God's imitator

Chapter 38 'The King's Trial'

The hall erupted in another uproar.

Although they had already experienced a group game once, it was clear that most people would still instinctively feel flustered by such a sudden game invitation.

More importantly, the nature of this game is completely different from the last one.

The goal of "Blood Poker" is to complete the allocation of the first visa time, so in terms of actual game content, there is basically no life-or-death crisis.

The only difference between players is whether they earn more or less visa time.

However, the goal of this game is to "complete the trial," which means the game has a certain fatality rate.

The thought of Wei Xinjian's fate in "Redemption Roulette" evokes a sense of dread in many people.

The three people who were forced to participate were even more at a loss.

Lin Sizhi looked at the big screen, slightly surprised.

Because the arcade this time did not adopt his game design "Life and Death Line".

"The King's Judgment..."

"It's difficult to discern the game's specific content from its literal meaning."

"So, what is it about this game that made it a favorite in the arcade?"

As Lin Sizhi fell into a brief moment of thought, Fu Chen's voice drowned out the noise in the hall.

"Everyone, please be quiet!"
"Although this game is somewhat dangerous, as everyone has seen from the case of 'Blood Poker,' the more of your own people you have in the same game, the safer it is and the greater your chances of winning."

"Three players in our community have been forced to participate, so I hope everyone will actively sign up, as this will significantly increase their survival rate in the game."

"I'll sign up first!"

Although Fu Chen had already raised his hand to show his support, no one responded.

Clearly, most people are still hesitant.

As everyone knows, Fu Chen is right.

Players within the same community naturally have a better foundation of mutual trust than strangers, which gives them a certain advantage when entering multiplayer games.

Moreover, the game is something no player can escape; if you don't enter this round, you'll have to enter the next one, especially for players with limited visa time.

Even so, the thought that death could actually occur in the trial game still makes people instinctively back down due to their survival instinct.

Five minutes is a very short countdown.

Fu Chen glanced anxiously at everyone, but there was nothing he could do at that moment.

Fortunately, two more people raised their hands before the countdown ended.

Cao Haichuan and Lin Sizhi.

Yang Yuting was still hesitating whether to raise her hand, because she didn't have much time left on her visa, and this might be an opportunity to earn more time.

But the next second, the countdown reset to zero.

[Volunteer players: Cao Haichuan, Lin Sizhi]

Although Fu Chen, Cao Haichuan, and Lin Sizhi all raised their hands to sign up, Fu Chen's name did not appear on the big screen.

Because the players who volunteered were randomly selected, Fu Chen was clearly one of those who were eliminated.

I don't know whether to say he was lucky or unlucky.

The five people selected by the game instantly disappeared from the lobby.

……

"Di-"

A sharp buzzing sound rang out, and Lin Sizhi gradually regained consciousness.

He found himself in a completely unfamiliar space, and he was all alone.

Look around.

The room was surrounded by pristine white walls, and contained only very simple tables and chairs.

However, the wall directly opposite is a huge transparent glass panel through which you can see the entire game scene.

On the walls on both sides are many screens of different sizes, like a monitoring room, which can see many details in the game field from various angles.

Lin Sizhi sat in the chair and looked at the table.

There are many operation buttons, such as 'OK', 'Cancel', '√', '×', a numeric keypad, and buttons representing the portraits of Ding Wenqiang and the other three.

A moment later, an introduction to the game's rules appeared on the small screen in front of the desktop.

As a player who volunteered, your role in this game is: spectator.

[Viewers do not need to participate in the game themselves and will not suffer life-or-death penalties.]

There are 10 audience members in this game, and they only need to do three things:

【1. Tipping】

[A certain amount of visa time will be awarded as a reward to players inside the game, along with a text message. Each text message requires a reward of 1000 minutes of visa time.]

Please note: The player who receives the tip may not necessarily comply with your request, and even if they do, the tip will still be valid and will not be refunded.

2. Voting

In each trial during the game, all spectators must vote on the fairness of the 'King's' actions.

The so-called fairness depends primarily on whether the trial proceedings arranged by the king for the prisoner are commensurate with the prisoner's crimes in terms of both content and severity.

This vote will not bring any benefit to the viewers.

[The voting process will be automatically lie-detected. If a vote contradicts one's true feelings, the audience member will have 1 minutes of their visa time deducted.] [Special Note: Audience members are strictly prohibited from revealing their identity or any information related to fairness to other players. Anyone found doing so will be permanently blocked, and the informant will face immediate execution.]

3. Betting

Viewers can choose to bet on either the 'King' or the 'Prisoner,' but can only bet on one side. The default bet is 5 minutes of visa time.

