Chapter 11: [Prisoner's Dilemma] The Trapped Rabbit and Mouse

After a moment of surprise, Yu Tu came back to his senses. He had no reason to refuse such a benefit delivered to his doorstep.

Yu Tu wasn't worried about Bunny Ears tricking him—there was no need for her to do so.

From her perspective, if she didn't believe the "11 points" theory, she could've simply ignored both Zhezhi and him and continued with her own strategy.

But if she did believe the "11 points" theory, then mutually choosing "Peace" and gaining 11 points would be in her best interest;

Because even if Bunny Ears managed to take 10 points from Yu Tu this round, her maximum potential score would be 54 points;

Whereas Yu Tu could still use his remaining attempts to bring Zhezhi up to 44 points, giving Zhezhi the opportunity to reach 55.

That wouldn't be beneficial for Bunny Ears!

Worst case, Yu Tu still wasn't afraid of being tricked.

At most, both choose "War" and lose 1 point;

That was already part of the plan—his real target was Mouse!

Yu Tu didn't hesitate anymore. He wrapped his arms around Bunny Ears' waist. "Sure, Bunny Sister, I'm counting on you this time."

Then he turned back and shouted at Zhezhi: "Haha, bitch, I've got Bunny Sister to save me now. This time, you're the one who's going to die!"

Zhezhi also reacted. Her fists clenched tightly, her eyes glaring at Bunny Ears with hatred.

But in truth, she was delighted inside.

No matter what the result between Yu Tu and Bunny Ears turned out to be, she was safe.

Yu Tu would definitely choose "War";

If Bunny Ears also chose "War," then Yu Tu would lose 2 points—he'd fall below her, and she'd be safe;

If Bunny Ears chose "Peace," then Bunny would lose 10 points—regardless of who those points ended up with, she'd still be safe.

Yu Tu, holding Bunny Ears' waist with an affectionate demeanor, walked toward the "War-Peace Pavilion," then each entered one booth.

Inside the pavilion, Yu Tu pressed "War" without hesitation;

Meanwhile, Bunny Ears placed her hand on "Peace," her expression extremely hesitant...

But really, no matter how hesitant she was, she didn't have a second option.

Since she had already approached Yu Tu this round—no matter what—she had to choose "Peace."

Bunny Ears knew the risk, but she had slept with so many people just for first place. She had to bet on this round.

Her right hand froze over the "Peace" button for a while. Finally, she relaxed. With her left hand, she brushed the hair off her neck and behind her ear, then used her right hand to press down.

"Momo Bunny Ears, you chose 'Peace.' Tiezhu chose 'War.' In this round, you lose 10 points. Current score: -10."

The cold mechanical voice echoed in Bunny Ears' ears. She let out a chuckle and didn't feel mad at all. Instead, she found it a little funny.

Men—aren't they all like this?

So good at lying!

Bunny Ears showed no regret. Her face maintained an elegant smile, as if the failure just now wasn't worth mentioning. She cheerfully pushed open the pavilion's iron door.

Yu Tu opened his door almost at the same time.

Bunny Ears ran over to wrap her arms around Yu Tu's waist, twisting her hips flirtatiously, lightly shaking as she cooed, "Tiezhu, little brother, can I get a kiss~?"

Yu Tu pinched Bunny Ears' chin, staring at this delicate and seductive woman, admiration rising in his heart for her composure.

While Yu Tu and Bunny Ears were all lovey-dovey, Zhezhi felt utterly disgusted inside.

She wasn't disgusted by Bunny Ears or Yu Tu—but by Mouse!

In Zhezhi's eyes, that mouse was not only small and ugly but disgustingly pervy. Last time he barged into her room, barely said two sentences before whipping it out, trying to get busy. Zhezhi was thoroughly grossed out!

To her, that small, ugly, sleazy mouse didn't deserve to live in this world!

Originally, her plan was to team up with Yu Tu to turn that mouse into a dead rat!

Who would've thought that slutty Bunny would jump in out of nowhere? It made her pissed! Absolutely revolted!

Her peripheral vision caught the pale-faced, nervous Mouse, and Zhezhi decided to add fuel to the fire. She yelled toward the flirting Yu Tu and Bunny Ears, "You slutty bunny, done using him? Return him now—it's my turn!"

———

Mouse, already a bundle of nerves, was startled by Zhezhi's voice.

The interaction between Bunny Ears and Yu Tu only made him more certain that the "11 points" was real!

And Zhezhi's words just now—that was the final straw.

He couldn't wait any longer!

If Zhezhi and Bunny Ears kept draining Yu Tu's attempts like this, others would eventually catch on, and the advantage he had from his gifted information would be gone!

From the corner of his eye, Mouse saw her bracing on the couch as if about to stand. In a blur, he imagined Zhezhi and Yu Tu entering the pavilion again... then Bunny Ears and King Kong, Star and Tyrant...

And once again, he would be alone. Left behind. Left out.

He didn't want to die—not out of fear. He just didn't want to die here.

