Chapter 1 [Ball Sharing Game] A deadly question?

(Warning: As the story progresses, the content will become increasingly twisted and dark, and the protagonist will spiral into madness. If you're not comfortable with this tone, please proceed with caution.)

(The protagonist's worldview does not reflect the author's own.)

(If you enjoy it, please leave a comment or review and help me promote the book! Please don't leave me alone; I'm afraid of being isolated.)

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What should I do?

This is a deadly puzzle!

This is a rather well-known intelligence test that Yu Tu had once played around with online.

The result is that no matter what you choose, everyone dies together!

Yu Tu stared at the game rules written on the blackboard, his face pale, cold sweat dripping down!

[Welcome to the God Cage Game: Beginner's Trial. The rules of this game are as follows:]

1) Each participant takes a certain number of balls from the table. The order of picking is decided by a drawing before the game starts.

2) After picking the balls, based on the order of ball exchange, each person will take turns to request exchanges of balls with other players. You can only request an exchange with the same player once. The order of exchanges is decided by a drawing before the game starts.

3) The player with the most or the least balls will die, and those who have the same amount of balls (either the most or least) will die together.

4) The surviving players can share 100 exchange coins. Exceptional performers will receive special rewards.

5) No fighting or grabbing is allowed. Balls can only be exchanged during the exchange phase and must be mutually agreed upon by both parties.

Notice: Do not forcefully leave the room or violate the rules, or you will be executed immediately!

In front of the blackboard is a dilapidated table, with 12 glass balls and 6 black bags placed on it.

The six people in the room tremble, staring at the ground, where brain matter and blood are scattered, and the body of a large man, headless, lies near the iron door.

The man with glasses remains the calmest and speaks first: "Although I don't know where we are, if we want to survive, we should follow the rules."

The others swallow nervously. The large man's death served as a demonstration of the consequences of breaking the rules.

Trying to break the door led to his head exploding, and the 14 balls were reduced to 12.

The man with glasses pushes up his glasses and says, "Let's talk about it. 12 balls, 6 people—how should we divide them?"

A middle-aged woman shouts loudly, "I don't care about the others; I want two!"

The fashionable woman and the elderly man in a Zhongshan suit immediately declare, "I want two too!"

The tattooed man curses, "Are you all crazy? If everyone takes two, we all die together!"

Yu Tu sneers inwardly. Yes, if everyone takes two, they will all die together.

Unless someone is willing to sacrifice themselves.

Before Yu Tu can speak, the tattooed man steps forward and points at the elderly man in the Zhongshan suit:

"Old man, you've lived long enough; it wouldn't be a loss if you died now! You take 3 balls first, and that sickly one (referring to Yu Tu), you take last!"

Yu Tu, who was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer before coming here, looks at the tattooed man but only sneers, too lazy to respond.

The old man replies excitedly:

"Don't even think about it! My granddaughter is still in the hospital. I'm here to earn money to save her! I can't die!"

The man with glasses' eyes brighten, and he pushes his glasses, smiling:

"Big brother, how about this? Let everyone speak up about what they need. Then we can help each other out. If someone is willing to die, we'll help them fulfill their unfinished wishes. What do you think?"

The middle-aged woman slaps her thigh and immediately starts babbling:

"I'm so miserable! My son is waiting for me to make money for his bride price, you know? The advertisement said that game exchange coins can be exchanged for money…"

Seeing the middle-aged woman about to continue, the man with glasses quickly interrupts: "Alright, I understand. You're doing this for your son's bride price. What about you, old man?"

"My granddaughter is seriously ill and needs surgery, and I'm trying to raise money. I saw the ad and agreed to participate."

"I see. You're doing this to save your granddaughter."

The tattooed man, displeased with the glasses man stealing his thunder, kicks Yu Tu.

"You, speak!"

The space seems not to consider this kick as a violation. Yu Tu slowly pats the dust off his clothes, glances at the tattooed man, and his eyes flash with cold light:

"As for me, I'm in the late stages of cancer. The advertisement said that playing the game could earn exchange coins to extend life, so I clicked on it out of curiosity."

"Damn, another sickly one! You're up, bitch!"

The fashionable woman shyly says, "My loan is due soon, and I'm being pressured. I didn't have a choice but to click yes."

The man with glasses immediately stands up.

"Look, it's simple, right? Old man, old woman, your goal isn't for yourselves; it's for your grandchildren and sons, right?"

Both the old woman and the old man nod: "Yes!"

The man with glasses gives a thumbs-up: "I admire you. For the sake of your grandchildren, parents and elders are willing to give up their lives, aren't they"?

The old man sighs deeply: "If I could save my granddaughter…"

"Granddaughter, what is the worthless life of an old man like me worth?"

"So, if you two voluntarily die, I will, after it's over, exchange the coins for money and send it to your granddaughter and son!"

Upon hearing the man with glasses, the old lady and the old man exchanged a glance.

The old lady spoke up first: "Who knows if you'll actually send the money later? Besides, you still need to exchange coins to extend your life. Who knows if you'll have any coins left to exchange for money?"

