WTNL Chapter 369

Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 369: The final winner

To be fair, Anise was indeed very strong—whether it was his crisis response skills, exceptional talent, or the collection of tools and resources he had accumulated, he absolutely lived up to his top-ten ranking.

But the problem was, this time he really was too unlucky.

Not only had he been separated from his Faction due to the Red Faction’s advantage, but he had also lost the use of one hand because of Yun Bilan’s ability. Caught completely unprepared, he was ambushed by a group of anchorss who he thought were allies. To make matters worse, he was currently in a corridor without any shadow cover, a place much better suited for allies than enemies, and his ability had no room to be used at all.

Not to mention, the opposing faction also had someone whose experience and level were no less than his.

Although Wen Jianyan didn’t like direct confrontations and rarely participated in intense combat scenes, he was too clever—his insight was precise, and he always saw the situation a step ahead of others. He could often anticipate the enemy’s next move and prepare a counter in advance.

Surrounded and attacked by members of the Black Faction, Anise was stretched too thin and couldn’t focus on defending against the dirty tricks from the opposing captain.

Soon, everything settled.

In the chaos-filled corridor, Anise was roughly pinned to the ground, his hands tied behind his back. His pale, bloodless face was pressed into the damp carpet. His cheeks were flushed red with rage, eyes nearly popping as he glared fiercely at Wen Jianyan not far away, hissing through clenched teeth, “You idiots, are you all blind? He’s the—”

Before he could finish, his mouth was stuffed with a towel from who-knows-where.

Wen Jianyan crouched down in front of him and expertly tied the towel behind Anise’s head, giving it a tug to make sure it was tight and completely silenced him.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:

[Holy sh*t.]

[Holy sh*t.]

[That’s savage!!!]

[HAHAHAHA he’s not even letting him get a word out!]

“Mm! Mmm-mmm!!”

Mouth bound tight, Anise could only let out muffled sounds.

He glared daggers at Wen Jianyan with his bulging eyes, as if trying to shred the imposter in front of him to pieces with his gaze.

“Didn’t expect this,” the Black Faction captain panted, looking down at the real Anise with excitement shining in his eyes. “We searched high and low only to find him effortlessly. Can’t believe we actually caught the Red Faction’s captain—”

“MmmmMMMmmMMM!!”

Before he could finish, Anise began struggling violently again. His gagged mouth let out a garbled mess that was impossible to understand, but Wen Jianyan had a strong hunch—it was probably profanity.

“Integrity First” livestream chat lit up with waves of “HAHAHA” comments:

[HAHAHA I can’t, I’m laughing tears!]

[Bet you didn’t see this coming—your ‘Red Faction captain’ is actually your own guy, while the real one’s standing right in front of you!]

[HAHAHA Anise is going to blow a fuse! I swear, you’re the dumbest group of Factionmates ever!]

“Silence!”

The Black Faction captain barked and kicked the suddenly thrashing prisoner.

Wen Jianyan suppressed the smirk tugging at his lips and mimicked Anise’s eerie tone, saying coldly, “Didn’t expect the new Number 08 to be so weak.”

“Exactly.”

The Black Faction captain nodded earnestly. “The real Number 08 should have been you, sir. That guy just got lucky.”

“…”

Realizing struggling was pointless, Anise finally quieted down. He lay there silently, dead-eyed and full of seething murderous intent as he glared at the people before him.

“Mr. Anise, how do you plan to deal with him?” asked the Black Faction captain, scratching his head before tentatively suggesting, “Since we caught the enemy leader, should we inform Mr. Gentleman and the others?”

“Leave it to me,” Wen Jianyan replied smoothly.

He lowered his head and glanced at the real Anise’s twisted expression, then added, “But before that, I have a few words to say to this bold idiot who dared to impersonate me.”

The Black Faction captain seemed to realize something. “Ohh! Got it, got it.”

Soon, under Wen Jianyan’s orders, the gagged and furious Anise was dragged into an empty room nearby and tightly bound to a chair. Wen Jianyan kept up his cold persona and said indifferently, “Get out. Stand guard outside the door.”

The Faction members cooperated completely, exiting the room and even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

In the dark, damp room, only Wen Jianyan and Anise remained.

After confirming there were no eavesdroppers, Wen Jianyan stepped forward and removed the towel from Anise’s mouth. As soon as it was untied, Anise’s hoarse, furious roar exploded:

“F**k you—”

Before he could finish, Wen Jianyan quickly gagged him again.

The room returned to silence, broken only by Anise’s ragged breathing. His face was red with fury, his eyes venomous, as if ready to bite off Wen Jianyan’s neck.

“Friend, calm down,” Wen Jianyan said, now using his real voice as he shrugged innocently. “Things have come this far—why don’t we have a proper talk?”

