Deceitful Game

A one-in-half probability.

A life-or-death gamble.

Mingper did not interfere with the outcome—he did not persuade the others to abandon this absurd gamble that wagered Mingper's life, nor did he look at what they wrote in their masks, nor did he try to manipulate the fish's vote.

When the host announced the results, Mingpo had already closed his eyes.

At that moment, he was mentally prepared to be pierced through by the giant sword.

Death rushed towards him like a gale, but he only felt it as a cool summer night breeze.

It wasn't until Mingpo heard the fish scream in agony, until he heard the loud noise and felt the ground and the round table tremble... until the room fell silent again, that Mingpo gradually breathed a sigh of relief, loosened his clenched fingers, and opened his eyes.

"I survived...that's great."

Mingbo breathed a sigh of relief and murmured a sigh of relief.

He felt his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Even Mingpo... was not without pressure in the face of death that was so close. It was like a huge truck whizzing past him less than ten centimeters away—that feeling of surviving a disaster made him feel so happy and excited.

It was like wiping my glasses clean; the whole world became brighter.

Even Mingpo's tone softened considerably, and her smile became more genuine: "Mr. Fox, it's your turn soon."

"Yes."

The fox's attitude towards the wolf can be described as extremely respectful.

This was completely different from his attitude when he first reached out and grabbed the wolf's sleeve.

The raccoon slowly raised its head, its expression towards the fox filled with wariness and hostility.

Just a minute ago, they had worked together in perfect harmony to eliminate the fish, but now they have turned against each other.

Because it's quite obvious.

From this moment on, it is time for the fox and the raccoon to fight to the death—

There are three voters remaining, which means someone is bound to die in this round.

Either a member of the minority dies, or the narrator dies.

Under the current circumstances, the raccoon is almost certainly doomed.

Her only chance of survival now is to first cooperate with the wolf and the rabbit to send the fox away, and then pray that the wolf and the rabbit will have a change of heart and let her go in the final three-way battle.

At least from the raccoon's perspective, this possibility is not zero.

Because the wolf and the rabbit had always been friendly to her, and the difference in rewards between the remaining two and the remaining three shouldn't be too great...

In this situation, it can be understood as "the wolf and the rabbit using the extra resources they could have obtained to exchange for such a trustworthy teammate."

The saying goes, "It's better to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade"—being forgiven when in a completely disadvantageous situation is truly a life-saving grace.

If such an opportunity were to arise, the raccoon vowed that he would do everything in his power to repay this kindness...

...The problem now is, how can she convince the wolf of her determination?

"I didn't answer Mr. Fish's question earlier, could you tell me the answer now?"

Mingpo leaned back in her chair, as if she were reading a book while resting on a pillow, relaxed and serene.

He asked softly, "Why did you choose me in the second round?"

"Of course, it's because..."

The fox adopted an extremely humble attitude.

He said respectfully and politely, "I'm considering 'the game afterward'."

At this moment, the host announced.

"Round four, begin."

When only the fox could speak, he didn't look at anyone else, but focused intently on the wolf.

The fox rose from the chair and bowed slightly to the wolf.

Then, remaining standing with his posture upright, he surveyed the remaining three survivors and spoke earnestly:

"Everyone, let me introduce myself again. My name is Chen Bingwen. I'm a lawyer who recently started practicing law, as well as a legal consulting broadcaster and a business intelligence consultant."

Oh, I see.

Mingpo smiled.

He did know about this profession—to put it nicely, it's called a strategist; to put it bluntly, it's an information broker.

Through legal means such as web scraping and big data models, or other unspeakable gray channels, various business intelligence is systematically collected and then sold to various companies after being organized.

This is a legal profession in itself, but it's a profession that teeters on the edge of legality at any time, just like being an accountant.

No wonder he knew the secret of the "fish".

As a regular salaried lawyer, he certainly wouldn't have access to this level of intelligence. But if you say he studied law to avoid the possibility of breaking the law and incidentally became a lawyer, then that makes much more sense.

"In the second round of narration, when the narrator, Rabbit, was surrounded and attacked by the crowd and was at a complete disadvantage, it was you who stood up to help her out."

Chen Bingwen slowly opened his mouth and said seriously, "From that time on, I knew that you had probably formed some kind of secret alliance. And you even made yourself the focus in order to muddy the waters... At that time, I knew that you were a reliable teammate."

"I also think that this is the most foolish thing about 'fish'."

"He is willing to betray others repeatedly in order to eliminate as many people as possible... just like the bear did. However, in this game, there is indeed a route that can allow eleven people to survive."

"If it exists, there must be some reason for it."

"As the host said, there is a category for titles called 'Virtue'. I think that might refer to morality, virtue, or character... It should belong to the realm of 'reputation' or 'credibility'."

"I don't know how the title works, but since it's a 'title' and not an 'ability' or 'item,' I think it should at least be visible to other people."

"Therefore, the same ceasefire agreement will have drastically different effects depending on whether it is issued by a player with a high-level 'Slaughter' title or by a player with a high-level 'Virtue' title."

