Are you teaching me what to do?

The atmosphere in the dining room was quite queer.

The veterans grouped together in pairs, but the newcomers were scared out of their wits, only hoping that they could have someone carry them through.

It was only midway through mealtime. There were quite a few people who schemingly went up to veterans to lather praise on them.

The guy in glasses was one of them.

Before entering the infinite loop, the guy in glasses was just an ordinary office worker who followed the rules on weekdays and worked diligently to complete the work that the higher ups had assigned to him, never daring to step out of line.

But now, he had entered this terrifying and dangerous Thriller Trainee competition where his future was uncertain. He not only couldn't go back, but he also was in danger of losing his life.

Because he sat in the office all year round, his bespectacled body was slightly fat and weak.

Aside from work, he didn't have any skills or talents to speak of. His rating was a reflection of his bottom-rung work in the real world; F-rank. If he failed to get a score of E-rank or higher in the reevaluation, he would be dead meat.

No one wanted to die, and the same went for the guy in glasses. So, after entering the first round of competition, he started to do mental abacus, working out schemes in his head.

After the nurse opened the door, he immediately crawled upstairs to the dining room, silently observing everyone who came in through the entrance.

In the end, his lying in wait did bear fruit. The guy in glasses had a more comprehensive understanding of the trainees in this round.

There were two people with S-rank badges on them, three A-ranks, about ten B-ranks, and even more C and D-ranks. But the majority still, like him, had E or F-rank badges.

One of the S-ranks, a man with long black hair, looked aloof and indifferent, and even the air around him seemed frigid with frost.

The other S-rank had golden hair and a warm smile like the spring breeze. Despite wearing a hospital gown, the saintly atmosphere about him couldn't be concealed.

But before the guy in glasses could work up the courage to go up, he saw several other E and F-ranks with the same idea as him walk up, carrying their trays over to those two S-ranks.

Zhuge An didn't even raise his eyes. He set his chopsticks down without a word, and the legs of the several newcomers around him trembled with fright.

Contrary to expectations, the golden-haired high-ranker didn't show the same stone face to the newcomers. Instead, he smiled understandingly.

"You are all newcomers, right? I am Messiah, you can just call me that."

Perhaps because this high-ranker was easy to get to know, all the newcomers felt more at ease and these newcomers immediately started to introduce themselves. The guy in glasses stood one side, observing for a while, then thickened his skin and joined in.

One by one, they voiced the fear in their hearts and their helplessness and confusion about the current situation.

Messiah didn't interrupt, but listened quietly, and waited until the last person had finished speaking before nodding in acknowledgement. "Indeed. The high-ranked trainees are basically contenders who have already lived in the infinite loop for some time.

You are still newcomers. It's cruel to throw you into the trainee selection without any chance for development."

"Don't worry," the young golden-haired man looked warm. "This is only the first round. If there are places that I can take care of, I will do my best to help everyone."

Where the many trainees could not see, the bullet chat for the spectators flooded with tears.

[Sobbing, the Holy Son is as warm as always, my tears are falling.]

[Really deserving of his name. Just like the Holy Son who saved all living things between water and fire, ahhhh /bawls]

[I'm crying watching this. By sheer dumb luck I managed to meet the Holy Son in the last instance, and he was just like this too, saving the noob that was me, even warmly reassuring me that it was fine. Wahhh solid proof of a philanthropist in the contemporary age.]

"…the Holy Son is still the same."

He Jianlan took a bite of ham. "Those

newcomers are just trying to ride on his coattails. They're clearly exaggerating the truth."

As he said this, a wealthy newcomer on that side loudly declared that if Messiah protected him, he would promise Messiah a substantial seven-figure sum when he returned. Messiah was caught between laughter and tears hearing this, and insisted that there was no need to. This was as easy as lifting a finger to him.

Qin Ye glanced over disinterestedly, "He wasn't always like this."

Among the top ten trainees, aside from that one, Messiah had the highest popularity.

It was because he was publicly recognised as a great philanthropist in the infinite loop.

Many of the contenders were once

newcomers too, and many of them had also received Messiah's kindness as newcomers.

The ones who returned the favour in kind weren't few, either.

Such a personality was rarely encountered in a world as treacherous as the infinite loop, and could easily be hailed as a spiritual leader. The title of Holy Son was given to him by the contenders in his honour.

Messiah's personal strength was unfathomable. Alongside his good character, he was never without followers by his side.

Even if there were those who didn't like him and secretly felt that he was a hypocrite, they were silenced by the strength of him and his followers.

