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Anchor Hall
Chapter 201: Reverse pie
At this dinner, no matter how many undercurrents of hidden tension there were, the ending appeared exceptionally peaceful on the surface, almost to the point that everyone seemed perfectly satisfied.
The two of them stood up and shook hands amicably to say their farewells.
“I’ll go back and give it some serious thought,” Qi Qian said before leaving. “I’ll contact you directly afterward, but…”
He paused, glanced at Luce beside him, and said with a smile:
“The name of the guild you’re in seems different from what I heard. To avoid any misunderstandings, why don’t we exchange personal contact information instead?”
“The name will be changed soon; the chances of you being misled are quite slim.”
Wen Jianyan smiled faintly and said without any change in expression, “So there’s no need to worry.”
“…”
Changing the name?
If the other party had acquired the right to establish a guild through an auction, then naturally, they could name their guild whatever they liked. But once an guild is established, the name cannot be changed. The other party had clearly joined an already established guild… so how could the name be changed?
Qi Qian didn’t believe the other party was unaware of this fact.
So, it was likely an excuse for not wanting to give out personal contact information.
Qi Qian paused for a moment and took a careful look at the young man in front of him. He smiled again, without showing any emotion, and nodded:
“Is that so? Well then.”
Soon, Qi Qian’s figure disappeared outside the door.
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slightly, and the smile on his face, like snow melting in the spring, quickly faded away.
Luce, beside him, seemed to sense something. He frowned, showing a hint of concern on his face, and looked at Wen Jianyan, opening his mouth as if to say something.
But before Luce could speak, he was subtly interrupted by Wen Jianyan.
“In any case…”
Wen Jianyan turned to Luce, smiled, and returned to his initial approachable and polite demeanor, “Thank you for your help in making the introduction this time.”
He brushed off the matter lightly, and although Luce still had doubts, he let it go.
He shook his head:
“It’s okay; it was just a small favor.”
Given his ranking on the points leaderboard, it was only a matter of time before he entered this circle. Luce had just acted as an early guide, giving him a helpful push.
Wen Jianyan said goodbye to Luce and returned to his residence within the Nightmare.
This time, he hadn’t been out for long. Su Cheng and Ji Guan hadn’t awakened yet. The large, high-end suite was shrouded in darkness and immersed in deep silence.
Wen Jianyan removed his disguise and went straight back to his room.
After a brief wash, he lay down on the bed, preparing for his first sleep in days.
His body was exhausted to the extreme, but his nerves were still excited.
Lying in the darkness, Wen Jianyan stared at the blurred ceiling above, mentally going over everything he had done since leaving the instance. The plan was almost complete; he had done his best in every task, and the remaining steps were beyond his control.
All that was left now was to wait.
Wen Jianyan yawned, his eyelids fluttered, and the fatigue from the non-stop exertion finally surged up, bringing a hint of sleepiness to his expression.
Suddenly, a mechanical voice sounded without warning in the darkness:
“Honored anchor, Wen Jianyan, hello.”
Wen Jianyan’s eyes snapped open. He stared intently into the dark void, wide awake.
Typically, communications with the anchors in the Nightmare’s living area were handled by personal assistants using a more lively synthetic voice. However, this time, the voice in Wen Jianyan’s ear was the emotionless mechanical voice that only appeared during broadcasts.
It had come.
It seemed that Wu Zhu’s “visit” had indeed been effective.
He had navigated through the living area without hindrance, forcing the Nightmare to a point where a decision had to be made, and it also indirectly proved that Wen Jianyan’s words were true—Wu Zhu’s status was extraordinary.
Thus, the Nightmare contacted him just a few hours after Wu Zhu’s visit.
This conversation had occurred much sooner than Wen Jianyan had anticipated.
He sat up slowly from the bed, a faint smile appearing on his face, as if he had put on a professional mask again, hiding all his cunning and plans behind a harmless expression:
“Hello.”
“Recently, system self-checks have detected an unknown bug, causing unexplained anomalies in multiple instances. To ensure the continued entertainment experience of our audience and the safety of our anchors, the system will initiate internal clean-up operations to handle and eliminate this bug.”
The voice continued without any inflection, saying:
“At the same time, the sub-system has reviewed your request and analyzed the data from your successful completion of the Ping An Asylum instance. It has been confirmed that your involvement would greatly enhance the likelihood of successfully eliminating the bug. Therefore, we hope that you can assist us in correcting the system bug in the upcoming broadcast.”
“This was my original intention in contacting you,” Wen Jianyan said warmly, his voice dragging slightly. “However… there are conditions.”
