Chapter 3024: Mental Patient
Besides, what had they done to incur such wrath? Nothing more than being inferior to Xu Huo!
"I'll swallow this anger for now!" the player with a scar on his abdomen let out a long breath, then his expression turned fierce. "When I get the upper hand in the future..."
He didn't finish, but everyone understood the implication. Meng Junyan, who had just returned, happened to overhear and couldn't help but chuckle. "With that talent gap, you still think you can get the upper hand? Don't tell me you're planning to take advantage when he's vulnerable?"
"If that's the case, then that knife wound on your stomach was well deserved."
"Enough." Xiao Yue interrupted him. "Say a few less words."
Meng Junyan sat down on the nearby hospital bed. "Mr. Xu has contributed so much to the country and District 014. Without him, could you have safely entered the Enforcement Headquarters?"
"You can't just want the benefits and not be able to handle a little attitude."
"What are you so smug about? Just because your family has some dirty money? If no one had your back, you'd have died in the game long ago!" the scarred player shouted.
"I don't have much strength, but I have self-awareness and a bit of conscience." Meng Junyan looked around at everyone. "I don't know how many districts would kill for a genius like Mr. Xu, but here you act like there's a mountain pressing down on you. Wake up, Mr. Xu is a hero of District 014. The number of people he's saved is more than you've seen in your entire lives!"
Xiao Yue and those of similar background to Meng Junyan were different from Zong Lanzhi and his group. Although they wanted to enter the Enforcement Headquarters, they were destined not to occupy key positions. In a game world where strength reigns supreme, they lacked the conditions to hold real power.
What Zong Lanzhi and his ilk wanted was decision-making power in District 014—true authority. So they didn't want anyone to be able to restrain them, let alone someone like Xu Huo, whom they couldn't resist at all.
Interests determine stance. Even though they acknowledged Xu Huo as the savior of District 014, it didn't stop them from harboring hostility toward him.
"You were wrong just now." Zong Lanzhi said to the scarred player. "Even if something happens to Mr. Xu in the future, all players in District 014 should respect and protect him."
The scarred player looked at his expression, suppressed his inner resentment, and lowered his head. "I misspoke just now."
Meng Junyan rolled his eyes, but due to Xiao Yue's warning look, he didn't stir up any more trouble.
After that, the players who had gone for evaluations returned one by one. Some had scars, some didn't, but everyone would suddenly say, "I'm missing something." When asked what, it was still "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trust," and "conscience."
At first, it was just annoying, but by evening, they found that more and more patients were saying they were missing something. Some, acting crazy, would run up to them, lift their clothes to show the scars on their chests and abdomens, claiming someone had cut out their kidneys or livers. Others grabbed meat chunks from their meals and tried to shove them into their stomachs, saying they needed to put their organs back... Then they were subdued by security and immediately transferred to the Second Inpatient Building without a second's delay.
Except for the twelve in the morgue and one player who went missing at the corner of the comprehensive building, the other players got through the whole day safely, though those who had undergone evaluations were somewhat uneasy.
By evening, when Zong Lanzhi and the others went to check the comprehensive building again, two more people had gone missing from the First Inpatient Building.
One disappeared before the security patrol, similar to the player who vanished from the comprehensive building the previous night. The other, however, suddenly disappeared while deviating from their designated post. Only one companion saw him quietly heading toward the stairs without a word of explanation, as if following someone—though the player didn't see anyone ahead.
"In a mental-type instance, everyone might see something different. Don't think about what he saw; it might only exist in his imagination." Zong Lanzhi felt this couldn't go on, so he arranged for Jiang Ke to secretly explore the office building.
The office building was pitch black, impossible to see inside from outside. Unlike other buildings that had deliberately cleared space around them, the office building had crops planted right at its base. Apart from the main entrance, all side doors and windows on the first floor were covered.
Jiang Ke and his team initially tried to push through the bushes to climb in through a window, but they couldn't squeeze through. They had to retreat, observe the surroundings, and then climb in from the second floor.
As for why they didn't use the front door, it was locked from the inside and had an alarm system.
Instruments detected one person on the top floor. Jiang Ke and the others assumed it was the dean. Since the dean might be Xu Huo, the pressure on them lessened considerably.
But before they could reach the top floor, one by one, the eight people who came together started getting headaches and dizziness. This attack was noticeably stronger than before. Six of the eight passed out, leaving only Jiang Ke and another mental evolution player barely holding on. Realizing they couldn't make it to the top floor, they had to retreat with their companions.
Back at the First Inpatient Building, the two also collapsed.
Zong Lanzhi saw they were seriously injured and patiently waited for them to rest before waking them up. But when the players woke, they had lost some recent memories. Some couldn't remember what happened after entering the instance, and some had even forgotten why they entered the instance in the first place!
"This damaged their brains?" The instruments Xiao Yue and the others had weren't advanced enough to accurately assess intracranial injuries.
"Mental attacks inherently have the effect of damaging the brain." Zong Lanzhi's expression darkened.
Another mental evolution player, Zeng Guangyao, slowly regained consciousness and couldn't help lowering his voice. "He doesn't really want to kill us, does he?"
If this happened a few more times, even if they got out alive, their brains would be severely damaged. They'd be struggling to survive in instances for the rest of their lives!
"Impossible!" Zong Lanzhi said firmly. "Even if he doesn't care about District 014's future, the country won't allow it!"
"I feel like he's changed a lot since leaving the Wang Family Manor," Xiao Yue said. "Especially when he came to the meeting room—he was like a different person. I heard the previous mistress of the Wang Family Manor went to a sanatorium because of mental illness. I specifically checked Wang Xiaohui's information before coming."
"Although she hid it well, my people found out she had been secretly receiving psychotherapy. Her data looked normal to us, but famous psychotherapists from other districts said she showed signs of schizophrenia."
"What kind of place is the Wang Family Manor!" Jiang Ke said in a low voice.
"The brains of mental evolution players are already different from ordinary people. Could his condition be more severe? The contrast in his behavior is so stark." Xiao Yue said. "I'm not trying to scare anyone, but I'm saying we might be facing a dangerous mental patient. Don't naively think that just because he's from District 014, he'll let us off."
"Stop holding onto unrealistic hopes."