Chapter 563: Chapter 563: Diminishing Drug Effects

Zhou Xiaoying froze for a moment, then realized that was indeed the case.

Because after she and Huang Shengjie had been infected by Zhang Yuan earlier, Qian Li had chosen to sell them medicine, resulting in an actual transaction, she was therefore inevitably infected as well. This was something that could be confirmed from the game’s rules.

And if Qian Li wanted to cure herself, she likewise needed to take the special medicine.

Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying had originally meant to question Qian Li, but now, they suddenly found themselves at a loss for words.

Instead, it was Qian Li who frowned and questioned them back: "What exactly are you trying to say? That I deliberately sold you medicine with side effects to harm you?

"You really don’t know what’s good for you...

"You were already Infected. Without the special medicine, you would die!

"I’m the one who saved you!

"All medicines have side effects; the game rules clearly stated that from the very beginning. How was I supposed to know what the specific side effects would be? I’m not clairvoyant. Besides, didn’t I take the same medicine myself?

"You should already be thankful your lives were saved. The side effects only make your bodies a bit uncomfortable. Whether you choose to keep taking it or grit your teeth and endure, it’s not going to put your lives at risk.

"And now you’re blaming me?

"Heh, textbook example of resenting someone who gave you a bowl of rice after once giving you a cup.

"Are all you newcomers to the game just overgrown babies? If you’d gone through a few more games, you’d know that players like me, who still show even the bare minimum of goodwill to strangers in a game, are practically one in a million.

"If you don’t trust me, that’s easy enough.

"Go figure out a way to get your own medicine.

"This kind of trash medicine with side effects? I’ll just take it myself. You mustn’t touch it, or you’ll suffer a huge loss."

Qian Li’s face looked terrible; it was obvious she was truly enraged.

Zhou Xiaoying was stunned for a moment. She glanced at Huang Shengjie, then at Qian Li, and quickly stepped forward to say, "Qian Li-jie, don’t be angry, I believe you meant well.

"We didn’t mean to blame you. Even if this medicine does have side effects, that’s all on the Imitator who designed this game with bad intentions.

"Don’t worry, Qian Li-jie, I’ll still support you." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Just then, Zhang Yuan, off to the side, let out a few cold laughs.

Everyone frowned and turned to look at him.

Zhang Yuan spread his hands a little, looking rather indifferent: "Tch, this is laughably stupid.

"Have you not thought about it at all? Why does the F-type medicine in my hand require two pills to fully relieve the pain, while the O-type only needs one?

"And the O-type is even cheaper?

"You think the World has deals that good? When the Imitator designed this game, would they really allow a medicine that’s the cheapest, works the best, and has the lightest side effects to exist?

"Obviously, if the O-type has the strongest effect and the lowest price, that naturally also means its side effects are the strongest.

"And if you keep taking it, those side effects will only get worse."

He paused briefly, then went on, "To be honest, the F-type medicine I have also has some side effects. But clearly, it’s much better than the O-type."

Qian Li frowned. "Save your bullshit, no one here is going to believe you anymore."

Though she said that, Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying looked at each other and saw hesitation in each other’s eyes.

Huang Shengjie had already confirmed the O-type’s side effects: it caused drug addiction. Once he stopped taking it, he would experience emotional downturn, accompanied by a crawling, ant-like pain all over his body.

And this situation would intensify with every round of the game.

This didn’t belong to the pain inside the game’s core mechanics; although in raw intensity it wasn’t that strong, it was still just as hard to bear.

And what Zhang Yuan said did make a certain amount of sense.

When the Imitator designed different medicines, they likely incorporated special design choices, balancing price, efficacy, and side effects across multiple dimensions.

If one particular medicine was cheap, highly effective, and had almost no side effects, then the other medicines would lose all reason to exist. That would be bad for the advancement and evolution of the game ecosystem.

In other words, it would lead to worse playability and balance, possibly causing the game to fail review or get a lower rating.

If Zhang Yuan was telling the truth, and switching to the F-type could reduce the side effects, then paying a bit more medical points would be worth it.

The problem was, Zhang Yuan’s credit score was already very low; if he was lying, then taking the F-type could trigger even more serious consequences.

So, Huang Shengjie only considered this possibility for the moment, but didn’t actually buy any medicine from Zhang Yuan.

...

Back in his own room again, Huang Shengjie, just like before, took out his last I-type pill and silently waited.

This time, however, almost the instant he sat down on the sofa, an unbearable wave of searing pain slammed into him!

According to the game rules, in the last two minutes of each round, players would randomly draw a one-minute window during which they had to endure pain. Sometimes it came early, sometimes late; the random factor was very strong.

This was also to prevent players from perfectly predicting the timing and mentally preparing themselves.

This time, the pain came not only earlier, but far more violently, catching Huang Shengjie completely off guard.

His body curled up again from the agony. The last I-type pill he had prepared was naturally unable to play its role anymore.

Relying purely on instinct, Huang Shengjie first put the I-type pill back into the bottle, then frantically fumbled for the O-type bottle, his hands shaking as he poured out a pill and swallowed it whole.

Fortunately, the medicine still took effect quickly. The pain receded like a fast-ebbing tide, and that familiar, wonderful sensation returned.

Huang Shengjie could feel his heart still pounding. After he calmed himself a little, he forced himself to think.

"No, this isn’t right. Why is it the special pain?

"I’ve become an ’Infected’ again!

"Was I infected? No, last round I clearly didn’t conduct any transactions with any player.

"So I was selected by the system...

"The game has entered the third hour. According to the rules, one player will be chosen as an ’Infected’. I just got unlucky and happened to be picked..."

Confirming that he hadn’t been infected by someone else didn’t make Huang Shengjie feel any better.

Because no matter how he became an ’Infected’, it was nothing but adding insult to injury given his current situation.

And he also realized an even worse fact.

"This time I wasn’t infected by other players, but what about next time?

"As the game goes on, a lot of players’ regular pain will be converted in bulk into special pain, and their increased demand for medicine will trigger an even larger scale of cross-infection.

"And just like we analyzed before, since everyone now has special medicine, you can no longer judge whether someone is infected based on their expressions or condition.

"So the further this goes, the more dangerous it gets..."

"Should I stock up on more medicine in advance? Cut down on future transactions?

"Even though I’m infected right now, after I’m cured, I could still get infected again by other players..."

Huang Shengjie’s thoughts were a chaotic mess; he couldn’t make a decision right away.

The only bit of good news was that the O-type did indeed seem to speed up his thinking. His brain didn’t crash from having to process all these issues.

But just then, Huang Shengjie suddenly became aware of another bad development.

This immediately jumped to the highest priority in his mind, pushing aside everything he had been considering before.

"Why... hasn’t the pain completely disappeared?

"How is that possible?

"Is it phantom pain?

"No, it’s not phantom pain, it’s real pain.

"Why can’t the O-type fully suppress the pain anymore? Is it because the pain has intensified? Or because the drug’s effect has weakened?

"Does this game also have something like ’drug resistance’?"