WTNL Chapter 537

Thank you @Mari for the Kofi. (1/3)

Anchor Hall
Chapter 537: It’s a pleasure to work with you

With the familiar golden eyes gazing back at him, Wen Jianyan let out a sigh of relief.

Darkness enveloped their figures completely. Though it was formless, it clung to their skin like a fluid, creating a strange sense of restriction.

Seemingly sensing the disappearance of the unfamiliar presence within the cockpit, the footsteps outside the door abruptly paused, ceasing their approach.

“…”

Wen Jianyan held his breath involuntarily, his heart, which had just settled, leaping into his throat again.

Suddenly, a weight settled on his shoulder—Wu Zhu’s chin rested there. An icy nose tip brushed against the shell of his ear. The sudden weight and touch sent a jolt through Wen Jianyan, nearly making him jump.

He turned his head, shooting a warning glare at Wu Zhu.

But Wu Zhu seemed not to notice. Instead, he pushed his luck, extending an arm to encircle Wen Jianyan’s waist and pulling him closer into his embrace.

Their backs and chests pressed together, curves aligning perfectly without a single gap.

The darkness gathered even tighter, sealing off all scents and sounds.

Finally, the footsteps outside the cockpit rang out again.

This time, however, they turned away, fading into the distance until they were completely gone.

“Phew…”

Only then did Wen Jianyan finally exhale a long breath, the tense muscles all over his body relaxing bit by bit.

The darkness shielding his vision gradually dissipated.

Wen Jianyan looked toward the entrance. The cockpit door was shut tight, and outside was dead silence, with no further movement.

Still shaken, he couldn’t help but ask, “What… was that just now?”

“I don’t know.”

Wu Zhu shook his head.

Cold strands of hair brushed past his ear, causing Wen Jianyan to instinctively shrink his neck. He suddenly realized they were still in that intimate posture. Startled, he immediately broke free from Wu Zhu’s embrace.

Even though he had moved completely away, the sensation of the touch seemed to linger on the skin of his waist and back.

Wen Jianyan was secretly alarmed.

Not good.

I seem to be getting a little too used to this guy being close.

“Ha,” Wen Jianyan let out a short laugh, “Is there something even you don’t know?”

His face wore his habitual professional smile. Though his tone was intimate and familiar, it pushed people a thousand miles away.

“Of course.”

As if completely oblivious to the subtle shift in Wen Jianyan’s attitude, Wu Zhu lifted his head, looked around, and frowned slightly.

“My power here is limited.”

“…”

Wen Jianyan frowned.

Power is limited, huh…

“Anyway, I probably know the reason,” Wen Jianyan raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. “This ship… is soon going to become an instance.”

He slowly exhaled.

“The core of the Lucky Cruise Ship is the casino. The money gamblers lose in the casino becomes the fuel driving the ship forward. In other words, as long as the casino keeps operating like this, the ship will soon sail out of the Anchor Space.”

“Once it sails out, the instance will be formed.”

Wen Jianyan’s expression was grim.

“The true reason Nightmare is hosting a reality show is likely for this exact purpose.”

Back in the [Xingwang Hotel] instance, he had already realized that the audience’s existence was crucial to the Nightmare Live Stream—they were the observers.

Only when observers exist do the observed objects exist.

This is the prerequisite for the live stream’s operation.

Therefore, the reason Nightmare needed to introduce a “reality show” into the Anchor Space was to introduce observers and create a new instance under their gaze.

Even worse…

This would be a brand-new instance that had never appeared in the live stream before, and no Anchor had ever entered.

That meant there would be no hints, no precedents. All previous experience might be invalid, and any out-of-control situation could occur.

Having figured out all the connections, Wen Jianyan felt a chill run down his spine.

He had thought that by not entering instances anymore, he could stop Nightmare from targeting him. But now it seemed…

He was wrong.

To achieve its goal, Nightmare would go so far as to create an instance within the Anchor Space, just to drag him in.

Its malice was simply heinous.

“…So that’s how it is.”

Wu Zhu spoke then, his voice pulling Wen Jianyan out of his thoughts.

