"Private Park Young-soo, step forward and answer me, why do you consider yourself an outstanding stud?"
There was the sound of an officer's interrogation and the noise of unbuckling a belt coming from the adjacent room.
"Reporting, sir! Even compared to Europe and America Zone bunker citizens, my second brother is invincible. Please examine him, sir."
"If I die in the Slaughter Tower, my unique talents will be useless. They should go to the Desire Tower to cause a stir and make a greater contribution to humanity!"
Park Young-soo's bizarre response resounded with certainty.
So much so that in another room, Wen Xishu suddenly stopped. He was just about to sign the "Death Penalty Confirmation" document.
The rooms in the bunker's functional layer were arranged chaotically.
Just like next to the death penalty hospice was the Three-Tower Games Allocation Office.
"Desire Tower..." Wen Xishu mused.
The court staff frowned and said, "I must tell you, even if you don't sign, the death penalty will still be carried out. There's no point in stalling here."
Yes, not signing was meaningless.
Unless it was like in a novel, inventing a photolithography machine during the death penalty period or researching a curvature engine; otherwise, death was unavoidable.
Although he had transmigrated several hours ago, Wen Xishu wasn't like other transmigrators who could perform miracles, at least not yet.
According to the process, he would next be asked about his last words and any final requests he had for relatives.
But most of his relatives had also been executed.
He was one step away from the "execution of the entire clan" achievement. In just one more meal's time, he would be administered death by injection.
Seeing Wen Xishu had not picked up the pen, the court officer said:
"Since you don't want to sign, we'll skip this step."
"Your family has committed serious crimes, and the entire clan has been sentenced to death. The bunker law is somewhat lenient to minors, but you turned eighteen months ago, and all procedures have been completed."
"We already asked you this morning if you wanted to eat from KFC, not on a Thursday."
"Unfortunately, we couldn't find the restaurant you mentioned. Given the current resource scarcity in the bunker, we can only provide you with compressed biscuits."
"But we specifically prepared chicken-flavored ones for you. We also got you a bottle of iced cola."
The court officer signaled the bunker security bureau guards to take Wen Xishu to the injection room.
To avoid a speedy end in this world, Wen Xishu had actually been adapting to his new body.
But this body's original owner had mental issues, was erratic, and retrieving useful memories was difficult.
It wasn't until the neighboring bunker citizen, Park Young-soo, mentioned the Desire Tower that he remembered—
The Desire Tower, Slaughter Tower, Deceit Tower.
The Three Towers descending; exploring the Three-Tower World was humanity's only means of survival.
"I apply to explore the Deceit Tower." Wen Xishu suddenly spoke.
This sentence seemed to carry some magic power, causing the two strong guards from the Bunker Security Bureau to pause.
The court officer raised an eyebrow in surprise and then said seriously:
"I must remind you, it's highly likely just a different place to die."
"You might endure pain that exceeds the maximum value assessed by the evaluation institute."
"That would be far more cruel than the death penalty. Compared to that, euthanasia is definitely a merciful death."
Wen Xishu nodded.
It sounded like pain far worse than childbirth, death by a thousand cuts, and needles piercing gums combined.
That was definitely worth a try.
The court officer looked at him with scrutiny and doubt.
He knew very well that this second young master of the Wen family was notorious for being "crazy" and "foolish."
Not long ago, when imprisoned, he had been crying, snot bubbling, cursing everything around, looking deranged and unkempt with illogical speech.
But now, he seemed like a different person entirely.
Exploring the Deceit Tower wasn't wise, but it indeed was a path to survival.
Since the hypothesis of "joint exploration of the Three Towers" was initially confirmed, the exploration of the Deceit Tower had begun.
Due to its bizarre nature, most high-ranking players of the Slaughter Tower and Desire Tower on the Celestial Ladder List were unwilling to go there.
Thus, policies were introduced to incentivize such explorations if significant discoveries were made in the Deceit Tower—
Everything from academic ascensions, guaranteed postgraduate research spots, commutation of the death penalty to harem licenses and top-tier gender certification qualifications could be satisfied.
The court officer said:
"Your identity is special; I need to seek approval from superiors and ensure you are fully aware of the Deceit Tower's dangers and sign a disclaimer."
People of all nationalities lived in the bunker, making it a melting pot where human rights were highly emphasized.
Black Lives Matter principles were paramount in the bunker's political correctness.
News often reported that certain institutions faced backlash from bunker residents for sending black individuals to the Slaughter Tower.
Wen Xishu was Asian.
Even so, sending him to the Deceit Tower severely violated the principle of humanity first.
Its malice far exceeded dispatching him to the Slaughter Tower.
After a brief recollection, Wen Xishu said:
"I clearly understand the nature and differences of the Slaughter Tower, Desire Tower, and Deceit Tower."
"The Slaughter Tower involves killing monsters for merit and resources. The Desire Tower involves pleasing the Three Tower People for merit and resources."
"One is all about action, and the other is all about action."
"But the Deceit Tower is filled with eeriness and difficult to explore. Simply put, it's tough to handle."
"I am fully aware of all this. I am also willing to sign a disclaimer."
Wen Xishu's understanding of the Slaughter Tower and Desire Tower was superficial and stereotypical, and his wording was somewhat crude and vulgar.
But the staff's attention was more focused on Wen Xishu's mental state.
The second young master of the Wen family seemed no longer crazy. This made the staff's expression more serious.
Or could this be another form of manifestation? Such calm and rationality didn't seem normal either.
Wen Xishu indeed wasn't quite normal.
Though the original owner's mental flaws were fixed due to transmigration, no longer being erratic—
The past life's experiences left some issues.
Simply put, he often played with death in harsh environments, creating comedic contrast through his actions.
For example, skydiving from six thousand meters while solving dozens of Rubik's cubes before deploying the parachute at the latest possible moment.
Or wingsuit flying through rocky valleys, parkouring in old Chongqing districts, performing stunts on steep mountain paths with a bicycle.
Every close brush with death brought the audience to the edge of their seats—
He would always use playful antics, humorous comments, or even tell dirty jokes to entertain them.
This was his job; in an era pursuing differentiated short videos, Wen Xishu was an unimitated blogger on the entire internet.
Over time, the closer Wen Xishu got to death, the more he wanted to have a bit of fun.
Just like his earlier statement.
The response to his Deceit Tower exploration application came quickly, in just a few minutes.
Wen Xishu relaxed even more, thinking:
As a death row inmate, he'd finally seized a lifeline to the Deceit Tower.
Next would be his dramatic turnaround, making contributions to humanity, earning atonement to evade the death penalty.
Thereby enjoying a privileged life in the bunker, continuously exploring the Three Towers, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of life.
Yes, it aligned perfectly with a transmigrator's mission and tone.
But the court staff's response left Wen Xishu stunned:
"Sorry, due to the heinous crimes committed by the Wen family, your Deceit Tower exploration application has been rejected by superiors."
"The death penalty will be executed immediately."