He put on a posture of sincere negotiation.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:

[What do you mean ‘things have come this far’?! Aren’t you the reason things got this far?! Have some shame!]

[He really knows how to push people’s buttons. Even I want to punch him.]

[LOL Anise wants to stab him so bad it’s practically leaking out of the screen.]

[HAHAHAHAHA, if looks could kill, I think the anchor would’ve died hundreds or thousands of times already.]

After all, Anise was a high-level anchor who had clawed his way up through many instances. Though his mind had been clouded by rage for a moment, he still understood the difference between what was urgent and what was not. He didn’t, as the bullet comments predicted, let his emotions keep controlling him. Instead, he gradually calmed down, fixing his eyes on the young man in front of him with a dark, brooding gaze.

“Ready to have a proper chat with me?” Wen Jianyan noticed the change in his state and asked.

Anise’s expression was cold. He closed his eyes hard, as though trying to suppress his fury.

A few seconds later, he reluctantly nodded.

So, Wen Jianyan stood up and once again removed the towel that was stuffed in Anise’s mouth.

This time, Anise didn’t blurt out rash words like he did before.

He remained bound, worked his sore and numb jaw a little, then looked up at Wen Jianyan.

His face had gone back from flushed red to bloodless pale. He let out a cold sneer:

“Nice trick.”

“No no”, Wen Jianyan shook his head, scratched his hair with what looked like shyness, and said sincerely, “I honestly didn’t plan any of this—it all just came from thinking on the fly.”

Anise: “…”

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:

[I hereby crown him the Master of Adding Fuel to the Fire.]

[Same face, but somehow it’s ten times more punchable now.]

[Lmao, I swear this anchor is afraid of not having enough enemies. He’s only cleared a few instances and already pissed off half the Nightmare leaderboard!]

Anise took a deep breath. He no longer had the energy to trade phony pleasantries with Wen Jianyan. He cut straight to the point:

“What do you want?”

“Talking to smart people really is refreshing,” Wen Jianyan smiled, lips curled.

He looked straight at Anise and also got right to the point: “I already know why you all went to the framing shop earlier.”

Anise narrowed his eyes but didn’t speak.

Wen Jianyan continued, “Leaving a painting nourished by your own blood in that hallway of the framing shop… is equivalent to creating a save point within the game, giving yourself an extra life. Am I right?”

Though it sounded like a question, it was clear he already knew the answer.

It was precisely the temptation of an “extra life” that allowed the Gentleman to convince Anise—whose survival was directly tied to success in the instance—to delay solving the instance, and instead go with him to find the framing shop. Regardless of how the instance ended, it was the safest option.

Winning was ideal, of course. But even if they lost, that painting could serve as a fallback to ensure Anise’ survival.

Wen Jianyan leaned down slightly in front of Anise and lied with a straight face:

“To be honest, I did the same thing.”

“Oh?”

Anise raised an eyebrow, showing no emotion.

“And why are you telling me that?”

“No reason,” Wen Jianyan smiled slightly. “Just trying to show some sincerity.”

Negotiating with a top-tier anchor like Anise was incredibly difficult. He had not only experienced countless instances but was also intimately familiar with the Nightmare system. Someone like that was almost impossible to bribe or threaten. And in this instance, the two of them were competitors, fighting for the “08” position. That kind of relationship made them natural enemies, pushing their positions into irreconcilable conflict.

One misstep could mean death. Under these conditions, there was almost no way Wen Jianyan could get useful info out of Anise—even if he had a painting as backup.

As long as they were competitors, negotiation was off the table.

So the first thing Wen Jianyan needed to do was eliminate the biggest source of conflict between them—make it clear that he didn’t bear hostile intentions.

Anise would believe that.

After all, Wen Jianyan had accurately stated his goal and shown that he knew all the necessary conditions to achieve it. From Anise’s point of view, no one would be stupid enough to pass up the chance to use a “save point” after knowing about it.

Sure enough, bound to the chair, Anise showed a thoughtful look. After a long pause, he asked, “So what is it that you want?”

Looks like the conversation could continue.

“Still not sure yet,” Wen Jianyan answered vaguely.

Not sure?

Anise narrowed his eyes again and cautiously examined the young man in front of him who wore his face.

If he had looked down on this rookie before entering the instance, after what happened, Anise gradually realized: the fame this guy had earned wasn’t just luck.

To repeatedly outmaneuver them, even while at a complete disadvantage—

Wen Jianyan crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hands:
“How much do you know about this instance?”

“At this point, you’re still asking that?” Anise sneered and looked him up and down with a chilly expression.

“I’m a rookie.” Wen Jianyan tilted his head slightly, unfazed by Anise’s contempt. “Cut me some slack, will you?”

Realizing that provoking him was pointless, Anise returned to his previous impassive look.

