We arrived at an underground garage. Someone used equipment to scan us. My phone and watch were confiscated, as were Qin Sisi's listening and tracking devices.
I looked at Qin Sisi. She was completely unfazed, removed the devices, and handed them to the security personnel, smiling as she said, "This wasn't my idea. I told you you'd find them."
The security personnel said nothing and handed me a six-sided die, each side corresponding to one of the six hostages. Zhu Guang kept his word: Qin Sisi's release was being exchanged for a hostage.
Holding the die, my brow furrowed. At this moment, I desperately wanted to rescue Luo Bo, which would allow me to play without restraint. After all, I am human, not a god. Those hostages could only restrain me morally. If I couldn't even save myself, how could I save others? Luo Bo was different; emotional entanglement made things complicated!
Qin Sisi, sensing my thoughts, approached me and said, "Is there someone you particularly want to save?"
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I pointed to Luo Bo. Qin Sisi nodded, took the die, and asked the security personnel, "Anyone can roll, right?"
The security guard nodded and said, "Hurry up."
Qin Sisi held the die, felt its weight, and then squatted down. From about a foot high, she tossed it onto the concrete floor of the garage. The die spun and slowly stopped, landing on the number 6.
I was a little surprised. Qin Sisi still possessed such skills. Seeing the 6, she let out a long sigh of relief, "Good, I haven't forgotten."
The security personnel had already pulled Luo Bo out and removed the hood from his head. Luo Bo looked at me. The security guard pointed a confiscated police-issue pistol at my head and said, "If the police catch us in ten minutes, he dies."
"Brother Luo, Sister Xiao Luo is waiting for you. Go back. Leave this to me."
Luo Bo didn't say a word. He took the bag from the security guard, glanced around, and drove away.
That bag contained the phone, listening devices, and tracking devices. All of them were taken. Then, the security personnel placed a black hood over my head. I quickly grabbed Lin Han's hand. The security personnel didn't waste any words, pushing us both into the back seat of a car. But I heard the sound of dozens, perhaps twenty, cars starting up and leaving the underground garage simultaneously.
I didn't know where they were taking me. They pushed and shoved me all the way. All I could do was hold Lin Han's hand tightly. Finally, we were placed in a hall of about 90 square meters in a building. Above the hall was a television, broadcasting live content.
Besides that, there were three dark green, high-quality single sofas in the hall. To the right of each sofa was a glass coffee table with two boxes on it.
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At this moment, Zhu Guang's figure appeared on the screen.
"Tang Nan, I'm sorry to have you involved in our game so soon. Everything is for the customers. Many customers have lost twice because of you, so they are unhappy and want to gamble one more time. 10 million for a single round is just a small bet to my customers. It's tough on you, Tang Nan!"
"Qin Sisi, I'd like to explain the difference between a gamble and a scam. In a gamble, the house has a certain advantage, and though the odds are slim, the participants have a chance to win. A scam, like your 'Empty Room Celebrity Game,' is where people are deceived. They have no possibility of winning. Therefore, you, participating in this gamble, should be mentally prepared. We play with human nature in gambling, advocating the idea that one must look out for oneself or face divine punishment. We are not exploiting human weaknesses for profit."
"Lin Han, this gamble isn't unfamiliar to you. You performed very well last time. However, I suspect Tang Nan doesn't have time to tell you heartwarming little stories this time. This time, you're on your own."
Zhu Guang first commented on us and then, as usual, moved on to the game segment.
Once the game begins, we will enter an elevator. Pressing the up button at the precise time will win the game. The loser will be sent to a "dark room" after the elevator doors open.
The elevator will travel twice. Zhu Guang will be waiting for us on the third floor. If we see him, we can make a request, which is to rescue a hostage or a companion. The game doesn't end when we see Zhu Guang. There are two ways to end the game: one is to rescue everyone, and the other is for everyone to be locked in the dark room.
It sounds fair, but I saw two watch boxes on the coffee table next to me. Two watches indicate that this game is definitely not that simple.
"What is a dark room?" Lin Han asked, puzzled.
Compared to Lin Han, Qin Sisi remained quiet. But she wasn't uninterested in the question. After Lin Han asked, Qin Sisi also stared intently at the screen.
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"Imagine an iron house, utterly without windows and impossible to break, filled with people in deep sleep, who will soon suffocate. But they will pass from slumber to death without feeling the sorrow of dying. Now you cry out, waking a few of the more conscious, causing these unfortunate few to endure the agony of an unavoidable death. Do you think you have done right by them?"
