Chapter 269: The Truth Behind Xiao Jin's Assassination Attempt

The people in the garden soon dispersed.

Wenren Jing and Xun Hui both believed Wen Xishu’s words, and both felt a sense of relief that they hadn't stepped onto the seventieth floor.

Compared to Xun Hui, Wenren Jing even felt a bit more joy, because it seemed there was a turning point regarding the Wen family’s affairs.

Evelyn, meanwhile, headed toward the top floor, preparing to look for Luo Feng.

As for Wen Xishu and Albert, they remained at the school, preparing to find Xiao Jin that very day.

Albert’s original plan had been to let Xiao Jin reveal a flaw on his own within two or three days.

But now, after receiving some news from Wen Xishu, he felt he should be more efficient.

"I believe your words; I think Old Jin must be hiding something from me. I also believe what you said—that Old Jin’s heart is still in Longxia, and he may even love Longxia more than the bunker, but I believe even more that he would not harm us."

"Regardless, we will know once we find Xiao Jin."

Wen Xishu and Albert were on their way to the principal’s office, where they would arrange for Jia Baer to issue an order for all faculty and students to assemble.

Wen Xishu asked:

"Principal, if it turns out that Xiao Jin... was instructed by Mr. Jin to assassinate me, will you..."

Albert glanced at Wen Xishu:

"Some things are difficult to choose between, but one is a pioneer of the past era, and the other is the hope of the future. I know how to make that choice; one cannot live in the past."

This statement was made with such openness that Wen Xishu felt quite a bit of admiration.

So much so that he also hoped everything was truly as the old principal said, and that it would be best if it weren't discovered that the assassination attempt he faced was related to Mr. Jin.

Albert said:

"If in the bunker... one day you and Old Jin are the only two choices, I know how I would choose, but I will pray that such a choice never arises."

Wen Xishu did not know how to respond, and in the end, could only say:

"Thank you, Principal."

After thinking for a moment, he asked again:

"How do you intend to find Xiao Jin?"

Albert said:

"His ability is strange and unpredictable. The reason he cannot be found is because he can turn into anyone."

"But that is limited to the department areas within the Three Towers Academy. So he must be hiding inside."

"I had originally thought to look slowly, as he is in a state of emotional instability."

"But I don't want to wait. I will now extend my perception to the entire academy, and I will have all faculty and students assemble in the non-department areas."

"The Bunker Security Bureau will surround all school exits. I will issue an order for them to guard every entrance and exit. Even if they see me, see you, or see any colleague or superior, as long as they are coming from inside, they are not allowed to leave."

"Next, I will sense his presence, find him, and subdue him."

Simple—the whole plan sounded incredibly simple, but the difficulty lay in one place: perception.

However, Wen Xishu absolutely did not doubt the old principal’s perception ability.

Wen Xishu remembered that the old principal had once said that as long as one was in the bunker, no one could harm him.

He absolutely believed this.

The entire operation unfolded rapidly.

Wen Xishu remained with Albert throughout.

With the help of Jia Baer and the Academy Spirit, all faculty and students were soon gathered on the academy’s sports field.

This process took only thirty minutes.

Subsequently, Wen Xishu contacted Liu Jinsen, and Liu Jinsen quickly arranged for the Bunker Security Bureau’s Third Team to come and guard the Three Towers Academy.

Every entrance and exit was guarded by a five-man team armed to the teeth.

Judging by the posture, it was just like counter-terrorism.

At this moment, the entire bunker was in an atmosphere of mourning, and with such a sudden event, no one knew what had happened.

But the larger the display, the more willing people were to cooperate. After all, no one wanted to be caught up in any trouble.

After all preparations were in place, Albert’s perception scanned the entire Three Towers Academy.

After a few breaths, he opened his eyes:

"Found him."

"So fast?" Wen Xishu was somewhat surprised; he knew Albert was strong, but he didn't know Albert was *this* strong.

"Xiao Jin’s emotions might be unstable... As Old Jin’s kin, even without a blood relationship, I don't want to force him into a dead end."

Albert knew that Xiao Jin must have some special significance to Old Jin. It might even be related to the Long Yin Project.

