Pain Immunity: Worried the Villains Aren’t Twisted Enough-Chapter 23: Campus Riot, Tiandihui

Xie Antong nodded. After all, gaining trust was crucial. The reason she sought out Lu Ce in the first place was to find someone trustworthy early in the game. In situations like this, she saw no need to keep secrets.
"The ratio of the four game difficulty levels... it's hard to say. I can't give an exact percentage."
"But it's obvious—the harder the level, the smaller the proportion. Most of the time, Normal and Hard games make up the majority."
"Even Normal isn't easy, and once you reach Hard, casualties become common."
"As for Nightmare and Hell... they mean exactly what they say!"
"At that point, it's no longer a game or a trial—it’s about finding a way to survive!"
As she spoke, Xie Antong's voice became barely audible, and her face looked pale.
After all, she was just a high school senior, raised in comfort, never having faced life and death directly.
"Right, there's also the types of games."
"Within the same difficulty, there's a vast variety of games—endless possibilities."
"But that doesn't mean there aren't repeat games. Every game likely has multiple identical copies, with different players participating."
"For example, in the video I just showed you, I saw ten other players encountering the same game."
"The livestream footage... I didn’t finish watching..."
"In that game instance, there weren’t any top-tier players like the Masked Man. Everyone was just ordinary."
"I'm afraid... no one survived!"
Xie Antong swallowed hard. Just thinking about that scene gave her chills.
"So, Chosen’s Paradise is, to a great extent, a game of luck."
"If you get assigned a Hell Mode instance, it’s a death sentence. The players who ended up in the same instance as the Masked Man basically won the lottery."
"But a game this brutal and real is bound to produce top-tier players who will change the world."
Lu Ce listened quietly, nodding slightly. He wasn’t too concerned about the dangers. In his view, the harder the game, the greater the rewards!
The opportunity was equal for all players. For a top-tier player, getting assigned high-difficulty instances was actually a good thing.
If possible, he hoped every game would be a Hell Mode game—he would benefit in multiple ways.
"Can players choose the difficulty of their game instance?" Lu Ce asked.
"As if!" Xie Antong shook her head with a wry smile. "At least for now, there's absolutely no way to choose. Judging from the competition footage and the contestants' reactions, they have no idea what they're about to face."
"If choosing were an option, who would willingly pick Hell Mode?"
Lu Ce: ?
That would be me!
He actually wanted to choose Hell Mode. If he had to classify it, his Initial Game was probably already at Hell difficulty.
Suddenly, Xie Antong changed the topic and looked at Lu Ce.
"I'm guessing you've already participated in a game."
"The fact that you came out unscathed, with your mindset unchanged, proves you're far from ordinary."
"But ask yourself honestly—if you were placed in a Hell Mode game instance and had to saw off your own leg with a rusty saw, could you endure it?"
Lu Ce: ......
"So, before entering the game, you must be fully prepared and mentally ready."
"It's best to save up and redeem an Exit Token in advance. Even if you lose everything, at least you'd keep your life."
Since Lu Ce remained silent, Xie Antong didn’t wait for his response and simply finished giving her advice.
The early stages of the game were crucial. She, too, needed to start figuring out how to participate.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Lu Ce suddenly frowned and sighed. "What do you want from me?"
If she knew he was ranked first, trying to recruit him would make sense. But it seemed she didn’t know.
This rich girl was just giving out all this information for free, purely out of curiosity about him?
Xie Antong blinked a few times, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes. She lowered her head slightly, trying to hide the faint blush on her face, feeling a bit helpless.
This guy...
Are there really men in this world who, when a girl shows kindness, immediately think of it as a transactional exchange?
"Because... because Chosen’s Paradise has arrived, and the world is about to change dramatically. Various official and underground organizations will soon emerge, and even small groups among individuals will quickly form."
"With the collapse of order, suspicion and conflict will arise. A society where people prey on each other is inevitable."
"In such times, it's best to find allies as early as possible. Before the situation spirals completely out of control, allies can still trust each other."
"Me?" A question mark practically appeared above Lu Ce’s head. "For allies, you’re looking for me, a student? Isn't that a bit ridiculous?"
"Your family background shouldn’t be simple, right? Can’t you try reaching out to some experts or influential forces?"
"Two high school students talking about forming an alliance... isn’t that a little childish?"
But Xie Antong shook her head and said seriously:
"In this kind of game format, depending on the situation, a special forces soldier isn't necessarily better than a street thug. Especially in the early stages, when people still don't fully understand the game, it's relatively fair."
"Besides, my gut tells me—you’re not ordinary."
"Zhu Yuanzhang started as a beggar before becoming an emperor. I don’t see anything childish or unrealistic about our conversation."
"So what, those self-proclaimed rational and intelligent people—did they foresee the arrival of Chosen’s Paradise? Do they know how to deal with it?"
"I just want to work with you. If possible, I hope we’ll have a successful partnership in the future."
As she spoke, Xie Antong tentatively extended her hand toward Lu Ce, signaling for a handshake.
Lu Ce stared at the hand in front of him, momentarily dazed.
He felt that what she said was indeed true—but not the whole truth.
Suddenly, at that moment, a voice blared from the school’s loudspeakers:
"Students in the East Wing of the teaching building, please evacuate quickly and orderly! Avoid gathering in crowds! Do not remain in the classrooms!"
Lu Ce and Xie Antong exchanged glances, both feeling their hearts skip a beat.
The East Wing? Wasn’t that right here?
Forget the handshake—Lu Ce immediately flipped onto the windowsill, trying to see what was happening outside.
Inside the classroom, students were already in an uproar, the noise making it impossible to hear anything from outside.
Suddenly, a massive explosion thundered from outside, instantly silencing all the chaos. It sounded like a structural demolition—like a load-bearing wall had been blown apart.
Then, a booming voice, completely inhuman, roared across the entire school district:
"The world belongs to Tiandihui!"