Chapter 146: Grand Performance (IX) “Animal Farm”

“The wolfdog is the loyal official, the Fox is the treacherous official. Who will be the Fox?”

“Whoever is pointed at will be the Fox!”

“Qi Si, Qi Si, Qi Si!”

A reverb of children’s voices echoed in the depths of his mind, noisy enough to make his head spin.

His whole body felt as if it had been submerged in a viscous deep sea, only to be fished out at the moment of suffocation and tossed onto the shore.

Qi Si toyed with his Identity Card, seemingly casually flipping it over and placing it face down on the table, leaving only the patterned back visible.

The rules for the “Catch the Fox” game Charlie mentioned were visibly unfair in terms of game theory.

The wolfdog, Tiger, and Rabbit all have the ability to take active measures; they can identify or judge the Fox.

Among them, the wolfdog and Rabbit’s actions carry risks; identifying the wrong person results in death, making them more dangerous roles compared to the Tiger.

Compared to the Rabbit, the wolfdog role is even more precarious. He is forced to act, with no option to abstain.

The Fox role differs from the others; it has no ability to act. All it can do is disguise itself and muddy the waters, then passively wait for the other players to identify it.

Furthermore, players with the Tiger, wolfdog, and Rabbit roles can actively announce their identities to determine the Fox through the process of elimination, while the Fox has no countermeasures.

Its only chance of survival is to pretend to be a “Rabbit” and wait for the wolfdog to identify the wrong person, then have the true “Rabbit” point out the truth, resulting in the wolfdog’s death and a “Rabbit” victory.

Overall, the Tiger holds the power of decision and judgment, possessing an absolute advantage; the Rabbit can abstain and might be able to protect itself; whereas the Fox and wolfdog have no room for retreat, their survival depending on the player’s eloquence.

The voting in the first act had already proven the fairness of the game rules in the play to some extent. Would the second act really suddenly let luck take the lead and determine everyone’s probability of victory during the role assignment stage?

Qi Si picked up the three Chipss in front of him, rubbing them between his fingers, and looked up at Charlie standing by the table. “Mr. Charlie, do you think these game rules are fair?”

Charlie adjusted his mask and said loudly, “Fair! Of course they’re fair. I can guarantee that the game I designed will satisfy the audience!”

This game was actually “fair”… The risks and benefits of each role were different. To achieve absolute fairness, everyone would have to be a “Fox” just like in the first round.

But clearly, such a lazy design wouldn’t satisfy the audience; and if Charlie were to deceive the audience with words, it would also cause dissatisfaction… Qi Si had a guess and narrowed his eyes with a smile. “I have one more question. After the ‘Rabbit’ achieves a draw or victory, what happens to the others? Will they all be killed, or pay some other price?”

Charlie said, “After a Rabbit draw, the count will accumulate, and nothing happens. After a Rabbit victory, everyone else gives one Chips to the player playing the Rabbit. If the ‘Rabbit’ achieves a draw or victory three consecutive times, the game will also end.”

Qi Si understood and asked again, “Do the Chipss have any special function?”

“That depends on how you understand it.” Charlie let out a “he-he” laugh. “It’s the ticket to the game, the victor’s crown, and of course, it can also be your lives… Would you say it’s special or not?”

“I see.” Qi Si pressed the Chipss under a piece of white paper and stopped speaking.

He Hui timidly raised her hand. “Mr. Charlie, may we communicate with each other?”

“Of course you can, Miss No. 3!” Charlie turned to He Hui and gave an elegant gentleman’s bow. “A small tip: the way to play this game is to use verbal probing and communication to judge each player’s identity and catch the ‘Fox’ hiding among you!”

He Hui lowered her hand and said in an uncertain tone, “I feel like there might be a way to end this game without anyone dying, as long as we let the ‘Rabbit’ draw three times…”

Seeing no one object, her voice grew louder as she continued, “Each of us announces our identity. The wolfdog and Rabbit identify the Fox together, and the Tiger chooses to spare the Fox. That way, the Rabbit gets a draw, and the Fox won’t die. After doing this three times, the game ends… By the way, I’m the ‘Rabbit’ for this round.”

