Hidden Rules

Lin Sizhi arrived on the second floor, where rooms numbered 1 through 12 were located.

The entrance to each room was cleverly separated, avoiding a situation where doors faced each other or shared a common corridor.

The order of the room numbers was also randomized.

This made the entire second floor feel a bit like a maze, but it also better protected everyone's privacy.

Lin Sizhi quickly found room No. 12. Like the community entrance, it required a visa swipe to enter.

The room was quite spacious, a luxurious suite with a large living room, a private study, a cozy-looking bedroom, and a clean, bright bathroom.

The room contained all necessary daily necessities. In a prominent spot in the living room was a large whiteboard, on which a conspicuous poster was displayed: "Community Basic Rules."

Lin Sizhi briefly scanned it; the rules were consistent with what had been introduced in the lobby earlier.

On the desk in the study, there was also a laptop.

Unfortunately, this computer was not connected to the internet, and the available software was very limited.

On the browser's homepage was a list of all games in the gallery, along with their detailed rules.

This was the same as what everyone had seen on the large screen in the lobby.

In addition, the computer allowed users to check their remaining visa time, view item prices, and more.

In other words, all the functions available in the lobby, including the large screen and the vending machine, could be operated on a personal laptop with enhanced privacy.

Lin Sizhi moved the mouse and reviewed the rules for a few more games.

Suddenly, a new pop-up window appeared on the computer screen.

[Hello, Lin Sizhi.]

["Redemption Roulette" has received an S rating. It seems your understanding of the "God's Imitator" role is currently superior to that of other game designers. May this not be a coincidence.]

[All Imitators who receive an S rating will be granted a privilege: the ability to hide any bonus visa time obtained from their Imitator status within any public visa time query system.]

[We hope you will make good use of this privilege.]

[Now, the Gallery extends a new design invitation to you:]

[Please design a game for "All Players" to "allocate the first round of visa time."]

[The game proposal is in your desk drawer.]

[The deadline is 8 AM tomorrow; you have 12 hours to complete the game design.]

["The Gallery" will evaluate all submitted proposals and adopt the highest-rated one to set up the game venue.]

[All players will be required to participate.]

[The 12-hour countdown begins now. Please make your choice.]

Lin Sizhi's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

It wasn't the sudden game design invitation that surprised him. Since he had accepted his special identity, invitations from "The Gallery" to design games could appear at any time.

He was mentally prepared for this.

What truly surprised him was that this game design invitation was different from the last one.

It wasn't directed at a specific sinner with detailed case information, but rather at "All Players."

The objective was not to "punish sinners" but to "allocate the first round of visa time."

This game design invitation was sent to all players with the "God's Imitator" identity, meaning that simply passing the assessment would not be enough.

Lin Sizhi's game proposal had to be better than all others to be selected by The Gallery.

This led to the question:

What kind of proposal would be considered "the best" and receive the highest rating in The Gallery's evaluation system?

Clearly, each designer would have a vastly different answer based on their personal understanding.

Before looking at the proposal, Lin Sizhi checked his remaining visa time on the computer. On this page, a new option had appeared: [Hide bonus visa time obtained from Imitator status in public visa time query systems.]

After a moment's thought, Lin Sizhi checked the box as a matter of course.

He then took the game proposal from the drawer to examine it.

It followed the same format as the previous proposal, with differences only in some of the pre-filled details.

What particularly caught Lin Sizhi's attention was the list of available items for this game.

[1. Display Devices: 4 units.]

[2. Timers: 8 units.]

[3. Simple Speakers: 8 units.]

[4. Desktop Platforms with Customizable Functions: 4 units.]

[5. Chairs: Unlimited.]

[6. Restraint Devices: 8 units.]

[7. Standard Playing Cards: Unlimited.]

[8. Various chips exchangeable for Visa Time: Unlimited]

[9. Special mechanisms that can be freely designed: 8 sets.]

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

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

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

[Note 3: All props are the quantity required within "one game round". The Gallery will automatically match players for multiple rounds, and the required props will be expanded according to the number of rounds.]

"The freedom has actually decreased?"