The old man also firmly shook his head: "I can't trust you!"

The man with glasses shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly,

"Then we all die together. What a pity for your granddaughter; she'll die in the hospital bed. Oh, and your son, he'll never get a wife!"

At these words, the old man and old lady showed painful expressions.

The man with glasses smiled confidently. Before life and death, it was all about who could withstand the pressure!

The tattooed man and the fashionable woman also had smiles on their faces.

Yu Tu shook his head disdainfully. He didn't believe the old man and old lady would believe such nonsense. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, thinking about a solution.

Yu Tu had been a programmer before. During an interview, he had encountered this algorithm question, asking to determine which position had the highest survival rate based on the ball taken:

The standard answer was that no matter which position, it was death!

However, this time was a bit different. There was an exchange ball phase, and the key to breaking the deadlock had to be here.

So, how could he break the deadlock?

At this moment, a mechanical voice echoed in the room:

"In ten seconds, the ball number selection will begin. Countdown: 10, 9, 8..."

Yu Tu opened his eyes anxiously. He still didn't have a clear plan, but as the countdown neared its end, Yu Tu gritted his teeth:

"There's still the ball exchange phase. No matter what, if I get the balls in my hands, I'll have the power to make decisions!"

As soon as the countdown ended, six numbered cards appeared on the blackboard.

When the tattooed man yelled at the old man to take number one, Yu Tu was the first to rush to the blackboard and take number one into his hand.

Seeing this, the tattooed man immediately shouted, "Sickly brat! What are you doing?"

At this moment, the system's voice prompted again, "For those who haven't taken a number, ten seconds later, the numbers will be redistributed. Countdown: 10, 9, 8..."

The rest of the people immediately rushed toward the blackboard. No matter what, they couldn't take number six.

In the end, number six was forcibly assigned to the slowest old man.

"Now, start taking balls. Each person has ten seconds to take a ball, starting with number one."

Yu Tu didn't hesitate. He immediately grabbed an elastic bag from the table and poured all twelve balls into his bag.

The tattooed man shouted, "Sickly brat, what are you doing? Are you looking for death?"

"The balls have all been taken. Ball collection is over. Ten seconds later, the number exchange will begin. Countdown: 10, 9, 8..."

Yu Tu ignored the tattooed man's shouting, anxiously watching the blackboard, contemplating which number to exchange.

Having a front position meant losing the advantage of having all the balls. Being in the last position seemed not good either; there would be no leeway.

To leave others with room would be to have a chance for himself!

At the very moment the countdown ended, relying on his years of experience in algorithms, Yu Tu immediately rushed forward and took number five.

The man with glasses narrowed his eyes; his heart skipped a beat. Why number five? What about six?

No one voluntarily gave up, so it had to be a setup to trick others.

Tricking others wasn't a one-person job; you needed a partner. Since he chose number five, number six was reserved for his teammate.

Having the balls gave him the initiative. Did this person already have a way to break the deadlock?

The man with glasses no longer hesitated. He immediately rushed to take number six, then smiled at Yu Tu in a friendly manner.

After all, the balls were in Yu Tu's hands, and it seemed that Yu Tu would lead the next phase of the game.

The rest of the people quickly rushed up to take their numbers.

In the end, the old man took number one, the tattooed man took number two, the fashionable woman took number three, the old lady took number four, Yu Tu took number five, and the man with glasses took number six.

"Number selection is over. The exchange will begin in five minutes. Each exchange cycle lasts ten minutes, and the current exchange round will end after ten minutes."

The cold mechanical voice stopped, and the tattooed man took the lead in making a move:

"Sickly brat, why the hell did you take so many balls? You want to die? Give me two later, or I'll kill you when I get out!"

Seeing the tattooed man try to rush at him, Yu Tu pointed at the corpse on the ground. The tattooed man swallowed and stepped back.

Yu Tu smiled smugly, leaned back in his chair, and said, "I suggest you all think carefully about how you'll get me to give you the balls. Otherwise, you're all at zero; even if I die, you all die too!"

Then, Yu Tu glanced at the man with glasses. The man with glasses smiled and nodded in a friendly manner.

Except for the man with glasses, the other four were constantly whispering in Yu Tu's ear, some pleading for mercy, others threatening, and the fashionable woman even coquettishly offering herself.

Yu Tu disdainfully glanced at the two balls the fashionable woman held. Seriously? Go to hell?

Shaking his head, Yu Tu closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and drummed his fingers rhythmically on the armrest, trying to figure out the next steps.

They all wanted two balls, but giving away two balls was meaningless.

So, three balls had to be given away. And to make others accept three balls, there had to be hope for survival attached to those three balls...

After a moment of thinking, Yu Tu's mouth curled into a faint smile: "Human nature... everyone fears death, so none of you have a choice!"

The man with glasses, who had been staring at Yu Tu, watched the smile on his face.

The stone in his heart finally fell.

He was number six, and theoretically, only he could cooperate with him.

To make himself cooperate with him, there was only one way—give himself a chance to survive!

But what exactly did he have up his sleeve to break the current situation?