Chapter 561: Hunger

Xu Yiheng's expression was one of disbelief as he said, somewhat belatedly, "The Doctor told me the real-world counterparts of these medications, and all of that information was true. But he hid his actual intentions.

"He said he only wanted me to stock Type M in order to protect the patients, to keep them from suffering addiction and side effects.

"But in reality, it was to restrict the volume of medication in circulation so they could drive up the price.

"And without realising it, I became their accomplice in doing exactly that.

"Of all the nerve..."

Ye Lin added, "And in all likelihood, both Doctors were deceiving you together.

"The patients share one Lounge, and although Tan Minglei can only see one Doctor himself, he can also buy from the other Doctor through the other patients.

"So the other Doctor would almost certainly be charging the same price."

Xu Yiheng paused and said, "But there's no door between the two Doctor rooms. They shouldn't be able to meet with each other.

"Oh.

"Even without meeting, they still have ways to communicate. As long as one knows the other's name, they can make a call.

"And if they can confirm they're the same type of player, they wouldn't even need a call. They could coordinate purely through tacit understanding.

"I had assumed the two Doctors had no way of colluding, so I instinctively overlooked that possibility. And now it turns out I was the one who ended up being sidelined."

Ye Lin nodded and said, "Exactly. So there's only one way to break this situation.

"Only you can personally dismantle the cooperation between the two Doctors and open up the medication supply.

"Otherwise, your goodwill will simply keep being exploited and will do more harm than good.

"As for which medication the patients want to choose, let them choose for themselves.

"This is the Gallery, not a school. They are players, not children who need a teacher or parent to make decisions for them.

"Every player is the first and primary person responsible for themselves."

Xu Yiheng was quiet for a long time, and finally let out a slow breath, "Alright.

"In the next two rounds, I'll go and negotiate with the two Doctors."

He took out his Medical Card, "I'll buy some of all four types."

Ye Lin brought out all four types of medication.

"Here are the prices I'm offering you. Type C is 500 per bottle, Type M is 1,400 per bottle.

"If you sell within the recommended retail range, the profit margin on these two is not large, so my suggestion is to stock only a small amount.

"You and the Doctors can choose to keep it for yourselves, or sell it to patients at a higher price, provided the patients are willing to buy.

"Type O is 400 per bottle, Type F is 500 per bottle.

"What price you sell to the Doctors, and what price the Doctors sell to the patients, is for you to decide.

"There is a profit margin in there for me as Sales, but these are already very low prices.

"I believe the other Sales player would be hard pressed to offer anything more competitive."

Xu Yiheng looked at the medication laid out in front of him with a degree of hesitation, then made up his mind, swiped his card, and completed the purchase.

Thirteenth round.

Huang Shengjie returned to his room, and before long the pain came again.

This time, however, the intensified Standard Pain and that new, crawling sensation across his whole body arrived almost simultaneously, rather than one after the other as before.

Worse still, both had clearly worsened, and they did not cancel each other out.

Huang Shengjie could feel them both present in his body at the same time, each distinct and clear.

It was nothing like the agonising pain he had experienced back in the community.

That pain had been far more severe. His mind had gone completely blank and all he could do was throw every last bit of strength he had at enduring it.

But precisely because it was so severe, it had drowned out everything else, including milder pain, and once it was over, aside from lingering psychological effects, there had been no obvious aftereffects or side effects.

What he was experiencing now was different. Two separate types of pain were intertwined, and a flood of emotions that he could not put into words piled up in his mind all at once, scattering his thoughts in every direction, then sweeping them in an entirely different direction the very next moment.

He suddenly felt deeply unhappy and despondent, filled with a sense of hopelessness and despair about where this game was heading.

Something felt like it was missing.

Perhaps what was missing was a tablet from that white bottle.

And not only that. He felt ravenously hungry, his mouth filling with saliva, as though hunger and exhaustion had descended on him at the same time, leaving him in a dreadful state.

Huang Shengjie even had the strange sense that he might be about to die.

"What's happening?

"How can I feel this awful when the pain itself isn't even that severe?

"This is no good. I have to take a Type O tablet to clear the pain completely. Otherwise the pain is only going to worsen faster and faster."

With trembling hands, Huang Shengjie tipped a Type O tablet out of the bottle and shakily put it in his mouth.

The pain disappeared, and that wonderful sensation washed over him again.

The world seemed to quiet down. His mind became clear and still, and his body relaxed.

Even the hunger eased.

Huang Shengjie let out a long breath, "There we go. Everything's fine now.

"The pain should be fully cleared now. Next time it hits, it should start from the most basic level again.

"Type I can handle that."

The sensation from the Type O was genuinely extraordinary, and it was precisely that extraordinary quality that left him quietly unsettled, nagging at him with the worry that something might be wrong.

After resting for a while, the game's designated pain window ended and the next round was about to begin.

Huang Shengjie went to the Treatment Room door and offered 1,888 Medical Points this time, but still received no response.

He let out a sigh and turned toward the Lounge door.

But at that moment, Huang Shengjie felt it again, that crawling, ant-like sensation spreading through his body.

"That's wrong. Something's wrong.

"Didn't I just take a Type O tablet?

"And the new round has already started. This is not the designated pain window under the game rules."

Previously, this sensation had always appeared alongside the game's designated pain, so Huang Shengjie had never been able to distinguish them clearly.

But now, appearing outside the designated pain window, he finally realised something was off.

"Which means this sensation has nothing to do with the game's pain mechanics at all.

"Then what is it? The rules don't seem to mention anything like this.

"There's only one explanation.

"It's a side effect of Type O.

"Like some kind of withdrawal or drug dependence, or perhaps the body rejecting the medication because it's been taken too many times."

Huang Shengjie had no professional medical knowledge, but even by common sense, he could tell the situation was not good.

"Whatever the case, this terrible feeling is definitely connected to the Type O. Until the next time I face fatal pain, I absolutely cannot take it again.

"No matter what. I cannot take it again."