Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 5

From the information acquired through the side mission, Zhou Qian had just gained the power of life and death, as if standing at the top of the food chain.

However, in the next moment, the rules further announced by the goddess immediately put him in an infinitely passive situation.

As long as Qi Liuxing and Dong Xiang stuck together till the end and had three tied votes, Zhou Qian would be directly eliminated and executed as a false believer.

Despite knowing his situation was dire, Zhou Qian didn’t respond to Dong Xiang’s words.

He just quietly looked up at the five treehouses, waiting for the goddess to continue reading the rules.

“Li Dafu, please enter Treehouse No. 1. Everyone else can freely enter from No. 2 through No. 5.”

“In each treehouse, there are papers, pens, and a sealed black box.”

“The paper in Treehouse No. 1 is specially designed for scoring. The first vertical column is for names, and the second is for scores, which need to be filled in neatly.”

“The paper in Treehouses No. 2 through No. 5 is for voting. You can write ‘no’ or ‘yes’ to indicate whether you agree with Li Dafu’s scoring results.”

“Considering you might change your minds, we’ve prepared plenty of scoring and voting papers. But once you throw the paper into the black box, it will be considered a valid score or vote. The box will then automatically lock, and no more papers can be thrown in.”

“Li Dafu needs to ask questions to determine who is real and who is fake.”

“He needs to show his scoring results to the other players, so of course, he needs to use video calls!”

“The rest of the believers can also discuss among themselves whether or not to trust that Li Dafu is the true believer.”

“For this reason, we’ve placed video phones in each treehouse. The video supports group chat discussions! However, each person can only make three calls, while receiving calls is unlimited.”

“Please enter the treehouses now! Complete the first round of scoring and voting within 30 minutes!”

“We sincerely hope that the first round will also be the only round. We hope you can quickly identify the fake believer!”

After the goddess finished reading the rules, Dong Xiang immediately picked up where he left off with a treacherous tone.

“I know what these treehouses mean! It means letting us bribe Zhou Qian separately! Whoever gives him coins or props, he will give high scores! Everyone, don’t be fooled!”

At this point, Dong Xiang especially looked at Qi Liuxing, seemingly confirming his stance. “How hard have we worked for these coins and props? Why should Zhou Qian benefit from them?”

“So, as I said earlier, we must vote ‘no’! After three tied votes, he’s dead. Actually—”

Dong Xiang then looked at the young couple. “Why don’t we save some time? Why play three rounds? Just reject Zhou Qian in the first round!”

“When you go into the treehouse, don’t believe anything Zhou Qian says, and don’t look at his scores! Just vote ‘no’ and that’s it!”

A breeze rustled the leaves, casting fluctuating shadows on the ground, making everyone’s face look unpredictable.

After threatening Zhou Qian, Dong Xiang’s eyes were malevolent, and his smile was cold.

However, when faced with Zhou Qian’s indifferent gaze, his hand trembled involuntarily.

Why was Zhou Qian so calm?

He shouldn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve!

Then he saw Zhou Qian smile.

With his hands leisurely tucked into his pockets, Zhou Qian casually said, “We’ll see.”

Dong Xiang swallowed hard. “You’re just being stubborn till death!”

Zhou Qian ignored him and glanced at the couple, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong, then looked at Qi Liuxing, who was supporting Dong Xiang.

Qi Liuxing looked young and naive.

Perhaps for this reason, to avoid being underestimated and to appear more mature and intimidating, he always stood tall like a sharp sword.

Turning his attention back to Dong Xiang, Zhou Qian said, “Do you really think you can easily get me out like this? You’re being too naive.”

“What the hell are you trying to say?” Dong Xiang responded sharply, but his heart skipped a beat.

Casually glancing at the other players, Zhou Qian asked, “Have any of you heard of the Prisoner’s Dilemma?”

Waiting patiently for the four players to exchange glances, Zhou Qian held up his invitation and said, “You all heard the six questions earlier, right? Why could I answer the last two? Because I completed the side mission.”

