Chapter 52: Tang Rui's Slaughter Pagoda Ascension

Some things are clear to the spectator, while the person involved is lost in the maze.

Throughout Tang Rui's long life, it had always been filled with mist, leading her step by step into deep abysses.

Until this night, a man carrying a wine glass suddenly appeared, abruptly dragging her into an extremely reckless and crazy act.

His words were full of bewitching temptation, yet they somehow made the parting clouds reveal the clear sky.

The wine in the Truth-Teller’s Goblet was potent and heady, but Wen Xishu never forgot one thing—

He was here to clear a game. The goal of this game was to bring happiness to the target. To achieve this, he chose to eradicate Tang Rui's suffering straight from its roots.

Only this time, his words unexpectedly triggered a hidden storyline belonging to the Tower of Desire.

When Wen Xishu invited Tang Rui once again to embark on their next journey of slaughter—a notification suddenly surfaced in his mind:

[When people crave love, they also unconsciously suppress hatred. The pursuit of light makes people fear the shadows. The Tower of Desire is a place of love, but the desires that converge to form the tower are not limited to romantic or carnal love alone.]

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the hidden mission: The Ascension Journey of Slaughter—Tang Rui.]

[Upon completing this mission, Slaughter-form Tang Rui will undergo ascension. The outcome of the ascension will be determined by the completion rate of this mission.]

[Mission completion progress: Twenty-seven percent.]

Wen Xishu’s figure suddenly came to a halt, causing Tang Rui behind him to look somewhat puzzled.

"What is wrong?"

Wen Xishu looked at Tang Rui, his gaze carrying a trace of pleasant surprise.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tang Rui asked.

"So when one's thoughts become completely unimpeded, a person's standing and status in the world will also shift accordingly."

Wen Xishu gave an answer that was completely irrelevant to the question. Though confused, Tang Rui saw that he spoke no further and chose not to press.

To complete the mission, one must first interpret the mission.

Wen Xishu pondered. This abruptly arriving hidden mission seemed to indicate one thing.

The so-called Tower of Desire pursued desire.

Such desire did not simply refer to romantic or sexual love. Admittedly, many people could clear the Tower of Desire by satisfying the romantic or even... sexual desires of their targets.

Yet this hidden mission demonstrated that there were still many people in this world harboring entirely different desires.

Loving without being able to have is only one kind; those who do not even dare to hate are by no means few in number.

Wen Xishu looked at Tang Rui because he realized something—

By releasing her hatred and executing Yan Zhihai, Tang Rui had also initiated the Ascension Journey of Slaughter-form Tower.

The four words "Slaughter Tower Ascension" were still vague to Wen Xishu, but in all likelihood, it was a good thing.

"Twenty-seven percent completion progress. This mission had a baseline progress right from the start... It seems to be because Yan Zhihai is already dead."

"Killing Yan Zhihai released a portion of the desire for vengeance, but the remaining seventy-three percent... presumably requires the execution of even more critical figures?"

Wen Xishu could understand to some extent. Some things, once done, defied all conventional morality and filial piety.

In Tang Rui's life, there had been far too many instances of anger dared not spoken aloud. Even if she figured certain things out, she might not necessarily possess the absolute courage to act on them.

Fortunately, Wen Xishu dared.

Wen Xishu and Tang Rui once again set foot upon their journey of slaughter. Yet, just like last time, he did not forget one crucial task: looting the gold coins.

Yan Zhihai's wealth was by no means negligible. The more someone enjoyed engaging in shady, unseen dealings, the more they preferred dealing in hard cash—much like street-side escorts.

Well aware of this, Wen Xishu decisively stripped the valuables from the room.

Just in case they came in useful later?

...

...

The torrential rain continued to pour.

Jiangrong Blessed Land was a housing estate in Jiangcheng catering to essential living needs. The occupancy rate here was quite high, making it a relatively bustling neighborhood.

There were never any truly fresh secrets in such an estate; the moment a secret became known to one person, it was usually known to everyone else in no time.

Every day at two-thirty in the afternoon, flocks of middle-aged women and elderly matrons would gather together, cracking melon seeds while gossiping. Or they would sit in teahouses, clacking mahjong tiles while trading whispers about whose family was entangled in what scandal.

The heavy rain did not have a massive impact on the residents here.

Except for households accustomed to visiting the morning vegetable market for fresh produce and meat, for whom such a rain meant tomorrow would inevitably be rather inconvenient.

Cheng Yingna watched the television and complained:

"So annoying. Every time it rains, the TV acts up. You need to call someone to fix it."

Tang Fangtian tapped his knees and replied:

"Alright, don't fret. I'll have someone come fix it tomorrow."

