Chapter 2: Does this insurance hurt?_1
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No way out?
Having returned to the warehouse, Fu Qian realized he might have underestimated the difficulty of this job.
In just a few minutes, his SAN Points had dwindled to 17, and at this rate, becoming an idiot was just a matter of time.
The key issue seemed to be that neither the hard approach nor the soft approach was working!
Wait a second!
Considering the old man's inscrutable combat strength, taking him on directly was certainly not going to work.
But the soft approach... judging by the old man's last reaction, there was at least some room for communication.
As long as communication was possible, convincing him with reason wasn't out of the question.
It's just that the guy's eyes were obviously keen.
Even if he clenched his teeth and claimed he wasn't in pain, his expression had already betrayed him.
Expression... expression...
That's when an idea suddenly struck Fu Qian, and he yanked off his work badge from his chest.
In a flash of his vision, he was back in his familiar home.
Without any hesitation, he grabbed his cell phone and left the house.
"Sir, are you... looking for someone?"
Half an hour later, someone at the reception desk of a maternity center carefully eyed Fu Qian.
"I heard you have a device here for experiencing the pain of childbirth?"
"...Yes, do you want to try it?"
The receptionist's eyes lit up immediately, as if she was looking at a piece of meat on the chopping board.
"What a good man, whoever becomes your wife is truly fortunate—"
"Is it guaranteed to hurt?"
Fu Qian interrupted her, asking the question he cared about most.
"Guaranteed... hurt?"
His question obviously shocked the receptionist, causing her smile to stiffen.
"...Of course, our device is the highest grade on the market right now, with top-notch simulation effects."
"Then let's get started."
Fu Qian blinked.
"I can't wait."
...
Soon enough, Fu Qian found himself lying on the instrument—or rather, the torture device.
A few middle-aged women gathered around him, with one who looked like a director flipping through his paperwork.
"Mr. Fu, our device's pain levels go from one to ten. We'll start from the lowest and increase gradually. If it's too much for you, just say stop. If you're ready, we'll start from level one."
"No need, just crank it up to level ten."
Fu Qian yawned.
It was a joke, given that once inside, there would be no time for acclimatization.
What mattered was the ability to adapt to sudden, intense shocks.
"Are you sure?"
"What do you think?"
So arrogant!
The women exchanged glances, their eyes filled with murderous intent, and the one speaking even gritted her teeth.
"Turn it on for him!"
Is this it?
It seemed hardly different from being kicked in the groin!
As the device was activated, an intense pain surged through him.
Fu Qian focused intently on the electric current's painful stimuli, doing his utmost to keep his expression natural.
A few minutes later, the women staring at him wore big question marks on their faces, and couldn't help but check the device.
Weird, is it broken?
"Sir, are you in pain?"
The lead director asked cautiously.
"Of course it hurts, can't you tell?"
"Can't really tell..."
Your face looks like someone enjoying a warm bath; how could anyone tell!
The director frowned.
It still didn't feel enough!
Fu Qian also frowned secretly.
In terms of pain levels, it still fell short of the ordeal in the containment scenario.
"Is ten the maximum level?"
Hearing Fu Qian's question unexpectedly, the director was a bit stunned.
"The device itself does have up to level 12, but..."
"Let's go with level 12."
Fu Qian didn't give her a chance to object.
Way too arrogant!
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The director gritted his teeth and gave a signal with his eyes to someone beside him.
"Crank it up to level 12."
"But—"
"It's okay, the equipment might be broken, this is a good chance to test it."
The director's face was expressionless.
Ha... ha...
This is somewhat interesting!
Moments later, Fu Qian took a couple of deep breaths, using all the strength in his body to maintain a Mona Lisa smile.
"Mr. Fu, are you alright?"
This weird expression sent shivers down the spine of several women.
"I'm fine, feeling absolutely fantastic!"
...
After much effort to turn Mona Lisa's killer smile into the Mona Lisa's smile, Fu Qian left the maternity clubhouse satisfied.
A few minutes after his departure, the clubhouse erupted with screams like that of a slaughtering pig.
...
Wearing a solemn expression, Fu Qian went back into the warehouse with his work badge once again.
[Would you like to spend one SAN Point to attempt containment again?]
[Yes]
"You're awake?"
Accompanied by the familiar voice, agony flooded in like a tidal wave once more.
Fu Qian controlled every muscle in his body, filling himself with benevolence, calmness, and purity.
"Yes, I'm feeling much better today, I think I don't need any treatment anymore."
"Is that so?"
The old man scrutinized Fu Qian carefully for a long while before finally murmuring.
"That's good."
As he lifted his hand, a long syringe was withdrawn from the back of Fu Qian's hand.
"The moon is exceptionally warm tonight, go out and take a look."
Perseverance pays off!
It was finally worth the agony of the knots in his intestines!
Fu Qian sighed inwardly, yet his face remained expressionless.
Cautiously controlling his body to rise from the bed, Fu Qian coldly greeted the old man and headed in the direction he pointed.
Only now did he see the full view of the room.
The wooden room, at a glance, resembled some abandoned hospital clinic.
Strictly speaking, the space wasn't too small, but the problem was that most of it was crammed with clutter, with all sorts of messy things lying around.
Walking on it even produced creaking sounds.
This ramshackle place looked as if a kick to the wall might allow one to gaze at the moon from inside the room.
Despite his complaints, Fu Qian quickly reached the door and found that it was not only in poor condition but also nearly half-blocked by clutter.
"Hurry up, the moon is about to set."
Just as he thought to take a closer look outside, the old man's voice eerily came from behind.
Is he threatening me?
The IV had already been removed; if I don't go outside, are you going to chop me up?
Fu Qian sniffed, and the next moment, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the old man standing up—
A scythe, absurdly large in the man's hands, was shining with a cold light that hurt the eyes.
Getting goosebumps, Fu Qian stepped out without any hesitation.
Beautiful... beautiful!
A cobalt canvas of stars unfurled overhead, deep and boundless, centered around a large, peerless bright moon.
The old man hadn't lied to him.
Fu Qian had never seen such an exaggeratedly full moon; it felt as if it filled half the sky.
Someone with a fear of large objects would probably have collapsed to the ground from this overwhelming sensation.
Most importantly, as the snow-white moonlight shone upon him, Fu Qian felt the pain in his body rapidly dissipating.
So this was the way to relieve pain!
Praise the moon... Fu Qian took two steps forward, unable to resist the urge to strike a pose.
Sshh!
A sharp gust of wind assaulted him, accompanied by a spray of blood!
Fu Qian felt a pain in his back as the scenery before him quickly faded away.
In his final moments, Fu Qian exerted all his strength to turn his head, eager to see who had so dishonorably ambushed him—
There was nothing!
[Containment failed, survival time: 5 minutes]
[Evaluation: A glimpse into the dreamlike experience, agony can refine one's sensibility, the moon has left you enchanted]
[Reward: Inspiration +1]
[Inspiration: Increases your perceptual ability towards intangible things.]
[Current SAN Points: 16]