Chapter 14: Rabid Rationality, Pathogen Bounty

In an instant, all the viewers in the live stream had their hearts in their throats. 

Ryan also widened his eyes and began to watch intently. 

He wanted to observe the monster closely. 

That way, if he were attacked as well, he would be better prepared and not panic. 

Ryan had no idea if Candy would survive. 

He had already given his advice and felt no moral burden in his heart. 

The situation had developed this way entirely due to the female streamer's own choices. 

Adults must take responsibility for the decisions they make. 

"Ahhhhh——" 

Once again, Candy's piercing scream echoed in the live stream. 

Her right shoulder had been clawed, and her skin was instantly cut open by sharp talons, blood flowing freely. 

Fortunately, her truck had finally started. 

Candy didn't know how to shift gears, the little truck's engine was revving at a low gear, producing an immense noise, but the speed was still slow to pick up. 

Ironically, the loud noise from the engine seemed to scare the monster away. 

Seeing the monster leave, Candy slumped back in her seat. 

She appeared to be in shock, her whole body going numb, and she took a long time to react. 

The viewers in the live stream were also buzzing with comments. 

[Oh my God, what was that monster? It's terrifying...] 

[Streamer, hurry and get out of there! Don't just sit there, what if the monster comes back?] 

[Well, if you didn't listen to Ryan's advice, this is what you get, right?] 

[Speechless, she's risking her life for donations.] 

[The pinned messages in the chat have driving instructions for manual cars, you should check it out, streamer.] 

About five minutes later, Candy finally started to recover. 

The adrenaline from her injury had worn off, and the stinging pain from her wound began to set in, while the cold wind rapidly drained her body heat. 

"I—I'm hurt... I'm not going to die, am I?" 

Candy looked at the mocking comments in the chat, feeling a wave of despair wash over her. 

In frustration, she abruptly closed the live stream. 

At that moment, a notification popped up on Candy's system panel. 

[You have left the safe zone, please relocate immediately.] 

… 

Candy's live stream was closed, and Ryan was still replaying the earlier scene in his mind. 

He noticed that as soon as Candy started the truck and slammed on the gas, the monster stopped its attack. 

It appeared that the monster was driven away by the noise. 

It must be some kind of humanoid creature with exceptionally keen hearing and considerable strength. 

Just then, a pop-up appeared on Ryan's system panel. 

[Admin Work Group (New Message)] 

After being silent for most of the day, the Admin Work Group had a new message. 

Ryan's eyes lit up, and he immediately entered to check it out. 

[Diamond 4]: Haha, I never expected a player to leave the safe zone on the very first day. And they're still alive, this is getting interesting. 

[Diamond J]: Oh? What punishment did you set up? 

[Diamond 4]: I designed a new type of virus, I wanted to test it out. 

[Diamond 4]: It's called "Rabid Rationality." 

[Diamond 5]: Wow, is that the one you talked about last time!!! I think it sounds super cool, I wish I could see it in person. 

[Diamond 4]: Since it's a test, it's a stripped-down version. But the challenge instance opens tonight, and if all goes well, it should infect quite a few players. 

[Diamond 10]: Can't wait! 

[Diamond 5]: Number 3! Number 3! Are you in the ice plains? If Rabid Rationality breaks out, can you help us record some video footage? 

[Diamond 3]: I'm in the desert area, I still have some things to take care of. 

[Diamond 5]: Ah, what a shame. 

[Diamond 8]: Sorry, everyone, I'll be issuing the corresponding eradication tasks for the players. 

[Diamond 5]: Ugh, Number 8, you're such a buzzkill! 

[Diamond 8]: I know I'm a buzzkill, but it's my job, I hope you can understand... 

[Diamond 4]: I need a large number of samples for testing, Number 8, you can release the tasks later. 

[Diamond 8]: No problem, I'll delay the tasks by three hours. 

… 

After a brief exchange, the green dots representing several online admin representatives in the group disappeared. 