He did not reject that project; he felt that the bunker’s and Longxia’s god-making were not in conflict, as both were ultimately for the sake of humanity being able to return to its own land.

Unless absolutely necessary, Albert was unwilling to harm Xiao Jin.

"Come with me, we are going to take him down. He might try to harm you, but he will not succeed."

It was so reassuring.

Wen Xishu still had to admit that climbing the Slaughter Tower was indeed necessary. Especially climbing to the level of Albert.

Department area.

In a corner of the library.

When Wen Xishu and Albert both arrived at the library, even Wen Xishu could sense that familiar aura.

Yue Yun.

Yue Yun no longer had his former coldness; his whole person appeared dazed and confused.

Upon sensing Wen Xishu approaching, Yue Yun instantly raised his head.

That gaze carried confusion, struggle, and anger.

"Die!"

Yue Yun moved.

His explosive power was astonishing, and his speed was extremely fast.

But if it were only this, let alone the fact that Wen Xishu had Albert behind him, even Wen Xishu himself could easily react and perfectly parry this attack.

Wen Xishu easily dodged.

"Xiao Jin, do you not recognize me?"

He also did not wish for Xiao Jin to be an enemy, even if they had spent very little time together.

But Xiao Jin had once risked his life to save him.

Yue Yun seemed to realize that although his movements were fast, Wen Xishu was not someone comparable to ordinary Slaughter Tower climbers.

His figure immediately underwent a change.

Luo Feng, one of the Five Elders, appeared in Wen Xishu’s line of sight once again.

With this, Luo Feng’s suspicion was considered completely cleared.

The familiar piercing hand appeared, but whether in momentum or power, it looked even stronger than before.

A fatal blow!

This was Xiao Jin’s thought.

"Give it back to me! Go to hell!"

At this moment, Wen Xishu saw the barrage.

[No! Don't do it!]

[Give it back! Give it back!]

The barrage distracted Wen Xishu slightly, to the point that Xiao Jin, having transformed into Luo Feng, had his piercing hand already at Wen Xishu’s chest, as if in the next instant, it would pierce his heart.

But this scene did not happen.

Because an aged, powerful hand gently pressed down on Xiao Jin.

The powerful piercing hand suddenly lost all its strength, unable to advance even half an inch.

Xiao Jin only felt infinite power; compared to that hand, this blow, which had condensed the full strength of the Five Elder Luo Feng, appeared insignificant.

"Grandpa... Grandpa Albert."

Xiao Jin’s face began to change; half was Xiao Jin’s original appearance, and half was still Luo Feng’s, looking extremely strange.

At this moment, Albert prepared a hand-blade strike to subdue Xiao Jin.

But Xiao Jin seemed to have surged with a new wave of malice.

He changed his appearance in an instant; the hand held by Albert shed many aged wrinkles and became delicate.

Evelyn’s appearance appeared in Albert’s eyes.

Subsequently, a massive mental shock gave Albert an urge to let go.

Wen Xishu was similarly impacted; he only felt as if everything had become meaningless.

His whole being was in a state of mind where he didn't want to care about anything and didn't want to pay attention to anything.

Even if Xiao Jin wanted to kill him, it didn't seem like an important matter; let him kill if he wanted.

Living had nothing to speak of, and dying didn't count for anything either.

This massive negative shock also caused an impact on Albert, but it was only a very subtle one.

"Hmph!"

Albert let out a cold snort, his aura like a violent tsunami destroying the coastline.

Xiao Jin felt a wave of dizziness in his brain, and he was unable to maintain Evelyn's form for a moment.

"She wouldn't dare do this herself, yet you have quite the nerve, child."

There was no longer any pity in Albert's eyes.

He could feel it; in order to kill Wen Xishu, Xiao Jin seemed to be stopping at nothing.

At this moment, his gaze was sharp, like a wild beast. No one had ever seen Albert like this, and no one dared to face Albert like this.

Xiao Jin was also terrified, his heart filled with extreme fear.

But before long, he revealed a ferocious expression again:

"Give it back to me!"

Xun Hui's face replaced Evelyn's face.

