“I need to warn you. (I need to warn you)......”

“WTF？”

He turned his head, originally intending to weigh the pros and cons, to stop Lu Ce from interfering again. But the moment he looked back, he realized Lu Ce had already vanished into thin air.

He was the first to move toward the door. When the “Game Start” voice sounded, Lu Ce was still lying on the ground motionless!

Where the hell did he go?!

A terrible sense of foreboding rose in his chest, and right after, clattering sounds started echoing behind him.

Once his appetite was triggered, it couldn't be shut off. Lu Ce had been waiting for lunch to begin for quite some time already—of course he wasn’t going to wait for anyone else.

The moment he heard “lunchtime,” he’d launched himself like a cheetah, storming the lunch trays.

What he was doing could no longer be called “eating”—he was just shoveling food down and immediately moving on to the next.

As if afraid someone might steal from him.

【: Honestly, I was kinda expecting this.】

【: This is Hell Mode, but why is it so funny hahahahahahaha!】

【: Poor Kirk, I’m dying of laughter.】

【: Mask Bro appears = instant KO! No logic whatsoever!】

The players were stunned. They had heard the rumors that Lu Ce had eaten all the food in the asylum by himself, but had never really grasped what that meant.

Seeing it with their own eyes now, they were practically dropping their jaws to the floor.

Jiu Tian couldn’t help swallowing hard. Now he finally understood why people said this guy's combat power was not to be underestimated, not to be provoked.

With that kind of eating speed and explosive sprinting, he seriously suspected that if he stepped up now, he might be eaten

Scared. He’s not gonna eat me, right?.jpg

“Stop!”

Kirk let out a miserable scream and lost all composure, charging out like a madman to grab some food.

In the end, Kirk managed to snatch a tray of pills, clutching it cautiously to his chest.

Everything else—every scrap of food—was completely wiped out!

The patients probably didn’t even know what hit them. One moment they're quietly living in the asylum, next moment—no lunch for you?!

Holding the medicine in his hands, Kirk shot a wary glance at Lu Ce. This time, he didn’t dare say a word.

He was seriously afraid Lu Ce might leap over and bite him. Carrying the meds, he headed straight for Long Liu’s room to start his info-gathering phase.

The other players now clearly viewed Lu Ce as a completely unstable player. No one tried to talk to him—they avoided him like the plague and rushed into their assigned rooms.

Inside the rooms, the patients actually seemed a bit more normal. It looked like the Hell Difficulty in this Hell Mode Game mainly came from that guy...

Lu Ce also walked into the same room as before and looked down at Long Wu.

Long Wu looked like he’d been tortured all morning, twisted and slumped on the floor. As soon as he heard someone enter, he let out a roar and tried to charge forward.

But he only got halfway before he suddenly froze.

Not because he was yanked back by chains—but because he recognized Lu Ce. His eyes immediately cleared up, and his rage vanished, replaced with a docile calm.

“Hello, beautiful lady.” Lu Ce softly closed the door and said politely.

Why did you change my gender?

Long Wu sat dumbly on the floor like his soul had been sucked out. He didn’t move, didn’t argue. He looked like a dried-up salted fish.

He knew there was no point trying to communicate with this man.

Lu Ce stood by the door and continued speaking:

“What did you call me here for? Oh right, is there any food? That guy who invited me this morning didn’t even let me eat my fill—how rude.”

“I still get mad thinking about it. I’ll never forgive him.”

Long Wu still said nothing, sitting there silently, thinking: that guy this morning was me!

You didn’t eat enough? Pretty sure you wrecked my lunch too, didn’t you?

Slowly, suddenly, Long Wu—who had been mentally unstable all along—opened his mouth and spoke:

“Why… why me?”

“Because with great power comes great responsibility, Spider-Man.” Lu Ce replied with total nonsense, even patting him on the shoulder. “Peter, you have to remember this…”

【: What the hell is this gibberish!? I’m so lost.】

【: Did he just bring up Spider-Man?! LMAO】

【: This guy’s strategy is to reply with pure chaos.】

【: But... don’t you guys feel like every time the boss talks, the patients actually regain a bit of clarity?】

Long Wu’s mouth twitched. He seemed to be getting used to Lu Ce’s brand of madness and continued speaking:

“What are you really here for?”

“If you’ve gone mad, then everyone in this prison has their own private cell.”

“If you haven’t, then why are you here to torture me? I’m innocent. The ones inside... they’re the guilty ones...”

What Long Wu said made the livestream explode with activity.

【: Holy sh*t! That’s a huge bombshell!】

【: What does that mean? I thought this was an asylum—why is it a prison now?!】

【: Who are the ‘ones inside’? This patient said way more than Kirk’s guy!】

【: Is this how mental patients talk to each other? No idea if he even understands it himself.】

Lu Ce rested his hand on Long Wu’s shoulder. The expression behind his mask was unusually serious (＠_＠;), as if he were contemplating something deeply.

“You mean… the people inside… they’ll give me food, right?”

Long Wu: ......

He really wanted to lose it, but he held back.

“Yes.”

“Thanks for the meal.” Lu Ce stood up and headed straight for the food, without the slightest hesitation.

After he left, Long Wu collapsed face-first onto the floor, gasping for air.

“But… their sins… I guess they’ve paid for them, in here…”

Lu Ce kept walking, heading deeper into the circular corridor, finally arriving at the place where Tom was stationed.

He paused, looked at Tom, and said:

“Bro, you smell delicious.”

Tom: ......

Then, without wasting any more words, Lu Ce pushed open a nearby door and walked in.

Dim lighting. Walls and floors tinged with blood-red. A shadow sat quietly on the ground, slowly raising its head to reveal a pitch-black face.

Deep-set eyes. A mouth stretched in a wide grin, revealing a jagged, broken set of teeth.

“Finally, another one of you types has shown up.”

“My meal? That sh*t they fed me—did they cancel that too now?”

He looked straight at Lu Ce as he walked in, letting out a sinister laugh.

“I know what you’re here for, but...”

Before he could finish, Lu Ce interrupted him.

Lu Ce said: “I love you.”

The other guy: ?