(5/20)
Anchor Hall
Chapter 283: Maybe… it’s time to meet that guy again
“But… what if I choose not to invite anyone?” Wen Jianyan thought for a moment and suddenly asked, “What would happen to 008 then?”
“Naturally, he wouldn’t be able to invite anyone either,” Orange Candy replied.
After speaking, she looked at Wen Jianyan in surprise: “But… have you already decided? Not inviting anyone might put you at a disadvantage, as this is just external support after all.”
The rule, [‘Challengers can invite any anchor from the top ten, and no one outside the top three can refuse’], clearly favored challengers.
This rule wasn’t just about letting challengers pick first.
After all, a confrontation wasn’t meant to be a solo endeavor. Even without external support, anchors could bring their own teams, and the challenged party, with all their experience, resources, and connections, typically far outmatched any newcomer.
This meant…
Even if 008 didn’t invite any top-ten anchor, his team would still be composed of high-level anchors. But as the challenger, Wen Jianyan didn’t necessarily have that luxury.
Therefore, the “top ten invitation slot” was actually a system balancing mechanism, ensuring the challenger wouldn’t be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
“Hmm…”
Wen Jianyan pondered briefly, then shrugged noncommittally. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Indeed, inviting a top ten anchor onto his team was an extremely enticing option for a anchor who had only recently joined Nightmare.
But behind this tempting reward lay substantial risks.
In truth, Wen Jianyan had been silently observing during the earlier meeting.
Though these anchors were among the top ten and members of the secret council, their relationships didn’t seem all that close. Instead, there were undercurrents and clear divisions, with varying levels of familiarity between them.
Wen Jianyan was highly skilled at reading people.
Whether intentional or not, human eyes, words, and micro-expressions all convey information. Body language and subconscious reactions never lie.
And Wen Jianyan excelled at catching these subtle details others overlooked.
For instance, the Mason was well aware of the “invitation slot,” yet he made no objection when the Gentleman withheld information, instead choosing to watch with interest, even stepping in to mediate when Orange Candy confronted the Gentleman.
It was clear that the Mason’s stance wasn’t neutral; he might even lean towards the Gentleman and the Oracle’s side.
Even though Wen Jianyan hadn’t entered any instance with Hugo, he could clearly feel the difference in the other’s power and status.
Once Hugo appeared, he almost immediately took control of the situation.
The Gentleman had readily shared hidden information in front of everyone, and even the usually defiant Orange Candy was willing to hold back a bit in his presence.
Moreover, she had initially selected an appearance resembling Hugo when entering the council, which perhaps indicated a reasonably good relationship between the two.
Hugo was a formidable figure, feared by all.
Then there was Bai Xue…
From the start, he had been silent, not interacting with anyone, and others seemed used to this, as if he were an isolated island.
Only half of the members attended this meeting, yet it was clear that multiple complex alliances were present—undercurrents that Wen Jianyan couldn’t fully grasp through observation alone.
Moreover, the previous 008 was not permitted to attend.
As a result, Wen Jianyan had no idea about his appearance, preferences, or alliances, nor did he know the nature of the relationships between the other top ten members and him. This made him even more cautious.
After all, although he could invite external support, there was no guarantee that they’d be on the same side. If he ended up inviting an anchor with other motives, he could find himself in a terrible one-against-three situation in the next instance.
More importantly…
Splitting half of the instance rewards felt like too much, and Wen Jianyan was somewhat reluctant.
However, since there was still quite some time before the next instance and other variables could emerge, Wen Jianyan kept all his thoughts to himself, not making a decision right away.
After exchanging contact information with Orange Candy, the two of them left the conference hall.
Wen Jianyan exited the elevator and found himself in the bustling, crowded anchor hall.
He turned and glanced back.
The private elevator had already vanished, as if it had never existed.
“……”
Wen Jianyan withdrew his gaze and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
He first opened the leaderboard.
The leaderboard appeared perfectly normal.
008, codename: Pinocchio.
009, codename: Anise—the one Wen Jianyan had displaced and who would be joining him in the same confrontation instance as 008.
010, Bai Xue.
011, Gentleman…
No wonder.
From the rankings alone, there was no way to discern the existence of the Secret Council, let alone imagine that there was a 1v1 replacement mechanism in place.
To those outside the Secret Council, they would only see normal ranking changes.
