The hall was once again in an uproar.
Although they had already experienced one group game, it was clear that most people still instinctively panicked at such a sudden game invitation.
More importantly, the nature of this game was completely different from the last one.
The goal of "Blood Poker" was to complete the initial allocation of visa time, so from the actual gameplay content, there was basically no life-or-death crisis.
Between players, it was just a matter of earning more or less visa time.
But this time, the game's objective was to "complete the judgment," which meant the game would have a certain fatality rate.
The thought of Wei Xinjian's fate in the "Redemption Roulette" made many people subconsciously feel terrified.
The three people who were forced to participate were even more at a loss.
Lin Sizhi looked at the big screen, also slightly surprised.
Because this time, the game adopted by the Arcade was not the "Life and Death Line" he had designed.
"King's Judgment...
"From the literal meaning, it's hard to tell the specific content of the game.
"So, what's so unique about this game that it was chosen by the Arcade?"
While Lin Sizhi was lost in brief thought, Fu Chen's voice rose above the noise in the hall.
"Everyone, please quiet down!
"Although this game has a certain degree of danger, you've all seen from the 'Blood Poker' situation that the more of our own people there are in the same game, the safer it tends to be, and the greater the chance of winning.
"Our community has three players who were forced to participate, so I hope everyone can actively sign up, as this can significantly increase the survival rate in the game.
"I'll sign up first!"
Although Fu Chen had already raised his hand to volunteer, not many people responded.
Clearly, most people were still hesitating.
Everyone knew that what Fu Chen said was right.
Players from the same community naturally had a better foundation of mutual trust than strangers, giving them an advantage in multiplayer games.
Moreover, games were something no player could escape. If you didn't join this one, you'd have to join the next, especially for those with little visa time left.
But even so, the thought that death was a real possibility in a judgment game made the survival instinct cause people to shrink back.
The five-minute countdown was very short.
Fu Chen anxiously scanned the crowd, but there was nothing he could do at this moment.
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, because she didn't have much visa time either, and this might be a chance to earn some.
But in the next second, the countdown hit zero.
[Voluntarily registered players: Cao Haichuan, Lin Sizhi]
Although Fu Chen, Cao Haichuan, and Lin Sizhi all raised their hands to sign up, Fu Chen's name did not appear on the big screen.
Because voluntarily participating players would be randomly selected, Fu Chen was clearly screened out.
It was hard to say whether his luck was good or bad.
The five people selected by the game instantly disappeared from the hall.
...
"Beep—"
A sharp ringing sound echoed as Lin Sizhi gradually regained consciousness.
He found himself in a completely unfamiliar space, and he was the only one here.
He looked around.
The surroundings were pristine white walls, and the room contained only a very simple table and chair.
However, the wall directly opposite was a huge transparent glass window, through which the entire game scene could be seen.
On the side walls were many screens of various sizes, like a monitoring room, allowing one to see many details within the game area 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 Ding Wenqiang and the other four.
A moment later, the small screen in front of the desk displayed an introduction to the game's rules.
[As a voluntarily registered player, your role in this game is: Audience.]
[The audience does not need to personally participate in the game and will not suffer life-or-death penalties.]
[There are a total of 10 audience members in this game. The audience only needs to do three things:]
[1. Tip]
[Tip a certain amount of visa time to the inner-field players, accompanied by a text message. Each word requires a tip of 1000 minutes of visa time.]
[Please note: The tipped player will not necessarily follow your request, and even if they don't, the tip will still be effective and will not be refunded.]
[2. Vote]
[After each judgment in the game, all audience members must vote on the fairness of the "King's" actions.]
[The so-called fairness mainly depends on whether the judgment game arranged by the King for the prisoner matches the prisoner's crime in terms of content and severity.]
[This vote will not bring any benefits to the audience.]
[The voting process will automatically include a lie detector. If the vote contradicts the audience member's true thoughts, 10,000 minutes of visa time will be deducted.]
[Special note: Audience members are strictly forbidden from revealing their identity or any fairness-related information to the players in the field. Once discovered, they will be forcibly silenced, and the informant will be subject to an instant-death penalty.]
