Three Towers Game

Chapter 300 Strange Dream
The mechanical creatures in the second level begin to reveal some problems.

A mad scientist awakens some abilities after the apocalypse arrives and begins to conduct insane experiments in order to break the curse of the scales.

His experiment failed, resulting in a level where mechanical beasts roamed everywhere.

But his true intention was to solve the problem.

In fact, upon careful recollection, Wen Xishu could discover that the first level also had a problem. The giant spherical creature in the first level, the one that sprayed slime after death, causing Colonel Devon's injury…

It was actually a fused creature that devoured four other creatures as it slowly crawled along.

Looking back now, Wen Xishu realized that perhaps all of this was also related to the curse of the scales. Because when they arrived at the supermarket area, there were four of them.

In other words, if there are four more people in the supermarket... then the monster will have to devour the four monsters in the supermarket.

The SSS rating in the second stage earned Wen Xishu 70,000 tavern coins.

In the tavern's upgrade options, Wenxi Tree can spend 50,000 to choose to enhance the tavern's recovery effect.

Once the upgrade option is selected, even Devon, who has lost an arm, can be restored to full health and have all four limbs intact.

Simply put, the tavern is like a small bunker, and the level is like a small tower of monsters. No matter what kind of injury you suffer, you will be completely healed when you return to the bunker.

The next option is the recruitment probability, which increases the chance of recruiting high-level heroes by 15% in normal recruitment and the chance of recruiting superheroes by 5% in advanced recruitment.

Wen Xishu did not immediately upgrade either of the two options.

Because it is not necessary.

"If the perfect ending is to lead everyone to a safe zone and get rid of the curse, then recruitment is essentially just gathering... At this stage, before my population quota is increased, I don't need to worry too much about it."

"As long as I am strong enough, I don't need high-strength heroes."

"We still need to keep 25,000 coins and choose targeted recruitment."

Normally, clearing the game is a good ending. If the team that clears the game has a full population quota and all members are top-tier cards, then perhaps an even better ending can be unlocked.

But what Wen Xishu needs to do is not just to meet the population quota, but to do his best to avoid abandoning any members during this process.

"It's all upside down. It's already been overturned once, and I've become a negative number. But if it's overturned again, it'll probably just stay like this. There won't be any additional effects. At most, it'll help me get rid of the curse itself."

A negative number turned upside down becomes a positive number.

Considering that being upside down can turn a bad effect into a good one, the negative characteristics might be retained, only the curse would be removed.

But Wen Xishu had to consider one thing in advance—overpopulation.

It's currently 3/4, the third level will become 4/4, and in the fourth level, we'll have to solve the population quota problem.

"The money isn't enough."

Wen Xishu looked at the details and found that upgrading the tavern required 65,000 tavern coins, while precise recruitment also required 25,000 tavern coins.

Especially in the next stage, precise recruitment is essential.

Because of the SSS-level completion reward, Wen Xishu can see the scene of the next level - "Illusion".

"The souls lost in the dream, unable to awaken and caught in the madness of the dream, are becoming increasingly dangerous. Find the one who can wake you in time, or you will find it very difficult to complete the game."

Wen Xishu was unsure whether he could defeat all the monsters on the spiritual level, so the best approach was to recruit a special hero to reduce the difficulty.

Therefore, Wen Xishu kept the 45,000 tavern coins for himself and did not immediately restore Colonel Devon's body. Instead, he chose to recruit him precisely.

“Our team needs to expand. Colonel Devon, I promise you, at the right time, I will heal your arm.”

Colonel Devon said:

"Commander, you don't need to worry about me. Please don't let me affect your decisions when allocating resources."

Wen Xishu had to admit that his initial teammates were all very good people.

For such people, the process of letting go is very painful.

He couldn't imagine...

What kind of life and death separations did Yuta experience?

"But at least in the Tower of Ghosts, not one can be missing."

As Wen Xishu made his decision, a knock came from outside the tavern.

"Um... um... is anyone there? This is Nicole, I received my instructions! I've come to see my commander!"

The tavern doors opened quickly, and a red-haired girl in an evening gown appeared in everyone's sight.

Elsa couldn't help but praise:
"She's so pretty."

Nicole blushed immediately upon hearing this:

"Thank...thank you!"

She seemed rather shy and didn't want to look at everyone in an impolite way, but in the end she still raised her head slightly and observed everyone.

