Chapter 1 A Test
[Hello, Lin Sizhi.]
[Congratulations on receiving an invitation and becoming a player in the new world.]
[Before you officially enter the new world, here is a simple test to determine your special identity in the new world.]
[In another room not far from you, a criminal is in a coma.]
[The document on your left is this criminal's crime file and the corresponding judgment.]
[If you believe this judgment is fair and just, or if you don't care, please do nothing and wait quietly in this room for 2 hours.]
[After 2 hours, the new world will automatically issue player visas for you and this criminal.]
[If you believe this judgment is not fair and just enough, then please look to your right, where there is a game proposal.]
[Please design a game to make a more appropriate judgment for this criminal.]
[You also have 2 hours to complete the game design and judgment.]
[The 'Game Corridor' will review your proposal. Once approved, this criminal will be forced to participate in this game and accept your judgment.]
[Now, the 2-hour countdown begins. Please make your choice.]
1:59:59
1:59:58
Watching the constantly ticking countdown on the large screen, Lin Sizhi, who had just woken up from a coma, felt a dull ache in his temples.
He gently pressed his thumb against his brow, while looking around.
It was a simple, pure white room, with only a long table, a chair, a huge screen, and a red door.
The overly minimalist decor made it feel very unreal.
"Where is this..."
Lin Sizhi tried to sort out his chaotic thoughts, recalling what happened before he came here.
Was it a car accident?
Lin Sizhi was a criminal defense lawyer. In his last memory, he only remembered driving late at night to meet a client, suddenly being enveloped by a dazzling white light from an oncoming vehicle, and then his memory completely cut off.
"Am I dead?"
Lin Sizhi looked down to check his physical condition and found that he was still wearing the standard suit he usually wore for work, and his body was healthy, with no injuries.
The only thing that caught his attention was a black wristband, about two fingers wide, on his left wrist. Its material was unknown, it had no seams and was smooth and round, fitting perfectly and impossible to remove.
Lin Sizhi stood up and walked a few steps in the room, trying to open the red door, but quickly found it was firmly locked.
Lin Sizhi could only return to the long table and sit down. As expected, relevant documents were placed on it:
On the left were the crime file and the judgment, while on the right was a standard proposal form with fields for game name, number of participants, specific rules, etc., to be filled in.
Lin Sizhi first picked up the game proposal on the right to examine it.
It had a specific format.
For example, the game name, number of participants, rules for players, actual game rules, etc., all had to be filled into the corresponding fields as required.
Some fields also had additional explanations, such as:
[Rules for players: You can cleverly conceal some game rules, but you must not include obviously false information in the rule description to deceive players.]
[Actual game rules: Please write out all game rules as comprehensively as possible to avoid logical loopholes.]
The top section of the proposal was special because it already had pre-filled information.
[List of available items (use as needed):]
[1. Firearms: 4, and an unlimited number of various bullets.]
[2. Cold weapons: 6.]
[3. Display devices: 3.]
[4. Timers: 5.]
[5. Item placement platforms: 1.]
[6. Chairs: 3.]
[7. Restraint devices: 2.]
[8. Any complete set of gambling tools from a casino: 2 sets.]
[9. Special mechanisms that can be freely designed: 1.]
[10. Other scene props unrelated to the game content: unlimited.]
[Note 1: Unless otherwise specified, the designer can decide the model and appearance of the items used.]
[Note 2: No items can be taken out of the game venue, otherwise they will disappear into thin air.]
"Firearms, and special mechanisms that can be freely designed?
"Doesn't this mean I have complete power over life and death?"
Lin Sizhi naturally thought of this.
If taken to an extreme, Lin Sizhi could design a game like this:
The unconscious criminal is restrained, and his wrist is connected to a mechanism by a thin line.
Once the criminal wakes up and his wrist moves, the line will trigger the mechanism, pulling the trigger of a handgun and killing him.
Of course, there are some restrictions in the proposal, for example, the rule description cannot contain obviously false information to deceive players, nor can a game be designed with absolutely no chance of success.
However, Lin Sizhi could also design an extremely harsh success rule for this game:
If the criminal wakes up and his wrist does not move more than 3cm, and he persists for 10 hours, the mechanism will automatically disengage, and the game will end.
This game rule completely conformed to the format of the game proposal.
But in reality, it was an almost certain death trap.
"From the format of the proposal, I can indeed design such a game.
"However, it might not pass the review.
"Moreover, according to the requirements on the large screen, I should make a 'fair and just' and 'more appropriate' judgment for this criminal, rather than torturing him with a cruel game.
"But how should 'fair and just' and 'more appropriate' be defined?
"Is there still room for 'private justice' to correct a criminal who has already been judged by modern society's laws?"
Lin Sizhi fell into deep thought.
A moment later, he picked up the file and judgment on his left.
[Wei Xinjian, male, 37 years old.]
[Due to business failure, he sped on a road with a 40km/h speed limit in the city center, hitting and killing a couple on the spot.]
[Judgment: Sentenced to 3 years in prison for causing a traffic accident. Has served his sentence and been released.]
Lin Sizhi carefully read this simple text many times.
Then he silently picked up a pen and began to write on the game proposal.
"Shashashasha—"
More than an hour later, Lin Sizhi put down his pen and reviewed the game rules he had written from beginning to end.
He ultimately only used some of the items.
[1. One silver revolver that cannot determine the live round's position by rotating the cylinder, with 1 live round.]
[2. One CRT television.]
[3. One LED electronic timer.]
[4. One square wooden table.]
[5. Two iron chairs with automatic locks on the arms, legs, waist, and neck, welded to the ground, and capable of punishment with high-voltage current.]
[6. One special mechanism of free design.]
[7. Decorative scene props: 1 old incandescent lamp, 2 old shelves, 1 discarded wooden box in the corner...]
After confirming everything was correct, Lin Sizhi wrote "Design Complete" in the bottom right corner of the last page.
The information on the large screen changed.
[The Game Corridor is reviewing your submitted proposal.]
[Review complete, approved.]
[The Game Corridor is setting up the game venue according to the content of the proposal.]
[Setup complete, please proceed to the game venue and complete the game within the remaining time.]
These information changes happened very quickly, taking only a few seconds.
This made Lin Sizhi even more certain that this was not reality. Perhaps he had died, or had arrived in some kind of supernatural space.
After all, in reality, even with a team on standby, it would be impossible to complete the review of such complex rules and strictly set up the game venue according to the rule requirements in just a few seconds.
"Beep."
A notification sound rang out, and the red door in the room opened.
Lin Sizhi left the room and walked along the pure white corridor to the end. In front of him was a rusty, heavy security door.
Behind the door was a musty old warehouse.
Everything inside had been set up according to Lin Sizhi's design in the game, including the unconscious criminal fixed to the iron chair by the mechanism.
Lin Sizhi sat down on another iron chair, took a strip of cloth, bit it, and tied it behind his head.
Then, he sat in a standard posture and closed his eyes.
"Click" sounds continuously rang out as mechanisms popped out from Lin Sizhi's arms, legs, waist, and neck, locking him into the iron chair.
[Game Start.]