46: Madness, 100% pain sensation

"Gao Sou, are you insane?!"

The Mage next to him was the first to exclaim in surprise.

The Xuanhuan World, like other vr games, had adjustable pain perception, ranging from 0% to 100%.

Initially, everyone followed the norm, playing with 50% pain perception.

However, after two days of torment, they realized that Jiang Feng, the designer of this infuriating game, had created far too many traps. One slight oversight would lead to a miserable death.

Even if they didn't die, the battles of Qi Refining Cultivators were incredibly intense, and the pain felt like two boxers wearing brass knuckles brutally assaulting their 'second brother'.

Everyone quickly learned their lesson and directly set their pain perception to 0%. Midnight Gao Sou and his three companions were no exception.

Now, the Demonic Beast Black Bear had dealt with the Female cultivator and was baring its fangs at them, clearly intending to devour them whole next. The pain would undoubtedly be terrifying.

Any normal person would turn off pain perception to avoid suffering.

Yet, Midnight Gao Sou did the opposite, directly activating 100% pain perception!

He was mad, completely mad!

"Gao Sou, I know you're upset, but don't joke around with your mental state."

Old Potato said sternly, "Although the VR pod has over-pain protection, for us urban shut-in wastes, suddenly experiencing the pain of being devoured by a wild beast will definitely cause indelible trauma. You might even end up hospitalized."

Xiao Daidai also advised, "Don't gamble with your future, this is just a game."

"No, this is not just a game."

Midnight Gao Sou's expression was pained: "I feel deep regret, sadness, and sorrow. I feel like I don't deserve to live in this world. I just want to leave a profound impression on myself. Consider it self-punishment; please don't try to dissuade me anymore."

The Mage still wanted to persuade him, but a shadow that blocked the sunlight appeared before his eyes.

The Black Bear was approaching.

It possessed a massive body, yet its strength was controlled so perfectly that it walked the mountain path without any tremor, like a silent grim reaper.

The Mage was the first to be torn open by its claws—literally torn open. The Black Bear, like an Old Master, peeled his flesh and bones apart, then sorted them to the side.

Old Potato, witnessing this scene, was first terrified, then inexplicably chuckled, "It's bringing food for its cubs."

Next, it was Old Potato's turn. This time, he was flattened and kneaded into a ball, like a human meat patty, which the Black Bear swallowed whole.

The third was Xiao Daidai. She not only turned off her pain perception but also logged off directly, not even witnessing her own death.

This was a very wise choice, as the Black Bear was slowly gnawing at her inch by inch, eating very meticulously and carefully.

Midnight Gao Sou witnessed the deaths of his three companions, his expression as calm as an ancient well, and his wildly beating heart settled down.

The audience in the live stream was still frantically spamming comments:

"Gao Sou! Turn off the pain perception quickly!"

"Didn't you see how miserably those three died?"

"You're next!"

"It's still not too late to turn off the pain perception!"

"How about this, you turn off the pain perception, and we'll pretend you actually had it on, how about that?"

Midnight Gao Sou looked at the bullet comments, not saying a word, and didn't turn off the pain perception, keeping it at the maximum 100%.

It wasn't until the Black Bear finished eating Xiao Daidai that Midnight Gao Sou spoke to the camera:

"The Xuanhuan World is truly magnificent. In ancient times in reality, a Black Bear could never be this large or powerful, and documented bear attacks were never this brutal."

There were simply too many ways to die in the Xuanhuan World.

But only Midnight Gao Sou, who was next, would experience death with 100% pain perception.

The Black Bear finally closed in on him, severing an arm with a single swipe.

Midnight Gao Sou immediately let out a wail, his expression contorted in pain, unable to speak coherently, only screaming and howling like an infant.

The Black Bear began to gnaw on his arm. After finishing this arm, it severed the other arm... The entire audience in the live stream was shocked by his pained expression, all rendered speechless.

More and more viewers poured into the live stream, and soon, the online count exceeded thirty million.

The massive traffic attracted platform moderation, and the moderator hesitated, wanting to ban the live stream; it was too bloody.

However, the senior leader of the live stream platform received a notice from higher up:

"The competition committee said this live stream cannot be banned."

"It's so bloody, and it can't be banned?"

"The bloodier, the better. Our Huaxia Federation has been peaceful for too long; those fools don't know how dark the old society truly was. They even think that by returning to the old system, there will be more avenues for advancement. Hmph, they don't know that even a good person with morals can be driven mad by the old society, becoming a man-eating demon, and then devouring them whole!

"It's not that he isn't kind enough, nor is it that his nature is evil, but rather the inherent darkness of ancient society itself that forces people to degenerate; no one can avoid it. This is something other games struggle to portray; their plots are too fake, and their climaxes are too hollow. But the Xuanhuan World has achieved it. It has actually realized the cruelty of ancient society through the game's underlying mechanisms. Let everyone take a good look at Midnight Gao Sou's tragedy."

Midnight Gao Sou was a famous streamer.

In crime games, he was law-abiding, even waiting for red lights while driving.

At the time, everyone mocked him for being cowardly, mocked him for not knowing how to play games at all.

But there was one thing no one had thought of:

In that crime game, as long as players didn't actively commit crimes, everyone lived in peace and happiness. Players could go wherever they wanted and play whatever missions they desired.

However, in the Xuanhuan World, the situation changed.

After Midnight Gao Sou was counter-killed several times, when he suddenly encountered a Cultivator who seemed about to attack him, would he still follow his true self, still be harmonious and amiable?

Facts proved that Midnight Gao Sou couldn't maintain his true self. He attacked first, then made a huge mistake.

Therefore, he was ashamed, remorseful, and wanted to punish himself.

The man-eating darkness of the Xuanhuan World was now showing players just the tip of the iceberg.

"Ah—!"

Midnight Gao Sou shrieked.

After a long period of screaming, the hair standing on end all over his body slowly settled, but he was still drenched in sweat.

He lay in the VR pod, quietly for over ten minutes, then shakily got up, nearly stumbling as he stepped out.

His assistant, quick-witted, immediately supported him and cast a worried glance:

"Are you alright?"

Midnight Gao Sou was still shaken, unable to speak or move, his body swaying, his mind somewhat broken.

The assistant poured him a glass of water, telling him to take a moment to recover.

That moment of recovery lasted a full three hours.

"I..."

Midnight Gao Sou said hoarsely, looking at his assistant, "Death really hurts."

The assistant smiled bitterly, "I don't know what to say to you... Sigh."

The VR pod had a protection mechanism; when pain exceeded the tolerance limit, it would forcibly disconnect.

But Midnight Gao Sou had experienced the entire death process, and the protection mechanism hadn't triggered at all.

He had endured the pain of death with immense willpower, forcing himself to experience a complete death, engraving this experience in his mind to punish himself.

Midnight Gao Sou rested for a while, then opened his live stream and showed a forced smile to the camera:

"Brothers, I'm still alive, and that's good."