Chapter 547: Two Choices |
Huang Shengjie clearly read the label on the bottle: [Type F Painkiller.]
Zhang Yuan unscrewed the caps of both white bottles and said, "Both still sealed. There's been no tampering whatsoever. You can rest easy on that score.
"I took one myself before the last round ended, and it achieved complete pain relief. That means three consecutive rounds is enough for a full cure and to be rid of the death threat.
"Each bottle contains five tablets. The Doctor said just one tablet is enough to fully suppress Standard Pain, and two is enough to fully suppress Special Pain.
"So only six tablets are needed to save your lives.
"I can sell you one bottle first so you can test the effect for yourselves. As for the last tablet, you can buy it once you've confirmed it works.
"As long as we can build some mutual trust, I'll continue supplying you with medication throughout the rest of the game. All I ask is that you let bygones be bygones and we keep working together to get through this."
This was the first time Huang Shengjie had seen a Special Medication bottle, and he was caught off guard for a moment, "Type F Painkiller? So the one we had before was actually 'Type I,' not Roman numeral 'one'?"
Both bottles had their seals intact.
Zhou Xiaoying asked, "You, how much do you want for them?"
It was plain from her tone that she was wavering.
In the Gallery, scheming and deception between players were simply facts of life, and there was nothing to do about it but accept that you had been played when you lost. But getting hold of Special Medication could genuinely save her life.
Zhang Yuan explained, "The game rules have already stated that all medications have a 'recommended retail range,' meaning every transaction must fall within that range.
"Otherwise, the selling party will have their rewards deducted when they leave the game, and it compounds with each additional violation.
"So the price I'm offering you is definitely within the recommended range.
"800 Medical Points per bottle.
"There are five tablets per bottle. Two tablets per round, and three rounds of complete pain relief will achieve a full cure.
"You can buy by the bottle or by the tablet, whichever you prefer.
"That's a fair price, isn't it?
"After all, the ordinary medication in the vending machines costs exactly the same."
Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying looked at each other. The hesitation on both their faces was clear.
But at that moment, Huang Shengjie heard someone let out a sigh.
"He's lying.
"You've both been deceived by him once already. Are you really going to fall for it again?"
Huang Shengjie turned around. Qian Li was standing not far away, watching them with an expression that mixed exasperation with a kind of helpless resignation.
She reached into her pocket and produced a white bottle of her own.
"What he's recommending is the Type F Painkiller. It is indeed one of the four Special Painkillers, that much is true.
"But the rules also say that different painkillers have different effects and side effects.
"Type F is the one with the strongest side effects of the four types, and it may put a tremendous strain on your bodies.
"On top of that, Zhang Yuan also lied to you about the dosage.
"In reality, all Special Painkillers only require one tablet to fully suppress Special Pain.
"The recommended retail range for these medications is very broad, and the minimum price is nowhere near as expensive as he quoted.
"In the last round, I also managed to see a Doctor.
"But clearly, the Doctor I saw was considerably more responsible. He gave me the best type of medication available, the Type O Painkiller.
"I can sell it to you for 500 Medical Points per bottle. And you only need one tablet per round."
As she spoke, Qian Li held up the bottle labelled 'Type O Painkiller' for everyone to see.
"To be honest, the three of you are a little hopelessly dense, and I could have just left you to it.
"But I thought about it, and decided to let it go.
"You three are probably new players who only joined in the Second Stage, am I right? When I first entered the Gallery, I was just as lost and just as foolish.
"So I'll help you one last time.
"Trading with you will mean I get Infected, but that's fine, because I'm confident in the medication I have on hand.
"If you trust me, trade with me. If you don't, go find Zhang Yuan.
"I'm only giving you this one round to decide. If you still don't trust me this time, then I won't sell you any medication going forward.
"After that, you're on your own."
Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying looked at each other. They had already naturally drifted toward Qian Li's side of things, but still could not bring themselves to commit immediately.
It was Du Peng who ended up being the first to make up his mind.
Because from where things stood, Zhang Yuan, Huang Shengjie, and Zhou Xiaoying were all confirmed Infected players, so trading with any of them would lead to him being Infected regardless.
Qian Li, on the other hand, was almost certainly not Infected.
Du Peng could easily trade with Qian Li first and stock up on two bottles of Type O as a precaution.
Even though he was not Infected right now, there was still a chance the system might randomly select him later, and by then obtaining Special Medication might come with new complications.
After all, no one could say whether these medications would be more or less expensive in an hour or two.
At the current price, 500 Medical Points for a bottle of Type O was entirely acceptable.
If three tablets could fully cure Special Pain, having some on hand was as good as taking out insurance.
With that thought, Du Peng said, "I'll, I'll take one bottle."
Qian Li said nothing. The two of them each completed the transaction at the trading machine.
After paying 500 Medical Points for the bottle of Type O, Du Peng examined it carefully, and once he was satisfied that the seal was completely intact, he put it in his pocket to save for later.
Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying were already Infected and did not have the same freedom of choice as Du Peng. They had no real option but to do the same.
They looked at each other, then turned to Qian Li and said, "Let's trade."
When weighed against Zhang Yuan, Qian Li came out ahead on every count.
Zhang Yuan had materially deceived Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying, whereas Qian Li had not. Zhang Yuan's medication was more expensive and required two tablets to take effect, while Qian Li's was cheaper and needed only one, and Zhang Yuan's claims could not be fully trusted to begin with.
Most importantly, Qian Li was almost certainly not Infected right now. By trading with Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying, she would certainly become Infected herself, and yet she was still willing to go through with it. That spoke to a high level of confidence in her own medication.
Of course, there was another possibility: that Qian Li had kept the genuinely effective Special Medication for herself, and the Type O she was selling the two of them would not actually achieve complete pain relief.
But that was unlikely.
Because Qian Li also needed Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying to serve as a reliable channel for distributing medication going forward. If she lied about this, it would drive them straight back to Zhang Yuan.
The three of them went to the trading machine and each swiped their Medical Cards to complete the transaction.
Huang Shengjie took the bottle of Type O Painkiller and immediately unscrewed the cap to check it over.
The label was firmly affixed to the bottle, difficult to peel off even with force, and any attempt would clearly leave visible damage. The seal at the mouth of the bottle was also completely intact.
Going by the current mechanics of the game, changing a bottle's label or swapping out its contents without breaking the seal was simply not possible.
Huang Shengjie let out a long breath. All he needed now was to confirm that this medication worked and could achieve complete pain relief, and then he would be safe.
Zhang Yuan watched the three of them complete their transactions without saying a word, and in the end simply gave a quiet shake of his head.
"Fine. When you come back regretting this and want to buy from me, don't expect the same price."
But the words sounded less like a threat and more like the bluster of someone whose scheme had been exposed, and no one paid it any attention.
