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Thank you Jennyisfake and creator_ping for the Kofi!
Anchor Hall
Chapter 202: Wen Jianyan, are you sick?
Upon hearing Wen Jianyan’s introduction, Su Cheng was dumbfounded.
He sat there, blinking slowly, unable to fully process: “…Huh?”
What kind of nonsense is this guy talking about?
…A contract with Dark Fire?
Which Dark Fire?
The Dark Fire that ranked second on the guild leaderboard, the one they had clashed with multiple times?
Unfortunately, the person sitting opposite Su Cheng didn’t care about his feelings and continued speaking, “…In any case, you need to promote your title as the strongest prophet well. This will help our guild in future—”
He paused and corrected himself:
“Help us make money smoothly.”
Su Cheng: “…”
Were you about to say ‘fraudulently promote’? You were definitely about to say ‘fraudulently promote’, right?
His eyelid twitched, and he took a deep breath, finally swallowing the numerous curses he had in mind: “Wait a minute, I have a question… What do you mean by ‘strongest prophet’?!”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
Wen Jianyan calmly picked up a teacup and took a sip.
“But don’t worry, I’ll help you. Trust me.”
He winked at Su Cheng.
Su Cheng: “………………”
Is that what I’m worried about?!
Looking at Wen Jianyan’s calm demeanor, Su Cheng couldn’t help but grind his molars, feeling a rare urge to hit someone.
But before he could ask anything else, footsteps approached from outside the private room, heading straight towards them.
Su Cheng fell silent, turning his head towards the closed door.
With a creak, the door was pushed open.
Chen Mo walked in with a stranger. The stranger’s eyes were calm, carrying a unique indifference born from frequent encounters with life and death in instances. One look was enough to tell he was no novice, likely having experienced at least three instances.
Su Cheng instinctively tensed his back.
He knew this must be the “employer” for their next instance.
Chances were, he was a high-ranking member of the Dark Fire guild.
Although he was disguised, in this situation, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Wen Jianyan, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease, as if he were used to such scenarios.
He stood up and greeted, “I didn’t expect to meet you so soon; what a pleasant surprise.”
“No, no.”
Qi Qian smiled, shaking Wen Jianyan’s outstretched hand:
“It’s my honor to have the opportunity to meet you.”
Unlike last time, Qi Qian’s attitude had subtly changed. The previous hidden aloofness and hostility were gone, or deeply concealed, leaving only a friendly demeanor.
“Well then,”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Qi Qian’s gaze naturally fell on Su Cheng:
“And this is…”
Su Cheng stiffened in his chair, unsure whether to speak or remain silent, so he followed Wen Jianyan’s advice and sat there motionless.
“Exactly.”
Wen Jianyan smoothly took over, smiling slightly, “However, my friend doesn’t like interacting with others much, so if you have any questions, just ask me.”
Qi Qian seemed to understand:
“Understood.”
“…”
After listening to their exchange, Su Cheng roughly understood his role…
Isn’t this just a professional actor posing as a reclusive expert?!!
And Wen Jianyan is the mastermind who eloquently sells him out.
Su Cheng felt even more uneasy. He sat stiffly, as if the high-end leather sofa beneath him was a bed of nails.
Fortunately, Wen Jianyan, knowing he couldn’t act, had given him a rough and plain appearance, so even if his expression was off, his stiff face wouldn’t reveal much.
Su Cheng lowered his eyes, half-heartedly listening to Wen Jianyan’s smooth talk and the back-and-forth with the other party.
It seemed part of the hiring process was done—thanks to Chen Mo’s guild management experience, only some crucial details needed to be finalized in person.
Soon, Qi Qian got to the point.
“The next instance is scheduled to start in four days; it’s a team instance.”
“I’ll be going too.”
He lowered his eyes with a fierce look, tapping the table with his knuckles, coldly adding.
In Nightmare, team instances are a special existence, assigned to different guilds as bounty missions. Guilds can choose to accept or decline. Team instances are highly difficult and deadly, generally an all-or-nothing affair, but the rewards are equally substantial, almost ten times that of ordinary instances.
Lower-ranked guilds often wisely opt out, but top guilds like Dark Fire wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip—it’s not just about earning points, but sometimes a chance to weed out redundant members.
The last Dark Fire guild meeting was to decide the participants for the team instance.
When the team instance order came, Qi Qian immediately understood why he was the only one not invited—it seemed the spots were internally decided before the meeting.
As a relatively inexperienced member who had made several mistakes, Qi Qian became the designated unlucky one.
However, in Nightmare, every crisis is an opportunity.
