Chapter 38: The King's Judgment

Chapter 38: "The King's Judgment"

An uproar erupted in the hall once again.

Even though they had already experienced a group game, it was clear that most people still felt an instinctive sense of panic at the sudden activation of a game invitation.

More importantly, the nature of this game was starkly different from the last one.

The goal of "Blood Poker" was to complete the first allocation of visa time, so in terms of actual gameplay, there was essentially no life-or-death crisis. The difference between players was merely how much visa time they earned or lost.

But the goal of this game was to "Complete the Judgment," which meant the game would have a certain mortality rate.

Thinking of Wei Xinjian's fate in the "Redemption Roulette," many people felt a subconscious terror.

The three people forced to participate were even more at a loss.

Lin Sizhi looked at the large screen, feeling slightly surprised.

Because the game adopted by the Corridor this time was not his design, "The Line of Life and Death."

"The King's Judgment...

"Literally speaking, it's hard to discern the specific content of the game.

"So, what exactly is the unique aspect of this game that caused it to be selected by the Corridor?"

While Lin Sizhi was lost in brief thought, Fu Chen's voice rose above the clamor in the hall.

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment!

"Although this game carries certain dangers, as you saw with 'Blood Poker,' the more teammates you have in the same game, the safer you tend to be and the higher your chances of winning.

"Our community has three players who have been forced to participate, so I hope everyone can sign up actively. This can significantly increase our survival rate in the game.

"I'm signing up first!"

Although Fu Chen had already raised his hand to show his stance, no one responded.

Clearly, most people were still hesitating.

Everyone knew Fu Chen was right.

Players from the same community naturally had a better foundation of mutual trust than strangers, providing an advantage in multiplayer games. Furthermore, the games were unavoidable for every player; if they didn't enter this one, they would have to enter the next, especially for those with little visa time remaining.

But even so, the thought that death was truly possible in a judgment game caused an instinctive urge to retreat.

The five-minute countdown was very short.

Fu Chen scanned the crowd anxiously, but there was nothing he could do.

Fortunately, before the countdown ended, two more people finally raised their hands.

Cao Haichuan and Lin Sizhi.

Yang Yuting was still hesitating whether to raise her hand, as her visa time was also low, and this might be an opportunity to earn more.

But in the next second, the countdown hit zero.

【Voluntary Participants: Cao Haichuan, Lin Sizhi】

Although Fu Chen, Cao Haichuan, and Lin Sizhi had all raised their hands to sign up, Fu Chen's name did not appear on the large screen.

Because voluntary participants were randomly selected, Fu Chen had clearly been filtered out.

It was hard to say whether his luck was good or bad.

The five people chosen by the game vanished from the hall instantly.

...

"Beep—"

A sharp, piercing beep sounded, and Lin Sizhi gradually regained consciousness.

He found himself in a completely unfamiliar space, and he was alone.

He looked around.

The surrounding walls were smooth and white, and the room contained only very simple tables and chairs.

However, the wall directly opposite him was a massive pane of transparent glass, through which the entire game scene could be seen.

On the side walls were many screens of various sizes, much like a monitoring room, allowing him to see various details within the game arena from different angles.

Lin Sizhi sat in the chair and looked at the tabletop.

There were many control buttons, such as "Confirm," "Cancel," "√," "×," a numeric keypad, and avatar buttons representing the five people, including Ding Wenqiang.

A moment later, an introduction to the game rules appeared on the small screen in front of the desk.

【As a voluntary participant, your identity in this game is: Spectator.】

【Spectators do not need to enter the field to participate in the game and will not suffer life-or-death penalties.】

【There are a total of 10 spectators in this game. Spectators only need to do three things:】

【1. Tipping】

【Tip a certain amount of visa time to the players in the arena, accompanied by a text message. Each character requires a tip of 1,000 minutes of visa time.】

【Please note: The player being tipped is not obligated to follow your request, and even if they do not, the tip remains effective and will not be returned.】

【2. Voting】

【For every judgment conducted in the game, all spectators must vote on the fairness of the "King's" actions.】

【Fairness is primarily determined by whether the judgment game arranged by the King for the prisoners matches the prisoners' crimes in both content and severity.】

【This vote will not bring any profit to the spectator.】

【The voting process will automatically include a lie detector test. If a vote contradicts your true inner thoughts, the spectator will be deducted 10,000 minutes of visa time.】

【Special Note: Spectators are strictly forbidden from revealing their identity or any information related to fairness to the players in the arena. If discovered, the spectator will be forcibly blocked, and an instant-death penalty will be imposed on the informant.】

【3. Betting】

【Spectators may choose to bet on the "King" or the "Prisoners." You can only bet on one side. The default bet amount is 50,000 minutes of visa time.】

