Three Towers Game

Chapter 342 Go Embrace! (Long Chapter)
When everyone reappeared in the meeting room, Leo said:
"What a boring meeting."

he left.

The other constellations were also gradually leaving. This was because Wen Xishu had already made his choice. In fact, the process of making his decision was the process of interacting with all the constellations at this transit point.

When his inner thoughts were finally settled, and when the last zodiac sign completed its deal with him, this inquiry into his heart was over.

After all the constellations left, the scene changed again, and Wen Xishu realized that he had returned to the Wall of Rejection.

He felt as if he were in some dark tunnel.

Countless arms hang from above the tunnel.

Wen Xishu discovered that he was no longer a monster in this tunnel.

Charlie's doll disappeared, and the doll Anya has now taken on Anya's appearance. Anya is a little thin, with short hair and a few freckles on her face, but judging from her bone structure, she will grow up to be a very beautiful girl.

"Awoo~" Spark was no longer a teddy bear, but had actually turned into a dog.

"It seems we've all become what we really are."

Although the monster-like appearance made Wen Xishu very powerful, he still disliked the hole in his abdomen and the long arms on his back.

"Next, all we have to do is carry Charlie away."

At this point, Wen Xishu had already decided on a perfect ending. From now on, no matter what monsters stood in his way, he could just summon the archer.

Finally, all you need to do is replicate the tower-climbing process from last time and use the invitation in time.

Everything went smoothly, although I died a few times.

The tunnel is long, but it eventually comes to an end, where a door made of countless specks of dust stands.

The dust had accumulated to an alarming degree; to Wen Xishu, it looked as if the dust had formed a wall, sealing off the entire tunnel.

But then, a hand reached out from the dusty wall.

Unlike those gray hands covered in eyes, this hand had the color of human skin and was as slender as a child's.

“Those are Charlie’s hands!” Anya suddenly exclaimed.

Wen Xishu had a vague sense of unease.

It's like Charlie was buried in a wall of dust. In that situation, would Charlie still be alive?
"Shouldn't we bring Charlie out?" Anya said.

Wen Xishu nodded; that was his guess too.

Just as Wen Xishu was about to take a step forward and touch Charlie, Charlie's hand seemed to be awakened.

Countless arms hanging from the ceiling of the dust tunnel began to caw like a flock of crows:
"Get away from me, you disgusting human!"

"Charlie, Charlie! Don't touch humans!"

"Get away, get away, you filthy human!"

These sounds echoed in layers within the tunnel, accompanied by a sense of rejection.

When Wen Xishu tried to touch Charlie's hand to pull him out of the wall of dust...

Wen Xishu was shocked to discover that Charlie's hand was rapidly rotting.

He immediately took a step back.

After taking a step back... Charlie's hand finally stopped rotting.

Wen Xishu was in a dilemma.

Is this some kind of crazy private server version that dares to try four things? How can there still be such a mechanism targeting players even at the very last step?

"I can't exactly use the rope of the Hanged Man to pull him out, can I? But I don't have that ability anymore."

Wen Xishu wanted to try using shadows.

But at this moment, Anya said:

"Please don't hurt him... In his eyes, everyone is untrustworthy. I think... I can give it a try."

Anya took a step forward, and Spark followed closely behind.

Wen Xishu discovered that, indeed, when the man and dog approached Charlie's arm, the arm was not rotting.

"That's not bad."

Wen Xishu thought to herself, "Please, please, no more trouble. I'm only one step away from the perfect ending of the Ghost Tower."

Anya and Spark finally reached the spot where Charlie's arm was. Anya mustered all her strength, ready to pull Charlie out.

"Charlie, I'm here to save you. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm Anya, I won't hurt you."

She said softly.

Spark also let out a submissive howl.

Everything should have ended warmly, but just as Anya touched Charlie's arm, trying to drag him out...

Within the wall of dust, like a wall of rejection, countless arms formed from black dust emerged.