This team instance task was no exception.
If Qi Qian failed in this instance, it would prove his lack of ability, and his and his subordinates’ deaths would create several vacancies in Dark Fire, allowing more capable or connected members to step up.
But if he proved competent, the rewards from the team instance would be substantial enough to elevate his and his team’s status within Dark Fire.
Qi Qian realized this.
So, he wasn’t planning to let this opportunity slip away.
These reasons combined ultimately convinced Qi Qian to agree to Wen Jianyan’s proposal and become their first client.
Su Cheng, who had remained silent, was shocked.
A team instance?
Since entering the Nightmare live stream, they had experienced several instances, sometimes briefly forming teams or splitting into factions, but they had never encountered an official team instance.
He instinctively glanced at Wen Jianyan.
Wen Jianyan’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly unfazed by the team instance’s appearance or Qi Qian’s involvement, as if… he had already anticipated this outcome.
No, this guy definitely knew about it all along.
Su Cheng quickly concluded.
After all, what could be a faster way to earn points than a team instance?
None!
Recalling the “goal” mentioned by Wen Jianyan at the guild meeting, Su Cheng ground his teeth again.
Their team wasn’t fully formed yet, and the members’ levels varied, so now wasn’t the best time for a team instance. To earn points while minimizing casualties, the best strategy would be…
Of course, to piggyback on another guild’s team instance.
Wen Jianyan’s style has always been like this.
He always has the ability to make things develop in the direction he hopes for, making people unknowingly controlled by him, and even feel that every decision they make is free from external interference, little knowing that they have long become the puppets of this cunning guy.
“As for the commission,” Qi Qian said, “I have already discussed it with your vice president. The percentage will be divided according to the increase in points based on the completion degree.”
“No problem.”
Wen Jianyan squinted his eyes slightly, answering readily.
“When does the instance start?” he asked.
Qi Qian: “In three days.”
“Three days…”
Wen Jianyan blinked, “Then I might not be able to go.”
“?!”
Su Cheng was startled.
Wait, what?
“I’ve been through several instances in a row; I need to take a good rest.”
The young man turned and continued, “However, I will send my trusted team members to go.”
Wen Jianyan, this time, was wearing the disguise of a wealthy young master. While speaking, he looked at Su Cheng, his peach blossom eyes full of interest, giving a misleadingly tender impression:
“After all, we can’t let our prophet get into trouble.”
Su Cheng: “……”
Great, why does this ominous feeling get stronger?
After finalizing all the details, the meeting ended.
After Qi Qian left, Chen Mo also stood up to leave, going to handle some follow-up procedures.
Soon, only Wen Jianyan and Su Cheng were left in the private room.
“You’re not planning to go this time?” Su Cheng looked at Wen Jianyan, asking uneasily.
It’s not that he is afraid of going into the instance alone, but… this time it was an unfamiliar team instance, and Wen Jianyan had given him the title of the strongest prophet, which really made Su Cheng uneasy.
“Of course I can’t go.”
Wen Jianyan glanced up, his face unchanged, “If I go, Oracle will probably become vigilant, and they might not act against you in the next instance.”
If, before, the title of the strongest newcomer could not make Oracle take Wen Jianyan seriously or even consider the interference he might cause in their overall plan, then…
Now they probably have to consider it.
After all, he snatched a person from the hands of Death and directly leaped into the top fifty of the points ranking after the instance, becoming the fastest rising newcomer in the history of Nightmare.
With Oracle’s caution, if Wen Jianyan still entered the instance with Su Cheng this time, they would probably lie low, at least temporarily restrain themselves, and wait for the next opportunity.
Su Cheng: “?”
…Why do I feel that you are quite looking forward to Oracle making a move on me?
However, he suddenly realized something was wrong:
“You mean Oracle knows that our next instance will be with Dark Fire?” Su Cheng’s expression became slightly serious, “Is it Dark Fire that leaked the information?”
“No, no, no, you’ve misunderstood them.”
Surprisingly, Wen Jianyan shook his head, saying, “Qi Qian is sincere in cooperating. For this team instance, they can only succeed, not fail, so he probably wants Oracle to know this news even less than you do.”
“Huh?” Su Cheng was stunned for two seconds, “Then who…”
Wen Jianyan took a sip of tea calmly: “I leaked it.”
Su Cheng: “………………”
After a long silence, he took a deep breath, knocking the back of his head against the sofa with a thud.
Cooperating with Wen Jianyan, he would lose at least ten years of his life!
All because of being infuriated by this guy!
***
Three days are neither long nor short.
Soon, it was time to enter the instance again.
