Chapter 280: Albert the Democrat

Unlike usual, Wen Xishu basically sent all facilities to the second floor. But this time, Wen Xishu sent the prison to the eighth floor—the Mysterious Tower Academy.

The reason was simple: a prison must account for jailbreaks. Once a jailbreak occurred, the exit would lead directly into the Mysterious Tower Academy, which would surely make the prisoners feel right at home.

After finishing all this, Wen Xishu asked a question:

"You Guides, why did you become Guides? What is the reason for your presence here? Where did this place originate?"

This question caught the Black Mysterious Head off guard. After a short silence, the Black Mysterious Head said:

"You know what I'm going to say."

The White Desire Head said:

"Hard to say."

The Red Slaughter Head nodded and said:

"Better not to say."

Wen Xishu interrupted the Black Slaughter Head's combo:

"Let me change the question. Is this place where I am a part of the Obsession World?"

The Three Towers Guides didn't quite understand why Wen Xishu was asking such... foundational questions today.

"You're very strange today," the Black Mysterious Head said.

Wen Xishu didn't press further:

"I'll know sooner or later. According to the natural progress, I'm about to step into the fiftieth floor, right?"

The Black Mysterious Head nodded:

"Indeed, it's simply lightning speed. Fifty floors in just over three months, truly a heaven-sent talent. I wonder if there will ever be a tower climber faster than you in the future. I'm truly looking forward to it, chop chop chop chop chop."

Wen Xishu said:

"If one hundred floors is the limit... the journey is about halfway over? Although it can't be calculated that way, since the first half is flat and the second half is steep."

"But I've gradually realized some things. Obsession can truly create many things. Under the influence of the tower, even the people of the Underworld have begun to develop a sense of crisis."

"So I'm wondering, are the Guides perhaps also a part of the Mysterious Tower?"

There was no answer.

All three heads were retracted, appearing somewhat crowded.

Seeing them remain silent, Wen Xishu didn't speak again; his question was indeed somewhat inexplicable.

However, Wen Xishu actually had a reason for asking this, because if the Guides were obsessions... did that also represent a task?

With the journey halfway over, Wen Xishu thought, the Guides should be telling him some key information by now.

But looking at the three silent Guides, Wen Xishu simply returned.

He wasn't in a hurry; in the process of climbing the tower, all the mysteries would surely be unraveled one by one.

……

……

The Bunker.

The prison's exit connected to the "Reminiscence Record."

When it suddenly appeared, people were startled. The students of the Three Towers Academy looked up, seeing buildings suddenly appear in the inverted world of the sky.

Soon, people realized it was a prison.

And they also realized... what the appearance of the prison meant. The Bunker legend, Wen Xishu, Dean Wen, had successfully returned once again, and with a very high completion rating.

But the students were already accustomed to Wen Xishu's miracles. Now, they weren't actually that surprised.

And seeing a prison appear, the students' impression of the Mysterious Tower Academy became even more... stereotypical.

"I really... still want to climb the Slaughter Tower."

"A prison has appeared; what is this school trying to do? Treat us like monsters in the Slaughter Tower? Or like prisoners?"

"Suddenly, I feel that those benefits from Young Master William aren't that great..."

Of course, this wasn't everyone's thought. Many people felt that having a place like a prison in the Mysterious Tower Academy wasn't bad at all.

The mental state of those students who wanted to enter the Mysterious Tower Academy was like this:

"Wow, there's even a prison in the academy. We can study like prisoners; this is very 'Mysterious Tower'."

"Those who climbed the Mysterious Tower in the past were all death-row inmates. It's very reasonable for us to have a prison in the Mysterious Tower Academy. When the time comes, the death-row inmates can audit our classes while exchanging insights with us. Perfect."

"Makes sense. I really want my dormitory to be prison-styled; thinking about it, it's quite interesting."

"Right next to that building that scares people insane, two buildings connected together. I love it."

"I can't wait to start class!"

It must be said that William Huokena's benefits were well-placed. A considerable portion of the recruited students truly possessed the ability to climb the Mysterious Tower; they were the kind of perverts deep in their bones.

Just like that person last time who was scared by Tang Rui and then swore to become Tang Rui's dog.

In general, the number of people with abnormal mental states in the Mysterious Tower Academy was very high.

This was related to the academy's written examination mechanism.

The Slaughter Tower Academy focused on testing whether the other party had the concept of defending their home and country, while the Desire Tower Academy tested whether they had compassion.

But the Mysterious Tower Academy tested whether the other party had a penchant for the bizarre, an eccentric temperament, or masochistic qualities; these were all bonus points.

The total number of enrollments was lower than expected, but it was completed successfully.

Now, the first batch of new students for the Mysterious Tower Academy had all been recruited and were waiting for the "teachers" to give lectures.

……

……

The students were all heatedly discussing the Mysterious Tower Academy.

However, the Dean of the Mysterious Tower Academy, Wen Xishu, was not at the Mysterious Tower Academy at this moment.

As the focus of the discussion, he was currently in the forbidden garden of the Desire Tower Academy.

It was the usual group: Evelyn, the Principal, Fan Chou, and Student Senior Wenren Jing.

