Chapter 5

Sheng Yu's eyes widened. "You didn't eat it?"

In the palm of the white-haired young man, the small white pill lay untouched. There was not even a trace of wetness on it.

Zong Jiu glanced at him. "It's just a trick."

For a magician, having flexible fingers was the most basic form of training. Even though Zong Jiu's hands were still stiff, he was familiar with all kinds of concealment techniques. It was more than enough to hide a small pill.

Not only Sheng Yu, who had been following him, but even the bullet screen was shocked.

[Wow, I saw him throw the pill into his mouth and drink a big mouthful of water.]

[Yeah, yeah, I saw it too! And the eerie head nurse was staring at him.]

[Is it a prop??? Impossible, isn't he a newbie? Where did he get a prop?]

[If he doesn't have a prop, then he hid it with his own ability. This trick is really good at deceiving others. This newcomer is really something.]

Sheng Yu's exclamation attracted everyone's attention. The other trainees in the cafeteria saw the pill in Zong Jiu's hand and had different expressions.

Logically speaking, whether it was a veteran or a newbie, there was not much difference in physical fitness.

The rules of the infinite loop were very strict. Humans would forever be at the bottom of the monster food chain, and those who sought survival would never be able to escape the category of "human". Even if they had special encounters in special high-level dungeons that allowed them to transform their species, it was still the same. They were still humans to the core. This was an unchangeable fact. No matter how many dungeons one went through, these two points could not be changed.

Survivors could collect different items according to clues revealed by NPCs in dungeons and rely on the abilities of these items to save their own lives.

The survival points collected after each dungeon instance could be used to strengthen oneself or strengthen existing items. But no matter how much one strengthened oneself, it could not exceed the common limits of human beings. For example, no matter how much a person strengthened themselves, they could not lift a building out of thin air and become an existence like the Hulk.

In addition, compared to strengthening items, the survival points needed to strengthen oneself were too much. Therefore, unless there was no suitable item on hand, most people would not choose to strengthen their body directly.

As a result, due to the urgency of the situation, under the strict protection of a circle of nurses, almost all the trainees in the cafeteria swallowed the medicine. Although many old people had rushed to the trash can at the side to vomit, the pills had already entered their stomachs and would more or less have some effect.

After looking around, other than Zong Jiu, there were only three people who did not let the medicine enter their mouths.

Zhuge An and Messiah were S-class bosses, and their methods were beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Qin Ye, on the other hand, used his brute strength to crush the pills into powder and evaded the nurse's eyes.

"I knew this newbie wasn't simple …"

He Jianlan dug out the pill that was stuck in her throat. Her expression was ugly.

Zong Jiu was the lucky one who had not taken the drug along with the S-class and A-class bosses. He was showered with warm gazes.

He Jianlan was not the only one who had been on guard against him. Even Zhuge An lowered his status and glanced at him.

Because of the move just now, Sheng Yu looked at him with admiration. He looked like a little brother looking at his big brother. He even changed the way he addressed him and called him "Ninth Brother". His voice was so sweet that it was very pleasing to the eye.

Just now, the head nurse mentioned the schedule on the wall, and many trainees gathered around to take a look.

Next to the schedule was a floor plan of the mental hospital, and it showed all the rooms and facilities on this floor.

This was the first floor, and there was a cafeteria, a library, and a multimedia room.

"After dinner, it's free time … So we washed up in the afternoon, went to bed at half past ten, and did the ward rounds at eleven."

Sheng Yu leaned over and said word by word, "Wake up at seven tomorrow morning. Ah, you have to take the medicine every night!"

The new trainees' faces turned pale, and their bodies were on the verge of collapse.

Now that the medicine was taking effect, many of them began to struggle to keep their eyelids open.

Sheng Yu was even more flustered. "What should I do, Brother Jiu? I can't spit out the medicine now."

Zong Jiu was about to speak when the blond Holy Son suddenly walked out from the crowd of new trainees.

"Everyone, please listen to me."

The noisy crowd suddenly quieted down.

Messiah had a smile on her face, and her tone was gentle. Her blue eyes were like the warm wind blowing from the Aegean Sea in Greece in the afternoon. It did not make people feel superior, but rather, it was refreshing. But no one dared to look down on her.

Because of the Level S and the small number 2 hanging on her chest.

No.2, naturally, had the qualifications.

"Although the main system has set this level as a one-man show, it does not mean that the difficulty of the dungeon has been lowered."

To take care of the new trainees, Messiah gave an example.

"According to our experience, if it is a normal or low-difficulty dungeon, the main mission is usually to escape from the mental hospital, or to solve a riddle that leads to a certain item or clue. But this dungeon does not. Its main mission only requires us to survive for three days. "

"This means that the trainees only need to survive. We don't even need to find out what happened in the hospital and what truth was buried. Because these difficulties set by the main system are not as important as surviving. "

The trainees suddenly understood.