“Among the five of us, I’m the only one who came with a side mission. I’ve completed this side mission. And what I gained from it isn’t just the answers to these two questions. I’ve also obtained special intelligence about how to crack [Apple Paradise].”

“Although this instance is only level one, its difficulty is considerable due to its hidden achievements. You all managed to find this place for the rare rewards. So, there’s no need to emphasize the importance of the intel I have, right?”

Much of the information about this instance was personally told to him by Dong Xiang.

Back then, Dong Xiang tried to get close to the newcomer to gain his trust, but now he deeply regretted it.

Zhou Qian continued, “Thus, I can surely leverage this special intelligence to strike a deal with you, in exchange for your affirmative votes.”

“Dong Xiang is right about one thing: I know all of you are false believers. So, the video call isn’t for me to ask you questions to discern the truth. It’s for you to bribe me with gold and items.”

“Essentially, the private video chat feature in this game is the prisoner’s dilemma. You formed pairs? That just makes it easier for me.”

By this point, Zhou Qian’s smile was almost provocative.

Facing everyone’s gaze, he calmly asked the goddesses, “What if I give everyone 20 points and the five of us split the score equally? That way, no one is last. Who would be eliminated then?”

The two goddesses exchanged a smile, replying to Zhou Qian, “In that case, it depends on the type of votes you get. If it’s still a 2:2 tie after three rounds, you’re out. But if three agree with you and one disagrees, then the one who disagrees seems to be the problem. They will be eliminated as a false believer.”

Sure enough.

Zhou Qian looked pleased as he glanced over the other four. “Now, you four are like prisoners being interrogated. And I am the interrogator. I’ve always had control in this game.”

“You’ve formed couple and brothers teams? However, you can’t be sure you won’t be betrayed by your so-called ‘teammate’. If I give everyone 20 points, and later, when you vote against me, perhaps in order to gain intelligence for the instance, your ‘teammate’ will vote for me. Then, the only one eliminated would be the single person who didn’t vote for me.”

Zhou Qian laughed.

The faces of the other four players turned pale.

The first to react was Yun Xiangrong, clutching her boyfriend Gao Shan’s arm tightly. “We’ll never betray each other. We’ve been in love for four years and won’t be influenced by you!”

“Right!” Gao Shan nodded firmly and said solemnly to Zhou Qian, “Don’t think a few words can sow discord between us. I would never betray Rongrong in my life!”

“Oh, I hope so.”

Zhou Qian’s gaze shifted from the young couple to Dong Xiang.

Dong Xiang, shaking slightly, grabbed Qi Liuxing’s shoulders. “You… you won’t betray, right? Xiao Qi, I saved your life once. We owe each other our lives!”

“Of course I won’t. I just don’t know—”

Qi Liuxing was interrupted by Dong Xiang, “Xiao Qi, you know, Zhou Qian nearly got me killed! I can’t share the sky with him! How could I vote for him? Let’s all vote against him! This way, we won’t lose any gold or items!”

“It’s Zhou Qian’s plot; we can’t fall for it. We should all vote no! Zhou Qian will definitely be the eliminated one!”

While the players were arguing, the two goddesses stood by with innocent smiles on their faces, as if oblivious to the players’ conversations.

As time slowly ticked away, they had to remind, “Alright, the timer has started. Please enter the treehouse quickly!”

Zhou Qian put his hands in his pockets and smiled. With downcast eyes and not saying a word, he walked to the treehouse. As he moved, under the urging of the goddesses, the others followed. Yet, they walked slowly, continually reminding each other to stand firm and not be brainwashed by Zhou Qian.

Although Zhou Qian was the first to move, he too walked slowly, observing the other four. He noticed Gao Shan, a typical straight man*, letting his girlfriend climb the tree and rope ladder on her own without helping.

*Buzzword use to refer to heterosexuality but is now often used derogatorily to refer to a “macho” man in certain online communities.

Raising an eyebrow, Zhou Qian suddenly let go of the rope ladder in front of him and unexpectedly walked swiftly to Gao Shan.

