A Test

[Hello, Lin Sizhi.]

[Congratulations on receiving the invitation and becoming a player in the New World.]

[Before you officially enter the New World, here is a simple test to determine your special role within it.]

[In another room not far from you, a sinner is in a coma.]

[The file to your left contains the sinner's criminal record and the corresponding verdict.]

[If you believe this verdict is fair and just, or if you feel indifferent, simply do nothing and wait quietly in this room for 2 hours.]

[After 2 hours, the New World will automatically issue player visas for you and the sinner.]

[If you believe this verdict is not fair and just, then please look to your right, where you will find a game proposal.]

[Please design a game to deliver a more appropriate judgment for this sinner.]

[You will also have 2 hours to complete the design and judgment of the game.]

["Gallery" will review your proposal. Once approved, the sinner will be forced to participate in this game and accept your judgment.]

[The 2-hour countdown begins now. Please make your choice.]

1:59:59

1:59:58

Looking at the constantly ticking countdown on the large screen, Lin Sizhi, who had just woken up from a coma, felt a dull ache in his temples.

He gently pressed his brow with his thumb while looking around.

It was a simple, pure white room with only a long table, a chair, a huge screen, and a red door.

The minimalist setup made the place feel strangely unreal.

"Where is this..."

Lin Sizhi tried to sort through his jumbled thoughts, recalling what happened before he arrived here.

Was it a car accident?

Lin Sizhi was a criminal defense lawyer. In his last memory, he remembered driving late at night to meet a client, only to be enveloped by a blinding white light from an oncoming car. Then, his memory completely cut off.

"Am I dead?"

Lin Sizhi looked down to check his physical condition and found he was still wearing the standard suit he often wore for work. His body felt healthy, with no injuries.

The only thing that caught his attention was a black bracelet, about two fingers wide, on his left wrist. Its material was unknown, seamless, smooth, and rounded, fitting snugly and unable to be removed.

Lin Sizhi stood up and walked around the room a few steps, trying to open the red door, but quickly discovered it was firmly locked.

Lin Sizhi could only return to the long table and sit down. As expected, relevant materials were placed there:

To his left were the criminal record and verdict, and to his right was a standard proposal form with fields for the game's name, number of participants, specific rules, etc.

Lin Sizhi first picked up the game proposal on his right to examine it.

It had a specific format.

For example, the game name, number of participants, rules introduction for players, and actual game rules all had to be filled into the corresponding fields as required.

Some fields even had supplementary notes, such as:

[Rules Introduction for Players: You can cleverly conceal some game rules, but you cannot include obviously false information in the rules introduction to deceive players.]

[Actual Game Rules: Please write out all the game rules in as much detail as possible, avoiding logical loopholes.]

The top section of the proposal was rather special because it already contained pre-filled information.

[Available Props List (Use as needed):]

[1. Firearms: 4, and an unlimited quantity of various bullets.]

[2. Melee weapons: 6.]

[3. Display devices: 3.]

[4. Timers: 5.]

[5. Prop placement platform: 1.]

[6. Seats: 3.]

[7. Restraint devices: 2.]

[8. Any set of gambling tools from a casino: 2 sets.]

[9. Freely designable special mechanism: 1.]

[10. Other scene props unrelated to the game content: Unlimited.]

[Note 1: Unless otherwise specified, the designer can decide the model and appearance of the props used.]

[Note 2: No props can be taken out of the game area; otherwise, they will disappear into thin air.]

"Firearms, and a freely designable special mechanism?

"Doesn't this mean I hold the power of life and death?"

Lin Sizhi naturally thought of this.

If pushed to the extreme, Lin Sizhi could completely set up a game like this:

A criminal in a comatose state is restrained, and their wrist is connected to a mechanism by a thin wire.

Once the criminal wakes up and their wrist moves, the wire will trigger the mechanism, pull the gun trigger, and kill them.

Of course, there were some restrictions in the game proposal, such as not being allowed to deceive players with obvious misinformation in the rules, nor design a game with absolutely no chance of winning.

However, Lin Sizhi could also design an extremely harsh winning condition for this game:

If the criminal wakes up and their wrist does not move more than 3cm for 10 hours, the mechanism will automatically disengage, and the game will end.

This game rule completely adhered to the format of a game proposal.

But in reality, it was a trap that almost certainly led to death.

"From the format of the game proposal, I can indeed design such a game."

"However, it might not pass the review."

"Moreover, according to the requirements on the big screen, I should give this criminal a 'fair and just' and 'more appropriate' judgment, rather than cruelly torturing him to death with a game."

"But, how should one define what is 'fair and just,' and what is 'more appropriate'?"

"Does a criminal already judged by modern legal standards still have room for 'vigilante justice'?"

Lin Sizhi fell into thought.

A moment later, he picked up the file and the sentencing result on his left.

[Wei Xinjian, Male, 37 years old.]

[Due to business failure, he sped on a road with a speed limit of 40 km/h in the city center, killing a couple on the roadside on the spot.]

[Sentencing Result: Sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for the crime of causing a traffic accident. Served sentence and released.]

Lin Sizhi carefully reread this simple text many times.

Then, he silently picked up a pen and began to write on the game proposal.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle—"

More than an hour later, Lin Sizhi put down his pen and reread the game rules he had written from beginning to end.

He ultimately only used some of the props.

[1. One silver revolver whose live round position cannot be determined by the cylinder, with 1 live round.]

[2. One CRT television.]

[3. One LED electronic timer.]

[4. One square wooden table.]

[5. Two iron chairs with automatic locks on the arms, legs, waist, and neck, welded to the ground, and capable of delivering punishment via high-voltage current.]

[6. One freely designable special mechanism.]

[7. Decorative scene props: one old incandescent lamp, two old shelves, one discarded wooden crate in the corner...]

After confirming everything was correct, Lin Sizhi wrote "Design Complete" in the bottom right corner of the last page.

The information on the big screen changed.

[The Gallery is reviewing the proposal you submitted.]

[Review complete, passed.]

[The Gallery is now arranging the game scene based on the proposal's content.]

[Arrangement complete, please proceed to the game area and complete the game within the remaining time.]

These messages changed very quickly, taking only a few seconds.

This made Lin Sizhi even more certain that this was likely not reality. He might already be dead, or perhaps he had entered some supernatural space.

After all, in reality, even with a team on standby, it would be impossible to complete such a complex review and strictly arrange the game scene according to the rules in just a few seconds.

"Beep."

A prompt sound rang out, and the red door in the room opened.

Lin Sizhi left the room and walked along a pure white corridor to the end, where he faced a rusty, heavy security door.

Behind the door was a musty old warehouse.

Everything inside had been arranged according to Lin Sizhi's design for the game, including the criminal, who was fixed to an iron chair by a mechanism, still unconscious.

Lin Sizhi sat down on another iron chair, grabbed a strip of cloth from the side, and bit down on it, tying a knot behind his head.

Then, he sat in a standard posture, closed his eyes.

The sound of "click, click" echoed as mechanisms extended from Lin Sizhi's arms, legs, waist, and neck, locking him into the iron chair.

[Game Start.]