God's Imitator

Zheng Qingyun was evidently aware of this, so he deliberately confessed to this crime.

For Wei Changfeng, he could only choose "shock," because "going against one’s heart" would directly cause him to burst.

At the moment he pressed "shock," a notification was recorded on the panel in front of Wei Changfeng: -12 points.

However, when he looked at the panels of Gao Teng and Xu Yili, he was stunned.

Like him, Xu Yili also chose -12 points.

But Gao Teng was different.

He selected "indifference," resulting in +4 points.

Gao Teng stared coldly at Zheng Qingyun: "Are you trying to provoke me with this statement? Make me act more irrationally?"

"But unfortunately, I am very familiar with people like you.

"No matter how despicable your actions, I won’t be shocked.

"No matter what sins you confess, my reaction will always be ’indifference,’ and I can always pass the against-heart test.

"Gaining 4 points isn’t a disadvantage to me; it’s an advantage."

Zheng Qingyun’s expression fluctuated. He glanced again at the new dark card he had drawn, but ultimately decided not to take more cards.

Obviously, the point total of the three cards in his hand was already quite dangerous. Drawing more would not only mean another confession and punishment but also risk bursting.

So he could only give up.

Another player from Community 6 and Xu Yili both chose to stand without drawing more cards.

It was Gao Teng’s turn again.

Zheng Qingyun closed his eyes and waited for a moment, then seriously focused on Gao Teng.

Wei Changfeng realized that he was likely trying to recall certain events or brainwash himself.

The against-heart mechanism wasn’t a law set in stone; at least in this game, there are ways to circumvent it.

In face of Zheng Qingyun’s repentance, Gao Teng was able to press "indifference" with no expression and pass the against-heart test because Gao Teng did thorough mental preparation.

As an experienced gambler, he had encountered many swindlers and seen the dark side of casinos.

Therefore, when Zheng Qingyun confessed to having broken a gambler’s fingers, it was shocking to Wei Changfeng and Xu Yili, but not to Gao Teng.

But the method that Gao Teng used could certainly be used by Zheng Qingyun as well.

Gao Teng’s previous confession was about becoming disabled due to a swindler’s beating in a casino. At that time, Zheng Qingyun’s real reaction was indeed shock, but that was mainly because it was sudden, and he wasn’t mentally ready.

If Zheng Qingyun could consider this possibility earlier and build up sufficient mental preparation, perhaps he could choose "indifference" and pass the against-heart test.

Now, Zheng Qingyun was reviewing everything he had seen and heard in the casino in his mind, and trying to involve Gao Teng in the most extreme situations.

Once Zheng Qingyun was psychologically prepared, the bombshells thrown by Gao Teng would not be enough to shock him, and both sides would be brought back to the same level.

However, what Gao Teng said caused Zheng Qingyun’s eyes to widen instantly.

"I once had the strong idea of killing a fellow Community member."

As he looked at the two buttons popping up on the panel once more, Zheng Qingyun’s eyelids twitched, and he said in a deep voice, "You’re crazy..."

He finally understood his situation completely.

Originally, Zheng Qingyun thought Gao Teng was going to expose real-life sins, like being beaten disabled by an underground casino.

Similar sins might include: cheating parents out of their retirement funds, abusing family members, lying to long-time friends...

Every crime would be "shocking" to other players.

But Zheng Qingyun didn’t consider these as dangerous information, and he had already taken precautions. As long as he assumed Gao Teng’s gambler identity, all this information would turn into "indifference."

But unexpectedly, Gao Teng had anticipated this as well.

This time, his confession was not about real-life sins but rather crimes committed in the New World and the Community.

What was especially noteworthy was Gao Teng’s phrasing.

If he only had such thoughts, there would still be some ambiguity.

But Gao Teng specifically emphasized the strength of this thought, significantly reducing the wiggle room.

Once such a crime is exposed, it means Gao Teng would face "social death" even if he returned to the Community.

He could likely be ostracized by all Community members, or even expelled.

Moreover, Gao Teng couldn’t stop, as confessing this once wouldn’t be enough to win the game.

He had to keep confessing similar things and he was increasing the stakes until the game ends.

From this point of view, Gao Teng had no intention of leaving himself any way out; it could even be said he was seeking death.

Zheng Qingyun had no choice; he could only press "shock" and was marked as -12 points.

Because pressing "indifference" would add 12 points—a burst, which would result in a lower score.

To be precise, Zheng Qingyun wasn’t shocked by the matter itself but by Gao Teng’s willingness to express such thoughts.

But regardless of the shock’s nature, the ultimate choice was the same.

[Community 2 wins with the highest score of 20 points.]

As the broadcast sounded, the number of wins turned to 11:8, and Community 2 was leading by 3 wins.

In this round, Zheng Qingyun suffered two "punishments," with the mechanisms on his chest and neck being activated sequentially.

After the intense pain, Zheng Qingyun touched his neck’s side, where a deep cut reopened on a previously clotted wound, and the blood quickly trickled down, staining his collar red.

This was the second activation of the neck mechanism.

Though not life-threatening yet, Zheng Qingyun could feel death approaching step by step.

Because if this mechanism activates again, it could hit the major artery, and there’d be no turning back.

But what concerned Zheng Qingyun more was Gao Teng’s hand totals.

4, 5, 7 points.

Plus 4 points from pressing "indifference" after Zheng Qingyun’s confession, exactly 20 points.

"Is luck even on his side?"

Zheng Qingyun squinted slightly, lost in thought.

Gao Teng’s method wasn’t foolproof, as there was still a risk of bursting.

With the content of Zheng Qingyun’s confession, even if Gao Teng wasn’t shocked, the points would swing ±4.

That is to say, if Gao Teng’s third dark card this time wasn’t 7 points but 9 or higher, he would "burst."

Or if the initial two cards were bigger, it would mean bursting too.

Of course, if Gao Teng assessed the risk of bursting, he could choose "against-heart shock" to reduce his points by 4, but the offset would mean an 8-point difference, meaning his final score would be 12 points.

It’s hard to say whether this score could win or not.