[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-three-towers-game":3,"chapter-the-three-towers-game-the-three-towers-game-chapter-54":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Three Towers Game",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294191,4488,"Chapter 54: Speedrunning the Strange Tower","the-three-towers-game-chapter-54",54,"\u003Cp>On the twenty-first floor of the Desire Tower, Wen Xishu found Jack and helped him eliminate the \"Corrupter\" lurking in the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consequently, the rescue of Jennifer, which originally belonged to the twenty-first floor of the Strange Tower, turned into an escort mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facts proved that after changing the fate trajectory of characters in the Desire Tower, it was also possible to change the overall ending of the Strange Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like this last time, and it was like this this time; the things that originally puzzled Wen Xishu instantly had answers the moment he touched the invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Due to changes in the plot of the Desire Tower, the sixth floor of the Strange Tower, \"Parrot's Sorrow,\" will be restarted.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[All players currently participating in this mission (excluding invitation holders) will have their memory modules synchronized and updated.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Memory module update in progress.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Strange Tower logic repair simulation initiated.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Simulation started.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[After that night of extreme madness and rain, the parrot was no longer a parrot; its wings were strong and powerful, and it could finally fly toward the sky.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[It was just that the wounds deep within its soul could never heal; the items hidden in the three rooms still awaited purification.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The destined betrayal and abandonment did not come to pass; Slaughter Tang Rui completed her journey of ascension, and the fourth door disappeared completely.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In the Jiangcheng region, Strange Tang Rui constructed her own territory from the fear deep within her heart through sequences.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[As the end approaches, all living beings with the Strange and Slaughter prefixes will delineate their own domains, not easily coming into contact with other equivalent existences.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Anyone who intrudes into a domain without authorization risks being killed.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In Strange Tang Rui's domain, there are three items that need to be purified; they are puzzles that only specific people can solve. She is waiting for that person's arrival.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[She has left a gift for that person.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[On this day, you have received a mission to head to that domain. This is the guidance of fate, but only those with the fated connection and the wise will be able to walk out of the domain.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simulation ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world before Wen Xishu's eyes began to disintegrate; this was a sign that he was about to be teleported back to the Strange Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many speculations surfaced in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, Tang Rui really did forgive her parents in the near future, and because of that, she encountered a betrayal that drained her vitality.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This was also the fourth door. This betrayal made her more incomplete, and from then on, she became a Slaughter Tang Rui of a different nature.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, what I did prevented the arrival of the fourth despair, and thus... the fourth door disappeared. No wonder Tang Rui said in the truth-telling that there was no fourth time; it turns out the fourth time hadn't arrived yet. Of course, it's impossible for it to arrive now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Next, I only need to explore three scenes. Hmm, that last sentence about only those with the fated connection and the wise being able to walk out of the domain...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The wise must refer to those who can piece together the various clues of the Strange Tower to solve the puzzle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for those with the fated connection... wait, the one with the fated connection wouldn't be me, would it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His brain began to spin wildly; after everything in Wen Xishu's field of vision disintegrated and reassembled, countless white lines constructed the scenes within the Strange Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wen Xishu's brain no longer felt dizzy, he had already returned to his original position. What met his eyes were the familiar scene and—the familiar barrage of comments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I want revenge! I want revenge! I want revenge!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang still maintained the expression of feeling heartache for Zheng Zai, and Zheng Zai still maintained the posture of pain with both fists pounding the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu's consciousness finally returned from the Desire Tower to the Strange Tower. Whether he was that person with the fated connection or not didn't actually matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What mattered was that at this moment, he knew how to clear the Strange Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zheng Zai, stop pounding the ground. No matter what you want to do, you must survive first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also a budding killer; that was how Wen Xishu evaluated Zheng Zai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zheng Zai were a Strange Zheng Zai, Wen Xishu would be very happy to analyze the case of Zheng Zai's father and resolve the knot in Zheng Zai's heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, Zheng Zai belonged to the Bunker, and everyone would return to the Bunker. To run wild in the Bunker, one still had a long way to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he would definitely settle the score for the things the Bunker's higher-ups had done to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this position, Zheng Zai was actually someone suitable to win over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that Wen Xishu still had to observe Zheng Zai further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I sympathize with your encounter, and I will bring you back alive. Now you need to pull yourself together, understand?\" Wen Xishu said kindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already switched back to his other side, roughly similar to a Strange Wen Xishu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But we... there are only three of us now. This room is too big; either the room has been enlarged, or we have been shrunk. In any case, for us now, to find that pollutant in such a large room... it's very difficult, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Park Yingshuang who spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang was actually not wrong; if they searched one by one, clearing the level would be very difficult because the Strange Tower had an anti-AFK mechanism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Wen Xishu's analysis, this anti-AFK mechanism would make their range of activity smaller and smaller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The answer is actually very simple. I already know what the item that needs to be purified is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang was startled, and Zheng Zai also turned his head, looking at this youth who was several years younger than him with a sense of awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know what the item is, so you really... were you the one who intentionally let Kane and Mendemuir and the others...