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath. “Anyway, this ship might undergo some unpredictable changes. You’d better not…”

“Ask for my help.”

Wu Zhu said.

“?”

Interrupted, Wen Jianyan paused, instinctively looking up at Wu Zhu.

…What?

In the darkness, the other’s face wasn’t very clear, only a pair of burning golden eyes were visible.

Then, the other spoke again:

“Ask for my help.”

Wen Jianyan frowned.

“I don’t…”

But before he could finish, the other suddenly leaned in. In the dim light, darkness abruptly blocked his vision.

Wu Zhu pinched Wen Jianyan’s chin and planted a solid kiss on his lips.

“Fine.”

Before Wen Jianyan could react, Wu Zhu had already pulled back, his golden eyes narrowing slightly.

“I agree.”

Why is this guy talking to himself?!

Wen Jianyan stood frozen, staring at Wu Zhu for two seconds before anger flared. But for a moment, he didn’t know what to be angry about. “You, you—”

“Deposit.”

Wu Zhu said.

The darkness surged, gradually swallowing his tall figure.

“After it’s over, I’ll come to collect the rest of the payment.”

His voice was low, carrying a hint of a smile that wasn’t obvious.

“…My help isn’t cheap.”

*

Not knowing if the footsteps would return, Wen Jianyan dared not stay long. After Wu Zhu left, he also exited the cockpit as quickly as possible.

Soon, he was standing in the brightly lit corridor, retracing his steps at top speed.

As he hurried forward, Wen Jianyan sent a message to his team members.

【Emergency assembly.】

The instance was taking shape. The safest and most conservative solution was to leave before it formed—but this was tricky. To decipher the pitch-black box obtained from the [Yuying Comprehensive University] instance, Wen Jianyan had to attend this auction. If he missed this chance, he might not get another.

Then it would be best to persuade everyone else except him to get off the ship…

So, to achieve this goal, what should he do?

Threats? Lies?

For the old members, these methods didn’t seem effective enough…

When Wen Jianyan returned to the cabin area, he ran into Chen Mo and Chang Feiyu, who were rushing back from outside, as well as Ji Guan and the others coming out of their cabins.

“What happened?” Seeing the hurried group, Ji Guan looked surprised. “Is it that urgent?”

Wen Jianyan panted.

“Let’s talk inside.”

Chen Mo: “…”

Although he didn’t know why his room had become the meeting place for everyone, he still took out his key and silently opened the cabin door.

The group walked in.

Wen Jianyan looked around. Basically everyone was there. The only one missing was Wen Ya—but she had already messaged him earlier. As the female companion of the protagonist of tonight’s banquet, she obviously couldn’t leave as freely as they could.

He composed himself and got straight to the point. “You all get off the ship tonight.”

“…?”

At these words, everyone present was stunned.

Ji Guan frowned. “Didn’t we discuss this before? —We’re not getting off the ship.”

“I know,” Wen Jianyan nodded. “But there are new variables now.”

He looked at the crowd before him, took a deep breath, and said slowly, “I suspect this ship is gradually turning into a new instance.”

“What—?!”

Hearing this, everyone present was shocked.

Chang Feiyu furrowed his brows. “Wait a minute, Guild Master, are you sure?”

A cruise ship inside the Anchor Space turning into a new instance? …This was too sensational. Even though they had experienced many storms, it was hard to imagine such a thing happening.

“Seventy or eighty percent,” Wen Jianyan pinched the bridge of his nose and said.

This number was even a bit conservative.

Based on the various anomalies on the ship and his understanding of Nightmare’s style, Wen Jianyan was actually ninety percent sure.

Suddenly, the entire cabin fell silent.

Dead silence descended, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.

Clearly, everyone present knew the weight of “seventy or eighty percent”—especially coming from Wen Jianyan.

His judgment had always been terrifyingly accurate, proven countless times in previous instances.

Finally, someone broke the silence.

Ji Guan’s attitude was agitated. “If what you say is true, then we absolutely can’t get off the ship!”

