(4/5)
Anchor Hall
Chapter 524: Lucky Cruises
Half a month wasn’t too short, but it certainly wasn’t too long either.
For an anchor who had just entered Nightmare and had to frequently enter instances to obtain the necessary points for survival, fifteen days was an insurmountable dividing line.
After all, the total duration of most C-rank and below instances might only be a few hours.
After fifteen days, the new recruits with no potential had basically been eliminated, becoming gray numbers that no one cared about, silently left behind in one small instance after another.
And for an anchor like Wen Jianyan, who had already achieved platinum clears on multiple ultra-high-difficulty instances and was even ranked in the top ten due to his terrifying total points, even a longer period of time was just the blink of an eye.
However, he had previously promised his guild members that he would take them on a luxury cruise for team building. So, even though there were still seven days until the auction, they had to set off for the cruise ship now.
“Woohoo!” A pink-haired girl jumped up, her star-filled eyes gazing at the dazzling golden ticket in her hand. “Luxury cruise team building! Yay!”
She looked at Wen Jianyan, her beautiful pink eyes shimmering with tears:
“The president is truly a great person!”
Wen Jianyan: “…”
“This is Ma Qi.”
Chen Mo’s emotionless voice came from the side.
“An A+ rank anchor who recently passed the assessment and joined the guild. A spirit medium-type talent, one of the new members we are focusing on cultivating.”
Wen Jianyan’s gaze silently moved to the next person.
It was a very sunny-looking young man, his hair and eyes a light flaxen color. He had a warm, sun-like smile on his face, but deep within his eyes seemed to hide endless ambition.
“Hello, President,” he said respectfully, but his eyes never left Wen Jianyan for a moment.
“This is Chang Feiyu,” Chen Mo’s voice came again. “A-rank anchor, offensive-type talent.”
The last one was a tall, sturdy man with dark skin. His muscular shoulders made his clothes bulge, and combined with his tall stature, he looked very imposing.
Seeing Wen Jianyan look over, he immediately lowered his eyes and said sullenly:
“…President.”
Chen Mo: “Kong Wei, A-rank anchor, defensive-type talent.”
“…”
Wen Jianyan silently turned his head to look at the person behind him who had orchestrated all this.
Chen Mo: “The three of them are the anchor talents I’ve been focusing on cultivating recently. They will be joining us for this trip.”
As the vice-president, he had recently carried out ruthless reforms in the guild. This not only meant clearing out the vast majority of useless members who were just muddling along, but also screening and retaining talented and promising individuals for focused cultivation, even using less-than-honorable means to poach seed players from other guilds.
It was precisely because of these methods from Chen Mo that, even after cutting two-thirds of the members, their guild could still maintain its current ranking.
And as the key talents carefully selected by Chen Mo for cultivation, these three would also be joining this cruise trip.
Wen Jianyan: “…”
As the president of this guild, and its sole de facto owner and manager, Wen Jianyan…
Was not familiar with any of these three people before him.
Chen Mo looked at the three and said, “Go pack your things. See you at the pier in three hours.”
“Yes, Vice-President!” Ma Qi solemnly clicked her heels, gave a peculiar salute, then turned her head to look at Wen Jianyan. “Bye-bye, good President!”
After doing all this, she turned and skipped away.
Chang Feiyu, on the other hand, politely and smilingly said goodbye to everyone in the room before turning to leave. Kong Wei simply bowed without a word and followed him.
Soon, only Chen Mo, Wen Ya, and Wen Jianyan were left in the conference room.
Chen Mo looked at Wen Jianyan and asked, “What are your thoughts?”
“Hmm, it’s a bit hard to say.”
Wen Jianyan pondered for two seconds before finally speaking with great solemnity:
“It’s just… what are their spending habits like?”
Chen Mo: “…”
Seeing the veins on Chen Mo’s temple bulge and throb violently, as if he once again had the urge to commit insubordination, Wen Ya sighed and interjected to smooth things over: “I don’t think that’s what Chen Mo meant.”
“Very few of the people who have been with the guild since its establishment have survived until now. Although I’m reluctant to admit it, our guild is indeed sparsely populated right now,” Wen Ya said calmly. “Especially after Su Cheng left, our vice-president position is also vacant. It’s a time when we urgently need to replenish our manpower.”
“This ‘team building’ is firstly to reward morale,” Wen Ya continued, “and secondly, it’s also to decide on a candidate for vice-president.”
Wen Jianyan propped up his chin, listening distractedly, his expression seemingly unchanged.
On the huge screen to the side, the progress of the top-ten challenge tournament was displayed.