Lin Han didn't understand and frowned, exclaiming, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Qin Sisi, however, understood and said lightly, "That quote is from Lu Xun's 'Diary of a Madman'."
Zhu Guang nodded, "Indeed. Many people in this world create all sorts of performance art. Because performance art originated in the West, it often contains Western themes. For example, taking out ribs to make wedding rings, inspired by Adam and Eve. To offer oneself to the world through anesthesia, inspired by Jesus on the cross in the Bible. When I encountered performance art, I realized our ancestors had those ideas long ago. Therefore, we have created the performance art of the iron house. Now, the people trapped in the iron house have lost hope. They know they are going to die. Even if they are police officers, they likely don't have the resolve to die for a cause. Once someone is dragged in, they become a source of hope, igniting the fire in the hearts of those who were supposed to die. They will cling to that last straw. This is the humanity that survives."
"I don't understand!"
Lin Han said with a frown.
Zhu Guang chuckled, "Your companions are intelligent people. You can ask them. Alright, the game begins punctually at 7:15. Good luck. I'll be waiting for you on the third floor."
After he finished speaking, the television switched to a live broadcast.
"What exactly is a dark room?"
Lin Han still couldn't comprehend it. Qin Sisi glanced at the television screen and interrupted her, "Let's check the watches first."
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Each of us had two watch boxes. We quickly opened them to reveal two electronic watches. The buttons for adjusting the time had been tampered with; no matter how you pressed them, the watch face wouldn't change. The time on the two watch faces differed by two minutes.
"The news is about to start. Let's synchronize our watches."
"Okay!"
After synchronizing our watches, one of the two watches was correct, while the other was two minutes fast.
"What exactly is a dark room?"
Lin Han asked the question again. I could feel her unease.
"There are currently five police officers held hostage by Zhu Guang. After Luo Bo was rescued, Zhu Guang must have found a way to make them believe they are doomed. At this point, if one of us is thrown into the dark room, it's equivalent to giving those hostages hope of survival."
"Isn't hope a good thing?"
"Of course, it is. The problem lies in the game itself. Suppose one of us enters the dark room. Then, the remaining people will have two choices when they meet Zhu Guang: First, we choose to rescue the hostages or our companion.
"Is there a problem with that?"
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"If we choose to rescue a companion, the game resets, and we have to play again. If we choose to rescue the police, our companion remains in the dark room, and the rescued police officers will also have to participate in the game. Lin Han, do you know this? If a person has one watch, their concept of time is accurate. If a person has two watches, time will gradually become blurred. At a certain point, you won't be able to distinguish which watch shows the truly correct time."
"We synchronized our watches."
"They gave us time to synchronize our watches to tell us the difference is one minute, but in reality, this one minute is a world of difference."
Lin Han finally understood and fell silent, looking at the two watches with anxiety. I sighed and looked at the calm Qin Sisi, asking earnestly, "Sister Sisi, is there any way?"
"We have a possibility of winning, but it's minuscule. That person named Zhu Guang was right; scams exploit human weaknesses, while gambling plays with human nature. Once the game descends into chaos, and more and more people realize that this is a no-win situation, they will treat us cruelly."
"What do you mean?"
"Now we are divided into two factions: us and the police. We are three people, and the police are five. They enter the game, and they rescue their companions or us. We rescue ourselves or the police. As this game repeats, the police will realize that if we weren't here, the five of them could easily reach the third floor, make their request, and rescue the police to complete the game."
Lin Han had just understood, and now she was confused again: "Then what about us?"
"The police kill us in the dark room."
Lin Han's eyes widened, and she shook her head vehemently. "Impossible! They are police officers?"
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"Everyone wants to live, regardless of their profession. Once they are rescued, they will all agree that we are heroes killed by terrorists during a rescue operation."
"Damn it~" Lin Han exclaimed angrily.
"Don't swear!"
"What's wrong with swearing? I want to curse him to the eighteenth generation of his ancestors."
Qin Sisi glanced at me. I understood what she meant and shook my head, signaling her not to speak.
We fell into a trap from the very beginning. This situation could have been avoided if Luo Bo were here. However, when that die appeared, it was the trap. Zhu Guang knew I wanted to save Luo Bo because Luo Bo could disrupt Zhu Guang's meticulously designed game rules in reality. Similarly, Zhu Guang knew Qin Sisi had this capability.
The oppressive feeling returned. This Zhu Guang, to this day, has left no stone unturned in his plans...