He wasn't just called "Mouse" in the game. He was called that in real life too.

Before joining the game, he was just like a real rat—curled up in the sewers, scraping by, nobody respected him, nobody liked him, not a single friend. Everyone looked down on this "Mouse."

When Mouse used his first game-earned money to pin a gorgeous woman beneath him, that thrill surged through every inch of him.

Not a physical pleasure—but a psychological high!

I am Mouse.

Not the kind of rat that lives in the sewers, but a rat aiming to sit on the throne!

How could I possibly die here?

The sound of Origami lifting her butt off the couch jolted the Rat back to reality. Without any more hesitation, he darted to Yu Tu's side before Origami could fully stand up.

"Hahaha! Brother Tiezhu, let me cut in line! These two women are too noisy—let me give you a break!"

Yu Tu looked at the eager, pouncing Rat. The Rat twirled two fingers beside his ears—Yu Tu understood the signal: "My ears are sharp, I know about the 11-point thing."

The Rat glanced at Bunny Ears nearby. Everyone else thought Yu Tu and Bunny Ears were doing something in the room, but only he, the Rat, knew they weren't.

He had excellent hearing—he'd heard everything they said in that room.

In that case, if Bunny Ears and Yu Tu still cooperated for a "peace" outcome, then the 11-point theory must be true.

Assuming the 11-point thing is real, it would benefit Yu Tu to spread his five chances across more people.

For Yu Tu, this would cost him nothing—and he might even prevent others from completing five games.

Sure enough, Yu Tu glanced at Origami, then unhesitatingly slapped his hand on the Rat's shoulder. "That's great news!"

Yu Tu gave the Rat a few hearty slaps on the shoulder, then arrogantly whistled twice toward Bunny Ears and Origami before turning and striding back into the "War or Peace Pavilion."

To the Rat, Yu Tu's cocky behavior was expected.

If both Origami and Bunny Ears had successfully played "peace" with him, Yu Tu would now have 22 points.

He was already in an invincible position—anyone coming to him now would be doing it for the 11 points.

Before entering the pavilion, the Rat also scanned the room like Yu Tu had.

He saw the rage buried under Origami's calm facade.

He saw the delight hidden beneath Bunny Ears' gentle smile.

Everything was perfectly logical!

His judgment was correct—it had to be!

All the tension in him vanished. Since he was already here, he had made his choice.

Unlike Bunny Ears' hesitation, the Rat entered the "War or Peace Pavilion" and decisively hit the "peace" button—no hesitation at all.

Whether it was three peace plays for 33 points, or one betrayal for 21 and targeting another 12-point fool, this first round of 11 points was essential!

Otherwise, he'd have no chance at a second opportunity if he planned to betray later.

As for whether the 11-point theory was true, the Rat no longer had any doubt!

For someone long accustomed to low self-esteem, gaining an extraordinary skill can lead to overwhelming confidence in it.

That was the Rat.

His "Wind Listener" ability was his pride, and he had full faith in it.

In the past games, the Rat had used this talent to gather all kinds of information and passed the stages easily.

This time would be no different!

On the other hand, Yu Tu didn't hit "war" right away.

He stretched leisurely inside the pavilion, savoring the pre-victory joy. He was certain the Rat had hit "peace."

The Rat definitely believed the 11-point rumor—otherwise, he wouldn't have played the game.

And with that belief, the Rat would absolutely pick "peace" in this first round.

A few seconds later, Yu Tu placed his right hand on "war" and pressed it down hard.

"Tiezhu, you selected 'war'. The Rat on the Throne selected 'peace'. You gain 10 points. Current score: 19."

"Rat on the Throne, you selected 'peace'. Tiezhu selected 'war'. You lose 10 points. Current score: -10."

The cold, mechanical voice echoed in both their ears. Yu Tu grinned smugly but didn't rush out immediately—he wanted to give the Rat a moment to react.

After all, tricking a few more people wouldn't hurt him!

When the announcement ended, the Rat froze. A chill ran straight up his spine!

Why did Yu Tu choose "war"?!

He quickly realized—there was only one possibility: the 11-point theory was fake. Yu Tu and Origami were targeting him from the very beginning.

Bunny Ears was just a random interference—Yu Tu wouldn't spare her either. She was at -10 now, too.

There was still a chance!

The Rat pinched his thigh hard, trying to hype himself up again, then opened the iron door with a smiling face.

Moments later, Yu Tu also opened his door.

Once Yu Tu was out, the Rat immediately huddled beside him, creepily gesturing toward the snuggled Bunny Ears and Bawang.

Yu Tu enthusiastically placed a hand on the Rat's shoulder, acting like they were lifelong buddies.

As they passed the countdown screen, Yu Tu sneaked a glance—still more than half the time remained!

The three rounds of "war or peace" may sound long, but in practice, they moved quickly. Since getting up earlier, this was the first time Yu Tu had sat back down.

At that moment, six minutes and thirty seconds remained.