Chapter 44: Repeating Old Tricks

Wen Xishu took a step. He didn't intend to actually go and purify the music box.

At this moment, Zheng Zai suddenly spoke:

"I'll go."

Among the people present, there were two honest people.

One was Mendemuer, and one was Zheng Zai. In Wen Xishu's view, Zheng Zai was truly honest.

But Mendemuer remained to be observed.

Kai En was very aggressive at first, proposing that whoever had the heaviest crimes should be the captain. Because in a small part of the prison, there was such a saying: whoever had the most heinous crimes was the boss.

Mendemuer and Kai En were both there because of women, but Wen Xishu felt that Mendemuer seemed too timid; he didn't hate timid people, but he hated people who played the pig to eat the tiger by pretending to be timid.

And Zheng Zai was truly honest.

Zheng Zai was speaking, and he had already taken a step. Wen Xishu's analysis also made a lot of sense to him.

The reason he hesitated for a while was that he didn't want to leave too early.

His family background meant he needed a lot of merit to receive the treatment of an ordinary person.

So Zheng Zai really wanted to stay until the end and achieve a higher level of completion as much as possible.

Only then could he possibly regain honor. Only then could he possibly get rid of the negative influence brought by his father, and—receive treatment.

But Wen Xishu's words, Zheng Zai truly believed and was grateful for.

After his strange habit of eating human flesh was exposed, there was still someone willing to be so good to him; Zheng Zai was also willing to take risks for such a person.

Zheng Zai said:

"Climbing such a high bookshelf shouldn't be easy for you all, but I can do it."

"If I die, I won't blame anyone; Brother Wen's analysis makes a lot of sense, but if it's wrong, don't blame him either."

"If I survive, it proves Brother Wen's words were correct, then I want to take him back with me."

Wen Xishu didn't have much of a reaction in his heart, but Zheng Zai's words made Wen Xishu think of Jack.

Jack from the Tower of Desire, upon seeing someone illegally enter, his first reaction was to ask if they needed help.

Inexplicably, Wen Xishu had a feeling...

Although Zheng Zai wouldn't undergo the same changes as Jack, he was very likely at a node that would cause his personality to change drastically.

If at this moment—

No one cared about him, no one paid attention to him.

Zheng Zai said he was going to sprint, but Kai En suddenly took a step out too; he realized that if he didn't make a decision, he might not be able to go back!

Those who came to the Mysterious Tower were all there to change their fate, striving to be like the bunker's new legend, Wen Xishu, and be able to make a name for themselves in the bunker.

But the premise of changing fate was having a life to live.

After seeing those eerie tentacles, Kai En was scared; he just wanted to go back alive, even if it was just the lowest completion.

Kai En said anxiously:

"I'll go! Don't fight me for it!"

This was the result Wen Xishu wanted; he had originally intended to stop Zheng Zai. On his teammate sacrifice list, Zheng Zai was currently ranked last.

If he performed well, Wen Xishu would even remove Zheng Zai from the list.

"Brother Zheng, it wouldn't be bad for you to go purify the box, but since Kai En wants to go, let him have the opportunity. I think you actually don't want to stop at the low-level completion reward, right?"

Wen Xishu grasped everyone's psychology.

Sure enough, Zheng Zai stopped.

It wasn't easy for Kai En to climb the bookshelf, at least not as easily as Zheng Zai, who was like a wild cat climbing a tree.

However, as a criminal who dared to come to the Mysterious Tower to take a gamble, Kai En's physical fitness was nothing to sneeze at; although slow, he could still use the books to climb up bit by bit.

A few minutes later, panting, he finally reached the top of the huge bookshelf.

He saw the dense structure on the music box at close range.

Wen Xishu guessed that the story here was about a girl being done some bad things to by a beast.

Four rooms, four stories. Only when pieced together would they form the "birdcage."

But he hadn't figured out what the music box's role was.

Just as he thought Kai En was about to purify the music box, and Kai En also thought he could finally leave this ghost place—

The music box suddenly rang again, and the youthful, energetic music from recess played once more.

Kai En was stunned; he clearly hadn't touched the music box yet, nor had he chosen to purify anything.

At the same time, no one in the room had chosen to do so.

This variable that suddenly appeared made Kai En curse, and he had to speed up and rush toward the music box.

But he was still too slow.

In the center of the room, on the bookshelf, under the light tube, on the desk, by the office desk, near the stool legs... black smoke appeared everywhere.

The monster was about to appear.

【Good child, good child! You really are my good child! As long as you listen obediently, your grades will definitely be very good!】

The greasy, nauseating voice sounded again.

Wen Xishu looked around and quickly chose to run toward the bookshelf, hiding in the cracks between the books.

At this time, Park Meixi had already made up her mind to follow Wen Xishu; whatever Wen Xishu did, Park Meixi would do.

Mendemuer and Zheng Zai also followed suit, hiding toward the bookshelf.

Only Kai En, who had already climbed to the top of the bookshelf... didn't have time to leave.

He was discovered.

Twisted, wet, wriggling tentacles pierced toward Kai En instantly with a speed that humans couldn't react to.

And as Kai En's flesh was pierced, the black smoke around also constantly gathered.

They seemed to be attracted by the flesh.

Kai En's seven orifices... or rather, any slightly larger hole in his upper or lower body, were all filled and pierced by tentacles.

Kai En died even more miserably than Xita, not even having time to let out a scream.

The monster he encountered was several times that of Xita's.

His hand tried hard to touch the music box, but unfortunately, before he could touch it, he had already died on top of the bookshelf.

Everyone didn't see this scene, only blood dripping from the top of the bookshelf.

Hiding on the bottom layer of the bookshelf, in the cracks between the books, everyone looked at each other; Wen Xishu also did the same, cooperating by making an expression of surprise.

He had originally intended to kill.

The second one who deserved to die was Kai En.

The youthful, energetic music ended. Mendemuer and Park Meixi both looked at Wen Xishu with questioning eyes.

Wen Xishu pretended to be scared:

"Terrible... I didn't expect it to be like this. We must speed up!"

"If none of you go, then I'm going."

Once the music ended, it meant the monster hidden in the black smoke had also disappeared.

At this time, Wen Xishu pretended to be terrified and began to climb.

Park Meixi said anxiously:

"Wen Xishu, what exactly happened! You have to tell us!"

She was truly scared to death.

Wen Xishu said:

"It's an anti-AFK mechanism! Besides the four doors constantly approaching, there is also an anti-AFK mechanism in the room itself. If we waste time and don't purify the items..."

"It will trigger the mechanism, and the monster will appear on a large scale, and it is very likely to appear in the range we stayed in before, which will cause our activity space to become smaller and smaller!"

"Must purify quickly! Kai En was slow just now! He shouldn't have been so hesitant and indecisive in front!"

"This room will have an anti-AFK check every once in a while!"

Reasonable analysis; now everyone understood. Why did Kai En purifying the item attract monsters to appear on a large scale in many different places? And why did Xita only attract the monster in the item?

It turned out Kai En hadn't had time to purify yet; the monster appearance just now was another mechanism!

They had to race against time!

Seeing Wen Xishu climbing slowly, at this moment, Park Meixi and Mendemuer couldn't sit still!

Mendemuer didn't pretend anymore:

"Sorry! I want to live!"

He actually grabbed Wen Xishu's leg directly! Dragging Wen Xishu down.

The smile at the corner of Wen Xishu's mouth almost couldn't be suppressed.

"I'll just let you be the next person to die."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 45 =====