Now, for example, each of those newcomers were just short of building a shrine to Messiah on the spot. They looked at him like they had seen Virgin Mary descend to earth, and if they could, they would permanently stay by his side for the next three days and nights.

He Jianlan mentally sighed at their shortsightedness, looking away.

Staying by Messiah's side wasn't a bad plan; it could potentially save their life. However, in this one-man show, these trainees wouldn't end up with much of a rating to speak of.

Messiah could protect them temporarily but he couldn't protect them for a lifetime. They would still have to die when the time came.

All the newcomers who entered the infinite loop had to walk the line between life and death before they could learn any fighting sense for themselves. By cowering or depending on others, there would only be the word 'death' awaiting them after they got out.

When he turned his eyes away, He Jianlan's gaze inadvertently swept over the corner of the dining room out of his peripheral vision, and he subconsciously paused for a moment.

The young white-haired man with astonishingly beautiful features was sitting quietly in the corner, mechanically lifting and placing down his spoon.

His head was half-lowered; from this angle, only an elegant jawline could be seen.

Hm. This newcomer was a little interesting.

He Jianlan narrowed his eyes.

Almost all the newcomers in the dining room—not just newcomers now, even a few C-ranks as well—had gathered around to seek refuge from Messiah. Everyone harboured the bastardly idea of taking advantage of convenience where there was.

Even under such circumstances, this young white-haired man still sat there calmly, without showing any condescending or humbleness, without even turning his head over to look. This was exceedingly abnormal.

"Lao Qin, what do you think of that chance task?"

Qin Ye wasn't patient. "Say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush for me. Hurry up and let it out."

What he hated most was people who made conversations difficult. Unfortunately, his partner was such a person who liked to talk euphemistically.

He Jianlan was a B-rank. But because he possessed a special prop, many A-ranks were wary of him. Especially after he formed a partnership with Qin Ye, he was like a tiger with wings, his combat power doubling. This time, he had the good fortune of being assigned to the same venue. Many veterans in the dining room grit their teeth in envy.

"I'd say, don't keep looking at Zhuge An just because you're a little suspicious. If he notices, you wouldn't even know when he calculates you into his plans." He Jianlan said helplessly. "Remember what Zhuge An did in the 'Cursed Mask'. Don't step unwittingly into his chessboard."

Those words were like a cold bucket of water. Qin Ye immediately withdrew his gaze with a stinky look on his face.

He Jianlan was speechless. In passing, he silently raised that white-haired newcomer several places up his suspect list.

Just at this moment, Zong Jiu also finished his meal.

He seemed oblivious to the ogling eyes from all directions. Conversely, he set down his chopsticks quietly, his head hung in thought.

Reasonably speaking, beautiful people always attracted attention. Yet the aloofness and aura exuded by the young white-haired man was too strong; for some time, no one dared to come forward and make conversation with him.

A boy who had watched him from afar for a long time finally mustered up the courage, carrying his tray over and sitting opposite him.

Zong Jiu closed his live broadcast interface and raised his eyes indifferently.

In just one meal, the number of people watching his live broadcast had leapt from a big fat zero to several thousand; perhaps this was a special privilege for the good looking.

The person who had sat down was an extremely shy youth. Not only did his countenance and his demeanour carry the unripeness of youth, he also looked no more than seventeen or so years old. The eyes that looked towards him contained gratitude and apprehension.

"I-I-I, I'm Sheng Yu."

Seeing the young white-haired man look over, Sheng Yu began to stutter over his words.

"A-About before, thank you."

Like he was afraid that Zong Jiu wouldn't remember, the high school student hastily added in a small voice, "Earlier in the dormitory, thanks for your reminder."

When Sheng Yu said this, Zong Jiu managed to pull the memory out.

This person was one of the eight in the E-rank dormitory.

The young man watched him quietly until Sheng Yu's hair all stood on end. Then, he nodded blandly. "It was your own choice that saved you."

These words weren't wrong. Didn't Xia Chuan choose to not believe his words?

If Sheng Yu himself hadn't believed him, then he would have ended in the same situation as Xia Chuan.

Sheng Yu still had more he wanted to say, but the noisy restaurant suddenly fell silent as if pressed to rest.

"Clack, clack, clack."

The sound of high heels against tiles rang out crisply.

Nurses walked in in their uniforms. Their

expressions were cold, and the one at the front carried a flickering oil lamp in her hand, the same female nurse who had opened the door for Zong Jiu earlier.

These nurses had extremely pale complexions. Not a normal fairness nor an anaemic wanness, but an eerie, ghastly white.

Experienced veterans subconsciously checked behind them.