Cynthia smiled bitterly. “For this method to work, it must be built on a foundation of mutual trust. There’s no dispute over the Tiger and wolfdog roles, but the Fox is very likely to lie and claim to be the ‘Rabbit,’ causing the wolfdog to die from a wrong identification.”

“Letting a certain role win for three consecutive rounds involves massive variables. The safest way is to decide on a sacrifice in the first round to end the game as quickly as possible. The Fox role is the weakest and lacks security; he won’t easily believe the Tiger will let him go, so naturally, he won’t be willing to admit his identity.”

He Hui caught the subtext in Cynthia’s words, and her face turned pale. “I really am the ‘Rabbit’… If I weren’t, the real ‘Rabbit’ would definitely jump out to oppose me.”

“Not necessarily.” Cynthia shook her head slightly. “Perhaps the real ‘Rabbit’ also thinks that letting the wolfdog die in the first round to end the game quickly would be a good choice.”

“I really am the ‘Rabbit,’ I can show you my Identity Card…” As He Hui spoke, she moved to lift the card in front of her to show Cynthia.

Unexpectedly, the card seemed glued to the table and couldn’t be flipped over no matter what.

Charlie explained from the side in a cheerful tone, “To ensure the gameplay, players are not allowed to show their Identity Cards to others, and peeking is also not permitted!”

“I’m the Fox,” Qi Si spoke up abruptly.

For a moment, all the players’ gazes converged on him.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Fox role was at an absolute disadvantage. Given the objective existence of the chain of suspicion, the holder of that role would most likely not dare to self-reveal.

And Qi Si was clearly a dark, self-serving individual. In other words, anyone might self-reveal, but he was the least likely.

Cynthia had already voiced the hidden malice behind the “Rabbit” and “Fox” roles. At this juncture, Qi Si’s self-revelation was even more suspicious.

Was he the true “Fox,” or… a “Rabbit” who took pleasure in harming the “wolfdog”?

Dong Xiwen looked at the illustration of a majestic, spirited wolfdog on his card, wanting to cry but having no tears.

What kind of grudge did this instance have against him? Right off the bat, he had to make a one-of-two choice, the kind where picking wrong meant death… Qi Si smiled and looked around at everyone, adding unhurriedly, “You can believe that I truly want everyone to survive. After all, when it comes to deciphering the world-view, missing clues from any of the rooms would be quite a hassle.”

Dong Xiwen looked up and saw Qi Si’s sincere gaze, squinting as he complained, “It would’ve been better if you hadn’t said that. Now that you’ve said it, I believe you even less, hey!”

Qi Si’s eyes crinkled into crescents, his face saying “believe it or not.”

The moment Qi Si announced his role, Cynthia had retracted her smile. Now, she gazed gloomily at the white paper in front of her. “I’m the Tiger.”

Dong Xiwen covered his face. “Fine, I’m the unlucky wolfdog.”

There was no suspense about who the Tiger and wolfdog were. The problem lay in who between He Hui and Qi Si was the “Fox” and who was the “Rabbit.”

Charlie snapped his fingers at the right moment, urging in a raspy voice, “Discussion time is over! Next, will the players playing the wolfdog and Rabbit please write down the name of the person you think is the Fox on the white paper!”

He Hui quickly finished writing the name, and Qi Si also pretentiously wrote a few words on his paper.

Dong Xiwen glanced at Qi Si, his face bitter as he raised his hand and asked, “What happens if I write the Tiger’s name?”

Charlie: “Death.”

“And if I write nothing at all?”

Charlie: “Death.”

“So it’s death no matter what, huh?”

Dong Xiwen picked up the pen with a mournful face. After pondering for two seconds, he finally wrote a name on the paper. When he looked up again, his expression was a bit more solemn.

Things had come to this; hesitation was useless.

