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Chapter 53: Trade their pain for your time!
Real?
For a moment, Wu You was also shaken. The initial system announcement stated that none of them could leave their respective positions, or else there would be significant problems.
But now…
If the distress call from Zhong Yirou was genuine, he couldn’t stay idle. With her current strength, she wouldn’t last much longer.
If she wasn’t Zhong Yirou but just a ploy to lure them into action, any step away could lead to disastrous consequences, and the three people inside might indeed be in danger.
So far, the system had not declared their mission a failure…
If he went to rescue her and was deceived, the fate of the seven people might be ruined by his own hands.
But if he didn’t go, and if it was the real Zhong Yirou, she would undoubtedly be dragged away, leaving the block, resulting in failure.
Listening to Zhong Yirou’s struggling cries for help, Wu You’s mind uncontrollably became chaotic, and he could only force himself to calm down.
On the side, Nan Shan tried to control his peach wood sword, but as soon as the sword flew up, it seemed to be blocked by something, unable to continue forward.
“Wu You…”
Hearing Zhong Yirou’s voice, sweat almost oozed from Wu You’s back.
“Are you really Zhong Yirou?”
“Roast… roasted chicken… You don’t get to eat it…”
The moment he heard these words, he suddenly understood.
“I’m going to save her.”
Josh’s voice appeared in the corridor, “Are you sure?”
“Only she would remember such a terrible thing until death.”
In the instant Wu You spoke, the green block under his feet suddenly turned red, and the room filled with blaring alarm sounds.
“Oppression stopped; the power system malfunctioned.”
The once dark room was instantly filled with a crimson dense light mist.
“Did you do this, Wu You?” Josh asked anxiously.
“No,” Wu You replied and shouted Zhong Yirou’s name, but received no response.
“Trouble.”
He decisively left his block and ran in Zhong Yirou’s direction, “Zhong Yirou, wait for me; I’m coming.”
He remembered she was in the northwest corner.
Nan Shan seemed to have also changed his position, “Be careful; I’m coming too.”
Hearing both of them moving, Josh also shouted, “Wait for me! If you’re moving, I’m coming to find you too.”
Running through the dispersed red mist, Wu You headed toward the northwest corner and saw Josh running toward him at the southwest corner.
But when he arrived, it was different from what he had imagined.
Zhong Yirou was not there; it was empty.
Soon, he saw a golden light emerging from the right corner. Wu You immediately shouted Zhong Yirou’s name in that direction, but received a response from Nan Shan.
“Come quickly; she’s here with me!”
Why was she in the northeast corner?
Wu You didn’t think much and, together with Josh, rushed toward the location of the golden light. In the vast red mist, he once again saw the face identical to An Wujiu’s, but he was struggling in pain, trapped by Nan Shan’s talisman.
“He did drag Miss Zhong just now. Fortunately, he doesn’t have weapons. Let’s check on Miss Zhong first.” Nan Shan maintained the spell with hand seals, but his face was not good, appearing quite strenuous.
Wu You helped the collapsed Zhong Yirou up. “Hey, are you okay?”
Zhong Yirou still had her eyes closed, offering no response. So, he checked her breathing.
Luckily, nothing major had happened.
“Nan Shan…” Josh pointed at the fake An Wujiu within the golden talisman and said, “He seems to be disappearing.”
Wu You raised his head, and he saw the golden glow of the talisman gradually obscuring the outline of A02, and his agonized expression was fading away, almost disappearing.
However, Nan Shan’s stamina was severely limited by the game, ultimately unable to support such a powerful spell. He fell to his right knee.
A gust of wind rose, talismans were peeled off one by one, and the A02 in front of them completely disappeared into the black mist.
“Is it really a ghost?” Josh helped Nan Shan up. “Are you okay, Mr. Nan Shan?”
Nan Shan felt that his tongue was sealed, struggling to speak. After a while, he nodded and said, “Yes.”
“So A02 really died…” Josh muttered to himself.
“Is this why the No. 2 card changed to a ghost card?” Wu You thought for a moment. “Could the hidden plot of this game be A02’s path of revenge?”
Josh also began to speculate on the repeated appearance of A02’s intentions. “Could it be… that everyone present is responsible for A02’s death? So he wants to kill the corresponding person on each floor.”
Wu You looked up at the upper part of the corridor, feeling something strange.
Could it be that if the mission failed, only the people inside would be in trouble?
Just as he was thinking about this, a strong light suddenly appeared before them.
The door in the middle of the wall opened.
Originally, Wu You didn’t intend to approach, but the voice of the magic rabbit appeared again.
