Deceitful Game

At Mingper's urging, others gradually began to vote as well.

Upon hearing this, Mo Qian, who was wearing a "fish" mask, immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"Wolf" is a madman!

His behavior is completely illogical!

Not only did he not follow his lead and throw the rabbit, but he even revealed the information that "someone will betray us in the next round," elevating this shared knowledge to public knowledge.

Even though almost everyone already knew that "the Peace Game no longer exists," it was still the same.

After the "bear" proposed that "the fewer people there are, the greater the reward," the "wolf" followed suit with the same statement... and the nature of the matter changed.

From this point on, not only does everyone know about this, but everyone also knows that "others also know," and others also know that "you know that others know," thus forming an infinitely looping chain of consensus.

For example, in the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes," everyone saw that the emperor was not wearing clothes, but no one knew what others thought, and no one dared to say it.

But once this thin veil is torn down, the situation will change instantly—when that child shouts "The emperor has no clothes on," everyone will stop pretending.

Mo Qian's mind raced.

He didn't even care whether he would die in this round...

The wolf's actions not only completely disrupted his previous plans.

It even pushed the game's original stalemate into the most chaotic hell!

Because at this moment, the problem becomes:

1. Anyone can change their vote; the person who changes their vote lives, and their teammates who don't vote die.

2. If fewer people on your side change their vote than the opposing side, then those who change their vote will be eliminated, while those who do not change their vote will survive.

In this scenario, only either all unchanged votes or all changed votes can lead to a pure strategy Nash equilibrium. However, when it's unknown which level each person is on, and each person is unaware of the levels others are on, the problem completely spirals out of control.

Mo Qian was certainly familiar with the "dirty face game" and the "red-blue eye problem," two classic logic problems... but the problem was that these problems assumed everyone was "sufficiently intelligent." In that case, the knowledge would instantly escalate to an infinite order.

Simply put, it means "everyone is on the top floor".

The problem now is that the remaining eight people have completely different logical abilities, vastly different personalities and educations, and different ways of thinking. Even their strategies after receiving the answers differ... and they haven't had time to interact with each other to understand each other's personalities and ways of thinking.

In this situation, the game puzzle that could originally be easily deduced now has infinite possibilities.

"...What exactly are you after?!"

"Fish's" voice was hoarse, and his fingers trembled: "Are you from the host's side?"

Those illogical fools simply cannot comprehend... how dangerous and insane this person has done.

Those with superior logical abilities could have easily won in this game with its simple rules. It's like how someone with a gun has an advantage over someone who is unarmed.

But what the "wolf" did wasn't even to confiscate the "gun" in his own hand... but to distribute even more "guns" to everyone.

In this situation, anything can happen.

Even the "wolf" itself could be affected!

—No, it's inevitable that we'll be affected!

"……Hahaha……"

Suddenly, Mo Qian trembled all over and let out an uncontrollable, strange laugh.

All these mysteries converged into a single point in his mind.

A flash of inspiration struck him, and he felt he understood everything—there was only one explanation.

"I understand, I completely understand..."

"Fish" slumped in his seat, his voice almost manic: "So that's how it is... I understand, I understand everything!"

Just then, the host's indifferent voice rang out:

"—The second round is over."

In an instant, the round table fell completely silent.

Everyone is waiting for the final answer.

But the host's words surprised almost everyone:

The minority groups are: red pandas, butterflies, and bears.

"—Execution is about to be carried out."

The surviving majority consisted of Minpowder, the fox, the raccoon, and...

fish.

For a moment, only the "fish's" almost manic laughter rang out.

"How is that possible!"

Old Man Xiong's eyes widened.

He slammed his fist on the table, glaring at "Fish": "You bastard, you actually switched the vote!"

Even the butterfly, which always maintained a cool and aloof demeanor, broke down in its defenses.

She was trembling violently, screaming hysterically, her cries mingling with her own: "We could have won...we could have won! We were just one vote short! If you didn't vote—"

"What do you know, you idiot!"

The fish grinned menacingly, screaming in a trembling voice to mask its fear and resentment: "You can't win! You can't win no matter what!"

As he spoke, he pointed at Mingpo and angrily shouted:

"He's definitely one of the organizers! This must be a shady variety show; they just want us to fight each other! He'll definitely survive; you guys don't understand anything!"

Yes, there is only one explanation for all of the wolf's illogical behavior.

That is……

His actions were not aimed at winning, but at steer the situation into the most unpredictable state.

In other words, he was a plant used to create entertainment value for the show!

"What organizer? There's no organizer at all! What utter nonsense!"