Cheng Yingna continued:

"Make a phone call tomorrow and ask that ungrateful wretch to send a bit more money this month. Why don't we just buy a brand-new one? I saw that newly released Dami TV wall, it looks quite nice."

"That might be a bit expensive... Didn't people say she lost her job not long ago? Should we just call someone to repair it instead?" Tang Fangtian mused, though in truth, he was quite reluctant.

Having once been the primary breadwinner of the household and now reduced to the secondary one, Tang Fangtian knew very well how difficult it was to make money.

Not long ago, Tang Rui had a decent job, but how could a child fresh out of graduation possibly have spare money to send home?

Yet, despite this, Cheng Yingna constantly pushed him to go and demand money from Tang Rui.

Her reasoning was simple—I raised her for all these years, it's about time she repaid me. Isn't raising children meant to secure one's old age?

In his heart, Tang Fangtian actually thought the exact same way. Raising children was meant to secure one's twilight years. Even though she wasn't a son, she couldn't be allowed to waste all these years of investment for nothing.

Therefore, over the years, Cheng Yingna had Tang Fangtian hit Tang Rui up for money every single month. Back when Tang Rui was earning six thousand a month, they would demand four thousand five hundred.

Tang Rui had never refused. Through give and take, even though Tang Fangtian felt making money wasn't easy, he accepted it as it came. With that extra money, life had indeed become much more comfortable.

Lately, that source had suddenly dried up, and resentment inevitably brewed in the depths of his heart—though unlike Cheng Yingna, he didn't constantly have words like "beast" and "unfilial wretch" hanging on his lips.

At least in the eyes of everyone around him, Tang Fangtian was a kind-hearted and charitable good man.

Hearing Tang Fangtian call it expensive, Cheng Yingna grew displeased:

"Expensive? What's expensive? It's not our money we're spending anyway. Besides, didn't she lose her job entirely because of her own loose behavior? Seducing her boss, sleeping around everywhere, what a disgrace. She has completely dragged our Tang family's name through the mud!"

Tang Fangtian’s old face flushed red, for in truth, he thought the exact same way.

A few years ago, they had actually felt quite proud. Although their daughter had gone through a rebellious phase during high school—especially given that incident from her even earlier years which had brought them immense shame—

She had managed to get into a fairly decent university and landed a fairly decent job upon graduation.

Speaking of it to outsiders wasn't shameful anymore. As for the matter written in her diary, it remained a secret after all.

During holidays when they ran into relatives and neighbors, whenever others bragged about their successful children, Tang Fangtian felt that as long as the secret remained buried, his own daughter was stillpresentable.

Yet now, that secret had been completely ripped open. Whispers and gossip about Tang Rui had been rampant in this very estate, causing both Tang Fangtian and Cheng Yingna to lose face completely.

Time and time again, Cheng Yingna had cursed bitterly, calling her a useless good-for-nothing, using language so vicious that Tang Fangtian felt no one should ever curse a total stranger with such malice.

Yet he also knew Cheng Yingna's temper.

"I'll give her a call and see. I'll ask tomorrow..."

*Bang.*

The anti-theft door's digital lock was suddenly blasted open, causing the entire building to tremble gently. The impact happened to coincide precisely with a deafening crack of thunder.

The sudden violence instantly frightened Cheng Yingna and Tang Fangtian into a daze, leaving the two of them standing frozen in utter bewilderment as intruders entered their home.

"Mr. Tang Fangtian, Ms. Cheng Yingna, good evening. Please forgive my intrusion—I forgot my key, and my assistant apparently didn't know the password to this apartment, though she really ought to have known."

"Oh right, don't scream or shout randomly, otherwise I will kill you directly."

A remarkably handsome youth stepped straight into the home of Tang Fangtian and Cheng Yingna.

The intruder was none other than Wen Xishu.

On Wen Xishu's left hand was fitted the "Forgot My Key" brass knuckles, while his right hand gripped a gleaming knife.

"You... what do you want? Who are you? How do you know our names?" Tang Fangtian looked Wen Xishu up and down and, displaying a shred of masculine bravado, pulled Cheng Yingna behind him.

Wen Xishu smiled:

"That's not important. But since the two of you have asked, allow me to introduce myself."

"In 2054, I won the championship in my very first freestyle martial arts bout in Moin City; in 2057, I changed careers and became a murderer, burning a couple to death, followed by dozens of criminal cases over the next three consecutive years. My ranking surpassed Guilin Boy, earning me the title of the Police Inspector's Nemesis, and the moniker 'Rainy Night Butcher'."