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang voiced the conclusion she had already guessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, they were too evil, and everyone's sins were very heavy. I do not cooperate with them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before I solve the puzzle here, I need to ask you one thing: how many doors were there when we first came in?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Zai and Park Yingshuang were a bit confused because this question was too simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Three... three doors, right? Why ask this?\" Park Yingshuang said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu thought to himself that as expected, except for himself who held the invitation, everyone else's memories had been replaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had wanted to test the effect of the invitation last time. Although the prompt was a prompt, some things still had to be tested by himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This result still made Wen Xishu feel shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because in the Three Towers, Bunker people could change the fate trajectory of Three Towers people and anchor memories...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if one parsed the whole thing in reverse, could it also be seen as—the Three Towers were actually also changing the memories of Bunker people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the influence of the Crazy Dice, Wen Xishu could use the rules and powers of other towers in the Desire Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the Bunker, except for specific areas, even the Crazy Dice could not exert its effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bunker seemed to be a tower even more restrictive than the Desire Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, these speculations were too distant, and Wen Xishu quickly returned his thoughts to reality:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm, no problem. Alright, back to the main point. This is a study. There are many exercises placed here. If we study the exercises, we will find that these are competition problems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Zai widened his eyes, full of admiration. The main thing was—even though his academic performance was decent, he didn't know these were competition problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Bunker had canceled academic competitions a long time ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This point was the same for Park Yingshuang. Park Yingshuang actually didn't know much about Wen Xishu; she had only done her homework temporarily after receiving the mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She only knew that the second young master of the Wen family was a madman, but now it seemed... he wasn't crazy, and like Wen Renjing, he possessed a lot of knowledge about the Desire Tower world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty of the exercises for students in the early days of the Bunker was very high because among the first people to enter the Bunker, there was someone named Mr. Jin, who was a genuine Longxia person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a figure on par with Albert Napolitano. Later, it seemed he went to the Council of Elders and became mysterious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was precisely because of Mr. Jin that the language of the Bunker was not Italian but Longxia language. This was also the reason why everyone spoke the same language.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early days, Mr. Jin relied on his powerful strength to unify decrees, unify languages, unify the Bunker currency, and unify Bunker culture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, there was one point: Longxia people were too formidable in their learning ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were not even satisfied with ordinary exercises and began to do more advanced exercises, which were competition problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most outrageous thing was that the \"involution\" engraved in the bones of Longxia people led them to have an unusually high intensity of learning for their children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exams were too difficult, and the only ones who benefited were the group of people who could do the problems. And the selection for various high-level positions was definitely from the group of people with good grades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes, \"Do not worry about scarcity, but worry about inequality.\" Thus, under collective protest, the difficulty of various exam problems in the Bunker was lowered significantly, from the standard difficulty of Longxia's Huanggang level to the easy difficulty of the Freedom Nation's happy education level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various hell-difficulty exercise competitions were also canceled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there was another main reason for this magical, realistic situation—the Bunker's requirements for culture were not too harsh. The core need of the Bunker was to cultivate people who could explore the Three Towers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Park Yingshuang's view, Wen Xishu's generation could not have come into contact with those obscure pieces of knowledge, so it must have been learned outside the Bunker, from the Three Towers world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep inside, her fear of Wen Xishu deepened; this indicated that the time point at which Wen Xishu explored the Three Towers was very early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One must observe the structure of the study, combine it with the lines spoken when the monster appears, and... that piece of women's clothing, as well as the music from the music box to make a comprehensive judgment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The music box is definitely not the item that needs to be purified because it was just a means used by the girl to cover up her screams when she was being harmed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Its existence does not possess the nature of a source.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu was looking at the problem with the answer in mind, and he said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The item that truly needs to be purified is that award certificate we ignored from the beginning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, when everyone came in for the first time, they noticed these elements—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were pen holders, trophies, many books on the bookshelf, desks, office desks, chairs, award certificates, music boxes in the room...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang and Zheng Zai seemed to have guessed something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu nodded and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This child came here for tutoring and was harmed. The root cause lies in her parents' hope that she could win an award.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For her, that was an award certificate carrying sin. It was a product of gathered vanity. It was also the source of her suffering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling of looking at a problem with the answer was inexplicably quite satisfying. This time, Wen Xishu did not play the game of \"who goes to die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked toward the award certificate himself, full of confidence. But no matter what, in Park Yingshuang's eyes, this scene was still a bit crazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he really... have absolutely no doubts about his own judgment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, Wen Xishu had absolutely no doubts about his own judgment; after all, he had already cleared the hidden mission of the Desire Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This item hides sins that cannot be let go. Are you sure you want to purify it?