The butterfly cried out hysterically, "You self-righteous fool, you know absolutely nothing!"

The next moment, the giant sword fell.

The three of them showed none of the "dog's" ability to dodge the giant sword attack.

They didn't even have time to react before they were instantly crushed by the giant sword!

The earth shook violently, and blood splattered everywhere.

This time, neither the rabbit nor the raccoon screamed again.

Perhaps it's because I've become somewhat numb, or perhaps it's because I've gotten used to it...

It's also possible that they were all pondering what the "fish" had said.

Is it possible that "Wolf" is one of the organizers?

Yes, there are.

After all, the "wolf" and they didn't appear in the same place... He was the only one who came in from the outside.

"Think about it, everyone!"

Mo Qian laughed wildly, his mind seemingly becoming somewhat unstable: "What would have happened if the 'wolf' hadn't existed after that skinny guy escaped at the beginning?"

"There were eleven of us back then! If we don't count the narrator, the others were already divided into two equal groups! If we really wanted peace, we could have achieved a situation where no one would have died by then!"

"It was the existence of the 'wolf' that broke this balance!"

"Wasn't he supposed to be filling in? Because there was one person missing, a 'staff member' came to fill in!"

"...He actually..."

Upon hearing this, the rabbit hesitated, as if it wanted to say something but then stopped.

She knew it was impossible.

Because she had personally witnessed the bloodied corpse lying at the "wolf's" feet, and also saw the "wolf" glance up at the sky as he entered, she could roughly guess that the "cat's" death was due to the "wolf's" manipulation, with the aim of bringing the number of people back to eleven.

If the wolf's goal is to fill a gap, he has absolutely no reason to do this.

However, she couldn't say these things.

Revealing this would be tantamount to exposing her own hypocritical mask—she witnessed the "wolf" directly or indirectly kill two people, yet remained silent, even secretly allied with him, and claimed that everyone should live together peacefully and in unity...

At that time, I might be isolated and targeted by others!

So even though the rabbit had a lot to say, it didn't say anything.

Mingpo, however, laughed heartily: "That's interesting..."

He knew, of course, that he wasn't an official... but some of what the fish said was actually true.

Mingper was deliberately steer the situation in an "interesting" direction.

This game is like an unpredictable stage of fate.

Everyone has their own desires, and everyone has their own personality.

Everyone is a "wrongfully killed person," but everyone is also a "sinner."

Everyone has a reason to win the game.

Everyone has the desire to seize the power of destiny and rewrite the history of time.

In this situation, with just a slight push... a truly fascinating story can unfold.

This is exactly what he wants to see!

"Round three, begin."

As the host's voice faded, Mo Qian, who had been rambling on and on like a maniac, was immediately silenced.

Under the scrutiny of people, who were filled with mixed emotions of fear and speculation, Mingpo let out a cheerful laugh.

The laughter chilled the rabbit and the raccoon to the bone... just like noticing someone following you when you're walking home alone late at night.

"I'm not an official. But if you insist on thinking that way, there's nothing I can do. After all, in the end, it's definitely impossible for me to walk the same path as you."

Mingpo smiled and said, his deep, magnetic voice like the whisper of a devil: "Only let the smart ones live? No, I don't think that's the purpose of this game."

"If the purpose of this game is to filter out the smarter, more cunning, and more adept at reading people's minds, then there is absolutely no need for them to use a game with 'multiple optimal solutions'."

"There are many ways, aren't there? Like the 'dog,' you can use violence to kidnap and subdue others; like the 'rabbit,' you can maintain a superficial friendly play-house; or like you, you can simplify the problem into a mathematical problem..."

"Violence, incitement, and logic. Each method can lead to victory; everyone has their own path. Depending on the abilities of the players at each table, the game can unfold in completely different ways."

"See how everyone struggles, how they showcase their talents and spark their lives in this ever-changing, fluid game... I think that's what makes it truly exciting."

At this point, Mingpo looked at the black cat on the table.

He asked softly, "Mr. Host, do you agree with what I said?"

"certainly."

Although it was still in that authoritative tone, the voice was much louder than when mechanically announcing "round start" and "round end".

Clearly, the host greatly admired Mingpo.

The black cat's eyeballs, hanging around its neck, scanned the five people remaining at the table.

"Those who are still alive are all exceptionally talented players. If you were in previous qualifiers, you would all have won. Don't be discouraged... it's just that this round was exceptionally strong."

The host first offered words of comfort, then quickly changed the subject: "However, being 'outstanding' alone is not enough."