Su Cheng entered the broadcasting hall with a heavy heart.
【The next broadcast will start in five minutes】
In the vast, pale broadcasting hall, translucent rooms floated in the air, surrounded by countless cameras like emotionless eyes.
Su Cheng stared at the floating, blood-red countdown in front of him, his palms sweating slightly.
To say he wasn’t nervous… would be a lie.
He repeatedly checked his system backpack, which contained items he had previously acquired and various items Wen Jianyan had found during this time…
Some items looked quite strange, had very niche uses, and had high restrictions. There wasn’t much synergy between them, and Su Cheng couldn’t figure out why Wen Jianyan spent points to buy these things. He even suspected Wen Jianyan simply had too much money to spend and used this as an excuse to satisfy his spending cravings.
Su Cheng took a deep breath, closed his backpack, and looked at the countdown in front of him.
There were less than ten seconds left.
Su Cheng didn’t know what Wen Jianyan was planning, but he had no idea about the specific details… Whatever it was, all he could do now was trust him and also trust himself.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
The countdown hit zero.
【Welcome to the Nightmare Live Room. The next live broadcast will start soon!】
【Our motto is — Entertainment to Death!】
***
“Chansheng Building” instance hall was opened.
Instance difficulty level: A+
Viewing value: A-
[Oh oh, the quality of this round of live broadcasts is good, there’s even a team instance!]
[A team instance, huh? That difficulty level is quite high, but isn’t the viewing value a bit too high?]
Generally speaking, the difficulty level of an instance won’t change unless extreme conditions are met; it typically stays the same from start to finish.
But the viewing value is always fluctuating.
It changes after the broadcast starts, based on the performance of the anchors in the instance, the growth curve of the audience, tipping probability, activity level, and other data. The system makes a comprehensive evaluation of the viewing value and adjusts the homepage recommendations and promotions accordingly.
Typically, the initial assessment of the instance’s viewing value is basic because anchors haven’t had a chance to do much yet. Usually, the viewing value fluctuates after the instance begins.
But this time, the viewing value of this instance reached A- right from the start!
It was really surprising.
[Heavens, why such a high rating right away? I’m so curious! Is it because of the instance itself or the anchors?]
Let’s go check it out.]
While the broadcast was still in preparation, several live rooms hadn’t opened yet. Naturally, the team instance “Changsheng Building” attracted the most traffic.
Audiences flooded into the live room and quickly noticed a familiar name.
[Goodness, the guilds participating in this team instance are all well-known! I see several anchors I like!]
[So happy! I declare, I’ll be staying in this instance for this round of the broadcast!]
Soon, someone noticed an unexpected name on the list.
[Eh? He’s coming too?]
[Huh? Who’s this? A newcomer? I haven’t seen him before.]
[Have you not been here for a while? This anchor has been trending so much recently, and you haven’t heard of him? He just completed… let me think, five live broadcasts? And he’s already leaped to the top of the points ranking, attractiveness ranking, and popularity ranking. He’s incredibly strong.]
[Look, the one with the most people, that’s his live room.]
[I don’t know how he does it, but every time he broadcasts, the number of viewers online is definitely the highest in the entire broadcasting square, and the fans tip like crazy. His ability to attract fans is genuinely impressive.]
[Exactly, and he completed several platinum achievements, right? The last instance even had an unprecedented live broadcast disconnect. I was watching his broadcast then, saw it with my own eyes.]
[No way, you guys talking like this makes me curious. Let’s go, let’s check it out.”
Curiosity is always a common trait among groups.
Among the crowd of viewers pouring into the “Changsheng Building” instance, a significant number entered the “Integrity First” live broadcast room.
Some had already watched several of his broadcasts, others were curious about the previous live broadcast disconnect and wanted to see what happened next, and many more were new viewers drawn in by the hype.
Soon, after the countdown ended, the “Integrity First” live broadcast started broadcasting. The huge screen flickered a couple of times before the image appeared.
[Wow, this anchor really has good looks… This face is flawless, I can see why you guys like this new anchor…]
But strangely, apart from these few new viewers praising the anchor’s looks, the old viewers were all strangely silent.
[…]
[…]
[…? Why isn’t anyone saying anything?]
[Is something wrong?]
***
Su Cheng opened his eyes.
He found himself standing in an open area, surrounded by various people who seemed to be waiting for something.
He lifted his eyes, his breath catching slightly.
Standing before him was a gray-black building. It was tall, with the top disappearing into dark clouds, making it hard to tell how many floors it had from the ground. The cold walls were dark, with narrow square windows arranged neatly, and the glass was gray and dim, giving off a particularly oppressive feeling.
