Chapter 8: Narrow-mindedness

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen took the paper expressionlessly. He ignored the question raised by Luo Shan, who had just come to his senses. “Was it because metal can resist the poisonous gas? Then why do you only have pants instead of masks or other protective clothing?” He took a piece of paper from his other pocket and handed it over.

Tong Xiaolei looked at him thoughtfully and began to read the paper’s contents.

There was no problem. The route sequence started from the five-finger diagram and passed through complicated mechanisms such as the ten-step mountain river, broken lock, chain thread, and the three arrows.

It was very detailed, including the specific solutions for each mechanism and the few possible variants that had a clear way to deal with them.

As the leader of the middle team, Tong Xiaolei’s knowledge far exceeded those of ordinary people. She was an experienced and strong tower climber.

The moment she looked at the entire route, she had already believed 80 to 90 percent of it.

If she followed that route, if nothing unexpected happened, she would be able to solve it in about four minutes.

The five minutes that the other party said was a very conservative number!

It was purely calculated for an inexperienced tower climber.

Such exaggerated confidence!

Tong Xiaolei rolled her eyes at Wang Wen.

He was baffled.

After that, Tong Xiaolei lowered her head and looked at the route on the paper again.

An untimely sourness suddenly welled in her heart.

Judging from the content, that could almost be considered a mature plan.

It was not some stroke of luck.

It was the result of a life-and-death test.

Her eyes began to moisten when she saw the specific time node of a certain mechanism to the millisecond.

She could imagine how many fearless climbers would grit their teeth and fight to their deaths against the corrosion of the poisonous gas every millisecond.

Putting aside the various benefits behind it, they were all admirable pioneers.

Tong Xiaolei guessed that the other party’s unwillingness to enter the tower was related to that information.

Did one of his good friends or brothers sacrifice themselves in testing the mechanism?

Or a relative?

As she thought about it, her gaze toward Wang Wen became gentle.

She meticulously recorded the information on the paper into the light and shadow notebook. Then, she said to a subordinate beside her, “Hand it to the upper team as soon as possible to arrange the test.”

After that, she transferred the deposit after comparing the personal code on the paper.

After she did all that, Tong Xiaolei handed the paper back to Wang Wen and asked, “Your people tested that path, right?”

“My people?” Wang Wen took the slip of paper and recalled the First Consortium’s test in about 20 years.

He used to be a member of the consortium, so he should be considered as one of them, right?

So he nodded and acknowledged it.

Tong Xiaolei’s gaze became gentler. She sighed and comforted him. “The dead are gone. What we can do is to make better use of that plan and not waste their sacrifice.”

Wang Wen looked at her strangely and realized she was about to cry. He was surprised and terrified. Before leaving, he quickly nodded and said a few random words.

The First Consortium in that period could not do it!

Was it not just 100,000 points?

Did it have to make the middle team leader cry?

It was too petty!

Before he could finish complaining, he heard Tong Xiaolei’s yell.

“Don’t worry. After we finish the test, the rest of the money will be transferred to your account!”

He was so shocked that he quickly quickened his pace and slid into the teleportation portal back to the academy.

Luo Shan watched Wang Wen leave as if he were fleeing from a disaster.

He turned to Tong Xiaolei and said, puzzled, “Aren’t you being a little too polite to that kid? Is that piece of information really worth that much money?”

Tong Xiaolei turned to look at him and said, “If he didn’t talk to us in private and put it up for public auction, I think there would be more.”

“It can’t be that serious, right?” Luo Shan’s mouth was wide open. Was that not just a piece of information for the 69th floor? Was it that good? It was more expensive than the information for the 200th to 300th floors.

“A tall building rises from the ground.” Tong Xiaolei shook her head. She thought of the information she had sorted out in the past and sighed. “It’s precisely because it’s low that it’s more deadly.”

Seeing that Luo Shan was still in a dilemma and he had a constipated look on his face, Tong Xiaolei decided to be patient and explain to him.

All those rushing to the tower’s higher levels could not avoid the exhausting gas chamber before they reached the 100th floor. There was a distinct difference between passing through half-dead and intact.

“Four minutes! All experts on the tower’s higher floors can clear the traps and enter the next floor without changing places.

“If we can confirm that information, we can have at least 100,000 more experts on the 100th floor. We can significantly increase the success rate of reaching the 200th floor!

“Think about it. It would have taken at least 300 experts to safely pass through the 69th floor’s Life Harvester. But now?

“You only need to hold your breath for four minutes. Even I can do it!”

Luo Shan listened in a daze and finally came to a realization. “Oh, that’s right! Those who had reached higher than the 300th floor would usually return unharmed. Now, those who had yet to pass the 100th floor could do the same.”

Tong Xiaolei realized that Luo Shan finally understood it.

“The middle team members are so smart!” Luo Shan smiled embarrassedly and scratched the back of his head. Suddenly thinking of another question, he asked, “He only explained the last prices. What about the first two? Why do I need to pay 100,000 points, and you had to pay 1,000,000 points?”

The smile on Tong Xiaolei’s face disappeared.

She looked at Luo Shan with a complicated look and saw his inquisitive face. His simple mind could be a blessing for him.

“He wanted 100,000 points from you because you don’t understand the value of that piece of information. Since he can sell that information for money, he must be in urgent need of money and was too lazy to bargain with you. And I have to pay a million points.”

She let out a long sigh and looked in the direction where Wang Wen had disappeared.

“My million points. The reason was in his third price. It seems like my probing had made him unhappy. What a narrow-minded person.”

Luo Shan’s mouth was agape as he looked at the middle team leader. He had never seen her so angry. He felt as if he knew something extraordinary.

…

When he returned to the academy, it was already dark.

The usual dinner in the cafeteria had ended.

Was that what Wang Wen would need to worry about?

Was that something someone with 100,000 points in their personal accounts would be concerned about?

He hauled the skinny boy with him.

He began to order some food in the cafeteria.

‘At least two kilograms of grilled fish!’

‘Braised pork trotters with beef and eggs, served on a platter!’

‘Stir-fry vegetables! Fresh vegetables, not dried ones! Must add garlic!’

‘What about wine? No introduction needed; just choose one! I can swipe my card!’

Wang Wen wiped his saliva.

He stopped the high-spirited scene in his mind.

He got a stir-fried potato dish, soup, and a bowl of rice from the cold-faced staff. Then, he wolfed them down on the dining table.

He would even advise the skinny boy to eat with him.

He had no choice. The final payment had yet to arrive, and he only had 100,000 points. There were too many things he wanted to buy, such as a synchronous translator. In the future, if he wanted to make a fortune by selling information, he had to prepare something. He could not just snatch something from his old boss.