Li Renshu explained, "Because this game actually simulates the real world's distribution mechanism.
"The ways to gain huge returns are often accompanied by huge risks.
"And by following the crowd, although you can avoid risks, you also greatly lower the upper limit of your returns.
"In addition, there might be different situations like cooperation or deception between players and between communities.
"If you can find loopholes or bugs hidden in the rules first, you can in turn gain an advantage in the competition with other players.
"Although I didn't get many chips, I don't feel envious that people like Brother Wang and Lawyer Lin got a lot.
"It's very reasonable."
Ding Wenqiang's expression was a bit grim, "What's so reasonable about it.
"It's clearly supposed to be an ideal world like a utopia, but in the end, it's still encouraging gamblers, cheaters, and speculators?"
The corner of Wang Yongxin's mouth twitched slightly, feeling that Ding Wenqiang's three words were all veiled insults directed at him, but he held back and said nothing.
Officer Cao, however, shrugged nonchalantly, "This is quite normal, isn't it? When did the New World ever claim to be a utopia?
"Thinking that this is a utopia where everyone is equal is just wishful thinking on everyone's part.
"On the contrary, the rules of the New World clearly state: not everyone is qualified to survive here for long, which is why there's visa time and the Gallery's judgment.
"If the Gallery really thinks that gamblers and cheaters are more qualified to survive, there's nothing strange about that. At least from the perspective of Social Darwinism, they do fit the definition of the strong.
"Of course, on the other hand, I don't think it's necessary to see the New World and the Gallery as so good, but there's also no need to see them as so bad.
"Even if someone really earned hundreds of thousands of minutes of visa time in this game by mindlessly going all-in, I don't think it's necessarily a good thing for them."
Wang Yongxin looked at him, "What do you mean by that?"
Cao Haichuan toyed with his lighter, "It's simple. A gambling addict did win a lot in this game, but what if next time, the designer suddenly changes their mind and designs a game where players have almost no chance of winning and can only survive by folding? What would happen to them?"
No one answered, because the answer was already obvious.
On the surface, if a person is a gambling addict, they could indeed win a lot in this game.
But it also foreshadowed their future downfall.
Just like in reality, people who lose as soon as they start gambling are unlikely to become gambling addicts. Those who do become addicts are often the ones who keep winning at the beginning.
This kind of success will completely destroy their ability to think rationally and make them severely path-dependent.
Then, as long as the next game changes the details slightly, this "successful experience" could get them killed.
Cao Haichuan comforted, "So, everyone doesn't need to be too discouraged. The Gallery won't just open this one time. We will definitely encounter all sorts of other games in the future.
"These games might have completely different rules and logic, might be life-threatening, or might allow you to earn even more visa time.
"This game is advantageous for you, the next game is advantageous for them, this is all very normal.
"In short, everyone is safe this time and has earned some visa time, which is already very good.
"Even with only 10,000 chips, didn't that still extend your visa time by a week?
"Studying the Gallery's game rules and preferences is also to help us better crack these games later on. As for what's already past, just let it go. There's no need to dwell on it."
Everyone nodded one after another.
Although Officer Cao seemed carefree most of the time, his words at critical moments always gave people a solid sense of conviction and security.
Fu Chen stood up, "Anyway, everyone has worked hard today. Since it's already happened, there's no need to dwell on it too much.
"Let's all go back and get some good rest."
...
...
The next morning, Lin Si zhi woke up very early.
As usual, he ordered a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and sat down at the long table in the hall to eat slowly.
However, just then, he saw the door to the kitchen next to him was ajar, and it seemed to be Ding Wenqiang's figure busy inside.
Su Xiucen's voice could be faintly heard, "Brother Ding, you can't do this..."
But then the two of them spoke in very low voices, and in the end, only Su Xiucen's sigh could be heard.
Not long after, Fu Chen also got up.
He ordered a bowl of soy milk and a few fried dough sticks, and naturally sat down in the seat next to Lin Si zhi.
The two ate in silence, not saying much.
A short while later, Su Xiucen came out of the kitchen and sat down at the long table, her face full of anxiety.
Fu Chen keenly noticed this and asked, "Auntie Su, what's wrong?"
Su Xiucen sighed, "I'm fine, but Brother Ding... sigh, he plans to only eat steamed buns and pickles for every meal from now on. I tried to persuade him, but I couldn't..."
Fu Chen was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned serious.
There was a steamer and various kitchen utensils in the kitchen, and one could spend visa time to buy flour and yeast in the community. Steaming buns was not difficult.
The problem was, why did Ding Wenqiang want to do this.
The answer was actually not hard to guess: because Ding Wenqiang had the least visa time of everyone.
At the very beginning, Ding Wenqiang only had 11 days of visa time, and later in the 'Blood Poker' game, he only earned 15,000 minutes of visa time.
That was just a little over ten days.
Although it seemed like a lot, no one could guarantee when the Gallery would open next, let alone whether Ding Wenqiang would be eligible for the game when it did.
So, although the visa time spent on three meals a day didn't seem like much, for example, a plate of tomato and egg over rice cost 45 minutes of visa time, for Ding Wenqiang, he had to save in every way possible.
If he was just a few minutes short of the next game's opening, that would be too despairing.
Buying some flour, steaming a lot of buns at once, and pairing them with a small amount of pickles was currently the most cost-effective way to eat.
Of course, Su Xiucen was worried, but no matter how worried she was, she had to admit that this was indeed Ding Wenqiang's optimal solution right now.
Completely forgetting about the visa time and feasting would be insane.
Fu Chen's expression was grave, "Yes, Uncle Ding's situation is indeed not optimistic.
"We have to find a way to help him.
"Auntie Su, don't worry for now. We'll discuss it privately later and see if we can come up with a solution.
"Even if we can't directly gift visa time, we should at least find a way to help Uncle Ding solve his food problem."
Su Xiucen's expression relaxed a little, "Okay, thank you, Little Fu. Sigh, it's truly our blessing to be assigned to the same community as good kids like you and Little Lin.
"But... is there really a way."
Obviously, although she had received some psychological comfort, she still felt uncertain.
[Any direct or indirect transaction of 'visa time' between players within the community is prohibited. Disguised transactions, such as using visa time to purchase supplies and then transferring the supplies to others, are also not allowed.]
This was a basic rule of the community, which had been clearly told to everyone on the first day.