The Patient Seemed More Rational Than Him, and Medicine Wasn't a Tool for Clearing the Game

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became terrifyingly quiet. No one had expected that, with the mission making absolutely no progress, something like internal strife would break out.

Jiu Tian fell silent for a few seconds, his mind struggling to process the information.

What did he mean, eaten all by one person?

So he took the initiative to ease the tension. "Mr. Kolk, what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said." Kolk replied stiffly. "I never imagined someone could gain an ability from the game that was eating?!"

"It's just that I think this is completely obstructing our progress in the game."

Kolk looked extremely furious, with far less of his previous rationality and arrogance.

A closer look revealed a bloody scratch on his face.

That was because he had failed to bring back Yuxiang Shredded Pork, causing Long Liu, the patient in the room, to dig gravel out of the floor with his bare hands and throw it at him.

Jiu Tian looked back and forth between the two of them, still unable to understand.

Then he chose to directly seek help from the external staff in his livestream. After all, they had been watching over him the entire time.

: Agent Jiu Tian, he meant exactly what he said. This contestant in the red mask ate all the distributed products in this hospital.

: Not just the medicine, but the food too! All of the food!

: We counted a total of 112 portions! That is absolutely beyond what any human could accomplish. The total volume of food has already surpassed the record from the World Competitive Eating Championship.

: We speculate that this is likely his extraordinary skill. Its level and uniqueness are absurdly overpowered, but... for now, it seems somewhat useless.

Huh?

Looking at the response from his own people in the comments, Jiu Tian felt like his brain was no longer enough. His expression at that moment looked particularly like Kolk's when he had first gone outside and seen Lu Ce.

Brain Cramp Technique!

No, was he sick? Why would he eat that stuff himself? Was that even fit for human consumption?

Wasn't he afraid of eating himself to death? Was he trying to test out his superpower or something?

"No, what led up to this? Why did he eat it? And why did he eat all of it?"

"Was there no trigger?"

: Regrettably, Agent Jiu Tian, there was no lead-up and no reason.

: If we absolutely had to name one, it would be that he said he was hungry from the very beginning. He was hungry, so he wanted to eat, and so he ate everything. It is extremely... absurd.

: Our behavioral analysts have been working continuously, but they cannot identify the purpose behind his actions. We suspect his mental state may also be extremely unstable.

: Compared to him, the patients in his ward are much more normal. Worth noting, the patient in his ward has actually had two instances of rational conversation with him. None of you players have ever accomplished that.

: It is just a great pity that the patient was relatively rational, while he was not. No further effective conversation resulted...

Jiu Tian's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He could not quite figure out what was going on.

There was no reason, no motive, yet the outcome was relatively good instead...

The hell did they mean the patient was more rational than him?!

The patient could actually communicate rationally with him?

Was there really no meaning behind this?

After all, after being chosen by the game and becoming a special affairs agent, he had spent a long time working at the grassroots level. He knew many things were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

Following rules rigidly and doing everything by the book often failed to get things done.

In grassroots work, those people who seemed unruly and did not care much about procedures or logic often ended up with fairly good results instead.

He did not know what exactly was going on with Lu Ce, nor could he think of any reasonable explanation.

: There is another point that requires special attention.

: No matter what, do not offend him! Do not offend that person!

: His combat ability is extremely terrifying.

Hm? Jiu Tian frowned. This was the first time he had seen combat ability described as extremely terrifying...

At that moment, Lu Ce, who had been lying flat the entire time, finally spoke, interrupting Jiu Tian's thoughts.

"Ah, it's you, my begging-for-food brother."

"What? Still haven't managed to beg for food?"

Lu Ce spoke in words only the two of them could understand, sprawled comfortably on the floor.

The big man and the woman stood to one side, utterly baffled by the situation before them, with no idea what they were doing.

Kolk had lost his previous arrogance. Gritting his teeth, he said:

"That medicine is for mental patients, not for you to eat!"

"You ate too much, and now your mind has become completely abnormal, right? If you're abnormal, then quit. This game isn't for you."

"If you couldn't beg for food, you can't blame me. I got food because I'm capable..." Lu Ce continued spouting nonsense.

"Enough!" Kolk exploded. He had always stood above others in life, and he had never felt this kind of helplessness, as though he were talking to an idiot.

"If I had gotten that medicine this time, I would have made tremendous progress. I was only a little short of completely controlling him!"

"This hell game wasn't dangerous in itself, but you forcibly made it dangerous!"

"Chinese man, I don't know whether you're pretending to be crazy and foolish, or whether you've truly gone insane."

"That medicine is a tool for clearing the game. You are obstructing the game's progress, obstructing it in a hell game of all things! This will send all of us to hell!"

"You either behave yourself, or get the hell out of here! Get out of this game."

Suddenly, Lu Ce, lying on the ground, slightly raised his head and looked at him.

It was as though sharp light shot from the red mask. Kolk felt as if a predator in the wild had suddenly set its sights on him, and his mind instantly cleared for a moment.

Lu Ce slowly said:

"How do you know that medicine is a tool for clearing this game? Who told you that?"

!!

Everyone immediately turned their eyes toward Lu Ce on the ground.

He spoke like a normal person?!

This was the first time Lu Ce had said anything meaningful. He had begun conversing like a normal player.

Kolk's mind stalled for a moment, while Jiu Tian also began to think back.

It seemed that the game's description had never mentioned medicine at all!

The fact that medicine could relieve the patients' symptoms had been written on the meal trays. It had been placed together with that shit-like food, and was essentially part of the game.

They knew absolutely nothing about what the medicine did, how it worked, or which symptoms it corresponded to!

Even Kolk himself had initially been suspicious and had wanted to use his own ability without relying on medicine!

But in the end, they had all simply assumed it.

Lu Ce's voice continued. This time, he spoke with absolute certainty.

"That medicine is not some tool for clearing the game."

The moment he said that, it was like a thunderclap exploding. Everyone fell silent. Even Tom, the tin robot who had remained motionless in the corner, turned his head to look over.

Kolk frowned deeply, lost in thought. Everyone was thinking.

Jiu Tian spoke.

"You mean...?"

"That isn't a game item..." Lu Ce said, then lay back down again.

"That's my breakfast. Ah, I'm getting a little hungry again. When does lunch start?"

Kolk: Damn it!