When survival was raised to the same level as solving a riddle, it meant that in this dungeon, surviving was the biggest difficulty.

After thinking this through, everyone could not help but feel their limbs turn cold.

"With this level of difficulty, I suggest that everyone choose to work together."

Messiah said, "Although the purpose of the one-man show is to express oneself, the main system did not say that trainees are not allowed to work together. We do not need to point the spear at our fellow trainees in order to survive."

Seeing that some of the new trainees were still hesitant, the blond Holy Son continued, "Everyone, don't worry. The rules of the Infinite Loop prohibit those who seek to survive from killing each other. The nurse in the mental hospital said this just now. "

"The enemy of those who seek to survive is never those who seek to survive. We have a common enemy, and that is those things." The blond Holy Son was implying something. "The level assessment is important, but the most important thing right now is to survive in this dungeon, isn't it?"

His words were like an epiphany, completely waking up the muddle-headed newcomers.

That's right, surviving was the most important thing. Whether the level assessment was eliminated or not, they had to be alive to survive until then.

If they could not survive these three days, they would not even have the qualifications to be assessed.

More and more new trainees stood behind the blond Holy Son.

Strangely enough, after the nurse left, the entire cafeteria seemed to be empty.

The auntie at the window who was queuing up for food had closed the stall, and the burly nurses were nowhere to be seen. They did not even see an extra patient NPC. There were only trainees with signs hanging around, chattering here.

Perhaps this kind of situation was very common in mental hospitals. As long as they did not break the rules mentioned by the head nurse, they would naturally be fine.

When the new trainees made their choice, the seniors were obviously more considerate and comprehensive.

"Let's go. This dungeon is obviously not that simple."

He Jianlan sighed and pulled Qin Ye to join them.

In the past, when they were in the infinite loop, they moved as a team, so they could trust their backs to protect them.

The infinite loop was already scary enough. If they turned against each other, how scary would that be?

However, in this dungeon, the main system clearly pointed out that there was a mole among them, and this caused the seniors to panic.

It was not surprising that Messiah would say something like that.

Because regardless of whether there was a mole or not, sticking together was the best solution, for both the new trainees and the old trainees.

Zong Jiu stood to the side and watched the whole process. He did not say anything, instead, he silently moved a few steps toward the Holy Son.

[That's amazing. This kind of charisma, as expected of the Holy Son.]

[This place is really lucky to have a leader. In the livestream next door, the Cursed Team and the Night people almost got into a fight. Now, they're fighting in the dark, and the new trainees have been reduced to cannon fodder.]

[Indeed, if it was someone else, they might not have the charisma that the Holy Son has. He is an S-level boss to the new trainees, but there are plenty of old trainees who have faith in him.]

[Am I the only one who cares about Master Zhuge? I feel like Master Zhuge is not the kind of person who will follow the rules. (facepalm)]

In the end, everyone made their stance clear, except for one person who remained outside the circle.

The black-haired man was as thin as a bamboo. He crossed his arms and his eyes were as deep as a lake.

When the Holy Son was giving his speech, he stood by the wall to look at the calendar. When Messiah finished, he did not even look at the people who had formed an alliance. He turned and left, leaving behind a cold and aloof back.

Zong Jiu glanced through the gap in the crowd and confirmed that the man was heading toward the stairs.

After the man disappeared into the darkness, someone whispered, "Oh my god, that man's presence is so strong."

"We've all chosen to form an alliance, why is he the only one who doesn't fit in?"

The people were still worried. "Didn't the main system say that someone has obtained a different identity card? Do you think it's possible that … "

Messiah frowned. "That's Zhuge An, the No.8. He's smart and has unfathomable strength. It's understandable that he chose to act alone. Before everything is settled, don't put unnecessary suspicion on others. Those who want to live should be united. Just think about it in your heart. There's no need to say it out loud and hurt the harmony. "

The newbie did not dare to refute. He only nodded like a chick pecking at rice. He was afraid that the leader would be dissatisfied with him.

Seeing the newbie's sincere attitude, Messiah skipped the topic. "Alright, since we've reached a consensus, let's hurry up and discuss the follow-up arrangements."

"Now, if you feel very sleepy, or if you didn't vomit out the pills, please stand to my right. If you don't feel sleepy, or if you didn't take the pills or vomited them out, please stand to my left."