Even after enduring the heavy rain, the reek of blood still lingered on Wen Xishu. Combined with the vegetable knife in his hand, the violent breach of their door, and his devil-like aura—

Both Tang and Cheng were entirely convinced that the youth before them was the legendary Rainy Night Butcher.

Wen Xishu was well pleased with the terror etched across their faces:

"Don't be afraid. In stories, serial killers like me often operate on a creed. That is to say, as long as you meet the conditions for me to kill you, I will kill you."

"If you don't meet those conditions—provided you don't make me pay for repairing your broken door—I'll just pretend nothing ever happened."

Tang Fangtian trembled as he said:

"Whatever... whatever you want, we'll give it to you!"

"That would naturally be for the best. Today isn't actually an auspicious day for killing anyway. I'm merely here for wealth."

Wen Xishu thoroughly enjoyed this atmosphere. He continued:

"I'd like to play a game with the two of you. This game... well, let's call it Guess the Number. You must listen carefully to the rules, as I will only state them once."

"A certain number has already been written down. Rest assured, this number isn't absurd; I've written it on the palm of my assistant's hand. Forgive my assistant for this being her first time doing such work—she's still rather shy and unwilling to come inside."

"But when we reach the critical phase of the game, she will come in to announce the answer."

"To continue with the rules: you need to continuously transfer money into my bank account. Rest assured, the figure I've set is definitely something you can afford to give."

"As long as the money you fork over exceeds that number... or happens to match it exactly, congratulations. You will have used money to purchase your own lives!"

"Now then, let the game begin."

The wicked game commenced. Like a deranged psychopath, Wen Xishu listened as the couple frantically increased their transfer amounts.

The bank account receiving the funds was naturally provided by Tang Rui, though the entire operation was handled by Wen Xishu.

At first, the greedy couple's incremental bids were extremely conservative.

A few cents, a few dollars, a dozen, a hundred—they treated Wen Xishu like he was just playing a prank, guessing a tiny number in hopes of striking lucky.

Wen Xishu was forced to use the knife in his hand to carve flesh from their thighs, using the agony to warn them of just how expensive a human life was. The excruciating pain made the two grimace and shriek, while Cheng Yingna was so frightened she pissed herself.

They finally realized that this youth was a genuine psycho and that the "Rainy Night Butcher" was no fiction.

Thus, their bids became much bolder, and the figures began marching into the thousands.

Wen Xishu would first nod, then shake his head with theatrical disappointment to indicate it was still not enough.

The expressions on the couple's faces grew increasingly pained and heartbroken, yet they had no choice as Wen Xishu occasionally slashed them again.

He genuinely dared to stab them, and his joyful, smiling demeanor while committing atrocities thoroughly terrified the old couple.

Finally, the monetary scale reached tens of thousands.

Given that the two of them rarely saved money and had only lived comfortably these past few years by sucking the blood of their daughter—

They quickly ran out of funds. At the final stage of the game, their assets were akin to an online web-novel author after a thirty-day marathon writing sprint: drained to the absolute last drop.

They could no longer transfer even a single penny into the account provided by Wen Xishu. The game had reached its most critical juncture.

"Splendid! This is truly remarkable. Congratulations, you are about to touch my price threshold. You're already so close! You just need to add a tiny bit more, truly just a hair's breadth," Wen Xishu smiled and said.

In order to survive, a weak and trembling Tang Fangtian blurted out:

"Don't... don't kill us! The house! I'll add the house to it! We can take out a loan! I have good credit! I have credit!"

No matter what, they had to survive. If the money was gone, they could always suck more blood from their daughter later. But if their lives were gone, nothing would remain.

At that moment, Cheng Yingna also remembered that they still had a daughter, and cried out in panic:

"Yes! Everything in the house, our gold and jewelry, take whatever you want! We really don't have any cash left! But you can take all these valuable things!"

"My daughter has money! Let me call my daughter! She has money!"

Wen Xishu shook his head:

"The house is fine, loans are not bad either, and it's even better that your daughter has money. I appreciate the sincerity of the two of you—it shows you have a tremendous will to survive. That makes you good game players, keep it up."

"What a pity, though. Rules are rules. The rules do not accept loans or collateral property. I only want the cash that the two of you possess right this second, which can be instantly transferred into my bank account."

"I am a murderer; I only want money that can be used immediately. That's entirely reasonable, isn't it?"

Reasonable—of course it was reasonable. To the point where Cheng Yingna and Tang Fangtian didn't even know how to argue back.

They truly had no money left, and could only stare at Wen Xishu in utter despair.

Tang Fangtian and Cheng Yingna even suspected that their tormentor was simply toying with them, that no matter how much money they gave, he would claim it was not enough before killing them anyway.

In television shows, so many perverts loved to torture people and offer false hope right before execution.