Each side can receive a maximum of 5 bets from spectators.

[King's Victory Condition: At the end of the game, fewer than 3 prisoners remain alive.]

[King's Winning Bonus: For every prisoner the King executes, each betting spectator will receive an additional 3 minutes of visa time.]

[Prisoner's victory condition: At the end of the game, there are 3 or more surviving prisoners.]

[Prisoner's Winning Bonus: Each bettor will receive an additional 5 minutes of visa time.]

At the end of the game, based on the wins and losses of the King and Prisoners, the winners will also share all the chips wagered and won by the losers.

Finally, please remember: this is someone else's judgment, and you are merely a spectator.

【Good luck! 】

Lin Sizhi carefully read through the rules, but it was clear that without understanding the specific game format, it would be difficult to further analyze how to apply these rules.

Lin Sizhi had no clue what to do and could only look at the arena through the huge transparent glass in front of her.

At this moment, he was in an area that resembled a second-floor grandstand, and there were 10 such grandstands in total, each with a large number written on it.

"That is to say, there were a total of 10 audience members in this game, many of whom came from other communities."

"Officer Cao should be among them, but I don't know his exact number."

Lin Sizhi wanted to observe the other audience members, but the glass was one-way transparent, allowing light to pass through from the inside to the outside, but not from the other way around.

Just then, the loudspeaker broadcast the announcement again.

[Viewer number 1 bet on 'The King'.]

Clearly, some viewers made their decisions faster than expected.

Because so far, the rules of the game have not been fully explained. The audience only knows the rules for the audience, but they have no idea how the actual players will play the game.

For example, how exactly to distinguish between a "king" and a "prisoner," and how many privileges a "king" has, are still unknown.

There are no official restrictions on the betting time; it's highly likely that you can place bets at any time during the game, so there's no need to rush.

Since the king and the prisoner can only bet on one side, it would be better to observe the situation a little longer before making a decision.

Of course, Lin Sizhi could roughly guess why audience member number 1 was in such a hurry.

Because the rules state that each side can receive a maximum of 5 bets from the audience.

In other words, if someone wants to bet on the King but bets too slowly and becomes the sixth person to bet, the bet will automatically be placed on the Prisoner's side.

Audience member #1 stood firmly on the King's side from the very beginning.

It could be because he felt the king would have a greater advantage, or it could be because he naturally preferred the game mode where the king's side kills to make money.

After considering for a moment, Lin Sizhi decided not to place any bets and instead looked at the game area.

He was audience member number 5, which was considered a prime viewing spot.

By looking down slightly, you can clearly see the main playing area.

The venue is somewhat shaped like the Chinese character "甲" (jia), with a very spacious main section located below the spectator stands. It is divided into several compartments, each containing different mechanisms.

The vertical stroke of the "甲" shape is a long passage that extends into the distance.

Five figures can be seen at the end of the passage.

The corresponding footage can also be found in numerous surveillance cameras:
Wang Yongxin, Cai Zhiyuan, Ding Wenqiang, Zhang Peng, and Gao Zhankui were staring at the screen in front of them, listening to the introduction of the game rules.

The sounds from the game area were clearly transmitted into Lin Sizhi's room via the speakers.

【Hello, players.】

Now, you will be put on trial, in a game called "The King's Trial".

In this game, you are all 'sinners'.

But soon, one of you will become the 'King,' while the others will become 'Prisoners.'

[This game will last for 2 hours. Once the game officially begins, the visa wristbands on your wrists will inject a slow-acting toxin into your bodies, causing death after 2 hours.]

You must complete the game's objective within 2 hours to have any chance of survival.

Before entering the main game area, you will play a simple pre-game to determine your roles in the main game: 'King' or 'Prisoner'.

As you can see, ahead is a passageway with a total length of 45 meters, divided into three sections: 20 meters, 15 meters, and 10 meters.

You must carry a mechanism in front of you that weighs twice your own weight and pass through the passage within a time limit.

Each stage has different time limits and rest periods. Please pay close attention to the timer on your current path.

[If the time limit is exceeded, the spikes on the mechanism will pierce your bodies. Exceeding the time limit by twice the limit will result in instant death.]

The first sinner to cross the passage will become the 'King,' while the others will become 'Prisoners.'

The identity of the 'King' is of utmost importance; you must give it your all.

[More rules will be revealed once we enter the official venue.]

This is a test of will and wisdom. Pay attention to every clue in the game, and don't forget to listen to your inner voice.

[The game begins now, good luck!]

(End of this chapter)