[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-three-towers-game":3,"chapter-the-three-towers-game-the-three-towers-game-chapter-97":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},2294234,4488,"Chapter 97: Phoenix","the-three-towers-game-chapter-97",97,"\u003Cp>The group was somewhat confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, Feiji was truly acting with such a sense of contrast; usually, the two most dim-witted people in this building were Feiji and Lele.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, Feiji gave everyone a feeling of being unfathomable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu soon led the group to 4-26.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 4-26 of the Desire Tower, everything in the room looked very tidy, and the quilt on the hospital bed was folded into a perfect square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could see the embryos of many items; these items were still in the construction stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, there was a fountain pen in 4-26; the pen had no patterns on it, resembling a white metal straw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu searched around and, sure enough, found that blank sheet of paper under the nightstand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the timeline, although the Desire Tower was before the Strange Tower, it seemed that this paper was no different from the one in the Strange Tower; it did not appear any newer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here, I need to ask you all one thing: are you grateful to Ding Dong from the bottom of your hearts?\" Wen Xishu looked at everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Yuan said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course... I actually quite like him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granny Wu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After that incident with my daughter, I treated Ding Dong like my own child.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Yang said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He counts as half a teacher to me; although he didn't teach me, he stopped me from feeling lost and confused.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yihong said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am very grateful to him; Ding Dong is my family.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lele just giggled foolishly, then added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone is telling the truth, hehehe, the truth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Logically speaking, Ding Dong would have told you about the item hidden on this floor that is sufficient to protect us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But for some reason, Ding Dong seemed to have left due to some sudden situation before he could say it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is a pity that I cannot solve this part of the secret, but I think everyone just needs to draw a star on this paper with this pen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wen Xishu spoke, he used his finger to draw the symbol \"※\" on the nightstand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group was puzzled, and Mo Yuan asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why this one? This... does this have any meaning? Feiji, how do you know this symbol?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu shook his head and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is hard for me to explain, but everyone should just consider me as having divine help today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group did not find it strange, or rather, finding it strange was useless; to everyone, Feiji seemed like he had been possessed by a god today, as if he were a different person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But deep down, they still trusted Feiji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the group did not press for more, Wen Xishu continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In short, after I woke up and after Ding Dong left, I received some... revelations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For things that could not be explained, he used unknown forces to gloss over them. Wen Xishu deliberately linked Ding Dong's departure with his own awakening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this way, the group, who had already experienced many miracles, found it even easier to believe him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Wen Xishu had been thinking that there were many ways to draw a five-pointed star; in the usual sense, one should draw a heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why did Ding Dong choose to use \"※\"? Wen Xishu pondered for a long time without coming to any conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only felt that this symbol was very familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone trusted Feiji. In order to rescue or find Ding Dong as soon as possible, Mo Yuan was the first to pick up the pen and draw a ※ on the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequently, Granny Wu, Xiang Yang, Lele, and Lei Yihong all drew a ※ on the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When all five ※ symbols were drawn, everything was very similar to the scene Wen Xishu had experienced in the Strange Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lele's pipe, Xiang Yang's rice cooker, the desk lamp in Mo Yuan's hand... all were shrouded in a layer of luster. The difference was that when Wen Xishu was in the Strange Tower, the luster of the desk lamp was much dimmer after drawing the five ※ symbols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the Desire Tower, at this very moment, the luster of these items was dazzling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Granny Wu, go to your room and get your radio; I think the ritual has begun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granny Wu nodded and trotted off to 4-8. The others had looks of astonishment on their faces, not knowing what was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu did not know what kind of ritual it was either. But he knew that the current reaction of these items was definitely different from what he saw after drawing the five ※ symbols in the Strange Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he was not the possessor of the five ultimate hearts. Historically, the character Feiji later died by suicide, and he did indeed die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The role Wen Xishu was playing was not a key character. In the Strange Tower, Wen Xishu was also just an investigator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the situation was different now; Wen Xishu realized that another meaning of the five-star rating was to gather the blessings of the possessors of the five ultimate hearts. And these five people likely all possessed some kind of aptitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that the content of this blessing was a strange symbol, and Wen Xishu still did not understand the meaning of this symbol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granny Wu soon brought the radio over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the arrival of the radio, Wen Xishu felt that these five items had clearly established some kind of connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five items,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The desk lamp symbolizing the eye emitted a beam of light, and a pattern of eyes appeared above Mo Yuan's head. The radio also emitted a beam of light, and a pattern of ears appeared above Granny Wu's head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lele, Xiang Yang, and Lei Yihong were the same; patterns of a nose, mouth, and feet appeared above their heads respectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These patterns were each connected by a line, but Wen Xishu immediately discovered that one item was missing, causing what should have been a hexagon to be left with a gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eye, ear, mouth, nose, foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, the hand is still missing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu remembered there was also a pair of gloves. He immediately headed to 4-22.