[3. Bet]
[The audience can 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 audience members.]
[King's side victory condition: At the end of the game, fewer than 3 prisoners are alive.]
[King's side victory reward: For each prisoner the King executes, each betting audience member will receive an additional 30,000 minutes of visa time.]
[Prisoners' side victory condition: At the end of the game, 3 or more prisoners are alive.]
[Prisoners' side victory reward: Each betting audience member 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 Prisoners' side, the winners will also divide all the bet and earned chips of the losers.]
[Finally, please remember: This is someone else's judgment, and you are just an audience member.]
[Good luck!]
Lin Sizhi carefully read the rules once, but it was obvious that without knowing the specific format of the game, it was difficult to further analyze how these rules should be applied.
Lin Sizhi had no leads for the time being and could only look into the field through the huge transparent glass in front of him.
At this moment, the area he was in was somewhat similar to a second-floor viewing stand, and there were a total of 10 such stands, each with a large number written on it.
"In other words, there are a total of 10 audience members in this game, and many of them are from other communities.
"Officer Cao should be among them, but I don't know which number he is."
Lin Sizhi wanted to observe the other audience members, but these glass panels were one-way. You could see outside from the inside, but not the other way around.
Just then, the loudspeaker broadcast another announcement.
[Audience 1 bets on "King."]
Evidently, one audience member had made a decision with surprising speed.
Because up to this point, the game's rules had not been fully introduced. The audience only knew the rules for their side, but they were still completely in the dark about how the players actually participating in the game would proceed.
For example, how to distinguish between the "King" and the "Prisoners," and what specific privileges the "King" had, were still unknown.
The officials hadn't set a time limit for betting, so it was likely possible to bet at any time during the game. There was no need to rush.
Since one could only bet on either the King or the Prisoners, it was naturally better to observe for a while before making a decision.
Of course, Lin Sizhi could roughly guess why Audience 1 was in such a hurry.
Because according to the rules, each side could receive bets from a maximum of 5 audience members.
In other words, if you wanted to bet on the King but were too slow and became the sixth person to bet, you would automatically be placed on the Prisoners' side.
Audience 1 had firmly stood on the King's side from the very beginning.
Perhaps it was because they felt the King was bound to have a greater advantage, or perhaps they naturally liked the King's side's game model of killing for profit.
After a moment of consideration, Lin Sizhi decided not to bet for now and instead looked at the game field.
He was Audience 5, which was a prime viewing position.
Looking down slightly, he could clearly see the main area of the game.
The field was somewhat shaped like the character "甲" (jia). The very spacious main body was below the audience stands, divided into several compartments, each with different mechanisms inside.
The vertical stroke of the "甲" was a long corridor extending into the distance.
Five figures could be seen at the end of the corridor.
And from the numerous surveillance cameras, corresponding footage could also be found:
Wang Yongxin, Cai Zhiyuan, Ding Wenqiang, Zhang Peng, and Gao Zhankui, these five people were staring at the screens in front of them, listening to the introduction of the corresponding game rules.
Through the loudspeakers, the sounds from the game field were also clearly transmitted into the room where Lin Sizhi was.
[Hello, players.]
[You will now be judged in a game called "King's Judgment."]
[In this game, your identities are all "Sinners."]
[But soon, one of you will become the "King," and the others will become "Prisoners."]
[The duration of this game is 2 hours. After the game officially starts, the visa bracelets on your wrists will inject a slow-acting toxin into your bodies. You will die from the poison after 2 hours.]
[You must achieve the game's objective within 2 hours to have a chance of survival.]
[Before entering the official game field, you will play a simple preliminary mini-game to determine your roles 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 the mechanism in front of you, which is equal to twice your body weight, and pass through 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.]
[When the time limit is exceeded, the spikes on the mechanism will pierce your body. If you exceed the time limit by 2 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 role of the "King" is crucial. You must give it your all.]
[More rules will be disclosed after you enter the official field.]
[This is a test of will and wisdom. Pay attention to all the clues in the game, and don't forget to listen to your inner voice.]
[Now, the game begins. Good luck!]