Don't provoke mentally ill people in the infinite flow genre!

When Ling Ye woke up, he found himself still lying on the bed in the hotel room, while Yi Zanglan was sitting next to him, silently examining the pair of bracelets on his wrist.

He stared at her intently. The man who had never shed a tear despite all the torment he had endured was now overwhelmed with sorrow and grievance in front of her, and his eyes suddenly reddened.

Yi Zanglan glanced to the side unintentionally, slightly speechless: "Please, you're crying? Shouldn't I be the one crying?"

"sorry."

"Alright, we don't need to keep apologizing to each other." She sighed. "With your mental strength and current condition, it's already quite good that you managed to hold on until then. It's not your fault."

The illusions in the high-level dungeon are too real. Tonight's experience is eroding one's will. Being in it, one's five senses are clouded, memories are confused, and it is easy to doubt oneself, which can drive one insane.

Yi Zanglan reached out and touched Ling Ye's forehead, finding that the fever had worsened, and couldn't help but frown.

"With your skills, you think you can beat this game by yourself?"

"Yes, thank goodness you came," Ling Ye said softly. "In the past, this would have been something I never dared to dream of."

She pulled the blanket up for him, her movements not very gentle, but her tone softened considerably.

"It's not dawn yet, let's sleep a little longer."

She had seen his illusions and knew that they were just the tip of the iceberg; the suffering he had endured over the years was probably far more than that.

He probably always longed for a way out, but he has persisted until now.

She thought that perhaps Yi Yuncen had truly heard her wish in the dark.

"Lanlan," Ling Ye asked hesitantly, "why were you imprisoned in Liushan Anti-Drug Camp in the first place?"

"Oh, you know, all the other targets have been taken care of, but that beast who hired someone to burn down the orphanage, he's rich but afraid of death, he hid from me several times, and finally used his connections to hide in a mental hospital." Yi Zanglan sneered, "So I spent a little time getting myself in there too."

"……Then what?"

"Then I found out he was doing quite well inside, and was even colluding with the hospital director and head nurse to engage in shady deals and abuse female patients who had no family or connections—I found an opportunity and simply killed them all."

Yi Zanglan's account of this part is rather brief, as she always is—too lazy to analyze things that are long past.

In fact, she had been patiently lying low for a long time, and every step, from preliminary investigation and meticulous preparation to infiltrating the hospital, was within her plan.

She won everyone's trust with her good performance and took advantage of meals and breaks to get closer to her target, gradually seducing that bastard.

That night, in the dean's office, she used a pen to clean up the scene with blood, then took the access card and went out to kill everyone she could.

With this, the revenge has come to an end. All sixteen people involved in Yi Yuncen's death, including the bodyguard hired by the mastermind to survive, have been eliminated, and some even came with some freebies.

Neither of them is innocent; they should all pay the price.

By then, her wish had been fulfilled, and she had lost a goal in life to hold onto. She felt that the road ahead was bleak and that it would be the same no matter where she was, so she gave up on escaping and chose to surrender.

Local laws could not punish her because no matter how she was tested or interrogated, she was a qualified mental patient with no flaws.

So they had no choice but to transfer her to Liushan Stability Hospital, a hospital that specifically cares for serious criminal offenders. She was imprisoned there for three years until she was invited by the Misfortune System.

She said, "Later I got a little tired of it and started planning to leave, but then I got into the Doom game, which saved me a lot of trouble."

Ling Ye felt a mix of emotions, unable to articulate what they were, and in the end, all that remained was a sigh.

"Thanks a lot."

He had asked his adoptive father to use the mercenary group's intelligence network to help Yi Zanglan identify the accomplices and those in the know related to the murder case, and to secretly assist her in taking them down one by one.

When only one person was left, he was suddenly recalled for a mission, and he never returned.

He wanted to follow her, but he couldn't let go of his adoptive father. Unfortunately, neither of them could keep him.

Even if he could do it all over again, he still wouldn't have a choice between the two.

"That's something I have to do, what's so hard about it?" Yi Zanglan said calmly, lowering his eyes and bringing up the system interface. "Let's not talk about that anymore, let's get down to business. How much spirit value do you have left? And what about faith value?"

"Spiritual value 40, Faith value 35."

"...Damn." Yi Zanglan sighed expressionlessly, "I probably couldn't lose as much mental energy as you do even if I did bungee jumping."

Ling Ye couldn't refute it, so he helplessly turned off his watch: "And what about you?"

"Currently, my mental strength is 85 and my faith is 15."

She entered the illusion twice, and her mental value only decreased by 15 points.

"It seems that the decreased spirit points will automatically be converted into faith points towards the God of Life."

"What happens when the spirit value is reduced to zero? A believer without spirit becomes a puppet, doesn't he?" Yi Zanglan calmly retorted. "The God of Life sounds very sacred, but in reality, he uses human despair and fear as nourishment, squeezing them dry until they are completely drained."

Ling Ye glanced instinctively at the wardrobe: "Would the God of Life be pleased to hear this?"

"Gods are neither happy nor sad. If she is unhappy, it only means that her cultivation is not yet up to par."

That makes sense.

"I told you, I'd let you sleep a little longer." Yi Zanglan yawned, leaned back, and lazily closed her eyes. "After dawn, I'll think of a way to boost your mental energy, so you don't end up in a vegetative state."

"..."

* * * * * *

At eight o'clock in the morning, the rain had stopped, and the sunlight shone in from outside, giving the old hotel a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The statue of Phthas, the goddess of life, was bathed in sunlight, still pure white as jade, but the hem of her light, floor-length dress seemed to have gained a satin-like luster, and the color was softer.

It looks as if it is no longer carved from stone, but has become real clothes.

Several players gathered near the statue, and they had all noticed the anomaly. They were discussing it with strange expressions.

Geng Xian's curly hair was slightly messy, and he pushed his glasses up, trying to cover his dark circles.

"I wonder if anyone slept well last night?" he said. "Perhaps the gods nourish themselves by consuming our dreams, and believers should make offerings to the gods, right?"

Liang Danyi smiled meaningfully: "Of course, the god of life is only resting here temporarily, and will wake up sooner or later."

"Once the statue completely changes color, does that mean the deity has awakened?" Yu Qing muttered to herself. "Then do we need to work together to speed up her awakening?"

"Little sister, you're dressed quite rebelliously, but why is your brain so smooth? Are you really stupid or just pretending?" Zhao Feirong said disdainfully. "The rules say that when the gods return, they will favor their most devout believers—do you understand what 'most' means?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, not only Yu Qing, but everyone else fell silent.

Indeed, whatever divine favor may mean—whether it's a condition for passing a level or a special reward—it is reserved only for the most devout believers.

They must compete to be the most devout believer, which means individual combat.

"Heh, this is going to be quite a busy one." The bald, muscular man, Fang Ao, spoke in a rough, gruff voice, like a temple bell ringing. "We have to be believers and issue kill orders at the same time. Let's all do our best and not get in anyone's way."

Before the others could answer him, they suddenly heard footsteps coming from not far away, and they all turned to look.

"..."

They seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then exchanged a glance.