Chapter 82: Scorpio or Pisces?

There are currently two choices before Wen Xishu: one is to break through by force, and the other is to use the necklace.

The Trick Tower has restarted; the necklace he used in the Desire Tower can also be used here in the Trick Tower.

However, the problem is, if he uses it and cannot clear the level in one go...

Then he will be hunted by all the green-clad figures in the entire building. This is the most terrifying part.

Wen Xishu did not know what choice to make for a moment, his heart beginning to weigh the pros and cons of the two options; one hand pressed against "Gradual Indifference," the other gripping the Scorpion Blade.

Just as he was still thinking about whether to use a certain teammate to test the level of these green-clad figures...

He suddenly heard movement!

A creaking sound came through; it was the sound of a door opening.

At this moment, the two guards at the door, as well as the guard at the stairwell, all turned around in unison.

"You must be... the friends of Young Master Jincheng and Young Master Youxuan."

Wen Xishu was greatly alarmed, but he quickly adjusted his emotions. He truly had not expected 42-7 to say such a thing.

"There are some things that are better discussed inside the room; please, come in."

Wen Xishu did not enter; he still did not move.

As long as the guards did not see him, and the other party did not provide a reason sufficient to make him move, he would not act.

After waiting for about thirty seconds, the old man in the room said:

"That blade in your hand. It is resonating with some things inside my room."

"I have been waiting here for a long time; please, come in."

His tone seemed somewhat weary, but seeing that Wen Xishu still did not move, he was not in a hurry and said slowly:

"The story of Jicheng has not ended yet; it has only ended for you."

"You are very special existences, but so is my master."

"However, for the moment, you need not worry that I will harm you. Because you are the person the master is waiting for."

"And since you were able to obtain that blade, it means that back then... it was you who took away Young Master Jincheng."

"Then you should also know that I am not greedy now; I am very generous."

Yes, the function of the Inverse Seven Array is to make seven types of sins operate in reverse.

In other words, within this array, the person living in 42-7 is actually an exceptionally generous person, generous to a pathological degree.

However, according to Wen Xishu's understanding, this kind of generosity is mostly reflected in one's attitude toward money and power.

Therefore, he still did not act.

The old man sighed:

"No wonder you were able to save the two young masters back then. No wonder... you are truly cautious. But I am truly not your enemy."

"Generous to the point I have reached, I no longer care about anything. At least... please let me complete my master's mission and reach a deal with you."

"You can also continue to choose not to enter, and in that case... you will be unable to break the array here, I will not leave, and you will never achieve the ending where everyone survives."

"Your mission completion rate will not be very high, and I don't think that is what a Tower Climber as capable as you would wish to see. After all, according to what I know, you only have one chance."

Every word from this old man made Wen Xishu feel astonished. It could be said that the other party had already spoken of some of the core secrets of Tower Climbers.

How did he know? He even used terms like "completion rate"? And he knew that they could only explore once.

"Don't you want to know what happened to the two young masters afterward? Or is it that... you already know? No... that's not right; according to my master's understanding, your arrival here means that in your timeline, you have only just come into contact with our world. After all, the building I am responsible for is for screening newcomers."

Feeling a chill down his spine, Wen Xishu finally decided not to hide anymore, because he had a premonition that there was another hidden mission waiting for him.

He stepped out.

In this instant, his figure also appeared in the eyes of the green-clad guards.

The two guards appeared in front of Wen Xishu in the blink of an eye; Wen Xishu subconsciously went to raise his blade, but the old man suddenly coughed:

"Rude things, stand down."

The guards vanished instantly. They disappeared on the spot.

The old man's voice came again:

"Please, come into the room."

Wen Xishu no longer hesitated; he walked down the stairs and then entered the corridor.

The figure of that old man also appeared in his sight.

The old man was wearing a black suit, his hair and beard were completely white, he held a silver cane in his hand, and the age spots on his face showed that he had lived for a long time.

His eyes seemed to hide an ocean, as if he could drown a person just by staring at them. But when he smiled and made a gesture inviting him into the room...

Wen Xishu had the feeling of seeing Jia Baer again.

He instantly had a guess about this old man.

This was naturally not An Rongzai; of course, An Rongzai might also be able to put on the appearance of a humble gentleman, but he had seen An Rongzai's portrait.

Wen Xishu walked into 42-7. To make Wen Xishu feel secure, the old man did not close the door and sat very naturally.

