"Beep—"
A sharp buzzing sound echoed in the cramped space, waking Wei Xinjian from his stupor.
He suddenly became alert, then realized he was firmly locked in place. His wrists, ankles, and waist were all secured by special iron rings, and the iron chair was directly welded to the floor.
Even his mouth was tightly bound with cloth strips, preventing him from making any sound.
The fog in his mind gradually dissipated, and his sore eyes began to adjust.
He looked around.
This place looked like an abandoned underground warehouse. No light entered, only a dim, old incandescent bulb hung solitarily from a rusty steel frame.
The air was filled with a damp, musty smell, mixed with a hint of decay.
On the wall to his right, an old CRT television was hanging, displaying only static.
In the center of the warehouse was a somewhat decayed, heavy wooden square long table, on which lay a silver-white revolver.
The person opposite the wooden table was a young man, still unconscious.
Like Wei Xinjian, the young man was firmly locked in an iron chair, his mouth bound with cloth strips.
But Wei Xinjian soon realized that he had two distinct differences from the young man: his right hand could move freely, and there was a special mechanism on both sides of his head.
It was like a huge clamp, connected to a crude and complex gear system, with two heavy iron blocks positioned on either side of his head, pressing against his temples.
"Mmm! Mmm-hmm-hmm..."
Wei Xinjian immediately began to struggle violently, trying to make a sound.
But in this dark underground warehouse, he received no response at all.
Wei Xinjian used his movable right hand to grasp the lock ring on his left wrist, trying to open it.
After his efforts proved futile, he tried to unlock the ring at his waist, but it also remained completely still.
Just then, an emotionless electronic voice came from the constantly static-filled CRT television.
Along with the voice, an image appeared on the television.
However, it was not a human figure, but an explanation of the game rules.
[Hello, Wei Xinjian.]
[You will now be judged and participate in a game called 'Redemption Roulette'.]
[The game rules are as follows:]
[As you can see, in this confined space, there is an innocent person, a revolver, and one live round.]
[The revolver's cylinder has 6 chambers, with five empty chambers distributed randomly in the cylinder.]
[On both sides of your head is a special mechanism. The total gap between the mechanism and your head is 6cm, averaging 3cm on each side.]
[You have only two choices: either shoot yourself in the forehead, or shoot the innocent person opposite you.]
[If you shoot yourself with an empty round, nothing will happen.]
[If you shoot the innocent person with an empty round, the mechanisms on both sides of your head will move inward by 1.29cm each.]
[The third time the mechanism moves, it will cause you harm.]
[If you are hit by a live round, you will die on the spot.]
[When the revolver has been fired 6 times, the game will end, and all mechanisms will unlock.]
[You have 5 minutes to complete this game. If you commit any violation or run out of time, you will receive an instant death penalty—the iron blocks will directly crush your skull.]
[I want to know, after committing unforgivable sins, have you ever felt a shred of remorse?]
[Are you willing to place the life of an innocent person above your sinful life?]
[The game begins now. Good luck!]
The image on the television disappeared, replaced by a screen full of static again.
At the same time, with a "snap," an old-fashioned LED electronic timer popped up on the square table, and red numbers began to count down.
05:00
04:59
"Woo! Mmm-hmm-hmm..."
Wei Xinjian struggled even more violently, his eyes bloodshot from congestion, but the locks all over his body remained firm, with no possibility of breaking free.
After a brief hesitation, he extended his only movable right hand and grasped the silver-white revolver on the table.
Then, Wei Xinjian tried to bring the gun closer to his eyes, wanting to observe the gun's cylinder to determine the bullet's position.
—The game rules stated there was only one live round.
If there was a visual difference between empty and live rounds, then as long as he determined the position of the single live round, he could survive by shooting himself with an empty round and the other person with the live round.
However, as he made this movement, a string of blue electric light flowed through the chair, accompanied by a sizzling current sound!
"Ahhhhhh—"
Wei Xinjian screamed from the electric shock, his eyes uncontrollably rolling back, his whole body convulsing, and he almost dropped the gun.
[Warning one. Any further violations will result in an instant death penalty.]
Wei Xinjian's eyes were bloodshot, his entire body drenched in sweat, and he was panting heavily.
The design of this revolver was special, making it impossible to determine the position of the live round by observation alone.
Wei Xinjian dared not risk any further attempts, as that might incur an instant death penalty.
He looked at the innocent person opposite him, who was also locked in an iron chair and unconscious, then swallowed hard, and with a somewhat distorted expression, raised the gun.
He didn't know the young man opposite him, but he had made his choice.
The revolver cylinder could hold six bullets, with only one live round, so the probability of death when firing was 1/6.
If Wei Xinjian shot himself and encountered an empty round, it would be a happy ending, with nothing happening.
But there was also a 1/6 chance that he would die instantly.
At this moment, the iron blocks on both sides of Wei Xinjian's head were not close to him. According to the rules, there was a total gap of 6cm.
This meant that the first two movements would not cause him any harm.
The fear of the bullet and the will to survive drove him to make the obvious choice.
Wei Xinjian gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger!
"Click."
It was an empty round.
Grind, grind, grind—
A dull mechanical sound rang out, metal gears grinding against each other. The iron blocks on both sides of Wei Xinjian's head moved inward, and the cold iron blocks were already pressing against his ears.
"Mmm! Mmm-hmm!"
Wei Xinjian pounded the iron chair in frustration, but this shot could not be undone.
The cold iron blocks near his ears sent a chilling sensation, bringing another kind of fear to his heart.
Second shot.
Wei Xinjian tremblingly turned the gun, aiming it at himself.
But soon, he changed his mind again, re-aiming the gun at Lin Sizhi.
If the chance of being shot just now was 1/6, then the probability of being shot now had increased to 1/5.
Wei Xinjian dared not gamble.
What if the game's creator had anticipated this psychological tendency and placed the live round for the second shot?
After heavy breathing, Wei Xinjian decided to let the other person bear this risk.