God's imitator

Chapter 497 Active Choice
Cell No. 5, "Death Surveillance," appears to use a mechanism borrowed from the "Lifting Game."

If played according to the original rules of the "lifting game," the game is quite safe. Chen Ran played quite well at the time, only getting hit a few times; the biggest negative impact was that he might lose his grip on the pen.

But in this game, it's no longer "surveillance" but "death surveillance," and the punishment has changed from whipping to nail gun shooting.

The nail gun happens to be a prop that appeared in "The King's Trial".

There are many types of nail guns in reality, but the nail guns in the game are obviously more powerful. Once they hit a vital part, it is almost certain to be fatal.

Literally speaking, cell number 5 is the most dangerous.

As for cell number 6, its significance seems somewhat unclear.

Once inside this cell, you have two options. The first option is to randomly select one from the other cells, but you may also end up in the dangerous cells number 4 or 5.

The second option is confusing. Literally, if the copycat who designed the game did not receive a death threat, or if he did perform the behavior expected by the players in the cell after receiving a death threat, then the players in the cell will be safe.

However, if the copycat who designed the game receives a death threat and behaves in ways that do not meet the expectations of the players in the cell, then the players will suffer an instant death penalty.

At first glance, some people might think that this cell is absolutely safe.

Because the copycat who designed this game most likely didn't actually participate in it, and this kind of game that recruits people in the middle of the night has never existed before.

If the copycat hasn't received any death threats, this room is absolutely safe.

But why would a copycat go to the trouble of setting up such a rule in this room?
Did he sense danger, and was he actually facing a death threat just like the other players present?

Moreover, this rule is determined through the mind-reading mechanism of the arcade, which means that players cannot actually know what happened to the copycat who designed the game.

Whether a copycat has acted in accordance with the player's expectations is entirely up to the arcade's judgment.

Although all mind-reading judgments in the arcade have been absolutely accurate so far, the vast majority of players are still unwilling to entrust their fate to such a thing.

This cell has many problems and is not the best choice for most players.

After much deliberation, only cells 1 and 2 remained relatively safe.

Cell number 2 is definitely the safest, because it is clearly stated in the rules.

But it doesn't generate any revenue, and it has to distribute all the visa time from "a week ago" to other players.

Players like Sun De may not have much time on their visas, but they earn it through hard work, minute by minute.

He didn't participate in the previous game, so he didn't gain any benefits, and he inevitably incurred losses during this week.

In other words, if Sun De were to enter this cell, he would definitely incur debt.

The natural processing time for visa applications over a week is approximately 1 minutes, and this figure of 5 minutes actually leaves ample room for error.

Even if players spend lavishly this week, there shouldn't be a shortfall of 5.

However, for a player like Sun De, this is still something that is hard to accept.

After all, players like him cannot guarantee that they will consistently earn rewards in future games, nor can they guarantee that other players in the community will be willing to help them cover their debts.

Therefore, cell number 1 was a better choice for Sun De.

This looks exactly like the mechanics in "King's Trial," the only difference being that the rewards have increased.

In the original game, each lap earned 10 minutes of visa time; now, each lap earns 1000 minutes. The game lasts 15 minutes, and if we roughly estimate one lap at 30 seconds, 30 laps would yield 3 minutes of visa time.

For a player like Sun De, it's already quite appealing.

Song Xiao from Community 15 sneered: "What kind of time is this to still be thinking about saving time for visa applications? Can't you tell which is more important, money or life?"

Sun De wasn't angry; he simply corrected Sun De, saying, "In the corridors, money is life, and life is money; there's no essential difference between the two."

"Besides, am I having the 'Hermit' verify this for me with a lantern?"
"This is a clearly written rule, so as long as the 'Hermit' finds no danger, then there is definitely no danger."

Song Xiao looked at Cai Zhiyuan: "The rules also state that only the hermit knows the verification result, so he can easily lie to you."

"There are six cells in total, and the 'Hermit' is not sure whether he is a 'player with special privileges' or not, so he will most likely still have to choose a cell to enter."

"As long as he can trick others into dangerous cells, he can enter a relatively safe cell himself."

Are you sure you want to trust him?

Sun De did not answer, but pointed to cell number 5: "According to your logic, you can go directly into cell number 5, and no one should have any objections."

Song Xiao was speechless for a moment.

Sun De looked at Cai Zhiyuan again: "No matter what, you helped me in 'The Kingdom of Tycoons,' so I trust you."

Cai Zhiyuan looked at Sun De and remained silent for a long time.

Then he said, "In the 'Corporate Nation,' I didn't actually intend to help you. It just so happens that I need to help you 'leave the country' to complete the strategy and plan."

Sun De nodded: "I know."

"At that time, we were complete strangers and players from opposing communities, so it's normal that you didn't trust me."

"But in the end, you did help me. Without you, I might still be stuck in the 4th community, and I might have become cannon fodder in some game long ago."

"In the arcade, it's unrealistic to expect other players to treat me sincerely. It's all about actions, not intentions. As long as they genuinely help me, I should be grateful."

Song Xiao rubbed his chin and made a "tsk tsk tsk" sound.

"Well, I underestimated you. You're a cunning fox, aren't you?"

Cai Zhiyuan glanced at Song Xiao: "You seem to be really unafraid of death. Don't forget, I have the power to force any player into any cell once, and I can also verify the degree of threat any cell poses to any player."

"If you keep stirring things up, I don't mind sending you on your way first and choosing the most dangerous cell for you."

Song Xiao wisely chose to remain silent.

Sun De stood in front of cell number 1, and Cai Zhiyuan raised the lantern in his hand and pressed the button.

The lantern vibrated slightly.

This tremor could only be felt by Cai Zhiyuan himself, and it was very subtle.

This means that Sun De would be very safe if he entered cell number 1.

(End of this chapter)