“Dear friends, it’s such a pity; your mission has failed.
In this way, your companions may be on the verge of life and death.”
Wu You’s heart, suspended in mid-air, dropped heavily in an instant, and his fingertips began to numb.
“But…” The rabbit, excessively adept at manipulating emotions, paused slightly, then laughed, “You know, I am quite a kind person. How can I bear to watch everyone lose their companions?”
“Enter this door, and you will get what you want.”
This was clearly an enticement.
Although they knew and were well aware, Wu You still didn’t hesitate to support Zhong Yirou and walk toward the wide-open door.
“Wu You…” Josh was somewhat afraid. “Could it be a trap?”
“I can’t just watch them in danger like this.”
Wu You walked forward without stopping. This teenager of about fifteen had a steady pace, displaying a courage rare for his age.
“Wujiu-ge was the first to help me at the holy altar, allowing me to survive. Although he had ulterior motives at the time, before that, no one was willing to use me. Everyone ignored my existence; even if I died, no one cared.”
He didn’t continue speaking, the cold white light shining on his clean profile.
In the end, Wu You directly walked in.
Josh hesitated, and Nan Shan thought it was normal.
At this moment, walking in without hesitation seemed unlike his usual style.
“Let’s go in too.” Nan Shan whispered to Josh, who was supporting him.
“After all, we always have to find the door to heaven on this floor to reach the last floor. Staying here will only be for temporary safety. Being together, the chances of winning are always greater, right?”
Josh didn’t struggle for too long.
“I’m just a little scared,” he responded softly. Despite this, Josh still supported him, step by step, as he entered the open door.
The moment they entered the room, the door slammed shut.
The rabbit’s voice appeared again: “Wow, you guys are really kind; not a single one of you hesitated to come in. This has never happened before.”
“People have always acted as deserters, more or less.”
The walls of this room seemed to be made of metal, shimmering with a cold gloss. In front of them were three identical, massively sealed metal boxes, each the size of an elevator cabin.
Wu You’s intuition told him that they were inside those three boxes.
“What do you want us to do?” Wu You asked coldly.
The rabbit emitted a sharp laugh.
“Such impatience at such a young age. This challenge for you later may not be a good thing.”
Saying that, four huge metal arms appeared in front of them. They were captured by these arms at lightning speed; the metal joints, almost twice the thickness of a human arm, tightly clamped their waists, rendering them completely immobile.
Just as Wu You tried to struggle, the giant mechanical hands suddenly loosened, and his body fell sharply, finally landing heavily on a bed that was neither soft nor hard.
An operating table.
Everyone’s body was tied down with straps, leaving no room for escape. More sophisticated mechanical arms appeared, each with electrodes at the top, appearing in pairs and aiming at their temples and the tops of their heads.
“It’s actually quite simple; I’m afraid you’ve already guessed it.”
“Yes, your companions are now in these sealed metal rooms. They are currently undertaking another challenge, and what you need to do is buy time for them.”
The rabbit laughed and said, “Does it sound familiar? Just like what happened in the circus theater before, except at that time, you were in a hypnotic state. Now, you will be incredibly awake, more awake than ever.”
As he spoke, the mechanical arms with electrodes gradually approached, the tips pressing heavily on their scalps and temples.
“Because you will experience unprecedented pain.”
The rabbit laughed more and more maniacally. “How lucky you are to have trusted companions, so this pain can be evenly distributed among four. There was a fool who came alone before, having to endure all the pain. He ended up being tortured unconscious and never woke up until the end of the game.”
Although these electrodes had not yet been electrified, they seemed to have already felt this immense pain.
“The challenge inside the room consists of seven rounds, meaning you need to be shocked a total of seven times. Friends, you can reach out your right hand and feel the edge of the bed. Yes, there’s a red button there. When you feel unbearable, you can choose to press the button, and the shock you endure will immediately stop. But, correspondingly…
Inside the room, the time given to them will also stop.”
“Press it, or don’t press it; it’s all up to your choice.”
The rabbit chuckled lightly.
“So, good luck to you.”
In an instant, two blank bar charts appeared in front of Wu You, one indicating the level of pain and the other accumulating seconds.
Both bars started to show colors.
The piercing pain felt like snakes, penetrating his scalp and brain through the electrodes, as if trying to gnaw and suck up all his brain marrow. It hurt so much—an unexpectedly painful sensation.
His fingers gripped tightly to the operating table.
“Hold on for a while…”
Wu You was no longer sure whether he was talking to the other three or trying to convince himself.