"Therefore, I believe that a game should not only be considered in terms of winning or losing, but also in terms of 'the game afterward'. If you are too unethical, it will only hinder your popularity and alliances in future games. Unless you plan to quit after this game ends... but with the current resources, I'm afraid it's simply not enough."

"According to the host, once we're resurrected, we won't be able to participate in the Deception Game anymore. Every chip we've earned is one less we have. So I don't plan to be resurrected... I'll continue participating in the game."

"Compared to butterflies and bears, I think rabbits and wolves are more worthwhile teammates to invest in."

As Chen Bingwen spoke, he looked at the rabbit and the wolf beside him.

As if on purpose, he did not look at the raccoon.

The raccoon blushed, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

"That's why... I hope you can spare my life."

The fox bowed to the wolf again: "I am grateful for your kindness and I am aware of your abilities. If we meet again in the future, I will certainly cooperate with you."

Those were truly sincere words.

Chen Bingwen has already tasted the danger.

Although it seems like a dead end for the raccoons now... that's not actually the case.

Or rather, because it was a dead end for the raccoon, she had no choice but to vote for the same option as them: banish the fox first. This was her only chance of survival. And under these circumstances, the constrained rabbit naturally dared not change her vote.

Death is the strongest constraint, far more effective than morality.

If the three of them cooperate, the fox will surely die.

As the last person whose fate was uncertain, the raccoon might actually be spared by the wolf.

The reason is the same as the fox said—because this game is not played in a single round.

Although even the raccoon herself might not realize it... she actually has considerable value.

—Because she seems very non-threatening.

Unlike Lin Ya, who looks quite fashionable, like a city white-collar worker or a rich young lady, Raccoon's appearance is more of a common "cute" or "quiet" type.

Or to put it another way, Lin Ya has the air of a working professional, while Raccoon looks like a college student with clear eyes.

If the wolf spares her, the raccoon will be genuinely grateful. Afterwards, if they appear in the same game, she will constantly tell others about the wolf's trustworthiness and compassion.

No one would believe a dangerous creature like a wolf if it said such things, because any intelligent person could sense its danger.

But if it's a raccoon who said it, then there's a good chance some people would actually believe it.

One method of espionage is called indirect manipulation. This means that the spy does not directly contact the target, but instead uses another person trusted by the target—such as a relative, colleague, or even family member—to steal the target's information.

In this process, even the middlemen who are being manipulated may not know that they are being manipulated.

If a wolf has a proposal that requires the support of others, it is not advisable to hand it over to someone like the "fox" who is obviously clever, or to propose it himself, as it is likely to arouse the vigilance and suspicion of others.

Even someone like Rabbit, who seems innocent and harmless, won't work. Her acting is too obvious and easily seen through.

Authenticity is the best acting.

There's no better way to portray a harmless idiot than by being "not really that smart".

As he said this, the fox looked at the host.

"Excuse me," the fox asked, unsure if the host would respond, "could we draft a contract on behalf of the organizers? I'm willing to give half of my chips to the wolf and promise never to betray him first in any subsequent game."

"Unfortunately, there's no such thing."

A mocking smile appeared on the cat's back: "Or rather, 'promise' and 'contract' themselves are the abilities of deceivers belonging to the realms of 'virtue' and 'balance'."

"...And besides, this game doesn't even have an organizer."

The host said something that made Mingpo pause slightly.

[—What organizer? There's no organizer at all! What utter nonsense!]

Mingbo recalled the butterfly's earlier words.

When she was eliminated, she looked at the fish with this utterly absurd expression, as if what he said was incomprehensible nonsense.

The host has now reiterated that the game does not have any organizers.

Could it be...

The fox glanced at the wolf, then turned back to the host and asked, "Excuse me... what does this sentence mean?"

"Without an organizer, how were our positions determined? Forgive my bluntness... but the advantage difference between the earlier and later positions is too great. Isn't this...?"

The question he asked was exactly what the wolf and the raccoon were hoping for.

So everyone turned their attention to the black cat.

"Hmph, slippery."

The "mouth" hanging around the black cat's neck chuckled, but the corners of its mouth turned up in a pleased smile: "You guys aren't supposed to have the authority to know about this kind of thing yet, but... never mind, with your qualifications, you'll find out about this very soon."

"In deceptive games, there is never a 'organizer' in the strict sense; the entire system is self-circulating."

Self-looping?

This strange word surprised everyone, but it also gave each of them a bit of inspiration.

However, the black cat didn't continue speaking, so they didn't know if their guess was correct.

"As for the game itself... as I've already said, the game is absolutely fair. Because an unfair game cannot exist. If a game seems unfair, then either there are special hidden rules, or the fairness lies outside of those rules."

"The initial state of every game contains some kind of information. For example, if a person is naturally at a disadvantage, then he is likely to be very strong or have the talent to easily complete the game; for example, in asymmetrical competitive games, the one responsible for killing is likely to be the one with the highest 'strength' or 'killing' level."

"In the initial selection competition, when no one has a title or ability yet, the seating arrangement is naturally governed by rules."

"For example... 'sin'."