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was in the room at 4-22 that Wen Xishu and Zheng Zai had discovered the location of the gloves, and there was also a piece of paper in the nightstand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the paper was a drawing of a stick figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu understood everything at this moment. He picked up the paper and the gloves and headed to 4-26.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, soon, Wen Xishu, holding the gloves, also had a pattern of hands appear above his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When all the items were gathered at 4-26, these patterns floating above everyone's heads finally formed a hexagon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stick figure's head was a simple circle, and its body was a somewhat narrow hexagon. The white paper with the stick figure suddenly began to take on a golden luster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu noticed that the pattern of feet above Lei Yihong's head had disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, it hadn't disappeared, but had transferred into the white paper; the extremely crude legs of the stick figure soon gained many rich details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, the pattern of hands on the gloves also transferred to the white paper; just like before, the stick figure's hands soon gained many details, no longer crude, as if they were real hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following that, the stick figure gained a mouth. The first facial feature appeared within that circular head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this instant, everyone noticed that the image on the white paper could no longer be described as a \"stick figure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It began to become increasingly rich.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body had also become enriched following the enrichment of the hands and feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequently, the nose and ears also appeared. That face already displayed details familiar to Granny Wu and the others:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lele cheered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's Brother Ding Dong, is Brother Ding Dong coming back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone thought so, but regrettably, the pipe grew longer. This was a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Dong would not return, and what returned would not be Ding Dong in the original sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu waited patiently; the painting had one final step left. The finishing touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pattern of eyes finally appeared on the drawing paper. Wen Xishu did not look at the paper, but instead looked at the gloves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and feet all had corresponding people, so why did the extremely important hands have no one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stick figure on the drawing paper had long since become enriched under the \"ritual.\" The figure in the drawing was indeed Ding Dong. When the eyes appeared, all the luster gradually faded away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, everything in the room returned to normal. After a brief silence, someone finally spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This... what exactly happened? Feiji, can you explain?\" It was Mo Yuan who spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Yang stroked his chin:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This painting and these gloves, is there some connection?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu nodded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think this is the item Ding Dong left for you all to protect you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Yihong was quite puzzled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But how should this be used? I have seen these gloves; they are the gloves Ding Dong used when making things, you should all remember, right? He always wore these gloves. He didn't even take them off when sleeping.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others nodded; Mo Yuan also remembered that once she wanted to hold Ding Dong's hand, but the texture was that of leather gloves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It shouldn't be the gloves; the gloves' ability is also very important, but I suspect the gloves are the switch, while the truly powerful item is this drawing paper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wen Xishu finished speaking, he did not add anything further, but pondered for a while. He began to think, if he were Ding Dong, what kind of item would he design?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First of all, the apocalypse had arrived, monsters were everywhere, and strange rules were everywhere; in such a situation, no tool could be said to protect Granny Wu and the others one hundred percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of Ding Dong's tools were very buggy, and Ding Dong's ability was undoubtedly very powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most terrifying thing about an inventor is not any one item of the inventor, but the inventor's imagination and creativity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering this, Wen Xishu looked at the paper again:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is Ding Dong's portrait; at first, it was just a 'skeleton,' but with the ※ left by everyone, it gained flesh and soul. The only power I can imagine for this tool is summoning Ding Dong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was shocked, and then a smile appeared on everyone's face; Mo Yuan asked hurriedly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Summoning Ding Dong? Is Ding Dong... still alive? Does that mean... this drawing paper can bring Ding Dong back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu shook his head. His hands had already begun to touch the gloves; he prepared to put them on to see if there was any way to \"activate\" this portrait of Ding Dong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think the Ding Dong in the painting will give us the answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wen Xishu said this, he had already put on both gloves. When the Ding Dong gloves touched the paper on which Ding Dong was painted...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pattern of five ※ symbols appeared on the gloves, and then the surrounding air began to distort. In everyone's eyes, it was as if they were separated by several layers of autumn water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the twisting space, Wen Xishu felt the gloves rejecting him; at the same time, the Scorpio cheating knife suddenly began to tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu actually had the feeling that the two items were locked in a magical duel. What surprised Wen Xishu even more was that a prompt appeared in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You are always able to find those hidden, unnoticed cheating-grade items. But this item does not belong to you; it belongs to the five people who were supposed to be drowned by the waves of the apocalypse.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【In the cruel environment of the apocalypse, to not love, not believe, not help, not act, and not provide are the true rules of survival. Although they possess the qualifications, they clearly did not live long.