Changsheng Building
Chapter 658: Pinocchio’s greatest skill is lying
Everything began with a single glance.
One person turned their head, making brief eye contact with another, and everything happened in a flash.
…Bad!
The thought flashed through Gentleman’s mind.
Although he didn’t know the full cause and effect, his intuition couldn’t lie, and his body moved even before his thoughts.
“Ahhhhhhhhh—” Accompanied by the sharp sound of bones snapping, a shrill scream pierced the darkness.
The person closest to Gentleman fell to the ground the moment they made their move, their leg bent at a gruesome angle in the opposite direction.
Strictly speaking, Gentleman’s reaction was fast enough.
It was an instinct honed in life-and-death situations, sufficient to turn the tide in any other scenario—unfortunately… standing opposite him were not enemies, but teammates he had spent day and night with, who knew him intimately.
They had followed Gentleman for too long. Because of this, they knew all too well Gentleman’s dominance in PVP and the terrifying nature of his talent. A frontal confrontation offered absolutely no chance of victory. That was why their target wasn’t Gentleman himself, but the oil lamp behind the counter.
Even with one man down, they gritted their teeth and executed their plan without hesitation—having made their move, there was no turning back!
Success or death!!
If Gentleman didn’t die here, they would be the ones to die!!
And Gentleman was too late to defend.
The thick smell of blood spread through the shop. Almost simultaneously, with a soft “hiss,” the wick of the oil lamp extinguished.
Without the light source, endless darkness descended.
Having lost the lamp’s protection, the surrounding air instantly became piercingly cold. The darkness, which had been docile and harmless while hovering outside the lit area, seemed to come alive the moment the lamp went out, rushing forward with overwhelming malice.
Gentleman’s heart tightened, and his steps faltered abruptly.
He felt his exposed skin rapidly cooling; the threat of death became incredibly real at that moment.
Not far away, accompanied by the shaking of a copper bell, a voice that seemed half-guilty, half-vicious rang out:
“Vice President, we had no choice… I’m sorry.”
A strange red dot lit up in the darkness, like an evil eye suddenly opening.
The red light traced a parabola in the air, landing squarely behind the counter—it was a half-burnt red candle.
The appearance of the red candlelight was like a drop of cold water falling into boiling oil. In the darkness, all supernatural forces instantly surged. The entire shop was awakening. In the shadowy corners, inside the picture frames, pale faces slowly turned. The crimson frames became richer in color, looking like dripping fresh blood.
“?!”
Almost the instant he saw the red light, Gentleman guessed what they had thrown.
That ghost-attracting red candle!!
—How dare they?!
Gentleman’s eyes nearly split with rage.
Behind him came the sound of cold footsteps.
The customer hadn’t left the shop yet!
Gentleman clenched his teeth, tasting iron deep in his throat. But no matter how much he wanted to make those betrayers pay, right now, he was forced to retreat—he knew the window for pursuit had closed. All he could do now was immediately retreat behind the counter, extinguish the red candle, and relight the oil lamp!
The heat in the live broadcast room had ignited. The number of online viewers skyrocketed, with countless bullet comments flooding the screen.
“Holy shit!”
“Holy shit!”
“Those Oracle guys actually dared! They actually dared!”
“More than that, I’m surprised they waited until now to act. Although I like Gentleman, his danger doesn’t distinguish between friend and foe. Being friends with him is like asking a tiger for its skin.”
“You have to give something up to get something. To get Oracle’s protection, there’s always a price. Gentleman doesn’t enter instances often, and the guild has plenty of resident prophets. There’s a reason so many people fight to get in, you know?”
In the darkness, endless terror expanded.
The air was filled with ghostly aura, stiff footsteps echoed and lingered. The entire shop was like a ghost realm; almost no one could survive in such an environment.
However…
After a long, long three minutes, a cluster of gray-white light flickered from behind the counter. Then, dim light spread out, barely covering a small, narrow area.
The “customer’s” footsteps were abruptly halted just a step away. A pale hand covered in corpse spots hung in the darkness, seeming ready to lift at any moment.
Gentleman panted rapidly, his pale face covered in cold sweat. He stared deathly at the darkness in front of him. His hair, usually meticulous no matter the situation, was now messy, making him look extremely bedraggled.
One second… two seconds… three seconds…
The invisible standoff was finally broken at the fifth second.
The pitch-black toes began to retreat, and that pale hand slowly faded, finally disappearing into the darkness.
“Ding-ling!”