"Charlie, come on, let's get out of here!"

Anya was a little scared, but also very excited.

At that moment, those arms instantly grabbed Charlie's arm, and under the influence of these dusty hands, Charlie's arm began to slowly retract into the depths of the dust.

"It's dangerous outside..."

A child's voice came from inside.

Countless arms hanging from the tunnel ceiling clapped:

"Dangerous humans, filthy humans! They're all out there!"

"Charlie, Charlie, don't leave!"

Like a dust frenzy, like the explosion of negative emotions, at this moment, Anya and Spark not only failed to pull Charlie out, but because they were holding Charlie's arm tightly, they were also dragged along and brought closer to the wall of dust.

Wen Xishu panicked completely.

He didn't know if it was because he was willing to try four versions, but in any case, the version became particularly difficult.

As a player, his presence alone will drain Charlie's life force if he gets too close. Only Anya and Spark can save Charlie.

But now, Anya and Spark... also face the risk of being swallowed by dust.

This is a tug-of-war of wills.

On one side are the only two people who brought Charlie joy during his childhood and adolescence. On the other side is Charlie's fear and hatred of the entire world.

Spark tried its best to help Anya, jumping up and biting the hands with its teeth, but to no avail.

Anya, of course, refused to let go; she held Charlie's hand tightly, but the more she did so, the more dangerous the situation became.

They... are being swept up in the dust.

"Go...save Charlie! Please, Wen Xishu, go save Charlie!"

Anya suddenly began to plead.

"I can hold on a little longer, please! Go and save Charlie, anywhere, find the real Charlie."

Anya's willpower is astonishing. She had once been so afraid of life that she tried to escape by dying, but at this moment, her face showed not only pleading but also a hint of anger.

She knew that all the dust was the torment Charlie had suffered in his life, and his fear of the world.

She gritted her teeth and suddenly found a surge of strength.

She had been pulled much closer by the Hand of Dust, but through her willpower, she finally stopped approaching the Wall of Dust.

It's like the two sides in a tug-of-war suddenly becoming evenly matched.

Wen Xishu looked at this scene with slight astonishment.

He could imagine the little girl desperately trying to pull Charlie out. But this state couldn't last long.

We need to find the real Charlie, change Charlie's obsession... only then can we reduce Charlie's fear and hatred of the world.

Only Anya could pull Charlie out of the dust.

Wen Xishu really can do it.

However, the order was not what he had expected.

His plan was for Anya to pull Charlie out of his predicament, complete Charlie's redemption, and bring the Tower of Desire to a perfect close. He envisioned Anya opening the invitation before being teleported to the Reception Grounds, then heading to the Tower of Desire world to give Charlie some courage and good faith.

Everything is perfect.

But now... he has to go to the Tower of Desire ahead of schedule.

He had to sacrifice his own perfect ending in order to save Charlie.

"Hang in there, Anya, I'll be back soon."

Wen Xishu took out the invitation.

He didn't hesitate much; he also longed for this child named Charlie to be less afraid of the world.

[Should we use time annotation to travel to a time point better than the invitation node, before Anya's suicide?]

Just as Wen Xishu was about to activate the invitation, he saw this prompt.

So this is Pisces' gift.

Because it wasn't a perfect playthrough, Wen Xishu's timing in entering the Tower of Desire wasn't perfect either. Furthermore, you couldn't choose your own character.

However, with Pisces' annotations, he can still use the power of time to forcibly return to the time before Anya's suicide.

Wen Xishu knew that using annotations would come at a price, but at this moment, he couldn't care less about that.

"use!"

The yin-yang symbol appears on the invitation, resembling an engraved seal.

Everything around him slowed down; Wenxi Tree was about to travel to another world.

But a scene that horrified Wen Xishu appeared.

He suddenly realized...

Everything around us slowed down, but it didn't stop.

Yes, he could see the beads of sweat slowly sliding down Anya's forehead, and he could see the tail of the spark gently swaying.

