"Hm?"
Zhao Jiacheng, who had been immersed in his own thoughts, was startled. He spun around sharply, startling the other person.
"His jaw was shattered? Caused by the impact?"
"Oh." The blue-clad woman handling clerical work responded and pulled out a stack of reports. "We're not certain, which is why it seems a little strange."
"After all, there were also fractures in his skull. Those are relatively normal and match the angle of impact."
"But judging by that angle, his jaw shouldn't have been hit."
"I don't know whether there was some friction involved, or if it was an earlier injury."
"He's out of danger now. His name is Liu Peng, and our investigation has confirmed that he's a player in the Chosen Game..."
Just as the secretary was about to continue her report, Zhao Jiacheng suddenly interrupted her.
"Wait!"
Frowning, he walked over, took the stack of X-rays from her hand, and examined them over and over.
The secretary in charge of the investigation was also stunned. He had no idea why Zhao Jiacheng had suddenly become so interested in the injuries.
"Judging by the severity of this fracture, it seems even worse than the trauma to his head."
"You have to understand, this student's physical strength was quite high at the time. He was capable of smashing through a wall."
"Although the human skull is harder, such a huge difference is still rather strange. What do you think could have caused it?"
As Zhao Jiacheng spoke, he recalled the scene from earlier that day.
"The sun and moon turn..."
That guy had clearly lost his mind for some reason, repeating those words over and over.
If he had been repeating them the whole time, then his jaw couldn't have been broken beforehand. It could only have happened in that impact!
"Maybe it was friction against the wall? After all, he smashed straight through it," the secretary guessed cautiously, thinking Zhao Jiacheng was worried about Liu Peng's injuries.
Zhao Jiacheng: ...
"Maybe."
Zhao Jiacheng did not argue. He merely muttered to himself, while the scene from that day kept replaying in his mind, along with that high school student's strange behavior.
Time passed quickly. After the sudden incident that day, the weekend arrived, and the school happened to be strengthening its security measures.
Lu Ce lay quietly on his bed, waiting for the next game to arrive.
He had spent the past two days on edge, constantly wondering whether people from that strange organization would come investigate him, or whether the family of the student he had instantly taken down would come looking for trouble.
Fortunately, neither happened.
Time until the next game began: 00:58:43.
The final hour.
At that moment, he was on the phone with Xie Antong, discussing this game.
Xie Antong said, "I don't know how you did it yesterday, but I imagine you're quite capable yourself."
"But no matter what, this game is still too dangerous. I strongly suggest that you buy an Exit Coin before playing again."
Lu Ce typed back, "I understand. Are you participating in the game this time too?"
"Mm." Her reply was brief. "Let's each do our own thing for now. If we get the chance later, we can add each other as friends."
"Also, a reminder: although the clothes inside the game are standardized, according to the information I received, underwear seems to be brought in directly."
"So... you can try seeing whether you can bring things in from the real world."
Looking at the message, Lu Ce realized in surprise that he had never heard this little-known fact before. He had no idea what kind of special connections his deskmate had.
Sigh, having connections really was nice. Unlike him, who could only resort to cheating out of sheer desperation...
After thanking her, Lu Ce lay alone on the bed in his tiny room, staring blankly into space with that information on his mind.
He was wondering whether Xie Antong was truly worth trusting. If they were really going to cooperate, he would definitely have to reveal that he was ranked first.
But her family background was obviously far from ordinary. Could something like this really be resolved through trust alone?
As he pondered, feeling time pass, he pulled a golden business card from the pocket of his school uniform.
Zhao Jiacheng had given it to him, telling him to "call when you feel you should call."
After looking at the department name he had never heard of, then at Zhao Jiacheng's contact information on the back, Lu Ce thought for a moment...
Then stuffed the business card into his underwear!
Sorry, Mr. Zhao Jiacheng! You'll have to keep my little brother company for a while.
It just so happened that Xie Antong had mentioned testing whether items could be brought in. He did not have anything suitable nearby, so he would borrow Zhao Jiacheng's card.
Mm, perfect fit!
Taking a deep breath, he organized his backpack, equipped his achievements and various medicines, and waited for the voice he had long been anticipating.
For some reason, that voice always stirred excitement deep within him.
Please make the necessary preparations in advance.
Please choose to become a spectator or a player.
"Player!"
Hello, player. You have a brief period to prepare...
Game points: Pain value: 6 Strength: 24 Agility: 10 Speed: 10 Luck: 3 Spirit: 1 Bonus medals: God Slayer (Legendary); System Attacker (Epic) ...
The game has been initialized. Preparing to begin!
Welcome to Chosen Paradise!
The same dizziness, the same spinning world—only this time, Lu Ce had adapted to it quite well.
—It was like coming home.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a spacious yet dim room. The air carried a damp, moldy smell, and the sanitation conditions did not seem particularly good.
His body swayed slightly before his feet touched solid ground. Unlike last time, he was not hanging in midair.
Lu Ce was a little disappointed. Why did this seem inferior to last time? At least last time he had been dangling in the air and had a chance to saw off a leg.
He touched his face lightly. The mask had already been put on, fitting perfectly.
There were several other players around him. Before Lu Ce could observe them, he heard a voice that pleased him greatly.
Welcome, players, to the Hell Mode Chosen Game—Demon Hospital.
As the mechanical voice sounded, the creaking rumble of machinery followed. A tracked robot emerged from the corner.
The moment they heard those words, all the players' expressions changed, their faces turning grave.
They were no longer newcomers. By now, they understood the terror of Hell Mode.
How unlucky. This was only their second game, and they had already run into something like this.
Yet beneath Lu Ce's mask, a satisfied smile appeared.
Hell Mode?
This really was coming home!
Before you continue