As the footsteps moved away, the copper bell rang again. The shop door opened and closed—the customer had left.
As the light brightened, the heat in the live broadcast room surged to another small peak.
[Holy! Crap!]
[He actually survived! That is genuinely impressive…]
[Amazing. Just from an individual perspective, Gentleman’s strength is undeniable. No wonder others are scared to death of him.]
[As expected of a Nightmare Top Ten! As expected of Oracle’s Vice President! Besides ‘awesome,’ I really have nothing to say!]
[But I have to say… their strategy was pretty successful. Knowing they couldn’t beat Gentleman in PVP, they used this instance’s unique extreme PVE to control him. Of course, the only miscalculation was that Gentleman could actually survive this extreme state… Tsk tsk, when this instance ends and Gentleman returns alive to Oracle, those who dared to pull tricks are finished!]
“…”
Gentleman swayed slightly, forced to support himself on the counter with both hands, veins bulging on the back of his hands from the effort. It seemed only this way could he keep from collapsing from exhaustion.
Indeed, he had survived under such extreme conditions.
But that didn’t mean it was easy.
He had used almost every trump card, ability, and item available to him at that moment, doing everything possible just to barely escape the reaper’s grasp.
Gentleman took deep breaths.
He admitted, he had been careless this time.
He completely hadn’t expected those bitches, stupid as pigs and supposedly obedient to him, to actually dare betray him and try to kill him.
Due to certain specific reasons, since the Lucky Cruise instance, he had been irritable and restless, unable to focus even after entering the instance. But now, he had to say, thanks to those people…
His state was completely restored.
Gentleman raised his hand, tidying his messy hair and collar.
Now, he finally remembered why the name of the instance [Changsheng Building] sounded so familiar… It was precisely the instance Pinocchio had previously cleared. He had even lost a subordinate here—though he forgot the man’s name, he was at least the useful kind, and that was enough.
In his gradually cooling mind, everything that had happened in the past linked up clearly.
First, Dark Fire must play a very key role here.
This likely had little to do with Dark Fire’s president, Yelin. Given his intelligence network, that guy hadn’t returned yet.
Then it must be Qi Qian.
That guy who was very close to Pinocchio.
As for how he entered this specific instance, it was probably White Snow’s doing—in the entire Nightmare, he was the only one capable of using his talent to interfere with fate within the anchor hall.
And Orange Candy. Although he hadn’t seen signs of her acting in here, knowing her, she probably wasn’t uninvolved either.
As for Pinocchio… He had indeed thought wrong at the beginning. He had assumed the other party entered as a instance participant, so he thought Pinocchio would use a disguise to blend into the team—but once he realized this was a instance the other had platinum-cleared, and thought everything through, he quickly reached a different conclusion:
Although he didn’t know the reason, Pinocchio was likely manipulating this instance from a perspective similar to God’s view.
In that case, it was only logical that his subordinates, who had always been obedient without complaint, would suddenly mutiny.
Gentleman sneered.
But it didn’t matter.
Once he left this instance, he would naturally make everyone pay the price.
In just a few dozen seconds, he had tidied his messy hair and clothes. His previous disheveled state seemed like a fleeting moment, leaving no trace.
Gentleman raised his head. On that handsome face, almost rigid in its correctness, a smile slowly appeared, though there was no humor in his eyes. He bowed deeply to the darkness in front of him and said:
“I admit, you won this time.”
“However, things have reached this point; are you still unwilling to come out and chat with me?”
Seeing him speak to the air, the viewers in the live broadcast room were stunned.
“…Huh?”
“No, who is he talking to?”
“I just had a very terrifying thought… Gentleman’s guess can’t be true, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. How did Oracle’s people get those red and white candles? They never went to the fifth floor of Changsheng Building. And that red-clothed female corpse that inexplicably disappeared… if I remember correctly, she should be the core of this instance, right? But there hasn’t been a trace of her until now.”
“Wait… Pinocchio is really in this instance? You’re kidding, right?”
Discussions buzzed in the live broadcast room, with countless guesses flooding the screen.
“Ding-ling!”
The brass bell rang again.
The dirty glass door was pushed open from the outside, but the familiar darkness didn’t spread in with it. Instead, a slender figure familiar to everyone replaced it.
The young man wore a nonchalant smile, hands in his pockets, strolling into the shop as if taking a leisurely walk. He didn’t look like he was walking in a danger-filled instance, but rather like he was strolling through an ordinary shopping mall.
It was undoubtedly Pinocchio, who had been missing for several instances.
