God's Imitator

Of course, since this game is ’Pecking Order’, there is a lower probability that opposing players may experience brain farts or operational errors, failing to achieve optimum performance.

Then the 2nd Community can establish a roughly 14-unit advantage in resources.

This advantage is quite apparent, as the more materials transported, the more products can be produced and the more gold pounds can be earned.

It also allows for more contraband to be smuggled, earning extra profit.

The steam train shuttles back and forth transporting goods, the mist outside still lingers, and Huang Shengjie shows no sign of returning.

Zhou Wanlin is unaware of the situation of other players and can only wait.

Because she cannot leave here, once she leaves the steam train will stall, and all efforts will be in vain.

Moreover, after the materials are transported, she still needs to enter the Review Room to complete the review process and hand over these supplies to Yao Yuan and He Qinyun in the prison cell.

She can only supervise the steam train while continuing to ponder the game rules and possible changes in the future situation.

...

Meanwhile, in the main building of the prison, within the 2nd Community prison cell.

The mechanical rumble always echoes here, players acting as ’Prisoners’ must speak loudly face-to-face in order to communicate, and such noise makes people feel extremely irritable, seriously disrupting their thinking.

Yao Yuan and He Qinyun are looking at the game venue floor plan on the wall, pondering strategies.

They, like players outside, have also received their worker badges, but they have no initial gold pounds and cannot leave the prison cell.

The prison cell is an ’L-shaped’ spacious area with 4 doors, leading to the ’Raw Material Staging Area’, the ’Medical Room’, the ’Confinement Room’, and ’Outside the Prison’.

There is a large machine connected to the factory in the room, with a rugged and complex mechanical structure and a dedicated console.

As long as raw materials are fed into the supply port, they can be automatically converted into gold pounds.

He Qinyun tried to pull all the doors in the room, checking the notices next to them, only to find that most doors require specific conditions to open.

The condition to enter the ’Confinement Room’ is to trigger a minor violation;

The condition to enter the ’Medical Room’ is poor health;

The door to the ’Raw Material Staging Area’ is unique, normally remaining freely open, but even if one enters now, it is meaningless because the door from ’Raw Material Staging Area’ to the Review Room is locked, impassable.

Only when outside players deliver raw materials can they be received.

As for the door leading outside from the prison cell, it’s located roughly at the lower right corner of the prison cell, that is below the right side walkway, with a special bill slot and a small notice plaque next to it.

[During the first, second, and third rounds of the game, pay 10,000 gold pounds to leave prison, converting to ’Worker’ status to continue the game.]

[Exemption from outfield extreme pain within 10 minutes of departure.]

Yao Yuan and He Qinyun did not receive initial gold pounds, so they can only wait until materials are delivered and gold pounds earned before they can afford this expense.

The two returned to the game venue floor plan, pondering strategies.

Yao Yuan was the first to speak: "No matter our relationship in the Community, I will do my best to cooperate with you in this game.

"Currently we cannot leave the prison cell, there’s not much we can do, I think:

"From the rules, this game should allow smuggling, or ’corporeal transport’, or else there wouldn’t be such a violation behavior as ’being touched by opposing players while carrying contraband’.

"Unsure what players outside the prison will do specifically, but if smuggling happens, it can only be slipped through window bars, we need to prepare to receive.

"Our prison cell has two windows, the Confinement Room and Medical Room each have one window.

"Huang Shengjie and their group will likely prioritize our prison cell’s window, but it might not go smoothly, in which case, the Medical Room window could become their fallback.

"Because our Community’s rest area is below, closer to the bottom left and right window, tactically advantageous in distance.

"In addition, players from other communities might very likely toss contraband into the Medical Room, if they do, we can attempt to ’intercept’.

"So we must prepare for both scenarios, ready to receive in two places.

"You stay in the prison cell, I’ll head to the Medical Room."

The room resonated with a constant mechanical roar, so the two had to stand very close while speaking, and as loudly as possible for the other to hear clearly.

He Qinyun nodded: "Mm, I agree.

"But the problem is, how do we enter the Medical Room?"

Yao Yuan didn’t speak. He considered for a moment before approaching the large machinery linked to the factory.

Then, he raised his left hand and slammed it hard on a sharp edge of the machine!

Yao Yuan let out a muffled grunt, almost inaudible in the loud mechanical roar, but his left palm had already been slashed open, blood dripping.

He Qinyun jumped in shock and hurriedly moved forward, but quickly realized this was indeed the quickest way to enter the Medical Room.

"I’m going in, keep an eye on the prison cell window and Raw Material Staging Area, ready to receive materials at any time."

Yao Yuan swiped his worker badge at the door, and indeed, this time the Medical Room door opened smoothly.

He immediately stepped inside, then scanned the Medical Room swiftly, soon finding bandages and basic external hemostatic drugs.

Clearly, his actions were entirely within the expectations of the designer of this game, the Imitator.

So from the outset, the Imitator had prepared corresponding medical supplies in the Medical Room.

Yao Yuan picked up the bandage from the table and wrapped his wound.

After three or four minutes, another door opposite opened.

A male player from the 23rd Community stepped inside, with a noticeable wound on the inner side of his left forearm, also bleeding.

Both were momentarily stunned, the scene a bit awkward.

The other player also took medicine and bandages, silently dressing his wound.

Yao Yuan glanced at the player’s badge.

[23rd Community - Li Mao].

"Interested in chatting?"

...

Outside, Huang Shengjie and Zhou Xiaoying remain deadlocked.

Zhou Xiaoying doesn’t want to give up the materials bought with gold pounds but doesn’t dare leave the safe zone, unable to do anything, and instead gradually chatting with Huang Shengjie.

"So... your Community actually controls all medications?

"You can’t get any even if you want to buy them?

"And you insistently endured for a long time, and the withdrawal pain decreased?

"How can that be... It feels like a fairy tale.

"You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?"

Zhou Xiaoying looked at Huang Shengjie with incredulity in her eyes.

Huang Shengjie responded earnestly: "Why would I lie to you?

"I think whether withdrawal is possible mainly depends on the environment.

"You’ve seen my performance in the ’Pain Game’, frankly, I’m not what you’d call a person with strong willpower.

"If constantly tempted by the drug, I definitely wouldn’t be able to hold on.

"But if there are absolutely no drugs in the Community, muddling through could also hold out, isn’t it?"

Zhou Xiaoying bowed her head in thought: "Mm... You seem to have a point, I see in many films and TV dramas, when caught in such situations, it’s either your will is strong enough, or there’s sufficiently strong external force enforced.

"Environment indeed can be considered as an important factor."

Huang Shengjie felt even more hopeful, seizing the opportunity and asked: "What about your Community? What’s the situation there? Do you have complete freedom to purchase these drugs?"