ALEX calmly put the ostrich egg back into his pocket and said, "Sixty-four hundred and fifty-six players participated in this game. There are only 150 squares in total, yet not a single person has managed to clear it. Isn't this probability abnormally distorted?"
Before the game started, when the eight players stood on the "START" square, ALEX casually inquired about the meaning of the number "6456" displayed on the LED sign hanging above the stage. Since then, ALEX had developed immense doubts about this game.
With 6456 players, divided into groups of eight each, there were a total of 807 groups. These 807 groups participated in a Monopoly-style game that ostensibly required luck to win, yet all of them failed. In ALEX's conjecture, any group of players, when played to its conclusion, would most likely face this scenario:
Only one player remains, continuing the game.
When two players enter the same square, the "Who Wants to Share Your Joys and Sorrows" effect triggers, subjecting both to Level 7 punishment squares. Inevitably, more than one player will die.
Initially, ALEX suspected that the reason no one had won was because "the last-place player had to stay behind." However, Mario had just denied this theory. In the case where only one player remains, that player is seen as a "poor child" and not the last place finisher.
With 6456 players, which is a significant sample size, and only 150 squares, including 30 punishment squares (5% of the total, not exceeding 8 squares), the fact that none of the over six thousand players managed to reach the end speaks volumes.
ALEX's gaze drifted far, silently scanning the squares from the 120th to the 150th.
"Among those 30 punishment squares, six consecutive ones are designated as the Commoner's Grid," ALEX said calmly. His words sent a shockwave through the beer-bellied man, who paled, and Li Wen tightened his grip on his gun. ALEX looked at Mario and repeated, "The Commoner's Grid is a death sentence governed by cause and effect. If the Black Tower says so, then players who step on it have no chance of survival. Six consecutive Commoner's Grids extinguish any hope of players progressing further. No matter the dice roll, they will inevitably step on a punishment square."
Mario's black wooden eyes froze for a moment before the lovable classic game character crossed his arms and laughed heartily, "Lovely child, how could you say that? This game is Uncle Mario's reward to the children. Uncle Mario wants to share so many treasures with you." He stepped aside, revealing the mountains of gold and silver behind him. "Would Uncle Mario deny you the chance to earn rewards?"
ALEX smiled, "There must be a way to win, but whether you want to give it or not is another matter."
Mario's smile vanished, "Child, you're not very cute."
The beer-bellied man roared, "Don't provoke him! Are you insane? We can't beat him, any of us. If he gets angry and charges down from there, I won't care about you... You're not one of us, so kill you if you must!"
ALEX glanced at the beer-bellied man, "If he could come down, would he have stayed up there for so long?"
Playing Mario's Monopoly requires attention to two key points:
Firstly, flexibly utilize the Free Jump Squares. There are two ways to jump: jump forward any number of squares up to 30, or backward any number of squares (without returning to previously visited squares). This proves that after the 120th square, there can't be another Free Jump Square, or players could jump straight to the 150th square, contradicting Mario's mischievous nature. If such squares existed, many of the 6456 players would have reached the last 120 squares and won by landing on a Free Jump Square.
Secondly, remember every square's content visited by oneself and teammates. As an official player, ALEX's memory underwent a qualitative improvement. He had been keeping track and noted that out of the first 83 squares, they had stepped on 61 squares. Among them, there were 16 Free Jump Squares, 13 Punishment Squares, 8 Reward Squares, and 24 Empty Squares.
There are 120 Free Jump Squares in total, and stepping on 16 out of 61 squares indicates a low likelihood of encountering more Free Jump Squares later. The last 30 squares might not have any.
Meanwhile, the first 83 squares likely didn't include any King's Grid or Commoner's Grid.
ALEX suddenly thought, "The King's Grid can be connected to the Commoner's Grid, with consecutive King's Grids followed by consecutive Commoner's Grids."
His voice was soft, and while the beer-bellied man and Li Wen didn't hear, Mario sneered after hearing it, acknowledging ALEX's words.
The allure of this game lay in the 5% chance of landing on a King's Grid.
If the King's Grid and Commoner's Grid were intentionally placed consecutively, players who persevered to the end, injured and nearly reaching the finish line, would suddenly step on a King's Grid, an indescribable joy. Lucky players might roll low numbers repeatedly, landing on multiple King's Grids and earning numerous rewards.
Yet, after the King's Grid, they would face consecutive Commoner's Grids. Without Free Jump Squares, six consecutive Commoner's Grids ensured no one could win this game.
ALEX slipped his hands into his pockets and looked up, his voice calm, "I've decided where I want to jump."
Surprised by ALEX's sudden decision after hesitation, Mario asked, "Eh, child, you have nothing else to say? You're ready to jump now?" Despite being repeatedly exposed by ALEX, Uncle Mario still grinned brightly. Adjusting his askew red octagonal cap, he said, "Uncle Mario loves smart children. Don't you want to hear more about the surprises Uncle Mario has prepared for you?"
Six consecutive Commoner's Grids as surprises?
ALEX gave Mario a cold glance, "I want to jump backward."
Uncle Mario waved his large hand, "And which square do you want to jump to?"
"The first square."
