WTNL Chapter 520

Thanks you @Renea for the Kofi.

Anchor Hall
Chapter 520: He was thrown hard into the pillow

The ‘Yuying Comprehensive University’ instance was over, but the aftershocks it created had not disappeared.

This wasn’t just about a platinum clear of an SS-rank instance; it was also about the fall of a member of the Secret Council who had been ranked in Nightmare’s top ten for a long time.

Although in Nightmare, even the highest-level anchors would face death one day, when it actually happened, the entire anchor community of Nightmare experienced an unprecedented shock.

All the factions were more or less affected by these aftershocks.

It was important to note that the top ten hadn’t really changed in a very, very long time.

Few anchors knew how long the top ten had held their positions, nor were they clear on how many trump cards they held. It was normal for people to die in the replacement matches for the top ten, but for a death to occur in a regular instance outside of a replacement match…?

This was almost unimaginable.

But now, such a thing had happened.

The last time a top-ten anchor had died was so long ago that anchors had almost forgotten what would happen afterward, leading to widespread speculation and rumors.

Thus, three minutes after the [Yuying Comprehensive University] instance officially ended, Nightmare’s large screen broadcasted a related notice.

The anchors ranked after sixth place would move up sequentially, and a selection tournament would be held for the tenth position. All anchors whose point totals met the line drawn by Nightmare could sign up to participate.

In an instant, this news detonated all circles.

A position in Nightmare’s top ten carried immense weight. Previously, ascending required initiating a life-and-death replacement match with the anchor in that position. The success rate of such matches was ridiculously low. To date, the only one to succeed was the one and only Pinocchio, and even he hadn’t completely replaced Anise—the former number eight had used some unknown means to survive the life-and-death match. Although he had not appeared in any public occasion since, he was still listed as co-eighth with Pinocchio.

A top-ten position within easy reach.

How tempting.

This not only represented endless fame and points but also access to more exclusive circles and a greater share of resources.

Of course, even without winning, there would be more generous rewards than in other instances. This “challenge tournament” was a coveted prize that every guild had to fight for.

Thus, in just one short hour, the number of applicants for the selection tournament began to increase rapidly.

Dark Fire had the most anchors, a full fifteen people including Qi Qian. Clearly, they were preparing to use team tactics. If they could win, they would protect one of their own; if not, they could still rake in as many rewards as possible.

However, this also demonstrated the vast reserve of talent in their guild, that so many people could qualify for the challenge tournament.

Eternal Day had three people, including their newly cultivated and highly anticipated star, Chen Cheng. After leaving the ‘Yuying Comprehensive University’ instance, he seemed to have boundless energy, once again becoming a participant in the top-ten challenge.

Oracle, as always, was low-key and mysterious. Apart from the members they lent to other guilds, they seemed to have no interest in this extra top-ten position.

This was also normal.

After all, Oracle’s foundation in Nightmare was its monopoly on prophecy-type talents, not combat. Moreover, both the president and vice-president of Oracle were already in the top ten, so this newly vacant position held very limited appeal for them.

The major powers were restless, and the winds of change were blowing.

…And at this point, only three hours had passed since the ‘Yuying Comprehensive University’ instance had ended.

---

In the pitch-black room.

Unlike the hustle and bustle and the open and hidden struggles of the outside world, this place was like a small, separate world, completely undisturbed, as if it had been forgotten by all of Nightmare.

The lights were off, and the tightly closed door blocked all sounds from the outside.

As five hours passed, the moist water vapor in the air had almost completely dissipated, leaving only a faint, unobtrusive citrus scent from the shower gel.

Wen Jianyan stared at the dark ceiling, wide awake.

The end of his words echoed in the dark room, like a stone dropped into deep water, sinking silently until not a single trace remained.

His proposal received no response.

“…”

That was normal too.

Wen Jianyan wasn’t disappointed. He twirled the Ouroboros ring on his finger and retracted his gaze.

The ring had now lost its original prison function; it was now just an empty box.

He was just giving it a try, without much expectation.

So, Wen Jianyan calmly closed his eyes again, waiting once more for sleep to come.

However, the next second, he was slammed hard into the pillow.

“?!”

A cold hand on his throat slowly tightened, forcing his chin up to receive a torrential storm of kisses. In the darkness, a pair of golden pupils gleamed like a wild beast’s, their gaze cold yet searing, as if to chew him up alive and swallow him whole, bones and all.

In his shock, Wen Jianyan reflexively raised his hands to press against the other’s shoulders.

The arms under his palms were firm and taut, like a drawn bowstring ready to be released.

Cold, long hair flowed over his fingers, silently cascading down, finally enveloping him like a large net.

The pain of being bitten spread from where their lips met, and Wen Jianyan felt his lips go numb.

Damn it…

Too forceful.

But that was fine. More forceful was better.

It would be best if it reached a point where he couldn’t think, couldn’t move.

The vague thought flashed through his mind.

However, the daze was only temporary. Wen Jianyan quickly composed himself. He grabbed Wu Zhu’s hair, forcing him closer, then licked the other’s tongue with a calm and weary indifference, responding nonchalantly.

Although his response was cold, it was like adding fuel to an already roaring fire. Instantly, the already scorching atmosphere exploded with a “poof”, as if to burn both of them to ashes.

“Ugh…”

A muffled whimper escaped his throat.

