WTNL Chapter 230

Changsheng Building
Chapter 230: Rehortic

Inside the shop.

“!”

Without any warning, Mu Sen’s pupils constricted, and he instinctively lowered his head to look at his own hand.

Under the dim oil lamp, on his pinky finger, an invisible thin red thread was tightly stretched, trembling violently, reflecting intermittent light as if being pulled by some invisible force. It seemed like it would snap and disintegrate in the next second.

His pinky finger was trembling violently, and the pale skin was marked with bright red indentations, which were deepening.

???

What???

A look of horror flashed across Mu Sen’s eyes, and he almost couldn’t believe his own eyes.

Even during his last failure, he had never seen such a situation—not just the simple dissipation of power or the breaking of the thread. It seemed that there was an even more terrifying force that could influence him!

Mu Sen suddenly turned his head, looking in shock and doubt at the girl not far away.

She was still unconscious, her head drooping, leaning motionlessly against the counter. She appeared fragile and weak, with no ability to fight back.

Why is this happening?!

At the same time, in the illusory space between reality and dreams.

“……”

Wu Zhu’s movements paused slightly, his pale fingertips pinching the terrified and struggling insect, only a hair’s breadth away from crushing it completely.

He turned his head, looking at Wen Jianyan, who was leaning against the counter:

“Why?”

“Please believe me, I have a reason for keeping it!”

Wen Jianyan propped himself up against the counter and stood up.

He spoke quickly, still staring intently at Wu Zhu’s actions, afraid that the other might accidentally crush it, “Everything I did was to successfully reach the fifth floor and complete your mission. It was all a temporary measure!”

Wu Zhu lowered his eyes, the candlelight flickering in his golden pupils: “So, you know its purpose, right?”

Wen Jianyan’s breathing paused slightly.

He realized the danger lurking behind this question, but with no way out, Wen Jianyan could only go along with it, forced to admit, “Yes.”

Wu Zhu remained still, casually playing with the fragile spider, and asked in a calm tone, “Then how do you plan to deal with it afterward, hmm?”

Here it comes.

Wen Jianyan’s heart sank.

The answer was, of course: to use the Nightmare Live Room to resolve it.

However, this was something Wen Jianyan absolutely couldn’t tell Wu Zhu. If the other found out, then his deal with the Nightmare would be exposed, and his dangerous double-agent game would be completely over. Their cooperation was already precarious, especially with Wen Jianyan being a double agent.

As for those desires not yet fully controlled by the other, they were too primitive and savage, bound tightly by lust and appetite. They were neither warm nor pure, but rather extraordinarily dark and violent due to the inherent evil nature of the host. Once truly catalyzed and aroused by some malicious desire, causing the other to “recognize” the way to satisfy these desires, the evil consequences Wen Jianyan had planted earlier would undoubtedly explode in a terrifying manner beyond human endurance.

Wen Jianyan wasn’t sure if he could bear this price.

Compared to this… death might even be a better option.

Using the cognitive gap between them, Wen Jianyan barely managed to deceive a semblance of false “equality,” but such equality was built on a fragile and imbalanced power relationship. This extremely unstable relationship could break at any moment.

It was like beneath a thin, fragile layer of ice, there was rolling, boiling magma that could swallow him whole. One misstep, and he would be beyond redemption.

He has to say, although Wu Zhu’s knowledge in some areas is extremely poor and shallow, he has a beast-like sharp intuition on some very critical issues.

Wu Zhu and the Nightmare are both terrifying despite being opposites. Trying to manipulate these two colossal entities at the same time means he must be even more cautious in the future.

In just a few moments, Wen Jianyan adjusted his suddenly chaotic heartbeat.

He raised his eyes and looked at the other party, analyzing clearly:

“The difficulty of each floor increases significantly. Just getting to the second floor, the danger level has already increased to an unimaginable degree. Although my former teammates barely survived a few waves of attacks with a bit of luck and didn’t get wiped out, the team’s strength was almost exhausted. If I stay with them on the third floor, my success rate will be very low.”

He spoke in a very calm, almost cruel tone.

“By using this anchor’s ability, I can temporarily gain the other party’s trust. With this, I can get through the third floor.”

In other words, Wen Jianyan plans to temporarily join the Orange Candy Squad, using them as cannon fodder on the third floor.

“Aren’t you worried about becoming their tool instead?”

Wu Zhu stood still, watching Wen Jianyan.

The oil lamp burned, its weak light illuminating his overly perfect human appearance, easily making people forget the strange existence hidden beneath this seemingly peaceful face.

“They wouldn’t dare.” Wen Jianyan smiled slightly.

When he said this, his demeanor was so calm it was almost arrogant. His eyes were calm, with a hint of meaningful allure hidden deep within, “My value is very high. Using me as cannon fodder would be too wasteful, and they will quickly understand this.”