The golden-haired Saint organized the trainees in the cafeteria in an orderly manner. After everyone was in position, he spoke to the right. "The composition of the pills is unknown. But from the symptoms of sleepiness after taking the pills, it should be a sedative or antidepressant type of drug commonly used in mental illnesses. But in such a short period of time, you all showed an effect, which means that the dosage is large … If you choose to continue to gather information, you may collapse halfway. "

"My suggestion is not to make any unnecessary struggles. Why don't you go back to the dormitory early to rest and conserve your strength."

Hearing this analysis, the trainees who had taken the pills all showed fear in their eyes.

"But, but —"

Sleep?

Not to mention the veterans, even the newbies knew that sleeping in a horror dungeon was tantamount to suicide.

Not to mention that they were all in single wards. What would happen was simply unpredictable. Thinking of the gloomy and cramped environment in the dormitory on the first floor of the basement, no matter how sleepy the trainees were, no one dared to take the first step.

"Don't be afraid." Messiah gave them a comforting look. "Everyone can be divided into two groups and sleep in the same dormitory."

"This doesn't conform to the rules, right?" Someone was worried.

The Son of God smiled. "How does it not conform to the rules? The few rules listed by the head nurse did not say that multiple people are not allowed to stay in the same dormitory. Besides, it's only eight o 'clock now. According to the schedule, the ward rounds are at eleven o' clock. If you all sleep now, by the time the ward rounds are done, you'll definitely be in a deep sleep due to the effects of the drugs. Even if the nurse brings along a caregiver, it's impossible to wake you up one by one and let you all go back to your dormitory, right? "

Not to mention the survivors, even the bullet screen was stunned upon hearing this.

[F * ck, this method is really amazing. If we follow this method, at least we should be able to get through the first night peacefully. I didn't think of this at all!]

[Really amazing … As expected of the seventh ranked S-class. Only at times like this can we understand the difference between the big shots and us mere mortals.]

[What the person above said is too true. No wonder people say that the top survivors are well-developed in all aspects of morality, intelligence, and physique. Before the live broadcast, I really didn't understand this difference. Now that I've watched the live broadcast, I know that all kinds of qualities are important in the dungeon.]

[The rarest thing is that the Saint likes to think from the perspective of a group. If it were a normal person … I feel that if I had the strength of the Saint, my first reaction would be to be like Master Zhuge and be a lone wolf.]

Although there was not much strength in numbers in a horror dungeon, everyone knew that there was a 45% chance of dying alone. With so many people in the same dormitory, the risk and probability of an accident would be greatly reduced. It was indeed the best plan.

Since Messiah came up with a method that convinced everyone, the trainees who had taken the drugs were divided into two groups and went downstairs to sleep.

After another round of vomiting failed, Sheng Yu's ears drooped. She waved at the Zong Jiu and followed the group downstairs.

There were originally a lot of people, but now there were less than ten left. Other than the S-class Messiah, there were a few A-class and B-class trainees who dug out the drugs stuck in their throats. There was not even a C-class trainee.

Under such circumstances, Zong Jiu, who was wearing a blue grade E badge, was particularly eye-catching.

"We're all veterans, so I don't think there's much to say. I'll keep it short. "

After the trainees left, Messiah's face became more serious. "There's a library and a reading room on the first floor. We'll split into groups to collect information."

"Although this is a survival dungeon, the main system can't not give us any hints. This is a matter of survival, so everyone must be careful and not miss any information. "

Everyone nodded. The blonde Saint turned her gaze to the Zong Jiu who was standing at the side. "This little brother will be in a group with me, so we can look after each other."

The Zong Jiu nodded nonchalantly. His reaction to the news that he was going to be partnered with an S-class was mediocre.

He had at least read some of the original text, so he knew that there was a discrepancy between what Messiah said and what she said.

The infinite loop did have an ironclad rule that those who wanted to survive could not kill each other, but if they "accidentally" died, then there was no other way.

Ghosts were scary, that was true. But people's hearts were scarier than ghosts.

Besides, only a hundred people could survive in the end. The horror competition made it clear that other than the trainees themselves, everyone else was a competitor. In the later stages of the show, killing each other was a foregone conclusion.

However, the Thriller Trainee Competition had just begun. The survivors, who were used to working together as a team, had not been able to change the mindset that humans were all the same. Therefore, it was normal for people to not be able to change their mindset.

The Messiah did not say anything, but she was not deliberately hiding it. Some of the older people realized it, but they still chose to work in groups and did not say anything. After all, if the news was made public, it would only make people more anxious. Not saying anything was not necessarily a bad thing.

Zong Jiu thought about it as he walked down the corridor on the first floor with the trainees who had not taken their medicine.

The lights in the corridor were much brighter than the basement. The walls on both sides had obviously been renovated. Even the dirty moss hiding in the corners was rarely seen.