"Is this a negative effect of time annotation?"

"No... no, it's the influence of being willing to try new things?"

"Or...is it Charlie's own ability?"

Wen Xishu remembered that Pisces had said that Charlie himself also had time-related abilities, which was why she was interested in Charlie.

Regardless of the reason, in theory, the Tower of Ghosts dimension should be completely still the moment a player activates the invitation.

But not anymore.

Time flows at an extremely slow pace.

This means that Wenxi Tree no longer has forty-eight hours in the world of Desire Tower.

He has to race against time; there will be very limited things he can do.

"Anya, hang in there."

Wen Xishu's figure disappeared completely.

……

……

In the Desire Tower rest area, without a moment's hesitation, Wen Xishu ignored even the surrounding noises. Thinking that time hadn't stopped for Anya, and that she and Spark were still struggling against Charlie's negative emotions, Wen Xishu immediately activated the login device.

Throughout the rest area, he was like a phantom, appearing briefly, flashing for a moment, and then disappearing.

……

……

In the streets with a British feel.

People noticed that the sky had become overcast, even though the city had been shrouded in smog for over a hundred years due to industrial development.

But after a hundred years of governance, everything is back to normal.

But now, people have noticed that not long ago, the sky seemed to have been shrouded in a layer of gray.

There are a few places that are particularly gray.

These are Victoria Harbour in the affluent area, Dream Academy, and the forest in the distance.

Experts say this is some kind of unusual sandstorm intrusion, but people in the city can't feel the wind.

They just felt... it was like some kind of dust floating in the sky.

Only one person knows what happened.

Wenxi Tree.

This man with an Asian face is running wildly at this moment.

He had already taken out his compass, and following its guidance, the compass was leading him closer to Charlie.

Soon, Wen Xishu saw a somewhat familiar scene: Huanmeng Academy.

This is a local private school, which can actually be considered an elite school.

At that moment, Wen Xishu suddenly understood why Anya was being bullied here. Although Anya's father was once a university professor, that was now history. Forced into such a school, under the influence of the school's atmosphere, it was inevitable that the students here would bully those from less privileged backgrounds.

Charlie was the same. Obviously, Charlie's father was rich, but he also knew very well that there must be many other children in this kind of school who were richer and more powerful than him.

He sent Charlie here to study because he didn't want Charlie to make any mistakes, otherwise he would be very embarrassed.

Wen Xishu moved very quickly.

Although he lacked the Trinity Force and the powerful Luta panel, his numerous life-or-death battles, coupled with his parkour skills from his previous life that were comparable to those in Assassin's Creed, made it very easy for him to infiltrate the academy.

He dared not waste any time and approached Charlie almost without stopping.

Inside the tower of ghosts, Anya and Spark were both doing their utmost to try and pull Charlie out.

Willpower granted Anya strength, but this strength could not last long. Anya's steps began again, slowly, as she approached the dust.

Just like a long, long time ago... she fell towards the ground.

She seemed to see that the endless dust was about to embrace her.

Desire Tower.

Charlie is currently being harassed by several people.

"Hey, Charlie who's always whispering in people's ears, Anya hasn't come over for days. Did her family find out about your relationship?"

"Charlie, you're such a pervert."

"Last time it was Sylvie's ears, and now it's Anya. Did you threaten Anya? Do you know some dirty secret about her? Otherwise, why would she throw herself at you?"

“I bet Anya is going to transfer schools again. She’ll hold a grudge against you for the rest of her life, Charlie. You know what? Her dad is going to give her a good beating.”

"Hahahahaha..."

The atmosphere in the classroom was cheerful.

Charlie was the only one huddled shivering in the corner of the table. A few specks of dust surrounded him, but no one paid them any attention. This dust had been shrouding the city for days.

"Charlie, get up. Can you tell us what Anya's secret is?"

"Was she one of those women who solicit passengers at bus stops outside Victoria Harbour? And then you saw her?"

