At 7:15, as we were about to enter the elevator, Lin Han, to avoid any confusion with time, put the watch that showed the precise time on her right hand and the other on her left. Then, security personnel led us separately to our respective elevator entrances.
In a game, the most important person is the one who designs the rules. That person is Zhu Guang. Zhu Guang is not a god; even though he set up this game, he cannot see all the rules. The rules he cannot see are called hidden rules. To win against a game designer, the only thing you can do is find these hidden rules and cause the game to collapse before the designer can patch up their loopholes.
...
In a short period, Zhu Guang and I had clashed twice. Whether it was "Round Table Shooter" or "Scissor Art," I had never truly beaten Zhu Guang based on the game's rules. What I did was use external elements to disrupt Zhu Guang's control over the game rules.
This kind of victory, though it appears to be a win, is not truly a win.
Why do I say that?
Suppose we face a prisoner's dilemma. When faced with two choices, we rack our brains. But why don't police officers use the prisoner's dilemma to interrogate criminals when they catch them?
That's because there are many factors beyond the rules in the real world. For example, if these two criminals are father and son, and the father wants to take the blame for his son, what meaning does your prisoner's dilemma have then? The prisoner's dilemma is only valid when neither party wants to be imprisoned.
Consider the rules in Round Table Shooter. If, at that moment, Lin Han and I both wanted to kill Da Huang, and Lin Han was willing to sacrifice herself for me, where would the gunner's restraint be? The game would end simply. No matter who fired first, Da Huang would certainly be dead, or one of the dead.
...
This time, I cannot rely on the familiar police forces to help me disrupt the rules set by Zhu Guang. I must defeat the rules within the framework of the rules Zhu Guang has established. To put it plainly, I have to defeat a god with the body of a mortal.
...
After entering the elevator, I observed the environment. Cameras, recording devices – these basic things were all present. Other than that, it was just an ordinary elevator.
Up to this point, our control over time remains accurate. The news broadcast on the television screen serves as a standard. Based on this standard, no matter how these two watches are swapped, as long as I remember that the faster one is wrong and the slower one is correct, I will never make a mistake.
Lin Han probably thought along these lines, and so did Qin Si Si. I also thought it was reasonable. But would Zhu Guang be unaware of such a glaring loophole? Is this a hidden rule?
"Please start the elevator at 7:25. Those who are accurate with the time will enter the next round. Note that accuracy in time is not about absolute chronological accuracy. In our game, time also abides by democracy. The time chosen by the majority will be considered accurate."
At this point, I had no reason to hesitate. My inner standard told me that the slower watch indicated the true time. So, I pressed the start button according to the time on that slower watch.
"Congratulations, all three of you have passed. If you clear the next floor and reach the third floor, you will complete the game and rescue the hostages."
Zhu Guang's voice, transmitted through the speaker, was relaxed and nonchalant. It gave me the feeling that if we continued on this path, we would surely win the next floor. But I didn't believe the game would be that simple.
Exiting the elevator, I saw security personnel. They led me to a lounge. I observed their physiques; they were the same type of individuals I had seen at the school that day. They were likely battle-hardened mercenary soldiers, capable of easily dealing with armed guards in a command vehicle. I watched for a moment and quickly abandoned the idea of defeating them through combat.
In the lounge, there was water, food, and a large digital clock, which was particularly conspicuous. I glanced at the time on the digital clock and felt a pang of regret because it was identical to the time on my faster watch, which was two minutes ahead.
If you have one watch, you can know the time accurately. If you have two, confusion arises. If you have three, assuming two are the same, you can still rely on the principle of democracy, meaning the two watches with the same time are correct.
Watching the news broadcast was equivalent to having three watches. But after seeing this time, I now had four times in my mind. However, because two pairs matched, I still knew two distinct times.
What should I do now? If I saw this time, then Lin Han and Qin Si Si must have seen it in their respective lounges as well.
At this point, I was being escorted by security to the next elevator. He stood at the entrance of the stairwell, watching the elevator door slowly close.
"You will press the elevator's ascent button at 7:40. If successful, the elevator will ascend to the third floor. If unsuccessful, the elevator will not move, and security personnel will escort you to the small dark room. Remember our principle: in this game, time also submits to democracy."