In an instant, Wu Zhu’s gaze shifted, his Adam’s apple moved slightly, and he continued to ask:

“Aren’t you afraid of accidents?”

“Of course, I am.”

Unexpectedly, Wen Jianyan admitted it without any concealment.

He took another step forward, unknowingly getting close to Wu Zhu.

Wen Jianyan raised his eyes, his light-colored lips curving into a slight smile:

“But, aren’t you here?”

“Once I get past the third floor, there will only be one more floor before reaching the fifth floor. The goal is within reach… I believe, by then, you won’t completely abandon me, right?”

The young man smiled, and both his expression and posture conveyed a sweet and gentle feeling.

Under the light, his light-colored eyes appeared translucent, like slowly melting hard candy, warm, intimate, and sticky.

“…We are partners, after all.”

*

Inside the shop.

Mu Sen was startled and looked down at his fingers.

Somehow, the pain that had been gradually intensifying began to ease, the red marks left by the thread started to fade, and the thread that was about to disintegrate gradually became solid again. Everything seemed to be returning to normal.

He looked in amazement at Wen Jianyan, who was sitting on the ground.

The other person sat there with his head lowered, seemingly unaware of everything.

Why was he regaining control?

What just happened?

Mu Sen frowned, feeling momentarily unable to understand everything that had just happened.

“Hey, Mu Sen, what are you still standing there for?”

Not far away, Orange Candy’s voice called out.

He was startled, turned his head in the direction of the voice, and saw the other party looking at him impatiently, pointing to the old-fashioned clock above: “Aren’t you watching the time?”

The moment the first team entered the shop and lit the oil lamp, a fifteen-minute countdown began.

When the countdown ends and darkness falls, any team that has not entered this floor will be eliminated. At that time, a new round of challenges will begin on this floor.

On the clock face, the minute hand slowly but surely moved towards the 12, indicating that night would arrive within a minute and “customers” would soon be at the door.

“Captain, what about her?” 

A team member looked down at Wen Jianyan, who was sitting in front of the counter, and asked.

Orange Candy turned to look at Mu Sen:

“So, is your verification done? Is she the prophet?”

Mu Sen, who had just boasted “almost done,” slowly shook his head, showing a guilty expression: “Unfortunately, not yet…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Orange Candy seemed to lose interest:

“Alright, let me know when you have results.”

She waved her hand, signaling him to shut up, and then nodded towards her team members:

“Bring her behind the counter.”

A little girl cheerfully inspected the sleeping Wen Jianyan: “Such a pretty big sister; whether she’s the prophet or not, she shouldn’t die so quickly.”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Mu Sen firmly shut his mouth.

Soon, darkness fell.

Boundless shadows enveloped everything outside the glass door, as if entering another world. No light could penetrate it; only the shop’s oil lamp flickered faintly, barely illuminating the shop.

However…

Unlike the first and second floors, the third floor shop had no shelves.

Instead, it presented a more eerie scene.

The large shop was filled with crimson wooden tables and chairs, and the walls were covered with hanging paintings. The frames and scrolls were of the same material as the furniture, exuding a strong sense of foreboding.

Each painting was a portrait.

*

Wu Zhu lowered his eyes, the flickering candlelight illuminating his profile. His fingertips still pinched the struggling spider, and it was unclear how much of Wen Jianyan’s persuasive words he had taken in.

The waiting time was silent and drawn out. Although Wen Jianyan’s expression remained unchanged, his heart was still somewhat uneasy.

Finally, Wu Zhu spoke.

“As you wish,” he said.

Wu Zhu let go of the spider, his pale, slender fingers gently cupping it, and placed the tortured and nearly lifeless spider on the counter. Although it was free from that terrifying aura, the spider still did not move, trembling and curling up in place, not daring to flee.

Wen Jianyan blinked, discreetly exhaling in relief.

It seemed Wu Zhu had accepted his explanation in the end.

And, whether it was an illusion or not, the other party’s mood seemed to have subtly improved.

Wu Zhu leaned forward slightly, his bright golden eyes like a calm lake, or perhaps an abyss, clearly reflecting the young man’s face in front of him. He raised his hand, gently pressing against the other’s side neck.

His fingers were extremely cold, touching the warm, soft human skin, causing a slight tremor.

The young man seemed to have an impulse to retreat but forcibly suppressed it, obediently allowing himself to be held in Wu Zhu’s palm.

Wen Jianyan, leveraging the other’s strength, raised his head to meet Wu Zhu’s gaze.

His fingers rubbed the connection between the neck and the jaw, feeling the pulse and flow of blood beneath the soft skin. Wu Zhu slightly narrowed his eyes, lifting his lips in a smile that resembled pleasure, with sharp white teeth appearing as he spoke:

“You know how to summon me.”

And next time, he would collect a small reward.

“I look forward to it.”

Wu Zhu spoke softly.

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