Chapter 265 - 30: Not All Madness Is the Same

This group of clowns was as ecstatic as if they were at a carnival, their bodies trembling rhythmically with the recoil of their guns.

As if the scene wasn’t lively enough, they even had their own opera ensemble. Four clowns split into four vocal parts, singing with all their might to accompany the sound of their companions’ gunfire.

Along with their resounding songs, shell casings gradually piled up on the ground. The mansion was soon riddled with countless holes from the dense barrage of bullets. Even the load-bearing walls were shattered, and then the whole structure came crashing down.

Seeing the building collapse, the clowns erupted in a series of excited laughs. They continuously squeezed the horns on their noses and scattered like a troop of monkeys.

Only after they left was there any movement in the ruins.

Holding up his heavy shield, Bystander A knocked aside the rubble covering him and shook the dust from its surface.

His heavy shield was a concentration of some sort of force field. The blue, distorted force field was what made it both lightweight and durable, rendering him indestructible in this day and age.

Retracting the shield, Bystander A looked at the others behind him and asked with concern, "Is everyone okay?"

Duan Fei used his Medical Skill to check on everyone. "We’re fine," he said. "Were those guys the Clown Gang?"

"Yes. They’re a local gang, and the biggest one in this city."

"Why did they attack us? To stop us from forming an alliance? How did they find out so quickly? Do you have a mole?"

Bystander A raised a hand, cutting off Duan Fei’s analysis. "Don’t try to apply logic to the Clown Gang’s actions," he said seriously. "If you do, you’ll just end up tying yourself in knots. Those guys are lunatics who belong in a madhouse. They’re the product of unnatural minds. It’s gotten even worse since they teamed up with the player group, Madhouse. Now we have even less of a clue what they’re trying to do."

"Madhouse is here too...?" Duan Fei mulled it over. "This just got a lot harder."

Madhouse. A bizarre player organization.

It had no fixed territory. But rumor had it that if any player who truly revered madness knew of Madhouse’s existence, there was a chance they’d run into one of its mental patients in an instance.

This patient would be radiant and full of vigor, looking especially full of Spirit.

Then, this mental patient would draw the player into a conversation. The things they said would be horrifying, but utterly devoid of logic.

Some people would flee. But others, unable to resist, would fall under their spell. They would then tear the corners of their own mouths and use a stapler to fix them in place, forcing themselves into a permanent, perfect smile.

Of course, this sounded more like an urban legend. Duan Fei was more inclined to believe they were just a bunch of trolls, whose only purpose in the game was to make other players miserable.

They were the ones who created the player leaderboards. The group tirelessly churned out ranking lists, continuing to do so even when the administration explicitly forbade it.

The most popular current player leaderboard was created by Madhouse. Vicious competition erupted among a large number of players centered around this leaderboard, even giving rise to the dishonorable role of "rank hunters."

Beyond that, they often destroyed other people’s permanent instances, wreaked havoc during event instances, and betrayed teams right as they were about to succeed. Their list of crimes was endless.

Those guys did whatever they felt like, and their actions defied all common sense. In a way, they were his personal kryptonite.

Now, with one group of lunatics added to another, the level of madness was bound to skyrocket, and Duan Fei had no idea what to expect next.

Observing Duan Fei’s expression, Bystander A asked playfully, "Duan Someone, what do you think is the best way to deal with those guys?"

"To defeat an enemy, you must first become the enemy. Hold on, let me just dumb myself down a bit and I’ll try to think of something."

Duan Fei tried hard to imagine the most idiotic person he knew. He then proceeded to imitate, and even surpass, that person’s level of intelligence.

Finally, he opened his eyes, looked at Cuihua beside him, and said, "Pang Daxing, let’s go catch jellyfish together!"

"You went too far! Snap out of it!"

"Oh, Octopus Brother is here too. Let’s all go together."

"Who the hell is Octopus Brother!?"

After snapping out of it, Duan Fei rubbed his head. This was going to be tricky.

"What a terrifying enemy. I almost got lost in there."

"No, you clearly got yourself tangled up all on your own."

"Don’t worry about the details. Let’s just focus on figuring out how to deal with the Clown Gang."

If the enemy had actual goals, things would be simple. They could just make some concessions to meet their demands.

But with the enemy being the Clown Gang plus Madhouse, the whole affair became much more complicated.

He turned back and asked Bystander A, "Where are your companions?"

"I just called them. They’re on their way now. Oh, here they are."

Pointing to a vehicle in the distance, Bystander A was about to wave when an oil tanker suddenly appeared from around a corner.

The clown at the wheel was yelling excitedly. Without a moment’s hesitation, he floored the accelerator and slammed right into the car carrying Bystander A’s companions.

With a deafening explosion, flames shot into the sky. The four players, along with the clown driver, were blown to smithereens, leaving Bystander A standing there, completely stunned.

A tire fell from the sky and landed right next to Bystander A, still smeared with his companion’s blood.

Staring blankly at the scene, it was a long moment before Bystander A managed to utter an elegant greeting: "FUCK!"

Without the support of powerful Attributes, the players in this instance were no different from ordinary people. It was a stark reminder to Duan Fei and the others of the irrefutable truth: people die when they are killed.

Duan Fei patted Bystander A’s shoulder and sighed. "My condolences."

Bystander A stared coldly at the smoldering aftermath of the explosion. He watched the flames engulf the black sedan, molten metal pooling on the ground.

The firelight flickered across his face, his expression shifting between light and shadow like a figure in an oil painting.

"No need for that," Bystander A said calmly. "It’s just a game."

"And what you really think?"

"Clown Gang! Madhouse! You despicable bastards!"

"Look on the bright side. Maybe they got hit by a truck and sent to another world. Oh, wait. When players die, they go straight back to the city... so I guess they really did get sent to an Otherworld."

"Duan Someone, I’m begging you, please shut up. If you don’t know what to say, just don’t talk."

The four reinforcements had been wiped out just like that, leaving Bystander A dejected.

He had originally wanted to do Duan Fei a favor, but his backup got obliterated the moment they arrived. The whole situation was just unbelievably awkward.

Their deaths weren’t in vain, though. At least, they gave Duan Fei an idea.

Looking at the burning wreckage and listening to the wail of approaching fire engine sirens, Duan Fei asked, a hint of doubt in his voice, "The Clown Gang and Madhouse... are they really just insane?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if their insanity isn’t just for insanity’s sake? What if there’s a purpose behind the madness?"