Albert was somewhat surprised; even though his spirit was on the verge of being crushed by fear, yet...

There was a strange power that allowed Xiao Jin to quickly reignite his fighting spirit.

Xun Hui naturally could not compare to Luo Feng.

But Xun Hui possessed a special method.

The State of No-Self.

Albert only felt his hand go empty.

The original tactile sensation had vanished.

Xiao Jin, having turned into Xun Hui, broke free from his restraints. After the State of No-Self was activated, he had lost his target.

The next instant, Xiao Jin erupted with astonishing speed and charged toward Wen Xishu.

However, Wen Xishu was not panicked in the slightest.

Because Albert was much faster than Xiao Jin.

First came a force that pushed him slightly aside, and then, Wen Xishu, having lost his balance, saw Albert throw a punch.

Wen Xishu thought: Could the old principal actually hit Xiao Jin while he is in the State of No-Self?

The scene that followed verified his guess.

Wen Xishu was surprised to discover that when Albert's fist landed on Xiao Jin...

Xiao Jin, who should have been in a void state, actually had his body begin to distort, as if struck by a massive force, and he fell heavily to the ground, unable to move.

Albert had restrained himself as much as possible with this punch, but it still left Xiao Jin on the verge of death.

The battle ended.

Xiao Jin struggled, wanting to crawl toward Wen Xishu. But he no longer had the strength.

Before long, he passed out.

Albert said:

"Arrange for someone to treat him. Take him to a place where the power of the Three Towers cannot be used, and interrogate him thoroughly."

Wen Xishu, however, said:

"Actually... I saw the bullet comments just now. I already know why Xiao Jin wanted to kill me."

Albert had an impression; the first time he met Wen Xishu, Wen Xishu had looked above his head.

At that time, he was in a state of extreme joy. He had guessed then whether Wen Xishu could see things that others could not.

Albert asked:

"What do you mean? What did you find out?"

When Xiao Jin was imitating Luo Feng and attempting to kill Wen Xishu with a piercing hand, Wen Xishu had already touched the bullet comments emitted by Xiao Jin.

He had already learned a portion of the memories through the scenes in the bullet comments.

He said:

"Inside Xiao Jin's body, there is a will that longs for unification."

"Do you remember, according to what Mr. Jin said before, Xiao Jin seems very special and can simulate the twelve constellations..."

"It was normal at first, but when Xiao Jin simulated Gemini, he became two people."

"I suspect one is the kind Xiao Jin, and the other is the evil personality of Xiao Jin."

"The one Mr. Jin retrieved after deceiving Capricorn was the evil Xiao Jin."

"That is the Xiao Jin we see."

"And the other, the kind Xiao Jin, has a very important item on him called the Heart of Fusion."

"I am not yet clear on the function of this item, but perhaps... one of its functions is fusion. For example, allowing the two parts of Xiao Jin to fuse."

"Based on my experience in the Tower of Deception, the Heart of Fusion seems to be able to solve a problem, which is: when multiple people fuse, who is the master of the fused body's will?"

"I don't know if you can understand what I mean? For example, if Senior Xun Hui and Senior Wen Renjing fused, then after the fusion, would a brand-new will be generated to control the body, or would Senior Xun Hui control the body? Or perhaps Senior Wen Ren control the body?"

"I suspect the Heart of Fusion can solve this problem."

"And the Heart of Fusion was initially with the kind Xiao Jin, but for some reason, that Xiao Jin gave the Heart of Fusion to three people in the Demon City."

"I also went to the Demon City during a journey and found the Heart of Fusion at a place called the Hall of Good People."

Albert understood:

"So Xiao Jin attacked you... because of the Heart of Fusion? His 'give it back to me' meant you snatched his item?"

Wen Xishu sighed:

"Looking at it now, the Gemini simulated by Xiao Jin has a huge gap compared to the real Gemini."

"I don't know why Xiao Jin is so special to possess this ability, but every constellation he imitates might have problems. This ability is not yet stable."

"The real Gemini, the twins that are separated, trust each other."

"But the twins separated by Xiao Jin seem to have some kind of problem, leading to mutual hostility."