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu did not hesitate and chose to purify.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his hand touched the certificate, Park Yingshuang almost didn't dare to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Zai, however, had eyes shining with light, as if he were seeing Wen Xishu for the first time. The awe in his eyes deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No black mist appeared, no monster appeared, and the music box did not ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was so calm. Until a prompt appeared in everyone's mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In your team, someone has already solved the puzzle and is about to head to the next room.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the prompt Wen Xishu received was:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have found a contaminated item. You may choose to end the Three Towers game early and head to the location of the Guide, or you may choose to take one teammate back with you.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Or, do you wish to delve deeper into the game?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang looked at Wen Xishu pleadingly; she actually hoped Wen Xishu would take her away from here and return to the bunker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu knew what was on Park Yingshuang's mind, but he did not intend to let her go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A door appeared in the center of the room, standing straight up. This meant that this scene had ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go, don't waste time. We are heading to the second door, aiming to return to the bunker in an hour.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zheng Zai, are you willing to accompany me to collect all the items?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Zai felt his blood boiling; he truly liked that wild streak in Wen Xishu. He nodded fiercely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll listen to you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang took a deep look at Wen Xishu, knowing she couldn't get away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She only hoped she could survive in the hands of this pervert. Even if it meant serving Wen Xishu with her body, that would be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the eerie door appeared in the middle of the huge study, Wen Xishu was also the first to step through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So much courage and talent... could he really be Wen Xishu?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thought suddenly flashed through Zheng Zai's mind, but because it was too absurd, Zheng Zai himself felt it was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang was the last to enter the eerie door standing in the middle of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second scene, just as Wen Xishu thought, was a bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This bedroom was located in that old residential complex in Jiangcheng, the place where Tang Fangtian and Cheng Yingna lived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bedroom was a standard student's bedroom. Even though it should have had a homey atmosphere, it was forcibly packed with all sorts of books and exercise workbooks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many items, yet not a single thing like a plush toy could be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a guitar in the corner, but it was broken and ruined. On the bedroom desk, there was also a bowl of carefully brewed sweet soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It emitted a black aura, making everyone notice it at first glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference from the first scene—this time, Wen Xishu, Park Yingshuang, and Zheng Zai all held paper and pens in their hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the starting items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This second scene is actually narrower than the first... but we seem to have become smaller. The actual space has become larger instead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Zheng Zai speaking; Zheng Zai noticed that compared to the last scene, the objects in this one had become larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you think that bowl of soup is the item we are looking for?\" Park Yingshuang looked at Wen Xishu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can go try it. Taking the initiative to purify an item will earn you extra points from me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Park Yingshuang, of course, did not dare; she was now completely in a state of being obedient and begging to be spared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Zai said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Should I go try?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zheng Zai, don't be impatient.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu actually knew what the answer was; it was definitely not that bowl of sweet soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sweet soup emitting the black aura was the drug that destroyed the girl's dreams. After that, the girl's voice became hoarse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was painful, but the root of the true pain did not lie there. Just like the music box, it was merely a smokescreen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu chose to wait because he wanted to see what kind of method this round's anti-AFK mechanism would use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not wait long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the black aura in the room began to condense, and Park Yingshuang's legs went weak with fear, nearly causing her to lose her footing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the last time, which was black tentacles, this time, what appeared in the room... were countless eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In mid-air, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the bed, and even in the drawers. Under the gaze of these eyes, there were no blind spots in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tentacles symbolize sex and violence. Eyes symbolize an absolute desire for control.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She has experienced devastation, and she has experienced surveillance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu thought silently to himself; Tang Rui's past was indeed depressing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What should we do... like the last round, should we hide?\" Park Yingshuang looked at Wen Xishu for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Zai, finding there was no way to avoid it, thought about blocking in front of Wen Xishu to attract as much attention as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu saw both of their actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Our good child, you must develop the habit of keeping a diary. Every single thing at school, whether good or bad, must be written down.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prompt appeared in everyone's mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu was actually waiting for this; he had to put on a show, otherwise, purifying the item the moment he entered the room would be too fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But this prompt is a bit too simple and direct,\" Wen Xishu thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Wen Xishu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I already know everything. Later, you will do exactly as I say.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3076,"2026-06-20T04:46:41.185Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","fd280d9ce4f522dbdd7189b0744ccfc425486957c4a20c901f95dff89c30b6d8","the-three-towers-game-chapter-55","the-three-towers-game-chapter-53",281,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-three-towers-game-cover.jpg"]