His gaze paused briefly on Wen Jianyan before he slowly spoke:

“This instance is a “Door”. The ghosts in the town are gatekeepers.
Only by luring them into the hotel, making them guests, and offering them sustenance—Only then will they leave.”

Although Hugo had compared the instance to a “prison”, and Anise had compared it to a “door”, in essence, there wasn’t much of a fundamental difference between the two.

Wen Jianyan nodded and followed up:

“The banquet on the third day was meant for this, right?”

Anise glanced at him.

Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, hiding the expression beneath them.

With just a few lines exchanged, both had already gauged the boundaries of each other’s understanding.

Wen Jianyan quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts. He looked at Anise and said:

“My guess is, at the banquet on the last day of the instance, the ‘food’ served to the guests are those anchors who didn’t become ‘official employees,’ right?”

In fact, at this point, it was already quite obvious to him.

In the original instance, there had been the white-robed woman in the hallway who provided the souls of children. But in the mirror instance, this aspect was missing. However, to complete the final step of offering, it still required the soul of a living person as a meal for the ritual. Once that was understood, the identity of the so-called “meal” became self-evident.

Although in this instance, whether on the first or second day, there had been channels to become “official employees”, it was clear the number of official employee positions was fixed. On the second day, the instance no longer distributed new official employee badges but instead incited conflict among the anchors, forcing them to fight for the limited number of badges.

What would happen to those who failed to obtain a badge?

The faces of those who had launched attacks on them at the beginning of the second day—all filled with despair and madness—flashed through Wen Jianyan’s mind.

—The answer was just as self-evident.

“You guessed correctly.” A faintly cold smile tugged at the corner of Anise’s lips.

As official employees, the tips they received were directly tied to how many guests were satisfied. The more non-official employees there were, the more guests they could offer, and the more tips they’d naturally receive. That’s why Anise and the others strictly controlled, even deliberately reduced, the number of official employees—all for the sake of the final “banquet”.

After all, they had already personally verified that the tips given by guests were far greater than the rewards earned by completing tasks.

As long as they ensured that they received enough tips at the banquet on the third day, then even if they hadn’t collected much underworld currency on the second day, they could still win in the end.

It was a complete sacrifice of human lives—paving their road with the bodies of their Factionmates.

“In short, that’s basically the situation with this instance.”

Anise fixed his slightly bulging eyes on the young man in front of him, as though trying to pierce through him with a cold, emotionless stare. He smiled:

“Well then, now you really should tell me—what exactly is your goal?”

Wen Jianyan lifted his eyes to look at him.

It was very clear: Anise and the others still didn’t know that they were currently in a mirror instance fabricated by Nightmare itself. The real Flourishing Hotel instance was sealed inside the box. Before he entered, it was a black box that couldn’t be observed—harboring countless unknown possibilities. Everything that happened after he entered was just Nightmare’s selection of the timeline with the highest probability of reversal.

But once he entered the black box, observation resumed. All unknown probabilities were wiped out. The multiple uncertain, diverging paths were blocked off and forcibly merged into one under an overwhelming force.

This was understandable.

After all, Wen Jianyan was the one Nightmare chose to enter the black box and “eliminate the bug.” Aside from him, no one else had a chance of realizing that they were not in the original instance but in a mirror world manufactured by Nightmare.

One could even say—

In this nearly fully independent replica of the original instance—with no exploration progress, no starting items, and even a thick layer of insulation between them and the ghosts—Anise and the others had still managed to piece together most of the original instance’s structure. That was already astonishing.

After all, they didn’t have a faceless, white-robed woman subtly steering their destination from behind the scenes.

This alone proved how deep and broad the Gentlemen’s Faction had explored the mirror instance—perhaps even more thoroughly than Wen Jianyan, who had been trapped in the box for a long time.

So—

What Wen Jianyan wanted might really be in their hands.

“Oh?” Wen Jianyan remained expressionless.

“That Gentleman guy has it,” Anise shrugged. “There’s no reason for me to lie about this. If you don’t believe me, you can search me.”

Before the national law kicked in, key items capable of determining the outcome were all concealed, unnoticed by the system. It was one of Nightmare’s methods of fueling desire and conflict between anchors. Only then would they tear each other apart in mutual suspicion and hostility.

“Using this key in exchange for your life—I think that’s a pretty fair deal, right?” Wen Jianyan said.

Anise grinned as well. “Of course.”

Under Wen Jianyan’s supervision, Anise sent out a communication signal to his factionmates.

The negotiation had ended. Now, it was just a matter of waiting.

“You don’t mind being alone for a while, do you?” Wen Jianyan asked.

Anise shrugged, his cold snake-like gaze sliding over Wen Jianyan’s face. “Please.”

Faced with Anise’s sarcasm, Wen Jianyan merely smiled and turned around to leave.

The room door clicked shut behind him, blocking Anise’s line of sight.

