Thank you @Mari for the Kofi. (1/10)
Anchor Hall
Chapter 386: Very disgusting
A steaming cup of hot coffee sat on the table in front of him as Wen Jianyan turned to look at the floor-to-ceiling window beside him.
Outside, lush greenery thrived, and brilliant sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a warm glow on the tabletop.
The facilities in the Anchor Hall were almost ridiculously well-equipped.
Even though he’d seen similar scenes before, that first glance still gave a person the illusion of having returned to the real world.
“Don’t like it?”
Orange Candy blinked. She did something unknown, and the scenery outside the window instantly changed into neon-lit skyscrapers under the night sky, with bustling traffic below.
Tilting her head, she thought for a moment:
“Or this one?”
The next second, the window displayed the deep blue ocean, fish swaying through the water, light dancing across the waves.
“Let’s go with this one.”
Seeing Orange Candy itching to continue changing the scene, Wen Jianyan quickly stopped her.
“Alright then.” Orange Candy retracted her gaze with a bit of regret and began sipping the colorful tropical juice in front of her.
Hugo sat quietly to the side, eyes lowered without much emotion, looking cold and tired.
Noticing Wen Jianyan’s gaze, Orange Candy, still hugging her half-finished juice, looked up and pursed her lips, clearly used to it:
“Hugo’s always got this sleep-deprived look. You’ll get used to it.”
“Alright, down to business.”
Orange Candy got straight to the point: “I’m hiring you for the next instance.”
“Oh?”
Wen Jianyan lowered his gaze, his long, pale fingers gently stirring the coffee with a silver spoon. The blue waves outside reflected on his face, casting a deceptively gentle hue over his features.
“Is there something special about it?”
Even though Orange Candy hadn’t revealed any details yet, Wen Jianyan had already keenly sensed that the instance she wanted him to join… was anything but ordinary.
“I assume you know by now—after becoming a member of the Secret Council, you’re required to take on missions, right?”
Orange Candy said.
Wen Jianyan: “Of course.”
Hugo had clearly explained that to him during the meeting that had just ended.
“Different mission levels mean different difficulties, and the chances of them refreshing vary as well.”
Under Orange Candy’s guidance, Wen Jianyan opened the new app on his phone that had appeared after the Secret Council meeting.
Sure enough, a long list of missions popped up on the screen.
The lowest was C-level, and the highest was A-level, with two or three S-levels. The A-level missions had already been taken, and you could see the codenames of the anchors who’d accepted them. There were still many B- and C-level missions left. There were few S-level missions, but most of them had already been picked up too.
“B- and C-level missions don’t pay much, so few people are willing to take them.” Orange Candy stirred the ice in her glass lazily. “A- and S-level missions are more popular.”
As expected, top-ranking anchors were different from the rest. Rather than avoiding risk, these strong ones preferred trading danger for greater rewards.
“Oh, and one more thing,”
As if something had just come to mind, Orange Candy added, “The mission difficulty and the instance difficulty are related—but not by much.”
“Oh?” Wen Jianyan was intrigued.
“That means even in a B-level instance, you might find an S-level mission, and in an S-level instance, you could end up with a low-difficulty C-level mission.”
Orange Candy said, “And the mission content varies wildly. Sometimes it’s just about finding a specific item. Other times, you have to trigger a specific storyline, or enter a certain location within a side quest and do something there… There are so many types, it’s hard to generalize.”
“What about yours this time?” Wen Jianyan asked.
“A-level instance”, Orange Candy said with a cheerful grin, “S-level mission.”
“I see. But this shouldn’t be your first time tackling something this hard, right?” Wen Jianyan studied her thoughtfully across the table. “What’s different this time?”
Hugo, who had been silent until now, opened his eyes and looked over.
“Of course.” Orange Candy propped her chin on her hand and lowered her voice mysteriously. “This mission has been on the board for a long, long time, and no one’s taken it.”
“How come?”
“Some missions require prerequisites,” Hugo spoke up.
Wen Jianyan turned to look at him.