Every crevice in his bones was filled with the pain of the electric currents piercing through them.
“Wow, impressive.”
“Some time has already passed.”
Trapped inside the sealed metal room, An Wujiu waited silently for the rabbit to announce the rules of the game.
Suddenly, he heard intense screams, one after another, not from the same person.
“Who is this? Wu You and the others?”
The long-silent rabbit finally said, “Don’t be so nervous. These kind angels won’t die. They are just enduring pain and sacrificing for your progress.”
This description made An Wujiu feel nauseous.
It was like forcing young lives to sacrifice for the so-called “future of humanity.”
“What exactly do you want to do?”
“Wow, it seems that threats to you really require using other people’s lives.” The rabbit was delighted by An Wujiu losing his calm. “Don’t be in a hurry. These poor companions are just enduring pain, buying time for you.”
“Except for you, that half-blood woman colder than you and the handsome guy with green eyes are all locked in completely sealed rooms, just like you. The three of you can hear the screams and pleas of your companions outside due to pain, but you can’t hear each other’s voices.”
This was simply undermining their ability to think calmly.
“This game… is actually quite simple.” The rabbit’s voice hovered high in the air, as if surpassing cruelty and suffering.
“I just want to ask you a small question: we want to conduct genetic editing on our friends outside, even on the children in the entire containment center. In simple terms, it’s eliminating the genes we consider harmful. Of course, you might think, whatever, it’s just a game on the holy altar.”
“No, no, no.” The rabbit shattered their illusions and wishful thinking.
“Don’t forget, your nerves are already connected to this game. Even if your companions are lucky enough to survive and become survivors, the edited genes will still block certain small but crucial brain nerves.”
That was what the rabbit meant by “incomplete” from the beginning.
An Wujiu’s heart grew colder.
This game was built upon their pain.
If they really lost, would they have to pay an even greater and more painful price?
Amidst the wailing cries, An Wujiu forced himself to stay calm.
Regardless, abandoning rational thinking would be the first step toward death.
“You just said… you want to conduct genetic editing,” he emphasized the word “want to.”
“Yes, I just want to, because we need the opinions of the three of you. So, all you need to do is answer whether to do it or not.”
As the rabbit uttered these words, a white box slowly appeared in front of An Wujiu on the metallic wall. The transparent lid of the box opened upwards, revealing two circular buttons—one black with “YES” on top and the other white with “NO.”
Below the buttons was a small LED screen, currently dark.
A small section of exposed wires at the bottom edge of the box made An Wujiu speculate that it might be connected to the source of their pain outside.
The rabbit continued, “I will ask you this question seven times in total, and each time, the majority’s decision will determine whether to eliminate or not. For example, in the first round, if two of you choose to eliminate and one chooses the opposite, then the result for that round will be YES—minority submits to the majority, quite fair.”
An Wujiu didn’t understand. If that were the case, everyone would surely choose not to eliminate, with no reason to make a choice that harmed others.
“I know what you’re thinking.” The rabbit laughed. “Of course, the rules are not just these.”
“Your answers not only affect the pain and safety of others but also determine whether you can get out of here.”
“Because there are three decision-makers and two choices, the unlocking rules are as follows:
A. If all three people choose the same result, whether it’s eliminating genes or not, it will unlock Player Yang Erci’s door.
B. If two choose to eliminate and one chooses not to, then Player Shen Ti’s door will be unlocked.
C. If one chooses to eliminate and two choose not to, you, An Wujiu, will have the chance to unlock the door.”
The screams outside grew more heart-wrenching, unsettling An Wujiu’s inner peace.
“What if the same situation repeats in one of the questions?”
The rabbit casually responded, “Then we’ll repeat the unlocking. If the situation is B several times in a row, we’ll just keep unlocking Shen Ti’s door. The more repetitions, the more wasted chances to unlock doors.”
“Not only that, even if the door is unlocked, you can only be released after the seven questions are finished. Before that, you must stay here and answer my questions one by one.”
“Seven questions will yield seven decisions—eliminate or not. In the end, the minority submits to the majority. If most of the results in the seven rounds are YES, then sorry.”
The rabbit let out a creepy laugh. “Unable to hear each other’s voices, unable to discuss, unable to see each other’s faces, and not even knowing what answer the other gave this round—just hearing the miserable screams of friends. Aren’t you feeling lonely and helpless?”
Their information was isolated from each other.
Because of the information asymmetry, they couldn’t know what answer the other would give in each round—YES or NO. They also couldn’t adjust their choices based on others’ strategies.