【Each side can receive bets from a maximum of 5 spectators.】

【King's Victory Condition: At the end of the game, fewer than 3 prisoners are surviving.】

【King's Victory Reward: For every prisoner the King executes, each betting spectator will receive an additional 30,000 minutes of visa time.】

【Prisoner's Victory Condition: At the end of the game, 3 or more prisoners are surviving.】

【Prisoner's Victory Reward: Each betting spectator will receive an additional 50,000 minutes of visa time.】

【At the end of the game, based on the victory of the King's side or the Prisoner's side, the winners will also split all the chips already bet and earned by the losers.】

【Finally, remember: This is the judgment of others, and you are merely a spectator.】

【Good luck!】

Lin Sizhi read the rules carefully, but it was clear that without knowing the specific format of the game, it would be difficult to further analyze how to apply these rules.

With no immediate ideas, Lin Sizhi could only look into the arena through the massive transparent glass.

His current area was somewhat like a second-floor viewing gallery, and there were ten such galleries in total, each marked with a large number.

"In other words, there are 10 spectators in this game, many of whom come from other communities.

"Officer Cao should be among them, but I don't know which number."

Lin Sizhi wanted to observe the other spectators, but these glass panes were one-way; he could see out, but they could not see in.

Just then, a broadcast voice came through the speakers again.

【Spectator No. 1 bets on the "King."】

Clearly, some spectators made decisions unexpectedly quickly.

Up to this point, the game rules had not been fully introduced; the spectators only knew the rules for the spectator side, but they knew nothing about how the players actually participating in the game would play.

For example, how the "King" and "Prisoners" were specifically distinguished, or exactly how many privileges the "King" possessed, remained unknown.

The authorities had not limited the betting time; it was highly likely that betting could occur at any time during the game, so there was no need to rush.

Since one could only bet on either the King or the Prisoners, it would naturally be better to observe a little before deciding.

Of course, Lin Sizhi could roughly guess why Spectator No. 1 was in such a hurry.

According to the rules, each side could receive bets from a maximum of 5 spectators.

This meant that if one wanted to bet on the King but was too slow and became the sixth person to bet, the bet would automatically go to the Prisoner side.

Spectator No. 1 had firmly taken the King's side from the very beginning.

It might be because he felt the King would inevitably have the advantage, or perhaps he naturally preferred this type of game mode where one kills to make money.

After considering for a moment, Lin Sizhi decided not to bet yet and instead turned his attention to the game arena.

He was Spectator No. 5, which placed him in a golden viewing position.

By looking slightly downward, he could clearly see the main game area.

The arena was somewhat shaped like the character "甲" (Jiǎ). The very spacious main section was directly below the spectator galleries, divided into several compartments, each containing different mechanisms.

One vertical stroke of the "甲" shape was a long corridor extending into the distance.

He could see five figures at the end of the corridor.

From the various surveillance cameras, he could find the corresponding footage

Wang Yongxin, Cai Zhiyuan, Ding Wenqiang, Zhang Peng, and Gao Zhankui. These five were staring at the screens in front of them, listening to the introduction of the game rules.

Through the speakers, the sounds from the game arena were clearly transmitted into Lin Sizhi's room.

【Hello, players.】

【Now, you will undergo judgment in a game called "The King's Judgment."】

【In this game, your identity is that of "Sinners."】

【But soon, one of you will become the "King," and the others will become "Prisoners."】

【The duration of this game is 2 hours. Once the game officially begins, the visa bracelets on your wrists will inject a chronic toxin into your bodies; you will die from the toxin after 2 hours.】

【The game objectives must be achieved within 2 hours to have any chance of survival.】

【Before entering the official game arena, you will participate in a simple preliminary mini-game to determine your identity in the main game: "King" or "Prisoner."】

【As you can see, ahead is a corridor with a total length of 45 meters, divided into three stages: 20 meters, 15 meters, and 10 meters.】

【You must carry a mechanism in front of you that is equal to one time your own body weight and cross the corridor within the time limit.】

【Each stage has a different time limit and rest period. Please pay close attention to the timer on your path.】

【If you exceed the time limit, the spikes on the mechanism will pierce your body. If you exceed the time limit by two times, you will suffer an instant-death penalty.】

【The first Sinner to cross the corridor will become the "King," and the other Sinners will become "Prisoners."】

【The identity of the "King" is crucial; please give it your utmost effort.】

【More rules will be disclosed once you enter the official arena.】

【This is a test of will and wisdom. Pay attention to every clue in the game, and do not forget to listen to the voice within your heart.】

【Now, the game begins. Good luck!】