Black tower

Bake an Illegal Immigrant

Suddenly, a tender voice echoed throughout Shanghai, the chorus of children's voices rising joyfully, their melodies at odds with the dead silence of the city. Yet, they persisted, singing eerily on.

Alex looked up, her gaze fixed on the nearest black tower. As the entire Thanksgiving song came to an end, the six-colored lights flickering on the tower vanished.

"Ding dong! Hua Xia Region 1 illegal immigrant Fu Wenduo has successfully unlocked the first level of the Black Tower. In three minutes, all players in Hua Xia Region will begin attacking the tower!"

The words "begin attacking the tower" echoed incessantly in Alex's ears. The next moment, her vision went dark, and she felt herself plummeting downwards.

Surrounded by pitch-black darkness, she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Gathering her composure, she cautiously surveyed her surroundings. But before she could say anything, several figures appeared. Alex counted; there were six people in total, including herself.

Suddenly, a dazzling light illuminated the darkness, and everyone turned towards the source. A young girl, looking like a junior high school student, stood trembling, her face pale and body frail. In her hand, she held a flashlight, saying unsteadily, "I... I brought a flashlight. It was too dark here, so I turned it on."

After a brief examination, a young man spoke, "I think this is an underground cave." His calm voice drew everyone's attention. Luo Fengcheng pushed up his glasses and said coldly, "So, if we're still in Shanghai, we must be near a water source. This is an underground cave adjacent to a water source."

Everyone introduced themselves one by one. "My name is Luo Fengcheng. No one knows what's going on right now, but I suspect it has something to do with the Black Tower. Those six holes above us are probably where we fell from. I assume you all heard the Black Tower's announcement before falling?"

"Alex, 21 years old, working in a library," Alex nodded, repeating, "I heard that Hua Xia Region 1 illegal immigrant Fu Wenduo successfully unlocked the first level of the Black Tower. In three minutes, all players in Hua Xia Region will begin attacking the tower."

"I'm Peng Yuwen, 16 years old, a second-year junior high school student at No. 12 Middle School. You can call me Wenwen."

"Li Wen, 25 years old, currently unemployed."

Just then, a clear childlike voice interrupted her, echoing through the cave.

"Ding dong! The first level of the Black Tower (i***t Mode) is activated. Six-person survival game loading..."

"Sandbox generated..."

"Game data loaded..."

"Main quest issue: Heehee, the six chosen by the gods! Strive to survive!"

The cave fell silent. Li Wen asked nervously, "Six-person survival game...? What does that mean?"

After some thought, Alex said, "I think we're supposed to be attacking the tower now."

Wu Di asked calmly, "Then how do we attack the tower?"

Alex replied, "I don't know." She paused before continuing, "There might be some hints. Let's search for this cave again?"

Luo Fengcheng shook his head, "I've already searched this cave thoroughly. I didn't find anything."

Peng Yuwen suddenly widened her eyes and screamed, immediately clapping a hand over her mouth and whispering, "I... I heard something... digging? It's definitely from that direction!"

Everyone stood up, looking towards the soil wall.

Another man, his face red with anger, clenched his fists, "Dammit, whatever it is. I'll not only punch it to death but also roast it for dinner."

Bang! The last layer of thin soil was dug away.

A pair of scarlet eyes scanned the six of them before extending massive claws and emerging from the hole. It was a turkey over two meters tall, its wings half-burned, and a prominent scar above its left eye. Its tiny eyes fixed on them, its sharp fangs clicking menacingly.

With a bizarre, high-pitched laughter, it said, "Is the Black Tower being kind today? Sending me five humans as seasoning for this illegal immigrant? Drenched in delicious human blood... Oh, thank you, Black Tower. You must know my babies just hatched. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!"

The man who had just threatened to punch it backed away in fear, suddenly turning and fleeing. As he did, the giant turkey darted forward like lightning, its claw slamming into him, hurling him against the wall.

When the claw retracted, it was clear the man was dead.

The turkey's gaze fell on the short and skinny 16-year-old girl, Peng Yuwen, "This fuel is the skinniest. I'll use you as the fire's heart to roast this illegal immigrant. Such illegal immigrants are the tastiest."

