WTNL Chapter 510

Thank you @Renea for the Kofi.

Yuying University
Chapter 510: Graduation Ceremony 1

Wen Jianyan’s gaze fell on the other’s face, half intact, half melted and charred, and he blinked.

“Likewise.”

This was clearly a retort to the other’s comment about “not looking much like a human.”

In the “Integrity First” live room barrage:

[Hiss, that’s a soul-crushing blow. ]

[Hahahahahahahahaha, well, of course, after all, the anchor is the culprit behind this tragedy. ]

[Does the anchor have to be provocative at a time like this? I can’t even bear to watch… ]

Hearing this, the intact half of Mason’s face twitched. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he said sinisterly,

“Yes, and it’s all thanks to you that I’ve been this wretched for the first time.”

Mason stepped forward, exposing his ugly, ghost-like, charcoal-black half-face to Wen Jianyan’s gaze. His eyes were gloomy and flickering. “Of course, you couldn’t have done it alone. That bitch Orange Candy must have had a hand in it, right? — To screw me over one last time even before she died, she really lived up to her name.”

Wen Jianyan didn’t answer, but his eyes flickered slightly.

Apparently, the other party still didn’t know that he had rescued Orange Candy.

Mason obviously didn’t need his answer either. He raked him over from head to toe with a gaze that was a million times colder than before, then smiled again.

“So, I advise you not to push your luck. I’m in a very bad mood, and I might not be as… polite as I used to be.”

The atmosphere on the scene suddenly became heavy, with the smell of gunpowder ready to ignite.

In this situation, it was obviously wiser to remain silent.

But unexpectedly, Wen Jianyan let out a light laugh. For once, he didn’t go with the flow as he usually did, but instead asked back,

“Is that so?”

He met the other’s eyes without flinching, not showing the slightest bit of fear. The young man tilted his head and said with a light smile, “—Even when you need something from me?”

Things had to be prioritized.

Especially for top-tier anchors like Mason.

It should be known that they were currently in a double-S rated instance. No matter how high their level or how rich their experience, no anchor dared to guarantee that they could clear it.

And now there were less than five minutes left until the final graduation ceremony.

Under these circumstances, for Mason to wait here for so long, just to set a trap for him, whose life and death were uncertain… was the purpose merely revenge?

Wen Jianyan didn’t think so.

Mason didn’t answer for a long time. After a while, he suddenly began to laugh lowly. The laughter grew louder and louder, until it became almost frantic.

The laughter echoed under the black-red sky, making one’s hair stand on end.

Finally, he stopped, the strange smile still lingering on his face. His gaze slowly licked over Wen Jianyan’s face as he said softly, “You know what? It’s because of this that I like you so much.”

“…”

A chill ran down Wen Jianyan’s spine.

Mason: “Let me guess, you’re the outstanding graduate representative, right?”

Wen Jianyan looked at him warily, not answering.

“Of course you are,” Mason answered his own question. “If it’s not you, who else could it be? — Hugo has never been good at this type of level.”

Mason’s smile faded. He turned his head to look at the anchor beside him and ordered, “Do it.”

“?!”

Wen Jianyan was startled. He saw Mason’s only remaining teammate step forward and grab his wrist. About three seconds later, a burning pain began to spread in his neck. Just as Wen Jianyan’s endurance was about to reach its limit, the person finally let go and retreated.

Wen Jianyan raised his hand and touched his neck in bewilderment. The skin there seemed to still retain a fiery temperature.

Although he couldn’t see it, everyone else could clearly see a small, skull-like mark appearing under that patch of skin.

Just then, Mason spoke in a timely manner.

“If you are more than five meters away from us, you will explode.”

“If you disobey orders, you will explode.”

Mason unhurriedly raised a third finger.

“If you inform your companions by any means, you will also explode.
Understood?”

“…”

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and glanced up at the countdown.

One minute left.

He had witnessed Mason in combat before and had long known that it would be difficult for him to face him alone. And since the other party needed something from him, it was highly likely that he, having become an aberrant, would not be killed immediately and might even have a chance to fight back.

However, he was now caught in a trap. His feet couldn’t move. As long as Mason left him here, once the countdown ended, no matter what his status was, he would undoubtedly die.

For this reason, Wen Jianyan did not resist fiercely this time.

