Game of Deception Chapter 8: The Wronged Dead, Sinners, and Returners

Under Ming Po's call, the others gradually began to cast their votes.

Hearing this, Mo Qian, wearing the Fish mask, suddenly broke out into a cold sweat.

That Wolf guy... is a lunatic!

There was absolutely no logic to his actions!

Not only did he refuse to follow his lead and vote for Rabbit, but he had even made the information that 'soone will betray the group next round' public, upgrading this mutual awareness into common knowledge.

It was the sa case even though almost everyone already knew that a peaceful resolution no longer existed.

Ever since Bear suggested that 'the fewer people left, the greater the reward,' and Wolf followed up with that statent... the very nature of the situation had changed.

From that mont on, not only did everyone know it, but everyone also knew that 'everyone else knew,' and everyone else knew that 'you knew they knew'... thus forming an infinite loop of consensus.

It was just like the story of The Emperor's New Clothes. Although everyone saw that the emperor wasn't wearing any clothes, nobody knew what the others thought, so no one dared to speak up.

But once this window pane was shattered, the situation changed instantly—the mont that child shouted "The emperor has no clothes," nobody had to pretend anymore.

Mo Qian's mind raced frantically.

He could no longer even care about whether he would die this round...

Wolf's actions hadn't just completely destroyed his previous layout.

They had pushed what was supposed to be a peaceful round in this ga directly into the most chaotic hell!

Because at this mont, the problem had beco:

1. Everyone might change their vote; the one who changes their vote lives, while their unchanging teammates die;

2. If fewer people on your side change their votes than on the opposing side, changing your vote will lead to death instead, and those who don't change will live.

Under these circumstances, only everyone choosing not to change or everyone choosing to change could lead to a pure strategy Nash Equilibrium. However, without knowing which level of thinking everyone was on, and with no one being sure about the levels of the others, this problem had spun completely out of control.

Mo Qian naturally knew about classic logical puzzles like the muddy faces ga and the Red-Blue Eyes Problem... but the issue was that in those problems, everyone was assud to be 'sufficiently intelligent.' Under that assumption, the knowledge would instantly upgrade to an infinite level.

To put it simply, 'everyone is on the highest level.'

Yet the problem now was that the remaining eight people had entirely different logical capabilities, vastly disparate personalities and educations, and distinct ways of thinking. Even their strategies after receiving the answer would differ... and they had no ti to interact with each other to confirm the other party's personality and way of thinking.

In this situation, a ga theory puzzle that could originally be deduced simply now possessed an infinite number of possibilities.

"...What on earth are you after?!"

Fish's voice was dry and raspy, his fingers trembling. "Are you on the host's side?!"

Those illogical, ignorant masses couldn't possibly understand... what a dangerous and insane thing this man had just done.

People like them with a higher level of logical capability could have easily won under such simple rules. It was just like how a man with a gun held an inherent advantage over an unard person.

But what Wolf did wasn't to confiscate the gun in his own hands... instead, he handed out more guns to everyone.

Under these circumstances, anything could happen.

Even Wolf himself could completely be caught in the crossfire!

—No, he would inevitably be caught in the crossfire!

"...Ha, haha..."

Suddenly, Mo Qian's whole body trembled, and he let out an uncontrollable, eerie laugh.

All these unsolved mysteries converged into a single point in his brain.

A flash of inspiration struck, and he felt as if he understood everything—only one scenario could explain all of this.

"I see, I completely understand now..."

Fish slumped back into his seat, his tone nearing madness. "So that's how it is... I get it, I understand everything now!"

Right at that mont, the Host's cold voice ca through:

"—The second round has ended."

In an instant, absolute silence fell over the round table.

Everyone was waiting for the final answer.

Yet the Host's words caught almost everyone off guard:

"The minority consists of: Red Panda, Butterfly, and Bear.

"—The execution will now be carried out."

The surviving majority consisted of Ming Po, Fox, Raccoon, and...

Fish.

For a mont, only Fish's near-manic laughter echoed through the space.

"How is that possible!"

Old man Bear's eyes widened in shock.

He slamd his hands on the table and stood up, glaring furiously at Fish. "You bastard, you actually changed your vote!"

Butterfly, who always maintained a cold deanor, also broke down completely.

Her entire body shook as if she were having a seizure, and she let out a hysterical shriek mixed with tears. "We could have won... we could have won! We were only short by one vote! If you hadn't changed your vote—"

"What do you know, you idiot!"

Fish smiled distortedly, screaming in a voice trembling with excitent to mask the fear and resentnt in his heart. "You couldn't have won, no matter what!"

Saying that, he pointed at Ming Po and cursed furiously:

"He must be one of the organizer's people! This has to be so dark reality show, they just want us to slaughter each other! He is definitely going to survive, you all don't know anything!"

—Yes, only one scenario could explain all of Wolf's illogical actions.

That was...

