The big man's eyes were confused at first, then he seemed to understand something. In an instant, it was as if he had grasped a lifeline.
"Y-you... are you planning to sell your Exit Coin?"
He had thought Lu Ce was insane before, but now he was even using honorifics. It was clear that, in order to survive, he was willing to throw away all dignity.
Lu Ce said nothing. He did not want to waste too much rationality on the man and merely kept flicking the coin in his hand.
Its patterns were exquisite, like a fine toy, but in this game, it was something that could save a life.
"B-brother, let's talk! Sell it to me!"
"I didn't know the shop couldn't be opened. I saved up all my points and didn't spend a single one."
"I barely used any of the prizes or rewards either. I was saving them for a critical moment. Right, I only used that Primary Recovery Potion just now. My fault, my fault."
At this point, the big man could not care less about saving face. He pleaded in an utterly humble manner.
"I'll give you everything. Take all of it. Just give me an Exit Coin. I want to leave."
"You never know when something might happen here... I-I can't take it anymore."
"Or... we can figure out how to stay in touch. After we get out, I can..."
By the end, he had started offering all sorts of future conditions, just like players before him. Of course, Lu Ce did not care about such promises.
Lu Ce flicked the Exit Coin in his hand and tilted his head. Then, with a light push of his finger, the coin traced a perfect arc through the air and landed before the big man.
The big man's eyes lit up at once. He crawled forward two steps, snatched up the coin from the floor, and held it in his hand as though it were treasure.
Then his eyelid twitched. He felt a sharp aura lock onto him.
Lu Ce stood silently before him, holding Sharp Blade.
The big man gave an awkward smile, then hurriedly began the transfer, afraid that the powerful player before him might misunderstand.
Afterward, as though afraid Lu Ce would change his mind, the big man fled the instant the transaction was complete. Holding the Exit Coin, his body flashed, and he vanished from the spot.
Of the five-person team, one had now left.
Lu Ce obtained 1,400 points, a Strength Mixture, a Primary Healing Potion, and a Skill Learning Scroll.
Lu Ce was mildly surprised upon seeing the Skill Learning Scroll. Though its level was not high, it still counted as a superpower.
However, learning it required the awakening of one's spirit. Fortunately, the big man had not awakened his, or he would have definitely used it already.
Lu Ce temporarily placed it in his inventory. This had been a highly profitable haul, after all. An Exit Coin was worth only one thousand points.
At this point, Kolk, who had stayed out of everything until now, finally spoke. He raised his head and, this time, spoke Chinese directly.
"Good that he left. That means one fewer person to split the rewards with."
"Also, was your Exit Coin given to you by the game as a reward? As I recall, Exit Coins in the shop are purchase-limited. Everyone only gets one chance to buy one."
He was speaking to Lu Ce.
He was half right. Lu Ce's Exit Coin had indeed been a game reward, but Lu Ce himself had never bought one. He had never considered leaving the game.
Jiu Tian's heart tightened as well. He had not noticed this issue before.
Did I just screw Lu Ce over? He hurriedly asked:
"Do you still have any Exit Coins?"
"Maybe not. Why leave? Isn't the game fun?" Lu Ce replied hazily.
"But that's your way out! What about your way out?" Jiu Tian grew anxious.
"What is a way out?" Lu Ce lifted his head. This was one of the rare moments when the expression on his mask was not distorted. "From the moment I entered this game, there was never any way out."
Lu Ce had made that decision from the very beginning. It was absolutely not a symptom of mental chaos.
Even without Chosen of Suffering, without power beyond others, without immunity to pain, he still would have entered this cruel game.
Leave the game and lose everything? Lose superhuman power, lose any chance to change his life, lose the mask he had now, perhaps even lose Chosen of Suffering?
Impossible. From the moment he entered the game, Lu Ce had only two ways to leave it: success or death.
He did not feel that he had anything left to lose. Starting over was an excuse for the weak.
Those without resolve should just be spectators.
"If you leave once, you'll never be able to stand at the peak again."
After saying those final words, as though he had exhausted all his mental strength, Lu Ce lay on the ground and began a sleep that lasted the entire afternoon.
Eat, then sleep. Yes, that suited Gluttony's nature perfectly.
Jiu Tian stood there blankly, staring at Lu Ce on the floor in disbelief.
He had not expected someone so obviously mentally unstable to say something like that.
For that brief moment just now, he had seemed normal, hadn't he?
Kolk, however, did not share that thought. He merely sat in the distance and watched quietly, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
Dinner time has begun. All players, please begin the game!
The door opened once again. The only female player stepped out of her room with heavy strides.
This time, Lu Ce and Kolk sprang into motion almost simultaneously. Lu Ce naturally began another sweep, while Kolk wanted to snatch at least one plate of medicine from Lu Ce's grasp.
This time, everyone clearly felt that the entire asylum had become even more eerie.
The moment the door opened, sounds they had never heard before came drifting out—screams, murmurs, and harsh scraping noises. They were muffled, distant, and terrifying.
Even such thick iron doors could not block out those sounds!
Perhaps because they had gone an entire day without medicine, it seemed as though every person in the asylum had gotten worse. The whole asylum had become a carnival of demons.
The last female player even entered her room clutching an Exit Coin!
However, it was not only the patients here whose condition had worsened. Lu Ce's condition had worsened as well.
For the third time, he swept away every bit of food and medicine. The energy within his body seemed ready to explode at any moment, and the Gluttony Mask appeared to have reached a critical point.
Bang!
When he opened the door, Lu Ce, unable to properly control his strength, kicked the ten-centimeter-thick iron door hard enough to bend it.
It frightened the patient inside, who had been preparing to go crazy, into sitting upright.
The next instant, Lu Ce flashed to his side.
"I heard before that I can ask you questions. I ask, you answer!"
"..."
Meanwhile, no one noticed that Kolk had never entered a room.
After everyone else had entered, he paused briefly, then walked toward the door of Jiu Tian's room.
He pushed the door open and entered!
Before you continue