Instantly, the entire live broadcast room exploded. The number of online viewers shot up, jumping to first place on the online rankings within seconds! Countless bullet comments swept across the screen, so dense they were unreadable.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Impossible, right? My eyes aren’t playing tricks on me! Pinocchio! It’s really Pinocchio!”
“Ahhhhhhhh oh my god what is this situation!!”
“Holy shiiiit! How long has it been since his live room opened!! I thought he died on that ship!!!”
“Long time no see.”
Wen Jianyan greeted with a beaming smile.
“Indeed,” Gentleman wore a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, a cold expression flickering in their depths. “Not seeing you for so long, and you send me such a big gift directly—collaborating with Dark Fire, inciting all my subordinates against me. You really have good methods.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Wen Jianyan blinked, revealing a slightly surprised expression.
“But how do I remember… these are all things you’ve done?”
Hiring Orange Candy.
inciting Su Cheng to turn against him.
Everything that happened in this instance was something Gentleman had personally done before.
He ruthlessly killed and used every teammate, so his teammates returned the favor in the same way.
He sent Mu Sen to use items in Changsheng Building to interfere with Wen Jianyan’s luck, so Wen Jianyan used the same method to control and filter the information Gentleman could get in this instance, guiding him to make wrong judgments.
First floor, second floor, third floor.
Every event, every crisis that happened here was something Wen Jianyan had personally experienced, struggled through, and escaped from.
“Me,” Wen Jianyan bowed slightly, his smile deepening, “I’m just learning from the best teacher.”
Given his understanding of this instance and Wu Zhu’s combat power, they were enough to walk sideways in this “semi-finished” instance. But Wen Jianyan didn’t do that. On the contrary, he chose to hide in the dark, forcing Gentleman into a dead corner step by step. There were very important reasons he chose such a roundabout way to deal with Gentleman.
First, because Wen Jianyan was really good at this.
Second, Wu Zhu hadn’t recovered. If he entered the camera frame, he was very likely to be captured by Nightmare using the same means as in the [Lucky Cruise] instance.
And the last point…
It was because Wen Jianyan was a very, very vindictive person.
If he didn’t give the person a taste of their own medicine, what was the point of revenge?
He walked step by step toward the counter, stopping in front of it, and chuckled lightly:
“Alright, now… I want to buy something.”
“…Oh?” Gentleman stared fixedly at him, the expression in his eyes shifting unpredictably.
“A sheet of human skin paper.” Like any customer browsing a mall, Wen Jianyan made his request in an airy tone. “A sheet of human skin paper that can answer all questions.”
Gentleman wore a fake smile: “Then, what price are you willing to pay?”
Wen Jianyan tilted his head, seeming to think: “Hmm…”
Soon, he seemed to think of something and smiled again:
“How about your life?”
The smile on Gentleman’s face disappeared. He stared expressionlessly at Wen Jianyan. Inside the shop, the air seemed to fall into a lasting stagnation. That gaze, which could terrify other Oracle members, seemed ineffective on Wen Jianyan. He just smiled lazily, allowing the other to scrutinize him.
“Trying to use your talent, right?” The young man’s light-colored eyes flickered in the dim light, seeming to possess a terrifying insight capable of seeing through people’s hearts.
“…!”
Although Gentleman remained composed on the surface, his heart skipped a beat.
—Wen Jianyan guessed right.
Gentleman’s talent was manipulation.
Relying on such a terrifying talent targeted at other humans, he possessed dominant strength in PVP, almost unrivaled. But he wasn’t as adept at instance puzzle-solving. In this aspect, Pinocchio was his opposite; he was like a fish in water when facing instances, but always appeared weak when it came to frontal combat.
In the Xingwang Hotel, he had used his talent to control all of the other’s teammates, forcing him to finally agree to the conditions he proposed.
But now…
The talent he took pride in had failed.
According to usual experience, Pinocchio should have been obedient to him now, powerless to fight back. However, the manipulation threads formed by his willpower disappeared without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea.
Gentleman had to scrutinize the other with increasingly wary eyes.
No wonder the other dared to face him alone this time…
The light became dimmer, falling on the other person. Half his face was almost submerged in darkness, appearing even more unfathomable.
In the unseen world, Gentleman felt something was slipping out of control.
The benefits brought by that human skin paper were no longer enough.
But even so, Gentleman was still unwilling to hand it over easily—he knew that something Pinocchio put so much effort into obtaining must have its unique use. Even if his own usage conditions became very harsh, he still didn’t wish for Pinocchio to get it.