His behavior wasn't ant for winning, but rather to drive the situation into the most unpredictable state.

In other words, he was a plant used to generate dramatic effect for the show!

"What organizer? There is no organizer at all! What a load of rubbish!"

Butterfly said hysterically, "You oversmart fool, you clearly don't understand anything yourself—"

In the next instant, the giant sword crashed down.

The three of them possessed none of the reactions that allowed Dog to dodge the giant sword's attack.

Without even a chance to react, they were instantly crushed into paste by the giant sword!

The earth shook, and blood splattered everywhere.

This ti, Rabbit and Raccoon didn't even scream.

Perhaps it was because they had beco sowhat numb, or perhaps they had grown used to it...

Or it could be that they were both pondering the words Fish had spoken.

—Wolf is one of the organizer's people; could that really be possible?

It certainly was possible.

After all, Wolf hadn't appeared in the sa place as them... he was the only one who had walked in from the outside.

"Think about it, everyone!"

Mo Qian laughed wildly, his ntal state appearing sowhat unhinged. "If Wolf hadn't existed after that skinny guy ran away at the very beginning, what would have happened?

"We were eleven people back then! Leaving aside the narrator, the others had already split into two equal groups! If we really wanted peace, a situation where not a single person had to die could have been achieved right then!

"It was precisely because of Wolf's existence that this equilibrium was broken!

"Isn't he here to fill a vacancy! Because one person was missing, a staff mber ca in to fill the slot!"

"...He actually..."

Hearing this, Rabbit opened her mouth but hesitated.

She knew this was impossible.

Because she had seen with her own eyes that bloody corpse lying at Wolf's feet, and she had also seen Wolf glance up at the sky the mont he entered the door. So she could roughly guess that Cat's death was induced by Wolf, with the purpose of bringing the headcount back to eleven.

If Wolf's purpose was to fill a vacancy, there was absolutely no need for him to do such a thing.

—However, it wasn't convenient for her to speak of these things.

If she revealed this matter, it would be equivalent to exposing her own hypocritical mask—she had witnessed Wolf directly or indirectly killing two people with her own eyes, yet she hadn't uttered a single word about it, had even secretly allied with him, and still claid that everyone should live together in peace and solidarity...

By then, she might be isolated and targeted by the others!

Thus, despite having many things to say in her heart, Rabbit ultimately remained silent.

Ming Po, on the other hand, laughed happily. "How interesting..."

He naturally knew he wasn't part of the official faction... however, a part of what Fish said was actually correct.

Ming Po was deliberately steering the situation in an 'interesting' direction.

This ga was like an unpredictable stage of destiny.

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

Everyone was a Wronged Dead, but everyone was also a sinner.

Everyone had a reason why they had to win the ga.

Everyone had a need to obtain Ti Chips to rewrite the history of ti.

Under these circumstances, just a slight push... would reveal a spectacular story.

That was exactly what he wanted to see!

"The third round begins."

As the Host's voice fell, Mo Qian, who was muttering near-manically, was instantly muted.

Under the complex, fearful, or speculative gazes of the others, Ming Po let out a cheerful laugh.

That laughter made Rabbit and Raccoon feel a chill run down their spines... it felt just like realizing soone was stalking you while walking ho alone at midnight.

"I am indeed not one of the organizer's people. But I can't help it if you insist on thinking that way; after all, judging by the results, I certainly couldn't have walked the sa path as you."

Ming Po spoke with a beaming smile, his magnetic, low voice sounding like a demon's whisper. "Only letting the smart people live? No, I don't think that's the purpose of this ga at all.

"If this ga were ant to filter out the smartest, most treacherous, and most manipulative players, there would be absolutely no need for them to use a ga with multiple optimal solutions.

"There are plenty of thods, aren't there? Like Dog, using violence to kidnap and subdue others; like Rabbit, maintaining a superficial, friendly playing-house dynamic; or like you, simplifying the problem into a mathematical issue...

"Violence, charisma, logical capability. Every single thod can clear the ga; everyone has their own way out. Depending on the capabilities of the players at each table, this ga can unfold in completely different ways.

"To watch how everyone struggles, how they showcase their talents and spark the flas of life in this fluid, formless ga... I think that's spectacular enough."

Speaking up to this point, Ming Po looked toward the black cat on the table.

He softly asked, "Mr. Host, do you agree with my words?"

"Of course."

Though it was still that majestic tone, the voice was significantly louder than the chanical announcents of 'round begins' and 'round ends.'

Evidently, the Host thought quite highly of Ming Po.

The eyeball hanging around the black cat's neck spun around, scanning the remaining five people at the table.

"Those who have survived until now are all remarkably outstanding players. If you were placed in past selection tournants, you all should have been able to win. Do not be discouraged... this batch is simply exceptionally brilliant."

The Host offered so comfort first before changing the subject. "However, rely being 'outstanding' is not enough.

"Just as Wolf said, we require diverse talents.

