Not long after, the others also got up one by one.
They each came to the hall, ordered different foods, and gathered in small groups to chat.
Fu Chen first found Cai Zhiyuan.
After a moment of thought, Cai Zhiyuan got up and called over Li Renshu and Cao Haichuan, bringing them to a small meeting room on the side of the hall.
There were many small compartments of various sizes in this building, each with a different layout, seemingly to encourage people to use them for different purposes.
Lin Si was the last to be called over.
"I want to discuss with everyone if there's a way to help Uncle Ding."
Fu Chen didn't beat around the bush, concisely explaining the problem Ding Wenqiang was facing.
"The reason I didn't bring this up in public is mainly because it involves Uncle Ding's privacy. I was afraid he'd feel embarrassed and refuse our good intentions.
"It's also chaotic to discuss with too many people.
"So I wanted to ask you all to discuss it privately first, come up with a rough plan, and if it's feasible, we can then go and persuade the others."
Fu Chen looked at the other four people present.
Cai Zhiyuan shook his head, "I don't think it'll work.
"It is strictly forbidden for players to engage in any direct or indirect transactions involving visa time. This is a basic rule of the community.
"In other words, if I buy a serving of fried rice, pretend to leave it aside, and then Uncle Ding eats it, that's also a violation.
"Depending on the severity of the violation, the penalty ranges from a deduction of visa time to direct expulsion from the community.
"I think it's best not to dance on a minefield."
Clearly, Cai Zhiyuan was an extremely rational person.
When considering anything, he would prioritize feasibility, probability, and such things, even unconsciously filtering out human emotional fluctuations.
Perhaps this was some kind of occupational hazard for programmers?
However, Lin Si had always felt that although Cai Zhiyuan had some characteristics of a programmer, he was completely different from the stereotypical "dull and honest" impression that programmers usually give.
Fu Chen looked at Cao Haichuan, "Officer Cao, what do you think?"
Cao Haichuan spread his hands, "You've come to the wrong person for this. I'm a simple man. Apart from solving cases and handling some trivial conflicts, I'm clueless about everything else.
"I think it's best not to break the game rules if we can avoid it.
"Next time the Arcade opens, if one of us is lucky enough to be in the same group as Ding Wenqiang, we can just give him a hand."
Li Renshu, however, had her head down, her brows furrowed, not giving a quick conclusion like Cai Zhiyuan and Cao Haichuan.
"Although I can't think of a good solution right now, I think it's very necessary to establish some kind of community support system as soon as possible.
"This isn't just for Uncle Ding, but also for ourselves.
"Right now, Uncle Ding has the least visa time, but what about in the future?
"Who can guarantee they'll never lose all their visa time in a game? Or get injured?
"It's highly likely that some very dangerous games will appear in the Arcade, and any one of us could become a burden to the community.
"If we can find a way to solve the problem of food, it's equivalent to establishing a basic safety net in the community. In the long run, it actually enhances the entire community's ability to withstand risks."
Cai Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then said reluctantly, "Hmm, that makes sense."
Obviously, he agreed with Li Renshu's "reasoning," believing that if such a support mechanism existed, it could indeed take care of the weak and enhance the community's overall risk resistance.
But he didn't think he would be the weak one.
Everyone present fell into silence. It was clear that what lay before them was something that should be done and would be beneficial if done, yet it seemed almost impossible to accomplish.
Fu Chen looked at Lin Si, "Lawyer Lin, what are your thoughts?"
Lin Si considered for a moment, "I think that although the community's rules seem rigid, there might be ways to get around them."
As soon as these words were spoken, a glimmer of hope flashed in Fu Chen's eyes, "Really? Tell me more?"
The other three were also a bit surprised, because in their eyes, Lin Si had always been a reliable person who wouldn't make empty claims. There must be some confidence behind these words.
But rules were rules.
Lin Si paused slightly, "Do you all remember we encountered people from Community 3 in the game?
"The reason Jiang He and the others suffered a huge loss at the beginning was that the four players from Community 3 had already formed a very tight-knit organization.
"But thinking about it afterward, this is actually illogical.
"In the game, even players from the same community don't have much basis for cooperation. Because there's only one winner at the poker table, and it's hard to distribute the winnings to others.
"In other words, there's the problem of 'dividing the spoils.'
"But in the game, the other three players willingly cooperated, losing their chips to Lu Xinyi."
Cai Zhiyuan thought for a moment, "Perhaps it's a technique similar to PUA or mind control?"
Lin Si shook his head slightly, "That's unlikely.
"I'm more inclined to believe that the players from Community 3 have mastered a method to distribute visa time among community members.
"Only in this way can their interests be bound together, establishing a more stable alliance."
Everyone fell into deep thought. Clearly, this specific example was quite convincing.
Lin Si continued, "Forbidding any direct or indirect transactions involving 'visa time' is written in the community's basic rules, so of course, we can't violate it.
"However, we might be able to find a way around it.
"First, the only thing that can counter a basic rule is another basic rule, so we should look for a solution in the other basic rules;
"Second, we need to nitpick the wording. As long as the method we come up with doesn't count as a 'transaction,' then it's not a violation."
Li Renshu said thoughtfully, "It doesn't count as a transaction, but it allows us to transfer our surplus visa time to those with less time..."
Cai Zhiyuan still didn't quite understand, "Is there really such a method?"
Li Renshu and Cao Haichuan looked at each other. It was obvious they had both guessed the answer at the same time.
"There is."
Li Renshu said seriously, "Deducting a certain percentage before the money is distributed to each individual and then redistributing it collectively is not considered a transaction. In real society, we generally call this taxation and social welfare."
Cai Zhiyuan had a sudden realization.
Taxation and welfare are things that already exist in real society. It was just that after coming to this so-called 'New World,' Cai Zhiyuan had temporarily overlooked them.
Conceptually speaking, taxation and welfare are indeed not transactions, and they can indeed provide a basic living standard for low-income groups, which perfectly aligns with their motives.
At this point, everyone almost simultaneously thought of the method to use.
"The second basic rule of the community, proposing a motion!"
This method had actually been mentioned before when the basic rules were introduced.
In short, anyone could propose a motion to the community. After passing a review, it would be put to a vote by all community members.
When the vote exceeds half, meaning at least 7 people agree, the motion can be implemented.
Fu Chen nodded slightly, "In other words, we can propose a motion regarding 'community minimum support.'
"However, this motion obviously can't be proposed casually, because it first has to pass the community's review.
"It cannot violate the community's basic rules, and at the same time, it must have a certain degree of feasibility."
Cai Zhiyuan had a sudden idea, "What if we propose that the community grants each of us 10,000 minutes of visa time every day?"
Officer Cao shook his head, "It probably won't pass the review. We can most likely only distribute the visa time we already have. Trying to use this rule to fleece the community is clearly wishful thinking."
Cai Zhiyuan agreed, "Yeah, I figured as much. But we can still try. Even if it doesn't pass the review, at least there's no apparent loss."