It Would Be Weird Not to Chop Off a Hand, Exit Coin Trading

"Oh, you mean this..."

Lu Ce looked himself over, only then noticing his palm and condition. As though he had just discovered them, he said in surprise:

"Hm? What happened here? Did I do something just now?"

"Emmm... but it's fine, I guess. Nothing serious."

Jiu Tian: ...

He was somewhat at a loss for words. Judging from the surface, the injury on Lu Ce's hand was no lighter than the big guy's.

Yet for some reason, when this kind of injury happened to Lu Ce, it somehow felt like there was nothing wrong with it.

Maybe Lu Ce was taking it a little too easily.

Lu Ce had already taken Sharp Blade from his backpack and was staring at his palm.

"If I cut this thing off, will it affect the rest of the game?"

A huge question mark appeared on the red mask. He actually seemed to be seriously considering it!

After all, he had sawed off his legs in both of his last two games. If he did not chop off a hand this time, the game would feel rather boring.

"Hold on!" Jiu Tian hurriedly stopped him, afraid that this guy would actually chop off his hand!

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with your current condition?"

Jiu Tian asked cautiously, circling a finger beside his head.

He meant to ask whether the other party was still mentally in control.

He had records from Lu Ce's previous game and knew that this person could be somewhat unhinged. Still, he was powerful, and beneath that crazed mind hid an exceptionally calm, cunning, and greedy brain.

But now, he could see the strength and the madness, yet he could not see even a trace of rationality!

Moreover, the staff watching from outside had told him how Lu Ce got injured.

It was utterly absurd.

Was the intel really correct?! Where was that calm mind? It made more sense to say this guy had no mind at all.

Or had he eaten so much food and medicine here that he had ruined his brain? Could they still cooperate like this?

"My condition? Not great," Lu Ce said after considering the question. "I feel really hungry..."

As he spoke, the mask even seemed to convey a hint of pitifulness.

Jiu Tian immediately wore an expression like he had swallowed something unpleasant.

: Hahahaha! So cute.

: Cute. I want to raise one. The contrast is weirdly adorable.

: You probably couldn't afford to. With how he eats, even the richest man would go broke feeding him.

: I feel like Jiu Tian is about to lose it. The big shot torments lunatics in the ward, then comes out and torments his teammates. He deals indiscriminate damage everywhere.

"Hiss... ah! Fuck!"

Suddenly, the big guy roared from nearby. Clutching his shoulder, he began howling in pain.

His entire body started convulsing violently on the ground, utterly unable to endure it.

It turned out that the Basic Healing Potion in the game was cutting-edge biotech, repairing the body in ways humans could not possibly understand.

Even the basic version was immensely useful, but the rapid rebuilding of muscle, resetting and healing of bones, and reconnection of nerves all brought immense pain.

The big guy had been fine when only the surface muscles were repairing. Now that the process had reached the stage of rebuilding nerves, the agony was simply beyond what he could bear.

"Ahhh! What the hell is this stuff?! Doesn't this medicine come with anesthetic?!"

"Oh? That intense?" Lu Ce watched with immediate interest, then took out a bottle of Basic Healing Potion from his backpack and poured it over his own hand.

Seeing this, Jiu Tian's mouth twitched. Is your reason for seeking treatment a little different from that of normal carbon-based lifeforms?

The big guy continued screaming. His voice alone echoed endlessly through the room, shrill and piercing, making the already oppressive atmosphere even more terrifying.

Hell Mode 5 games were like this—cruel and agonizing.

Lu Ce was just a little disappointed, however. After waiting for a while, he did not receive any Pain points.

It seemed that pain from healing did not meet the trigger conditions.

"Damn it! I can't take this anymore! There's no information at all in this hellhole. What fucking stage are we supposed to clear? No one can ever clear a Hell Mode game!"

"I... wait, why won't it open?!"

The big guy lay on the ground, endlessly venting his emotions. Then suddenly, his voice filled with terror.

"What won't open?" Jiu Tian asked curiously from the side.

"The shop... what's wrong with the shop?! Why won't it open?!"

The big guy's voice was filled with panic. All his earlier rage had vanished, leaving him like a helpless child.

Jiu Tian looked at him strangely and replied:

"The game shop can only be opened and used to make purchases outside the game. Only after the items are placed in your backpack can they be brought into the game."

"What? Wasn't that an official game notification?"

"You seriously didn't know?"

The big man's eyes were instantly swallowed by fear, and he kept muttering under his breath:

"What? When did it say that? How did I not know?"

"Then how am I supposed to buy Exit Coins? What do I do now?!"

Jiu Tian's gaze sharpened as he took a few steps back.

This was a hell game. Everyone knew the death rate of hell games. The reason everyone had remained calm was because of Exit Coins! Everyone present had cleared games before and bought that thing.

When all else failed, they could just quit. They would lose everything they had gained in the game, but at least they would keep their lives.

As long as they were alive, they didn't fear this hell game quite so much. Unlike the hell game Lu Ce had encountered last time, the rookie players around him then had had no chance to quit.

But the big man had actually forgotten something so crucial.

Jiu Tian was rendered speechless, and his heart grew a little heavier.

The air fell silent. A trace of despair flashed through the big man's eyes, and the atmosphere instantly became oppressive.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of a coin being flicked rang through the air.

Everyone turned to look and discovered that Lu Ce was the one doing it. They were immediately puzzled. Was this lunatic showing off or something?

Was there any need to bully a player who was already in despair?

"I'm hungry..." Lu Ce's low voice came over. "Do you... have anything to eat?"

Jiu Tian instantly recalled his colleague's description of Lu Ce's performance in the previous game.

Understanding dawned on him at once. He gave Lu Ce a somewhat surprised look before turning back to the big man.

"When you use an Exit Coin, you lose everything you gained in the game anyway—physical enhancements, superpowers, points."

"So... when it's time to save your life, go all in on saving it!"