"Where is Yang Zhenzhen?"
I didn't care if the game had started. I suspected Yang Zhenzhen had been captured by the Long-tongued Ghost.
"You've asked me a question I don't know the answer to, but I can tell you Yang Zhenzhen was taken by 'Butterfly.' He'll send that girl over shortly."
"The man with the butterfly tattoo is your subordinate?"
"No, he's a tool for 'Logical Paradox,' a killing weapon for our organization. You know Leng Yan, right? Butterfly and Leng Yan serve the same purpose. They only handle the dirty work of clearing things up for the schemer. However, Butterfly and Leng Yan are different. Leng Yan is smarter; he can create scenes of accidental death based on the environment. Butterfly can only use trained methods. He ambushes, injects knockout drugs, masters the dosage, and feeds sleeping pills to the person he's about to kill while they are semi-conscious, then places a forged suicide note at the scene."
"Butterfly captured Yang Zhenzhen."
"Mhm!"
"Why did he capture Yang Zhenzhen? What does she have to do with him?"
"Do you know what kind of people are most attractive?"
"What time is it, and you're still asking such a silly question."
"Yang Zhenzhen won't die immediately, don't rush. I'll tell you slowly. When I was disguised as Jiang He, none of those who considered themselves smart realized I was a man over fifty. But there are always exceptions. Once, I was routinely painting masterpieces for Zhang Ying in the playground when a chubby girl appeared behind me. I could tell from her disdainful expression that she had seen through my disguise. I'm not interested in beautiful women like Zhang Ying, because beautiful exteriors are all the same. But an interesting soul is one in a million, and once discovered, I won't miss it. So, Yang Zhenzhen has been within my plans for a long time."
"So, you had the curly-haired guy at the internet café introduce Yang Zhenzhen to me."
"Exactly. That was someone I could contact online without raising your suspicion. I believe that once you met Yang Zhenzhen, you would be captivated by her unique qualities. I know you're thinking of hanging up and contacting Luo Bo of the 'Black Gold' special investigation team, but I urge you to listen. What I'm about to say is very important to you, and perhaps Yang Zhenzhen doesn't have to die."
"What exactly do you want?"
"A game, of course. It's only fun if it's fair. And the schemer's games aren't just fair; they have layers within layers. The pirate gold game will continue. At this moment, Butterfly should have proposed a solution: 100, 0, 0. Old Li voted no, and I naturally voted no as well. Butterfly is out. My instruction is to execute my next plan after Butterfly is eliminated."
"Does it involve Yang Zhenzhen?"
"Yes. Do you know the Prisoner's Dilemma?"
"Again?"
I knew the story of the Prisoner's Dilemma. It's about two suspects caught by the police after committing a crime, interrogated separately in different rooms. The police knew they were guilty but lacked sufficient evidence. The police told each of them: if both deny, each gets one year; if both confess, each gets eight years; if one confesses and the other denies, the confessor goes free, and the denier gets ten years. Thus, each prisoner faced two choices: confess or deny. However, regardless of what their accomplice chose, the optimal choice for each prisoner was to confess: if the accomplice denies and you confess, you go free; if you deny and they deny, you get one year, so confessing is better. If the accomplice confesses and you confess, you get eight years, which is still better than the ten years for denying. As a result, both suspects chose to confess and each received eight years. If they had both denied, they would have each received one year, which is clearly a better outcome.
"Since you know the Prisoner's Dilemma, let's start a choice game. Uncle Li and Yang Zhenzhen both face the dilemma of being killed. They have thirty minutes to make a choice, to let the other die or remain silent. There are three possible outcomes. The first is that both want the other to die. This is the most likely scenario, as if you let the other die, you might live. However, if both make the choice to let the other die, Uncle Li will have both legs severed, rendering him a wheelchair-bound cripple. Yang Zhenzhen will have both hands severed, losing her talent for painting. The second outcome is that one lets the other die, and the other remains silent. This choice is relatively simpler: the silent one dies, and the one who chose for the other to die lives. The third outcome is that both choose to remain silent. Butterfly and I will each inject them with sleeping pills, ensuring you find them within twenty-four hours and possibly save them. Remember, it's 'possibly.' I won't tell you the address."
I was furious: "Long-tongued Ghost, this game isn't fair. You know we're already monitoring Uncle Li, so Yang Zhenzhen is the only one who will get hurt."
"Monitoring Old Li, setting up a trap for Butterfly around him, that's your game, not mine. If you think it's fair, you can stop Luo Bo from making his move. Of course, Yang Zhenzhen doesn't necessarily have to die. As long as Yang Zhenzhen chooses for the other to die, and Old Li remains silent, I won't harm Yang Zhenzhen, and she will live. In fact, at this point, Yang Zhenzhen's choice is very important. Speaking of which, I've said almost everything I need to say. Remember my words, the pirate gold game will continue until the end. Butterfly will be caught by you or eliminated from this game with his death. Goodbye. I believe you and Luo Bo will need to discuss how to resolve this predicament."