And after the next instance ended, they would either be shocked to find that the newly promoted 008 had fallen like a meteor, or that 009, who had just been displaced, met an untimely end in the instance.
Either way, the total number of the Secret Council would return to “ten.”
And as for deaths, they were so common in Nightmare that whether it was 008 or 009 who died, it would just be a brief topic of conversation before quickly being forgotten—no one would suspect anything more.
“Ding-dong!”
A new message appeared on Wen Jianyan’s phone.
He opened it, skimming through the content quickly.
It was about some of the Secret Council’s mechanisms.
Clearly, as a provisional member, Wen Jianyan was forbidden from revealing the Council’s existence to anyone; otherwise, he would face punishment. Though the exact form of this punishment was left unsaid, it was unlikely to be anything pleasant.
The email informed Wen Jianyan of how to invite external support and the time when the next instance would begin.
02:23:59:25
The blood-red countdown at the end of the email ticked down slowly, like an ominous sign of what was to come.
…Three days.
In three days, he would have to enter the instance again.
Wen Jianyan: “…”
He couldn’t help but grip his phone tightly.
If it weren’t for this cursed test instance, based on his current points and the numerous platinum achievements he’d recently obtained, the Nightmare system would have allowed him at least three months of freedom from any instances, giving him time to unwind in the anchor hall.
But now, due to this vexing system, his rest period had been cut down to a mere three days.
… Nightmare, you really know how to ruin things.
With such a restricted break, Wen Jianyan decided to push most of his pending tasks until after this next instance—provided, of course, he survived.
However, there was one matter he no longer saw a need to delay.
That afternoon, he arranged a meeting with a few members of Dark Fire.
In the spacious, private meeting room, only Qi Qian and Zhang Yu awaited him.
It seemed that after the previous instance, An Xin’s little ambitions had been successfully crushed by his teammates, as he wasn’t brought along this time.
“How are things on your end?”
Wen Jianyan took a sip of coffee and asked.
“Not bad,” Qi Qian said, narrowing his eyes while rubbing the rim of his cup, a subtle smile of unclear emotion playing on his lips. “But for others in Dark Fire… that’s a different story.”
Qi Qian hadn’t initially intended to lead the team into that instance; he’d been pushed into it by other higher-ups in Dark Fire—a result of internal strife and power plays within the guild.
Yet, contrary to what others had expected, not only did he return alive from the Changsheng Building instance, but he led his team to achieve an unprecedented platinum ranking for a group instance.
This achievement brought Dark Fire substantial gains and increased Qi Qian’s own standing.
The higher-ups who had hoped to eliminate him with this move got a sharp slap in the face, while Qi Qian, with newfound advantages in that silent power struggle, saw his influence expanding, seemingly set to overtake the opposition.
“Congratulations.”
Wen Jianyan smiled slightly, offering a sincere congratulation.
Qi Qian gestured to his phone, which was lying face down on the table. “I’ve already sent over the commission. Check your account.”
Wen Jianyan heard the chime of points arriving and couldn’t help showing a hint of surprise.
“This is…”
The points he received were double the originally agreed amount.
“It’s what you deserve,” Qi Qian shook his head, stopping Wen Jianyan from saying more. “Without your help, we might not have made it out unscathed.” And now, not only had they achieved a platinum ranking in such a difficult group instance, but no one on the team was lost.
It was practically a miracle.
“Anyway, I hope we can maintain a good working relationship,” Qi Qian said, folding his hands and looking earnestly at Wen Jianyan across the table. “If there’s anything we can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“In that case, I might have a small favor.”
Wen Jianyan thought for a moment and replied.
Qi Qian nodded. “Go ahead.”
“You may have noticed that I have a history with the Oracle guild after stealing their Prophet. That’s why I used a disguise in the last instance, but unexpectedly—”
Wen Jianyan sighed, “I didn’t expect they would still chase after me, trying to eliminate me.”
Wen Jianyan sprinkled in a small lie.
They had actually been targeting Su Cheng, not him.
The disguise was bait to draw out the Oracle, not to evade them.
Of course, Qi Qian didn’t need to know this.
“Now, I don’t plan to maintain even a superficial peace with them. For this, I might need a bit of assistance,” Wen Jianyan hinted.
“Oh?” Qi Qian raised an interested eyebrow.