“If this ship really becomes an instance, do you think we’d leave you to survive alone?” His expression was gloomy. “What kind of people do you take us for?”

Blond nodded in agreement.

“Besides… didn’t Vice Guild Master Chen say earlier?” he whispered. “We won’t be safe even if we get off. It’s better to stay together for a better chance of winning.”

This time, Wen Jianyan shook his head. “No, unfortunately, the situation has changed.”

If this were the Anchor Hall, that theory would naturally apply. But once this ship completely turned into an instance, all those previous conclusions would be void.

In an instance, any dangerous situation could occur.

—Especially since Nightmare had a prior record of this.

“But you don’t need to worry too much about me. I talked to Dan Zhu earlier. As a VIP guest invited to the auction, I have certain immunities on this ship, but you might not,” Wen Jianyan looked at everyone seriously, enunciating each word. “So, get off the ship. Please.”

Ji Guan: “No—”

But before he could finish, Chen Mo interrupted him. “The Guild Master is right.”

Everyone froze and turned to look at him.

Chen Mo stood to the side and said slowly:

“If things are really as the Guild Master says, then getting off the ship might be the wisest choice for us.”

Ji Guan glared at him. “What?”

“You didn’t go to the banquet, you don’t know,” Chen Mo’s voice remained calm and rational. “There are too many high-level Anchors on this ship.”

“If this ship really becomes an instance, the difficulty will be at least S, maybe even SS. Even the legendary SSS isn’t impossible.”

He took a deep breath.

“With our abilities, we probably aren’t enough to handle this type of instance. Rather than staying and causing trouble, it’s better to leave early.”

Ji Guan: “So we leave the Guild Master to face it alone?”

“You make it sound so noble,” he sneered. “But aren’t you just acting like a coward?”

The smell of gunpowder in the room suddenly escalated.

The newcomers watched their noses and hearts, trying not to get caught in the crossfire.

“Um…”

Suddenly, Chang Feiyu spoke up cautiously.

Instantly, all eyes in the room turned to him.

“Cough, although it doesn’t seem like my place to butt in, but…” Chang Feiyu cleared his throat and said carefully, “Have you looked at the Lucky Cruise Ship’s disembarkation application interface?”

Hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Right, to leave the Lucky Cruise Ship, one had to submit a disembarkation application. Generally, the application would be answered within three hours, and then it would take them back to the pier just like it picked them up.

They glanced at each other, took out their phones, and opened the disembarkation application interface.

“Ah!” Maggie exclaimed. “What’s going on?”

On the disembarkation application interface, a small line of red text was prominently displayed.

【Application will be answered within 24 hours】

…24 hours.

Staring at the extra line of text, Wen Jianyan’s face darkened slightly.

Bad news.

However, it wasn’t necessarily Nightmare’s scheme—after all, if it were its doing, it could have completely closed the application window.

According to the information Wen Jianyan saw in the cockpit, after nearly four days of heavy gambling by everyone on board, the mileage had accumulated to a terrifying number. Even if they hadn’t completely left the Anchor Hall yet, they had sailed very far. In this situation, returning Anchors to the pier would definitely take longer than before.

24 hours – would it be in time?

Wen Jianyan wasn’t sure.

He turned to look out the window. It was completely dark outside. Thick, ink-like blackness shrouded everything outside the ship, and the vast unknown was suffocating.

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and turned to everyone. “Whether we can make it or not, apply first.”

Ji Guan: “But…”

“No buts,” Wen Jianyan’s voice was cold. “Or do you want to be removed from my guild?”

Even though he was reluctant, Ji Guan lowered his head in frustration and clicked the disembarkation application.

The others did the same.

Although everyone followed his instructions, Wen Jianyan didn’t feel the slightest bit relaxed—no matter what, 24 hours was too long.

Under Nightmare’s deliberate catalysis, the Anchors on the ship would only gamble more and more… Wen Jianyan could control his own people not to gamble, but could he control the whole ship?

The answer was naturally no.

Moreover, the application would only be processed after 24 hours. What about after it was processed? Would it be approved?

