Chapter 568: The Custodian

Seeing the discussion reach a temporary deadlock, Yao Yuan stepped in."Alright, alright. I think we should stop going down avenues that have no practical solution.

"The more we talk about something with no workable answer, the more we risk damaging the community's atmosphere without gaining anything.

"I actually have an idea. Though of course, it's just my personal view.

"Under the current mechanics, both purchasing and restocking are almost impossible to restrict or trace.

"Which means if we do nothing, someone will inevitably buy the medication and someone will inevitably restock it, and the same drug flooding problem that appeared in the game will appear in our community.

"So the most feasible option right now is for us to, openly and with everyone watching, buy out the entire stock ourselves.

"And hand it over to someone everyone trusts to look after it."

Everyone looked at each other. For a moment, no one spoke. They were all thinking through the feasibility of this approach and what it would mean for them.

Wen Wan tentatively asked, "Wait, so we're just going to ban these medications outright?

"From what you've all said, yes, they have some addictive properties, but they're also far more effective at suppressing pain than anything in the community, aren't they?

"And the real-world counterparts are legitimate painkillers too, aren't they?

"If they exist in real life, couldn't you just follow the dosage instructions?

"Maybe we could consider managing them centrally? As long as they're dispensed in controlled amounts, like one tablet at a time, that would be manageable, wouldn't it?

"Lu, would you think it over again?"

The look Wen Wan directed at Lu Bingjun was full of pleading.

Among all the players in the community who suffered from the pain, Wen Wan was the one who appeared to be struggling most visibly. This was perhaps because her natural pain tolerance was lower than most, or because her previous life had been more sheltered and comfortable.

The pain was not only physical. It also created psychological fear and a cascade of other negative emotions, which amplified its impact considerably.

Wen Wan had not participated in the Pain Game directly, so she had no real sense of the vague threat of addiction these two medications represented. Even with Huang Shengjie having described his experience in detail, it was difficult to truly understand it without having lived through it.

But she had experienced the agonising pain in the community firsthand, which made the prospect of a medication that could completely eliminate it enormously appealing.

Lu Bingjun also had not been in the game, so he was not entirely certain on this point either.

He looked at the five players who had participated.

Qin Cheng was the first to shake his head, "Yes, these medications have real-world counterparts, but based on what happened in the game, you can't simply apply the properties of the real-world drug directly.

"These medications can be thought of as heavily modified new drugs designed by the Imitator.

"That's why I've been careful to call them Type O and Type F rather than OxyContin and fentanyl. I didn't want to blur the line between the real-world drug and this modified version.

"Based on the game experience, even without taking too much, these two medications developed tolerance very quickly, meaning their effectiveness began to decay.

"And in trying to restore complete pain suppression, players would inevitably try increasing the dose, which would then trigger addiction.

"There should be no wishful thinking about this."

Huang Shengjie nodded and said, "Yes. What I went through in the game was very clear. Do not have any unrealistic faith in your own willpower.

"The agonising pain in the community is more severe in the moment, but it's short. That's relatively manageable.

"But the withdrawal pain from these two medications is prolonged, and far more difficult to endure than the community pain. Please, absolutely do not tempt fate with these."

Lin Sizhi added, "Everyone should have a fairly clear sense of the malicious intent behind Xu Yiheng's design of this game.

"He may be dead, but the medication design he created has carried over.

"From Xu Yiheng's perspective when he designed Type O and Type F, he left players no way out."

Ye Lin considered for a moment and said, "For players in other communities, I wouldn't say anything and would respect individual choice.

"But for the players in our community, I still wouldn't recommend touching either of these two."

Zheng Chunhua also let out a sigh, "Yes. Better not to."

Wen Wan's expression grew somewhat desperate. It was clear she had been hoping to at least try the Type O, which supposedly had milder side effects.

Of the five players who had been in the game, if even one or two had supported her view, the matter might still have had room for flexibility. Instead, all five had opposed her in unison.

So Lu Bingjun, after a moment's thought, had no choice but to make the final call, "Alright. Since all five of you hold the same view, these two medications will be permanently banned in our community.

"Yao Yuan's suggestion has some merit. Since we have no way to trace who purchases or restocks, we might as well buy out the entire limited stock openly and hand it over to a reliable player to look after.

"That way, no one else can buy them even if they want to.

"If medication ends up leaking somehow, we go straight to the custodian.

"The only question is who the custodian should be."

When no one immediately responded, Yao Yuan considered for a moment and said, "I think the custodian should be a player who doesn't have to endure the pain.

"That's the obvious choice.

"Holding these medications is a temptation in itself. When a player is suffering through agonising pain, their willpower is weakened, which makes it far more likely they might help themselves to the supply they're supposed to be guarding.

"At the same time, this player needs to be trustworthy and willing to take responsibility.

"I think it should be Lu. By every measure, he's the most suitable choice."

No objections were raised immediately.

Shen Bowen glanced at Lin Sizhi, then said to Yao Yuan, "I would actually say that from a risk-management standpoint, it's better not to put all the eggs in one basket.

"Lu is absolutely a suitable custodian, and I have no objection to that.

"But Lu is still the community's First Player, and there are many other community matters already on his plate.

"In the Gallery, any kind of unexpected event is possible. If too many responsibilities are concentrated in a single player, and something unexpected were to happen, the situation could become unmanageable.

"Of course, I'm not trying to jinx anyone. This is simply something I've learned from experience."

Shen Bowen looked around at the others. Her suggestion received no immediate response, which made her slightly uncertain.

But support came quickly. It just came from a somewhat unexpected source. He Qinyun, the product manager who was quiet and rarely spoke during discussions, broke her usual silence entirely out of character.

"I agree. Uncle Zheng, what do you think?"

Zheng Chunhua, caught off guard by being singled out, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said, "Yes. For the sake of the community's safety, it's probably better to have another equally trustworthy player share the custodian role."