Infinite Peculiar Games

Lin Chen could be considered a talented student in reality. With just a hint from Qi Si, he understood the crux of the problem.

The strongest among them, Shen Ming, had already encountered unforeseen circumstances. The difficulty of this instance was obvious.

Once players realise that it will be difficult to progress the instance via normal means such as collecting clues and deciphering rules, they may resort to any immoral actions in order to survive.

The original team instance has now been endowed with competitive and antagonistic attributes. No wonder Qi Si initially said he could not trust the others…

Having lived in a society governed by law for twenty years, Lin Chen still harboured a slightly unrealistic fantasy.

He hesitantly said, “But we’re all humans after all. Why can’t we gather clues first, try cooperating to confront the peculiar, and find a way to clear the instance together…”

“Have you heard of the Prisoner’s Dilemma*?” Qi Si pointed to his chin, coaxing gently, “Cooperating to unravel the worldview is indeed the best choice, but the chain of suspicion objectively exists. We cannot determine whether others harbour malicious intent. The one who first reveals the clues will inevitably be at a disadvantage in terms of information, and their survival depends entirely on the goodwill or malice of others.”

He paused and sighed deeply. “No one is willing to entrust their fate to others, so this was a deadlock from the beginning.”

Lin Chen softly retorted, “But normally, no one would want to harm others, right?”

“Why are you so naive?” Qi Si chuckled. “You must know, humans evolved from beasts, and the instinct for profit and bloodlust is ingrained. Children are born liars, and they will senselessly kill insects and step on ants without reason; as they grow older and become stronger, thoughts of harming others frequently cross their minds.”

“Bullying in schools, brawls on the streets, harassment in workplaces, whether bloodshed or bloodless oppression—for the sake of profit, harming others is hardcoded into our genes. Only those who do not harm need reasons, such as fear of trouble, fear of having their weak bodies collectively destroyed, or simply… playing around with these moral rules to gain benefits more conveniently.”

“In reality, relying on the constraints of law enforcement agencies, the risk of harming others is often much greater than the benefits it can bring. However, in games, there are no laws, and evidence cannot be left behind. How do you think the risk compares to the benefits?”

Lin Chen subconsciously followed this logic and quickly realised that, once the worst-case scenario happened with players turning on each other, newcomers like him would undoubtedly become sacrificial lambs.

His heart skipped a beat as he looked up at Qi Si.

The latter lowered his eyes at the right moment and smiled bitterly. “I have always detested the rule of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ because I know there are no absolute strong ones. Even the fiercest beast will have a day when its strength wanes. I firmly believe that peace and unity are more beneficial to everyone’s survival, but now I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

“Shen Ming, a player entering the instance for the third time, died on the first night, and his roommate Chang Xu is very suspicious. It’s obvious that Ye knew Shen Ming in reality but deliberately concealed it—she’s also not worthy of trust. Zou Yan’s emotions are too stable; it is as if she had anticipated everything beforehand, and she has many suspicious points…”

At this point, Qi Si’s voice carried a tint of weariness: “The only one I can trust now is you.”

“Of course, from what it looks like, the only one you can trust now is me.”

Qi Si has a highly deceptive appearance with soft features and pale lips, seeming to be devoid of any threat. He appeared calm, easy-going, and approachable to talk to, making people instinctively regard him as a trustworthy friend.

After the incident before bed last night, Lin Chen had already set aside his doubts about Qi Si’s identity. Only after hearing his words did he belatedly realise how “trust” was such a luxury in the Peculiar Games.

He was in a disadvantaged position—trusting Qi Si was his only choice. And Qi Si, as an experienced veteran player, was willing to trust a newcomer like him and actively sought his trust with such words…

Even though he only had weak explanations for his identity and his cause of death without any evidence to corroborate them; even though yesterday Qi Si was still not quite believing him, he was now willing to take such risks…

Lin Chen could not help but feel a trace of guilt rise in his heart. As a newcomer who knew nothing, did he really deserve trust and respect?

“I shouldn’t have told you all this; I’m sorry.” Qi Si laughed at himself. “Talking about this at this time does nothing other than increase your pressure.”

“Let’s first try to decipher the rules and clear the instance. As long as we decipher the world view early, those situations won’t occur.”

Lin Chen nodded heavily without thinking.

Then he heard Qi Si’s gentle command, “Go and bring out those notes from the room. We’ll look at them in the corridor.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s more spacious here; it’s easier for us to escape if something happens.”

“Oh, I see!”

Watching the hurried departure of his temporary teammate, Qi Si took a bite of his apple and chewed slowly.

I have to admit—Lin Chen is quite cute in his foolishness.
I made things up, and he really believed it…

Lin Chen rushed back to Qi Si’s side with a pile of notes and saw him calmly wiping his fingers with a napkin.

He was completely unaware that his position in Qi Si’s heart had just upgraded from being a ‘disposable tool’ to ‘recyclable garbage’, as he gasped and said, “Brother Qi, I’m back!”

Qi Si raised his eyes, asking with concern, “Did you encounter any danger?”

Touched, Lin Chen shook his head. “No! Thank you for your concern, Brother Qi!”