It was still an unknown.

Wen Jianyan raised his hand and pressed it against his cold forehead.

Unconsciously, Su Cheng’s prophecy at the banquet echoed in his mind.

—”You can no longer stop it.”

Damn it.

Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

Just as the atmosphere in the cabin dropped to freezing point, there was a knock on the door. Chen Mo walked over and silently opened it.

It was Wen Ya.

The banquet was over, so naturally, she had returned.

As soon as she entered, Wen Ya keenly sensed the oppressive atmosphere in the room. She looked around and frowned.

“What happened?”

In brief words, Chen Mo recounted what had just happened.

The more she listened, the graver Wen Ya’s expression became.

As a veteran Anchor, she naturally knew exactly what these conclusions represented and gradually realized why the atmosphere in the room was so gloomy.

After listening to Chen Mo’s account, Wen Ya took a deep breath. “…I think I understand.”

“I don’t know if it will help, but—”

Wen Ya paused, looking at Wen Jianyan. “Before leaving the banquet, Su Cheng gave me this.”

…What?

Now, Wen Jianyan was stunned.

Wen Ya walked up and handed a napkin to Wen Jianyan—it was the same kind he had used to write down the prophecy at the banquet.

Wen Jianyan paused, then reached out to take the napkin.

On it was a stick figure drawn with very sloppy strokes.

…A scythe.

Wen Ya: “I checked it, there’s only this on it, nothing else. He didn’t say anything either. I didn’t know what it meant, so I just brought it back.”

Wen Jianyan stared at the stick figure on the napkin. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck his mind, and a figure instantly crossed his thoughts.

A well-dressed, handsome man with cunning fox eyes. Wen Jianyan had witnessed his talent with his own eyes in the last instance—it was a huge Grim Reaper’s scythe.

…Ah.

Suddenly, some previously ignored clues connected in his mind. Wen Jianyan’s eyes widened slightly, and he abruptly stood up from his seat.

“?!” His sudden movement startled everyone present.

“W-what’s wrong?” Blond stammered.

“I think… I have a way.”

Wen Jianyan said slowly.

Hearing this, everyone was stunned.

“The success rate isn’t high,” Wen Jianyan raised his eyes to look at the crowd. “But… maybe it’s worth a try.”

Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but get excited.

“Do you need us to do anything?” Chen Mo asked.

Wen Jianyan: “Not for now.”

He stood up. “Alright, everyone rest for tonight. I’ll notify you when I have news.”

With that, Wen Jianyan hurriedly left the cabin.

“…”

Watching his retreating back, the group looked at each other in confusion.

What’s the situation?

*

Wen Jianyan returned to his own cabin.

He hesitated, but finally reached out and pulled the business card from yesterday’s coat pocket.

It hadn’t changed since the last time he saw it. The surface was empty, with only small golden English letters engraved in the corner—Sylock.

On the back of the card was contact information.

Wen Jianyan picked up the card and examined it against the light.

Soon, he took a deep breath, took out his phone, and after a brief contemplation, sent a message to the other party.

The message wasn’t replied to immediately.

Wen Jianyan knew that all he could do now was wait.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark, combing through his thoughts over and over in his mind, like a seasoned gem cutter patiently polishing every step.

Is it feasible?

If it is, what can be done to increase the success rate?

What if it fails?

What’s the backup plan?

If the Figaro route doesn’t work, then…

Lying in the dark, Wen Jianyan reflexively pursed his lips.

Even though some time had passed, the sensation on his lips was still vivid. The memory became clear and alive again with his movement.

Wen Jianyan frowned, stopping his current behavior almost immediately.

Clearly, they had done things far more excessive before, but… for some reason, this current state made him feel irritated and restless.

…No need to care too much.

Wen Jianyan told himself.

Based on his performance facing the portrait on the negative seventh floor, it was obvious that this ship had a deep connection with him. To achieve his own goals, Wu Zhu would definitely continue to stay on the ship.

From any angle, his help was just a convenient move.

No need to hold any hope for this, let alone get wrapped up in this guy’s logic.