"Ah!" Peng Yuwen turned pale with fear, trying to flee, but the turkey grabbed her and pulled her back. Peng Yuwen cried out in pain, and Alex couldn't just stand there and watch an underage girl being taken away. She grabbed the girl's right foot and roared, "We can't let it take this girl! If it takes her, it'll be us next!"

Wu Di also struggled to hold onto the girl's other foot, while Li Wen tremblingly grasped her leg.

Luo Fengcheng then charged full force into the turkey's foot, eliciting a pained roar. But upon closer inspection, the turkey's foot was as hard as iron, unblemished. It merely released its grip on the girl's head, and they pulled her back.

The giant turkey, over two meters tall, roared furiously, "I'll use all of you as fuel to roast my illegal immigrant!"

"Ding dong! Side quest one triggered: Prepare fuel for Uncle Turkey."

The voice echoed in everyone's ears.

This... is a cute turkey?!

Everyone now longed to tear the Black Tower apart.

Alex felt a vague familiarity with those words but had no time to ponder as the turkey prepared to attack. The girl, terrified, tried to run, but Alex shouted, "Don't run! We must stick together. Splitting up will only make us easier targets!" In an instant, a massive match appeared in Alex's hand. No one knew when it had materialized. Wu Di, Luo Fengcheng, and the girl stared in disbelief at the sudden appearance of the giant match.

The turkey halted its attack, turning its head and asking, "Huh? How do you have Little Red Riding Hood's match?" It then snatched the match with its sharp claws, lit it, and began to roast a fire. Smiling, it said, "But where's the meat? I want to eat an illegal immigrant. The taste of human flesh is unforgettable. One of you is an illegal immigrant. Please help me find them!" The turkey suddenly lifted its head, a glint in its eyes.

Alex and the others couldn't imagine eating a live person, but the turkey's words painted a clearer picture of the Black Tower world. Still, they asked, "What's an illegal immigrant? We can help you find them."

A clear childlike voice sounded in their ears.

"Ding dong! Side quest one completed: Roast an illegal immigrant for Uncle Turkey."

As the turkey devoured b****y chicken meat, it replied, "There are three ways to enter the Black Tower: official players, reservists, and illegal immigrants. Official players participate in Black Tower games within three days, win, and gain official recognition. Reservists don't participate in the Black Tower games but take part in other games, gaining some recognition from the Black Tower. They can advance to official players by winning a Black Tower game. Then there are the illegal immigrants, who eliminate at least one player by killing within those three days. Before the game officially starts, everyone is a latent player. Eliminating at least one latent player allows them to log into the Black Tower. Methods of elimination..." The turkey lifted its tiny, sharp eyes, "include but are not limited to game play. Killing is also eliminating a player. That's why the Black Tower hates illegal immigrants the most!" The turkey chuckled, "You have one hour to find that*** illegal immigrant. If you don't, I'll eat you all!"

Silence descended. Suddenly, Luo Fengcheng stepped forward, looking at everyone intently, "I confess. I'm an official player. During those three days, I conducted research experiments under the Black Tower. Let me formally introduce myself. I'm the leader of Group A in the Shanghai branch of the Black Tower Research Institute. Don't doubt that."

It was Peng Yuwen's turn. Looking timidly at the others, she said softly, "I'm not an illegal immigrant either. I haven't killed anyone. Our school closed, and my parents took me home. I've been staying there ever since." The girl's eyes welled up, "Then, on the third day, my mom suddenly disappeared. I don't know what happened. She just vanished."

"You're an illegal immigrant," Alex said calmly, her tone definitive. "Your first sentence was, '"I'm not an illegal immigrant either.' This sentence implies, 'I'm not an illegal immigrant, just like the person before me.' But by saying that, you've inadvertently admitted that the chef who spoke before you isn't an illegal immigrant. Only an illegal immigrant would know for sure that the chef isn't one."

All eyes turned towards the little girl. After a long pause, a hoarse voice whispered, "You all think I'm the illegal immigrant, don't you? Yes, I killed her, but that's not murder. It's not!" The girl hung her head, her voice suddenly cold as steel. She looked up fiercely, "Can that be considered murder? I gave her life. She shouldn't have lived. She shouldn't have!"

