Chapter 38: At All Costs

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The dust had finally settled.

The students in the cafeteria filed out one by one, stunned by the scene that could be described as a river of blood.

The Mirror had taken away all of their members’ bodies, leaving only the bodies of the academy teachers and guards who were sacrificed in the fierce battle.

The infirmary staff cried out and rescued the survivors who were lying in a pool of blood.

Cheng Qiaoyi was dazedly kneeling on the ground with Wang Wen in her arms.

Yu Zhi moved in closer. She wanted to say something, but she could not open her mouth. After briefly glancing at Cheng Qiaoyi, who was in tears, she sat beside her. She took Wang Wen’s cold hand in hers.

Mr. Gu, the lead guard, took a few boxes of drinking water from the cafeteria. After throwing a few bottles to his companions, he opened one bottle and poured it over himself. Enemies’ and allies’ blood mixed with the water flowed to the ground. It was a heartbreaking scene.

The dean and other teachers who could still walk assisted in rescuing the injured.

The dean stood in a bloody pit. His eyes were wide open as he looked around at the devastation.

“This is not the World Tower,” he grumbled. “This is the academy.”

When the teachers and students around him heard the dean’s sad voice, they could not help but cry.

“This is the academy!”

The headmaster’s aged voice seemed to carry the blood and innocent souls that had died, echoing in the academy.

The long night was finally over.

The sun had started to shine.

Wang Wen’s injuries had healed, and his vision had returned.

When he opened his eyes, he did not see the golden morning sun.

He saw the bloodied academy.

The parents arrived at the academy to pick up their children.

In order to show that the academy did not cause those injuries, they did not ask for a refund of their tuition fees.

They just quietly withdrew from the college.

Were they serious?

The Tiansheng Group was the opposing party.

The world’s second-largest group!

How could a small academy possibly compete with them?

In that world, there was no such thing as right or wrong, only strength and weakness.

The Tiansheng Group had the right to be unreasonable because it had a team of elite tower climbers.

In addition, they had an excuse at the time.

The students departed.

Some teachers left after the injured were escorted away by the ambulance.

The victims’ family members were still with the bodies in the hospital, unable to deal with it in time. For the time being, they could only cry and cover the body with a white cloth.

The hospital director’s office was in a mess.

Wang Wen stood up. Yu Zhi and Cheng Qiaoyi stood helplessly behind their parents.

He expressed regret to his parents.

He instructed Yu Zhi and Cheng Qiaoyi to return home.

The two young ladies were unwilling.

However, he ignored them. He walked quietly to the dean, who kept calling his phone, and bowed.

Then he bowed to Mr. Gu and the other guards, who were doing everything they could to keep everyone safe.

Finally, in full view of everyone, he bowed to the corpses draped in white cloth.

After a long wait, he stood up and walked silently toward the academy’s main gate.

“What are you up to?”

Cheng Qiaoyi pursued him and yelled.

Wang Wen did not turn his head or respond. He walked out of the academy and into the World Tower’s teleportation gate.

It was the first time in his life that he felt the group’s power.

He was in pain.

It was a whole new level of agony.

That shattered world was unreasonable.

The group came after not only him but also those innocent people.

He regretted hiding at the academy in order to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

He did not expect the other party to be so ruthless and decisive, despite having lived for two lifetimes.

He did not even think the group could track him down, killing innocent people as they pleased.

It appeared that he was the source of all sins.

Wang Wen believed that he should atone for the sins he had committed.

Even if it meant he had to turn into a dog.

…

“Chief Gu, Wang Wen had entered the World Tower,” said Tong Xiaolei.

The old man’s hand, which was flipping through the documents, came to a halt. “What a shame.” He sighed slightly.

Tong Xiaolei turned around and looked at the office door. “Are we just going to let the Tiansheng Group kill the teachers?” she asked quietly. “Aren’t they too daring?”

Mo Ran had suppressed Shen Rushuang for a long time, and he had been angry for a long time. At that time, he deliberately targeted Wang Wen because he saw his cooperation with the First Consortium. The old man picked up his teacup and blew on it. “If we attack them, we will fall into their trap. It will turn into a fight between two big groups. We need to stand firm; it is not a good time to start a war. At the very least, we can’t start a war with the Tiansheng Group for the sake of an irrelevant person outside the group.”

“But are we just going to put up with it?”

Tong Xiaolei’s emotions were fluctuating for the first time. “The Tiansheng Group has already tested us several times before this!”

The old man cast a glance at her. “So, what made us the top group and them the second?”

Tong Xiaolei remained perplexed. “What is the point of being in the First Consortium if we have to endure it?”

“The first place is determined by strength, not willpower.” They suffer a loss every time they test us, but we don’t. If the enemy is weak, we must be strong,” the old man said indifferently as he closed the cup’s lid. That was a promising sign.

Tong Xiaolei retorted in a rare manner, “Personally, I believe patience is not a strength for the rats who have been trying to scratch the tiger. It was preferable to kill them with a single slap.”

The old man burst out laughing. His patience was exceptional that day; perhaps he had a lot to say in his heart. “My original plan was to use the Tiansheng Group’s oppression to recruit Wang Wen. He had my number, and I would send people over without hesitation. Except for when he took medicine to save someone, he would rather enter the tower himself than ask for my assistance. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Even if it’s not for Wang Wen, the academy was too pitiful.”

Tong Xiaolei smirked. “We looked into it. Some of the victims were even regular teachers. The Regional Security Department would not intervene. The world will fall into chaos if we do not intervene.”

“The academy.”

The old man sighed.

“They were unlucky,” he said softly, turning his chair to face the floor-to-ceiling window. “We have a reason to intervene if a student holds a position in the First Consortium.”

Tong Xiaolei pressed her lips together. “However, some members of my team had graduated from the academy. They received a call from the dean!”

“That was a battle between the world’s two major groups. Their combined weight was insufficient.” The old man shook his head and gazed out the window at the distant sky. They must at least be on the same level as the team leader.

The office was deafeningly quiet.

Tong Xiaolei stopped arguing. She was depressed. She took a few deep breaths to calm down.

She kept her gaze fixed on the old man outside the window. She could, however, sense his depression.

They could not let their own people down.

The old man smiled at Tong Xiaolei as if attempting to console her. In the end, the students were still not capable enough. “Let it go.”

“Wang Wen is also a student.” Tong Xiaolei grimaced.

The old man’s voice sounded helpless. “The academy would not have suffered such a great calamity if it had not been for him.”

“Those who had never entered the tower are now compelled to do so!” Tong Xiaolei grumbled, her face expressionless. Then she asked, “Which floor do you think he will reach?”

“I am not sure which floor he can reach, but I know he has to reach at least the 500th floor if he wants to avenge the academy.”

…

Wang Wen walked into the tower.

Many people were taken aback by the news.

Shen Rushuang, for example, reported it to the Tiansheng Group’s leader.

His heart almost skipped a beat when he heard the news.

That monster was already extremely powerful before entering the tower. What would happen if he returned?

Shen Rushuang did not dare to consider it. He could only report the results of his work. He hoped the Tiansheng Group’s strength would sufficiently crush the academy’s avenger.