“If that’s the case…” Qi Si drew out a blade from his bracelet and held it between his fingertips, turning his back, “Read the contents of the notes to me. I’ll keep watch. If there’s danger, I can react immediately.”

Lin Chen nodded and began to read aloud clearly.

…

【In my chest, decay takes hold】
【Flesh sprawls upon the earth’s fold】
【Here the roses find their nest】
【Tomorrow, with me, they shall rest】

…

【They say she’s the most beautiful girl, and indeed, she is much prettier than me. I believe she will be the most perfect girl in the world. She will be, I hope she will be.】

…

【Why doesn’t she ever look for me? Why do her beautiful eyes brim with tears? Why does she, possessing beauty, not carefully guard this treasure?】

【I won’t let her see him again. Just a gentle move to the hands of the clock, and I can change time…】

…

【She’s withering, the doctors say. Because she’s sad, she’s grieving for that damn man! That bastard should go to hell!】

【No, she would never think like that, she’s much kinder than me…】

…

【Everyone thinks I’m the one who survived, but I’m not. It’s my younger sister who survived; I’m the one who died of illness.】

…

【We’ve both survived, while she’s still withering, but there’s still a way… I’ll love her forever and cherish her perfection more than she does herself.】

…

Lin Chen’s voice was steady, seemingly encountering no strangeness from beginning to end, unlike the situation with Qi Si flipping through the notes last night.

Qi Si turned around suspiciously, leaning over to peer at the spread-out notes. What met his eyes were layers upon layers of swirling black smoke, almost obscuring his vision. Within it, there seemed to be the phantom growth of blood-red vines, swaying and scattering into a pool of red light.

The anomaly lasted only for a moment, like an illusion. As the view settled, becoming clearer, Qi Si saw the yellowed pages, with English handwritten text wriggling like earthworms, generating a sort of textual horror valley effect out of thin air.

The only thing that could be clearly identified was the four-line poem on the title page and the five paragraphs of diary text, which were translated into Chinese and appeared on the system interface the moment his gaze touched them.

Is the danger targeted at specific individuals, or does it have a time limit, disappearing after a period?
Qi Si stroked his chin, lost in thought.

“It’s all over the place—no idea what it’s saying.” Lin Chen seemed oblivious to Qi Si’s point of interest.

In his mind floated a heap of melodramatic plots he had seen on some websites, and he awkwardly rubbed his nose. “It sounds like a tragic, unrequited love, and it feels horribly twisted…”

Qi Si clicked his tongue. “Who writes diaries seriously anyway?”

Lin Chen perked up his ears, ready to listen to the expert’s explanation, but Qi Si changed the subject. “There are many missing time periods in the records. There should be more clues in other players’ rooms.”

Lin Chen asked, “So what do we do?” Are we going to steal clues?

Zisi looked up at the damp ceiling. “Let’s take a look at the third floor.”

“Oh… huh?”

“In the short term, it’s not advisable to conflict with other players. The only places left for us to explore are the garden and the third floor. I choose the third floor.” Qi Si turned to look at Lin Chen, his voice calm.

“At this hour, they haven’t come upstairs yet. Surely they haven’t ordered another table of food because they’re not full. I’m guessing they probably went to the garden; after all, the butler’s words last night implied that exploring the garden during the day is safer.”

“In contrast, the third floor, a risky location, would generally not be considered a priority option. At this time, there should be plenty of fresh clues left for us.”

Lin Chen nodded continuously. “But… but once Miss Anna finds out, we’re done…”

Qi Si patted Lin Chen’s shoulder reassuringly. “Hmm, it’ll be fine as long as we’re not caught.”

“How do we avoid being caught?” Lin Chen lamented with a mournful face, “Miss Anna is elusive; who knows when she’ll suddenly come upstairs…”

“You go upstairs to investigate, and I’ll take the initiative to meet Miss Anna. I’ll see if I can distract or detain her.”

At the mention of “go upstairs to investigate,” Lin Chen’s face drained of colour, reflexively wanting to refuse.

Then he listened to Qi Si’s arrangement for him.

Taking the initiative to meet Miss Anna and even delaying her was undoubtedly a more dangerous and challenging task.

“We trust each other, which is an advantage compared to other players. While they hesitate and falter, only we can explore the third floor through cooperation and planning. Without going to the third floor, how can we find comprehensive clues and clear the instance?”

Qi Si sighed and added apologetically. “I may not be able to delay for long. Prioritise investigating the layout and checking if there are other NPCs on the third floor. It’s best if you can gather more information, but if not, then so be it.”

Lin Chen listened with his head hung low, feeling ashamed of his momentary cowardice earlier.

Qi Si had actively taken on greater responsibilities, and all he had to do was a simple investigation, which might not even be helpful for clearing the instance…

He always prided himself on being responsible, so why did he become so timid and fearful as soon as he entered the Peculiar Games, like a turtle retreating into its shell?

Thinking about this, Lin Chen hesitated no more and clenched his fist. “I… I’ll do my best!”

(End of chapter)

——

*TL’s note:

The prisoner’s dilemma is a game theory thought experiment that involves two rational agents, each of whom can cooperate for mutual benefit or betray their partner for individual reward.

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