“……”
Orange Candy was clearly displeased that Hugo had ruined her air of mystery. She shot him a dark glare.
“In any case, that’s pretty much it.” Orange Candy slumped onto the table, looking bored. “Some missions can’t be accepted unless the prerequisites are met.”
“This one—because I accidentally completed the prerequisite—I qualified to take it,” she stretched lazily. “Originally, I planned to cozy up to the Oracle guild and borrow a seer from them, but… you know what happened after that.”
Wen Jianyan did indeed know.
Perhaps that was one reason Orange Candy accepted the Oracle-related mission. But due to his interference, not only did she fail the task, but she also essentially fell out with Oracle. Naturally, she could no longer borrow any foresight-type anchors from them. And… even if she could, knowing Orange Candy’s personality, it was highly unlikely she’d ever go and ask for help.
“You caused this, so you’re responsible for fixing it. Got it?” Orange Candy narrowed her eyes.
“Got it.”
Wen Jianyan sighed helplessly and nodded.
Hugo quietly watched the conversation between the two, never saying a word.
He was well aware of what had happened in the “Changsheng Building” instance and knew that the reason for the falling-out between Orange Candy and Oracle was standing right in front of him.
Even so, it still didn’t fully explain why Orange Candy insisted on inviting him to join such an important mission.
Hugo’s gaze fell on Wen Jianyan, his expression thoughtful.
“The next instance starts in ten days,” Orange Candy said. “You won’t get much time to rest, but if you miss this, it’ll be a long wait until the next one.”
“No problem.”
Wen Jianyan shrugged indifferently.
Ever since he entered the Nightmare system, he hadn’t stopped running at full speed. And he had long grown used to this way of working—before a task was resolved, he could go on like this for years, burning with inexhaustible energy, pouring his life, his blood, and everything he had into the cause.
No matter the time. No matter the cost.
Soon, after a few simple procedures, Wen Jianyan officially accepted Orange Candy’s invitation for the next instance.
“Then it’s settled.”
He placed a handkerchief over his palm, then extended his hand with a smiling face. “See you in ten days.”
“……”
Orange Candy frowned, staring at the hand extended toward her. She hesitated for a long moment before finally pinching her nose and grasping the tips of his fingers with visible distaste—then quickly let go.
“Hmph.”
By the time the discussion with Orange Candy ended, it was already late.
Wen Jianyan glanced down at his phone. A message from Chen Mo had arrived—it was short and to the point:
[All done.]
Not bad.
Wen Jianyan smiled.
He had to admit, he really appreciated Chen Mo’s work efficiency. It hadn’t even been that long, and the guy had already completed every task he was given.
“Ding ding.”
Another message arrived from Chen Mo.
No fluff—just a brand-new address.
[Heading there now.]
Wen Jianyan slipped the phone into his pocket and strolled leisurely toward the location.
Soon, he arrived at the address.
Chen Mo was already waiting there, opening his mouth to say something—but Wen Jianyan interrupted him.
“Here. Carry this.” Wen Jianyan handed over a lavishly decorated gift basket.
“……”
Chen Mo silently stared at the massive, flamboyant basket sparkling with colorful sheen. Wordlessly, he reached out and took it.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Wen Jianyan turned and started walking.
“May I ask where we’re going?” Chen Mo asked hesitantly.
“To visit our future neighbors.”
Wen Jianyan glanced back at him with a smile and kept walking.
Chen Mo: “……”
He had a bad feeling about this.
Soon, the two of them arrived at their so-called “neighbor’s” front door.
A towering Gothic building, with pointed spires that radiated majesty and sanctity, it exuded a pressure that made one instinctively feel small and unwelcome.
[Oracle]
Oracle.
Wen Jianyan stood at the entrance and knocked on the door with a perfectly calm face:
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound was loud, jarring, and oddly irritating—enough to make one’s blood pressure spike.
He had barely knocked a few times when the door opened from the inside.
Standing there was a strikingly beautiful anchor, clearly in charge of Oracle’s front reception. She wore a polite smile and didn’t look the least bit surprised to see Wen Jianyan—clearly, she had already looked up his identity the moment he appeared at the door.