After all, he was a member of Dark Fire, which had been second to Oracle for a long time. Although there was no open conflict, the desire to claim the top spot had been simmering for ages.
And after that last instance, Qi Qian’s view of Oracle had become even less favorable.
If it were in the past, Qi Qian might have laughed off Wen Jianyan’s statement about “not maintaining peace anymore,” but after the last instance, he had come to understand the capabilities of the anchor sitting in front of him.
Now, the person before him was no longer a “new anchor who had just risen to fame.”
He was one of the top ten in the Nightmare, an unpredictable guild leader whose strength was not to be underestimated. At this point, Wen Jianyan’s words carried considerable weight, and no one dared to ignore them.
Wen Jianyan said, “Don’t worry; I won’t push you into the spotlight. I’ll contact you once I come out of the next instance, and then you can decide.”
“No problem.”
Qi Qian agreed without hesitation.
He took a sip of his tea and suddenly remembered something. “But are you really planning to enter the next instance so soon? When is it?”
Wen Jianyan was silent for a few seconds before dryly replying, “…Three days.”
Qi Qian was taken aback. “What? So soon?”
“…”
Do you think I wanted it to be this soon?
Wen Jianyan forced a smile, swallowing his frustration, “I can’t help it; I’m the kind of person who can’t sit still and always wants to challenge my limits.”
“Oh!”
Qi Qian couldn’t help but express his respect, admiration shining on his face.
No wonder he had climbed to eighth place!
He was indeed different from us ordinary people!
Wen Jianyan lowered his head and took a sip of his coffee, tasting the bitterness.
Damn it.
I really want to rest.
This meeting ended on a pleasant note.
“I’m curious, when you were in Changsheng Building, how did you know the system would cut off communication?”
Just as they were about to leave, Zhang Yu seemed to remember something and asked curiously.
Wen Jianyan paused, turning to look at him with a faint smile on his lips.
“Just a matter of experience.”
Under surveillance, he wouldn’t discuss destroying the Nightmare with anyone, but hinting at his inclination wouldn’t hurt.
Smart people would understand the implication.
Zhang Yu nodded thoughtfully. “…Thank you.”
Afterward, Wen Jianyan returned to his guild, instructing Chen Mo to continue delaying all applications, and made some necessary arrangements before the day easily passed.
He returned to his room.
Just as he turned on the lights, the familiar system prompt sounded in his ear.
“Dear anchor Wen Jianyan, hello.”
Wen Jianyan paused.
He stood at the entrance, looking into the void.
“Thanks to your assistance in the last instance, we successfully eliminated the bug. However, although the main bug has disappeared, its remnants have not completely vanished. After a system self-check, we confirmed the existence of some bugs. We hope you can help us continue eliminating the recurring bug hazards in the upcoming instance. If successful, we will send you more generous rewards.”
Wen Jianyan didn’t respond immediately but instead asked, “What about the suggestions I made before? Have you completed the review?”
“The review is still ongoing.”
The system’s mechanical voice showed no variation. “But we can assure you that the specific results of the review will be provided after the next instance, and your bug elimination results may significantly influence our review outcomes.”
“…”
Wen Jianyan let out a silent sneer.
“Okay, I understand.”
“Thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye.”
The system’s voice faded, and the room returned to silence.
As if nothing had happened, Wen Jianyan methodically washed up and changed clothes before slowly sitting on his bed in his slippers. Water droplets fell from his damp hair, leaving small, round dark stains on the sheets.
The lights dimmed to a warm orange suitable for sleep.
Quiet, warm, pleasant.
Wen Jianyan sank his upper body into the soft pillow, his eyelashes drooping thoughtfully, the half-moon shadows falling across his cheeks, obscuring the emotions in his eyes.
He fiddled absentmindedly with the ring on his middle finger.
The pitch-black, heavy, cold metal fit tightly around his finger, contrasting sharply with his pale skin. The ring’s edge was slightly rubbed red, and the snake’s eye seemed vividly alive, appearing cold and eerie.
Perhaps…
It was time to meet that guy again.
Delaying any further wouldn’t benefit his upcoming plans.
Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, biting down on the tip of his finger, warm red blood seeping out and forming a trembling droplet.
He lowered his head and pressed the wound against the snake’s eye of the ring.
The droplet of blood seeped in.
Like it was licked and devoured, it vanished in the blink of an eye.
The snake’s eye flickered, seemingly becoming even redder.