Surprisingly, black shadows floated quietly on the clean tiles under the incandescent light of the dining room, proving that they were human.

"You are all new patients admitted this morning. The daily schedule of this asylum has been pinned to the wall over there. Aside from that, I'll just remind you of a few things."

"First, nighttime excursions are prohibited. Second, fighting or brawling between patients is prohibited. Third, absolute obedience to the medical staff is mandatory."

The head nurse's tone was chilly. "If you attempt to violate these, you will be put in a solitary confinement room or forced to be treated, depending on the severity of your condition. Trust me, this is something you don't want to experience."

No one in the dining room made a sound. It was as silent as being in a tomb.

"Excellent. You are much more obedient than the last batch of patients admitted to the asylum."

Clearly, this attitude pleased the head nurse. A rare smile flitted past her mean face.

"Cooperating with our treatment will only do good to your condition. I'm pleased that you understand this."

The few newcomers around Messiah already started trembling like sieves, daring not to ask where the last batch of patients had gone.

"Okay, with the rules out of the way, now we can begin lining up for medication."

The head nurse waved her hand. The few nurses behind her stepped out of the shadows one by one with their pill bottles, handing out a pill and water to each and every trainee in the dining room.

The trainees exchanged glances in private.

Sheng Yu asked him what to do in a whisper.

However, Zong Jiu didn't say anything.

The young white-haired man brought the pill to his face and sniffed it, frowning gently.

To eat, or not to eat?

There weren't any markings on the pill bottle, so they had no clue what type of medicine it was. But combined with the dizziness and weakness they felt upon waking up, it was most likely a sedative or an antipsychotic drug commonly used in mental asylums.

A drug from an unknown source in a creepy hospital chock full of mysteries; they could tell that it shouldn't be eaten even if they used their toes to think, not to mention that they weren't mentally ill at all.

Like having guessed what was on the minds of the trainees, several nurses stood there, keeping a sharp eye on every person as they handed out the pills, making sure to watch them swallow it down before handing out the next one.

If they didn't take it, it would be a violation of the third rule. No one wanted to be the first guinea pig to experience what the head nurse described as a confinement room.

A nurse said impatiently, "Hurry up, don't dawdle."

Everyone hesitated, and pulled out all their tricks.

The guy in glasses quietly looked up at Messiah who inclined his head to drink the water and swallow.

Unfortunately, because of the angle, he couldn't tell if the other party actually had swallowed the pill in his hand.

The nurse staring at Messiah looked away with satisfaction, her gazing falling onto the guy in glasses.

This gaze caused a chill to go down his back. He quivered as he hurriedly stuffed the pill into his mouth.

"What else can be done? Just eat it."

On the other side, Zong Jiu's fingers moved imperceptibly, and he directly tossed the pill into his mouth.

After everyone had finished swallowing, the head nurse suddenly ordered, "Roll up their sleeves, open their mouths and lift their tongues."

It was over.

The heart of the guy in glasses thumped. At this time he ignored the lack of water, swallowing it raw and dry on his saliva. A number of people in the dining room had the same reaction he did. The worst was an overly nervous trainee who had coughed repeatedly in his shock, accidentally coughing up the pill he hadn't swallowed, and it rolled onto the ground along with his saliva.

That trainee's face was now as white as the nurses'.

The head nurse sneered and waved her hand.

A group of big and burly nurses appeared from nowhere, grabbing the trainee by his feet and dragging him away without any chance to plead his case. They disappeared into the dark corridor.

[Holy shit, this sort of coercion looks terrifying…]

[To tell the truth, the first one is always killed as an example to others in this kind of horror instance. Poor guy, I reckon he'll never return.]

[With such a power move right from the start, there's definitely more to this instance than meets the eye. Now I wonder what type of medicine the head nurse gave them.]

[Replying to upstairs: it should be antipsychotic drugs such as Lumina, chlorpromazine, or suchlike.]

A moment later, the screams of the trainee in the corridor came to an abrupt end, following which, the sound of a lock closing on a heavy iron door.

This was confinement.

The restaurant was silent. No one spoke.

Seeing that the intended effect of the demonstration was achieved, the head nurse nodded in satisfaction. She threw down the words 'free time' and left.

Not all the trainees who had entered this round had gathered in the restaurant. A few others had chosen to explore straight away; the nurses must have gone to deliver the pill to those few people.

Zong Jiu stared as the white hems of the nurses' uniforms disappeared into the darkness. His lips suddenly curved. His palm flipped open.

Like a magic trick, an intact white pill lay quietly on his palm.