After a month of recruitment, the instance had started ten hours ago.
Although the livestream of the challenge tournament was not open to anchors, the popularity of the betting associated with it remained high.
The entire forum was infected with the fanatical atmosphere of the challenge. As far as the eye could see, almost all the posts were related to it. Anchors analyzed the guild backgrounds, skill levels, and point rankings of different contestants, guessing who would win this challenge and become Nightmare’s new top-ten member.
As time went on, the point stakes rose.
Wen Jianyan nonchalantly raised his eyes, his gaze landing on the screen to the side.
The top-ten challenge tournament was in progress, with a bright red [LIVE] next to the instance name. The countdown showed less than eighty-six hours remaining.
This instance was a time-limited PVP instance, lasting for four days.
And in these neither long nor short four days, hundreds of mid-to-high-level anchors would fight to the death in one instance to determine the strongest one.
“Hey, are you still listening?” Wen Ya’s voice came from the side.
Wen Jianyan retracted his gaze and lazily agreed:
“Fine, I have no objections.”
He yawned in his chair, then stood up unsteadily, looking quite leisurely. “Just let me know when you’ve decided. Anyway, I’m only here on this cruise for vacation and relaxation… oh right, and to pay the bill.”
Wen Jianyan waved his hand:
“See you at the pier in three hours, right? I’ll remember.”
Leaving the guild, Wen Jianyan returned to his room.
He stood in his room and quickly realized he had nothing to pack.
He had entered Nightmare empty-handed, and everything he obtained here was exchanged for points. It was hard to say he had anything that truly belonged to him. And Nightmare’s cruise ship was extremely luxurious; you could find anything and everything on it. As long as he had enough points, he could buy anything.
Finally alone, Wen Jianyan began to habitually strategize in his mind, calculating the current situation.
Although he had decided to be a hands-off boss and let Chen Mo and the others handle all guild affairs, from the perspective of the guild’s development, Wen Jianyan had to admit…
The choice Chen Mo made was the right one.
With Yun Bilan’s death and Su Cheng’s departure, the guild was in urgent need of new blood.
And this “team building” clearly provided a similar screening opportunity. If they could really use this to cultivate new trusted subordinates, the help to them would be immeasurable.
But…
He was destined to disappoint Chen Mo and the others’ earnest efforts.
Because they didn’t know that no matter how many excellent anchors or how much powerful assistance they had, it would be of little help to what Wen Jianyan was about to do.
The road ahead was cold, dark, and bitter, a path for only one person to walk alone.
Wen Jianyan was well aware of this.
And had long been accustomed to it.
“…”
Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the ring finger of his right hand.
A cold, heavy Ouroboros ring was biting at the base of his finger, which he was now thoughtfully turning—he didn’t know when it started, but whenever he was thinking, he would subconsciously turn it.
This was not a good habit.
Wen Jianyan flinched as if burned and abruptly let go.
Staring at the ring, Wen Jianyan showed a rare hint of hesitation.
Speaking of which…
In fact, he should have contacted Wu Zhu ages ago.
In the [Yuying Comprehensive University] instance, Wen Jianyan had keenly detected traces related to Wu Zhu. Moreover, based on the facts he had discovered in these instances, it was clear that Wu Zhu’s position in Nightmare was probably far more sensitive and crucial than he had previously imagined.
Although Wu Zhu still had no memory of before his awakening, his answers might still provide unexpected guidance.
These were all purely rational considerations.
According to this line of thought, Wen Jianyan should have done so as soon as the instance ended. But he had avoided this obvious correct answer and instead chose to play around and take a leisurely vacation.
“…”
Sigh.
Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but raise a hand to press his faintly aching forehead, sighing.
During this time, he had been deliberately avoiding thinking about this guy, trying to use time to drown out and dilute all details related to him.
But things didn’t go as he wished.
Even though so much time had passed, the feeling of the other’s lips pressing down, of his palm covering his eyes, was still too vivid. If he wasn’t careful, it felt like it would reappear the moment he closed his eyes.
The overwhelming sleepiness and the abrupt loneliness.
It made him feel very strange.
A kind of strange that made him uncomfortable all over just thinking about it.
It was as if… he knew something strange was quietly turning bad, but he didn’t know how to stop it, so he could only choose to avoid talking about it.
Recalling that incident now, Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but feel a hidden anger.
If Wu Zhu had just finished what he started back then, things wouldn’t be so complicated now, giving him a headache every time he thought about it.
And he could still be considered a god like that?
A limp-dick god, maybe.
To hell with him. He could just be a coward and die for all he cared.
Three hours later.
The pier.
Everyone arrived at the meeting point on time.