The reason Wen Xishu called these people besides the Principal was that he hoped they could also participate in the vote, because he knew very well that the Principal would definitely make a decision next.

"How is Jin Shan?" Wen Xishu asked.

"Still recovering his memories. The efforts of these years haven't been in vain; his true colors have actually changed. I believe that after a while, Jin Shan will be our friend again," Evelyn said.

Wen Xishu nodded, preparing to get to the point.

But at this moment, Fan Chou suddenly spoke up:

"I've already cleared the sixty-ninth floor. Am I just supposed to wait from now on?"

Student Senior Wenren Jing also said:

"I'm also on the sixty-ninth floor, having completed a level-five completion rating. My natural level is also about to reach the seventieth floor..."

Wen Xishu was secretly surprised to hear this. After all, Fan Chou had only just touched the sixtieth floor not long ago. Now he had already cleared the sixty-ninth.

This convinced Wen Xishu that Fan Chou must have put in a lot of effort recently.

Albert knew that climbing the tower meant killing people.

Every time he forced a climb, that desire for slaughter would accumulate in his body. Fan Chou killing the Third Bureau Chief of the Anquan Bureau was only a short while ago.

Recently, many death-row inmates in the Bunker had been executed ahead of schedule, which must also be related to the Fan family.

But Albert didn't care. If he needed to become a devil in the process of climbing the tower, he was willing to become one.

"Then let's rest for a while. I'm also thinking about a way to solve the Sagittarius trouble, but I haven't found a way yet."

"Perhaps Jin Shan is a breakthrough point. I've always felt that Mr. Jin wouldn't lie to me. He said his death could make Sagittarius withdraw; it must be possible."

"But Mr. Jin didn't die; it was Liu Zhizai who died. This is indeed very suspicious."

"At this stage, we can only start from Jin Shan's side."

After clarifying the mystery of Mr. Jin's death, perhaps they could make Sagittarius leave at the source. This was Albert's idea.

Wen Xishu hadn't expected that just as he was about to sleep, someone would hand him a pillow. The topic had arrived right there.

"Actually, I called everyone here... it's not entirely to understand Jin Shan's affairs. His secrets are probably not easy to crack in a short time. I've always felt that all the answers are in the Three Towers."

Albert could tell that Wen Xishu had something to say.

Wen Xishu said:

"I recently acquired something that gives us a chance to ask the person who created the problem directly."

"Investigating Jin Shan and Mr. Jin's past might really find a way to know why Sagittarius wants to shoot us, but it might not solve the problem."

Evelyn was slightly moved:

"You can communicate with Sagittarius?"

She knew Wen Xishu had come into contact with those god-like existences.

Wen Xishu's expression was complex, and he said somewhat uncertainly:

"It's not exactly communication; the atmosphere isn't that peaceful... To be precise, it's initiating a duel. The enemy is very dangerous. If the duel fails..."

"So this is a matter of great importance, and I need to discuss it with everyone, especially you, Principal." Wen Xishu looked at Albert.

Albert had also guessed it, especially the word 'duel', which made him exceptionally excited.

Wen Xishu also knew that the old Principal would inevitably have this reaction. He wasn't afraid at all. If you asked him whether to fight, he would always have only one option: fight, fight the hell out of them.

Although the rest of the words hadn't been finished, everyone knew the gist of it.

This was a duel invitation.

A duel invitation representing the highest combat power of the Bunker at this stage against the highest combat power of the Three Towers.

Fan Chou and Student Senior Wenren Jing looked at each other. Both knew that Wen Xishu could always find a breakthrough, but this breakthrough was so direct that it really surprised them.

Albert exclaimed:

"You kid! That's great! I just love this way of solving things. Investigating Jin Shan and Mr. Jin has always been like solving a puzzle, while the puzzle-maker hides behind the scenes."

"Now, thanks to you, we can wipe out the person who created the problem together! That's wonderful!"

Albert stood up and clapped his hands:

"Hahahaha, that's great! That's great!"

"Principal, don't get excited yet. First of all, the enemy is very strong."

Yes, the enemy was Sagittarius, the one who had shot and severed the Bunker's future over these years.

There was no doubt he was strong.

But Albert said:

"Striving to sprint to one hundred floors, surely it can't just be for a good-looking level number, right?"

"In the Three Towers War, the way humans participate seems to be only by climbing the tower to change the future situation. This point is particularly present among you Desire Tower and Mysterious Tower contestants."

"But those of us climbing the Slaughter Tower must have a chance to prove ourselves."

Wen Xishu said:

"I can create a chance to prove it, but old Principal, if you lose, do you know what that means?"

Everyone was silent.

Evelyn sighed:

"I've already lost Mr. Jin, Albert, you..."

If the Bunker didn't have Mr. Jin, perhaps it wouldn't have its current glory. But if it didn't have Albert, then the current glory would surely collapse.

One could imagine that without Albert, the Five Elders might even become evil.

Wen Xishu added:

"And... this isn't an item, Principal. It's a sequence, a non-tradable sequence, and there's only one chance. In other words, in the future, I'll have the chance to fight every big shot whose aura I can perceive."