As soon as Wen Jianyan stepped out, the captain of the Black Faction quickly approached and asked, “Mr. Anise, how did the negotiations go?”

“Almost done.”

Wen Jianyan spoke.

“I’ve notified my people, they’re on their way here.”

“That’s great!” the captain of the Black Squad nodded.

“What’s your name?”

Anise, disguised as Wen Jianyan, seemed to have a sudden impulse, turning around to ask.

“Xiu…Xiu Si!” the captain of the Black Squad’s eyes brightened as he stuttered.

“Good, Xiu Si,” Wen Jianyan said, “Next, I have a task for you.”

“What! You say it!”

Feeling that he had gained favor from a big shot, Xiu Si’s breath quickened, and he eagerly asked.

“Find the Red Faction.”

“Anise” grinned, his expression malicious, “Tell them their captain is in my hands. If they want him to stay alive, they need to come here and follow you.” With that, Wen Jianyan handed him a note with the room number written on it.

“Go.”

Xiu Si nodded, turned, and disappeared down the hallway.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room barrage:

[?]

[Not really? You lying dog, what exactly do you want to do!!!!]

In the dim, damp hallway, Chen Mo looked at the note in his hand, his expression fluctuating.

Yun Bilan lowered her head expressionlessly, one hand on Xiu Si, who had delivered the message, pressing him to the ground. The beautiful face that had once been delicate now bore thorn-like patterns, appearing exceptionally fierce. “You’re saying my captain is in your hands?” She leaned forward, staring at his fearful expression.

“Yes, yes!”

Xiu Si swallowed hard, but still stubbornly said with his neck stiffened.

“Your captain is just a useless fool. He dared to impersonate someone from our side and ended up running into the real deal—” He laughed hoarsely, “Didn’t expect it, huh? We caught him right away!”

Live broadcast barrage: 

[I Want to speak but hesitating.]

[Actually, he’s not wrong, but…]

[Stopped speaking but want to.]

Upon hearing this, Yun Bilan’s expression grew darker. She tightened her fingers slightly, and the power of her attack was not to be underestimated. Her slender fingers dug into his flesh, and Xiu Si’s face immediately turned red from suffocation, his body twitching in pain.

The person next to them, Blond, took out his phone:

“The captain’s online.”

This was both good news and bad news.

As they had expected, Wen Jianyan had not died in the previous well incident, which was a relief. However, it also meant that the message brought by this Black Faction member was likely true.

After narrowly escaping death in the well, their unfortunate captain had run straight into the hands of the Black Squad.

Yun Bilan narrowed her eyes.

Xiu Si’s neck cracked and he rolled his eyes, almost passing out from the choking.

Chen Mo’s voice came from behind, “Enough.”

He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over, pressing a hand on Yun Bilan’s shoulder. “Calm down, the captain is still in their hands.”

Yun Bilan paused for a moment before reluctantly loosening her grip.

Xiu Si collapsed to the floor, coughing violently.

“Alright,” Chen Mo crouched in front of him and said, “Tell me, where do we go?”

Xiu Si lifted his blurry eyes and looked at the people in front of him.

The white-haired youth playing with cards without expression, the cold-faced man scrutinizing him from above, and the woman whose face was marked with thorns and full of hostility made him shiver. 

The Red Faction.

It seemed that they weren’t as easy to defeat as he had imagined. The overwhelming pressure almost made it hard for him to breathe.

At the same time.

The gentleman lowered his head, a slight smile on his face, playing with his phone. The screen lit up his composed face, making him appear deep and inscrutable.

“What’s wrong?” One of Anise’s Faction members stepped forward and asked, “Did you get a message from the captain? How is he?”

The Gentleman stopped fiddling with his phone and turned his head to look. “Hmm, you mean him?” He smiled.

“He’s been captured, but he’s fine.”

He tossed the phone over. “Quite a catch.”

On the phone was a brief line of text: “Broke through, room 103, bring the key.”

It seemed like a regular message, but it was far from something someone like Anise could say. Not to mention, he specifically reminded, “Bring the key.” There was only one possibility.

Anise had been captured, and this message was likely sent under surveillance or manipulation. However, he had still successfully hidden the real message within it.

Since they needed the key, didn’t that mean the “lock” they had been searching for had appeared?

And Anise was cooperating, not just because he had fallen into the enemy’s hands, but likely also to avoid alarming them and to prevent them from realizing how valuable what he held truly was.

It was also a warning to them.

Proceed with caution, at least until they confirmed they had the item.

“It looks like we’re really lucky this time.”

The gentleman retrieved his phone, wearing a confident smile. He elegantly adjusted his collar and then took a step forward, heading down the damp hallway. “Let’s go.”

“I think this instance is about to end.”

And their small faction would be the final victor.

Support me on Ko-fi

Join my Discord