Charlie was furious, but he knew his anger was pointless. Every time he got angry, he would think of his teacher's reprimands and his father's disappointed face.

This is a world that values ​​decency.

Fathers and teachers, for the sake of appearances, will not pursue the truth of the matter, but instead criticize the person who is used to being criticized.

Charlie had fantasized about going all out for Anya, and he had also thought about what would have happened if Anya hadn't transferred schools, or if Anya had stayed here...

They will be best friends, and he will fight against these people for Anya's sake.

But Anya is gone.

Anya hasn't been to school for several days.

Charlie himself believed that Anya had transferred schools.

Anya must be very disappointed in herself, very disappointed in her performance that day. Charlie was angry at these people's slander against Anya, but he felt he deserved to suffer this sting.

Because he felt guilty.

There are some things in life you shouldn't give in to. Because once you give in, you get used to it. Countless harsh words, like dust, sealed Charlie's heart shut.

He began to think that this was how the world was supposed to be.

Today you may encounter misfortune, and tomorrow you may encounter even worse misfortune...

That's just how the world is; misfortune will never stop.

He started to get used to it.

I am just an ordinary person. I have longed for my parents' attention for many years. What I need to do is to obey them and be a good person who will not embarrass them.

What's the point of being angry now?

Anya will meet better people, and she will make new friends after transferring schools...

He started thinking about these things constantly, trying to calm himself down.

But he was really... unwilling to accept it.

Tick.

Tears rolled down.

Amidst countless dust particles, his tears fell, without any response.

Only endless dust and ridicule.

But just when Charlie thought that today would be another day of utter loathing and fear...

He heard a loud bang.

"Charlie, I've finally found you!"

A strange figure approached the classroom at lightning speed, kicked open the door, and then quickly pushed aside the people surrounding Charlie.

Charlie had imagined this scene many times.

He fantasized that someone would appear out of nowhere and violently rip away those who bullied him—yes, the kind of swift, unrestrained rip-away. He hoped that person would be his father.

Because he had fantasized about it so many times, Charlie even thought he was hallucinating.

But in the hallucination, why is there such a clear, completely unfamiliar face of an Easterner?

Wen Xishu's methods were extremely violent. He knew that from this day forward, Charlie would begin a different life.

The classroom suddenly erupted into chaos as those who had been violently thrown aside by Wen Xishu crashed into desks and began to wail in pain.

Wen Xishu smiled:

“You see, they cry out in pain too; they’re not scary at all.”

"Charlie, today is the day before the end of the world. Today, the whole world is waiting for you to save it. Will you go or not?"

Charlie seriously doubted that he was hallucinating.

How could any middle school student not have fantasized about such a scene? Someone suddenly bursts into the classroom, shouts your name, and says that the whole world is in crisis, and now you are the savior, go and save the world.

Kind and timid children are more likely to fantasize about these things.

Charlie felt that everything before him was unreal. He didn't dare to reach out, afraid that it was all an illusion and that he would be ridiculed even more.

Wen Xishu never expected... that such a powerful force would choose such a timid child.

But he didn't mock such a child. Charlie's personality didn't become like this because he was born that way; it was something that gradually developed over countless days and nights.

Wen Xishu thought for a moment:

"Time is running out, Charlie. Anya is waiting for you... She's in a lot of pain right now. If I have 48 hours left, I can verify many things. I can turn the tide on my own."

“But I don’t have that much time, Charlie. This time you really have to rely on yourself. Your life… really needs to be brave for once.”

"Go find Anya, don't stop, don't let her down again, go find Anya! The sky falling is a thing of the future, but don't let your best friend leave in pain."

"Some choices in life, even if you make the wrong one, are better than not making the right one!"

Anya...

The dream of saving the world is really great, cool, and inspiring.

But that's not real.

Charlie's self-doubt and self-loathing had been sown long ago; he knew all too well that those cool and exciting stories were not for him.