Wen Jianyan frowned. He sat up and annoyedly felt under his pillow.

The magazine was still there.

—Really strange.

Wen Jianyan wiped his face, expressionless, secretly making up his mind.

No matter what, this kind of thing absolutely cannot happen again.

Suddenly, the phone by the pillow buzzed twice, breaking the silence in the room and pulling Wen Jianyan out of his thoughts.

It’s here.

His heart sank, and he grabbed the phone.

The lit screen displayed a message from the mercenary.

【Figaro: See you at the bar.】

Attached was a location.

Wen Jianyan stood up and left the cabin.

Soon, he arrived at the location sent by the other party.

This was the bar in the first-class lounge area. The environment was very quiet. Whether it was because there were too few people in first class or because all the Anchors had been absorbed into the casino, few people were walking around. Only melodious music flowed quietly in the air.

Walking into the bar, Wen Jianyan spotted Figaro sitting not far away at a glance.

Figaro sat upright by the porthole, wearing an ochre suit, holding a long-handled cane topped with red agate. A handkerchief of the same color was tucked in his pocket. Even though he was in a bar, a cup of coffee was placed in front of him.

He narrowed his long, thin eyes slightly, his gaze landing on Wen Jianyan.

Wen Jianyan walked over and sat directly opposite him.

“Good evening,” Figaro smiled. “What, you didn’t attend the celebration banquet? Or did you leave early?”

He looked at Wen Jianyan and said pleasantly, “The espresso here is quite good. Want some?”

Unfortunately, Wen Jianyan had no interest in Figaro’s pleasantries.

He got straight to the point:

“I have a commission for you.”

“…So direct?” Figaro was surprised.

Wen Jianyan put on a fake smile. “Time is tight, after all.”

Every minute and second they spoke, the casino was running. Being in this vortex, even normal people would become crazier. The mileage was increasing at a speed he couldn’t calculate. Wasting one more minute meant reducing the chance of survival.

“Alright then.”

Figaro sighed.

He leaned forward slightly, sitting up straight. Although the smile on his face didn’t change, his aura seemed to undergo a drastic change—it was the bloody look only a mercenary would show:

“Please speak.”

“I want to go to the second floor of the casino,” Wen Jianyan said calmly.

“Hmm?” Genuine confusion appeared on Figaro’s face. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Fine,” Wen Jianyan leaned back slightly, his posture lazy and relaxed. He chuckled, “Let me rephrase… I want to see the owner of the casino.”

“…”

The air fell silent for a moment, with only the faint music flowing in the background.

The innocent smile on Figaro’s face gradually disappeared. He narrowed his cunning fox eyes; his face was rarely expressionless.

Wen Jianyan smiled and met his gaze, letting the other party scrutinize him.

Exactly.

The owner of the casino.

At that time, Bai Xue said someone upstairs was watching him.

Wen Jianyan didn’t understand what Bai Xue meant at the time—the second floor of the casino was covered by glass that blocked vision. Anything could be inside. After all, with big clients like Dan Zhu, there might be some private, high-end occasion only for VIPs.

—Until this afternoon.

When Wen Jianyan was playing Blackjack at the table, someone stopped the dealer from dealing.

It couldn’t be Nightmare.

Nightmare’s methods were more recognizable. It was better at restricting Anchors by adding rules or issuing missions, rather than directly stopping the dealer and asking him to leave.

Wen Jianyan considered himself relatively familiar with dealers.

And the other party’s performance at that time was something he could say he was very familiar with.

It was just like in the real world, when management noticed a gambler’s ill intentions through surveillance and remotely issued instructions to the staff.

Only after connecting all this did Wen Jianyan finally realize what this meant.

The footsteps wandering outside the cockpit, the eerie waiters underground, Karl Bell outside the auction venue…

All signs indicated that between the ordinary gamblers and the Nightmare controlling the entire Anchor Hall, there might be a hidden power class—just like the hidden second floor of the casino that only appeared after boarding—and they controlled the entire casino.

Or, the entire cruise ship?