"As the 'wolf' said, what we need is diverse talent."

"Intelligence, Strength, Balance, Morality, and Slaughter—based on each person's performance in these five dimensions, they will become your 'titles' and transform into unique abilities after each game. The better you perform, the faster you will obtain titles and upgrade your privileges, thus enabling you to participate in games with higher stakes..."

Surprisingly, the host revealed some information to several players.

This information is something that can only be obtained by participating in at least two rounds of the game. Revealing it in advance can be seen as an investment in them... or a gesture of goodwill.

Mingpo, however, asked with interest, "A bigger game? Can't winning just one game change the fact that someone is already dead?"

Clearly, he was asking the question for other players, showcasing his comedic talent.

After all, Mingpo didn't even know how she died, and she had no desire to be resurrected.

But then the host's words made Mingpo's smile fade a little: "Besides using chips to change history, time chips have many other uses."

"For example, you can also use a one-hour chip to pause the time... Even if you can't interact with others during the pause, there are still many advantages."

"To travel to a place that takes an hour to reach, to adjust one's mindset, to recover one's strength... or to cheat on an exam. Of course, it is also possible to directly use chips to extend the lifespan of a living person, although it is somewhat wasteful—even if the person using the chips can only be a charlatan, the chips are not only for one's own use."

"Moreover, even without changing the history of one's death, one can directly exchange chips for a period of 'brief manifestation.' If one interferes with reality in this way, one does not have to abandon one's identity as a dead person."

"There are many more ways to use it, which you will have to develop yourselves."

At this point, the host said meaningfully, "So, once someone has tasted this kind of success... yes, he'll come back."

The host doesn't need to hide their intentions at all.

Time, that is the realm of the gods.

Even in mythology, weaker gods do not have the authority to control time!

And the power of time is gathered in these small tokens of the past.

Once you've been exposed to this power, there's no going back.

After all, life is always full of ups and downs.

Even if one successfully resurrects and reverses death, it doesn't mean they'll stop there. When faced with dire straits again, they'll likely recall this past experience.

And those who are prepared to return... are definitely more familiar with the rhythm and more adaptable to the rules than those who are new to the game.

"At first, I thought you were a 'returnee'."

Since things had come to this point, the host stopped pretending.

He was also clearly very curious about Mingpo: "After all, you seem much better than them... and you seem to know the rules here better. But I asked the other hosts, and none of them know you."

"Returnees?"

Mingpo was touched by this word.

He pressed further, "What is that?"

"Those are the people who changed history and were resurrected, but then regretted it and wanted to rejoin the game of deception..."

The host chuckled, his voice laced with sarcasm: "Take 'Bear' and 'Butterfly,' for example. They were both returning participants from the previous game... yet you eliminated them in this newcomer game."

……I see.

Mingpo narrowed her eyes slightly.

He got it.

No wonder the bear claimed to have cancer.

That was actually a fishing test—used to test whether others understood the rules for using chips.

Because the "one hour" of time can only be used to change the history of that "one hour." When you get cancer, you don't know exactly when it happened, and even if you went back to that moment, you wouldn't have the ability to alter history.

Of course, it's not entirely impossible to make changes. For example, going back to an earlier time for a medical checkup might have led to earlier detection and treatment.

But if someone questioned him or seemed surprised—even for a moment—Bear could be certain of their identity.

From this perspective, the name "Liu Jianguo" is probably fake.

—So why did he give a false name back then?

Mingpo lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes becoming somewhat dangerous, a faint, dim yellow light surfacing from the depths of his eyes.

It's best if it's not the possibility he's thinking of, otherwise...

After a moment's thought, Mingpo looked up.

Realizing he was still in his turn to speak, he casually waved his hand and said, "I won't waste everyone's time. Please vote as you see fit."

"I don't guarantee what the final outcome will be for the four of you, nor do I encourage it. You can betray each other, change your votes, and form alliances as you please, each according to your own abilities. Even if you want to vote me out, that's fine... However, considering that I've obtained some information for everyone, I still don't recommend doing so."

"I would be very sad if someone betrayed me."

Mingpo leaned back slightly, her tone gradually becoming more cheerful.

He saw the fox warily look at the fish, the fish clutching its head in near madness, the rabbit clenching its fists anxiously, and the raccoon covering its forehead with its right hand.

The false atmosphere of peace has vanished.

No matter what they choose next—even if they vote out Minpo this round—it won't matter. In the next two rounds, at least two of them will die.

Mingpo extended his hand, and like another host, announced:

"Come on! Let your performance begin!"