Chapter 281: Re-entering the Slaughter Tower

The meeting ended quickly.

Albert’s fighting spirit was intense; of course, he knew Wen Xishu had only just returned, and he could not drag him off to the Slaughter Tower right now.

"Since you, Xun Hui, are going, then you and Wen Xishu should get a good day’s rest. Everyone needs to be in top condition."

Xun Hui nodded:

"I understand."

Albert left shortly after.

Xun Hui and Wen Xishu were the last to leave. Before departing, Xun Hui said:

"Climbing the Slaughter Tower, it is actually very difficult to come into contact with those constellations you speak of, but even if I don't know them, I can imagine their power."

"They could be called the 'warlords' at the very top of the Three-Tower War, couldn't they?"

Wen Xishu nodded:

"You could say that. Because of their different functions, they have organized into various factions with all kinds of people."

Xun Hui looked at Wen Xishu:

"Most are hostile toward us, and even if they aren't, it’s just mutual exploitation?"

Wen Xishu nodded again; it was indeed so.

Even regarding Scorpio, Wen Xishu knew the other party had their own hidden agenda.

Xun Hui said:

"The old man is very strong. I don't even know just how strong, but he might not necessarily win this time. If he dies..."

"Senior, that won't happen." Wen Xishu interrupted Xun Hui.

"I would regret it. If the old Headmaster really died, I would regret it no matter what, but before I have seen that future... if you asked me to choose again, I would still invite the old Headmaster."

Wen Xishu’s gaze was clear; facing Xun Hui’s imposing manner, he did not retreat in the slightest.

Xun Hui said no more:

"Then get some good rest. If we can see this duel, it will surely be very beneficial."

Xun Hui was upright and open-minded; hearing Wen Xishu say this, he had no intention of blaming him.

……

……

At nightfall, after Wen Xishu returned to the Weird Tower Academy, he did nothing else.

He was truly getting some good rest.

Midway through, William Faulkner came to visit, but Wen Xishu had the Academy Spirit send him away.

Wen Xishu was actually aware of one thing: he himself seemed to be a variable.

The futures seen so far could all be changed.

It was also uncertain whether his current decisions would create a massive butterfly effect, causing the old Headmaster to fail to participate in the duel between Scorpio and Leo.

In truth, he was not as open-minded as he imagined.

Or rather, when facing the constellations, Wen Xishu also felt a slight lack of confidence in the old Headmaster.

Although he had never seen Sagittarius kill anyone, nor had he ever seen the old Headmaster’s performance inside the Slaughter Tower.

……

……

The next morning.

When Wen Xishu opened his eyes, the Academy Spirit had already prepared breakfast.

Wen Xishu had actually not eaten breakfast for a while, not living according to the rhythm of a "normal person."

After breakfast, the Academy Spirit said:

"The Headmaster is waiting for you at the Supplies Department. He said if you are well-rested, you should head there."

Wen Xishu nodded and, without delay, set off immediately.

The Supplies Department—three months ago, when Wen Xishu came here, the first item he rented was from the Supplies Department, a tool from the Headmaster: "Forgot the Key," a simple and crude door-opening tool.

Three months had passed, and the Supplies Department had changed significantly.

Now, a Weird Tower supply zone had appeared in the Supplies Department.

Of course, there were not many items in the Weird Tower supply zone. Just a few scattered pieces, mostly brought by members of the Xishu Divine Sect and the newly established Weird Tower Assault Team of the Bunker Security Bureau.

The quality of the tools was concentrated in white and blue, with white accounting for the vast majority.

Generally, once a tool reached purple, it was extremely rare.

Wen Xishu arrived at the Supplies Department quickly. He noticed that among the blue tools, there was actually a very good one—a tongue.

Weird Tower Tool: Tongue of Lotus Blossoms.

This was a rather disgusting tool because it needed to be placed in the mouth. Once placed, your eloquence would become excellent, and you would likely say things that could move enemies of the Weird Tower.

But there was also a small chance of suddenly saying something that would break the target’s mental defenses.

This tool could be considered top-tier among blue tools.

Once successfully installed, even someone not good with words or "mouth-jutsu" could pull off some mouth-jutsu.

There were many white tools as well; although they had significant side effects, they all had their own value.

Wen Xishu was very gratified; his appearance had made the exploration of the Weird Tower lively.

He did not linger in the Weird Tower supply zone.

Soon, Wen Xishu arrived at the Slaughter Tower supply zone, the tool storage area in the deepest part.

The old Headmaster Albert was already waiting for Wen Xishu in the deepest area.

Wen Xishu noticed there was no one around, as this was too deep inside and was considered the Headmaster’s private area.