The young man blinked: “Humans, you know, never act without self-interest, right?”
“Naturally,” the mechanical voice continued, “Once the bug has been successfully eliminated, the Nightmare will reward you. Your point acquisition rate in future broadcasts will increase by 130%, and you will also receive a substantial reward for items. You may choose any item from the Nightmare’s legendary items or the system’s store, with no restrictions on rarity or type…”
Wen Jianyan listened carefully to the rewards offered by the Nightmare. Suddenly, he noticed something, narrowed his eyes, and said:
“What about a Soul Release Ticket? Does that count as an eligible item?”
“Naturally.” The system’s voice answered without any fluctuations, “After assisting us in successfully eliminating the bug, you will have the unlimited right to redeem, for one time only.”
Wen Jianyan showed a thoughtful expression: “I believe you haven’t just analyzed the Ping An Asylum instance’s completion record, have you? I assume you’ve reviewed every instance I’ve completed before.”
“This is a necessary measure to estimate the probability of successful cooperation.”
The system said coldly.
No wonder.
It seemed this system was indeed advanced in analyzing human emotions and desires. It was very clear about the core conflict between Wen Jianyan and Wu Zhu—a human’s desire for life and freedom. Hence, it proposed the so-called “conditions,” which were far better tailored to Wen Jianyan than Wu Zhu, who did not understand humans at all. One might even say it was custom-made for him.
“Your conditions are indeed very sincere.”
Wen Jianyan smiled.
“I agree.”
“However…”
Suddenly, he changed his tone, “If I understand correctly, all these rewards are contingent on the successful elimination of the bug, correct?”
“Yes.”
Wen Jianyan lifted his gaze, staring intently into the darkness before him:
“Considering the difficulty of eliminating this bug, you are probably more aware than I am. Although I have advantages you don’t, I am, after all, just a fragile human… Facing such a terrifying existence alone, the success rate is unreasonably low, isn’t it?”
He expressed himself sincerely, selling his misfortune without any reservations:
“Believe me, no one wants to succeed more than I do. If I fail, I’ll face a fate worse than death. I don’t think that bug would kindly forgive my betrayal, so…”
“Before the mission succeeds,” the young man blinked slyly, “I’ll also need a little help.”
If the rewards Nightmare promised him before were just painting a big pie in the sky, then what Wen Jianyan was doing was drawing a pie in reverse for Nightmare.
Want me to help eliminate the bug? Sure.
But during this process, Nightmare’s system won’t be sitting back and reaping all the benefits without effort—if they want him to wield the knife willingly, they must be prepared to get bitten ahead of time.
“…”
The air fell into a brief silence.
Wen Jianyan wasn’t in a hurry. He leaned quietly against the headboard, not urging, waiting silently for the other party’s response.
Soon, the mechanical system voice spoke again:
“What kind of help would you like to receive?”
There we go.
Wen Jianyan’s smile deepened: “Hmm… let me think, first of all, I need you to do me a small, harmless favor…”
He said:
“Could you help me change the name of my guild?”
***
As soon as Qi Qian returned to his residence, he contacted several of his confidants.
He lowered his eyes, falling into deep thought.
The cooperation proposed by the other party was indeed very tempting.
For him, it was like being handed a pillow when drowsy, fitting his needs perfectly. However, there was one thing he couldn’t ignore…
And that was the risk.
No matter how quickly No. 34 had risen, how fast he had broken, or how many records he had broken, he was still a newcomer in the entire Nightmare with little experience in passing through instances and limited resources in hand. In Nightmare, promising, stunning newcomers had fallen more than once or twice; it could even be said that the higher they jumped, the faster they often fell.
Moreover, the other party had chosen an especially powerful opponent.
Oracle.
Since he entered Nightmare, Oracle had been at the top of the leaderboard for a long time, almost unshakable. In terms of connections and resources, No. 34, a newcomer, couldn’t match.
So, although Qi Qian was very tempted, choosing this high-risk path was still difficult.
That’s why he didn’t want to contact the other party through the official guild channels, to clear himself in time. If anything went wrong, he wouldn’t be dragged down with it.
Clearly, based on the previous conversation, the other party had sensed this.
In a way, this newcomer was overly sharp.
After hearing everything, one of his men spoke up: “I think the risk of cooperating with No. 34 is too high. And if I remember correctly, didn’t Lao Kong say he was tricked by this guy before… I don’t really support the cooperation option.”
“Indeed.”
Another person nodded in agreement and suggested:
“If you ask me, why not contact Oracle privately, do them a favor, and maintain good relations with the top guild? It would also be very beneficial for your development in Dark Fire.”
