Chapter 555: Trust or Suspicion

From the start of the game to this point, Qin Cheng had obtained a total of two bottles of Type M medication.

Even though both Chen Guangming and Bai Zhilan had made it clear they would no longer sell any Type M to Zheng Chunhua, their earlier meetings had still resulted in some being purchased before those positions were taken.

In Zheng Chunhua's first meeting with both Chen Guangming and Bai Zhilan, he had bought one bundled bottle of each of the four types.

In his second meeting, no transaction had been reached with Chen Guangming, but with Bai Zhilan he had bought two bottles of Type M and three bottles of Type O.

In total, Zheng Chunhua had four bottles of Type M, along with one bottle of Type C, four of Type O, and one of Type F.

Of those, two bottles had since been passed to Qin Cheng, with Zheng Chunhua keeping one and the other Doctor holding one.

Since each player only needed three tablets for a cure, and each bottle contained five, giving an entire bottle to a single player would inevitably lead to waste, so Qin Cheng had already divided the medication in advance.

Li Haoqiang took out his Medical Card and prepared to swipe it at the trading machine.

But Qin Cheng stopped him, "No need to swipe. Just take it."

Li Haoqiang paused and said, "Hmm? Is that allowed?"

Qin Cheng nodded and said, "The game rules do not explicitly prohibit 'giving medication away.'

"Of course, it will almost certainly be treated as a 'Violation Transaction,' but one violation only deducts 10% from the selling party's earnings when leaving the game.

"But if we use the trading machine, then according to the rules, a 'transmission' event occurs, meaning I would also need three more tablets of Type M to treat myself.

"With medication in short supply, that effectively means curing every Infected player costs double the medication. It's clearly not worth it.

"By passing the medication this way, I shouldn't become Infected myself, which saves our supply."

Li Haoqiang looked a little uncomfortable and said, "But Doctor, you spent Medical Points buying this medication from the Sales player too!"

Qin Cheng explained, "Don't worry about that. Think of it as a deferred payment.

"After three rounds, once your fatal pain has been cured, you can come back and buy some ordinary medication from me for managing Standard Pain.

"That 900 Medical Points from this transaction can simply be rolled into the profit margin on the ordinary medication later.

"I obviously can't cover all costs out of my own pocket. When this game ends, I'll make sure I'm not running at a loss either."

Li Haoqiang was genuinely moved, "Doctor, thank you. Thank you so much!

"Zone D is so lucky to have a Doctor like you!"

Qin Cheng said nothing further, and simply gestured for Li Haoqiang to take the bottle from the table.

Before Li Haoqiang, another Regular Patient had also been selected as an Infected player, and Qin Cheng had passed medication to that player in the same way.

This was effectively exploiting a gap in the rules, allowing him to avoid consuming additional medication due to transmission, but it also meant the transaction had no protection from the rules and depended entirely on mutual trust and good faith.

Li Haoqiang took the bottle, unscrewed it and looked inside, and a slight expression of hesitation crossed his face.

"Doctor, is this the only medication you have that's already been opened?

"Is there anything that's still sealed?

"Also, are there other types of medication available? Is it only Type M?"

Qin Cheng looked at him and answered honestly, "There are four types of Special Medication in total, but Type M is the best of them.

"Type C cannot fully eliminate Special Pain. Type O and Type F have fairly significant side effects.

"Type M medication is priced at roughly 1,500 Medical Points per bottle, though the price Reviewer pays when buying from Sales may vary somewhat. That works out to approximately 300 points per tablet.

"More medication is not better. One tablet is already sufficient for complete pain relief. Taking more only increases the chance of developing drug dependence and amplifies the side effects. There is no benefit."

Li Haoqiang hesitated and said, "In that case, Doctor, could you sell me a few more tablets?

"When multiple patients are sending you requests at the same time, it's hard for you to tell who's Infected.

"But from inside the Lounge, it's easier for me to tell.

"If I have Special Medication on hand, I could sell it directly to whoever needs it and get them treated faster."

Qin Cheng shook his head and said, "That won't be necessary.

"If more Infected players appear, the uninfected patients should avoid trading with them. Just send the Infected players to see the Doctor directly.

"Those who haven't been infected should not send requests.

"This way, Infected players get treated as quickly as possible, and everyone else stays safe."

Li Haoqiang was quiet for a moment, then asked, "In that case, Doctor, could I buy two tablets of Type O or Type F?

"Even if they have side effects, as long as I only take one tablet, how much harm could it do?

"After all, they're both for pain relief."

Qin Cheng looked at Li Haoqiang and said plainly, "Whether as a Doctor or as a player, I will not sell either of those two medications to any patient.

"From a medical standpoint, these two medications carry far greater risks and addiction potential than Type M.

"The game rules already stated that all medications are modelled on real-world counterparts, but at the same time their effects and side effects have been significantly amplified.

"The fact that they take effect immediately, for instance, is one of those amplified characteristics.

"So the danger of these medications is considerably higher than you might expect.

"From a game mechanics standpoint, the Imitator's ultimate goal in designing this game is almost certainly to harvest visa time, and from the mechanisms in place, drug abuse and the player deaths it causes are the most likely method of doing so.

"I know that for most players, the moment they get their hands on Type O or Type F, they will in all probability take too many and develop drug dependence, with consequences that are hard to predict.

"So it falls to the Doctor and the Reviewer to act as a gatekeeping point in the supply chain.

"That is the only way to ensure that all players in this zone make it out of the game safely."

Li Haoqiang looked as though he still wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing, simply nodded, and put the bottle of three Type M tablets into his pocket.

Qin Cheng added, "This isn't just for you. My position is the same with every patient.

"If you run into other players in the Lounge, you're welcome to pass this along on my behalf.

"In this game, you patients don't need to do anything in particular.

"I'll do my best to secure the best medication available, Type M with the lowest possible side effects, and try to cure every player who needs it.

"When more Infected players appear, do the same as now. Don't trade among yourselves and risk spreading the fatal pain. Have the Infected player send me a request immediately.

"Those who have not contracted Special Pain should not send requests.

"The same applies to the other Doctor."

Li Haoqiang gave a nod, said nothing more, and turned to leave the Treatment Room.

...

Qin Cheng returned to his seat and continued thinking through his strategy for the game.

Li Haoqiang's questions had left him with a faint, nagging sense of unease, but he quickly pushed it aside.

Because there was nothing to be gained from worrying about it.

Shortly after, the pain arrived.

Qin Cheng quietly took out a Type I tablet and swallowed it. Within moments, the pain was suppressed, leaving only a faint residual sting and burning sensation.