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Anchor Hall
Chapter 132: “How about it? Are you interested?”
“…So, you’re saying that the Fantasy Amusement Park is actually a food processing factory, and all the visitors are raw materials that, once successfully polluted, are turned into food? And those rules are actually a job interview to select employees to keep them working there forever?”
Blond looked bewildered, seemingly having a hard time believing it, and spoke every word with difficulty.
“That’s right.”
Wen Jianyan glanced at Blond and nodded approvingly. “Your comprehension skills are not bad.”
“…”
Blond raised his hand and vigorously wiped his face.
Even though they had already left the instance, after understanding the core operating rules of this instance, he still felt his hair stand on end and a chill run down his spine, and he couldn’t help but shudder in fear.
This was really all a trap…
Not following the rules or directly coming into contact with the source of pollution would turn you into a frog, and frogs themselves were a source of pollution, constantly releasing mental pollution to the outside world.
Even if you were lucky enough to avoid all these traps and survive until the end, you would still be assimilated by the instance because you followed the rules too closely, ultimately becoming a slave to the amusement park.
It was too harsh.
It was almost like a step-by-step killing move; the slightest mistake could result in everyone being wiped out…
So this is the difficulty of an S-level instance?
Blond couldn’t help but feel dazed.
He never thought that, as a mere C+ level newbie, he would one day directly enter an S-level instance and, most unbelievably, actually come out alive!
This… does such a possibility really exist?
He couldn’t help but turn his head and look at Wen Jianyan, who was sitting next to him.
Honestly, if it weren’t for this guy setting fire to the Fantasy Amusement Park at the last moment, among the three hundred people who entered the instance, they probably wouldn’t even have twenty-one people left now!
Is this what a strong person is like?
Incredible, truly incredible!
“Big….big shot.”
Blond unconsciously changed his address and asked hesitantly, “Um, can I ask what’s your current level? Which guild are you in?”
Wen Jianyan blinked, pondering for a moment, and said, “D… oh, no, I’ve actually risen to level B now.”
Several people: “???”
“As for the guild, I haven’t joined one yet.”
Several people: “???”
“Wait, wait a minute?”
Yun Bilan’s eyebrows twitched, and she said incredulously, “Didn’t you say you were a level C anchor in the instance before?”
“Oh, that.”
Wen Jianyan was taken aback as if he had just remembered that lie. He shrugged and casually dismissed it, saying:
“I lied to you.”
Yun Bilan: “…”
?
Why would someone talk about this so naturally?!
“A level-D anchor appearing in an A-level instance is quite strange, isn’t it? After knowing this, anchors would either become more cautious or develop a sense of contempt. Teaming up with them would be difficult.” Wen Jianyan calmly analyzed.
Yun Bilan was stunned for a moment and thought about it carefully.
It does… seem to make sense.
If, in the thriller zone, the other party claimed to be a D-level anchor, there was a high probability that they wouldn’t be able to form a team and would break up right from the start.
Blond stared blankly at Wen Jianyan not far away, unable to recover for a long time.
Is it really?
A big shot anchor, who led the entire team to clear an S-level instance, achieved a Platinum achievement on their own, and even increased the overall survival rate of the instance… was only a B-level?!
This, this, this…
Is this kind of thing really possible?!
Yun Bilan suddenly realized something after a simple calculation in her mind.
“Wait a minute, are you… that strongest newcomer from before?”
Otherwise, according to the system’s algorithm, they wouldn’t have placed such a low-ranked anchor in an A-level instance.
Her guild was in the top ten of the entire server, and they had tried to recruit this record-setting newcomer who had achieved Platinum achievements in three instances, a record they had never seen before. And now, this person had achieved a fourth Platinum achievement, even within an S-level instance!
If they hadn’t followed Wen Jianyan all the way through, they wouldn’t have believed it.
However…
Yun Bilan blinked, feeling puzzled. “Why did I hear that you were a two-meter-tall, strong man?”
“Oh?”
Blond blinked and said confusedly, “Why did I hear that you were a beauty?”
The next moment, the slender, graceful figure in front of them disappeared without warning, replaced by a tall woman with flowing, fiery-red hair cascading down her snow-white skin. Her features were sharp and enchanting, and when she didn’t smile, she exuded an extremely intimidating aura.
She elegantly leaned down, her bewitching fox-like eyes slightly upturned, her clear voice carrying a hint of laughter:
“Are you referring to this?”
Approaching, her dramatically alluring face brought a strong visual impact, and there seemed to be a strong scent of roses emanating from her.
Blond’s face turned bright red, and he stammered:
“You… you… you…”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes and smiled, his tone teasing as if he had a seductive hook:
“It seems like you like this type.”
“!!!”
Blond’s face was as red as a tomato, and he hastily retreated, almost in tears as he begged: “Aaaaaah, please, big brother, change back!”
Yun Bilan: “…”
Although she had guessed that this guy’s transformation was based on appearance, how was it possible for him to maintain such a captivating and seamless appearance? No wonder Blond, even knowing the person’s true gender, was still blushing like that. Anyone would be overwhelmed!
Wen Jianyan canceled his appearance transformation and sat back in his original place, feeling satisfied.
They had already left the vast white space of the system and entered the anchor’s living area.
This place could be considered a miniature human city. As long as you had enough points, you could buy anything you wanted. The balance of points in your account represented your standard of living here. You could live as lavishly as a billionaire, enjoying top-notch services in the highest-level consumption places, or you could quickly become destitute, unable to even afford food. Although the system prohibited anchors from killing each other, just like in the instances, there were still dangers within the system space after losing all your points.