But in one's own life, there should always be something worth fighting for, right? There should always be even a little bit of it, right?

Charlie's eyes gradually lit up. He didn't reach out to save the world, but when he heard Anya's name, he suddenly felt empowered.

Let them laugh, let them blame... but that's Anya.

Snapped!
Wen Xishu's hand and Charlie's hand clasped together, and Charlie felt something in his palm.

“The compass, follow its guidance. Go, Charlie, go and embrace her.”

It felt abrupt, strange, and almost like my own fantasy. It felt like I had finally broken down and found a reason to escape from here.

But that doesn't matter anymore. Finding Anya is the most important thing, rather than staying here and being ridiculed.

The timid Charlie finally stood up. Without any hesitation, he followed the direction of the pointer and began to run.

At that moment, Charlie seemed to see countless trajectories of destiny flowing within him.

He suddenly saw the future.

At that moment, Wen Xishu sensed a special energy fluctuation.

Charlie possesses a power that interests almost every zodiac sign. When his fate is altered, the collapsing misfortune becomes a series of images.

They flashed through Charlie's mind.

Charlie suddenly felt scared and looked back at Wen Xishu in disbelief.

It didn't disappear...

It wasn't a hallucination. I've never had a hallucination last this long, nor one so realistic... that feeling of fear.

Charlie started running wildly, experiencing for the first time in his life such fear—the fear of losing something.

Wen Xishu knew that his mission was actually complete.

He could run faster than Charlie, but even with Charlie by his side, he couldn't run as fast as Charlie on his own.

After all, he no longer possessed that powerful strength.

This is a story of redeeming Charlie, but in the end he discovers that the most important redeemer is not himself, but Charlie himself.

Wen Xishu didn't say much, he just left silently. He was no longer the protagonist of this story, but he needed to know the ending.

……

……

The Mysterious Tower.

More and more arms appeared, and these arms were no longer just holding Charlie's hands; they even began to extend and gradually grip Anya's body.

Spark was originally trying its best to bite, but at this moment, Spark was also held down hard by countless arms.

What a desperate moment this was.

Even though I had tried my best, and all my resentment and regret had been transformed into strength, I still couldn't change anything.

Anya recalled the moment she fell.

She actually regretted it.

In the moments before her death, she felt deep regret. She realized that Charlie's retreat was not out of self-loathing, but out of fear of the past.

I should at least be brave one more time and go find Charlie again, even if he doesn't have to hug me, I can still hug him.

"Charlie... I feel like I'm running out of energy."

Anya's tears fell; she was terrified.

Because she realized that everything was really coming to an end. She had finally managed to reappear in this world full of obsessions, only to witness Charlie's death.

At this point, Anya could have chosen to let go. She could sense that as long as she let go, those hands of dust would also let go.

Letting go now means at least I won't be dragged down into the dust.

Some negative emotions also began to affect Anya. As her tense will gradually dissipated, distracting thoughts began to arise.

Ultimately, we're just people sharing the same plight in a dusty world. Do we really have that deep of a friendship?

Anya's will began to crumble.

But at that moment, Spark suddenly began to howl, its voice filled with determination and despair. Even as Anya was on the verge of collapse, the little Spark never lost its fighting spirit.

“I have waited too long in the clock tower, I have heard countless self-mockery of the Hanged Man, I know that this child’s heart is only so big.”

Despite it being the puppy's mournful howl, Anya heard a clear voice in her heart at that moment.

Yes, in the entire Dust Lands, there are only a few places, and half of them are filled with guilt for losing themselves and Spark.

His world consisted almost entirely of himself and Spark, yet he was still questioning himself?

Anya smiled sadly as well, but it seemed as if she had regained some strength, and her previously unfocused pupils became resolute again.

Desire Tower.

The girl, who also longed for redemption, was now standing at the point of self-destruction.