"The Heart of Fusion can determine the master of the will, so the evil Xiao Jin, upon sensing the existence of the Heart of Fusion, immediately suppressed the kindness within his body and launched an attack on me."

"He wants to obtain the Heart of Fusion, wants to become the master of the will, wants to fuse with the other Xiao Jin, and wants to control the fused body."

Albert was very surprised; on one hand, he was surprised by the truth, and on the other, he was surprised by the amount of information Wen Xishu could obtain.

This child is truly a natural-born interrogation saint.

Wen Xishu said:

"I am thinking, Mr. Jin kept having Evelyn dilute Xiao Jin's memories, trying to change Xiao Jin's foundation... to make Xiao Jin become a kind person..."

"Perhaps it was also the hope that the fused Xiao Jin in the future could also become a kind person."

Albert immediately asked:

"So this matter of Xiao Jin killing you... has nothing to do with old Mr. Jin? Right?"

Wen Xishu nodded:

"It has no connection; all of this just happened within a certain timeframe, which led to my misjudgment. But now... this problem has been solved."

"What needs to be solved next is how to dismantle Xiao Jin's evil, and to figure out what Xiao Jin actually is."

"Why he can imitate those constellations. The meaning of his existence, his very existence... what it is all for."

Wen Xishu actually had not given up on thinking of Mr. Jin as a "villain."

In his view, Liu Zhizai dying in place of Mr. Jin, and then Xun Hui and Wen Renjing dying on the seventieth floor...

These could all be blamed on Mr. Jin.

But he also tried to think from the principal's perspective: what if Mr. Jin wanted the Two-Fold Method?

It is true that he loves Longxia more, but what if he also loves the Bunker?

Albert nodded:

"It has nothing to do with old Mr. Jin, that is good... Thank you. There are some choices I know how to make, but even knowing them, making that choice is too difficult."

"Fortunately, I don't have to make a choice for the time being."

"It's just that the puzzle of old Mr. Jin and Xiao Jin, why does it feel like the more it's solved, the more there is?"

Wen Xishu said:

"When the truth is near, there will be a process that makes everything look tangled and messy."

"But I believe that as long as I keep climbing the tower, I will definitely be able to solve the puzzle."

Albert knew that Wen Xishu was about to start climbing the tower again.

……

……

Xiao Jin was soon taken away.

Although Albert's punch had been restrained, it still beat Xiao Jin to the verge of death.

Wen Xishu did not ask how the old principal managed to break the State of No-Self with one punch.

He guessed that the principal's punch was probably similar to the archery of Sagittarius, containing a portion of the law of causality, belonging to the type that once launched, it must hit.

Of course, these were all just guesses.

For a person like Albert, it seems that no matter how powerful one imagines him to be, it is not an exaggeration.

Wen Xishu had one more problem to solve at the moment.

"I should also climb the tower, but unlike the Tower of Slaughter, how can I... get seven death-row inmates to form a team with me?"

Once the Colorful Feather Pen is used, one must ensure at least seven people die.

The best way is to arrange for seven of the most heinous, proven-guilty death-row inmates waiting for execution to be with him.

However, the Weird Tower currently lacks stable and effective items for forming teams.

Wen Xishu felt a bit of a headache.

Of course, he could also gamble on luck, betting that in his next Weird Tower journey, he would inevitably be assigned to a level with no fewer than seven people.

"This is a bit troublesome."

At this very moment, Wen Xishu had already returned to the office at the Weird Tower Academy.

The recent grand assembly at the Three Towers Academy had led teachers and students to speculate whether something major had happened at the school.

Wen Xishu did not care much about these rumors.

His problem now was that he could either choose not to use the Colorful Feather, and in that way, he would not have to worry about the dilemma of having fewer than seven people.

But it would be too much of a pity not to use such a complete Death Note at least once.

This problem had troubled Wen Xishu for a while.

However, before long, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him, and he thought of a solution.

"Stupid, how could I have forgotten such a useful thing!"

Once the method for solving the issue of having fewer than seven people in a dungeon appeared in his mind, Wen Xishu was incredibly excited.

He did not delay any longer and took out his login device directly.

A new round of tower climbing began.

(End of chapter)