For a pleasure-seeking hedonist like Wen Jianyan, finding a private room for a confidential conversation here was a piece of cake.
“So, you haven’t chosen a guild yet?” Elise asked curiously. “What are your plans for the future? Are you going to join one?”
“No.”
Wen Jianyan shook his head nonchalantly, his gaze pausing on Wen Ya not far away.
“…”
After hearing this unexpected answer, everyone was stunned.
“Why?” Yun Bilan furrowed her brow slightly, puzzled. “Do you want to be a lone wolf? While it’s possible, having a guild as support is better as your anchor level increases. Both in terms of benefits and future instances, having a guild backing you up makes a significant difference…”
Wen Ya also furrowed her brow slightly.
As a member of the Eternal Day Guild, she had initially tried to recruit Wen Jianyan. However, after completing the previous instance, he unexpectedly gave this unexpected response.
“Do you think guilds have meaning?”
Wen Jianyan suddenly spoke without warning.
Yun Bilan was momentarily at a loss, blinked her eyes, and was somewhat slow to react. “Of course, don’t you understand the rules and benefits of a guild? Do you need me to—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Wen Jianyan lightly interrupted her:
“Or, do you think there’s a difference between Nightmare Live Room and Fantasy Amusement Park?” He casually narrowed his eyes and asked softly.
“Well, that’s…” Blond instinctively began to answer, but after a few words, he suddenly froze and swallowed the rest of his words.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became stifling.
“…”
The magnificent and spacious room fell into a dead silence.
Actually, before entering the Fantasy Amusement Park instance, Wen Jianyan didn’t have much obsession with whether to establish a guild. For him, as long as he chose the right guild, he would not only have a protective umbrella but also wouldn’t have to worry about all the strange people. He also wouldn’t have to take responsibility for the enemies he had made earlier. It was a win-win situation.
However, after the previous instance ended, Wen Jianyan changed his mind.
“A guild is definitely meaningful.” Wen Jianyan replied to himself.
“It makes clearing instances easier, provides better benefits, offers honor, admiration, envy, and praise, and constructs a dazzling castle in the sky with various rankings and lists, quantifying everything.”
Level up, level up, level up.
Only by leveling up could you gain more fans, a stronger guild, more points, more admirers, and a more luxurious life.
Wen Jianyan smiled.
The young man slightly leaned forward, fixedly gazing at the other person with amber eyes that seemed to see through everything.
For some reason, the person who had just appeared carefree and shapeless, without a hint of a real form, now had such sharp and penetrating eyes. They were like a cold, ice-cold knife that easily pierced into people’s chests:
“But all of this only has meaning within this world constructed by false data.”
They lived within a transparent cage, greedily observed by countless pairs of eyes, having everything that made them human stripped away.
This was just a show.
Glorious, grand, and yet false.
“Entertain to death,” Wen Jianyan said, dipping his finger into the transparent water in his cup and lightly sketching on the table. “Isn’t that our motto?”
Here, they were fed on human flesh and blood, enticed by the temptations of paper and elusive data. “Entertain to death” was not just a slogan.
Whether it was the pitiful and terrified wailing or the cheap and humble pleading, whether it was a beautiful face, a youthful body, or an intelligent mind, everything was just a pastime, a beautiful performance, a topic for casual conversation after tea.
They pursued more excitement, more popularity, and more beauty. They were passionate and loyal, but also cold and arrogant.
They were the audience.
They were the consumers; they were gods.
Their emotions were swayed by everything that happened in the live broadcast—whether it was excitement, joy, anger, or fear. But these emotions were quickly forgotten.
Everything was consumed greedily by the voracious diners and chewed up, and in the end, only the tasteless chicken ribs were left, easily tossed aside and forgotten.
Entertain to death.
“Don’t let the carrots in front of you blind your eyes.” Wen Jianyan spoke softly.
“Sooner or later, we will be turned into canned frogs.”
“…”
The people sitting across from Wen Jianyan looked dazed, their faces pale, their mouths agape, and they could hardly speak.
They were no longer newcomers; they had experienced at least seven or eight instances, and some had even gone through more than ten. At the beginning, they might have hoped to accumulate enough points to exchange for a soul contract termination voucher and leave this place. However, one live broadcast after another consumed their desires. The emptiness in their bodies was filled with the data and treatment that the system had fed them.
Comfort.
Humans naturally love comfort.
They joined the guild, completed tasks, and lived in this false space. The vast world easily reshaped and distorted them into willing tools.
They tightly focused on the carrot in front of them but forgot about the boiling water around them.
Everyone was a frog.
Wen Jianyan leaned back.
“But, when it comes to playing games, of course, you should follow the rules.”
Wen Jianyan squinted his eyes, gently lifting the corners of his lips. His slender fingertips casually played with the porcelain teacup on the table, his fair skin almost merging with the porcelain: “However, what’s the point of joining someone else’s guild?”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t create privileges, I can’t guarantee benefits, and I can’t provide protection.”
“The only thing that I can guarantee is a goal—freedom.”
The young man lifted his amber eyes.
He looked at the others, his lips slightly curved, and his eyes contained a fiery passion that could almost consume everything—full of danger, fervor, and vitality. There was a kind of fervent charm that could drag everyone into hell, causing panic and irresistibly attracting, igniting, and bewitching them.
Wen Jianyan smiled and asked:
“So how about it? Are you interested?”
The author has something to say:
Just like MLM leaders trying to expand their team.
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Lair is poaching teamates! Or is it guildmates?
Thank you for the chapter!
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Freedom aaaaand Stockholm Syndrome for all members of Wen Jianyan’s Victim’s Association XD. Thanks for the chapter!