...
After hanging up the phone, I immediately called Yu Xiaoluo. Because of a reporting task for the 107 major fraud case, Yu Xiaoluo wasn't with Luo Bo today. Luo Bo had taken the action team to secretly follow Uncle Li.
"I'll send you Luo Bo's work number right now. Oh, Tang Nan, if the Long-tongued Ghost is using foreign servers as a bridge but calls you from the same city, if you talk for more than ten minutes, I'll try to track his location."
"There's such a thing?"
"This is just a forensic technique. I'll start tracking now. You call Luo Bo."
...
Upon connecting Luo Bo's call, he was also extremely shocked because Uncle Li hadn't reported this matter to him at all. Luo Bo quickly contacted Uncle Li and canceled the 'trap Butterfly' operation, keeping an eye on Uncle Li to prevent him from making a choice within the allotted time.
The choice time was half an hour, and every minute, every second felt like an agony to me.
...
Yang Zhenzhen's voice and smile flickered constantly in my mind. Her talent made her unique, making her accustomed to solitude. But that didn't mean it was the life she wanted.
I had barged into her world and used her. Not only did she not complain, but she tolerated me. She desperately wanted to be my friend, no, she desperately wanted to be my girlfriend. But due to some worldly notions, she settled for being my friend, afraid to take risks.
At the exhibition, I had seen Yang Zhenzhen's genuine smile and her cute, rosy face all day. She had no worldly notions, no desire for profit. She was a pure artist.
It was precisely because of this that I felt fear. The pure-hearted Yang Zhenzhen would surely not make a selfish choice; she could not decide to let someone die.
Damn it, the Long-tongued Ghost must have figured this out.
...
My phone rang, and I quickly answered. It was Luo Bo.
"The choice time is over. We have controlled Uncle Li, who remained silent. Yang Zhenzhen should have also chosen silence."
"That silly girl."
At this moment, I really didn't know what to say. My mind was in turmoil.
"We've found the man with the butterfly tattoo nearby. The action team has initiated apprehension."
"What about Yang Zhenzhen?"
As I asked, Luo Bo sighed and remained silent.
"I understand. Thank you, Brother Luo."
After hanging up, I dialed the number from my first call with the Long-tongued Ghost: "Sorry, the number you have dialed is invalid. Please check the number and dial again."
...
However, as soon as I hung up, my phone rang again. It was a string of strange numbers. I quickly answered: "Long-tongued Ghost."
"Tang Nan, it's me!" Yang Zhenzhen's tearful voice came from the other end.
"Don't be afraid, Yang Zhenzhen, I'll come to save you. Tell me where you are?"
"I don't know, I don't know."
"It's okay, don't be afraid. Are there any distinctive features of the building?"
"I don't know. He's covered the place with black cloth. That Jiang He you found is forcing me to kill people. I can't do it, I don't want to kill anyone. He said something about results, about silence, and then he's going to inject me with sleeping pills, saying I'll die within twenty-four hours."
"You won't die, I'll find you, I'll save you. After you're safe, if you agree, I can be your boyfriend."
"Really?"
"Best to lose some weight first."
With my words, Yang Zhenzhen's voice visibly relaxed: "At a time like this, you're still saying these things. I don't know anything, but I believe you can save me."
"Yes, I will save you. Don't be afraid, try to sleep for a while. I'll definitely come wearing that pink outfit, like a heavenly soldier arriving to rescue you. I..."
"Tang Nan!" The voice changed. The Long-tongued Ghost had taken the phone.
"Long-tongued Ghost, you won't escape this time. You've really angered me."
The Long-tongued Ghost chuckled: "Don't forget, I reminded you, the pirate gold game is still going on."
"What?"
The Long-tongued Ghost hung up. I stared at the phone, bewildered. Why was the pirate gold game still going on? What was the point of this game? Were there any details I had overlooked?
Just then, the phone rang again. It was Yu Xiaoluo.
"Sis."
"You did well. I couldn't find the Long-tongued Ghost's location before, but he called you again, and I've locked onto his position. I'm going to apprehend him now."
From her voice, I could tell Yu Xiaoluo was going downstairs.
"Sis, be careful. The Long-tongued Ghost is not easy to deal with."
"Don't worry, I'm a former special forces officer. Besides, I've already notified Captain Luo. He's leading the action team to arrest Butterfly. After they catch Butterfly, he'll come to help me."
"Where is the Long-tongued Ghost?"
"Mandah Shopping Mall!"
"I'm going too!"
After saying that, I hurried to the dormitory and took out the pink casual suit that I had previously disliked. This suit must bless me in rescuing Yang Zhenzhen safely.