01 Texas does not support idlers_2

Indeed, it was at this moment that the defense attorney, who had been constantly interrupted by Le Cheng, finally pulled out his trump card.

He picked up a report from the table, which had been prepared in advance, and confidently stated, "Your Honor, I have here a report from a professional institution, which is Le Cheng's psychiatric assessment. After testing, Le Cheng has been diagnosed with severe dissociative identity disorder, severe delusional disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder. He's a seriously mentally ill patient. For such a patient, we should offer more sympathy and humanitarian consideration, rather than subjecting him to harsh legal responsibilities."

Having said this, he submitted the report.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the judge and jury unanimously deemed the report legally valid!

This caused the audience's faces to show an expression of difficulty.

The prosecutor noticed that the defense attorney, as he passed by, had a hint of smugness on his modest face, which made him clench his fists involuntarily.

Although the United States had long abolished the death penalty, some states still retain it, and Texas not only retains the death penalty but also carries out the most executions. Originally, according to the crimes committed by Le Cheng, he could have been sentenced to death, but now the situation had changed; Le Cheng might be spared the death penalty or even be acquitted.

After a long wait, as the jury concluded their discussion, the judge finally announced the verdict of the trial.

"Defendant Le Cheng, for committing multiple murders and robberies, would normally be sentenced to the ultimate punishment. However, according to United States law, mentally ill patients are not required to bear legal responsibilities. Therefore, the defendant is acquitted..."

Upon hearing this, the prosecutor's face showed helplessness, while the defense attorney almost burst out laughing.

But then—

The judge continued, "However, out of humanitarian concern, the court orders Le Cheng to be sent to Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital for strict custody and treatment."

The smile on the defense attorney's face instantly froze.

For most people, being sent to Saint Elizabeth was even more despairing than death; it was not so much a mental hospital as a den of demons!

The defense attorney completely collapsed in his seat, his face filled with sorrow—not for Le Cheng, but for himself. His gamble on his reputation had failed utterly.

But at this moment, nobody cared about him. Once the judge's sentence was over, United States police officers, armed to the teeth, escorted Le Cheng out of the courtroom, and there were as many as twelve officers.

Even so, these police officers still didn't feel any sense of security, because standing next to Le Cheng, they couldn't help but recall the victims he had killed, their tragic state of death, like the grim reaper from Hell.

As Le Cheng was led out of the courtroom, countless people crowded at the courtroom door, clamorously shouting.

"Protest, Le Cheng is innocent, protest!"

"Kill that devil! Death penalty! Death penalty!"

The crowd was divided into two groups, one hoping for Le Cheng's release, the other demanding capital punishment. The former group, mostly rednecks, dressed rather simply and were vocally agitated. The latter, by contrast, appeared more sophisticated in dress and highly organized in their purpose, the two sides forming a silent standoff.

And when they heard the court's verdict, the former looked ashen, while the latter cheered loudly.

People's joy and sorrow were not the same; Le Cheng just thought they were noisy. He waved at the crowd, signaling for quiet.

Then, he revealed a brilliant smile on his handsome face, loudly saying, "Justice-loving citizens of the United States, good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. Thank you for attending my public trial. I will now return to my loyal Saint Elizabeth. You need not worry about me; I will be back soon."

...

Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital is a public mental hospital in the United States. The hospital's original mission was to provide the most humane care and treatment for the mentally ill patients from the Army, Navy, and Columbia, but after many years of development, without claiming great success, it is at least notoriously known. Almost every day, inhumane atrocities take place here. Even DC Comics' Arkham Asylum seems like Paradise compared to it, and many directly call it the Devil's Nest.

For the vast majority of people, they would rather go to prison than be sent to Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital.

Three days after his public trial, Le Cheng was sent to Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital. He was confined in a solitary ward, and afterwards, no one paid any attention to him. This is because anyone who knew of his past experiences didn't dare to approach him... even if these hospital staff were burly, strong men.

To many, Le Cheng is the modern-day Hannibal.

Without any guards or surveillance, Le Cheng, who stayed in his ward alone, gradually calmed down. His expression showed no trace of worry or anxiousness, as if he had returned home, with a faint smile on his lips.

Then, before long, he finally heard that cold, ruthless voice he had so long been anticipating.

[Task: Enter Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital as a patient]

[Status: Completed]

[Reward: Return to Infinite Paradise, or conduct a deeper exploration of Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital to obtain richer rewards]

"Wow, didn't expect what that dead guy said to actually be true!"

Le Cheng muttered excitedly to himself.

Just days ago, he had run into a lunatic. From all aspects, the guy seemed neurotic, possibly even suffering from delusions of persecution, mumbling incomprehensible things about players, missions, and beeps. That, in itself, was fine; the problem was, the guy actually dared to be more arrogant than him, claiming he would tear Le Cheng into pieces.

Could Le Cheng tolerate that? Absolutely not.

So with a backhanded move, he did exactly that to the other man.

But before the other man died, Le Cheng managed to extract some information. It seemed the man was under some sort of restriction and couldn't fully explain the situation, but Le Cheng roughly understood that: the other guy came from a special place that randomly selected some people to become players, then issued missions for these players to venture into various magical or bizarre places. Completing the mission meant receiving rewards, while failure led to punishment, and the most severe punishment was death.

After saying all this, the guy even tearfully begged Le Cheng to spare him, or else he would face severe punishment.

Le Cheng was a kind-hearted person. To prevent the other man from being punished, he mercifully sent him off to God.

Afterwards, Le Cheng heard that voice in his mind, saying he was qualified, his player identity was transferred, and he was given a task: to enter Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital.

That's it? How hard could that be?

To verify if what the man said was true and to catch a glimpse of that miraculous place, Le Cheng randomly selected a lucky bystander, borrowed their phone to call the police, and then stayed next to the player he had torn apart, waiting for the police to arrive.

What followed was a logical sequence of events: he was arrested, investigated, and when the police found out that Le Cheng was the notorious, extremely violent serial killer who had been rampaging through America for years, they were both shocked and delighted, but also fearful and immediately brought him to court for a public trial. This level of efficiency in handling the case was truly unprecedented.

And so, the scene at the beginning unfolded just as planned, and Le Cheng was sent to Saint Elizabeth Mental Hospital.

However, judging from the mission rewards, it seems that Saint Elizabeth is not as simple as it appears from the outside. Is there something special hidden within that requires deeper exploration?

Forget it, it doesn't matter.

Le Cheng is very fond of the blessed land of Texas, and coming to Saint Elizabeth felt just like coming home, with even the air filled with sweetness. There will be plenty of opportunities for in-depth investigations here in the future, but for now, what interests him most is Infinite Paradise.

Thus, Le Cheng made his choice without any hesitation.

[Return to Infinite Paradise]