Wen Jianyan scanned the group.
The core members of the guild were basically all here.
Chen Mo, Wen Ya, Blond, Ji Guan, and as candidates for vice-president, Ma Qi, Chang Feiyu, and Kong Wei were also brought along.
A total of seven people.
This expense would not be small.
Before Wen Jianyan could feel a pang in his stomach, Chen Mo spoke first:
“So, where’s the cruise ship?”
Before the pier was a vast expanse of blue ocean. Although it was a sea created by Nightmare, it looked exactly like the sea in real life. The sea breeze carried a salty smell as it blew in their faces.
As far as the eye could see was an endless ocean connecting to the sky, and the rhythmic sound of waves could be heard.
Wen Jianyan came back to his senses: “What time is it?”
The others were taken aback.
Wen Ya lowered her head and glanced at her watch: “Two minutes to twelve.”
“Then it’s almost time,” Wen Jianyan said.
“?”
The few who had never been on a cruise ship were stunned, but Chang Feiyu smiled: “Indeed, it’s almost time.”
The hand pointed to twelve o’clock.
In that instant, as if an endless fog was broken through, the high sun in the sky suddenly dimmed, completely blocked by a behemoth that sailed into the harbor.
A shadow fell over them. The few people on the pier subconsciously looked up, so shocked by the steel giant before them that they almost forgot to breathe.
This was a massive ship that was almost impossible to exist in the real world. Its hull was long, and one could hardly see its end. On the snow-white hull, like waves, were large, gilded words.
[Lucky]
Wen Jianyan turned around in the shadow cast by the huge hull. The cold sea breeze lifted his hair and made his shirt flutter.
He smiled:
“Welcome, everyone, to the only sweet dream floating in Nightmare, the incomparably luxurious giant cruise ship—the Lucky!”
Amidst the deafening sound of the ship’s horn, Chang Feiyu pressed down on his hat and asked with a smile:
“What, has no one been on board to enjoy it before?”
Chen Mo’s face returned to its stone-like calm: “Yes, I’ve been too busy with work and haven’t found the time.”
Wen Jianyan’s heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, the next second, Chen Mo slowly turned his head, his deep gaze falling on Wen Jianyan:
“President, it seems you know this cruise ship very well.”
He said expressionlessly:
“How many times have you been here?”
Wen Jianyan: “…”
His previous bravado was swept away. He turned around like a quail and gave a couple of dry laughs: “Haha, why hasn’t the gangway been lowered yet? It’s so slow this time. I’m going to complain about them when I get on board…”
The gangway was not slow to be lowered.
A slender, white gangway extended bit by bit to the pier, like a landing bird, leading everyone up to the sky.
The group went up the gangway.
A waiter in a smart uniform stood at the end of the gangway, bowing politely: “Dear VIP guest, hello, and welcome to the Lucky cruise ship.”
No ticket inspection was needed. As long as one held a ticket, they could board directly and enjoy a luxurious experience that was absolutely impossible in the real world.
Led by an exclusive waiter, the group entered the ship’s cabin.
Behind them, the long gangway retracted, and the hull became white and smooth again, without a single flaw. With a sound of the horn, the huge cruise ship slowly started again, sailing towards the boundless ocean. It was soon swallowed by the misty water vapor. The steel monster that had just been so imposing disappeared over the ocean in the blink of an eye.
As if it had come this time just to pick them up.
The interior of the Lucky was as incomparably luxurious as its exterior suggested.
The floor was covered with a thick carpet of an unknown material, which absorbed all sounds. Walking on it was like stepping on clouds.
Perhaps because they had purchased VIP tickets, they didn’t see a single person along the way. It was quiet all the way.
Soon, the waiter led them to the first-class cabins.
“Hello, you have arrived at your room. Here is your room key.”
A total of seven people, so naturally seven rooms.
He bowed his head respectfully: “The specific layout of the Lucky cruise ship, as well as all the entertainment programs on board and my contact information have been sent to your mobile phone—if you need it, you can also find a paper version by the bedside—if you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me at any time. I will do my best to serve you and meet all your needs.”
After speaking, the waiter bowed deeply to them and turned to leave.
Ma Qi opened the door of one of the cabins, curiously poked her head in, and let out an undisguised exclamation of amazement.
“So big, so luxurious!”
She turned her head back in this awkward position, looking at Wen Jianyan with starry eyes:
“The president is the best person in the world!!”
Wen Jianyan nodded, accepting her praise without any shyness.