Wen Xishu sensed that the little girl wanted to speak several times, but was too afraid to speak, showing that she was rather timid.

He decisively took a step forward:
“My name is Wen Xishu, and I am your commander. This is Colonel Devon, a reliable soldier. This is Elsa, our medic. And there is our engineer Borg, as well as the sniper Cavendish.”

"Welcome to our team, Nicole. Please don't be shy. We will all do our best to protect you in the coming days."

Nicole's affection level +5.

Wen Xishu received the guidance.

Nicole was the kind of girl who was very easily embarrassed, and suddenly she was about to cry:
“That’s great…that’s great…I thought I would stay in that place forever…I never thought I would have the opportunity to fight for everyone.”

"Commander, I will definitely work hard. Whatever you ask me to do, I will do my best."

Wen Xishu sensed that the girl had some inferiority complex deep down, and he said:
What are you good at?

Nicole thought for a moment, then said somewhat shyly:

"I... I can sing. I've always wanted to be a singer, but my personality... means I can't face too many people."

"I always sing in my dreams."

"After the apocalypse, many people said they heard me sing in their dreams, which is really amazing... It seems to be one of my abilities."

"Actually, it's not just my abilities that have evolved. Some people in my hometown have also evolved. Some of them are very fast, some are very strong... Everyone's evolution is very useful, only me... I am disliked by everyone."

"Because of my singing, sometimes it appears in people's dreams at an inopportune time, which makes it easy for them to wake up."

As Nicole spoke, her head drooped lower and lower.

Those memories surfaced in her mind.

Everyone... will probably be annoyed with me when I wake them up...

[Will my abilities really be useful to the commander and the others?]

The comments further helped Wen Xishu understand Nicole's anxiety. He realized that this was an ability that was almost useless, but very suitable for breaking the deadlock in specific scenarios.

In a sense, Borg is still useful later on, but Nicole... is really just a special card, the kind of card that can be discarded after you pass the level.

Before the one-hour countdown began, Wen Xishu planned to extract as much information as possible:

"Is there a curse where you are? The Curse of the Balance."

"some……"

Nicole kept her head down.
“Many people died... because there were other people there who had evolved abilities during the apocalypse. Everyone drove away the monsters, and for a time, that place became a safe zone.”

"Many people from the surrounding areas came to seek refuge with us, but... the curse of the scales caused many of our people to die."

"This also led to a lack of unity among the people. The outsiders felt that their lives were also lives, and since they didn't bring the curse of the scales, why should they blame themselves for the dead?"

"But our people feel that...we provided the rescue, and our people died while rescuing these outsiders. The outsiders should be grateful and should do more to build up their homes."

"But after the curse of the scales was incurred, the outsiders were not grateful to us at all. Instead, they complained that we had led them to this cursed place."

German was somewhat angry upon hearing this:
"It's outrageous! No matter what, they wouldn't have survived without your help!"

Nicole sighed:

"They've even started using the scales curse to threaten us in return..."

"In our area, the curse has reached level three. For every person who dies, an unknown entity will be born."

"In order to prevent everyone from being killed by the suddenly appearing monster... we must all work together."

"But this very point has become their leverage to blackmail us."

“I longed to help everyone, but my abilities were completely useless. Until soon after, there was a rumor that a commander would lead everyone out of the cursed land, and the commander would select those who were useful to him to find the power to break the curse.”

Nicole finally raised her head:

"I...I'm so excited, Commander! I'm willing to contribute my strength! Although...I don't know if it will be of any use." Wen Xishu first comforted Nicole:
"Your strength will help us, be confident."

After speaking, Wen Xishu began to ponder the curse of the scales.

This is no small curse...

First of all, Borg, Devon, Nicole, and others are not from the same region...

But they were all cursed.

This appears to be a curse affecting many cities across an entire country, or it could be affecting several regions around the world...

What kind of curse could last over such a wide area?
Does this involve some kind of savior plan?
People sympathized with Nicole's plight and despised the greedy people. But in the apocalypse, stories like this happen everywhere.

Having too strong a sense of morality can sometimes lead to being bullied by people who lack morality.

After a short rest, it was time for them to set off.

[Current team maximum (4 members). All members are now available. New members will be unlocked in the next tavern round, but you will need to complete the second stage. Would you like to start the second stage now?]

