WTNL Chapter 282

(4/20)

Anchor Hall
Chapter 282: No one survived

On the Gentleman’s face, as flawless as that of a fashion model, was an impeccable smile. His movements were graceful and courteous as he naturally extended the invitation to the young man before him, yet an odd sense of discord lingered, creating an inexplicable feeling of unease.

Wen Jianyan’s gaze flickered.

Even if this man wasn’t part of the top ten, Wen Jianyan would never refuse an invitation from the Vice President of the Oracle. 

However, just as he was about to raise his hand to accept the offered card, a casual voice rang out from behind him:

“…I’ll explain the rules to him myself. No need for you to interfere.”

The Gentleman’s eyes shifted, and those lifeless, ash-gray eyes peered past Wen Jianyan to see who had spoken.

Orange Candy was seated in her chair, her slender figure appearing even more petite. She leaned lazily on her hand, tilting her head as she looked over, her expression unreadable.

The Gentleman’s smile remained flawless:

“I only wanted to make a friend, that’s all. After all, if he succeeds, he’ll soon be one of us. It’s important to get along well.”

“…”

Orange Candy’s eyes slowly narrowed.

In that moment, the relaxed and indifferent expression on her face seemed to vanish like a receding tide, leaving only a strong sense of impatience. Suddenly, she grinned, casually leaping down from her chair, step by step approaching, exuding an unstable, dark aura.

The Gentleman’s smile faded slightly, yet he didn’t make any move.

Orange Candy reached out, pinching the corner of the Gentleman’s card disdainfully between two fingers. She pulled it away lightly, and then—rip. The sharp sound of tearing paper echoed in the large hall.

And then another tear.

With deliberate slowness, Orange Candy tore the card to pieces, scattering the snowy fragments on the floor. Throughout, she wore a dazzling smile:

“Who would want to be friends with you, idiot?”

“…”

The Gentleman kept his dignified smile, seemingly unaffected by Orange Candy’s actions, though his demeanor turned distinctly somber, carrying a tense calm before an impending storm.

From behind, the Mason’s voice sounded:

“Orange Candy, what are you doing? He was only expressing goodwill; your reaction is a bit much.”

Wen Jianyan turned slightly, meeting the Mason’s gaze.

The man’s stare slithered up Wen Jianyan’s skin like a sticky serpent: “Or are you… trying to keep our charming new recruit all to yourself?”

At his words, the tension in the room intensified.

Not far away, Bai Xue continued to lower his head, methodically stacking cards on the table, as if he were sealed off in a world of his own, completely indifferent to the situation around him.

Unconsciously, the hall’s atmosphere had grown unbearably taut, the air thickened into a suffocating, half-fluid mass, making it hard to breathe. Ding!

Abruptly, a crisp metallic chime shattered the dangerous tension.

The group froze, turning toward the source of the sound.

In the center of the round, red wooden table was a small brass bell with a bare clock face. Several hands of varying lengths either stood still or rotated at different speeds.

However, unlike before, a new hand had suddenly appeared on the face, not too long nor too short.

It bore the Roman numeral “IV.”

The hand spun rapidly, moving notch by notch toward the top of the clock face, imparting an intense sense of urgency.

—There was only one possibility.

Though Wen Jianyan wasn’t yet a full member of the Secret Council, he could deduce what was happening from the information he’d gathered.

Number four had returned from their instance.

And according to the Secret Council’s rules, all members below the top three had to be present when summoned… Clearly.

Soon, heavy footsteps sounded outside the closed doors.

The footsteps stopped at the threshold.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the mechanical rustle of cards flipping as Bai Xue continued his task.

Creak—

The heavy, rust-red door slowly swung open from the outside, revealing a stranger standing in the doorway.

He was a man, at least 1.9 meters tall, with a strikingly handsome face and languid eyes. His tall stature exuded a powerful pressure. Fresh from his instance, he carried a lingering aura of bloodshed, making it hard to meet his gaze.

“…”

Wen Jianyan froze.

This man… unmistakably matched the appearance Orange Candy had chosen just moments ago.

In that instant, Wen Jianyan immediately understood the answers to several questions.

Since the top ten anchors rarely needed to use a façade within the council, the Mason’s reaction upon seeing Orange Candy became clear—he hadn’t recognized Orange Candy but had likely recognized the real person she’d chosen to resemble. This also explained the Mason’s dark expression upon seeing Wen Jianyan and Orange Candy return after entering the council room.

Furthermore… this Number 04 must have considerable standing, or else the Mason wouldn’t have backed down so easily in the hallway.

“I didn’t expect you back so soon, Hugo.”

The Gentleman turned, his usual impeccable smile still firmly in place.

