Chapter 28: The Belated Tower

Wen Xishu still knew too little about the common knowledge of this world, as he could not fully extract the memories of his body’s original owner.

Albert seemed to understand this and did not pay much mind to why Wen Xishu was ignorant of such basic facts.

"The importance of the Weird Tower goes without saying, but exploring it comes with sunk costs."

"You should know that the main demographic currently exploring the towers consists of death row inmates, the terminally ill, or those who have reached a dead end due to other factors."

"Normal people seem willing to try the Desire Tower, and if they have no other choice, the Slaughter Tower, but they absolutely refuse to touch the Weird Tower."

"Because, once you enter the Weird Tower, all sequences, abilities, and attributes from previous tower systems are reset to zero."

Wen Xishu guessed that this wasn’t the sole, absolute reason people avoided the Weird Tower. As expected, Albert added:

"But you must be thinking, if one explores the Weird Tower first, wouldn't that problem be avoided?"

"Why is it that people choose to explore the Desire and Slaughter Towers first?"

"Is it merely because the Desire Tower is easier?"

"But the Slaughter Tower is also dangerous; why are there still far fewer people exploring the Weird Tower than the Slaughter Tower?"

Wen Xishu nodded; he was indeed pondering this. Albert’s answer caught him off guard:

"Because the Weird Tower... was born later than the other two."

Wen Xishu was stunned. He had considered many reasons—such as the complex rules within the Weird Tower, or the existence of a 'Magic Resistance' mechanism that required constant vigilance against bizarre rule-triggers if one's resistance was too low. He never imagined the truth would be so brutally simple: the Weird Tower had arrived last. The three towers did not descend simultaneously.

Albert sighed with emotion:

"In this world, there are right things to do and easy things to do. Most people choose the easy path because the former is too difficult."

"But humanity is resilient. Human civilization did not collapse even after the apocalypse."

"With tens of millions of people in the bunker... how could we not find those willing to take risks for the sake of all mankind?"

"It’s just that when I wasn't as old as I am now, we didn't even have the qualifications to enter the Weird Tower. It hadn't appeared yet; how could we enter?"

"Throughout my life, I have never liked doing things that were too easy. I rarely entered the Desire Tower."

"I have no interest in the pasts of the monsters in the Slaughter Tower."

"Because I discovered long ago that before the birth of the Weird Tower, even if you knew the pasts of those monsters... it felt like a piece was missing, making it impossible to complete the puzzle."

"No matter what you do in the Desire Tower, it is incredibly difficult to change the monsters in the Slaughter Tower."

"Furthermore, in the early days, those who explored the Slaughter Tower and those who explored the Desire Tower could barely communicate."

"For instance, someone from the Desire Tower might eventually become a monster in the Slaughter Tower, but once transformed, their appearance changes completely, making them impossible to recognize."

"And in the Slaughter Tower, the monsters attack on sight—to put it fashionably, you get obliterated the moment you show your head."

"You have no way of knowing who they used to be in the Desire Tower."

"How, then, can you save them?"

Wen Xishu nodded. It was true; the 'Weird Jack' was vastly different from the 'Desire Jack'. If Slaughter Jack didn't speak, one could break their head trying and still never guess that this was the Jack from the Desire Tower.

"So, the Desire Tower is the easy path, but someone must do the right thing. Before the Weird Tower appeared... for me, the right thing was to conquer the Slaughter Tower."

Wen Xishu couldn't help but ask, "Why do you think that way?"

Albert replied, "As you said, the Desire Tower represents the past; its timeline is earlier."

"If one day humanity returns to the old world, do you think we will return to the past? What they will likely face is a world occupied by the monsters of the Slaughter Tower."

"Although you can bring back supplies from the Desire Tower and it is easier to survive there, I have always believed that the Slaughter Tower grants humanity power—it is not merely an experience game."

"This power may be humanity's only means of self-preservation."

"That is why I almost never challenge the Desire Tower. In an era without the Weird Tower, many of us had no choice but to choose the Slaughter Tower for the sake of humanity's future."

Wen Xishu nodded slowly. Indeed, it wasn't that people were stupid or unaware of the Weird Tower; it was that in that era, humanity had no choice. At the same time, the delayed appearance of the Weird Tower had caused humanity to face sunk costs in their survival strategies.

Wen Xishu’s perception of Albert shifted slightly; he was, at the very least, no longer just a 'pure old madman'.

"So, without the support of the Desire and Weird Towers... you relied solely on the Slaughter Tower to accumulate attributes and break through?"

"If I may ask, specializing in the Slaughter Tower as you do, what level have you reached?"