"Wisdom, Strength, Balance, Virtue, Slaughter. Based on everyone's performance across these five dinsions, they will beco your Title and transform into each person's unique special ability after every ga ends. Those who perform more outstandingly can obtain their Title faster and upgrade their authority level quicker, thereby participating in gas with even greater stakes..."

Rarely, the Host disclosed a bit of intelligence to the players.

This information would normally require participating in at least two rounds of gas to obtain. Revealing it ahead of ti could be considered an investnt in them... or a gesture of goodwill.

Ming Po then asked with great interest, "Greater gas? Doesn't winning just a single ga allow one to change the fact of their death?"

Quite clearly, he was asking on behalf of the other players, utilizing his skills as a straight man in crosstalk.

After all, Ming Po didn't even know how he died, nor did he have any desire to resurrect.

But following that, the Host's words caused the smile on Ming Po's face to fade slightly: "Aside from using chips to alter history, Ti Chips have many other uses.

"For instance, you can directly use one hour's worth of chips to pause ti... even if you cannot interact with others during the paused ti, there are still many conveniences.

"Traveling to a place that would otherwise take an hour to reach, adjusting your mindset, recovering physical strength... or even cheating on an exam. Of course, directly using chips to extend a living person's lifespan is also possible, though it is sowhat wasteful—even if the person using the chips must be a Deceiver of the World, the chips do not have to be used only on oneself.

"Furthermore, even without changing the history of one's own death, one can directly use chips to exchange for a period of Manifestation. If one interferes with reality in this form, there is no need to abandon one's status as a deceased individual."

"There are still many, many ways to use them, all waiting for your own developnt."

Speaking up to this point, the Host said aningfully, "Therefore, once a person has tasted this kind of sweetness... yes, they will return."

The Host had absolutely no need to hide his intentions.

Ti was a realm belonging to the gods.

Even in mythologies, lesser gods did not possess the authority to control ti!

Yet the grand power of ti was gathered within these tiny Ti Chips.

Once soone ca into contact with this kind of power, they could no longer go back.

After all, a person's life was always full of ups and downs.

Even if they successfully resurrected and reversed their death, it didn't an they would stop there. When facing a desperate situation once more, they would probably rember this past experience of theirs.

And prepared Returnees... were definitely better at getting used to the rhythm and adapting to the rules than those participating in the ga for the first ti.

"At the very beginning, I actually thought you were a Returner."

Since things had reached this point, the Host stopped pretending.

He was also clearly very curious about Ming Po. "After all, you seem much more excellent than them... and you also seem more familiar with the rules here. But I have asked other hosts, and none of them recognize you."

"Returner?"

Ming Po felt a stir in his heart upon hearing this word.

He followed up, "What is that?"

"Those are the people who once changed history and resurrected, but later regretted it and wanted to rejoin the Ga of Deception..."

The Host chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of mockery. "For example, Bear and Butterfly. Both of them were Returnees who had participated in a ga once... yet they were directly wiped out by you all in this novice ga."

...So that was it.

Ming Po narrowed his eyes slightly.

He understood.

No wonder Bear claid he had intestinal cancer.

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

Because an 'one hour' Ti Chip could only be used to change 'one hour' of history. Getting intestinal cancer was a matter where one couldn't possibly know which exact hour it occurred, and even if one returned to that mont, they wouldn't have the ability to modify history.

Of course, it wasn't completely impossible to modify. For instance, returning to an earlier ti to get a physical exam might allow for early detection and treatnt.

But if anyone had raised a doubt or felt surprised at that ti—even if just for an instant—Bear could have confird the other party's identity.

From this perspective, the na 'Liu Jianguo' was probably fake as well.

—Then, why did he give a fake na at that ti?

Ming Po lowered his gaze slightly, his expression turning sowhat dangerous as a faint, amber glimr surfaced from the depths of his eyes.

It had better not be the possibility he was thinking of, otherwise...

After a brief thought, Ming Po raised his head.

Realizing he was still in his own narration turn, he waved his hand casually. "I won't waste everyone's ti then. Everyone can just vote as you please.

"I don't guarantee what the final result for the four of you will be, nor will I offer encouragent. You may betray as you please, change your votes as you please, form alliances as you please, and rely on your own abilities. It doesn't matter even if you want to vote out... though considering I've managed to get so information for everyone, I still wouldn't recomnd doing so.

"If soone betrays , I will be very sad."

Ming Po leaned back slightly, his tone gradually becoming cheerful.

He saw Fox looking guardedly at Fish, Fish holding his head in his hands near-manically, Rabbit gripping her hands anxiously, and Raccoon reaching out with her right hand to cover her forehead.

The atmosphere of hypocritical peace had completely vanished.

No matter how they chose next—even if they voted Ming Po out this round, it would be useless. In the next two rounds, at least two of the four of them would die.

Ming Po stretched out his hand, like another host, and declared:

"Co! Begin your performance!"