[Note: If you do not challenge it, the Curse of the Balance will appear in the tavern.]

The skull hourglass reappeared, and the team's current numbers were 4/4. This puzzled Nicole.
"Weren't there six people here... how did it become four?"

Borg was extremely smug:

"Our commander is not human!"

He then realized that the words sounded a bit like an insult, and immediately corrected them:

"I mean, our commander doesn't count as a person."

"Wait, no, it's our commander who's missing someone... that doesn't seem right either."

German immediately stopped him:

"Alright, Borg, just play on the computer and don't talk."

Borg shut up.

Wen Xishu said:
"It's one of my methods to temporarily circumvent the curse."

Nicole didn't quite understand, but she admired him from the bottom of her heart: "Amazing!"

Wen Xishu gained another wave of goodwill. After resting briefly, he didn't linger and gave Nicole some instructions:
"If you realize something is wrong, just sing. Remember, your singing will definitely help. Don't doubt yourself."

Nicole nodded earnestly and gratefully.

After giving his instructions, Wen Xishu immediately chose to "attack".

……

……

The Mysterious Tower, an unknown area.

The hazy mist did not obstruct the view, but it added a dreamlike quality to everything around.

A number appeared in Wen Xishu's field of vision.

30.

It's a quiet little town.

In the distance, you can see a school, neat streets, and various shops selling fruits, pork, small commodities, and snacks.

But... there was no one.

Just like the recently popular dream cores, Wenxi Tree seems to have arrived in a deserted town full of the sense of the past.

He even discovered...

All his teammates were gone.

"They should be not far from me. But perhaps because this is the spiritual world... I can't see them now, but it's very likely that after I leave this world, I will find that I am with them."

Having explored the Mysterious Tower so many times, Wen Xishu had developed an instinct that allowed him to spot the key details almost instantly.

He guessed it right.

However, Wen Xishu now needs to figure out how to escape the dream.

And what does 30 mean in the field of vision?

Wen Xishu carefully observed the surrounding area and discovered... the sound of reading aloud coming from a school in the distance.

It was very subtle, but because the town of Dreamcore was so quiet, he could hear the faint sound.

He immediately moved closer to that place.

Wen Xishu practically ran, and along the way he discovered that there wasn't a single person in the entire town...

The vegetables and meats in these stores seem to never rot.

As Wen Xishu approached the school, the numbers in his field of vision began to change: 25.

22.

At first, Wen Xishu thought the number represented distance, but he quickly dismissed that notion.

Because even if he tries to leave school, the numbers will change.

21.

"It's not time, nor is it distance counting..."

A sense of crisis has arisen.

Wen Xishu sensed it; the whole world began to flicker.

Yes, just like when the signal was bad and the picture suddenly jumped, Wen Xishu felt a chill begin to rise around him.

17.

Upon entering the school gate, Wen Xishu saw a statue of a great man from another country at the school entrance... In a fleeting moment, the expression on his face seemed to change.

He wasn't sure.

A strange and terrifying atmosphere descended, and Wen Xishu couldn't help but worry about the others.

10.

As Wen Xishu approached the classroom, she noticed that the number in her field of vision had suddenly dropped significantly, falling directly to 10.

He had a bad feeling.

He turned around abruptly, and a horrifying scene unfolded before him.

The statue by the door had appeared behind him at some point...

The great man's face had completely disappeared, leaving only a plaster face without features, almost touching Wen Xishu's face after he turned around.

"Does a lower number mean a more bizarre dream?"

To be honest, after experiencing the night on Kashima Island, Wen Xishu has become quite brave.

At this moment, Wen Xishu could even spare a thought—was this bizarre dream also a means for the cursed people to fight against the Heavenly Scales curse?
But what about logic and principles?

Why use such a sinister method?

The number changed to 8.

The statue didn't move because it was being stared at intently by Wen Xishu.

Ke Wenxi sensed something... footsteps coming from the corridor outside the classroom behind her.

It wasn't the sound of normal footsteps, but a strange, hopping sound, like the hopping of a corpse driver.

thump.

thump.

thump.

Its footsteps sounded like knocking on a door, and Wen Xishu felt the sound getting closer and closer to her ears.

But he had an instinctive feeling—

If you turn around, the statue will surely attack you.

(End of this chapter)