They had to ensure the door was unlocked while making sure that the final result after seven rounds was definitely NO. Otherwise, the four outside would suffer irreversible harm.
An Wujiu really wanted to know how Shen Ti felt at this moment and whether he was tormented like him.
The rabbit chuckled as he announced, “The people outside have already collected your first round of contemplation time using pain. You know, human endurance is limited. If they’re like the previous individuals, they might not even make it to the seventh round.”
A giant countdown appeared in front of An Wujiu.
“60 seconds, and you have to tell me your choice.”
An Wujiu closed his eyes, starting to think from the perspective of the others.
This was the first opportunity to answer, and it should be easy for all three to choose NO, not to eliminate. This way, they could reach a consensus, unlock Yang Erci’s door, and strive for the first “Not to eliminate” result.
He believed that both Shen Ti and Yang Erci should be able to figure this out.
The 60-second countdown felt exceptionally brief.
An Wujiu opened his eyes and, with 40 seconds left, made his choice straightforwardly.
He pressed the white button labeled NO.
The countdown continued for a few more seconds until it reached zero, and the rabbit’s voice resurfaced.
An Wujiu heard applause, unintentionally furrowing his brow.
It was applauding, as if it had watched an exciting performance.
Soon, a cheerful electronic melody echoed within the metallic room, resembling the celebratory sound that would play after successfully completing a level in a game.
The source of the sound was the box on the wall, where the previously dark screen lit up, displaying several characters.
[N, N, N]
“Congratulations! You’ve tacitly reached an agreement in the first round, and everyone chose not to eliminate. As promised, I will now unlock Yang Erci’s door.”
New words scrolled across the display screen of the box.
[Player Yang Erci’s door is unlocked!]
“It seems like you’re all very kind people.” The rabbit’s voice was as sharp as nails scratching against an aluminum frame, making one uncomfortable all over. “There are six more rounds to answer, so grasp the opportunity. The fate of them and your own fate lies in the simple choices of yes or no.”
The screams erupting from unbearable pain pierced through the metal walls, each cry feeling like a sharp claw scratching at An Wujiu’s heart.
He couldn’t fathom how extreme the pain must be for someone as patient and silent as Wu You to emit such sounds.
He was still a child who hadn’t reached adulthood.
“Wow, they’ve saved you another 55 seconds. Impressive, right?” The rabbit expressed its joy, “Come on, start answering for the second round.”
The countdown began again, with numbers constantly changing.
An Wujiu thought quickly.
In the previous round, he used the answer that all three wanted to obtain because it could unlock a door and still avoid eliminating the gene.
But this time, there was no so-called common answer. If everyone chose not to eliminate again, three NOs would lead to repeating the unlocking of Yang Erci’s door, wasting an opportunity.
The optimal solution was two not to eliminate and one to eliminate. This way, even if the majority result was not to eliminate, he could still unlock his own door.
Or it could be two eliminations and one not elimination. Although it would yield an elimination result, there were still five chances left, enough to recover the situation. As long as all three could be unlocked, the subsequent answers would undoubtedly be three NOs because freedom had already been ensured.
So this time, as long as they didn’t repeat unlocking Yang Erci’s door, everything still had a chance.
To avoid repetition, someone’s choice had to be different from the other two. Due to the punishment mechanism after the game ended, An Wujiu thought they would naturally lean toward the “not to eliminate” option since it was safe and correct. If the other two chose NO, he should choose YES to avoid repetition.
No.
An Wujiu thought again. If he could think of this point, the others would surely think of it too. Both Shen Ti and Yang Erci weren’t simple people; they must have guessed the situation and might consider choosing YES as a balancer.
However, this could potentially lead to a situation where all three choose YES.
Choose NO, choose not to eliminate…
A voice kept appearing in his mind, trying to convince him.
What if the two of them also thought of choosing NO to balance things out? What should he do?
“Five seconds left,” the rabbit kindly reminded.
In the end, An Wujiu reached out and pressed the black button, choosing YES.
As time reached zero, the rabbit smiled at him.
“Announce your results.”
The cheerful celebration music played again, but on the small screen, it displayed a result not worth celebrating.
[YYY]
“You guys are really synchronized friends. This time, you coincidentally made the same choice again, but this time, it’s eliminating the genes.”
[Player Yang Erci’s door is unlocked!]
“Two rounds of answers, and the result is a tie.”
The rabbit paused, speaking softly amid the cries and pain.
“There are five more chances. Good luck to you!”
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being too smart has drawbacks
Reading this is not good for my heart