The Headmaster’s items were undoubtedly numerous; even though Wen Xishu’s tower-climbing frequency was higher than the Headmaster’s, the Headmaster had been climbing for decades.

Of course, it was a pity that although the Headmaster had many items, his inventory space was still limited, and as Xun Hui had said earlier, many tools in the Slaughter Tower had level requirements for use, unlike the tools of the Weird Tower which could be used as soon as they were picked up.

Therefore, the Headmaster’s tools that possessed powerful combat strength all had level requirements of 70 or 80, or six-figure kill count requirements.

In short, they were things that ordinary people found difficult to use.

This was also the first time Wen Xishu had seen such a scene; it was like looking at an armory. The quantity in this armory was even greater than the equipment in the gear room he had visited with several killers at the Investigation Bureau.

"I didn't expect you to have so many tools," Wen Xishu exclaimed.

Albert said:

"Most I cannot use. Actually, this place doesn't just belong to me; it also belongs to Old Jin."

"This horse-chopping saber was obtained by Old Jin from a leader-level creature that had evolved into a centaur form. The saber’s effect is simple and crude: a 15 percent chance to cause forced stun."

"And this shield, it can reflect an opponent’s attack."

Wen Xishu couldn't help but ask:

"Reflect? In a conceptual sense, or a numerical one?"

Albert laughed:

"Naturally, in terms of numbers. Using this thing won't deal with Sagittarius; this thing couldn't even take one of my punches."

The old Headmaster’s gaze wandered over many tools.

There were external implant bone arms that could mimic the body’s movements and skills, daggers that could increase paralysis effects, shoes that could boost speed, and wings that allowed for flight. The tools were varied and diverse, all of them powerful items capable of changing the course of a battle.

But none of these tools were chosen by the old Headmaster.

Albert’s gaze finally landed on a pair of gloves.

This was not even an orange-tier tool.

It was just a level 89 purple-tier pair of gloves. Among the many numerical or functional tools, Albert ultimately chose the gloves.

Wen Xishu asked: "What is it called?"

Albert said: "Indomitable Gloves. A pair of gloves that can convert fighting spirit and rage into combat ability. It’s not considered very strong, but this thing once helped me escape a disaster when I was near death."

Wen Xishu was slightly moved.

Albert did not put on the gloves; he only took them out, revealing a child-like smile, as if he had found a teammate from many years ago.

"I have given up using them for some time because I didn't need them. Honestly, last night, I really didn't sleep well. I care a lot about the duel with Sagittarius. Because he might hold the truth about Old Jin, and it is possible he can truly open the path for young people to go beyond the 70th floor."

"But I don't have absolute certainty."

"I have been thinking, what tool can defeat Sagittarius?"

"I thought for a very, very long time, but unfortunately, if the opponent is too powerful, I found that I have no tool that can defeat him."

"But just when I thought there really wasn't one, I suddenly found it again."

"Look, this is my tool."

Wen Xishu discovered that the old Headmaster did not show him the gloves, but instead stretched out his hands.

Those hands, at first glance, hardly seemed to belong to a human; they looked more like some kind of ancient, resilient weapon. They hung heavily at his sides, carrying a stillness born from having experienced countless life-and-death struggles.

With the palms turned upward, the first thing to strike the vision was the layer of astonishingly thick calluses.

They were not evenly covered, but concentrated below the knuckles and in the middle of the finger bones, forming several uneven, deep yellow and white hardened areas, like a layer of rough, overgrown tree bark.

Wen Xishu had never seen hands like these.

But he had, indeed, seen a peerless weapon.

He also instantly understood the old Headmaster’s meaning.

Facing a powerful enemy, all manner of tools were not as good as himself. What he needed was faith—the certainty that he could defeat the enemy, and the courage to fight to the death even if he were to be defeated.

Therefore, the gloves were not the weapon for battle; the hands themselves were.

Wen Xishu felt a sense of awe for these hands.

It is hard to imagine what kind of tempering could make palm lines so deep and chaotic.

The life line and wisdom line have long since blurred, as if the trajectory of his life has been covered over by pure "striking."

This is the limit of humanity; this is the limit of courage and will.

If such a limit fails, and he is killed by the Archer...

Thinking of it this way, Wen Xishu can immediately understand Xun Hui and Evelyn; it is not that they lack boldness or the resolve to discard everything.

It is that the Principal truly represents humanity itself.

"I cannot imagine your failure, and it is precisely because I do not think you will fail that I brought it up," Wen Xishu said.

"Hahahaha, then, I will take your word for it," Albert laughed loudly.

Ever since Wen Xishu climbed the tower with Xun Hui last time, Xun Hui has felt that this might truly be a training mechanism.