Wen Xishu asked the question he had been harboring for a while. He could sense that Albert was no simple man, but he wanted to judge just how extraordinary he was through specific numbers.

"I am old and useless now. I suppose I was always a bit mediocre in talent." Albert sighed.

Wen Xishu felt he had a grasp on it; he assumed the old principal was likely at level fifty, forty, or perhaps even lower. Even so, for an old man to reach level forty was an incredible feat, and he would certainly be qualified to be the Dean of the Three Towers Academy. After all, even if his level wasn't the highest, his wealth of survival experience would be precious enough to hold lectures and found an academy. Besides, the top ranker on the Heavenly Ladder was only around levels fifty or sixty.

Hearing Albert call himself dull-witted, Wen Xishu tried to console him, thinking that not everyone could be a monster like Xun Hui. But the next second, his usually ironclad micro-expression control faltered.

Albert added, with a hint of unwillingness:

"I have been stuck at level 96 for quite some time now. I don't know if this old bag of bones will live long enough to break through level 99. I really want to know how many levels the Slaughter Tower has in total."

"Eh..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Albert’s eyes widened. He saw a line of text floating above Wen Xishu’s head:

[Holy hell, is this some kind of old deity? 'If you're a man, reach the hundredth floor'? What kind of terrifying existence is this?]

Wen Xishu’s emotions had undergone an extreme shift—a state of profound shock. For the first time, he lost control, triggering a negative effect of the 'Weird Sequence 37: Mental Barrage'. Under certain extreme emotions, his thoughts would manifest as a barrage of text visible to the target who triggered the emotion.

While Wen Xishu didn't know the exact rankings, he knew that the strongest players on the Heavenly Ladder—Xun Hui of the Slaughter Tower and Wen Renjing of the Desire Tower—were only in their fifties or sixties. He had assumed that was the ceiling of humanity. But now, he understood the true meaning behind the Guide’s words: there existed truly terrifying beings among humanity. And the old man before him was likely the most terrifying of them all.

"Hahahaha, this is too fun! Your Weird Sequence is truly interesting."

Albert’s laughter made Wen Xishu realize he had been exposed. But it no longer mattered. A naked rookie in the starter village standing before a max-level veteran with god-tier gear—did exposure even matter?

Wen Xishu also understood why Albert hadn't explored the Weird Tower even after it appeared. Such a man was a true legend of the bunker. Exploring the Weird Tower meant starting over from scratch. While Albert himself might have longed for a new adventure, the human camp would certainly fear losing such a top-tier combat asset to a potential death in the Weird Tower. Albert was a powerhouse who could change the fate of humanity; the bunker would never allow such a person to restart his progression. It was a risk they could not tolerate.

After a moment, Wen Xishu’s internal shock subsided.

Albert said, "You are quite good. I have already begun to look forward to your performance in your first semester."

"The Three Towers Academy allows the attributes from the three towers to take effect within the academy grounds."

"You can think of it as a super-powered academy composed of those who possess the Desire Sequence and the Slaughter Sequence."

"Most people who graduate from here end up doing quite well."

"However, the final exams are not easy, and the probability of being held back is high. Some of the rules are not set by us; they are inherent to the Three Towers Academy itself."

"In any case, the academy welcomes you. You have passed my test."

Albert had been testing Wen Xishu the entire time. He was now convinced that Wen Xishu was a promising sprout, and perhaps the boy harbored some of Wen Zhaohua’s secrets. Perhaps Wen Xishu’s ability to clear the Weird Tower was truly aided by Wen Zhaohua. But that didn't matter; in Albert’s eyes, Wen Xishu’s own aptitude was worth cultivating.

"Don't let me down."

Wen Xishu asked, "You mentioned this is an academy for those with the Desire and Slaughter sequences... but you didn't seem to mention the Weird Sequence?"

Albert laughed loudly: "Yes, yes, that is precisely why you are worth looking forward to! Hahahaha..."

Thinking of the barrage that had floated over Wen Xishu’s head, and the way Wen Xishu had looked upward earlier—surely seeing his own barrage—Albert felt that the Weird Tower was just damn fun.

It was a pity... he himself was too important; countless lives in the Great Devouring depended on him. He could no longer be as willful as he was decades ago, choosing the most dangerous, most difficult, yet most 'correct' path. This destined him to have no connection with the Weird Sequences of the Weird Tower. In the eyes of Albert, who still retained a bit of an 'old rascal' spirit, those sequences were just too much fun.

He looked forward to Wen Xishu’s performance in the first semester. But before that, to avoid some trouble, there was one more thing he needed Wen Xishu to do.