God's imitator

Chapter 498 Lantern Verification
Sun De waited expectantly for Cai Zhiyuan's feedback, but Cai Zhiyuan hesitated.

Because he also had to consider the possibility of himself being placed in that cell.

Cai Zhiyuan knew that if there were "super privilege players" in this game, there was a very high probability that it would be him.

The identity of the hermit, like the identity of the king, was a trap. He had indeed considered giving it up, but under Song Xiao's threat, he succumbed to his instincts at the last moment and was forced to take this advantageous identity.

Perhaps all of this was anticipated by the copycats who designed this game.

At this point, the situation was actually somewhat unfavorable for Cai Zhiyuan, but gaining the advantageous position also meant that he had more initiative.

You can choose to enter the safest cell.

Based on the verification results, Cell No. 1 is safe for "non-super privilege players" like Sun De.

But for Tsai Chih-yuan himself, it's not necessarily the case.

After considering for a moment, he looked at Cui Yifeng from the 19th community and said, "Come stand here."

Cui Yifeng was somewhat confused, but he still stood in front of cell number 1.

Cai Zhiyuan then used a lantern to verify his identity.

According to the game rules, the Hermit's cane can force players into a cell and can only be used once, but the lantern has no restrictions and can be used an unlimited number of times.

The vibration of the lantern was even less noticeable than before.

According to the rules, the lantern cannot verify the "Hermit" himself, and the verification result will automatically exclude the influence of the "Super Privilege Player" identity.

In other words, assuming neither Sun De nor Cui Yifeng are super-privileged players, they are both safe to enter this cell, with Cui Yifeng being the safest.

If the player has super privileges, then that's a different story, and the result of the lantern-raising ceremony cannot be used as a reference.

As for why Cui Yifeng is safer, it has actually been mentioned in the rules.

[For players whose cell content is directly related to the cell's contents, entering that cell will significantly reduce the level of danger.]

Conversely, it could also see a significant increase.

Cell No. 1 represents the game "King's Trial," and Cui Yifeng is the first audience member in "King's Trial."

So, since Cai Zhiyuan himself is also a player in "King's Trial," would he be safer entering Cell No. 1?
If he himself is not a super-privileged player, the answer is undoubtedly yes, according to the game rules, he is definitely safe.

However, players with super privileges are a variable that must be considered.

Cai Zhiyuan could choose to take a gamble and enter Cell No. 1 himself to repeat the punishment from the "King's Trial".

But the consequences of doing so depend entirely on whether the copycat who designed the game wants to set a trap for him in this cell.

Because in this cell, the force required to push the bar and the intensity of the electric shock are always two unknown variables.

Such data is impossible to detect even during post-game review sessions; this is a privilege granted to copycats by the game's arcade.

If the copycat who designed this game sets Tsai Chih-yuan as a "super privileged player" and then significantly increases these two stats, Tsai Chih-yuan will walk right into the trap.

He was once a beneficiary of this privilege, but now he has finally become a victim of it.

……

Ultimately, Cai Zhiyuan made the decision: "Sun De, you go in."

He still ruled out the possibility of 'entering cell number 1 himself'.

Sun De was very pleased. Although it took Cai Zhiyuan quite a while to make this decision, as he had said before, actions speak louder than words, and he was satisfied with the result.

Sun De entered cell number 1, 'exhausted', while Cai Zhiyuan personally closed the iron door of the cell. "Click!"

Watching Sun De vigorously push the mechanism, Cai Zhiyuan felt somewhat dazed.

He seemed to vaguely see himself in the "King's Trial".

Sun De was to push for 15 minutes. Cai Zhiyuan didn't watch for too long because he had already confirmed the safety of the game by using the lantern, and the possibility that Sun De was a super-privileged player was extremely low.

Since everything was fine at the beginning, it's highly likely that everything will be fine afterward.

Cai Zhiyuan could sense that the gazes cast at him by other players carried a complex meaning.

Because Cai Zhiyuan abandoned a solution that was clearly optimal in the rules: simply let these players enter the cells corresponding to the games they experienced.

The rules clearly state that this arrangement would reduce the risk of the cells.

According to the correspondence, Sun De should correspond to cell number 2, "spending all his money".

Cui Yifeng was placed in cell number 1, and Sun De was placed in cell number 2. Both of them were absolutely safe.

But it's clear that Cai Zhiyuan has his own ideas and plans.

On the surface, Sun De did not want to enter cell number 2, so Cai Zhiyuan granted his wish.

He then looked at the other players: "You guys should also choose the prison cell."

"I already have a cell in mind that I want to be in. As long as the cell you choose does not conflict with the cell I want, I will try my best to accommodate you."

"Of course, conflict is also unlikely."

"If multiple players choose the same cell, I will try to allocate them on a 'first-come, first-served' basis."

With 7 players and 6 cells, there is definitely one player who will not enter a cell.

If you believe you are definitely not a "super privilege player," then staying away from the cell is the safest option.

However, if more than one player thinks this way, there won't be enough people to enter the cells ahead.

That's why Cai Zhiyuan proposed the "first come, first served" solution. Just like Sun De and Cui Yifeng, both of them would be safe to enter cell number 1, but since Sun De proposed it first, we'll grant Sun De's request first.

This will make other players more proactive, making it easier to achieve the goal of "6 full cells".

Fu Yujun was clearly also thinking about game strategies, and among these players, he was probably the most skilled besides Cai Zhiyuan.

"So, what were your previous verification results?"
"Was Cui Yifeng's tremor less severe?"

Cai Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Yes."

Clearly, Fu Yujun had also noticed that rule.

[For players whose cell content is directly related to the cell's contents, entering that cell will significantly reduce the level of danger.]

Since Cui Yifeng was originally the No. 1 audience member in the "King's Game," according to the game rules, he is directly related to the contents of cell No. 1 and should be safer than Sun De.

Cai Zhiyuan hesitated because he hadn't quite decided whether to tell the truth, since it involved the mechanism of the "Hermit" carrying the lantern. However, after considering it, he concluded that lying about this issue would be pointless, so he finally admitted it.

Moreover, Fu Yujun was one of the players in the game who was closest to Cai Zhiyuan.

Fu Yujun didn't know Cai Zhiyuan, but just knowing that he was a member of the 17th Community was enough to build some goodwill.

(End of this chapter)