He looked at Mason, the brand under his palm still burning hot, as if reminding him of how dangerous the game he was playing was.

Although he had thought that this old fox would probably do something to prevent him from turning against him halfway, he hadn’t expected that the other party would still have such a trump card…

It should be known that the rarity of such a pure PVP talent was not low.

To be able to survive in such a dangerous instance until now was even more difficult.

A miscalculation.

Wen Jianyan’s face was grim. He now regretted it a little.

Mason, however, seemed to be enjoying it very much. He smiled again and nodded politely at Wen Jianyan. “Alright, now we can enter the venue.”

---

Three minutes left until midnight.

Wen Jianyan walked into the sports field.

It was unknown if it was because of the graduation ceremony, but the entire sports field looked brand new.

The circular track was a thick, viscous blood-red, and the grass in the center of the field was a vivid green.

The gymnasium’s main gate was wide open, with bouquets of flowers at the entrance. A huge banner hung high above the main gate, with several lines of bloody large words on it:

[■■ Graduation Ceremony]

The entire gymnasium was decorated festively, but under the dim sky, it did not give people the slightest sense of comfort.

Perhaps because it was already too close to the end time, there was not a single person on the sports field or in front of the gymnasium. It was empty, making people feel particularly uneasy.

Unexpectedly, Mason did not walk towards the empty main gate, but went straight to the narrow back door of the gymnasium.

Wen Jianyan followed closely behind him, lost in thought.

He had originally thought that the other party had come this time to snatch the graduation certificate, but the reality was clearly a little different from what he had imagined?

Wen Jianyan frowned and looked up at Mason’s back not far away.

—What was he planning to do?

Soon, the three of them arrived at the main entrance of the gymnasium. Mason reached out and pulled the door open, even gentlemanly stepping aside to let Wen Jianyan and his teammate enter first.

Wen Jianyan’s gaze lingered on his half-destroyed face for a long time before he stepped inside.

The corridor in front was as dark as he remembered, pitch-black. Halfway through, a familiar system sound suddenly came from his ear:

“Ding! The third academic year is about to end. The fourth academic year will begin shortly. Students who do not arrive before the countdown ends will be disqualified from participating in the graduation ceremony.”

“5, 4, 3, 2—”

The countdown reached zero.

Through the thick walls, Wen Jianyan seemed to vaguely hear a few sharp, desperate screams from outside.

He stood in the darkness, his hair standing on end.

Wen Jianyan knew that all the anchors who had not arrived in time had probably lost their qualification to attend forever.

And at almost the same time, with a few “bangs,” the large lights on the gymnasium’s dome lit up one after another. The dazzling, daylight-like light instantly dispelled the darkness, forcing Wen Jianyan to close his eyes.

The next second, cheerful music flowed from the speakers, dispelling the dead silence.

Along with the music came a distorted voice:

“Hello, fellow students! Welcome to the ■■ Graduation Ceremony of Yuying Comprehensive University. After four years of hard work, we have finally reaped a bountiful harvest…”

Wen Jianyan blinked away the physiological tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. It took him several seconds to finally adjust to the current light.

The vast venue was brightly lit. It had changed so much from the last time he was here that he almost didn’t recognize it.

All the pale, stinking corpses had disappeared, and the sports equipment in the gymnasium had also been put away. If it weren’t for the signs still on the walls, it would be hard to imagine that this place had once been divided into several areas.

“…”

Wen Jianyan subconsciously turned his head and looked in the direction of the swimming pool, but unexpectedly, a speech stage, which was clearly not temporarily set up and was fully decorated, appeared not far away.

Dozens of chairs were neatly arranged in front of the stage. Behind the stage was a red velvet curtain hanging from the ceiling, completely obscuring the back. On the curtain were four large characters:

[Graduation Ceremony]

In addition, there were colorful tassels, festive colored confetti, etc., which had a grotesque quality that was out of place with the environment.

Several pale-faced, gloomy student council members were walking around the venue, seemingly making final preparations before the ceremony began.

Apparently, they were not the only ones who had arrived at the gymnasium at the specified time—in fact, many people seemed to have been waiting for a long time. Looking around, there were less than forty people in total.

This number might not seem small, but… don’t forget, the instance had been opened twice in total. Out of a total of over a thousand people, only thirty-something survived… this survival rate was appallingly low.