Wen Xishu noticed... there was something resonating with his blade.

But it was not a Scorpio blade; in this room, there was only one Scorpio blade, which was the one in Wen Xishu's hand.

The old man introduced himself first:

"My name is Jin Zaimin. Since you hold this blade, perhaps you have already learned about me."

An Rongzai's confidant, an absolute confidant... Wen Xishu knew this person; he had learned about him while exploring and doing his homework in his own room.

"I've heard much about you; in a sense, you are the right-hand man of the Three Spheres Group."

"You flatter me," Jin Zaimin smiled.

Wen Xishu prepared to get to the point:

"My mission is to ensure you survive. Why don't you tell me how to leave this place."

Jin Zaimin shook his head:

"No, it is you who must survive yourselves; as for how many people can leave, that is your extra mission."

Good heavens, he was even this clear about the bonus points for this mission.

Wen Xishu asked:

"As far as I know, you shouldn't know these things."

Jin Zaimin was silent for a moment, then smiled:

"Let me think, where should I begin. Have you heard of the Corruptors?"

Wen Xishu nodded:

"I have."

Jin Zaimin asked:

"Have you come into contact with them? Have the people in your world begun to understand them? It is a pity that I have nothing to treat you with; there are many refugees outside the building, and I have donated some supplies."

Wen Xishu noticed that the room was indeed very simple, much simpler than when he first entered An Jincheng's room.

But some of the constellation elements could still be observed.

"I have come into contact with them. The people in our world... there are also some who understand the Corruptors very well."

Jin Zaimin said:

"Then you should understand that even if I know everything, it is reasonable."

This sentence had already answered Wen Xishu's question.

Wen Xishu said:

"You want to say that everything you know was told to you by a Corruptor? But could there be a Corruptor in this place? This is only... a very early-stage place."

Jin Zaimin did not deny it:

"You may continue to ask some questions."

Wen Xishu asked again:

"Who is that Corruptor?"

This time Jin Zaimin shook his head:

"Sorry, that is a secret. Our people are spread throughout Jicheng and are about to spread to other places. And you, you were once the benefactor, or rather the guide, of the two young masters."

"The two young masters also carved out a world for themselves later on. From my perspective, you are not our enemy. I have already killed many people. I have experienced too many cycles. I will not harm you, who hold this blade."

Wen Xishu was shocked.

Indeed, this mission on the seventh floor certainly hadn't been visited only by him, A Miao, Xiao Wu, and the others. It was true that many people would die on this floor. But shouldn't those previous people have died at the hands of An Youxuan?

After all, it was only after the trajectory of fate was re-anchored that the owner of this room became Jin Zaimin. Jin Zaimin seemed to know Wen Xishu's doubts:

"I said, our time is different."

There were too many suspicious points.

Wen Xishu said:

"In my common sense... there shouldn't be any Corruptors in this place."

Jin Zaimin also admitted:

"It is not that there are no Corruptors. It is just that you cannot meet them in this place. You are not as free as we are; you are limited by regions."

Wen Xishu understood. It was reasonable. It was just like how he had encountered a hidden Corruptor doctor on the 21st floor of the Desire Tower.

But in that timeline, in the distant Jiangcheng, near Tang Rui, there were no Corruptors.

The Desire Tower and the Trick Tower divide levels through regional restrictions, so just because there are no Corruptors in this region on the same timeline does not mean there are no Corruptors in other regions.

Wen Xishu sighed again; this was having everything about Tower Climbers figured out.

Just like on a rainy night in Jiangcheng, Wen Xishu felt that perhaps there were still powerful existences in other regions.

The Breaker who provided information to Jin Zaimin must have experienced many restarts, and in every single one, they were never discovered by other Tower Climbers.

This shocked Wen Xishu to the core. Just what level of the Desire Tower must this Breaker be from? A conclusion flashed into Wen Xishu’s mind.

"I am in the seventh level, Jicheng, at the Miracle Building. This area matches the difficulty of the seventh level of the Trick Tower. But in the same timeline... other areas of Jicheng are very likely higher levels of the Trick Tower, or rather, higher levels of the Desire Tower."

"In the higher-level areas of the Desire Tower, Breakers appear. This Breaker is extremely formidable; he has figured out all the mechanisms and authority of the Tower Climbers."

"At the same time, he contacts people in other areas, grasping clues about people in other regions through cycle after cycle?"