The tall man raised his eyes, sweeping his gaze over the hall, stopping briefly on Wen Jianyan.

“Newcomer.”

“Yes,” the Gentleman said with a smile. “It’s surprising, really. Nowadays, rookies are not to be underestimated, even managing to replace Number 08… quite promising.”

“Hmm.” 

The man responded without emotion.

“You’ve explained everything?”

The Gentleman replied, “Yes.”

Orange Candy sneered sarcastically. “Everything?”

“Not entirely.” 

Surprisingly, the Gentleman admitted with a regretful smile, “After all, I do have a small personal interest.”

His gaze flickered between Orange Candy and Wen Jianyan, his smile deepening slightly, as if truly surprised:

“I just didn’t expect you to take an interest in this kind of activity… it doesn’t really suit you.”

“And so?” Orange Candy replied, grinning slyly. “None of your business.”

“Very well.”

The Gentleman sighed and turned to Wen Jianyan, saying helplessly, “I had intended to discuss this privately with you, but now it seems I have no other choice.”

“Your next instance will be a head-to-head match against the former Number 008. However, as a newcomer, you clearly have less advantage. So, firstly, to increase the challenger’s odds of winning, and secondly, to enhance the instance’s appeal, you’re eligible to request assistance from any member within the top ten. Of course, 008 has the same eligibility, but any member he requests must be ranked lower than the one you select.”

“If a member accepts your invitation, joins you in the next instance, and helps you win, they will receive half of your reward.”

The Gentleman shook his head elegantly:

“I’d planned to offer myself as a candidate at dinner tonight, but unfortunately…” He glanced meaningfully at Orange Candy, “It seems your appeal is even greater than I’d imagined.”

“Wait,” Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes, catching an important detail in the Gentleman’s words, “So, the helper Number 008 finds must be ranked lower than mine on the leaderboard?”

“Correct,” the Gentleman smiled, spelling it out clearly. “Which means, if you were to invite me, 008 wouldn’t be able to request anyone within the top ten at all.”

From any angle, it was a foolproof deal.

Orange Candy’s expression darkened. “You—”

“…” Hugo raised his hand, stopping Orange Candy from speaking.

Surprisingly, although clearly dissatisfied, Orange Candy actually fell silent.

Turning to Wen Jianyan, Hugo spoke in a low, emotionless voice:

“Other than the top three, no member you invite can refuse you—including me.”

“Remember to submit your application before the next instance begins, once you’ve decided.”

With that, Hugo raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking even wearier, “Alright then, if there’s nothing else, this meeting is adjourned.”

With those words, the tall man turned and left the council hall without looking back.

As he left, the stifling pressure in the room lifted as well.

“In that case, I’ll also be taking my leave.” The Mason stood, adjusting his clothes and heading for the door.

As he passed by Wen Jianyan, he paused, his sticky gaze settling on Wen Jianyan’s face, a hint of a disturbing smile on his plain, unremarkable features, “Of course, if you’re willing to invite me… I’d be very pleased to join.”

Leaving behind his ambiguous words, the Mason nodded toward the others, saying, “Goodbye.”

The council hall doors swung open again, and his medium-built figure disappeared behind them.

The Gentleman stepped forward once more.

He pulled another business card from his pocket and handed it to Wen Jianyan with a polite smile:

“Something to consider.”

“…”

This time, although Orange Candy’s expression remained displeased, she didn’t interfere.

Wen Jianyan discreetly glanced at Orange Candy beside him.

He looked back at the Gentleman, a polite smile forming on his lips: “No need.”

Orange Candy blinked, tilting her head, looking at Wen Jianyan in surprise, clearly not expecting him to turn down the Gentleman’s invitation.

“Very well.”

The Gentleman sighed in disappointment, slipping the card back into his breast pocket.

He picked up his hat from the table, placing it back on his head, nodding toward Wen Jianyan, “If you change your mind, feel free to contact me through the leaderboard.”

With that, he turned and disappeared out the door as well.

In the vast council hall, only Wen Jianyan, Orange Candy, and Bai Xue remained.

Bai Xue continued to immerse himself in his own world, stacking cards one by one. The rustling of the cards echoed in the ears of the others, monotonous yet eerie.

“Why did you reject him?” 

Orange Candy tilted her head, frowning at Wen Jianyan.

After all, any sensible person would realize just how tempting the Gentleman’s invitation was.

Since the top ten weren’t strictly ranked by strength, Wen Jianyan had a clear advantage over 008 in choosing an ally. Under these circumstances, the best move would be to pick the lowest-ranked anchor, blocking 008’s options entirely…

But unexpectedly, Wen Jianyan now refused without hesitation.

“It’s simple.”

