God's Imitator

Qin Cheng had already tested this approach before, and confirmed that it did allow him to avoid becoming Infected.

Of course, there was another possibility: the two players he had traded with in this way were not actually Infected.

But in the game, there was no mechanism for verifying a player’s Infected status.

Before opening the door, Qin Cheng had deliberately waited until the last moment, specifically to ensure that no other patients had sent requests. If other patients had also submitted requests, it would increase the probability that Li Haoqiang was not the Infected player, and Qin Cheng would consider holding off slightly before handing over the medication, in order to identify the true Infected player.

As things stood, the probability of Li Haoqiang not being the Infected player was not high, so Qin Cheng could only act on the most likely scenario.

He stood and went to the floor-to-ceiling window in the Treatment Room, looking out at the courtyard with a pensive expression.

At that moment, the vending machine gave two distinctive beeps.

Qin Cheng was briefly startled. He went over to check and found that someone had sent him a call request, though the interface gave no indication of who it was.

The tenth round was about to begin. If he accepted the call, he would most likely miss the opportunity to meet with anyone next round.

Unlike the ’Monitor’ function, ’Call’ did not restrict a player from opening doors, but if the opening window for that round had already passed, he would be confined to his room regardless.Qin Cheng considered for a moment, then chose to answer.

A polished, courteous voice came through.

”Dr. Qin. Hello.

”This is Chen Guangming.”

Qin Cheng was quiet for a moment and said, ”I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

Chen Guangming gave a small laugh and said, ”How could that be? In the Gallery, any two players can have a conversation. The only difference is whether they’ve found the right topic.

”In the Gallery, any two players can have a conversation. The only question is whether there’s actually something worth talking about.”

Chen Guangming had clearly learned Qin Cheng’s name through some channel.

From a mechanical standpoint, knowing the exact written characters was not necessary. As long as the zone and the pronunciation were correct, a call could be made successfully.

Qin Cheng was not particularly surprised by this. He quickly considered a few possible explanations.

Chen Guangming might have learned his name from Zheng Chunhua, or might have spotted his name badge through the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the courtyard.

It was also possible that a patient he had met earlier had passed his name to a VIP Patient, who had then communicated it to Chen Guangming through gestures at the window.

But none of that was especially significant. It only meant Chen Guangming could place a call. If Qin Cheng had no interest in talking, he could hang up at any moment, and Chen Guangming would still lose the 1,000 Medical Points spent on the call.

Chen Guangming continued, ”Zheng Chunhua may be the Reviewer, but in practice, he’s carrying out your instructions, isn’t he?

”So rather than having an honest man like him shuttle messages back and forth, it would be more efficient for the two of us, who both understand the situation, to speak directly.

”My guess is that you’re a new player who only recently entered this world. Am I right?

”There’s a noticeable idealistic streak to you that hasn’t quite worn off yet.

”Of course, having ideals is admirable. Having conviction is admirable. I don’t have either myself, but I do respect people who do.

”Even so, no matter how firm your ideals or convictions, you still have to look at the reality of the game in front of you.

”Take this game’s rules, for instance. The recommended retail price for Type O and Type F has already determined that this is not a fair contest between us. You have no winning position.

”Because in the end, all the patients will come over to my side.

”Type M may be the better medication, but how many patients do you think can actually afford it? How many are willing to drain themselves dry for the sake of one tablet?”

Qin Cheng was quiet for a moment and said, ”There’s no need to exaggerate.

”Only one Infected player is selected by the system per hour, and just three tablets are enough to achieve a cure.

”In other words, as long as there is no large-scale transmission event, even the Type M that was included in your earlier bundles is enough for me to cure every Infected player.

”And from a game mechanics standpoint, the Reviewer’s authority is absolute.

”The game prohibits violent acts. As long as the Reviewer consistently refuses to purchase any Type O or Type F, not a single tablet of either type will reach the patients.

”Even if patients wanted to kill the Doctor and Reviewer, there is nothing they could do.

”And even if the Reviewer were to give up, the two Doctors can still achieve the same result as long as they hold the same position.

”Perhaps you can pass information to other patients through the courtyard windows or via calls, but there is no way to pass them any medication.

”So it does not change the outcome of the game.”

Chen Guangming let out a somewhat weary sigh and said, ”How can someone be both this sharp and this naive at the same time?

”Rules may be fixed, but players are not.

”Yes, the rules say the Reviewer has unlimited authority, but does that mean the Reviewer can actually exercise unlimited authority?

”Patients may not be able to commit violence or force the Doctor or Reviewer into compliance, but that doesn’t mean they have no way to apply pressure.

”I don’t intend to spend any more time arguing that point. You’ll find out I’m right in a few more rounds anyway.

”So let me put a very fair offer to you right now.

”If you’re willing to allow Type O and Type F to flow freely through the supply chain, then all the profit from those two medications can be divided among us according to a fixed ratio.

”You are the player who effectively controls the entire medication supply chain, so I’m willing to give you the larger share.

”Of all the profit from selling Type O and Type F, I take three parts, you take three parts, Reviewer Zheng Chunhua takes two parts, and the other Doctor takes two parts.

”Of course, if you’d like a bigger cut, we could also absorb the other Doctor’s two parts between us. After all, of the two Doctors, only one is actually needed to sell medication to all the patients.

”There’s no need to refuse immediately. Think it over.

”When you’ve made up your mind, you can call me, or have Zheng Chunhua come and buy medication. Either works.”

Chen Guangming finished speaking and ended the call.

The call with Chen Guangming had not been short. Qin Cheng had already missed the window for meeting with other players this round.

So he returned to his seat, quietly took out another Type I tablet, and waited for the round to end.

Before long, the pain arrived again.

Just as before, Qin Cheng wordlessly put the tablet in his mouth and remained in silence.

At the same time, in the Zone B Treatment Room.

The door leading to the VIP Patient room opened, and Tan Minglei walked in.

The Doctor frowned with a trace of puzzlement and asked, ”What’s this, were you selected as an Infected player again?”

The game had entered its second hour. In the previous hour, Tan Minglei had been selected as an Infected player and had already purchased medication from this Doctor.

And now here he was again with a request.

”It’s not me who’s Infected this time. But another patient asked me to come and pick up medication on their behalf.”

The Doctor’s brow furrowed, ”Nonsense.

”Haven’t I told all of you? Whoever’s Infected comes to get the medication themselves. Everyone else should stay out of it and avoid creating a second round of transmission.

”Their room connects to the Treatment Room just as yours does. If they can go to the Lounge to ask you to come on their behalf, surely they can come to the Treatment Room themselves?”

As he said this, the Doctor suddenly realised something.

He looked at Tan Minglei, ”Are you saying you’ve managed to convince all the other patients in the Lounge to have you act as their representative here?”

Tan Minglei nodded, ”That’s right.”

Both of them sat down on either side of the trading machine, and a great deal passed between them without being said.

It was clear that Tan Minglei had most likely persuaded the other patients in the Lounge to designate him as their representative for negotiating with the Doctor, obtaining medication, and then redistributing it.

Otherwise, the other players would certainly have been sending the Doctor meeting requests of their own.

The Doctor let out a resigned sigh and said, ”Go ahead. Say what you came to say.”

Tan Minglei was quiet for a moment, then asked, ”Doctor, you’ve only been willing to sell us Type M medication. Is that because the side effects of the other types are too serious or because the profit margin is too thin?”