"Oh, so the first..." His voice trailed off as the giant Mario froze mid-air, like someone had pressed pause on an old-fashioned TV. After two seconds, he creakily turned his head, staring at ALEX with his dark eyes.
The beer-bellied man wondered, "The first square? Did you say that wrong?"
Li Wen furrowed his brows in silence, deep in thought.
Mario's lips curved into a smile, "Child, did I hear you right? You want to jump to the first square?"
Ignoring him, ALEX gazed skyward and declared loudly, "I want to jump to the first square."
Mario's voice rose, "If you go to the first square, child, you'll be in last place. You'll have to play this game from the beginning. Even if the first two players ahead of you fail, leaving you alone, how can you be so lucky next time not to trigger Level 6 or higher punishment squares?"
Without looking back, ALEX said, "I like starting from scratch and challenging myself."
Frustrated, Mario spat, "You're a horrid, unlovable child! You'll surely encounter terrible punishment squares next time!"
"I think I'm cute enough," ALEX retorted.
Mario had never encountered such a brazen human, "You...!"
Suddenly, a low, brief chuckle echoed in ALEX's mind, causing him to pause for a moment.
Far away in Beijing, the tall man had long since wiped the foam from his hair and body, wrapping a towel around his waist. Sitting on the sofa, Jack opted not to shower but instead grabbed a psychology book from the shelf and flipped through it casually.
When the save device is activated, both parties uncontrollably hear each other's voices.
Jack and ALEX had few opportunities to interact, but Jack knew ALEX wasn't foolish. A game that necessitated activating a save device must be exceptionally challenging.
Having activated the save device midway, Jack listened to ALEX's game while reading, catching only a few keywords:
Mario, Free Jump Square, King's Grid, Commoner's Grid...
It sounded like an intriguing game.
The player was equally fascinating.
In Mario's Monopoly game, ALEX had no idea that on the other side of the ostrich egg, a man wrapped only in a towel sat on a sofa, avidly listening to the sounds of his gameplay.Somewhere, a man sat on the sofa, wrapped only in a towel, eagerly listening to the sounds of ALEX playing the game.
In Mario's Monopoly game, ALEX continued to advance step by step, with the beer-bellied man, Li Wen, and Mario watching him intently. No one spoke a word, and no one commented on whether ALEX had gone mad. It wasn't until ALEX reached the third square that Mario suddenly exclaimed loudly, "The 100th square is a King's Grid. It's the only King's Grid before the 120th square. At the Free Jump Square on the 83rd square, you could have chosen to jump to this one. It's not too late to turn back now. By running to the first square, even if you're not in last place, there's no guarantee you'll be lucky enough to reach the 83rd square again."
ALEX stopped and turned to face the giant Mario, "You saying that makes me feel even more at ease."
"You wicked, evil child! You're not human, you're a demon!"
ALEX retorted calmly, "Whether I'm a demon or not is debatable, but you're definitely not human."
ALEX stood on the third square, his gaze lingering back and forth between the second and first squares for a long time before finally stepping over the second square and standing on the first one. At that moment, a clear, childlike voice echoed through the white world—
"Ding Dong! Triggered the escape grid. At 21:49 on November 22, 2035, player ALEX successfully cleared the large multiplayer raid game 'Mario's Monopoly' and received the reward of 'Uncle Mario's Treasure'."
Mario roared, "You demon! Uncle Mario worked hard for 36 years in the sewers to collect those treasures!"
Behind him, a massive golden mountain emerged in the white game world. Uncle Mario frantically jumped, trying to grab the flying golden mountain, but his clumsy attempts only allowed him to awkwardly pick out a single gold coin from it. The enormous golden mountain flew straight towards ALEX, landing behind him with a loud clatter.
Countless piles of gold and diamonds formed a hill behind ALEX, with several gold coins rolling down from the mountain and stopping at his feet. He bent down to pick up one of the coins.
"Why the first square?" Li Wen asked.
ALEX shifted her gaze away from the gold coin, "Because there must be a way to clear this game."
"More than 6,000 people, none of them able to clear the game, proves that there are more than six consecutive Commoner's Grids within the first 120 squares," ALEX said, glancing at Uncle Mario sobbing on the stage. "And before that, there would be consecutive King's Grids."
After struggling to reach the end, players would suddenly stumble upon the treasures of the King's Grid, with only six more squares separating them from victory.
However, those players would never reach the finish line. Because the entire point of this game was to force players to search for the sole escape grid.
"From the start, I wondered if there were too many Free Jump Squares. With 20% of the total squares being Free Jump Squares, that's a total of 30 squares. Nine out of ten people would step on at least one Free Jump Square, but no one in their right mind would choose to jump to the first square. The future is uncertain, so players generally opt to jump to squares already visited by others or retreat to avoid triggering the 'Who Wants to Share Your Joys and Sorrows' effect."
Li Wen had done just that, choosing to jump to the back of the pack the first time he landed on a Free Jump Square.
ALEX continued, "In Monopoly, if there were no Free Jump Squares, which square would players be least likely to land on out of 150?"