"But such chances only come once. Once you fail, it's completely over."

"And, since it's a sequence rather than an item, you must bring me, this dead weight, along in this battle."

If it were just letting Albert go to the duel himself, Albert would have accepted it excitedly.

But now, discovering that the situation involved Wen Xishu as well, Albert fell silent.

He was thinking about whether he had the ability to protect Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu said:

"There are only ten minutes. You must have the ability to ensure you won't be killed by the opponent for ten minutes."

Wen Xishu wasn't asking to win; ten minutes was enough to negotiate many issues. He only hoped the old Principal wouldn't be killed within ten minutes.

Albert also understood. He was a bargaining chip, a chip on the negotiating table. If his combat power couldn't leave a deep impression on Sagittarius—

Then there would never be such an opportunity again.

Fan Chou said:

"Wen Xishu, you've said a lot, but you want the old man to go, right?"

Student Senior Wenren Jing smiled; this Fan Chou was always so sharp.

Fan Chou said:

"If you weighed the pros and cons and decided the old man couldn't go, you wouldn't even have mentioned it. Your heart leans toward him going."

"But I think... it's not the time yet. If this is a vote, if we are sitting here representing that we have the right to vote, then I refuse."

"I can wait until another more suitable way to counter Sagittarius appears."

Evelyn shook her head:

"I also refuse. The Sagittarius crisis might not be unsolvable later, but if you, Albert... have an accident now, and both you and Wen Xishu have an accident, I dare not imagine how chaotic the Bunker will become."

"Mr. Jin's life or death is unknown; at this time, you must not have an accident."

Student Senior Wenren Jing said:

"I also refuse for you, Teacher, to deal with Sagittarius. We'll think of a way together; there will always be other paths."

Wen Xishu did lean toward letting Albert fight, but he also respected the result of this vote:

"Since there are three votes against, I accept this result."

Albert looked at the few people who had all refused and smiled:

"Sure enough, in terms of courage and madness, only Xishu and I are the same."

Fan Chou shook his head:

"I refused you, not out of fear of death."

Albert agreed:

"Of course, you are upright and brave; I don't doubt your courage. But courage and boldness are two different concepts. Boldness is reflected in whether you can seize the opportunity."

"In this point, you really aren't good enough. You still don't realize that humans cannot climb the tower slowly and comfortably. Did fighting one Great Devourer make you think you won?"

"A mere constellation can cut off your future path. If you don't race against time, how do you know you'll have decades of comfort in the future?"

"Wen Xishu, you dare to hand this choice to me, which means you also have the determination to give everything for this action, right?"

Wen Xishu nodded.

Fan Chou realized something was wrong, and Evelyn also realized it. When this old man got ruthless, he didn't care about democratic voting at all.

Now there seemed to be such a trend.

Student Senior Wenren Jing said:

"Teacher... we haven't learned enough from you yet. Will you reconsider? If you fail, then the young people of the future might not be ready to replace you."

Albert laughed, laughing extremely boldly:

"I used to love reading stories written by authors from the lower levels. The old guys would always use their own deaths to let the little ones grow before they grew up."

"That's good. Old guys should have such awareness. I've also read some sentimental sentences, like 'the new era has no ship that can carry me'... Hahahaha, saying that before dying is indeed a pity."

"But I don't like regrets, and I don't like the drama of old people dying for young people."

"Fan Chou, Jingzi, if you can't take over my burden, it only proves you aren't good enough. If you can't keep up with my pace, it means you're nothing more than that."

"Whether I die or not, you must progress and do your best to catch up with me. If you can't catch up, you're trash."

Albert's aura was like a storm. Wen Xishu had to admit that Albert in his eyes was shining brightly.

"Your growth paths have already been cut off by others. Now, facing such an opportunity to expel the enemy, you want to persuade me to give up? You disappoint me too much."

"Of course I'm afraid of death; that's the reason I haven't dared to enter the Mysterious Tower for so many years. But I'm even more afraid of dying like a coward. The meaning of my life is to wait for a satisfying battle."

"But I can be sure that this battle won't only last ten minutes."

Albert said:

"Dean Wen, let's set off tomorrow."

Fan Chou knew he couldn't persuade the old man, and he didn't blame Wen Xishu; everyone's way of thinking was indeed different.

Everyone was clear about Albert's aura at this moment; no voting or democracy would work.

This old man had a somewhat arbitrary and tyrannical temperament.

But Fan Chou was by no means a person without courage:

"Since you've decided, I can't miss such a duel. I want to participate too."

Albert cared about the future of the Bunker.

But as he said, if the Bunker didn't have anyone who could climb to the seventieth floor, then there was no future to speak of.

He smiled:

"Hahahahahaha, that's more like it!"

Wen Xishu admired the old Principal even more.

He actually hated the drama of old soldiers dying to make a sacrifice for the birth of a new king. Deep down, he didn't believe Albert would die here at all.

Because he had seen a more distant future.

The world loved to hear stories of new kings ascending the throne, but there would always be an immortal movement of old soldiers that would play.

Wen Xishu had a premonition that this battle would become a major event in the Three Towers War.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 281 =====