Faced with suspicion, he was more willing to choose trust.

If he was right, all the better; if he was wrong, he would accept the loss.

Charlie leaned over, reached out to take the paper from Dong Xiwen, and announced loudly, “The name Player No. 5 wrote is ‘Zhou Ke’! Player No. 5 believes Player No. 1 is the Fox for this round! Let’s see the correct answer—”

Dong Xiwen stared at him with bright eyes. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he couldn’t help but hold his breath, like the final second before the results of the college entrance exam are announced.

In the silence that was almost heavy enough to crush a person, Charlie laughed flamboyantly. “Congratulations, the answer is correct! This round’s Fox is ‘Zhou Ke’!”

As if the Sword of Damocles that had long hung over his head finally fell and struck a pit in front of his toes, Dong Xiwen let out a long sigh of relief.

He had gambled correctly. He Hui hadn’t lied, and “Zhou Ke” had also given up on harming others at the critical moment, choosing to tell the truth.

“As the ‘Tiger,’ can I just write the method of disposal for the ‘Fox’ directly on the paper?” Cynthia asked.

“Yes,” Charlie turned his back to the players like a host, facing the audience in the void. “Congratulations to the animals for finding the Fox hiding in the forest. He is Player No. 1, ‘Zhou Ke’! Next, let the Tiger decide how to deal with this unwelcome fellow—kill or spare?”

Cynthia picked up the pen and quickly wrote a word on the paper.

After encountering the Skin Collector, the incarnation of “Zhou Ke’s” sins, she had wanted this masked youth dead.

Items couldn’t be brought into the dream. Facing a ghost that wanted to kill her, she had no room for resistance.

In last night’s dream, the Red-clothed Ghost controlled a hideous corpse and caught her. Fingernails shaped like blades stroked her cheek tenderly and flirtatiously as a voice murmured, “I just happen to be missing a Hypocrite’s mask. You will be the most perfect raw material…”

That sense of despair still haunted Cynthia. She was a person with a strong desire for control and could not tolerate sharing a room with danger.

She could certainly kill any player at random to linger on for another day, but what about tomorrow?

Since a great opportunity was right before her eyes, she might as well take the chance to kill Qi Si and solve the problem at its root.

Cynthia handed the paper with the writing to Charlie. It felt as if a large stone had fallen from her heart, and her whole being felt much lighter.

The word “Kill” on the paper was written with such force that it penetrated the page. Even with the back facing everyone, the savage strokes were clearly visible.

Dong Xiwen’s expression changed, his eyes widening as he looked at Cynthia. “What are you doing? Clearly, we could’ve ended this without anyone dying!”

Cynthia smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

In fact, she had felt murderous intent the moment she first saw Qi Si.

Wearing a mask, he clearly didn’t look like someone upright. Pushing Hansen into the line of fire with just a few words showed he was ruthless and sinister enough, and had the ability to execute cruel plans.

Such a dangerous egoist made Cynthia feel as if she were seeing herself from many years ago.

She knew clearly the danger of such people and felt the threat the youth might bring to her.

Egoists rarely form groups. Even if there’s temporary cooperation, they will soon go their separate ways, and stabbing each other in the back upon parting is common.

When choosing rooms last night, her initiative to seek cooperation with Qi Si was indeed sincere, but her plan had always been: get through the second act first, and then act according to the situation in the third act to see if she could eliminate this dangerous figure.

In a zero-sum game, when rationalists meet on a narrow path, one must die.

Charlie held the paper high, announcing loudly with apparent satisfaction, “The Tiger’s choice is—to kill the Fox.”

“The result of the first round of the game is—kill Player No. 1, Zhou Ke!”

…【Note】 “Animal Farm” is a novella by British author George Orwell. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who successfully carry out a “revolution,” driving their exploitative human owner out of the farm and establishing an equal animal society. However, the animal leaders, the clever pigs, eventually usurp the fruits of the revolution and become even more dictatorial and totalitarian rulers than the human owner.