Scarface really wanted to fly into a rage, but after weighing the pros and cons, he decisively backed down.
His side was full of sick and disabled people, their combat strength having plummeted countless times lower than normal. If a real fight broke out, very few could even join in. Most of them would have a hard time even cheering from the sidelines.
In contrast, the lineup at the BBQ restaurant—from the owner and the cook to the dishwashing auntie and the busboy—were all burly and thick-waisted. Normally, his crew wouldn't be afraid of them, but now, they probably couldn't even take a single slap!
Scarface could only swallow his anger, pulling another wad of cash from his pocket and handing it to the owner.
The owner counted the money, stuffed it in his pocket, then glared and barked, "All of you, get the hell out! And don't you dare come back here to run your scams again!"
Scarface was fuming with frustration.
'I really wasn't running a scam this time! Damn it, ever since I started out in this business, I've never had it this bad!'
"Go!" After forcing the single word from between his teeth, Scarface turned and stormed out of the BBQ restaurant, heading for the county hospital.
His crew of lackeys hurried to follow.
Xiaochao, still paralyzed on the floor, grew anxious and frantically shouted, "Brothers, don't forget about me! Please, a couple of you, carry me to the hospital too! I'll be eternally grateful!"
Besides him, a few others who couldn't move properly were also crying out for help. "Someone, get us to the hospital too! I think... I think we can still be saved!"
Hearing their cries, Scarface sent a few of his less afflicted lackeys, the ones who could still move on their own, to carry Xiaochao and the others.
The dozen or so men returned to the county hospital once more, but this time was a stark contrast to their triumphant departure just a short while ago.
The moment they entered the hospital, Scarface started yelling, "Where's the doctor? The nurse? Where the hell is everybody? Hurry up and get someone to treat us!"
A few doctors and nurses on duty in the emergency room saw them and collectively frowned. "Why are these guys back again?"
The story of Scarface and his crew faking illnesses to extort Zhao Yuan's family had already spread throughout the hospital over the past two days. The ER doctors and nurses had naturally heard about it and held no goodwill for these scammers.
But since they were here, they couldn't just be ignored.
"What's all the shouting? This is a hospital, you need to be quiet, understand?" A doctor on duty, Dr. Zhang, walked out of his office and said to Scarface, "Weren't you guys discharged? Why are you back?"
The moment Scarface saw Dr. Zhang, it was as if he'd seen his savior. He rushed forward, grabbed the doctor, and said, "My head is dizzy and throbbing, it feels like it's going to explode! You have to take a look at me, quickly."
With their leader taking the initiative, the rest of the lackeys weren't about to be left behind. They swarmed forward, surrounding Dr. Zhang and clamoring all at once:
"Me too! My stomach is so bloated, it's unbearable!"
"My little guy hurts, and I feel like I'm peeing constantly, I can't control it!"
"My mouth is dry and has a bitter taste, and drinking water doesn't help at all!"
Dr. Zhang's first reaction was that these guys were running another scam. He couldn't help but curse internally, 'Damn, is there no end to these bastards? They just finished one scam and they're immediately back for another? Do they have to be so dedicated? Their acting this time is much better than before, though. It's very realistic…'
Just then, the one with diarrhea stumbled into the hospital.
His face was pale, his legs were trembling, and he looked utterly weak. Ever since he'd discovered he'd soiled his pants, his asshole had been like an open floodgate, letting loose a torrent he simply couldn't stop.
He had already shat himself into a state of exhaustion and had made it into the hospital on sheer willpower alone. Upon seeing Dr. Zhang, his resolve crumbled. His weakened legs could no longer support him, and he collapsed onto the floor with a THUD.
Dr. Zhang's jaw dropped, his shock beyond words.
'Holy crap, with acting skills like that, with that level of dedication, why are you still a con artist? You should be an actor, you could probably win a Best Actor award! Still, this is the first time I've ever seen someone shit their pants for a scam... What is this? Some new kind of extortion tactic?'
It wasn't just him; the other doctors and nurses who came out after him were all dumbfounded.
Seeing this, Scarface urged, "Doctor, stop staring! Hurry up and treat us, we can't hold on much longer!"
Dr. Zhang finally snapped out of it. He waved his hand dismissively and said with a stern face, "Listen, you're all able-bodied men. Couldn't you find something better to do? Why are you so obsessed with running these scams? All right, all right, you can stop the act. Any more of this, and we're calling the police!"
Scarface and his men were on the verge of tears. "This time, we're really sick! We're not running a scam!"
Seeing their performance, and after confirming that they hadn't dragged any "victims" along with them, the doctors and nurses finally believed that they were genuinely sick and hurried to begin treatment.
However, after a series of examinations, the results were completely unexpected.
According to the test results, their bodies were all perfectly healthy, with no issues whatsoever. And yet, one was complaining of a dizzy, throbbing head, another of discomfort with his privates, and there were even cases of incessant diarrhea and paralysis... Judging by their symptoms, they didn't seem to be acting; these were real problems.
All the doctors on duty gathered together. They even called in the chief physician, who was resting at home, to hold a meeting and discuss the situation. But they couldn't reach a conclusion and could only prescribe some medication for symptomatic treatment.
But the pills, IVs, and shots had no effect at all. The pain didn't subside, the diarrhea didn't stop, and the paralyzed still couldn't move.
"Doctor, what disease do we have? Is there no hope of a cure?" Scarface and his gang had lost all of their initial ferocity. They looked utterly pitiful.
The doctors were also baffled. Damn it, the test results showed nothing, and symptomatic treatment had no effect. It was just too bizarre. In all their years of practice, they had never encountered anything like it.
"Could it be hysteria?" the chief physician offered after careful consideration.
"What's hysteria?" Scarface and the others asked anxiously.
The chief physician replied, "It's when you're not actually sick, but you believe you are. Under constant psychological suggestion, your body starts to manifest real problems. To put it simply, it's a type of mental illness."
Scarface and his men blew up when they heard this. "Damn it, what the hell are you talking about? You're the one with a mental illness! Your whole family has a mental illness!"
The chief physician was furious. He couldn't be bothered with them anymore and turned to leave the hospital room.
Of course, it was also because the smell in the room was truly foul. Although the man with non-stop diarrhea had been put in an adult diaper, it couldn't contain the odor that kept seeping out.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