On the wall hung a metal plaque with rusted edges, with four words written on it:
[Changsheng Building]
It seemed this was the instance this time.
Su Cheng felt uneasy and instinctively turned his head to look around.
As a team instance, the number of participants was quite large. Clearly, most had already found their teammates and were gathered in groups, whispering to each other.
He took a deep breath and reached into his pocket.
His fingers felt the familiar touch of his phone.
Su Cheng felt a bit more settled.
The previous instance at “Ping An Asylum” had given them such a strong sense of helplessness, mainly because the identity cards were distributed as wristbands rather than phones, restricting communication and information exchange between anchors.
He took a deep breath, pulled out his phone, and unlocked the screen.
【Identity Card】
Name: Su Cheng
Age: 25
Profession: Not yet unlocked
Related storyline: Not yet unlocked
【Initial survival time allocation is in progress…】
In addition, there was another line below.
【This instance is a team instance. Please locate your teammates quickly based on your identification badge.】
Su Cheng put away his phone and glanced at the badge on his chest.
A thin metal edge, shaped like a burning black spark.
This was a mechanism specific to team instances, meant to help anchors find their teammates quickly before the instance started. It would disappear once the instance began.
Soon, a hand patted his shoulder.
“Hey.”
Su Cheng was startled and quickly turned his head.
A man stood behind him, with a familiar calm gaze and a slightly fierce look. He wore the same badge as Su Cheng—obviously, he did not use an avatar in the anchor hall, so even without the badge, Su Cheng recognized him immediately.
It was Qi Qian, the vice president of Dark Fire, who had hired them.
So…
The people behind Qi Qian should be his teammates for this team instance.
Su Cheng discreetly scanned the group and felt a slight sinking in his heart.
…no familiar faces.
“So, you are the Prophet?” Qi Qian’s sharp gaze fell on Su Cheng’s face, scanning his refined, scholarly features. He raised an eyebrow and asked.
“…”
With Wen Jianyan not present, Su Cheng didn’t know how to respond to Qi Qian’s question. He maintained his aloof persona, nodded silently, and accepted the title Wen Jianyan had forcibly given him.
For some reason, despite his unreliable naming skills, Wen Jianyan was surprisingly good at giving nicknames.
Prophet.
It sounded quite impressive.
As Su Cheng was lost in thought, a tall, skinny figure emerged from the gray building in the distance.
Slowly and slightly stumbling, it gave off a strange feeling.
Tap, tap, tap.
The footsteps were steady and rhythmic, echoing in the vast space, approaching the anchors step by step.
The low murmuring in the square gradually quieted down, with everyone’s gaze fixed on the approaching figure. The entire area was shrouded in a heavy, eerie silence.
Soon, the figure emerged from the gray mist, stopping in front of the crowd.
It was a man.
Dressed in a wrinkled, gray-blue security uniform with frayed edges, he looked disheveled. His limbs were as thin as tree branches, with a skinny neck supporting an equally thin face.
What was even more bizarre was his skin tone.
Dull and without luster, in the dim light, it appeared stiff and blue-white, like that of a long-dead corpse. The cheeks were sunken, and there were faint black spots on the cheekbones.
Like corpse spots.
The atmosphere was incredibly heavy.
All the anchors’ gazes were fixed on the thin man, their vigilance at its peak—they knew this was the signal that the instance was about to begin.
The man opened his mouth, his voice rough and stiff:
“Come on, let’s go in.”
The voice wasn’t loud but strangely clear, as if it were right next to everyone’s ears, sending chills down their spines.
After speaking, the tall, thin man turned around and, with stumbling steps, walked back into the gray building.
“…”
The scene was dead silent.
Everyone exchanged glances and followed in silence.
Qi Qian stared at the back of the tall, thin man in the distance for a couple of seconds, then said in a low voice, “Let’s go; we’re going in.”
The others nodded and followed him.
Only Su Cheng was stunned for a moment.
Wait? Not everyone is here yet. His teammates hadn’t arrived!
He opened his mouth, ready to say something: “Wait—”
But before Su Cheng could finish speaking, he felt a hand gently tugging at his sleeve.
Instinctively, he turned to look; the rest of his words stuck in his throat.
A young girl in a white dress stood quietly behind him, her slender, soft fingers holding his sleeve. There was a small dimple on her left cheek, and her amber eyes were wide and innocent, giving her a pure, delicate appearance.
She softly said:
“Shall we go?”
“…”
Su Cheng had a blank expression.
“………………..”
Wen Jianyan, are you sick?
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