God's Imitator

Lu Qi pursued, "But what if Zheng Qingyun has other cheating methods? The words of a swindler are absolutely not trustworthy!"

Qin Cheng pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly, "There shouldn’t be any other cheating methods.

"Because Zheng Qingyun absolutely can’t remember all the cards.

"His deceit previously worked based on ’collaboration.’ That means since everyone only holds two cards each, every round of the game’s card count is fixed at 12. The Imitator specifically targeted this point to set up a special dealing mechanism.

"So he can precisely deal certain cards into his hand in later rounds of the game.

"Or he could just take one extra card, fixing each round to 13 cards, which might also allow some manipulation to ensure the big cards fall into the hands of his side’s three players.

"But if both sides play normally, the actual number of cards used in each round will change, and there won’t be this kind of accurately predictable corresponding relationship.

"And within the game’s rules, there shouldn’t be other ways to cheat.

"Even if Zheng Qingyun has a criminal record, from a rational standpoint, cooperation is still the optimal strategy at this moment.

"Because ’30 rounds’ is too many, and playing normally would drastically increase the number of penalties, potentially leading to a bloodbath.

"If it were me, I would do the same: expose Zheng Qingyun’s tricks, exert a certain degree of deterrence against him, but ultimately continue the collaboration under a premise of vigilance."

Huang Shengjie looked at Lin Sizhi, "Lawyer Lin, do you think there’s any other way to cheat within the rules?"

Lin Sizhi shook his head slightly, "There shouldn’t be any."

Huang Shengjie then looked at Lu Bingjun, "Then... did both sides reach a collaboration afterward?"

He suddenly realized he was asking a question whose answer was already obvious, given the evident outcome.

Lu Bingjun shook his head, "No."

The group fell silent again.

Lin Sizhi added, "Wei Changfeng should be a mature and rational player, unlikely to act impulsively.

"Although Zheng Qingyun is a swindler, he must have a strong sense of luck. However, swindlers tend to be very cautious and cherishing of life. They won’t necessarily lash out in fury risking their lives when their tricks are exposed.

"If it were only the two of them, this cooperation could indeed continue.

"But others are variables.

"Don’t forget, this is a Judgment game. And that physically disabled former player number 12, Gao Teng, is also a sinner being judged.

"The Imitator should be aware of their crimes and character weaknesses.

"Deliberately hiding cheating methods in the machine, Zheng Qingyun discovered them early, whereas Gao Teng found them much later.

"This indicates that Gao Teng is likely not a professional swindler or poker player.

"Then, what is Gao Teng’s crime? What measures did the Imitator target at Gao Teng?

"The machine designed by the Imitator is probably not a backdoor for Zheng Qingyun alone but a carefully woven trap targeting the character weaknesses of these two sinners."

Lu Bingjun nodded, "Your guess is correct.

"In the 4 rounds of games that followed, every round, Old Wei, Gao Teng, and Xu Yili took turns confessing a small personal secret.

"Who confessed depended on whose score was the smallest.

"In fact, these weren’t really crimes, but Zheng Qingyun did adhere to the agreement, choosing the hypocritical ’astonished’ option.

"By doing so, each of their hands would be deducted 4 points.

"Taking an extra card while all opposing players have a 4-point deduction is already a significant advantage for our community’s 3 players.

"Though there was still some risk, we were fortunate and successfully won.

"The number of victories for each side changed to 8:9, giving us one more win.

"Logically, we should have stopped asking for cards at that point.

"But Gao Teng didn’t stop."

Qin Cheng frowned, "Brother Lu, can you elaborate more about this player, Gao Teng?

"He is disabled, what caused his disability? What is his personality like?

"Before this game, did he ever show any gambling-related offenses?"

Lu Bingjun sighed, "Let me start from the beginning.

"Wei Changfeng, Gao Teng, and Xu Yili were the players who were originally in Community 2.

"Old Wei is two years older than me, Xu Yili is my age, and Gao Teng should be around 27.

"When we first entered the community, all of us were surprised because Gao Teng was in a wheelchair.

"At that time, we were all new to the community and hadn’t participated in many games, so we didn’t know about other communities’ situations, so it didn’t matter much. But thinking back, the appearance of disabled people in the community is indeed rare.

"Gao Teng’s first impression on us was extremely quiet and even seemed nihilistic.

"When we first learned we would face life-threatening games, everyone’s reactions fell into two categories.

"Either like Old Wei, calm and comforting other players, or like Wen Wan, initially scared out of their wits."

Wen Wan felt a little embarrassed upon being named.

Lu Bingjun continued, "Wen Wan, I didn’t mean it negatively, don’t misunderstand.

"I meant your and Old Wei’s reactions are considered normal.

"But Gao Teng is different; he had no reaction at all.

"Neither calm nor panicked, more like a state where ’living or dying doesn’t matter at all.’

"Our first game was a distribution-type ’Flower Brick Poker.’ Although it seems very safe now, it was inevitably chaotic when transitioning into groups for the first time.

"Because 12 players had to be divided into 3 groups, Old Wei, I, and Ye Lin naturally led teams and picked people.

"Though it wasn’t particularly apparent, most people in the community were hesitant to group with Gao Teng.

"For reasons mainly including:

"Firstly, he’s disabled, and before entering the game, we weren’t aware of the specific rules. If the challenge required some physical capability, taking him would turn into a liability.

"Secondly, during our brief initial interaction in the community, Gao Teng was very reclusive, unresponsive to others’ goodwill, and barely spoke a word.

"Ultimately, Old Wei decided to include Gao Teng in his group, and since then, that grouping remained the same."

Lu Bingjun paused briefly and continued, "The conclusion of ’Flower Brick Poker’ was good. Although all three groups didn’t gain exceptionally high profits, they were above average.

"After that, we gradually got accustomed to life in this hellish place.

"Wei Changfeng, Gao Teng, and Xu Yili’s three-person team always performed the most consistently in games. Wei Changfeng and Xu Yili seemed to like each other, making them the first and only couple in our community.

"They both cared for Gao Teng greatly, essentially treating him as a brother.

"As for Gao Teng, he gradually began to speak more within the community.

"Later, we realized Gao Teng was quite a capable player, very keen on details.

"The three of them complemented each other perfectly in games:

"Old Wei had a comprehensive view and was good at making decisions;

"Xu Yili was meticulous with strong social skills, playing a supportive role;

"Gao Teng was quick-witted, often perceiving tiny doubts, and never hesitated in life-threatening scenarios.

"This was the key to their success in most games.

"Regarding gambling-related issues...

"There were some clues.

"Gao Teng was distinctly averse to any gambling instruments, akin to a bird scarred by an arrow."