Wen Ya opened her phone and browsed the content the waiter had just mentioned. Even someone as calm as her couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows:
“Oh…”
Chang Feiyu introduced: “If you want to eat something, you can contact the private chef for first-class and have it delivered to your cabin, or you can go to the exclusive first-class dining area to eat. The stern is a casino, and there’s a pool party and a bar on the deck. Basically, any entertainment you can think of is available.”
Clearly, like Wen Jianyan, this was not his first time on the cruise ship.
“I’m going to the casino to play a few hands later,” Chang Feiyu stretched and looked at Wen Jianyan with a smile. “President, are you coming along?”
“No.”
Wen Jianyan refused flatly.
He did not like casinos.
He could even say he loathed them.
The atmosphere created by a casino was a demonic vortex called desire.
And the casinos in Nightmare were even more so.
Wen Jianyan had seen enough people in the real world go mad for it, until they lost everything and their families were destroyed. He had seen too much and understood too deeply, so he was always very wary of the existence of casinos.
Even the last time Wen Jianyan went into a casino, his purpose was to deal with the people inside, to subtly gather information, and absolutely not for any entertainment purpose.
“I’m going to the deck,” he pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere, perched them on his nose, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, looking for all the world like a lazy, dissolute young master. “Pool parties and bars are more my style.”
The others also decided where they wanted to go first. Chang Feiyu and Blond went to the casino, Ji Guan, Kong Wei, and Ma Qi went to eat, and Wen Ya went to the deck with Wen Jianyan.
At the side, Chen Mo was looking at his phone with a deep frown:
“I’ll stay in my room. I’ll join you guys later.”
His expression was gloomy, as if he was about to curse the entire ship in the next second. His voice was squeezed from between his teeth.
“…I have official business to attend to.”
Before the other could vent his anger on him, the guild president, the instigator of it all, shrewdly took two steps back and slipped away silently, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Chen Mo: “…”
I… want… to kill… someone.
On the deck.
Irregularly shaped azure pools were embedded in the deck, and elegantly designed bar counters were scattered about. Countless men and women were reveling here.
On the Lucky cruise ship, even a third-class ticket was expensive.
Every anchor who boarded knew their future well. They knew death could come tomorrow, so no matter how decadent, how indulgent the enjoyment, it was all rationalized. Countless desires were bred here.
Since they were already in Nightmare, why not indulge and have a brief, beautiful dream?
VIP exclusive area.
Wen Jianyan leaned lazily against the bar, holding a sky-blue cocktail.
He was wearing a very flashy shirt, unbuttoned to reveal a large expanse of his fair waist and abdomen. Loose-fitting beach shorts hung on his hips, and complex golden curse marks extended down from his side waist, finally disappearing into the fabric.
His posture was lax, and his clothes were very casual, but his face and figure were too outstanding. Even in the sparsely populated VIP lounge, there had already been several waves of people coming up to hit on him.
A tap on his shoulder.
Wen Jianyan, with sunglasses on his face, didn’t even bother to open his eyes: “Sorry, not interested in men, not interested in women, not interested in threesomes, not interested in playing ambiguously, and definitely not participating in group orgies.”
The other person fell silent, seemingly giving up.
A few seconds later, the sound of a chair being pulled out came from beside him.
A slightly hoarse, youthful voice sounded:
“Give me a drink like his.”
That voice…
Wen Jianyan had a bad feeling. He paused, raised his hand to lift his sunglasses, and turned his head to look in the direction the voice came from.
In the seat next to him sat an expressionless young boy. His hair, eyelashes, and skin were all a faded white; only his irises were a strange pitch black.
“!!”
The moment their eyes met, Wen Jianyan looked as if he had seen a ghost and nearly fell off his seat.
“Bai, Bai Xue?!”
He was dumbfounded: “You, how are you…”
Bai Xue took the blue cocktail that was shimmering with a strange light from the bartender’s hand, then turned his head, looking at Wen Jianyan with his usual indifference, and continued:
“Yes, I’m on board.”
He examined the strangely colored cocktail, and with extreme care and caution, took a small sip.
The next second, the boy’s face twisted almost immediately.
“Cough, cough cough!”
Bai Xue coughed a couple of times, put the cocktail back on the bar untouched, and then looked at Wen Jianyan.
“Orange Candy told me you were here.”
Wen Jianyan: “…”
He tightened his fingers, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
—Orange Candy!
“So,”
Bai Xue had already returned to his previous expressionless state, staring at Wen Jianyan with a pair of pitch-black eyes, the stubbornness in them was chillingly unsettling:
“Want to play cards?”
“I said last time, I will win.”
__
Author’s Note:
Orange Candy: Always ready to sell out Wen Jianyan
