God's Imitator

Qin Cheng looked directly at Yao Yuan without reservation:

"Besides, your choice to actively decline before ’One Word Breaks the Prison’ is also intriguing.

"At the time, Lu Bingjun’s intention was for you to enter, but you ultimately chose to recommend Lawyer Lin."

Qin Cheng then looked at the others:

"I think, given the game’s performance afterward, no one would believe that it was due to a lack of confidence, right? With Yao Yuan’s ability, just teaming up with Lu Bingjun would make returning safely in the game guaranteed.

"But Yao Yuan changed his mind because he realized that if he entered this game, it might significantly increase his suspicion afterward, and the possibility of him colluding with Lu Bingjun would be seen.

"And coincidentally, he keenly realized that Lawyer Lin is a top player in the Walkway. Having Lawyer Lin enter the game could not only ensure Lu Bingjun’s safety and the smooth progress of the plan but also conveniently clear his own suspicion.

"If Lawyer Lin doesn’t perform the best in the game, then Deng Xiao will definitely die, and Lu Bingjun can survive—everything is perfect; if Lawyer Lin performs the best, Deng Xiao still has a very high chance of dying, which is even more perfect.

"As for saving Deng Xiao... that’s an absolute small probability event.

"After all, in this game, Lawyer Lin is just the audience, and whether he speaks depends on whether the Inner Court Players seek help, and the power to seek help is actually in Lu Bingjun’s hands.

"The ’Endorsed Game’ is a similar situation.

"The reason I named Yao Yuan to enter was to test his true strength, to conduct a second verification.

"Because with only ’Prison Factory’, there’s the risk of the lone example not proving anything.

"After entering the game and understanding the rules, I immediately realized I gambled right. It was a perfect opportunity.

"According to the rules, I must step up to become the spokesperson.

"There’s only one person who can become the agent, so this position must belong to Yao Yuan.

"This was my first time volunteering to lead as the core of the game. Lu Bingjun nodded in recognition and clearly instructed Yao Yuan to assist me in achieving good results in the game, aligning with Lu Bingjun’s plan and interests.

"Therefore, Yao Yuan was forced to step forward to show his true skill once again.

"I can sense that he’s trying to minimize his presence and win the game with a more discreet and safe strategy, but even the simplest strategy can reveal some things.

"Because ’Prison Factory’ and ’Endorsed Game’ happen to share certain commonalities.

"The Imitator who designed these games likely came from other communities because the traits and image shown do not match any known players in our community.

"This might also be why Yao Yuan decided to showcase his capabilities in these two games: because he lacks entanglements with players inside the community, the suspicion likelihood is lower.

"But these two games also have the largest commonality: the game rules are full of tests for ’Imitator thinking’.

"Of course, it cannot be said that players who perform well in these two games are necessarily imitators.

"Top players in Walkway like Lawyer Lin, Jiang Chenyan, Tang Qing, etc., all possess some imitator thinking.

"But they tend to be the undisputed game core in the community, always actively entering the game to lead, never hiding their abilities.

"If a player clearly has such ability yet always finds excuses, unwilling to enter the game, unwilling to show his true strength, then his intentions are very suspicious."

At this point, Qin Cheng stood up from his seat.

"For the entire Community 2, you’re a more valuable player than Lu Bingjun, so I’ll give you an extra 30 minutes to defend yourself.

"During this period, I’ll leave the hall, not participating in any discussions with you all, nor attempting to influence public opinion in any way.

"Only after 30 minutes will I enter the Community Management Office to submit the proposal.

"This means you have a total of 90 minutes to persuade other players to change their minds."

The crowd subconsciously looked at Yao Yuan, expecting him to say something.

It was clear that compared to Lu Bingjun, many in the community held more favorable views of Yao Yuan.

Yao Yuan adjusted his position in his chair and asked Qin Cheng before he left the hall: "You truly want to kill me, right?

"You understand that if you first accuse me, Lu Bingjun’s two votes can ensure I’m safe, as long as there’s one more vote, I can remain unharmed.

"So, you must first kick Lu Bingjun out of the community to hope for zero votes.

"Your target from the beginning was me."

Qin Cheng did not deny this; instead, he said directly: "Yes."

Yao Yuan asked: "Why do you have to kill me?"

Qin Cheng paused for a moment: "We have no personal grievances, but you should understand the reason.

"And to be precise, I can’t decide anything, your and my fate completely depend on everyone’s vote.

"If there’s a player in the community who thinks you shouldn’t die, even if it’s just one person, you definitely won’t die.

"Think carefully about whether to plead guilty or not guilty."

Qin Cheng left the hall.

He sat quietly waiting in the outdoor area, then looked at his watch to confirm the time.

...

The so-called guilty defense is to admit certain crimes, thereby expressing a sincere intention to confess and hence seeking sympathy and leniency.

On the other hand, a not guilty defense is to refuse to admit any crimes, claiming absolute innocence; if successful, it can clear all charges, but if it fails, it often results in more severe consequences.

Yao Yuan fell silent, clearly contemplating how to respond at this moment.

A wrong statement could lead to expulsion from the community or death.

Qin Cheng has given Yao Yuan a whole hour and a half for thinking and rebuttal, which is ample, but it might also be a trap.

Because excessive thinking time greatly increases one’s suspicion, akin to a disguised confession.

Huang Shengjie felt his breathing quicken, his mind blank.

If he were Yao Yuan, perhaps he would make a simple innocent statement and then stay silent, saying nothing more.

But that doesn’t seem like a wise move either.

Huang Shengjie did not know what was right to do; he could only instinctively swallow saliva, waiting for Yao Yuan to speak.

After brief contemplation, Yao Yuan spoke.

"I did indeed help Lu Bingjun commit some wrongdoing.

"But I am not the imitator."

Everyone was stunned for a moment; it was apparent that after consideration, Yao Yuan chose the path of ’guilty defense’.

No one knows if this is right or wrong now, but apparently, Yao Yuan seems obliged to reveal some secrets.

These secrets might save him or kill him.

Yao Yuan appeared with a somewhat relieved expression: "Let me just recount everything I know from start to finish.

"My position is the community’s ’paperhanger’, doing my utmost to keep the community intact and unified.

"Initially, I, Deng Xiao, and Lu Bingjun were grouped together.

"As such, it was inevitable I was branded as ’Lu Bingjun’s man’.

"But rather than being loyal to Lu Bingjun, it’s more accurate to say I’m loyal to the entire community."