"I was stupid enough to meet a net friend, and she got me pregnant. She didn't want me anymore, so I had to go home. But I couldn't abort the baby. The doctor said I was six months along, it was too late, and it could be dangerous. I didn't want that child, but my mom said she didn't want me to regret it later and take that risk. They would raise the baby, and I had to give birth to it."

The girl lifted her tear-stained face, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"I'm not as smart or useful as you, but all I want is to live a decent life. I was already in the hospital three days ago. I gave birth to that thing the night before yesterday."

"She would've ruined my life. I'm only sixteen!" The girl's eyes reddened again with sorrow.

Alex said calmly, "She was just born."

The girl choked up, silently lowering her head and saying nothing more.

Alex asked, "What's your ability?" Like official players, illegal immigrants also possess abilities. The girl hadn't shown hers even when the turkey almost ate her, so Alex wondered, "Does it have something to do with that flashlight?"

The girl wiped her tears away, "You want to know my ability? In an instant, a giant match appeared in the girl's palm. Perhaps due to having just given birth, even with her ability enhancing her physique, the girl remained short and thin. The match was almost half her size as she waved it towards the group, the first target being the chef who had just gloated about her death. "I'll kill you! Even if I die, you won't survive!"

Everyone had witnessed the power of the giant match earlier. Seeing the girl produce one out of thin air left them all stunned, Alex the most surprised. The match looked identical to hers. If it truly was Alex's match, it could knock the turkey back two steps. Its power was beyond their means to resist.

The turkey's sharp claws firmly gripped the giant match, excitement barely contained. "Little Red Riding Hood's match? A delicious illegal immigrant? Ah, Black Tower, why are you so kind to me today, bringing me a second one..."

"c***k!" The turkey's claws tightened, but before it could finish its sentence, the match snapped in two, the head falling to the ground. The turkey froze, blinking its small eyes, staring dumbly at the broken match, like a paused animated toy from an old American cartoon.

"No! How could Little Red Riding Hood's match break so easily? This isn't Little Red Riding Hood's match! You lied to me!"

A fierce glint flashed in the turkey's eyes as it suddenly turned to the girl. The girl paled, staggering backwards. The turkey screeched, moving faster than lightning, slapping the girl across the head. Instantly, brains splattered everywhere. It grasped the girl's hands with its claws, bending its massive head down to peck at her face, tearing off a b****y chunk of flesh.

"Ah!" The pungent smell of blood filled the cave. When the turkey's chewing and gnashing ceased, Alex turned around. On the ground lay a pool of thick blood, several bones submerged within, stained crimson. The giant turkey picked up one of the girl's ribs to pick its teeth, eyeing the remaining people with a sinister gaze.

The turkey sneered, "That fake Little Red Riding Hood's match was useless. If it were the real deal, she would've died the moment it hit her. This imposter's item was only 20% of the original's quality. But her ability is quite interesting. She can replicate any object she's seen within the last 24 hours, up to twice a day. Unfortunately, her ability level is too low. She can only replicate useless trinkets. She can't truly replicate Little Red Riding Hood's match. If only this stinky illegal immigrant could've replicated the real deal!"

Luo Fengcheng said, "So that's her ability. The flashlight makes sense now. When she first arrived in this dark environment, the first thing she thought of was light. Since she'd seen a flashlight within the last 24 hours, she replicated one."

Alex nodded in agreement. From the start, Alex had suspected the girl. They'd been pulled into this tower-attacking game during the day. Why would a little girl carry a flashlight with her?

"Ding dong! Side quest two 'Find that damn illegal immigrant' completed!" As the clear childlike voice rang out, Alex couldn't help but feel it sounded a bit pleased. Was it because an illegal immigrant had been killed?

Alex didn't feel the joy of victory. Her gaze remained calm, fixated on the two pools of blood on the ground. The chef's body still lay in a pool of blood, probably stiff and cold by now. The girl was reduced to a few bones, and the turkey was now gnawing on another of her ribs.

The turkey chuckled, "Using your match to roast an illegal immigrant isn't such a good idea. How about this... I'll ask you a question. If you get it right, I'll give you a turkey egg. If you lose, you climb onto the grill willingly, how about that?