There was still one way to break the deadlock…
Gentleman raised his eyes, his gaze falling into deep space. Like every time before, his lips moved, seeming to recite some unique code.
Before the Lucky Cruise capsized, he and his squad had left this way.
He offered faith, service, and loyalty to Nightmare, and Nightmare would offer him protection in return.
This rule-breaking method naturally wasn’t without limits, but so far, Gentleman had only used it sparingly once or twice. At least this time, he believed it was completely appropriate—although he wasn’t dead, his means were basically exhausted. This instance was a team instance, and after all his teammates left, even he would find it hard to continue advancing. As long as he left the instance now, he could not only survive successfully again but also block Pinocchio’s plan in one fell swoop. It was simply huge profit with small capital.
However, there was dead silence in his ears.
“…”
This time, Nightmare did not respond.
Gentleman was stunned.
This time, he really panicked a little.
Not just because he couldn’t change the status quo, but because of Nightmare’s unprecedented neglect and silence… Why?
Why why why?
Intense fear and chaos descended on his mind. Gentleman felt his mind was a mess. The voice he heard on the second floor of the instance seemed to ring in his ears again.
He will never give what belongs to you to those unbelievers, nor turn a blind eye to you—right?
Right?
“Hey.”
A voice woke Gentleman from his own world.
Gentleman jolted, discovering Wen Jianyan had approached at some point. His body leaned forward slightly, those captivating eyes close at hand, carrying a chilling indifference. Slender, lean fingers tapped the counter, making a “clack clack” sound.
“I’m talking to you.”
He said.
“Don’t space out.”
For the first time, Gentleman felt an intense oppression from the other person that almost made it hard to breathe.
He even had to step back half a pace to avoid the brunt of it.
“I don’t have much patience. You’d better make a decision quickly.”
Wen Jianyan wore a smile.
“I’ll count down three seconds. If you’re still unwilling, the deal is off.”
“Three.”
He held up three fingers, nails round and fingers slender.
“Two.”
One finger went down.
“One—”
Before the last finger folded, Gentleman’s suppressed, almost suffocated voice finally sounded:
“……Deal.”
Wen Jianyan smiled: “Good.”
Gentleman’s complexion was terribly poor. There was no blood in his face, his eyes filled with chaos and gloom, seemingly not yet recovered from the fact that Nightmare had truly abandoned him. He stiffly extended his hand, placed the human skin paper on the table, and pushed it toward Wen Jianyan across the counter.
Wen Jianyan took the human skin paper, checked it briefly, and after confirming there were no issues, put it away.
He looked up at Gentleman across the counter and smiled:
“Pleasure doing business.”
He turned around and walked toward the door.
“Ring ring ring!”
The brass bell rang again, the glass door pushed outward. But strangely, Wen Jianyan didn’t leave immediately. Instead, seeming to think of something, he paused, turned his head, and looked back.
“Oh right, one more thing.”
Wen Jianyan tilted his head.
“I lied.”
Gentleman froze, abruptly looking up at Wen Jianyan, an ominous premonition suddenly surging in his heart.
This guy…
What does he mean??
Wen Jianyan smiled and opened his palm. Lying in his palm was a small, gray-white lamp oil dish.
Gentleman was stunned. He stared fixedly at the lamp oil dish in Wen Jianyan’s palm for two seconds, seemingly realizing something, and jerked his head to look at a corner of the counter—in his slightly contracting pupils was the reflection of the brass oil lamp.
The lamp oil dish, which originally had more than half left, had at some point been replaced by a piece of gray-white candle burnt to the end, leaving only a thin layer. It emitted a faint light far inferior to the oil lamp, barely able to offer any degree of protection, and would extinguish in at most half a minute.
This—
Gentleman’s expression changed drastically, a layer of cold sweat instantly breaking out on his back.
When—?!
The bullet comments in the live broadcast room exploded, frantically sweeping across the screen.
As bystanders, they saw everything clearly.
They watched helplessly as Wen Jianyan, while promising to let the other go if he handed over the item, calmly pinched out the other’s last hope of surviving this instance with his own hands.
No matter how capable Gentleman was, he was now all alone. In his current state, it was absolutely impossible to withstand a second darkness.
“He… this was never about letting Gentleman go back alive from the start.”
“…So, so ruthless.”
“What, have you forgotten?”
Wen Jianyan stood at the door, smiling cheerfully.
He raised his hand and gently tapped the tip of his nose.
“What Pinocchio is best at, is lying.”