Gao Shan looked at him warily. “What do you want?”

His question caught the attention of the other three people.

Zhou Qian seemed oblivious to their stares, wearing a provocative smile. He leaned into Gao Shan’s ear and whispered something.

Immediately, Gao Shan looked deeply insulted. Pushing Zhou Qian away, he clenched his fists, ready to strike.

Zhou Qian quickly raised his hands in a surrendering gesture and ran off, swiftly climbing a rope ladder to his treehouse.

This scene left the other three rather puzzled.

Watching on a screen, Zhu Qiang and Yu Xian were both slightly taken aback.

“Did you catch what Zhou Qian said?”

“No, but he’s really good under pressure. If it were me, I’d probably just give up.”

“Yeah, the fact that he could think so quickly, strategizing a tie in votes to find an escape route for himself, is really impressive.”

“But it’s still tough. How could he be so sure that someone from those two groups would betray the other? Dong Xiang just said that he had once saved Qi Liuxing’s life!”

“In games like these, aren’t personal interests always the top priority?”

Upon hearing Yu Xian’s comment, Zhu Qiang couldn’t help but frown.

If they were in a similar situation, would Yu Xian betray him easily?

“Qiang Ge, why so quiet?”

“Nothing, let’s keep watching.”

……

Inside the treehouse.

Vines tightly sealed the windows, ensuring players couldn’t communicate with others through them.

Entering, Zhou Qian shut the door and found it completely soundproof.

It became clear that shouting across to other players wasn’t an option.

His attention shifted inside the treehouse. There was an LCD screen displaying a green call button, a red end-call button, and five player avatars.

Zhou Qian selected the avatars of Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan but hesitated before pressing the green button. He first sat down, focusing on a piece of paper and a pen in front of him.

The paper was light, and there were multiple sheets, allowing for changes of mind. Only when placed in the sealed black box would the vote count.

Zhou Qian swiftly jotted down names and their corresponding scores:

[Gao Shan: 30 points], [Yun Xiangrong: 30 points];

[Dong Xiang: 0 points], [Qi Liuxing: 10 points];

Finally, [Zhou Qian: 30 points].

He then quickly pressed the green call button.

Moments later, a three-person group chat started.

Both faces appeared, each occupying half of the screen. Gao Shan looked wary, while Yun Xiangrong seemed calm.

Zhou Qian began. “Relax, brother. I didn’t contact you separately. I’m reaching out to both of you simultaneously, so I’m not trying to play any ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ with you. Testing couples’ trust or causing breakups isn’t my style.”

Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong: “……”

Zhou Qian continued. “Can you both see me?”

They nodded.

Zhou Qian showed the score paper in front of the camera, then approached the sealed black box.

“You see me placing my score paper in front of the black box?”

On the LCD screen, both Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong’s expressions undoubtedly looked surprised as they both nodded.

“That’s good. Watch closely as I put it in. You know the game’s rules. Once inside, I can’t take it back.”

With bewildered expressions, Gao Shan and Yun Xiangrong watched intently as Zhou Qian truly placed the piece of paper into the uniquely airtight black box.

Then, they saw Zhou Qian return to his chair, looking up into the camera with a smile. “With this, you both should be reassured, right?”

Gao Shan couldn’t resist asking, “What’s your game here? Aren’t you afraid we might turn against you?”

Zhou Qian replied, “I’ve made both of you joint top scorers. Why would you turn against me?”

Gao Shan was momentarily taken aback. With a pleasant demeanor, Zhou Qian looked at him and said, “I understand Dong Xiang’s worries, and yours as well. Your main concern might be that I’m scoring you based on the benefits I can receive from you, such as high amounts of in-game gold or rare items. But I understand the game rules. I’m not foolish. This is the genius of the game designers—”

“If I incessantly demand gold or items from you and irritate you to the point where you all vote against me, wouldn’t I be doomed?”

Zhou Qian answered confidently, “It’s a trap set by the game designers, and I won’t fall for it! You both saw my scores for you. As long as you both vote in my favor, and I convince Qi Liuxing… then I’m secure.”