Just as they thought they were about to die, however, Wen Xishu casually added a supplemental clause:

"Well then, how about this? I am deeply moved by the tenacity of your survival instincts, so I'll grant the pair of you an extra option and reveal a portion of the answer."

"You are currently short of securing your freedom by nine hundred and ninety-eight dollars. Just 998, very fair and reasonable, isn't it?"

Tang Fangtian shook his head, and Cheng Yingna wore an expression of absolute despair; they genuinely had no money left.

"Don't rush, don't rush. I am kind-hearted and can't bear to watch people die, so I'll give you two an additional choice. From this moment on, you can abandon the following three things to offset your debt."

"Ms. Cheng, your right hand is worth five hundred dollars, and your left eye is also worth five hundred dollars. Total value: one thousand dollars. Mr. Tang, one of your legs is worth five hundred dollars, and your right eye is worth five hundred dollars. Total value: one thousand dollars."

"Now, you can choose to sell two of these five-hundred-dollar body parts to me."

"For instance, Mr. Tang's leg, plus Ms. Cheng's five fingers."

"Or Ms. Cheng's left eye, plus Mr. Tang's right eye. Rest assured, I am a professional; I guarantee the two of you will survive having these items harvested."

Cheng Yingna and Tang Fangtian trembled violently, shaking their heads frantically, utterly unable to utter a single syllable.

Wen Xishu made a "shh" gesture, pushing the game to its final climax:

"Oh, the two of you seem to have a daughter as well. Your daughter's eyes are worth three hundred dollars, her hands four hundred, and her legs four hundred."

"She has also been tied up by me. You know how it is—a murderer must be professional. If I say I'm wiping out the whole family, I wipe out the whole family; that's my reputation for customer service. I know all your social connections, very reasonable, right?"

Reasonable—extremely reasonable. Everything unfolded precisely as Wen Xishu had anticipated: when the final option was presented, the couple hesitated for barely a second before making the exact same choice—

To use Tang Rui's legs, hands, and eyes to offset the remaining price difference.

A shortfall of less than a thousand dollars.

Hearing this answer, Wen Xishu unexpectedly felt a pang of sorrow. He put away his malicious, game-initiating smile and asked quietly:

"If we do that, the harm inflicted upon her will be maximized. Do the two of you really not want to consider a different combination?"

"How about this? I'll offer the two of you a discount. From now on, your ears are worth five hundred dollars, and your five fingers are also worth five hundred dollars."

"You only need a single ear and five fingers, split between the two of you, to offset this thousand-dollar deficit. Would the two of you be willing?"

Wen Xishu gazed coldly at Tang Fangtian and Cheng Yingna. He didn't care about their choice, and he had already known what the answer would be.

Yet he still wished to spare the girl standing outside the door from feeling too much heartbreak.

The answer remained unchanged.

Wen Xishu felt as though he were looking at his past self; back then, he too had stood on the other side of a door, listening to those heart-piercing words. Out in the hallway right now, Tang Rui was hearing almost identical utterances:

"No... use that, use that! Trade her hands, feet, and eyes! Just use that! That's what we choose!"

A person could still live a normal life without five fingers or an ear.

Yet a person who had no hands, no legs, and no eyes—such a person was already as good as dead.

Tang Rui was already dead.

Or rather, Desire-form Tang Rui had died at this very moment.

When Tang Fangtian and Cheng Yingna made that choice, Wen Xishu hadn't even lifted a finger to kill the pair yet.

However, deep within Wen Xishu's mind, a series of notifications had already materialized:

[Slaughter-form Tang Rui ascension progress: Ninety-five percent, ninety-six percent, ninety-seven percent, ninety-eight percent...]

That number ticked upward incrementally, and without a single hitch, finally reached one hundred percent.

In Wen Xishu's mind, a second set of Tower of Desire mission prompts unfurled.

[Along the path of evolution for Glitch-form Tang Rui, there were once many soft underbellies. After the apocalypse descended, they clung to her like parasites, sucking away her flesh and blood. She could have grown infinitely stronger, yet she suffered total degradation because of the parasites' existence.]

[Your actions have exerted a profound influence on Glitch-form Tang Rui's transformation. In response, the fated tribulation of Slaughter-form Tang Rui has vanished.]

[Tang Rui's current happiness value: 0. Mission status: Special completion state.]

[Upon completing the Glitch Tower trial, the rewards for the Tower of Desire trial will be unlocked simultaneously.]

[Hidden mission: The Ascension Journey of Slaughter—Tang Rui. Mission status: Completed.]

[Upon completing the Glitch Tower trial, the hidden rewards for the Tower of Desire trial will be unlocked simultaneously.]