Three Towers Game

Chapter 299 SSS-level completion reward
The waiting process is excruciating.

Wen Xishu didn't know what would happen to this group of people without him.

His concerns were not entirely unfounded.

This team is indeed in trouble now.

……

……

Unknown area.

It's hard to imagine that such a well-preserved, high-density machinery area could exist in a place full of ruins.

Hiding in the container unloading area and avoiding the cameras, the group started arguing even before they began fighting.

"The commander is dead. You don't really think he can survive, do you?"

"The Curse of the Balance... that's a curse that, later on, is so severe that if even a fly flies in, someone will die."

“I have already seen the power of the curse in my hometown, and I don’t believe he can live.”

"What exactly are you thinking?"

Hacker Borg looked at the crowd.

All three shook their heads, denying his statement. Colonel Devon said:
"What you need to do now is to hack the cameras here as soon as possible to prevent us from being targeted. As for the commander, we trust him."

Borg had to admit that the final farewell scene was exhilarating, but he was used to thinking independently and had truly experienced the power of the scales curse.

“I think he was a good commander, but he made one mistake: he shouldn’t have taken the curse for you.”

Devon said:

"If I could die for him, I wouldn't mind dying. Now that the choice has been made, what we need to consider is to work together to open up this area."

"Instead of questioning the commander here."

Devon took out the compass:
"The commander also gave us a compass, which is his guide. I believe that if we follow the compass, we will definitely find the key information."

The compass provided direction, but this direction made Borg question it again.

Borg said coldly:

"Okay, you don't know anything. Did you see the robots in this area just now? They're all animals."

"The animals here seem to be the most evolved beings. Humans have been reduced to slavery. These animals are quite powerful; they might all possess ferocious firepower."

"What we need to do is avoid them as much as possible. Fortunately, the device on my computer can scan their location."

"The compass is pointing in the wrong direction. There are clearly more enemies over there. We can find the door as long as we cross this area."

"I think you'd better come with me. Believe me, the key to this is how you use me, isn't it?"

Devon suddenly understood.

Why does Borg become so unsociable once he leaves the Commander...? He doesn't possess the Commander's unique command abilities.

Here, leadership qualities are also something that can be quantified.

He thought about it and realized that the options were either threatening violence, compromising, or persuading the other party with words.

German did not waste time:

"I'm sorry, Borg, I'm not a good captain. I can't get you to trust me unconditionally. But please trust the Commander, please trust him!"

German bow:

"We need your strength. We will surely lose if we fight head-on, but with you, we can avoid fighting head-on."

"The place the compass points to is certainly dangerous, but Borg, please rest assured, the three of us will protect you with our lives."

"please!"

Elsa and Cavendish had actually almost gotten angry, because in their view, it was already agreed that everyone should follow the compass.

It's wrong to suddenly change your mind or start questioning things.

But seeing Devon do it, the two of them followed suit:
"please!"

Borg sighed:

"Fine, since you all say so, what can I do? Let's go."

An internal conflict crisis was thus resolved through the unity of Devon and others.

The journey ahead was far from peaceful.

Devon and his companions encountered mechanical patrol dogs and a gigantic, steel-clad mecha gorilla.

This place is indeed ruled by animals, but for some reason, all of them have evolved into mechanical beings.

They harbor intense hatred for humans, and upon seeing any human, they unleash their full firepower.

Mechanization itself greatly enhances their strength, speed, and defense, and then they're bombarded by a hail of bullets...

If it weren't for Devon's abnormal physique and Cavendish's ability to always find weaknesses in his sniping, they would have nearly died several times.

Even so, everyone, including Borg, was injured under the intense bombardment.

Devon lost an arm in the explosion. Even Elsa, the doctor, was shot.

Borg's injuries were the least severe, and he was the one who received special protection throughout the journey, with his computer being of paramount importance.

That's why they were able to keep defeating their enemies.

Because at a crucial moment, Devon established a connection with these mechanical beings, manipulated them in reverse, and shut down the support sonar.

Without Borg, this level would require overwhelming combat power; but with Borg, following the path he chose...

They won't even get hurt.

Because that road was different from the one the compass pointed to, there were hardly any guards on that road.

When they found a place to rest halfway through the journey, Borg complained again.

And the amputee Devon said:

“In military operations…only unimportant areas are vulnerable in defense. Our objective isn’t simply to clear the level, Borg…”

"Our goal is to solve the problem, isn't it?"