At that moment, Yun Xiangrong voiced her concerns. “How can you be so sure that Qi Liuxing will betray Dong Xiang? Earlier, they mentioned their close bond. Also, it seems you were the one who injured Dong Xiang. Deciding between keeping you or Dong Xiang is important for us. What if you turn out to be someone dangerous who will harm us later on?”

Among the couple, Gao Shan seemed somewhat naive and often led around, but Zhou Qian noticed that Yun Xiangrong had a sharp mind and wasn’t as easily fooled as her boyfriend.

However, there seemed to be a key point they had missed. So, Zhou Qian continued the conversation earnestly.

“I know Dong Xiang. If there’s anyone truly vicious, it’s him, not me.”

Zhou Qian went on to describe Dong Xiang’s deeds in reality, then looked at Yun Xiangrong. “He even dismembered his own wife out of sheer paranoia. As a woman, you should be even more empathetic to such an act. In short—in the real world, if Dong Xiang can act this way, he’ll only be worse in the game. Qi Liuxing, having teamed up with him several times, must have seen his misdeeds. So, although Dong Xiang once saved him, Qi Liuxing might not trust him entirely. I’m confident I can persuade him to part ways with Dong Xiang. If you don’t believe me, you can have a private chat with Qi Liuxing and ask about Dong Xiang’s true character.”

“Besides giving you both the highest scores, I promise to share with you special information about the instance dungeon. Same goes for Qi Liuxing. I haven’t harmed him.”

All of Yun Xiangrong’s doubts were dispelled by Zhou Qian. She couldn’t find any flaws in his words.

After a while, seeing their expressions, Zhou Qian chuckled.

“I’m relieved then. Thank you.” He smiled at Gao Shan. “My scores are already in the black box. As you know, once scores enter the box, there’s no turning back. My sincerity has been shown. Now… I’d appreciate a favorable vote from each of you. Please agree with my scoring. After this game ends, I’ll definitely share the special information from the side mission with you. This deal is quite beneficial for you.”

No matter if Zhou Qian could persuade Qi Liuxing to betray Dong Xiang, the young couple was guaranteed the highest scores, and they would not cast a “negative” vote. They were definitely safe. Furthermore, not only were they not extorted by Zhou Qian, they would also receive extra information about the side quest. Indeed, the deal seemed too good to pass up.

For Zhou Qian’s part, he just wanted everyone to agree with his scoring.

Yun Xiangrong and Gao Shan thought for a long time and couldn’t find any issues. Neither could Yu Xian and Zhu Qiang watching on the screen.

The only thing the Yu and Zhu duo knew, which the couple didn’t, was that Zhou Qian hadn’t actually obtained any special information about how to crack the instance. It was just a bargaining chip he had fabricated for himself.

Apart from this, they couldn’t find any flaws in Zhou Qian’s logic.

In front of everyone, Zhou Qian brought up the prisoner’s dilemma, and by tempting them with the “special information”, he planted a seed of doubt in everyone’s heart, laying the groundwork for sowing dissension.

Indeed, he couldn’t persuade the couple to betray each other, so he didn’t attempt to sow discord between them.

His main adversary was Dong Xiang, so his next move could only be to persuade Qi Liuxing to betray Dong Xiang.

Yu Xian: “I think Qian Ge is playing this perfectly. What he’s doing is absolutely right! After all, he won’t be eliminated! As long as he doesn’t fleece players for gold coins and doesn’t anger them, he can persuade them not to cast a negative vote against him!”

“It’s wonderful! The side mission really did come in handy! The points from those few questions really helped him out a lot!”

Zhu Qiang: “He certainly seems flawless. But I have this nagging feeling that something’s not right.”

Yu Xian: “What do you mean? I think everything is fine! Wouldn’t a normal person play this way given Zhou Qian’s character?”

Zhu Qiang: “I can’t quite put my finger on it… but there’s a detail that doesn’t sit right with me… something truly feels off!

“Is it possible… that Qian Ge is pulling some sort of deception…”

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