Wen Xishu did not know if his guess was correct. But he knew that if he asked directly, Jin Zaimin certainly wouldn't say.

When an NPC realizes their faction has a super NPC capable of tampering with the underlying source code, they will surely find a way to hide them.

Wen Xishu was inwardly surprised; what kind of character was An Rongzai?

Jin Zaimin said:

"According to the way you do things over there, the higher you go, the smaller the difference between the normal world and the obsession world becomes. I don't need to explain too much to you, and I cannot tell you who exactly is narrating these things."

Wen Xishu asked:

"Then you invited me in, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Jin Zaimin said:

"To reach an agreement with you. My master, An Rongzai, needs to borrow your power to change the future of certain areas..."

Wen Xishu thought he understood An Rongzai well enough. But now he realized he had severely underestimated this terrifying old man. Was this old monster perhaps a three-tower version of Albert?

He instantly sorted out the logic and couldn't help but want to applaud An Rongzai:

"As expected of the number one person in the Three Spheres Group; he learned of the Breakers, learned of the Tower Climbers through the Breakers, and by knowing the various deeds of the Tower Climbers, learned how to change the trajectory of fate and re-anchor history..."

"And then by re-anchoring history, he thought of using this method... to disintegrate his enemies?"

Using the Bunker players' ability to re-anchor the trajectory of fate to kill those unkillable enemies at the root.

This was simply like an NPC grabbing the player's controller and then manipulating the character to kill other NPCs...

Wen Xishu truly hadn't expected that An Rongzai could reach this level.

This time, it was Jin Zaimin’s turn to be surprised:

"You... you guessed almost everything right."

Wen Xishu was impressed:

"I can understand now why those two brothers were so afraid of An Rongzai to their bones. I have just one question: how did An Rongzai conquer that Breaker?"

"Or is it that he is that Breaker? A Breaker who can remember memories before a restart, a pure troll... would actually be tamed by An Rongzai and used for his purposes?"

Jin Zaimin shook his head and said:

"My master is of course not a Breaker, but he possesses the ability to command Breakers."

"I said before, our time is different."

Many thoughts flashed through Wen Xishu’s mind. The one who could make An Rongzai kneel and beg for a miracle to descend was Scorpio.

But through his own efforts, An Rongzai made Scorpio lose the bet with Gemini. An Rongzai also lost the possibility of completing a miracle with the help of the Miracle Building.

Yet as it currently appeared, An Rongzai not only completed it but also learned a great many secrets. No matter how capable an old man is, he cannot create something from nothing; the one who can create something from nothing and forge miracles... is Scorpio.

But Scorpio is not the only such existence; if the constellations are code names, then there should be twelve holders of such code names...

Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.

As those patterns flashed through Wen Xishu’s mind, he suddenly thought of one constellation.

Pisces.

Up until now, Wen Xishu hadn't had any contact with Pisces. But he remembered that pattern: the Yin-Yang fish, looking like a Taiji diagram, yet also somewhat like an Ouroboros.

These all relate to time. And Jin Zaimin emphasized several times that our time is different.

Could it be that the characteristic of Pisces is related to time? Just as the characteristic of Scorpio is related to games.

Wen Xishu decided to play a card directly:

"It’s Pisces, isn't it?"

Jin Zaimin was greatly alarmed. Honestly, he had thought this young man was very capable, but he hadn't expected him to be this capable. He suddenly had a feeling that perhaps he shouldn't have spoken.

【How could he know...】

The barrage appeared, and Wen Xishu captured the barrage in an instant.

At this moment, memories appeared in his mind.

The scene in the memory looked like a park, an observation deck in a park that could overlook half of Hujiang and Jicheng.

Beside An Rongzai was a woman. They stood together, looking just like a grandfather and granddaughter.

But the grandfather’s tone carried a slight unease, while the granddaughter appeared very calm.

"The war you speak of is too ethereal for me. Can a small shrimp like me eat my way up step by step and become a big fish? If I become a big fish, will I just happen to be food for someone like you?"

The woman said indifferently:

"You cannot see such a distant future... but with your wisdom, you already have the answer in your heart, don't you? At the very least, you must first become a big fish."

An Rongzai sighed:

"I have always been most in awe of time. Time is like a giant whale waiting silently in the deep sea. I fear it won't eat me, only because I am too insignificant."

"But you are right; if I do not become a big fish, I will only be eaten by other, more lowly things."

