One of us? Which department are you from?

The corner of the flamboyant man's mouth kept twitching. The other three players all turned to look at Lu Ce, each with a speechless expression.

Seriously, man, your presence completely clashes with the environment!

In such a oppressive and cold atmosphere, where there's a risk to life at any moment in this hellish game, you're here acting like a judge.

After hearing you say all that in that kind of mood earlier, our emotions are all over the place.

The flamboyant man in red sighed softly, sizing up Lu Ce. He felt a bit too powerless to even comment.

You're still evaluating things?

These big guys all look pretty normal, but you're the one wearing a mask. And not just any mask, it's bright red, with light constantly forming various patterns on it.

Is this the kind of reward you get in the game?

I can only say it's as abstract as you are...

"Huh? Did I say that out loud? Impossible, do you have telepathy?"

Lu Ce touched his mouth in surprise, feeling the cold temperature of the mask.

"You really did say it..." The flamboyant man in red said helplessly, immediately regretting it after he spoke. Why the hell am I arguing with this lunatic!

Holy crap! Is this a 'dumbing down' aura or something?

Seeing the expressions of those around him, Lu Ce realized that it was probably true.

It seemed the mental confusion side effect of the Gluttony Mask was still active. If he didn't actively control it, it would indeed cause some minor trouble.

"Ah, if I said it, I said it. Games always need narration, after all. It also helps you guys understand how others see you."

Who wants to know how you see us!

"Hmph, I've only heard that old people can't hold their pee or poop, but I didn't expect some people can't even hold their words."

The crude, burly man couldn't help but mock him, which was very in character. The crowd fell silent once more.

Everyone was sizing each other up, but no one was as neurotic as Lu Ce.

"Cough, cough."

A cough broke the silence. The flamboyant man in red spoke up first:

"My name isn't 'Flamboyant Man in Red.' My name is Jiu Tian. This is my real name, not a nickname."

"I believe that now that we're in the hellish game, everyone should try to eliminate unnecessary barriers as quickly as possible."

"From a broader perspective, compared to this game, we are all human. We are on the same side."

"Looking at the immediate situation, we might need to get to know each other. I believe this will be beneficial for the game."

"Most of you are from China, right? I'm from an official organization. You can trust me."

Jiu Tian spoke calmly, trying to unite everyone.

This was related to his background. In times of crisis, it was crucial to unite all possible forces, especially since they had no prior grudges.

"I don't think so." The foreigner spoke up.

"We are not sure what the purpose of the game is yet."

"But you can call me Kirk, that's my name."

The woman who had been silent until now spoke up. She looked at Jiu Tian and said:

"Hello, thank you for your sincerity."

"But as the 'tin man' just said, in this game, we cooperate and compete simultaneously. It's indeed difficult to build trust at this point."

"Hmph, 'official'?" The burly man also chimed in. "The game has only been going on for a few days? And there's already an 'official' organization?"

"You people are just meddling. Honestly, the biggest contribution you could make is to stay out of it and stop messing around..."

The burly man clearly had a bad temper, and his attitude towards everyone was generally poor.

But Lu Ce knew that this was likely a manifestation of fear and nervousness. The pressure of the hellish game required him to release it in an unfriendly manner.

Seeing that the communication wasn't going smoothly, Jiu Tian sighed. He had anticipated this situation.

He slowly turned his head towards Lu Ce, waiting for his response.

He had also watched his own livestream earlier. Lu Ce was part of an organization, and relevant external staff were constantly monitoring him. They had already informed him about Lu Ce's situation.

By all accounts, he should be an expert...

Lu Ce looked at Jiu Tian turning his head, thought for a moment, and replied:

"Can I really not call you 'Flamboyant Man in Red'?"

Jiu Tian: ? He felt his head was about to explode.

"If you don't know how to address me, you can also give me a nickname casually."

Who asked you? Is that the point?!

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, the voice in the room sounded once more.

It was the same voice, but this time, the tin man didn't appear. It was just a mechanical voice, accompanied by text appearing on the wall.

[Chosen Paradise, Hell Mode, Demon Hospital.]

[Player Basic Mission: Survive!]

[As long as you stay alive until the completion of the main mission, you will be considered successful.]

[Player Objective Mission: Find the source of the disease, locate the person most severely afflicted, and resolve the crisis they present.]

[Players who complete the objective will receive additional rewards, with a score based on their performance and contribution.]

[Demon Hospital welcomes every patient.]

[Five-minute countdown, the game is about to begin.]

[00:05:00]

After the brief description, the voice ended without any further dialogue.

It was as if any unnecessary conversation had already been handled by the tin can robot, and now it was time for the serious details.

Looking at the mission description, everyone's expression turned solemn.

Hell Mode, and the basic mission was simply to survive!

This meant that the five people present were not to be trifled with, otherwise, just the survival aspect alone would have scared many away.

Jiu Tian understood that the possibility of cooperation among them was indeed very low.

Moreover, the mission was vague. What disease? How to determine who was the most seriously ill?

If you just survived until the end, you passed. So, what if someone slacked off, waited for others to complete the mission, and just focused on staying alive? Wouldn't that also count?

How was this designed...

Everyone fell silent, quietly checking their backpacks and supplies, preparing for the unknown five minutes ahead.

"Oh, right." Lu Ce muttered to himself, but in such a tense environment, even a small sound drew everyone's attention.

The person wearing the red mask reached into his pants, in a rather indecent area.

What's this guy's deal?! In front of everyone!

Is he revealing his true nature now that he's wearing a mask? Does he think it's okay as long as his face isn't shown?

The man in red slapped his forehead and asked the staff outside his livestream:

"Is his information accurate? Is this really a master?"

Before he could finish, his expression changed drastically, his eyes fixed on what Lu Ce was pulling out of his pants.

—A golden business card.

Jiu Tian was all too familiar with that type of custom business card!

His expression immediately relaxed, as if he had seen a friend, and he strode towards Lu Ce.

He whispered in Lu Ce's ear:

"One of us? Brother, you're disguised very well."

"Which department are you from?"