His jaw was forced up, his lips unable to close. Saliva he couldn’t swallow in time slid down the corner of his mouth. A physiological flush appeared on his pale, cold skin, spreading from his cheeks down to his neck.

Wen Jianyan leaned lazily in the darkness, and during the lulls in the stormy kisses, he would occasionally lick the other’s tongue in a half-hearted response.

His eyes were half-closed, his long, dense lashes lowered, hiding the expression in his eyes.

He didn’t really want to do anything.

But he didn’t want to delve too deeply into the underlying reason for his proposal.

Perhaps it was for simple reasons like his body being too tired, his mind too tense, and sleep being too difficult to find… and so on.

Wen Jianyan was simply too lazy to think.

To be precise, the reason he made such a suggestion was to stop thinking.

In the darkness, he was face to face with himself, with nowhere to hide from his own gaze.

That’s why he had to do something.

Wen Jianyan toyed with the cold, long hair between his fingers, his mind wandering for a couple of seconds.

How strange.

Even though the other was a non-human entity with no connection to humanity, not even having body heat… yet at this moment, it was not only the first but also the only being he thought of.

…How strange.

The soft, wet sounds of their entwined lips and tongues echoed secretly, the sound seeming to materialize into a kind of thick, humid, hot darkness that enveloped the two of them tightly.

But suddenly, without any warning, the cold lips and tongue that had been greedily plundering his own pulled away.

“…?”

Feeling the other’s abrupt stop, the human youth lifted his misty eyes and glanced upwards questioningly.

Through a film of moisture, his eyes appeared languid and sleepy.

“What? Not continuing?”

His voice was hoarse, the end of his words habitually rising, but the underlying tone was indifferent, without much emotional fluctuation.

Judging from where they were pressed together, the other should be quite interested.

“…”

He was met with silence.

The golden eyes stared at him in the darkness, still brewing a terrifying storm that was about to be unleashed.

Although Wen Jianyan’s eyes had long since grown accustomed to the current light, in this palpable darkness, he couldn’t completely make out the other’s face.

He could only see, in that boundless ocean of black, those burning golden eyes looking down at him, their thoughts unknown.

The suffocating silence seemed to last for a century, or perhaps only for a brief second.

Suddenly, the darkness descended again.

“…”

Wen Jianyan blinked. His eyelashes felt a resistance. A second later, he belatedly realized that the other’s cold palm was covering his eyes.

A low, hoarse voice, devoid of emotion, sounded in his ear:

—”Sleep.”

“…?”

But before he could do or say anything, Wen Jianyan was dragged into slumber by some invisible, coercive force.

His consciousness sank, and his vision began to blacken, as if everything around him was rapidly receding.

You…

Wen Jianyan wanted to say something, but his tongue was heavy, as if filled with lead, and he couldn’t lift it.

All his astonishment and shock were swallowed by the darkness and sleepiness, finally turning into a last, vague thought.

…You fool.

You won’t get such a good chance next time.

The next second, Wen Jianyan sank into the boundless darkness.

Under the intervention of the non-human entity, he was irresistibly dragged into the darkness, sinking into a deep sleep as if into a mire.

The cold embrace and aura beside him did not leave.

He didn’t know if it was an illusion brought on by extreme fatigue…

At this moment, he had, for a rare change, found a moment of peace.

---

Wu Zhu walked between countless dreams.

This was the crevice between dreams and reality. Many places were perfect replicas of the real world, yet at the same time, they were bizarre everywhere, like a mirror image of the real world.

From here, he could manipulate people’s dreams and even invade Nightmare itself.

Wu Zhu’s expression was grim, the rolling darkness behind him solidifying, baring its fangs and claws.

He couldn’t figure it out.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on his own palm, recalling the other’s appearance as he slept.

The human slept peacefully, eyelids tightly shut, breathing deeply.

His lips were moist and hot, still bearing the marks of his own teeth, appearing a decadent red in the darkness.

“…”

Wu Zhu’s expression grew even gloomier.

Why didn’t he continue? Was it because of the chaotic emotions he felt from the mark connecting them?

That shouldn’t have been an obstacle.

The more chaotic, the darker, the more helpless the emotions, the more delicious they were. Wen Jianyan, in that state, was simply irresistible to him—and he had never resisted before.

Not to mention, the other had initiated it.

Such a situation was extremely rare, almost like being hit on the head by a pie from the sky. Who knew when the next chance to take advantage of such a weakness would come?

He didn’t have any human moral bottom line; he always acted with himself as the top priority.

So how did he end up stopping as if possessed by a ghost?

In the end, not only had he revealed a trace of his aura to Nightmare by forcibly preventing that stupid school from collapsing, but he also ended up empty-handed, getting nothing.

“…”

Wu Zhu walked through the crevice between dreams and reality. As if influenced by its master’s mood, the darkness behind him destroyed and oppressed everything around it.

“Clang!”

As he passed by a trash can on the roadside, which had been violently kicked by someone at some point, it suddenly began to twist with a creak, as if crushed by some invisible force. It eventually became a flattened piece of sheet metal and fell to the ground with a clang.

Wu Zhu was expressionless.

—So much regret!

__

Author’s Note:

Trash can: If you don’t love me, don’t hurt me.

…

I know everyone wants to see it, but it’s really not the right time to start.

But it’s okay, although Wu Zhu didn’t get the person this time, there will be a time for him to have a seat at the table in the future (rubs fly hands).

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