God's imitator

Chapter 489 Preparing for the Dinner Party
Li Renshu glanced at the other three. Clearly, Lin Sizhi, Wei Yinzhang, and Cai Zhiyuan did not intend to make a decision on this matter.

The principle is clear, and everyone understands it, but how to do it specifically is another matter.

Lee In-sook considered it carefully for a long time before finally saying:
"Well... in the end, I'll still ask Yuting for her opinion."

"Ultimately, her opinion will prevail."

After going through all the discussions, we've come full circle.

However, Li Renshu made this decision for a reason: although the latter scenario has a higher ceiling, it does require Yang Yuting's active cooperation.

If Yang Yuting harbors resentment and is unwilling to play the role of the core of the opposition and perform a double act with the five-person group, the damage she could cause to the community might be equally significant.

"That's all for today. I'll talk to Yuting privately and let everyone know if there's any progress."

Lee In-sook got up and opened the door, and everyone left.

……

The three days immediately following the game's conclusion were the most leisurely time in the community.

The next game will start in about a week, so players will likely start to feel more nervous and anxious around the third or fourth day.

Yang Yuting stood in front of the vending machine, checking the product listings and considering whether the dishes for this gathering could be changed compared to previous ones.

Although Wang Yongxin's departure left everyone somewhat disappointed, the addition of three new members and the joyous occasion of Zhou Guifen and Shen Xing's reunion made a dinner gathering a must.

Furthermore, the discount coupon is still valid and will remain in effect for two days after the 'Tarot Game' ends.

Therefore, this is undoubtedly the best time to have a meal together.

"Do you have time? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Yang Yuting turned around and saw Li Renshu.

"Ah, okay."

She closed the page on the vending machine and went with Lee In-sook to a small room on the first floor.

……

Lin Sizhi sat down on the single sofa near the floor-to-ceiling window, picked up a book and began to read.

Zheng Jie also sat down in the seat diagonally opposite, and was also reading a book.

The community enjoys plenty of sunshine during the day, and you often see people jogging outside.

"Zheng Jie."

How long have you been here?

Lin Sizhi's sudden question startled Zheng Jie.

He tried to recall: "More than two months, less than three months, right?"
"Attorney Lin, you arrived about two weeks earlier than me, so that's exactly three months, right?"

Lin Sizhi nodded: "Yes, it hasn't been a long time, but it feels like a long time has passed."

There is no calendar or seasonal changes in the community, so the perception of time will be significantly different from that in the real world.

Sometimes time seems to fly by, and sometimes it seems to drag on.

For Zheng Jie, the latter situation is clearly more common.

Zheng Jie sighed, "I often feel like each day is an eternity. After all, in this high-pressure environment, I'm thinking about so many things every day."

Lin Sizhi thought for a moment and asked, "Is there a similar concept in biology, for example: when animals are in a high-intensity environment, they will change rapidly due to stress and become very different from before?"

Zheng Jie was taken aback for a moment: "Huh? Why are you asking about this?"

"If I had to name one, there are some, such as... phenotypic plasticity or rapid adaptive evolution?"
Phenotypic plasticity refers to the ability of the same genotype to produce different phenotypes under different environmental conditions. It does not involve changes in the DNA sequence, but can be adapted quickly by adjusting gene expression, metabolic pathways, and other methods.

"Rapid adaptive evolution means that a certain population of organisms rapidly accumulates and evolves advantageous heritable traits through the action of natural selection in a relatively short period of time, which is quite different from the traditional view that evolution must rely on a long period of time."

At this point, Zheng Jie suddenly realized: "So, Attorney Lin, you're talking about the topic we discussed last night?"
"Players who lack growth potential may not see much improvement no matter how hard they try to review their games."

"Most players with growth potential grow rapidly within a few games and then remain permanently fixed in their character."

"It's like 'rapid adaptive evolution'."

Lin Sizhi nodded: "Yes, that's right."

"Sometimes I wonder, if we hadn't come to this place and had continued living in the real world, what kind of life would we be living?"
"Perhaps many of the 'enemies' we see in the arcade are nothing more than harmless passersby in reality, or even just acquaintances."

Zheng Jie asked, "For example?"

Lin Sizhi looked at him: "For example, Wang Weidong."

Zheng Jie nodded: "Oh, indeed. But I'm rather curious, Attorney Lin, what kind of person are you in real life?"

“I don’t see any growth potential in you here. You’ve been ridiculously strong from the start.”

Lin Sizhi was silent for a moment: "I can't say for sure either."

"Actually, those things in reality seem to be getting more and more distant to me."

"It's this place that's making things clearer and more real to me."

Zheng Jie was taken aback for a moment, then praised, "That's great!"
"Although people who 'adapt to this kind of awful place' might be a bit scary, it's fine if it's you, Attorney Lin! In fact, you make us feel safer."

"After all, there is a theoretical way to leave here and return to the real world. If you like this place, Attorney Lin... no, I don't think anyone would like this godforsaken place. If you can get used to it, you might be able to stay a little longer and take us through the game a few more times."

"If you really hate this place, you might find a way to leave soon."

"Although it may seem a bit selfish to say this... I still hope that we can all leave here together. Maybe we can become good friends in real life."

Lin Sizhi smiled and said, "This is not selfishness, it's just a very normal thought."

Just then, Li Renshu and Yang Yuting came out of the room.

Li Renshu walked to the center of the hall and clapped her hands: "Everyone, please pause for a moment, I have something to say!"
"Tomorrow is the last day of the discount coupons, so the most lavish dinner we've had since entering the community will be tomorrow night!"

"We will start preparing and purchasing the necessary supplies tomorrow afternoon. If anyone wants anything to eat, please let us know, and we will try our best to accommodate your request!"
"This gathering is not only to welcome the new members, but also to celebrate the reunion of Aunt Zhou and her daughter. We also hope that everyone can temporarily put aside the anxiety accumulated in the game and relax."

"After the dinner party, which is the day after tomorrow, we will make some adjustments and changes to the proposals and personnel arrangements in the community, and we will let everyone know then."

"In short, everyone can start thinking about tomorrow's get-together!"

Zheng Jie was overjoyed: "Great! I've been waiting for almost a week, and finally this meal is here!"

So far, neither of the two people who left the community, Fu Chen and Wang Yongxin, have died, and in retrospect, they have both found good endings, so the atmosphere in the community quickly became lively again.

(End of this chapter)