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【But now, you have a chance to change all of this. Kill them, and you can seize ownership of the gloves. Only the owner of the gloves can become the master of the portrait. Their fate has not changed anyway. Or, do you decide to discard this huge miracle and return everything to them?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a: Seize the [Phoenix Gloves] and become the master of the portrait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>b: Give up the [Phoenix Gloves] and discard this opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time seemed to have frozen; the expressions of Mo Yuan, Granny Wu, and the others were all in a state of suspension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what roles they played in the apocalypse, in the Tower of Desire, they were merely NPCs, while Wen Xishu was the true player. Therefore, at this moment, only Wen Xishu was in a state where he could act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A player can, of course, take everything from an NPC.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Wen Xishu felt as if he were standing at a crossroads; he had to make a choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Phoenix Gloves, so this thing's name is Phoenix? Why would it be called Phoenix?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu suddenly thought of that ※ symbol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His associative ability was very strong. Why were these gloves called Phoenix Gloves? And why, when Ding Dong clearly couldn't let these people go... did he choose to die outside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the appearance of the two characters \"Phoenix,\" he actually had a glimmer of an idea. He suddenly thought of constellations; besides the twelve constellations people were familiar with, there was actually a constellation called Phoenix.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thought immediately made Wen Xishu excited. The central part of the astronomical pattern of Phoenix, when viewed from afar, was a huge X.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one counted the surrounding star clusters, with dots representing dense star clusters... wasn't that the ※ pattern?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the destiny of the phoenix was to be reborn from the ashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, to have such a guess just because of the name of a pair of gloves was somewhat far-fetched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light finally began to fade, and the surrounding scene was no longer frozen, because Wen Xishu let go of the scroll he was holding and took off the gloves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people around looked at each other, and finally, Lei Yihong asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Feiji... what just happened? How do you use this thing? Did you find a way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu nodded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am different from you five. My connection with Ding Dong is not that deep, and I cannot use this item.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Scorpio knife also stopped trembling and became well-behaved, as if it had never trembled at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu handed the gloves to Mo Yuan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mo Yuan, you do it. You just need to use the gloves to touch Ding Dong's portrait. Ding Dong will give you the answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Yuan put on the gloves, half-understanding, and once again, the person wearing the gloves began to touch Ding Dong's portrait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only this time, the golden light surged instantly, and Mo Yuan did not feel rejected by the gloves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And within the huge golden light, a figure seemed to step out from the endless void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ding... Ding Dong! It's really him!\" Xiang Yang said with pleasant surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lele also clapped his hands and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's Brother Ding Dong! It's Brother Ding Dong!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pipe grew longer, indicating that this statement did not point to truth and reality. However, no one cared about that. Joy appeared on everyone's faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including Wen Xishu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu knew that this person was not Ding Dong, but he should possess everything Ding Dong had, as well as things Ding Dong did not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an upgraded version of Ding Dong, a Ding Dong born after the choice of a confused person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden light gradually faded, and the Ding Dong in the painting finally arrived before the crowd. \"Ding Dong\" looked at everyone and said softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have reunited, A-Yuan, Granny, Lele, Brother Xiang, Brother Yihong. Forgive me for leaving in such a hurry that day, but I knew you would definitely be able to find me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ding Dong in everyone's eyes was flesh and blood, no different from the Ding Dong in their memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even this Ding Dong gave them a feeling of being more vivid, with more emotion than the Ding Dong in their memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This... this, it's good to be back! It's good to be back!\" Granny Wu had tears in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Yuan even hugged Ding Dong directly. Xiang Yang smiled, Lei Yihong was clearly relieved, and Lele kept clapping his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone is very happy that you are back, but I think you should explain to us what exactly is going on, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Wen Xishu did not make the choice to seize the gloves. It wasn't that he wasn't tempted, but he felt that this option carried huge risks. Because if one killed a key target, it would count as a mission failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu dared not verify this point. If one killed a mission target, what would happen? Had anyone in history ever done this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, deep down, he felt that these people deserved to live. Their lives, because of their persistence in certain things, were already failures enough, but perhaps in a world on the verge of collapse, they could survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he didn't admit that this thought was part of his own logic of action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Dong looked at Wen Xishu, his face showing surprise, and then he smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are Feiji? That's great. It seems my luck is good. First, congratulations on regaining your clarity. As it happens, I also want to tell everyone about what happened to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Xishu nodded. He had a feeling that Ding Dong saw that he was not Feiji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Dong's change in expression just now made Wen Xishu feel a bit strange. But there was no hostility from Ding Dong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That sentence about his luck being good, he thought, must have had a deeper meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Dong's first sentence surprised everyone quite a bit:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am actually a fugitive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3048,"2026-06-20T04:46:41.185Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","ec3c9db0d2e2173d6d5774012c9e6d10e86eb025055aa393b15ece67954f02fe","the-three-towers-game-chapter-98","the-three-towers-game-chapter-96",281,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-three-towers-game-cover.jpg"]