Wen Xishu took a step forward. He didnât really plan to purify the music box.
Just then, Zheng Zai suddenly spoke:
"Iâll go."
Of the people present, there were two honest men.
One was Mendemuir, the other was Zheng Zai. In Wen Xishuâs view, Zheng Zai was truly honest.
But Mendemuir still needed observation.
Kane had been very domineering from the start, suggesting that the one with the heavier sins would be the team leader. Because in some prisons, thereâs this idea that the one with the gravest sins is the boss.
Mendemuir and Kane both ended up here because of women, but Wen Xishu felt that Mendemuir seemed too cowardly. He didnât dislike cowards, but he hated people who pretended to be cowards.
And Zheng Zai was genuinely honest.
Zheng Zai was already taking steps as he spoke. Wen Xishuâs analysis seemed reasonable to him.
The reason he hesitated for a moment was that he didnât want to leave too early.
Because of his background, he needed many achievements to get the treatment of a regular person.
So Zheng Zai wanted to stay until the end to achieve the highest possible completion.
Only then could he potentially regain honor, break away from his fatherâs negative influence, andâreceive treatment.
But Zheng Zai truly believed and was grateful for what Wen Xishu said.
After his habit of eating human flesh was exposed, someone was still willing to be so kind to him. Zheng Zai was willing to take risks for such a person.
Zheng Zai said:
"Climbing such a high shelf might be difficult for you all, but I can do it."
"If I die, I wonât blame anyone. Brother Wenâs analysis makes sense. But even if heâs wrong, donât hold it against him."
"If I survive, proving Brother Wen was right, I want to bring him back with me."
Wen Xishu wasnât particularly moved, but Zheng Zaiâs words made him think of Jack.
Jack from the Desire Tower, when he saw someone breaking in, his first reaction was to ask if they needed help.
Strangely, Wen Xishu had a feeling...
Zheng Zai, although he wouldnât change like Jack did, was probably at a turning point where his personality might drastically change.
If at this momentâ
No one cared about him, no one paid attention to him.
Zheng Zai was about to sprint, but Kane suddenly also stepped forward, realizing that if he didnât decide now, he might not make it back!
Everyone who came to the Deceit Tower aimed to change their fate, hoping to become a new legend of the Bunker like Wen Xishu, to make a name for themselves in the Bunker.
But to change your fate, you first need to be alive.
Seeing those eerie tentacles, Kane got scared. He just wanted to return alive, even with the lowest completion rate.
Kane hastily said:
"Iâll go! Donât fight me for it!"
Wen Xishu wanted this result. He originally planned to stop Zheng Zai. On his sacrificial list of teammates, Zheng Zai was currently last.
If he performed well, Wen Xishu might even remove Zheng Zai from the list.
"Brother Zheng, itâs fine if you go purify the box, but since Kane wants the chance, let him have it. I donât think you want to settle for the lower completion rewards, do you?"
Wen Xishu grasped everyoneâs psychology.
Sure enough, Zheng Zai stopped moving.
Climbing the shelf wouldnât be easy for Kane, at least not as easily as for Zheng Zai, who could climb like a wildcat up a tree.
But as a criminal daring enough to come to Deceit Tower, Kaneâs physical fitness was undeniable. Although slow, he could climb up little by little using the books.
A few minutes later, utterly out of breath, he finally reached the top of the huge bookshelf.
Close up, he saw the intricate design of the music box.
Wen Xishu guessed that the story here was about a girl being subjected to something horrible by a beast.
Four rooms, four stories. Put together, they formed the "birdcage."
But he still couldnât figure out the exact purpose of the music box.
Just as he was thinking that Kane was about to purify the music box, and Kane was thinking he could finally leave this hellish placeâ
The music box suddenly started playing again, the same youthful, vibrant tune from break time.
Kane froze; he hadnât touched the music box, nor had he chosen to purify anything.
Meanwhile, no one else in the room had made that choice.
This unpredictable event made Kane curse inwardly, and he had no choice but to speed up towards the music box.
But he was still too slow.
In the center of the room, on the bookshelf, under the lamp, on the desk, around the legs of the chair... black smoke appeared everywhere.
The monster was about to emerge.
[Good child, good child! Youâre such a good child! Just behave and your grades will definitely be good!]
The slimy, nauseating voice echoed again.
Wen Xishu looked around and quickly chose to run towards the bookshelf, hiding between the books.
By then, Park Mi-hye had already decided to follow Wen Xishu, doing whatever Wen Xishu did.
Mendemuir and Zheng Zai followed suit, hiding in the bookshelf.
Only Kane, who had already climbed to the top of the shelf, couldnât get away in time.
He was discovered.
Twisted, slimy, writhing tentacles lunged at Kane with inhuman speed.
As Kaneâs flesh was pierced, the surrounding black smoke also converged.
They were attracted to the flesh.
From Kaneâs orifices... or rather, any gap in his upper or lower body, the tentacles filled and penetrated.
Kane died more gruesomely than Sita, not even having time to scream.
The monster he encountered was several times that of Sitaâs.
His hand desperately tried to reach the music box, but unfortunately, he died at the top of the shelf before he could touch it.
No one saw this scene, only droplets of blood fell from the top of the shelf.
Hiding between the books at the bottom of the shelf, everyone exchanged glances, as did Wen Xishu, mimicking a look of surprise.
He had come intending to kill after all.
The second to die was Kane.
The youthful music ended. Mendemuir and Park Mi-hye both looked at Wen Xishu with questioning eyes.
Wen Xishu pretended to be scared:
"Oh no... I didnât expect this. We need to speed things up!"
"If no one else goes, then I will."
Once the music ended, the monster hidden in the black smoke also vanished.
At this point, Wen Xishu pretended to climb in fear.
Park Mi-hye hurriedly said:
"Wen Xishu, whatâs happening! You need to tell us!"
She was genuinely terrified.
Wen Xishu said:
"Itâs an anti-idle mechanism! Besides the four walls closing in, the room has its own anti-idle mechanism. If we waste time and donât purify the items..."
"It triggers the mechanism, causing widespread monster appearances, probably in areas weâve already been, making our available space smaller and smaller!"
"We must purify quickly! Kane was just too slow! He shouldnât have hesitated so much up there!"
"This room has periodic anti-idle checks!"
With this reasonable analysis, everyone understood. Why did Kaneâs purification lead to widespread monster occurrences in various places, while Sitaâs only drew the monster from the item?
It turned out Kane hadnât managed to purify in time, and the previous monster appearance was due to a different mechanism!
Time was of the essence!
Seeing Wen Xishu climb slowly, Park Mi-hye and Mendemuir couldnât sit still!
Mendemuir didnât bother pretending anymore:
"Sorry! I want to live!"
He actually grabbed Wen Xishuâs leg and dragged him down.
Wen Xishu almost couldnât suppress his smile.
"Let you be the next one to die then."