'Ding dong! Quest two: The Secret of the Giant Turkey Egg!'

'There are four eggs in my nest, each with a message written on it: The first egg says, "All of them are turkey eggs." The second egg says, "This is a goose egg." The third egg says, "This is not a duck egg." The fourth egg says, "There are only turkey and duck eggs in the nest." If only one of these messages is true, which one is it?'"

Alex noticed the turkey's feathers were glossier, and its body seemed larger. Could eating illegal immigrants truly enhance its strength? She asked, "Aunt Turkey, I don't want a turkey egg. How can we leave here?"

The turkey let out a strange laugh, "You want to leave? You're playing i***t Mode, so what's the answer, stupid humans?"

Alex had already darted to the second egg, gripping the flashlight tightly and threatening, "Do you believe me if I smash it?"

The turkey looked up sharply, "How could you? Don't hurt my baby eggs!" Its eyes reddened with tears.

Alex explained, "Statements 1 and 4 are contradictory, so 2 and 3 must be lies. If 3 were true that it's not a duck egg, then 2, which says it's a goose egg, must be false. That makes statement 4 true, meaning there are no goose eggs. Therefore, only egg number 2 is a turkey egg."

"Ding dong! Hua Xia Region 1 illegal immigrant Fu Wenduo has cleared the first level of the Black Tower!" The turkey's fear turned to anger upon hearing this. "Wait! Don't hurt my eggs. We can negotiate! Go kill the illegal immigrant first." Its form gradually faded.

As the Black Tower's announcement ended, Alex suddenly felt her vision blur. Looking at Luo Fengcheng, Li Wen, Wu Di, and Luo Fengcheng beside her, their figures also slowly dissipated.

When her vision turned completely dark, Alex opened her eyes the next second. Her heart still pounded, every detail of what had just happened in the underground cave vivid in her mind. She quickly regained her composure and surveyed her surroundings, realizing she was back in the original car. Looking down, she saw the flashlight in her palm. This flashlight had been given to Alex by Luo Fengcheng earlier. Luo Fengcheng, feeling uneasy about the flashlight's original owner being the girl who had died in front of them, had eagerly given it to Alex. Little did she know that upon receiving the flashlight, Alex discovered she had gained an ability.

Alex raised her hand and pulled a book out of thin air, flipping to the third page.

'Ability: Draw a Circle and Curse You'

'Owner: Luo Fengcheng (Official Player)'

'Type: Special'

'Function: Launches a cause-and-effect attack on a specific target, causing misfortune.'

'Level: One'

'Restriction: Can only curse one target per day, unable to control the negative effects of the curse.'

'Note: Alex didn't even offer to pay for the flashlight.

Alex's fingers creaked as she flipped the pages, and after taking two deep breaths, she continued reading.

[Alex's Version Instructions: Can only be used once per day with a 30% success rate. Getting choked while eating or drinking also counts as misfortune. This crappy ability seems somewhat compatible with Alex.]

Alex had guessed that if she wanted to acquire someone else's ability, the first way was to kill them directly, like she did with Qian Sankun, which would definitely grant her their ability. The second way was to commit an act of "taking advantage without paying" towards them. For example, when Luofengcheng gave Alex a flashlight and Alex didn't pay her, that counted as "taking advantage without paying".

But just taking a flashlight was considered "taking advantage without paying"? The way to acquire others' abilities... was it so simple? She curiously put her hand in her pocket and suddenly felt something smooth and hard. She took it out to look.

"A fire chicken egg?" The fire chicken egg given by the fire chicken was about the size of an adult man's fist. Alex had knocked it twice before putting it in her pocket, unknowingly bringing it out of the game. It was a very ordinary white egg, no different from others except for its larger size compared to regular chicken eggs. The fire chicken said humans couldn't hatch fire chickens and gave this egg to Alex just to eat casually, but Alex tried smashing the fire chicken egg against the steering wheel of the car.

Bang! The fire chicken egg didn't c***k, but the steering wheel actually got a small c***k!

Could this really be eaten? One would need teeth as strong as copper and iron to eat this!