Thus, he began to research the feasibility of using party-forming items to have veterans lead newcomers. This feasibility is actually very low; for a newcomer to rashly head to a high level carries extreme risk.

But Xun Hui still felt that this method could be used for certain special geniuses. So, he did not give up his research.

First of all, it has to be the research level. For example, if a level 1 and a level 70 form a party, which level will they be matched to?

This research has not made much progress, but it has yielded some results.

If Xun Hui, Wen Xishu, and Albert form a party, according to the level distribution mechanism, Xun Hui calculates they would be assigned to the 81st floor.

Yes, even though Wen Xishu’s Slaughter Tower level is only 18...

A player like Albert on the 97th floor can still bring him into the 81st floor.

Therefore, more people must be arranged.

Of course, there is also a situation where, since the Slaughter Tower is a grand world, one could actually just form a party directly.

Xun Hui and Albert could head directly to the relevant area on the 70-something floors.

But if they did that, they would very likely encounter a Slaughter Day. A Slaughter Day is quite troublesome even for Albert, especially when he has to protect two little ones.

So in the end, under Xun Hui’s calculations, two more people were arranged—two pure newcomers.

Xun Hui hoped these two people would be death-row inmates.

But Albert is different; he believes that on the 70th floor, apart from the Archer, no monster can take a single punch from him.

It would be better to take a gamble and bring two good saplings.

A person like Albert could actually choose not to climb to the 90-something floors and instead use the party system to lead newcomers.

But Wen Xishu knows why the old Principal does not do that.

Because in the old Principal’s world, time is pressing; he is unwilling to waste even a moment, spending almost all his time busy killing, all to reach the 98th floor as quickly as possible, then the 99th, and finally break through the 100th floor.

The old Principal has lived for over ninety years, and in his life, he has experienced two stages.

The first stage was when humanity’s thousands of years of civilization suddenly ended.

Perhaps Xun Hui and Wen Renjing both feel that there is plenty of time, and that many problems can be solved slowly.

The bunker has just finished the Great Devouring, and everything is flourishing... it all seems wonderful.

But Albert does not think that way; having experienced the end of the world, he has always known that the world can collapse in an instant.

He always assumes that the bunker might start collapsing at any next moment.

That is why he is happy to be able to engage the Archer directly; this is more efficient than slowly investigating Mr. Jin and Mr. Jin.

But this time, in order to deal with the Archer, Albert will return to the 70-something floors.

"If I am defeated... you two will die too, and the bunker will have no future to speak of. So don't assume I will be defeated. As for bringing death-row inmates, once they gain power, they will only be more trouble. Bring two good saplings; if they die, they die, but if they live, they will gain progress."

Albert’s words do make sense.

In fact, Wen Xishu can tell from the fact that the old Principal and Xun Hui kill people that the old Principal is not a "good person" in the true sense. In this apocalypse, the old Principal can accept the death of anyone.

Even Mr. Jin.

In a gamble with a fifty-percent chance of death and a fifty-percent chance of improvement, the old Principal is the type of person who would gamble ten times out of ten.

They do not care about the fate of individuals, unless the individual’s talent makes them feel they can see hope.

And so, under the old Principal’s arrangement—

Nisen and Yueyun, these two first-year freshmen, had the opportunity to experience the 70th floor in advance.

Nisen and Yueyun also knew that this time they could only be "carried" to victory or "carried" to a dead end. The two were truly afraid.

But thinking that Wen Xishu, Xun Hui, and the old Principal were all going, they felt it was not so scary anymore.

Thus, although timid, the two still agreed to go.

With this, the team to deal with the Archer was formed.

Cheerleaders—Xun Hui, Wen Xishu, Nisen, Yueyun.

King—Albert Napolitano.

Wen Xishu does not feel there is anything shameful about it; anyway... in a battle of this level, even Xun Hui can only serve as background.

Evelyn and Wen Renjing both knew they could not dissuade them, so they could only accept it. And they chose to keep it a secret for the coming week.

If after a week, Xun Hui’s name is no longer on the Heavenly Ladder rankings... Wen Renjing does not even dare to imagine how chaotic the bunker would become.

After the team assembled, the group quickly formed a party, activated their login devices, and entered the Slaughter Tower rest area.

At the center of the Slaughter Tower, the regulars of that place soon appeared.

Xun Hui, Albert.

But Wen Xishu’s consciousness transferred to the rest area a little later. Because he had one extra step compared to the others.

The only chance Wen Xishu has to influence the battle is probably the Dice of Inversion and the Scorpion Dagger.

The moment he activated the login device and heard "Welcome to the Three Towers Game"...

For the first time, he began to pray that this time the Dice of Inversion and the Scorpion Dagger could provide the best assist.

(End of chapter)