When the cruise ship was just a cruise ship, they were almost imperceptible to ordinary passengers, but they definitely existed.

And precisely because of this, this cruise ship could turn into a new instance.

In the live stream, every instance has a blueprint. If this were just an ordinary yacht, even Nightmare couldn’t create an instance out of thin air.

“But, what makes you think I have this ability?” Figaro smiled again.

This time, he didn’t deny the existence of the second floor or the casino owner.

This was a conversation between smart people. Playing dumb any longer would be a bit rude.

—Because your former subordinate sold you out.

Wen Jianyan didn’t say this out loud. Instead, he took the business card from his pocket and threw it on the table.

Without Chang Feiyu, he definitely wouldn’t have known that Figaro was so closely connected to the underground auction, not just as a customer, but even as one of the suppliers.

However, what truly confirmed for Wen Jianyan that Figaro had a deep relationship with the upper echelons of the casino and the cruise ship was another small detail.

“Your contact information.”

Wen Jianyan tapped the table lightly with his fingertip, his light-colored eyes narrowing, looking like the deep sea under the light.

“It’s the same Yin script as on the underground auction invitation.”

Just a different engraving style meant nothing. But combined with Chang Feiyu’s information and Su Cheng’s prophecy…

Everything was understood without being said.

Figaro’s gaze landed on the business card, and he suddenly laughed. “Oh my.”

He raised his hands, sighing in a theatrical tone:

“You caught me.”

Wen Jianyan stared at him, no longer hiding the oppression in his eyes:

“My commission—do you accept it?”

Figaro studied him intently for a long time. Finally, he smiled slowly:

“Of course.”

The fox-eyed man stood up, dusted off imaginary dust from his clothes, and smiled as he extended a hand to Wen Jianyan:

“Pleasure doing business with you, my employer.”

“Don’t forget.”

Wen Jianyan shook his hand and said very seriously:

“First order gets a 20% discount.”

Figaro: “…Fine.”

*

At this moment, somewhere in the first-class cabin.

The Gentleman sat with his legs crossed on the balcony.

He gazed at the ink-black sea before him, leisurely sipping the red wine in his glass, letting the cold sea wind blow his coat and hair, his expression peaceful.

The sky and the sea had completely merged into one, becoming a dense blackness with no distinguishable boundary. Among the waves near the hull, pale faces lying underwater could be vaguely seen from time to time.

This scene was so eerie that just one look would make one feel uneasy.

But the Gentleman sipped his wine, seemingly turning a blind eye to it.

Knock knock. The door was tapped gently.

Gentleman: “Come in.”

The door opened, and Su Cheng walked in from outside, wrapped in a chill.

He was still wearing the suit from the banquet; only his hair was slightly messed up by the wind.

“Back a bit late,” the Gentleman smiled at him. “Were you delayed by something?”

“No.”

Su Cheng clearly didn’t want to say much about it.

He walked onto the balcony and leaned against the open glass door. The trace of emotion revealed at the banquet had completely disappeared. His dark eyes were lowered, and his face had no extra expression.

“I’m still a bit surprised.” the Gentleman took a sip of red wine, narrowing his eyes. “The one who ended up being tenth was that Chen Cheng from Eternal Day, not you.”

He looked at Su Cheng with a smile, like a venomous snake revealing its fangs from under a proper human skin. “After all, you had the full support of the Oracle.”

Su Cheng answered calmly as always: “Can’t be helped; I was just less skilled.”

“Forget it; the ranking isn’t low anyway.”

The Gentleman shrugged and didn’t pursue it further.

“And that kid from Eternal Day is indeed quite strong… just a bit of a pity.”

He drained the wine in his glass and stood up to leave the balcony.

“So, how’s the progress tonight?” The Gentleman walked into the room and looked at Su Cheng: “Is the clue in your former guild master’s hands?”

Su Cheng looked up, his dark eyes meeting the Gentleman’s, and slowly hummed, “Mhm.”

“Of course.”

–

Author’s Note:
Wen Jianyan (pulling out the 20% discount card): Only a bastard wouldn’t take advantage of a bargain

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