Indeed, this option was more secure and carried less risk…
As Qi Qian pondered, suddenly, one of his men spoke curiously: “Speaking of which, what’s the name of Guild 034?”
“It’s two words, right?”
Qi Qian absentmindedly waved his hand, “I forgot too; check the ranking page.”
“I’m looking at it right now.” The person raised his hand, showing the interface on his phone to Qi Qian.
Qi Qian frowned and looked at the phone in his hand.
The next second, he froze.
The familiar whiteboard interface of No. 34 showed the name of the guild he was in—“Law-Abiding Good Citizens” Guild.
Wait?
How could this be?
Isn’t this exactly the name that Luce mentioned to him earlier?
Qi Qian suddenly straightened up, snatched the phone from the person’s hand, and searched the leaderboard. Soon, he found the other members of the guild, and all of them without exception had the same guild name.
“Law-Abiding Good Citizens” Guild.
A name that didn’t match the entire style of Nightmare at all, and compared to other grand-sounding guild names, it seemed almost ridiculous.
“……”
Qi Qian fell into deep thought.
This guy…
What he said at the dinner earlier turned out to be true.
It seems he had underestimated this guy. This seemingly ordinary newcomer might actually have some cards up his sleeve that no one else knew about…
He raised his eyes, his gaze flickering as if making a decision.
***
In the “Law-Abiding Good Citizens” Guild, the first full guild meeting since its establishment was held.
In Nightmare, a guild headquarters also needs to be purchased with points, so the locations of headquarters vary depending on the level of the guild.
As a small guild that was on the brink of collapse before the acquisition, the “Law-Abiding Good Citizens” Guild’s headquarters was the smallest available in Nightmare, with very simple facilities inside.
Nan Ming and Nan Li sat rigidly on chairs, their expressions stiff, looking very uneasy.
It wasn’t just because it was their first official guild meeting, but also because…
Their new guild members were simply too intimidating!
On the left.
Yun Bilian sat in a chair, her long legs crossed and propped on the table, looking around the small hall with great interest—it was clear this was her first time in such a small guild activity area.
On the right.
Wen Ya sat beside her, her back straight and her face expressionless. Perhaps due to her background from a former guild, she was already accustomed to big scenes, inexplicably exuding a sense of oppressive presence.
Not far away, Su Cheng leaned against the wall, looking lethargically at his phone screen.
It showed the name of his guild—
“Law-Abiding Good Citizens.”
To be honest, when he learned that guild names in Nightmare couldn’t be changed once established, Su Cheng felt relieved.
The original name of this guild, though not as grand-sounding as Dark Fire, Oracle, or Eternal Day, was still better than Wen Jianyan’s naming skills!
He thought he had dodged a bullet, but unexpectedly—!!!
Su Cheng stared at the name of the guild displayed on his phone, his expression dark.
How come, in the end…
He was still ruined by this guy’s naming skills…
Nearby, Ji Guan with his cockscomb hairstyle and Blond exchanged glances, as usual, whispering to each other and discussing something unknown.
The small activity room was shrouded in a layer of strange atmosphere.
Nan Ming and Nan Li felt even more uneasy.
They glanced towards the door from time to time, anxiously hoping for a familiar face to rescue them—
Perhaps their prayers worked; soon, steady footsteps echoed from the distant corridor, coming closer.
The door was pushed open.
Chen Mo’s calm, emotionally restrained face appeared outside the door.
The vice guild leader—
Just as Nan Ming and Nan Li were getting excited, Chen Mo turned slightly, revealing the second person following behind him.
It was their nominal guild leader, the creator of the chaotic scene before them, the main culprit behind everything—
Wen Jianyan.
“…”
Nan Ming and Nan Li froze.
The young man squinted his eyes, looked around, and showed a casual smile:
“Ah, everyone is here?”
He seemed to have a peculiar charm, attracting everyone’s attention like a magnet, no matter where he stood. Whether it was the dejected Su Cheng, Ji Guan and Huang Mao whispering together, or the seasoned anchors Wen Ya, Yun Bilian, and Elise, they all looked at him naturally, as if it had become a habit.
Wen Jianyan walked forward, sat in the chairman’s seat, cleared his throat, and said in a serious tone:
“First of all, I will announce the goals and plans of our guild for the next period…”
Everyone perked up, listening attentively.
Wen raised one finger solemnly: “Step one, earn points.”
He raised a second finger:
“Step two, surpass Oracle and become the number one guild on the points leaderboard.”
“……”
“……”
The entire activity room fell into silence.
Huh?
What?
