God's imitator

Chapter 44 Hanging Street Lights

Compared to Wang Yongxin's glamorous office, the scene in this footage is as messy as a pigsty.

It was clearly Zhang Peng's cheap rental apartment.

A dim light shone through a window in the semi-basement. Zhang Peng, with his dyed yellow hair, lay on the bed full of garbage, picked at his toes, and then lay down again out of boredom.

As a lazy parasite who does nothing but cause harm, you contribute nothing to society.

Theft, robbery, fighting—even multiple convictions won't lead to repentance.

You have hands and feet, yet you refuse to earn your own living, instead mocking those who struggle to make a living.

Your malice is like a butterfly flapping its wings, turning into an innocent victim of disaster.

Will you be lucky enough to escape trial this time?

Zhang Peng's videotape was shorter, and then the files appeared on the big screen.

Zhang Peng, male, 26 years old.

Occupation: Unemployed.

[He was lazy and idle, and had committed multiple crimes including theft, robbery, and fighting, repeatedly escaping legal punishment.]

[Verdict: No trial held]

Wang Yongxin glanced at Zhang Peng with some disdain; in his opinion, Zhang Peng was an absolute scoundrel.

If forced to choose between the two, Wang Yongxin couldn't think of any reason why Ding Wenqiang would choose him.

Zhang Peng was also a little flustered and hurriedly explained, "Brother Ding, Uncle Ding! There's something wrong with what's written in this file. It's like I was never arrested!"

"It's impossible. As far as our country's security is concerned, the police aren't just sitting around doing nothing!"
"I need to make this clear: I did commit robbery once, but only once! And I was caught very quickly and sentenced to three years."

"The rest are just petty thefts, nothing particularly heinous!"

Ding Wenqiang looked at cell number 2, then at cell number 3.

Clearly, he didn't want Wang Yongxin or Zhang Peng to enter cell number 3, because neither of them would do something like smashing their own fingers to help someone else complete a game.

According to the game rules, once you enter a cell, you cannot leave or change cells.

It's easy to lock them both up.

But if they go in and do nothing but endure the time allotted for their visas, that could really cause some trouble.

Wang Yongxin earned at least 20 yuan in visa time through "Blood Poker," which he could freely deduct.

As for Zhang Peng, Ding Wenqiang was unsure of the exact duration of his visa, but given his young age, the initial visa period was likely more than a month.

From the perspective of the optimal solution in the game, only those who are willing to smash their own fingers are the most suitable to enter the third cell.

Or at least someone whose visa duration is very short.

The rules of the game repeatedly emphasized that, as the king, Ding Wenqiang should make the fairest judgment possible. Simply imprisoning him and deducting his visa time seems far too lenient a punishment.

Ding Wenqiang looked at Zhang Peng.

In terms of the severity of the offense, Zhang Peng is clearly the one who should be tried.

Wang Yongxin wasn't a good boss, but at least he didn't break the law. Of course, this excludes labor laws, which are frequently violated.

People like Zhang Peng, who are lazy, gluttonous, and morally corrupt, are more like the ones who should be judged in this game.

Zhang Peng swallowed hard. Ding Wenqiang's gaze made him panic. Clearly, he had to do something now.

"Uncle Ding! I have something to say, I have something to say!"
"In this game, everyone is a sinner, so why should we be divided into different classes?"
"The game's objective is to ensure that the guilty receive a proper judgment. Just like that programmer guy said before, the meaning of the trial game should match the crime, right?"

"I did steal and rob, but it has nothing to do with these games. If I had to force a connection, it would be more related to cell number 3."

"Besides, the mistakes I made were nothing more than petty theft. What does this little bit of damage mean to society as a whole?"
"But he's different!"

Zhang Peng pointed at Wang Yongxin: "He did not break the law, but how many people are exhausted because of him, how many people die from overwork because of him, and how many deliverymen and couriers are in car accidents because of him!"
"Those delivery guys who run red lights to deliver food are ultimately being exploited and squeezed dry by the delivery guys!"

"Yes, I am lazy and love to eat, but in today's society, can hard work really lead to wealth?"
"Is society like this because of my laziness, petty theft, or because of those wealthy, high-and-mighty people?"

Wang Yongxin was stunned. Clearly, he hadn't expected the other party to suddenly start attacking him.

Moreover, this bite was extremely deadly, almost like a fatal blow to his vitals.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Even if I've wronged my employees and delivery drivers, what does it have to do with you? Who gives you, a robber, the right to morally judge me?" Wang Yongxin was speechless. Zhang Peng nodded: "Right, that's the difference between you rich people and us country bumpkins."

"The amazing thing about you rich people is that no matter what mistakes you make, you will never admit them!"
"Because if you don't admit it, you're not wrong; if you admit it, it's all your fault!"

"At least I will be punished by law, but what about you? The law has no binding force on you!"

"The game in this second cell is called 'Hanging Lamp'."

"Tell me yourself, which of us should be the one hung from the lamppost?"

Wang Yongxin was stunned.

Ding Wenqiang sighed silently, walked to cell number two, and looked at Wang Yongxin: "Go in."

Wang Yongxin wanted to say something more, but in the end he hesitated and reluctantly stepped into the cell.

Then, he laughed self-deprecatingly, "Capitalists hanging streetlights. Well, at least they died a worthy death."

"Crack!"

With the sound of the lock clicking shut, the mechanisms inside the cell were automatically activated.

A lamppost-shaped mechanism hangs down slightly, with a thick rope-like noose descending from above and a not-too-thick square step appearing below.

[The game will begin in 30 seconds. Please place your neck into the noose and remain suspended for 10 minutes.]

[1000 minutes of visa time will be granted per minute. The visa will be automatically cancelled after 10 minutes.]

After Wang Yongxin stepped onto the steps and put his neck into the noose, the mechanism was automatically activated.

The lasso tightened upwards, and the steps beneath his feet receded, instantly straightening and elongating his body.

Wang Yongxin could only desperately tiptoe, while gripping the lasso with both hands to support his chin, trying his best to create a safe space for his neck.

The game won't kill you the first time you play it, but it will put Wang Yongxin in a state of extreme discomfort. If he relaxes his guard even slightly, he could be strangled unconscious by gravity and suffer serious consequences.

……

As the game neared its end, the small speaker in front of Lin Sizhi began playing a new broadcast.

Please hold a vote on the fairness of the King's actions.

It was another evaluation round. After considering for a moment, Lin Sizhi pressed the '√'.

The countdown is over.

The voting result is √√√√√√√√√√

Final fairness rating: 100

Thank you for your review!

……

The ten-minute countdown ended, the mechanism was activated again, the upper noose drooped slightly, and the steps underfoot rose a little.

Wang Yongxin finally recovered from the tense state he had been in. He immediately broke free from the noose and fell to the ground.

"hiss……"

His calves had cramped from standing on tiptoe for so long, but he was still in the same position and the cramping was still going on.

Wang Yongxin gritted his teeth and kept kneading his calves, but it was to no avail in the short term.

He had no other choice. Although his calf cramped halfway through the game, he could only endure the excruciating pain, because if he lost his support, he might really be hanged.

Touching the red mark on his neck, Wang Yongxin felt a sense of relief, as if he had escaped a disaster.

[The 10000 minutes of visa time have been credited to the player.]

Compared to Tsai Chih-yuan's game that only gave 150 minutes for visa processing, this game seems much more generous.

Wang Yongxin gave a self-deprecating bitter smile: "What do you call this? If there's enough profit, will a capitalist even sell the noose that hanged himself?"
"The designers of this game are quite witty."

"But this is not fun at all."

(End of this chapter)