"In a critical moment, I can die... but we don't know how many more challenges there are. If someone more important than you appears, are you going to die too?"

“Borg, I don’t want to give up on you, and I don’t want to see any of you in hell too soon.”

Faced with doubts, faced with a lack of confidence in one's own abilities...

German's approach was to break the deadlock with sincerity.

Borg also lowered his head and began to think.

Without a doubt, Devon's decision to lose his arm was his own choice; if the other party had listened to him, he would not have lost his arm.

But ultimately, the other person had their arm severed while protecting themselves.

And what Devon said is right. In the later levels, he may no longer be important. So when the population quota is full, does that mean he has to sacrifice himself?
These words were very sincere, yet they hit the nail on the head.

Devon said:

"The road ahead is fraught with difficulties, but that only proves that the right answer lies there!"

After a quick bandage, Devon and the others set off again.

Despite being injured in the face of numerous mechanical beasts, they remained exceptionally united.

This also led to Wen Xishu, who was waiting for his teammates to return, suddenly seeing the guidance "Team Synergy +30" appear in his field of vision.

Wen Xishu was unaware of the situation, but he imagined that... everyone should be extremely united right now.

……

……

German guessed correctly.

With Borg's help, they finally managed to make countless mechanical animals lose their targets by interfering with the hackers.

Borg cannot change the underlying code of these mechanical beasts—the code to annihilate humanity.

However, because the mechanical beasts have evolved into purely mechanical life forms, this allows Borg to alter the secondary code—the defense zone.

Borg can change their guarded areas, causing them to immediately abandon patrolling an area before the group enters it.

With Borg's help, the team quickly advanced into the heart of the territory.

Hidden here is an extremely precious, glowing object.

If Wen Xishu were here, as the commander, he would receive a unique guide – the "Energy Core," an orange-tier item. If the game is completed perfectly, this item can be permanently obtained.

The compass also pointed precisely to the final trajectory—the energy core.

At that moment, Borg understood that the compass was right. He wasn't wrong either; if he had chosen his path, he might already be back in the tavern.

But if you choose this path, you can find the key item.

Although they couldn't see the guidance, their intuition told them that this thing was extremely important.

“I will change the defense code of these mechanical creatures and make them change their guard areas. Devon, you go steal it. Cavendish, you cover me.”

Devin and Cavendish nodded, and the three began to work together.

The moment the mechanical creatures' code was altered, Devon activated. Dozens of mechanical beasts, under Borg's control, began their evacuation.

But once Devon enters their line of sight, it will still be bombarded with fire.

However, due to the increased level of understanding, Devon didn't even need any additional instructions. It was as if he knew the details of Borg's operation. He was always able to accurately avoid the mechanical beasts' line of sight during the journey.

Several times when they were about to make contact, Borg seemed to sense it and immediately increased his hand speed, controlling the mechanical beast to turn around.

Although he lost an arm, his agility was not diminished.

Finally, Devon obtained the sphere of light embedded in the mechanical display stand, which resembled an artwork and was guarded by countless mechanical beasts.

Borg breathed a sigh of relief.

His ability is to establish data connections. As long as the other party has similar devices, he can establish a connection even if he uses a very low-end computer.

In the apocalypse, his abilities were actually not very useful... but at this moment, he was simply born for this purpose.

The door finally appeared, not far in front of Devon.

Devon immediately stepped back and addressed everyone:

"go!"

Yes, they have to leave quickly.

Because as soon as the glowing energy core was removed, an alarm sounded immediately.

Borg also began to run faster. He knew that at this moment, all the mechanical beasts' orders were to guard this area, and if they didn't leave, they would surely die.

Cavendish, carrying Elsa, raced towards the door. As they passed Devon, Devon handed him the orb of light.

Devon stepped back, because he wanted to protect everyone. As Borg brushed past Devon, Devon suddenly had a bad feeling.

Devon shoved Borg hard, and Borg felt an incredibly strong force pushing him through the door.

The next instant, flames appeared, and a crimson ray pierced through Devon's shoulder.

Borg could even sense that the surrounding scenery was changing, with elements from the tavern appearing, but he could also see that Colonel Devon had been pierced by a bullet.

"No!"

By this time, Borg had come to accept this stubborn soldier, whom he had initially thought was foolish. He didn't want Devon to die like this.

Fortunately...