What did he say???
Wen Jianyan stood up: “That’s all, meeting adjourned.”
Everyone was stunned by this overly brief, inexplicably arrogant, or foolish declaration. While they were still in shock, Wen Jianyan had already turned around lightly and left the room, leaving a mess behind without any guilt.
Wen Ya and Yun Bilian were the first to react. They looked at each other, got up together, and chased after Wen Jianyan in the direction he had left.
Soon, they cornered Wen Jianyan at the door.
The young man blinked: “Hmm? What’s wrong?”
He looked innocent, seemingly completely unaware of his role as the instigator.
“…”
Seeing him so detached, the two of them choked on the questions they had, feeling as if they were hitting a cotton wall, unable to exert any force.
Wen Ya was the first to recover.
She organized her thoughts and said, “Why are you suddenly interested in the top position?”
After the Fantasy Amusement Park instance, Wen Jianyan had bluntly told them that neither the guild, points, nor popularity mattered. No matter how beautiful a prison is, it is still a prison. All the rankings, treatments, and enjoyments are merely distractions. However, now he was saying he wanted to surpass Oracle and make his guild number one?
Wen Ya was very curious about why Wen Jianyan had suddenly changed his mind.
“Is it because your teammate was targeted by Oracle ?” Wen Ya guessed.
Before pulling them into the guild, Wen Jianyan had frankly told them about the risks of this decision—including the part related to Oracle.
“Yes and no.”
Wen Jianyan thought for a moment and answered.
The incident with Su Cheng was a catalyst, a reason for him to think about it, but it wasn’t the real reason for his decision.
“To be precise…”
He lowered his eyes, their color light and clear, and suddenly smiled:
“I tried an experiment and came to this conclusion.”
An experiment about whether the rules of Nightmare could be broken.
Their souls and lives were held by this live room. To survive, to live longer, they had to follow Nightmare’s rules.
Unknowingly, they had come to see these rules as unbreakable and immutable, existing objectively.
No fighting in the broadcasting hall, no using tools in the living area, no using talents… and so on.
These rules were not only limitations but also protections.
However, most people forgot that these rules were set by a more powerful existence and could be changed by it as well…
Renaming the guild was partly to show his strength to Dark Fire and partly to test Nightmare.
Can some established, conventional rules be broken?
—Yes.
Provide enough benefits, and Nightmare will meet the demand.
This answer is extremely terrifying.
It’s like a group of people living in a world where the sun rises at six o’clock every day, thinking it’s a natural law, only to find out one day that the sun is a light bulb, and it lights up because the person in the room wakes up at six.
And they are toys in a dollhouse.
The established rules are just playthings of the powerful.
If you look at it outside this framework, many questions Wen Jianyan couldn’t explain before now have answers—why Oracle can remain stable at the top for so long, why it can foresee the birth of a prophet anchor, and why it has never shown any flaws.
If you say there’s no support from Nightmare behind this, Wen Jianyan wouldn’t believe it.
He can make deals with the Nightmare Live Room, and so can Oracle—as long as they provide enough benefits.
Wen Jianyan has a premonition…
That the content of that deal is crucial and might even be closely related to the core of the entire Nightmare Live Room.
If he wants to overthrow and destroy the whole system, he must truly reach its secret core.
The first step was to have enough voice.
Wen Jianyan is a cautious person.
The more cautious he was, the more meticulous he was.
He progresses step by step, calculating carefully, trying to maneuver between the two extremely unstable entities of Wu Zhu and Nightmare while also developing the guild’s sideline and gradually approaching his goal as a backup plan.
“Don’t worry.” Wen Jianyan looked at Wen Ya and said, “My goal has never changed from the beginning.”
His tone was calm, with a certain convincing power:
“Earning points is a means, not the goal.”
The two nodded.
“Anyway, our most urgent task is to earn more points for the guild…”
Wen Jianyan said while looking up at Su Cheng in the distance.
He smiled and raised his voice, waving at him:
“Hey, over here.”
Su Cheng hesitated, but still walked over.
“Speaking of earning points,” Wen Jianyan’s lips curled into a faint smile. Seeing that familiar arc, Su Cheng shivered instinctively, suddenly having a bad premonition…
Then he heard Wen Jianyan continue:
“There’s news from Dark Fire. Chen Mo has already started the specific process, and the result should come out soon…”
Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, not reacting: “Huh? What?”
“Nothing.”
Wen Jianyan affectionately put his arm around Su Cheng’s shoulder, showing his signature gentle smile that could deceive without remorse:
“I just got us a private job.”
He blinked: “It pays well.”
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