“Welcome, Mr. Pinocchio. Please wait here for a moment. I’ve already informed the higher-ups of your arrival. Mr. Gentleman should be with you shortly.”
“Alright.” Wen Jianyan nodded with ease.
Chen Mo, holding the massive gift basket, followed stiffly behind him into the guild hall.
Their presence clearly clashed with the entire ambiance of Oracle, yet Wen Jianyan acted as though he hadn’t noticed in the slightest—gazing around curiously like a country bumpkin seeing the big city for the first time.
The moment Wen Jianyan had reached the door, Gentleman had already been notified.
“……”
He lowered his eyes, staring at the message on his terminal, a shadow passing over his expression.
He hadn’t shown any unusual reactions during the Secret Council meeting, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten what had happened in the “Xingwang Hotel” instance.
If, in the beginning, his opinion of Wen Jianyan was purely based on guild interests—then now, that impartial stance had turned into something personal.
The guy had toyed with him far too many times during the last instance.
And the final time… had truly pushed him over the edge.
At the very last moment of the instance, as he stared at the candy ball in his palm, Gentleman had finally figured out what Wen Jianyan was really up to.
Throughout the banquet, all their tactics of threatening his red team teammate had been within Wen Jianyan’s expectations—possibly even welcomed. He had used the opportunity to get his endangered teammate out of danger and at the same time built himself a “soft-hearted hero who values lives above all” persona. That made them completely let down their guard and hand over the true victory item: the ghost money.
And remembering how, at the end of the instance, they had all danced in the palm of his hand like a bunch of fools…
A fierce killing intent suddenly rose from deep within the Gentleman’s heart, burning with a desire to tear his opponent to pieces.
His face showed no change, but the hand clutching his phone slowly tightened, his fingertips turning white from the force. Everyone nearby felt the unusually cold and sinister aura emanating from him and fell silent in fear.
“…Huff.”
The Gentleman closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the rage inside.
However, this mission wasn’t a total loss.
Although he didn’t get the final share of the benefits, on closer inspection, the main purpose for entering the mission was nearly accomplished. Moreover, at the end, he gained an unexpected insight — he finally had some idea about the nature of his mysterious opponent’s talent.
Ordinary tricks like deception and sleight of hand couldn’t fool both the ghost within the mission and the Nightmare system’s judgment. Because of this, they had been so careless when confirming the authenticity of the item at the end.
No item in the entire Nightmare could achieve such a feat.
But certain talents could.
It seemed that Pinocchio was very likely a talent that could distort reality… Such talents had very strict activation conditions but were almost invincible once triggered — extremely terrifying types — though the cost would be the highest among them.
As far as he knew, only Bai Xue among the top ten had a similar talent.
The Gentleman narrowed his eyes.
Now that they knew the type of the opponent’s talent, they could devise corresponding strategies… Next time, this guy wouldn’t escape from their hands so easily.
But before that, he didn’t plan to make a scene with the opponent.
Unexpectedly, the other side came knocking first.
A dark light flickered in the Gentleman’s eyes.
This Pinocchio was like a cockroach: impossible to kill, always irritatingly crawling right in front of him — disgusting.
Yet when he lifted his head again, his face had already returned to its previous polite expression.
“Tell him, I’m on my way.”
It wouldn’t take long to get from the Gentleman’s current location to the Oracle Guild.
Soon, he arrived at the entrance of his own guild, but before he could enter, his eyes were drawn to a nearby building.
In front of him stood a very modern, oddly-shaped skyscraper. Looking up gave him a stiff neck. The building’s exterior was ostentatious golden glass, reflecting the glaring sunlight.
It was completely out of place with its surroundings and gave off a strong, nouveau riche vibe.
The Gentleman frowned, feeling the light hurting his eyes somewhat.
Wasn’t this the very center of the Nightmare Guild district? Why was there suddenly such a tacky building here?
Before he could figure it out, Wen Jianyan walked out from inside the building, followed by a squad member he had seen in the last mission.