After reading the messages, Ryan's expression turned serious. 

What these admins were discussing was likely related to Candy's recent attack. 

It seemed that the monster wasn't merely scared off by the noise. 

Instead, it had successfully infected Candy, and once its goal was achieved, it just left. 

[Admin log has been updated] 

Ryan opened the admin log and exported the data. 

[Update log has synced successfully] 

[You can view it on the map for detailed information] 

Ryan opened the map, and sure enough, several new markers had appeared with this update. 

[Update Round 2] 

[Update 1]: Punishment for Leaving the Safe Zone — Rabid Rationality (Stripped-Down Version) 

[Publisher]: Diamond 4 

[Pathogen]: Player #3451 · Candy 

[Content Description]: Rabid Rationality is a virus transmitted through blood. When players are infected, they exhibit zombie-like symptoms. They have an insatiable craving for the flesh and blood of others and cannot consume any other food. 

Unlike zombie viruses, this virus does not damage the host's brain, infected individuals retain their intelligence and cognitive abilities. 

However, their instincts, morals, and humanity will be overwhelmingly replaced by a strong urge to kill. 

Infected individuals do not have obvious characteristics compared to normal people, only when they struggle to suppress their instincts do the blood vessels beneath their skin writhe like worms. 

… 

Ryan gasped after reading this. 

Rabid Rationality was far more terrifying than the zombie virus. 

In simple terms, it could create a type of intelligent zombie with human-level IQ. 

And it had no obvious characteristics… 

This meant they could blend into crowds and would be hard to detect if they disguised themselves properly. 

Moreover, the pathogen was Candy, an attractive woman. 

From the live stream, it was clear that many men were drooling over her body. 

She could easily lure her prey into her trap through casual encounters. 

This would spell serious trouble for the player community. 

"Ah, this is a big mess…" Ryan sighed. 

If he didn't do something soon, he felt it wouldn't be long before all the players turned into rational zombies. 

However, he couldn't directly notify anyone in the chatroom. 

Otherwise, his involvement in the admin group would be exposed. 

This could put him at risk with both the player community and the admins. 

Fortunately, Ryan noticed a note. 

[Note]: This version of Rabid Rationality is a stripped-down version, so all virus carriers will die together 24 system hours after infection. 

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, this meant the virus shouldn't spread. 

He then saw another update. 

[Update 2]: Balance Task to Eliminate the Rabid Rationality Pathogen. 

[Publisher]: Diamond 8 

[Launch Time]: 3 system hours after the challenge mode instance opens. 

[Task Content]: Players who eliminate the pathogen will receive a special treasure chest. 

[Reward Content]: One immunity serum and a choice of high-tier materials x1. 

"Oh?" Ryan's eyes lit up, "A choice of high-tier materials?" 

Ryan had been worried about how to get his hands on those electronic components. 

If the supply crates in the challenge mode instance didn't yield anything, he would probably miss out on the boss treasure chest. 

However, if he could get the high-tier materials as a reward, he would definitely be able to obtain the electronic components. 

Ryan originally didn't want to get involved, after all, this virus wouldn't last long. 

But the reward was indeed quite tempting. 

After all, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. 

Ryan closed the system panel, and his gaze became intense: "Now I just need to wait for the challenge mode to start…" 

… 

Ryan delivered four off-road tires to Chase just before the trading time ended. 

Chase seemed a bit surprised, he had thought a contract payout would be triggered as the time was about to run out. 

Chase's plan had fallen through, and he was puzzled, continuously asking Ryan where he had gotten so many rubber tires. 

Ryan blocked out that greedy guy. 

He checked the information on the system panel. 

[Challenge mode countdown: 10 minutes] 

"It's about to start…" Ryan stretched. 

He had just taken a short nap, and now he felt much more refreshed. 

Then, he double-checked the gear he was carrying. 

Since Ryan wasn't sure how to enter the challenge mode instance, 

he had no clear idea whether to drive in or if the players would be teleported inside.