There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: The Employees’ Game

"What’s going on?"

Noticing the commotion, a security guard pushed through the employees and walked over.

The employee was clutching his nose. Blood dripped through his fingers, splattering on the ground like crimson blossoms.

He tried to speak, but intense waves of shock left him speechless. He could only stare blankly at Duan Fei.

"I’ll ask again, did he attack you?"

The Chaos in the employee’s eyes slowly faded. His gaze toward Duan Fei shifted from confusion to shock, and finally, to clarity.

Wiping the blood from his nose on his pants, he shook his head and said, "No, it was my own fault. I was careless."

The security guard studied the employee for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Be more careful next time."

After the guard left, the employee immediately grabbed Duan Fei’s hand and whispered, "Please, come with me."

He pulled Duan Fei to a secluded spot and asked in a low voice, "What did you do to me?"

"What did you feel?"

"I feel... something’s different. Something in my head is gone. I think I’m back to normal. Right now, if I saw that old bastard, I’d beat the living shit out of him."

"In other words, the effects of the neurosurgery you underwent have been nullified."

"Yeah."

Staring at Duan Fei, the employee said, "I’m Kim. You’re not from the company, are you? You’re from the game field?"

"I am."

"No wonder I couldn’t see your interface."

They looked at each other for a moment and nodded in unison, an unspoken trust forming between them.

Sitting on a nearby chair, Duan Fei asked, "Explain the debt and the neurosurgery to me."

Kim lit a cigarette. Amidst the curling smoke, he spoke with a melancholic tone, "Every one of us has been in debt to the company since birth. It’s a ’birth fee’ that takes fifty years to pay off. But even after we pay it off, we don’t have any marketable skills, so we just have to keep working for the company, though the pay gets a little better. Then, after another twenty years, when our lifespan is about up, we have to buy our own death from the company. That’s the only way we’re allowed to die."

"And what happens if you don’t buy it?" Duan Fei asked immediately.

"Then you can never die. The company’s biotechnology is extremely advanced. We’d be trapped in our aging bodies forever, unable to die. The neurosurgery is performed to ensure our Loyalty and prevent us from harming the boss. It imprints something on our brains, making it impossible for us to resist."

After hearing the employee’s Description, Duan Fei realized this world was rather terrifying.

Capitalism’s corrosion of this world was severe. Everyone was a slave to capital, forced to be born into this world, grow up in it, and finally, even pay for the privilege of death.

The ubiquitous neurosurgery was the magic bullet for controlling the populace. A simple operation acted like a mental brand, rendering them incapable of rebellion.

This was also why security was so lax. The neurosurgery was so effective that the boss didn’t even feel the need to guard against his own employees, which conveniently saved him some money on security costs.

’But it doesn’t matter. I, Duan Fei, have arrived!’

’You’re going to regret not hiring more security guards, boss!’

After a moment of thought, Duan Fei asked, "Do you know a way for me to harm everyone at once? The damage doesn’t have to be major, the key is a wide area of effect."

"Why?"

"The mysterious East."

"...That sounds like a ridiculous reason, but I know what to do."

Patting Kim firmly on the shoulder, Duan Fei felt like he had finally met the first person here with normal intelligence.

He led Duan Fei to a ventilation shaft and pointed at the ducts. "This connects to every room. The ventilation system in each room depends on it. Since the company is located underground, none of the rooms can exist without it. The method you’re looking for to harm everyone is right here."

Duan Fei looked at the ducts and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, pretty good. Now for the next question, how do I harm them?"

Kim snatched a moth from the wall, tore off its wings, and crushed its body, which turned into a pile of powder.

The parts of Kim’s hand that touched the powder quickly began to blister, a gruesome sight.

"The powder from this type of moth is poisonous. It’s harmless if inhaled, but it causes blisters on contact with skin. That should meet your requirements."

Duan Fei nodded in satisfaction. After putting on a glove, he took a pinch of the powder and rubbed it on Kim.

A moment later, Kim’s previous blisters vanished, and his hands became fair and smooth, leaving Kim to marvel at the sight.

Turning his hands over and over, Kim nodded and said, "Now I believe in the so-called ’mysterious East.’"

"And I believe in myself even more. Help me get more of this powder. I’m about to do something big."

It was an unlucky day for the moths near the ventilation shaft.

The very poison that was meant to protect them had become the cause of their demise—a conundrum the moths would likely never comprehend in their short lives.

The toxic powder began to spread through the ventilation ducts. Even the smallest amount carried Duan Fei’s Talent Effect, turning it into a Miracle Elixir that could cure anything.

In Duan Fei’s view, the ’neurosurgery’ should have been called ’brain-destroying surgery.’

The name concealed its wicked nature. In reality, it excised all consciousness of resisting injustice and pursuing equality from the employees’ minds, leaving only servility and obedience.

But if it was a wound to the brain, then it could be healed.

’Come, employees, let me heal you!’

’And while I’m at it, let’s see if I can unlock any new Skills.’

As the powder spread, more and more people suddenly came to their senses.

The intense shock and unprecedented thoughts made their noses start to bleed. Every employee subconsciously clutched their nose, slowly rediscovering themselves in the process.

Hundreds, then thousands of people regained their sense of self in that moment, and Duan Fei heard the long-awaited notification.

[You have healed ten people in a single instance. You have unlocked the Passive Skill: Medical Skill]

[Medical Skill: Passive Skill. Ten successful healings have granted you some basic medical knowledge. All your medical techniques receive a slight boost, and you can now stop a target’s bleeding. Current Level: Beginner.]

[You have completed an achievement: Cumulatively heal one thousand people. Your Medical Skill level has risen to Minor Success. You can now perform basic diagnoses.]

[You have completed an achievement: Cumulatively heal ten thousand people. Your Medical Skill level has risen to Great Success. Your reputation among doctors has increased by 1 point.]

Just as Duan Fei had speculated, healing people could also unlock achievements and grant rewards.

Although the rewarded Medical Skill was a Passive Skill, it would allow for more flexible tactics in future instances, diversifying his playstyle.

Moreover, healing over ten thousand people at once and raising his Medical Skill directly to Great Success was a pleasant surprise.

’Excellent. Just perfect!’

And the people he had saved were finally waking up.

The affliction in their minds had been repaired. The consciousness to resist the boss was awakening, letting them know they could now do things they couldn’t before.

The employees’ game had begun.