Suddenly, Wen Jianyan seemed to see something, and his gaze lingered for a moment.

Diagonally across from him, not far away, were several familiar figures.

The first thing he saw was the blue-haired Yun Bilan.

The next was Hugo. He was too tall and had a unique temperament. And beside him were Su Cheng, Wei Cheng, and others. They were currently getting up from the ground, cautiously observing the venue, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

“…!”

Seeing this, Wen Jianyan’s heart couldn’t help but pound violently.

Although he had long guessed that the previous difficulties would most likely not stop his teammates, the long period of disconnection had also made him doubtful. Now, seeing his teammates with his own eyes, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Thank goodness they were all still alive; otherwise, he really wouldn’t know how to explain it to Orange Candy when he got out of the instance.

Suddenly, a cold hand landed on his shoulder. Wen Jianyan’s body trembled slightly, and he looked to the side.

It was Mason.

“Shall we?” This time he didn’t face him with his good half of his face, but the muscles at the corner of his mouth were pulled, revealing a terrifying smile. “Don’t worry, your teammates can’t see you.”

Mason said, as if very kindly, “‘The bomb’ won’t explode because of this.”

Wen Jianyan twitched the corner of his mouth. “…Thank you so much.”

As a top ten anchor, it was all too normal to have some items and methods that could conceal one’s presence and make one undetectable. He had never thought that the other party would let him reconnect with his teammates so easily.

Getting a reply, the smile on Mason’s lips seemed to deepen. He put his arm around Wen Jianyan’s shoulder and did not lead him towards the crowded area, but instead walked towards the direction covered by the red curtain.

Not far away, Su Cheng seemed to have suddenly felt something. He looked up and towards the distance, his brows slightly furrowed, his dark pupils bottomless.

“What’s wrong?”

Beside him, Yun Bilan asked.

“…Nothing.”

Su Cheng’s gaze searched the distance, but he found nothing. In the end, he withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

“Perhaps my feeling was wrong.”

Wen Jianyan followed Mason to the red curtain.

“Who is it?” a cold voice came from the side.

From the shadows, a student council member with an armband on his arm walked out. His indifferent gaze swept over the few people before him, finally lingering on Wen Jianyan for a long time, his face twisting slightly as if he recognized him.

“…Hi.”

Wen Jianyan twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a dry greeting.

What bad luck. He had offended too many student council members in the instance, and he really couldn’t keep them straight.

Beside him, Mason smiled amiably. “The outstanding student is to give a speech on stage, right?”

“—Right.” The voice seemed to be squeezed out from between the student council member’s teeth. He stared at Wen Jianyan as if he wanted to flay him alive.

Looking at this familiar expression, Wen Jianyan suddenly had a realization.

Oh!

Isn’t this the student council member from the teaching building, the one he had secretly followed and whose cart he had overturned!

He had even chased him for several blocks back then.

Wen Jianyan gave a dry cough, took out his student ID from his pocket, and handed it over guiltily.

“Uh, it’s me.”

The student council member gave him one last cold look, then stepped aside and lifted the red velvet curtain behind him.

“Go in.”

The other’s gaze was like a thorn in Wen Jianyan’s back. When he walked in, he almost tripped on the curtain. Fortunately, he managed to grab onto the anchor beside him in time, saving him from the fate of falling flat on his face.

Soon, the three of them had entered behind the red curtain.

Wen Jianyan noticed that behind the red curtain was actually more curtain. This place seemed to be a small backstage area that had been partitioned off. The swimming pool was still nowhere to be seen, but a staircase leading to the speech stage could be vaguely glimpsed.

Several student council members were hurrying through the backstage, not looking sideways. They passed by them from time to time, but it was as if they didn’t see them at all. It was unknown what they were busy with.

But in any case, they had obtained a brief, undisturbed opportunity for conversation.

Wen Jianyan turned his head to look at Mason. “Alright, since it’s come to this, can we finally be frank? —What do you want me to do?”

“Very simple.”

Mason’s expression was still calm and composed. He pointed in the direction of the speech stage and said,

“The graduation ceremony will begin shortly. I’m not sure what the order will be, but in any case, both the outstanding graduate and the vice-principal will go on stage to speak, which will also give you a chance to control the overall situation…”

He suddenly leaned forward, staring into Wen Jianyan’s eyes with his cold ones, and said word by word,

“I want you to use your talent to make it so that none of us can graduate.”