Wen Jianyan’s eyes curved, and a warm, soft glow appeared in his amber eyes:

“You didn’t want me to go, did you?”

“…?!”

The other person, as if hit right in a sore spot, suddenly jumped up irritably: “Ha! Don’t think too much of it! I just hate that idiot, that’s all.”

“Indeed.”

Wen Jianyan didn’t press further, nodding in agreement and following along with what the other said, “I also don’t like him much.”

Orange Candy: “….”

She gave a low “tsk,” awkwardly turning her gaze aside.

The smile in Wen Jianyan’s eyes deepened.

Of course, if things had gone as originally planned, he would have been more than willing to connect privately with the Gentleman, but Orange Candy’s unusual reaction had made him reconsider.

His years of professional experience taught him how to keep his partners steady—especially in a place like Nightmare.

The environment in this world was extremely harsh, and that made most anchors within it equally so. Only a few acted moderately; the majority were unpredictable, hard to approach. Tenth-ranked Orange Candy was certainly one of them. To risk throwing away all his groundwork for a single interaction with the Gentleman just wasn’t worth it.

More importantly…

Wen Jianyan felt that Orange Candy’s actions just now weren’t that simple. After all, if she only didn’t want him to agree to go with the Gentleman to the instance, a simple reminder after the meeting would have sufficed. Yet, Orange Candy had chosen to provoke conflict in the most extreme way possible. Besides her personality, there might be deeper, unspoken reasons.

After all, Wen Jianyan wasn’t yet a full member and wasn’t qualified to access the secret council’s true nature. Even if Orange Candy did know something, she likely wouldn’t be able to tell him. And besides…

The Anchors’ Hall wasn’t entirely safe, either.

It was worth noting that Su Cheng had been targeted in the Anchor Hall last time, dragged into the “Ping An Asylum” instance, and it was orchestrated by a member of the Oracle.

And since the Gentleman was the vice president of Oracle, Wen Jianyan couldn’t afford to be anything but cautious.

For these reasons, Wen Jianyan ultimately chose to decline the Gentleman’s offer and avoided a private meeting with him.

Snap.

The last sound of a card slipping echoed.

It was over.

The expressionless white-haired boy slowly gathered the stacks of cards on the table back into his hand, then pushed back his chair, stood, and walked toward the door.

As he was about to pass by Wen Jianyan, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked over.

Strangely, in stark contrast to his pigment-deprived skin and hair, Bai Xue’s eyes were an intense, unfathomable black—like two bottomless black holes capable of swallowing any light and shadow. This gave them an eerie, hollow quality, chilling to the core; being watched by these eyes always sent a shiver down one’s spine.

Even Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but feel a slight shock in his heart.

“Beware of shadows.”

Bai Xue’s voice was rough and immature, like that of a boy who hadn’t fully completed his voice change.

After tossing out this cryptic warning, Bai Xue turned his gaze away, lowered his head expressionlessly, and slowly walked out the door.

“How rare—he hardly ever gives advice,” Orange Candy murmured, her eyes widening in surprise as she tilted her head. “It seems the Gentleman was right; you certainly have some charm.”

“Advice? Is he a prophet?” Wen Jianyan’s gaze followed Bai Xue’s retreating figure as he asked.

“No.” Orange Candy shrugged. “He’s a medium.”

She paused, then added, “And I’d say he’s the strongest in all of Nightmare.”

Orange Candy seemed to remember something and turned to look at Wen Jianyan. “However, I wouldn’t really recommend you invite him.”

Wen Jianyan: “Why not?”

“Bai Xue’s survival rate in instances is one hundred percent. But… do you know his teammates’ survival rate?”

Orange Candy grinned darkly, baring her teeth as she slowly revealed, “Zero.”

“In every team he’s joined, the final outcome is always the same… no one survives but him.”

Almost like he’s cursed.

“So, think carefully about who you want as a teammate… it’s important.”

Orange Candy bounced back onto her chair, lazily propped her legs on the table, and rocked them back and forth aimlessly.

“Because your choice will also influence the other side’s decisions.”

In other words…

If Wen Jianyan chose his teammates well, he might even affect the entire situation in the next instance.

“As a member of the secret council, I’m bound by rules not to tell you any key information.” Orange Candy tilted her head, watching Wen Jianyan as he stood nearby. “All I can offer are some impressions: Hugo is strong—maybe the strongest among us. And, mind you, I don’t often praise people like that. But Hugo really isn’t suited for team battles. Number Five is also pretty decent and should be back soon, though he’s a bit strange. I don’t know him well, but if you’re interested, you could chat with him. And, of course…”

Orange Candy’s gaze drifted as she said:

“If you want to invite me, I suppose… it’s not out of the question.”

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