Before ALEX, a total of 6,456 players had participated in this game. These 6,000-plus individuals must have stepped on every square, perhaps even reaching the 149th square. Yet none of them found the escape grid.
There were only two possibilities.
The first was that Mario deliberately placed the escape grid after six consecutive Commoner's Grids. This way, players would die before reaching the escape grid, making it impossible for them to encounter it.
But if the Black Tower truly intended to kill all players entering this dungeon, it wouldn't have designed such a complex game; it could have simply killed them outright. Mario alone could have eliminated every human who entered the dungeon.
Therefore, there must be a way to win.
The second possibility was that from the beginning, it was impossible for players to land on the escape grid by chance alone.
Out of 150 squares, only the first square offered players a one-time chance to land on it by luck. The probability of rolling a one on the first dice roll was one in six. Even if Mario spent a hundred years in the sewers, he couldn't afford to let so many players roll a one and take his treasures.
To reach the first square, one had to utilize a Free Jump Square. ALEX had always wondered why there were so many Free Jump Squares, as they seemed largely unnecessary. Once it was confirmed that the first square was the escape grid, the purpose of these numerous Free Jump Squares became clear. They ensured that every group of eight players had a chance to reach the escape grid. They also hinted to players that only by using the jump squares could they clear the game.
Mario lay sobbing loudly on the stage.
ALEX took out his ostrich egg from his pocket, "It's time to close the save device, jack. Sorry for keeping you so long."
Jack had already closed his book and was listening intently to the other side of the ostrich egg. He chuckled softly, "Looks like the save function wasn't needed after all?"
ALEX sighed helplessly, "Yes, I wasted a save function. I thought Mario would be more ruthless. Five percent of Commoner's Grids is a delicate balance, roughly 7.5 squares, uncertain whether it's 7 or 8. Like the King's Grids, I believed Mario placed a Commoner's Grid before the 120th square too. Most likely between the 100th and 120th squares. He himself said the 100th square was a King's Grid, so placing a Commoner's Grid within the next six squares would be amusing, watching those who found the King's Grid step into the Commoner's Grid."
Jack remarked, "He's quite vicious."
ALEX agreed, "If he were even more ruthless, he could have placed the eighth or seventh Commoner's Grid on the first square. Then, the only way to reach the second square would be just as unlikely as landing on the first square. I leaned towards the first square being the escape grid, but if it were a Commoner's Grid, at least there'd be the option to reload and choose the second square. Unfortunately, he was a bit too gentle."
ALEX spoke without expression but felt a strange sensation welling up inside him, akin to encountering a kindred spirit.
Mario lay prone on the stage with his buttocks raised, sobbing pitifully. His tears fell like rain, accumulating in the white world until they soon soaked the soles of their shoes.
ALEX gazed at the enormous golden mountain before him. "I don't think I'll be able to take all this gold with me."
Nestled deep within the mountain of gold, a tiny red gemstone sparkled brightly among the coins. ALEX reached out and extracted the ruby, and in an instant, all the gold vanished. On stage, Mario's cries grew louder, "My treasure! My precious treasure... waaaaah! I'll remember you. I'll make sure to... ahhh... ouch!"
So, this was the true reward for clearing the game: "Uncle Mario's Treasure"?
As ALEX pocketed the ruby, the bodies of the three of them gradually faded, about to disappear into the white world.
ALEX regarded the beer-bellied man with indifference. "I said earlier in the dungeon that I would beat you to death."
The man wailed in agony, his mouth wide open, chest heaving, eyes bulging like brass bells. Then, he suddenly exhaled forcefully, unleashing a fierce gust of wind that blew roadside trees over.
However, ALEX merely paled, unharmed. The man looked at ALEX in terror, knowing he couldn't escape. "Please... forgive me... spare me."
ALEX stripped the man of his jacket without hesitation. "This is mine now. I'm taking it."
Part of the reason for punishing the man was to teach him a lesson, and part was to acquire his ability. ALEX lacked offensive abilities, and while the man's power didn't seem particularly useful, it did possess some offensive capabilities. Used correctly, it could produce surprising effects.
As Li Wen prepared to bid farewell, he had personal matters to attend to. He wanted to return home and see if his parents were still alive. After turning and walking only ten meters, ALEX suddenly called out loudly, "I remembered something, Li Wen, come back here for a moment."
Li Wen hurried back, "What is it?"
ALEX simply looked at him, smiling without saying a word.
Li Wen was confused, "ALEX?"
"You came back just because I called? Be more cautious, not just with little fatty, but also with yourself," ALEX said with a smile. "Naive, sweet, rich second-generation. Live well."
Li Wen exclaimed, "So you've always thought of me as a naive, sweet, rich second-generation?! That's how you see me?!!"
Both men laughed heartily, truly saying goodbye this time. Footsteps echoed from afar, and ALEX immediately turned to look towards the end of the road. There, a tall, slender man stared at them in disbelief before noticing the four corpses lying beside them.
ALEX remained vigilant, scrutinizing this strange stranger carefully. The man approached, gazed at the corpses for a long time, then turned to them with a peculiar expression, as if trying to determine if they were human or ghosts. Finally, he asked, "Excuse me, but are you... humans who have survived the Second Dungeon?"