At the critical moment, just as he was about to be riddled with bullets, Devon finally endured the excruciating pain, unleashed all his strength, and rushed into the room.

……

……

Ouch!
Devon's body fell heavily to the ground, and Borg shouted:

"Quick! Quick! Save him! Elsa, save him!"

There was no celebration of victory in the tavern; instead, everyone was busy preparing.

Elsa used almost all her strength to unleash her power in order to save Colonel Devon.

Colonel Devon's pained expression relaxed, and he smiled.
"Hehe, mission accomplished. Commander, we're back alive."

Borg was on the verge of tears. After a life-or-death crisis, he had completely integrated into the team.

He was also surprised to find—

Commander Wen Xishu is really still alive.

The double surprise left him speechless.

So there really are people who can withstand the curse of the scales? With such a powerful person as our commander, wouldn't he be able to overcome any difficulty?
Despite the excruciating pain, Devon smiled and said:
"Hahaha, Commander, I didn't expect you to actually be alive! That's amazing, you're someone even a curse can't kill!"

Wen Xishu bent down and began to use the energy core.

The energy core quickly connected with Elsa. Elsa had been feeling her power was about to be exhausted, but in that instant, she seemed to have lost the ability to consume power.

She didn't feel particularly energetic, but it was as if what she was doing wasn't physically demanding.

[Item Name: Energy Core]

Item level: SS+.

[Item Attribute: Allows a certain skill to temporarily lose its cooldown and cost. (Note: Attributes will change after being taken out of the Tower of Ghosts.)]

With the energy core, Elsa's healing abilities can be released indefinitely for a short period of time.

I wonder what this thing will do after it's brought back to the bunker. If it doesn't change much... then it could be considered a conceptual weapon.

Wouldn't that allow the old headmaster to throw punches indefinitely, unleashing a fatal blow like a normal attack?
Wen Xishu said:
"Thank you all for your hard work. Thanks to your efforts, we have obtained 70,000 Tavern Coins, which I think will be of great help to us. In addition, we have obtained an SSS-level rating, unlocked some background information, and learned more about the content of the next level."

Wen Xishu was very satisfied.

Although Colonel Devon did not trigger the upgrade evolution, he was downgraded to D+ due to losing an arm.

Overall, however, the team had a higher level of teamwork.

And everyone's favorability towards him increased after they realized that he was indeed still alive.

Both Cavendish and Elsa have unlocked the prerequisites for Ascension Evolution.

Wen Xishu is generally satisfied.

Borg exclaimed in amazement:
"How did our population... become three people?"

There are clearly five of us!

Wen Xishu said:
"I told you, the curse can't affect me. You have to trust your commander."

Cavendish said:

"Then wouldn't that mean... if you summon another person, we wouldn't need to be abandoned?"

Wen Xishu nodded.

Elsa cheered:

"That's great, that's great, I don't want to be separated from everyone."

Colonel Devon said:

"Commander, you truly are our miracle and hope!"

At this moment, Borg realized his own shallowness. The person in front of him not only resisted the curse, but also seemed to have modified some kind of parameter.

That's amazing.

He didn't want to be abandoned either; in fact, his profession was only useful in certain specific levels.

Wen Xishu said:
"Next, I need to take care of the tavern upgrade, and I have something to tell you—"

"The reason why the creatures you encountered in the second level became mechanical seems to be due to some kind of experiment. An experiment to combat the curse of the balance scales."

"To make life cease to be life, to upload consciousness to machines. A scientist seems to be considering this method to circumvent the curse of the scales."

"He couldn't experiment on humans, so in a certain area, he started experimenting on animals. The result was... these animals became mechanical life forms."

"Scientists are able to do this because of the energy core. The energy core enables a certain technology to become energy-free, leading to a large-scale biomechanization..."

"The process was quite complicated, but this is the result."

"Interestingly, we might even be able to recruit this scientist, if we're lucky."

Elsa was puzzled:
"Why... is recruiting him considered good luck?"

Wen Xishu said:
"He can use his power, and rely on the core, to turn us into mechanical life forms that do not require human population."

"However... this is undoubtedly an extremely bold choice, and I dare not do it lightly."

This only reveals the tip of the iceberg of the whole story of the Balance Curse.

Wen Xishu said:
"We need to clear more levels and get more SSS-rank items to piece together the complete truth of the Libra Curse."

(End of this chapter)