It's September, and the weather isn't actually that cold yet. But perhaps it's because the rooftop is so high, or perhaps it's because the cold winds always stir up memories of the past.

The father's ferocious face, the mother's complaints, the classmates' ridicule, and the hair she had cut herself scattered in the bathroom... and the face covered in bruises in the mirror.

She felt really cold.

It was so cold that one felt one could only find warmth beyond the human world by merging one's very being with the soil and dust.

When a person commits suicide, their brain is actually aware that life is about to end.

Therefore, at this moment, all the hormones that can evoke fear will be secreted, all the instincts for survival will be released, people will recall all the beauty in life, and a certain possibility will be revealed.

But Anya really felt very tired.

Is that possibility really possible?

This wasn't the first time she had stood here.

She used to spread her arms as if she were about to fall, but she always told herself that life wouldn't always be like this, that there would always be some good things in life.
But in return, her father became even more ruthless, and those around her mocked her scars.

Life is always like this. It doesn't change just because you grow up.

Thinking this, she opened her arms again.

But just then, a voice suddenly rang out:
"Anya! Anya!"

The boy's shout broke the cold, like a ray of light shining into a dark and gloomy land covered by countless dust particles.

Anya was stunned for a moment, then looked back in disbelief, just one glance... and suddenly her tears started flowing uncontrollably.

She saw a frightened boy running towards her, panting heavily with fear on his face.

Anya cried. She felt so pathetic, having made up her mind to leave this world. She also felt a pang of resentment, wondering why Charlie wouldn't even give her a hug at the end.

But the moment she heard Charlie's voice, the moment she heard that person call her name, she suddenly felt afraid of death.

Suddenly, I felt that all the cold was bearable.

She had seen that fear of losing something on the faces of many people.

But none of those expressions ever belonged to her, just as no one in the whole world was expecting her.

But at this moment, she realized that the world wasn't so hostile towards him.

In this world, there are people who are afraid of her leaving, so afraid that they weep uncontrollably, so afraid that they run with all their might.

Inside the tower of ghosts, Anya, finally exhausted, suddenly burst into tears.

Charlie, who had finally met Anya in Yuta, suddenly burst into tears.

Countless dusty arms scratched Anya's skin, and when her last bit of strength dissipated, she suddenly felt neither afraid nor terrified.

She willingly disappeared into the dust. If this was destined to be the end, then at least… she wanted to embrace Charlie.

"At least for this moment, I can understand your pain, Charlie."

Inside the tower, Wen Xishu saw the child crying loudly and finally felt all her fear subside.

The disappointment of parents, the ridicule of peers, and the reprimands of teachers all seem to have become unimportant.

Charlie and Anya started running towards each other.

At this moment, the Tower of Deception and the Tower of Desire seemed to merge.

This was the first time Wen Xishu had experienced such a scene, and he felt as if there was a slight resonance between the two worlds.

In the dust-filled tunnel, Anya, covered in wounds, suddenly shouted after being swallowed by the dust:
"Charlie! It's Anya, I've come to hug you!"

The desperate shouts seemed to pierce through the entire world, and on the equally dusty rooftop, the weeping boy finally responded:
"Anya! It's me, Charlie, I've come to hug you!"

The young boy and girl finally embraced tightly, like two drowning people grabbing onto a plank of wood, or like two beams of light merging together.

Inside the tunnel, countless dusty arms suddenly vanished.

In Yuta Village, a city shrouded in gloom, a beam of light, for the first time ever, descended from the sky and landed on the dilapidated rooftop.

Wen Xishu, watching all this from afar, smiled silently. He was truly happy. He knew that from that embrace, everything had changed.

In fact, Wen Xishu had seen these scenes many times...

Jack and Jennifer, the An brothers, Xiao Xing and Xiao Tong... Among the people he saved, there were really many such twins.

But every time, he is still very moved.

This feeling of being moved makes him feel like he's not so bad after all.

"I never get tired of stories like this."

(End of this chapter)