After a five-minute rest, I was sent into the elevator around 7:30. One watch gave me six minutes to think, while the other, which I believed to be correct, gave me eight minutes.
Which time was correct: the one from the news broadcast on the first floor, or the time on the digital clock in the lounge? What I feared most was that Lin Han, with her straightforward thinking, might choose the first watch as the accurate time, while Qin Si Si, being more thoughtful, might choose the time on the second watch as accurate. Zhu Guang had the security personnel take us to the lounges precisely for this purpose.
Thinking this way, if they both chose the same time, my chance of passing would be 50%. If they chose different times, my chance of passing would be 100%. Regardless of their choice, according to the rule that the minority obeys the majority, I would not be the one eliminated.
No matter what, I had to give it my all.
Lin Han's thought process is likely direct. Upon seeing the second watch, she would probably act based on the time from the second floor. Now, I just have to pray that Sister Si Si also chooses the time from the second floor, and we will pass.
I waited in the lounge for the time to arrive, and suddenly I heard a voice say: "Congratulations to Lin Han and Qin Si Si for passing. Tang Nan has been eliminated."
This news surprised me greatly. Why had this happened? Was I the only one who was misled by the time from the second-floor lounge? Neither of them was affected.
The door opened, and I was indeed in the second floor. The guard took me to the small dark room.
This small dark room was truly aptly named. There was no light inside, and it was oppressively cramped. After being pushed in, my eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet, but I already felt myself colliding with someone.
"You're Tang Nan, aren't you?"
"It's me!"
"You're here to save us, right?" This voice, filled with a hint of joy, sounded like the missing female technician.
At this moment, I remembered the function of an iron cage. If I gave them hope, then after they lost it, their actions would become extreme. Not answering should have been the best option, but I reconsidered. Not answering was also not right; my very presence here represented hope.
"Yes, I will definitely save you," I changed my strategy and took on the responsibility.
"I've participated in several operations with the Criminal Investigation Bureau and heard of Tang Nan's reputation. He's a genius. We're saved."
"Yes, as long as Tang Nan is here, you will all be unharmed. However, it's not time to leave yet. Luo Bo hasn't found us, so we can't take risks. During this time, I will play games with the enemy."
"Won't you be in danger?"
"Don't worry, I'm Tang Nan!"
The moment I was pulled out, I understood why these people didn't escape. After spending some time in the darkness, the sudden light made it impossible to open my eyes. At the entrance of the small dark room stood two permanent security guards, and with the person who brought me here, it was impossible for us to break through the security and escape without them seeing. Furthermore, both of these guards were carrying their police-issued sidearms.
I spent ten minutes inside the small dark room conducting my "brainwashing propaganda" before being dragged out by security. After a long period of adjusting to the light, they took me to the first floor. Lin Han and Qin Si Si were resting on dark green single sofas.
Qin Si Si remained quiet, but Lin Han was somewhat displeased, pointing at me and saying, "If there's a disagreement about the time standard, why can't we just execute the first time standard? It's such a simple principle, why don't you understand?"
I remained silent, but Qin Si Si smiled and said, "Because in this game, there are two schemers, which complicates what would otherwise be a simple matter."
Indeed, Qin Si Si had hit the nail on the head. Once there are schemers, I naturally start considering what the other party is thinking and what their next move will be. Lin Han doesn't have this obstacle, so her thinking is more straightforward.
Lin Han wasn't intending to scold me continuously. She was relatively relaxed, put her arm around my neck, and whispered, "Why don't we coordinate our stories? The rules don't say we can't do this."
"Okay!"
We agreed that no matter what, we would adhere to the first principle, which was to operate according to the time on the first watch.
...
If it continues like this, we will win.
But just as I thought, even though Zhu Guang designed the game, he cannot fathom all the rules. The rules he cannot see are hidden rules.
The moment I received the watch from security, I knew the rules had changed. The time difference between these two watches was four minutes. This meant that all three of our watches might have changed, and the correct time was hidden within the intersection of our watch times.
"If the game continues like this, it will probably take all night to determine a winner. This old man's body isn't what it used to be. I need to be in bed before ten o'clock, so we need to change our game. Only five people can be in the small dark room."
I took a deep breath. This newly added rule, which seemed to have no impact on the game, had cornered us players into a desperate situation.