“…”
The Gentleman was momentarily stunned but quickly put on a practiced smile.
“Good afternoon.”
He tipped his hat.
“I don’t suppose you’re here for—”
Before he could finish, Wen Jianyan waved his hand, interrupting him.
With a friendly smile, he said, “Nothing major.”
The young man’s amber eyes curved slightly, his smile warm and inviting:
“I’m just here to visit our soon-to-be neighbor.”
…Neighbor?
The Gentleman paused.
Before he could react, Wen Jianyan winked at him:
“You’re probably busy now, and so am I.”
He waved with a smile:
“See you next time then.”
After saying that, he strode off casually.
Watching his retreating back, the Gentleman suddenly felt a chill, as if some terrible premonition was about to come true.
Neighbor?!
This was the very heart of the Nightmare guild district; guilds ranked lower than fifth absolutely couldn’t enter here — unless…
The Gentleman seemed to suddenly realize something and pulled his phone terminal from his pocket, rapidly scanning through it.
His face grew increasingly grim.
For some unknown reason, the results of the last mission had begun to spread wildly on the forums, with rumors and gossip rampant. The new rising star #008 had, in one mission, utterly defeated veteran anchors Anise and the Gentleman himself — causing a sensation. Even some embarrassing details unfavorable to them had been wildly amplified.
At the same time, rumors about the guild “Law-Abiding Good Citizens”, known for low death rates and high pass rates, were becoming well known among anchors.
Almost on cue, the “Law-Abiding Good Citizens” guild began publicly recruiting. Due to overwhelming popularity, lotteries and scalpers emerged, with some profiting greatly. Yet, none of this cooled the enthusiasm — countless anchors flocked, desperate to join.
Stranger still…
This guild seemed to accept anyone indiscriminately.
They didn’t prioritize quality, only quantity.
No other guild aiming for long-term growth would operate like this — such a policy would cripple points and benefit distribution and drastically lower the guild’s prestige. A low entry bar meant they couldn’t keep potential anchors.
But for anchors with fewer points, that didn’t seem to matter.
Every time the guild points leaderboard refreshed, this guild’s rank jumped.
“…”
The Gentleman’s expression had become intolerably ugly.
His fingers slowly loosened.
The screen refreshed again.
Using this brute-force crowd strategy, “Law-Abiding Good Citizens” quickly rose to fifth place.
And their total points kept climbing rapidly.
On screen appeared the guild’s introduction and photo.
A tall, tacky golden building, beneath which were the words in shining gold: [Law-Abiding Good Citizens] Guild.
In one corner of the photo, the Oracle’s dome could be faintly seen.
The Gentleman: “…………………………”
A strong desire to kill surged up inside him.
At that moment, the Oracle guild’s receptionist anchor came out. Seeing the Gentleman was like seeing a savior; she hurriedly said, “Vice President! You’re here! Just now—”
“I know.”
The Gentleman’s smile was now hard to maintain.
“He’s already left.”
“That’s good,” the receptionist sighed in relief.
Suddenly she remembered something: “By the way, what do you plan to do with the gift that anchor brought earlier?”
“Gift?”
The Gentleman frowned.
Following the receptionist inside, he immediately spotted the lavish, gaudy, ostentatious gift basket emitting a nouveau riche aura.
“…”
The Gentleman narrowed his eyes, suspicious.
The visitor had ill intentions.
He slowly approached with utmost caution, fearing some trickery, and carefully began opening the gift basket—
A sweet, familiar scent wafted out.
The Gentleman’s face lost all trace of a smile, expressionless as he lowered his eyes. The receptionist was startled, stepping back nervously to avoid the excessively cold aura.
He slowly reached in and took something out.
Under the light, a pink candy ball gleamed crystal-clear.
It emitted a sweet strawberry fragrance.
The entire basket was filled with strawberry candies.
Crack—!
The candy ball was crushed forcefully by the Gentleman.
His expression, now devoid of any warmth, grew colder and more distorted, even a little twisted.
—Pinocchio.
You’re dead!
Thank you for the chapter!! (And thank you Mari <3)