The conversation ended. Wen Xishu saw the back of Pisces from Jin Zaimin’s perspective.

It was the back of a young woman.

He had to admit that whether it was the hidden mission of the seventh level of the Desire Tower or the mission of the seventh level of the Trick Tower, the difficulty was actually not high.

But the things and people involved were truly stronger than the last.

Wen Xishu continued:

"It really is Pisces. What is she going to do? The war has begun; is it talking about the war between these constellations?"

"Could it be that our world is actually the battlefield for their war?"

Jin Zaimin was suddenly a bit panicked; he hurriedly shook his head:

"I am sorry, I cannot answer such complex questions for you, but you have passed the interview. If you are willing, please accept the mark and become our ally."

Although Jin Zaimin had learned a lot of information about Tower Climbers through the existence behind the scenes, in the end, in the eyes of Tower Climbers, Jin Zaimin was still an NPC.

He did not know that after he made the invitation, Wen Xishu suddenly saw this prompt in his eyes—

【Is the destruction of the world by gamified rules greater, or is the destruction of the world by the misalignment of time greater? Among the many factions, some choose to unite, while others choose to remain silent in this war. Naturally, there will also be opposing existences.】

【The war between Pisces and Scorpio has already begun.】

【You will face the following choices:】

【1: Accept the proposal from An Rongzai’s faction and accept the mark of Pisces. Your journey through the three towers will be easier to enter the Scorpio faction area. And your main mission will be to destroy and restart that area. Once the choice is made, the Trick Tower mission will end five minutes later, with a rating of maximum completion. Pisces favorability will be increased by a very large margin.】

【2: Reject An Rongzai’s proposal. Your journey through the three towers will have no faction inclination and will lean more towards a random experience. Once the choice is made, the Trick Tower mission will end five minutes later, and the Trick Tower mission item, the Blade of Scorpio, will receive one enhancement boost. Scorpio favorability will have a small increase. However, it may provoke hostility from Pisces and An Rongzai, and affect this mission’s completion rating, and the survival difficulty of this mission will fluctuate.】

Seeing Wen Xishu fall into silence, Jin Zaimin thought the other party was thinking, so he didn't urge him.

Wen Xishu was indeed thinking. He found it a bit funny; he was only on his third climb, and they were already asking him to fight Scorpio?

But at this moment, two images did indeed emerge in his mind: one was a playful, wicked child, and the other was a woman with a cold face who seemed to see through everything.

It was foreseeable that one constellation represented one faction... these factions were spread across every area of the three towers. Both the Desire Tower and the Trick Tower had them, so presumably, the Slaughter Tower would have them too.

Most of them did not formally engage in war with each other, except for Pisces and Scorpio.

Because he had obtained Scorpio’s blade and broken Scorpio’s scheme, he had attracted the gaze of Pisces. At the same time, An Rongzai had also hugged Pisces’s thigh. An Rongzai also intended to use his power to kill enemies "from the past."

For this mission, this was a win-win choice.

Choosing 1, his enemy would no longer be An Rongzai, the demon king of Jicheng, but the even more terrifying Scorpio.

Choosing 2, Scorpio might not be a friend, and Pisces and An Rongzai, that terrifying demon king of Jicheng, might also become enemies... and the completion of this mission might not be high.

Option 2 didn't seem worth it no matter how you looked at it.

However, what was interesting was that Wen Xishu noticed a detail: even if he chose option one, Scorpio would not lower his favorability, and although he had broken the bet between Scorpio and Gemini, Scorpio didn't seem angry either.

"I cannot be led astray by the options."

Not reaching the maximum completion for one mission was not a big deal for Wen Xishu.

The image Scorpio projected was that of a wicked child who toyed with others, using gamification to make the three-tower world a mess.

But the three-tower game had game content, and for Wen Xishu, who was used to thinking like a player, it was actually a benefit; otherwise, why call it the Three-Tower Game?

If Pisces’s ability was related to time, then naturally, she would also be in conflict with the Bunker players. And Wen Xishu hated those who toyed with time from the bottom of his heart.

Bunker players followed the rules because they had no choice, but Pisces did not.

The choice Wen Xishu finally made was option 2.

【The attributes of the Blade of Scorpio have been enhanced for the second time; check with the guide for specific attributes. Scorpio favorability +5, Pisces favorability -10. In five minutes, this mission will end, and all members will return to the Bunker.】

【This mission has generated a difficulty fluctuation; if you die before returning to the guide, it will be considered a mission failure.】

Wen Xishu made his choice, and although he hadn't spoken yet, he could already see hostility appearing in Jin Zaimin’s eyes.

