"Fuck! You son of a bitch! %$#$!"
Kolk immediately started cursing. The emotions he had painstakingly built up earlier completely collapsed. He had truly never seen a player like this.
He had been immersed in thought, thinking that those words did make some sense, that perhaps the guy before him had some extraordinary considerations.
Then, just as he was starting to take it seriously, the other guy hit him with, "Was that breakfast?"
Why the fuck didn't you say it was your last meal?!
Your illness still wasn't cured, was it?!
What time was it?!
Kolk barely managed not to cough up blood. His face turned bright red as he pointed at Lu Ce and unleashed a barrage of insults.
But he really could not come up with much to curse him with. They were investigating a mental hospital, yet one of their teammates had turned out to be mentally ill. How were they supposed to proceed?
Lu Ce lay on the floor, looking at the infuriated Kolk. As if they were meeting for the first time, he asked curiously:
"Oh my God, what's wrong? Poor Tom? Did that white cat play with your feelings again?"
"I'm Tom."
"I'm not pitiful. Also, call me Great Tom!"
From the corner, the tin robot that had turned its head over earnestly added that, then turned its head back again.
The female player lowered her head speechlessly, feeling as though her head were splitting apart.
The big man immediately resumed his cursing and rewrapped his wounds. He had gotten so angry just now that two more streams of blood had burst out.
The whole scene had turned into something like a farce.
The atmosphere, which had just become serious, was instantly shattered. No one was thinking about the medicine anymore, as though everything had merely been the ravings of someone with a disordered mind.
Jiu Tian had been getting a headache too. He had originally thought that extraordinary people like Lu Ce must have extraordinary behavior, and he had kept pondering it. Now, it seemed better not to think too much.
If he followed a lunatic's train of thought and got himself killed in this hellish game, that would be a real death.
This team was hard to lead...
But remembering what his colleague had said about Lu Ce's top-tier combat strength, and knowing they absolutely could not have internal conflict now, he hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Everyone, calm down first. Focus on the game. Don't fight among yourselves."
"Hm? The red-clothed sleazebag?" Lu Ce sounded as though he had only just recognized Jiu Tian.
Jiu Tian's mouth twitched.
No, bro, weren't you already mentally unstable?
How did you remember the nickname you gave me so clearly?!
"Go fuck away from me!" Kolk no longer wanted to say anything. After coldly leaving those words behind, he walked away from the crowd and sat farther off.
There was no such thing as a team. These useless people either could not contribute anything, or, like that madman, were outright liabilities!
He could only plan what came next by himself.
Lu Ce lay flat on his back as well, as though he had heard none of it, immersed in his own chaotic world.
When he had called Jiu Tian the red-clothed sleazebag just now, it had been deliberate. It counted as a small responsibility he had taken toward this team.
He was sending a signal—he had not completely lost his mind!
If he did not indulge his mental chaos, he would have difficulty receiving the Gluttony Mask's bonuses. So he allowed his own irrational behavior and indulged his body.
But he still retained the most fundamental level of reason. After all, permanently becoming a madman and being controlled by the mask was unacceptable.
As for whether anyone received the signal he had sent, or understood it, that remained uncertain.
Right now, he was enjoying it, experiencing that feeling of power.
Though the Gluttony Mask's side effects were severe, its bonus to special powers currently far exceeded that of the Greed Mask!
One hundred and twelve portions of food and seven hundred unknown pills had brought him an enormous amount of energy.
Lu Ce felt as though there were a powder keg inside him, capable of releasing immense power at any moment. Cutting through iron with one slash earlier had only been a small trick.
The surging energy swelled within him. The slightest bit absorbed repaired his body and increased his strength.
Earlier, when Long Wu attacked Lu Ce in the room, he had let him tear at his body and gained four or five points of Pain.
But now, in the eyes of the other players, he merely had torn clothes. Not a single person noticed that he had been injured.
Because all his wounds had already healed!
The energy stored in his body possessed an absurdly powerful healing ability when it came to open wounds like these.
And his strength had now risen from 24 points to 25!
More precisely, all of his attributes except Spirit had increased by one point!
This was not from allocating points. It was the terrifying effect brought by the Gluttony Mask. His body had absorbed only a trace of that powerful energy, yet it had already produced such results.
He would enjoy this mask properly. As long as he retained a baseline of rationality, superficial chaos in his thoughts was nothing.
Moreover, perhaps because his chaotic state of mind resonated with this place...
He felt that with this muddled, unclear state of mind, he actually considered many things more clearly...
Like those medicines, and these people.
After the argument ended, there was still some time before lunch.
Kolk sat alone facing the wall, thinking about something. Lu Ce also lay motionless on the floor. No one knew what these two players who had perfectly cleared the game were planning.
Jiu Tian tried several times to start a conversation, wanting to see what information they had and what they planned to do next.
But few responded. During breakfast, everyone had received two shared pieces of information: patients became relatively calm only after taking medicine, and patients would claim they were not ill.
It was very much in line with the characteristics of mental illness.
This information was of little help in advancing the mission. Jiu Tian hesitated for a moment before finally sharing something he had learned.
"My patient said something to me. Besides saying he wasn't sick... he also said that he was innocent."
"I don't know whether it's useful. Please keep it in mind."
The big man and the woman had no reaction, but Kolk and Lu Ce, who was lying on the ground, both visibly twitched their ears.
Lunch was about to begin. You all know the rules, so get ready.
When the time was nearly up, the door opened once again. The tin robot Tom rolled out of the room on its tracks.
Lunch time has begun. Players, please begin the game!
Kolk slowly opened his eyes and walked toward the door.
Throughout the history of international medicine, there had never been a fixed standard for grading the severity of mental illness.
Yet here, they had to find the most seriously ill patient, while every patient so far claimed not to be sick.
It seemed he needed to change his approach...
Thinking that, he turned around and looked at Lu Ce.
Before you continue