“What…?”

Wen Jianyan was taken aback, an expression of astonishment uncontrollably appearing on his face.

“Alright, no need to be so surprised,” Mason waved his hand, his eyes like two deep wells, dark and waveless. “To answer your question: I don’t know what your talent is, but I know it’s related to causality, right?”

“…” Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

“I’ve only seen two talents related to causality,” Mason said with a mysterious smile, raising one finger. “One is Bai Xue.”

He raised a second finger, slowly bent it, and finally pointed at Wen Jianyan.

“The other is you.”

“And if my analysis of your past achievements is not wrong,” Mason wagged his finger, the light and shadow on his bisected face grotesque, “your talent is probably even more out of line than Bai Xue’s—so don’t pretend you don’t know anything. You know it yourself, as long as you get on the speech stage, there will definitely be a chance to do what I want you to do, right?”

At this moment, all emotions had been wiped from Wen Jianyan’s face, as cold and calm as a mask. He neither admitted nor denied, but only asked,

“Why do you want to stop the graduation ceremony?”

“Of course, it’s to do a good deed, my dear.”

“You don’t really think that ‘graduating’ will let you leave the instance, do you?” Mason leaned back, looking at Wen Jianyan at his leisure, a smile of complete control playing on his lips. “—You’re not that naive.”

“…”

This time, Wen Jianyan did not answer immediately.

He stared at Mason, his eyes flickering slightly.

Although he was very reluctant to admit it, the point the other had raised… indeed coincided with his own previous speculations.

The longer one stayed in this instance, the harder it was to extricate oneself.

Whether it was the admission notice, or every subsequent ideological and moral education class, and every promotion procedure… they were repeating one thing over and over again:

Self-sacrifice.

[I I pledge, I willingly offer my flesh and blood.]

[I pledge, I willingly offer my mind and spirit.]

[I pledge, I willingly offer everything I have.]

Every time they made a “promise,” they took another step into the mire, sliding into a deeper abyss. But what was worse was that they were powerless against it.

To survive longer in the instance, one had to obey the “rules,” but the so-called rules led them step by step into a helpless, irresistible desperate situation.

It was almost like a dead loop.

And the final “graduation ceremony,” rather than being a chance for the anchors to leave, was more like a final screening.

Wen Jianyan remembered clearly that when he was under the artificial lake, he had overheard a few words from the vice-principal.

He had said:

“…the number of qualified ones this time…”
“…will definitely…”

And when Wen Jianyan was first packed in a bag and transported to the warehouse, he had also heard a conversation between two people:

“It seems the harvest is not small this time.”
“Great, ‘he’ will be happy.”

They were acting for a certain goal, to please someone.

And all of this was just to obtain “qualified products.”

“It seems you’ve understood my meaning,” Mason narrowed his eyes, his half-melted, half-normal face looking even more terrifying in the dim light. He smiled and said, “If the information I’ve collected is correct, only those who have made less than five ‘promises’ can truly graduate from this graduation ceremony and leave the instance. As for the rest…”

He meaningfully swallowed the second half of the sentence, but Wen Jianyan had already guessed the rest.

He stared at Mason’s terrifying face without a word, knowing with absolute clarity one thing—

The other was not lying.

Perhaps he had hidden something… but he definitely wasn’t lying.

This graduation ceremony itself was a screening. The rejected defective products would survive, while the excellent qualified products would remain forever.

Just then, Mason reached out and lifted a corner of the red velvet curtain. Wen Jianyan’s gaze passed through the curtain, and he saw that his teammates were currently standing in the distance, seemingly discussing something in low voices.

Beside his ear came Mason’s suggestive voice:

“How many times have your friends ‘promised’?”

—Definitely more than five times.

Wen Jianyan didn’t speak, but he already knew the answer in his heart.

They were all too outstanding. None of them would become the “defective products” that were screened out.

Mason’s voice was cloyingly sweet, like some kind of curse:

“Do you think, if you don’t act, they will be able to survive?”

---

Author’s Note:
Conversation during the warehouse process: Chapter 457
Conversation in the vice-principal’s office: Chapter 507
Speculation about “being unable to leave after being too deeply contaminated”: Chapter 474

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