Wen Xishu understood; dying within five minutes and having the mission considered a failure was likely this current situation.

The hostility in Jin Zaimin’s eyes gradually escalated into killing intent. And outside the door, several staff members in green clothes had appeared at some unknown time.

The current survival difficulty had likely already exceeded the difficulty of the original seventh level of the Trick Tower.

As the sacrifice for "Suppressing Seven," Jin Zaimin was clearly a boss-level existence in this mission, and it would not be difficult for him to kill Wen Xishu.

However, Wen Xishu felt this was exciting:

"It seems my choice doesn't allow me to live."

Jin Zaimin nodded and said:

"The Chairman will not make the same mistake twice, nor will he let the same person stop him twice."

Wen Xishu acted as if he hadn't heard:

"Before you kill me, can you tell me, after the seven of you die... what will happen?"

Jin Zaimin said:

"The seven root sins of the seven sacrifices will be absorbed and instilled into my child; he will become the new miracle created by the Miracle Mansion."

Wen Xishu understood; there were seven such demons, seven demons, all extremely greedy, extremely gluttonous, extremely lustful, extremely wrathful, extremely arrogant, extremely jealous, and extremely slothful.

And since all seven were products of miracles, the seven of them would in turn become seven perfect sacrifices...

Ultimately, to be absorbed by An Rongzai.

Wen Xishu did not know why An Rongzai could still use this ritual, but that was not the point at the moment.

He said:

"It is easy to kill me, but you heard it—becoming a big fish means being swallowed by the giant whale of time; your master, An Rongzai, also fears the Pisces."

"Mr. Jin, you will die, and your child will be like you, becoming food for An Rongzai; you are the small fish that allow him to become a big fish. But you do not care, because everything is for the Group."

Jin Zaimin indeed did not care:

"I have dedicated my whole life to the Chairman and the Three-Sphere Group! My desire for the Group to grow strong is no less than the Chairman's! Besides, I will not die."

For Jin Zaimin, these seven days were infinite; if he died, he would restart, and then through the power of the Corruptor and the Pisces, he would know everything that happened in the previous seven days.

Therefore, in a sense, he was immortal, or one could say, he had forever become a part of the Three-Sphere Group.

Wen Xishu nodded:

"When facing Scorpio, An Rongzai did not choose to pin all his hopes on Scorpio's plan; instead, beyond Scorpio's expectations, he chose Pisces."

"Then it is the same this time; besides An Rongzai, there is one other person in this world who longs for the revival of the Three-Sphere Group. His name is An Youxuan."

Hearing the name An Youxuan, Jin Zaimin suddenly stopped. Wen Xishu struck while the iron was hot:

"You can blindly trust your Chairman, but if your Chairman were here, he would certainly also choose not to kill me, because if I live, An Youxuan and An Jincheng will have more possibilities."

"You have followed your Chairman for so long, you should understand that one must always make preparations and create more variables, otherwise how could he turn the tide from desperate situations time and time again?"

"You have countless seven-day cycles... but you will never encounter me a second time. You only have this one chance to make a choice for An Youxuan and the others!"

"The possibility of not being swallowed by the giant whale might just lie in this one decision!"

This bold statement truly moved Jin Zaimin; he stood up and stared at Wen Xishu for a long time, and he actually had a feeling of seeing An Rongzai in his youth. He finally spoke:

"I hope you keep your word. This will not be your last time dealing with the Three-Sphere Group."

The killing intent from Jin Zaimin had completely faded.

But Wen Xishu did not feel relieved.

This mission was actually not difficult, but he felt as if he had already seen the prelude to a massive war.

He did not know what level of completion he would achieve this time, or how many "constellations" would be drawn to pay attention. In Wen Xishu's view, these constellations noticing him too early was not a good thing.

However, he remained optimistic:

"Forget it, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; let's collect the rewards first."

In a sense, Wen Xishu had shaped a powerful enemy for the tower climbers of the Slaughter Tower—An Rongzai.

But he had a feeling that An Rongzai might be different from those pure killing monsters in the Slaughter Tower.

Wen Xishu now really wanted to go to the Academy to ask Albert; a veteran who had climbed to the ninetieth floor of the Slaughter Tower must have heard of the various wars within it.

(End of chapter)