After eating, the time of the original Host's death was one step closer.

Zong Jiu could not accurately remember the original Host's death to a few minutes or seconds, but he remembered the process clearly.

The plot was mostly the same. In the original story, the Son of God proposed to work together. The trainees were divided into two teams: the scouting team and the sleeping team. However, the original Host went downstairs with the sleeping team. When he was moving the quilt, he suddenly felt the need to pee. He asked a newbie to go to the bathroom with him and achieved the perfect first kill.

It was easy to avoid the original Host's death. All he had to do was not go to the bathroom on the first floor during this time.

After thinking about it, Zong Jiu turned his attention to the work in front of him.

They stood in the reading room. There was a large pile of old newspapers. It was very troublesome to go through them.

Although it was difficult, it was not completely fruitless.

Soon, the trainees in the reading room found a few articles on the topic.

The old newspapers vaguely mentioned that the original location of the mental hospital was a military base from decades ago. Later, a terrible incident happened during the war and it was abandoned. It was once uninhabited because of ghosts. Unexpectedly, it was bought by an unknown businessman a few decades later. After a quick paint job, it was transformed into the mental hospital it was today and opened to the public.

All of the older people sighed in relief.

Originally, they were all scared by Messiah's words and worked hard. Fortunately, it was not too difficult to obtain information about this instance.

According to the plot of horror movies, the incident from decades ago was the source of this instance. Although the mission from the main system did not require them to find out the cause of the horror, if they wanted to live, the secret was related to the source. If they were lucky, they would be able to figure out what had happened back then. They might even be able to take advantage of the situation and survive for three days.

But, was it really that simple?

Zong Jiu rubbed his chin. Suddenly, he heard the Son of God's gentle voice beside him.

"Forgive me for asking, but are your hands …?"

The white haired youth was beautiful. He was undoubtedly a near perfect existence.

In this perfect contrast, the small flaw was very obvious.

Messiah only noticed the abnormal stiffness of his hands when Zong Jiu was reading the newspaper.

Or rather, the person in question purposely let him notice it.

Zong Jiu's back stiffened. "Yes."

He did not try to hide the problem with his hands. Instead, he used his strength to pull out the newspaper. "It's a comminuted fracture."

[Holy sh * t, no wonder I felt that his hands were in an awkward position. It's a comminuted fracture!]

[My god … If the hand is comminuted, even if the recovery is good after piercing the needle, there will be repercussions. It will definitely affect daily life.]

[This also depends on the severity. Comminuted fractures are the same. If it's too serious, then the hand is basically useless. If it's a simple fracture, it can be recovered with proper rest.]

[What, someone upstairs saw it. I didn't notice at all. Mitch.jpg]

"I'm sorry." The Son of God was stunned. He hesitated for a moment. "Mind if I take a look?"

The white haired youth held out his hand.

The next moment, a faint golden light appeared on the Son of God's fingertips. It disappeared in a moment. It was warm.

Zong Jiu guessed that this was the special item mentioned in the original article.

In other words, it was the key to making Messiah the No.2, respected by thousands, and given the title of Son of God.

"I'm sorry … I can't do anything at this level."

Messiah shook her head. Her blue eyes fell on the pair of slender and beautiful hands in front of her. She comforted, "Although the infinite loop is not a good place. But I have to admit that many miracles can be created here. "

"You mean … there's a chance for my hand to recover?"

"Yes." Messiah patiently said, "As long as you have enough survival points, the main system will be more than happy to heal you. I once had half of my heart pierced through in a dungeon. It only took three seconds for the main system to recover. "

The original article only mentioned that courting death could increase one's score, but it did not mention how to obtain survival points.

"Then how do you get survival points?" Zong Jiu asked.

"Logically speaking, the higher your score, the more survival points you will get in the end. Of course, if you can complete extra special missions, your survival points will also increase. " The golden-haired Holy Son was deep in thought. "This rule should also apply to the rules of horror trainees."

If he wanted a high score, he just had to go through the Danger Challenge.

But from another perspective, if he could increase his score, it seemed normal to get a large number of survival points.

Zong Jiu's eyes flashed.

If he wanted to quickly recover the flexibility of his fingers, he would have to pay a price. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This was a universal principle.

Since there was a path in front of him, it would naturally be —

Zong Jiu grabbed the ballpoint pen beside him.

Hearing the sound of the newspaper being put down, Messiah looked up in confusion. "Where are you going?"

The white-haired youth waved his hand without looking back. "I'm going to the toilet. I'll be back soon."

"I'll go with you. It's not a good decision to be alone." The blond Son of God frowned in disapproval.

"I won't bother you, senior."

A clear voice came from the dark corridor.

"I don't have the habit of peeing with others."