a predicament where they don't trust their own friends.

But Old Jin was clearly a life-and-death friend of the old Master, and Wen Xishu also believed that no matter how big the trouble, the old Master could solve it.

This was an old man who could fight against Leo in the future.

Albert was the type of person who would do something the moment he thought of it.

Wen Xishu was the same; both were the kind of ruthless people who would launch a lander at the slightest disagreement.

Albert said:

"Where is Little Jin now? We will go intimidate him immediately. Right now! I want to know what Old Jin has been through!"

Wen Xishu also cast his gaze toward Evelyn, indicating that he was ready.

"I happen to have a facility at the Trick Tower Academy; I assume you both know it. It just so happens... I can use this facility to simulate some scenarios."

"But the simulation might not necessarily have that effect."

"To ensure nothing goes wrong, if you can stir up his fear—I am confident I can dig out Little Jin's secrets."

"We can act now."

Evelyn had the urge to cover her forehead; this old man and this young man were truly crazy.

But it was just that coincidental—she actually did know Little Jin's current whereabouts.

(End of chapter)