Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 10: Lava [Complete]

1207: This Is Intriguing

"Originally, Lava was just a large game pocket dimension," the NPC's voice echoed softly in the utility room. "I don't know when it started, but Lava's territory has been expanding, and the hospital gradually transformed from the core of the pocket dimension into a pocket dimension itself. Although it has grown to its current scale, and the rules have become more complex, some basic principles have not changed."

The two players standing across from him remained silent for a moment. Lin Sanjiu and Bohemia listened attentively while Hei Zeji leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, looking as if he could fall asleep at any moment—if he wasn't already.

"For example, you can only leave the hospital and even Lava by obtaining enough points. However, you must have realized how dangerous and laborious reaping others' organs for points is, not to mention it rarely covers expenses, even for medicine. So, the key to clearing the game lies in whether you can find a way to earn points besides selling organs. If you can, your earnings will be taken from the room storing the deceased plays points. The hospital hasn't collapsed economically because of the various hidden ways to earn points."

"What hidden ways?" Lin Sanjiu asked.

The NPC shook his head, his chubby face wobbling slightly. "I can't tell you. Despite my appearance, I cannot betray some fundamental rules. It's like unbreakable commands written in my genes. However, I can tell you that many players have successfully discovered these hidden ways to earn points. Have you heard of the Gamers Club?"

The topic suddenly shifted, surprising Lin Sanjiu. She was about to ask what that was when a voice from the corner said, "Heard of it."

Was he not asleep?

The NPC nodded, relieved that someone finally had some insight. "It's a club formed by people who love to play games. They gather information about famous pocket dimensions and apocalyptic worlds in the vast doomsday universe, then rank them based on their rules and gameplay. Lava's world is among the top 100 in their rankings. The first time I opened my eyes in the hospital, I happened to receive a member of the Gamers Club, who are known to write a guide after clearing a game. However, that was quite some time ago. There have been fewer true gamers recently, perhaps because the games have gradually deviated from the norm. I can understand the existence of this club in a drifting doomsday universe. No matter what means help you adapt to it, it's—"

"Get to the point," Bohemia interjected. "What does this have to do with us?"

"It's a big deal. Judging by your expressions, you all want points, right?" The NPC's breathing became steadier, as if the influence of his lost legs was gradually disappearing. "But you are not hospital staff, so you can't directly obtain the deceased players' points. Even though I'm a staff member, I cannot take points without reason—unless the players before me happen to unearth a hidden way to earn them."

"All this talk is meaningless," Bohemia grumbled. "If we find a hidden way, will we all become fugitives?"

"It's too late for us to find a hidden way," Lin Sanjiu said. "So, the fastest way is... to find the method the Gamers Club discovered?"

"It'll be even harder to find that so-called club in this basement," Bohemia said. "There's no one down here but us, so where are we supposed to find those well-fed gamers? Did they leave behind a manual with secret techniques?"

The NPC fell silent.

Lin Sanjiu glanced at Hei Zeji in the corner. Bohemia's argument made sense. Finding the Gamers Club in the hospital's off-limits basement seemed futile.

She subconsciously looked back at the NPC.

His mention of the Gamers Club felt somewhat abrupt. He had said before that he couldn't violate the rules or reveal the method to players. But what if he didn't tell them directly? If the Gamers Club was a hint...

"Hey, did the fatty suddenly bring up this unrelated topic because he knows there's a gamer down here?" Bohemia said, connecting the same thoughts. "But that can't be right. How could there be another player here?"

"It's hard to believe, but there is, if they haven't already left." Lin Sanjiu thought for a moment and sighed. "And there's more than one."

"Who are they?" Bohemia asked.

"Gardenia, the woman who tricked me into the laboratory," Lin Sanjiu said. Seeing the others' blank looks, she added, "The very attractive one."

"Oh!" Bohemia said, recalling.

"There's also Red Face... um, the man who captured Gardenia but was tricked into going into the laboratory. I got him out and took everything he had, then left him lying there."

"Beginning in chaos and ending in abandonment," Bohemia said, though her idiom didn't seem quite on point. "Just those two?"

"No, there's one more," Lin Sanjiu said after some hesitation. "I killed a guard. Somehow, they came back to life, with their guard transformation undone, and unsteadily walked away. I think that person is the likeliest to be our gamer."

Since the number of Gamers Club members had decreased in recent years, compared to the other two players still struggling to leave the hospital, the unlucky person who had been a guard for who knows how many years was probably from an older time.

"So, next, we'll find these players," Lin Sanjiu said. "The hospital's basement area is limited, and there's only one entrance and exit. If a non-staff member enters the payment counter, an alarm will sound. Since the alarm hasn't gone off, we can assume they're still down here." She didn't forget the most practical question. "But with so many guards... how do we get to the gamer if we find them?"

"I'll handle this part," Hei Zeji said from the corner. When he lifted his eyes and met Lin Sanjiu's gaze, he added softly, "It's my first time encountering something that deprives someone of all mobility. I find it... quite intriguing."