Lin Sizhi looked at the prop list, lost in thought.

When designing the "Redemption Roulette," there were clearly more usable props available, and the freedom was higher.

For example, the prop list last time included firearms and melee weapons that could directly cause damage to players, but there were none this time;

The gambling tools last time were not limited in type, and any set of gambling tools found in a casino could be used, but this time the gambling tools were strictly limited to poker cards.

"This indicates that the Gallery's game requirements this time have a very clear tendency.

"The absence of firearms and melee weapons means the Gallery does not wish for widespread death in this game.

"After all, the goal of this game is not judgment, but merely to complete the first allocation of Visa Time.

"Among all gambling tools, poker is the most common, which means the Gallery hopes to lower the game's barrier to entry.

"Therefore, try not to choose overly complex poker gameplay.

"There are three quantities of props: 4, 8, and unlimited. This means the Gallery encourages matching for 4 to 8 players."

Although it was just a simple prop list, Lin Sizhi still analyzed a lot from it.

It was obvious that each game invitation from the Gallery had a hidden requirement, but it was not explicitly stated.

Designers had to figure it out themselves.

"Low risk" and "simple poker rules" were the two basic points for this game.

But these two points alone were not enough.

Lin Sizhi pondered for a moment: "Since the goal is to 'complete the first allocation of Visa Time,' there must be 'selectivity.'"

The New World is certainly not a paradise.

This is a cruel jungle world, merely wearing a false disguise.

As stated when the rules were read: The Gallery is the clearing and judgment institution of the New World.

Judging sinners, clearing out the waste.

Distributing Visa Time equally to everyone might seem the fairest, but it absolutely does not meet the Gallery's requirements.

But how to select?

After careful consideration, Lin Sizhi began to write the game rules in the proposal.

Although the design time reserved this time was quite sufficient, Lin Sizhi did not intend to spend too much time repeatedly considering the game's details, as it would be meaningless.

The game content he designed was not complicated, so in reality, it only took a little over an hour to complete everything.

Lin Sizhi finally reviewed the plan from beginning to end. After confirming it was correct, he wrote the four characters "Design Complete" in the bottom right corner of the last page.

A new message popped up on the computer screen.

[The Gallery is reviewing the proposal you submitted.]

[Review complete, passed.]

[Waiting for other designers to submit their proposals]

Lin Sizhi closed the page on his computer.

Of course, he could not be sure if his plan would be selected by the "Gallery," but at this point, any worry was superfluous.

Lin Sizhi felt a bit tired. After washing up, he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Just after 7 a.m. the next morning, Lin Sizhi woke up naturally.

"It wasn't a dream."

The unfamiliar surroundings before him reminded him that this was not a dream. He had indeed arrived in this place called the "New World," and he might have to stay here for a long time in the future.

Could he ever return to his original world in his lifetime?

No one could give an accurate answer now.

However, Lin Sizhi was a person who could adapt to circumstances and did not become overly anxious because of this.

After a simple wash, he went downstairs to the lobby.

Unexpectedly, most people were already awake. Lin Sizhi took a rough glance and saw at least seven or eight people in the lobby.

"Good morning, Lawyer Lin."

Fu Chen raised his hand to greet Lin Sizhi.

Lin Sizhi nodded in acknowledgement, then walked over to the vending machine. He ordered a breakfast sandwich and a cup of hot milk, which took 25 minutes of visa time.

Fu Chen ate the last fried egg on his plate. "Oh, right, Lawyer Lin, if you want to use the kitchen, you can just go ahead.

"Uncle Ding and Aunt Su already used the kitchen this morning. There are plenty of utensils inside, enough for over a dozen people, and they have different colors and styles so you can tell them apart.

"Their utensils are in the far right corner of the sideboard. If you use them, it's best to put your own utensils in a designated spot too, so they're easy to distinguish.

"Also, they bought some groceries and put them in the fridge. If you buy ingredients, it's best to put them in different areas so they're easy to sort."

Lin Sizhi glanced towards the kitchen. "Got it. I don't need it for now."

Just as he had guessed, Ding Wenqiang and Su Xiuqin would eventually choose to cook for themselves in the kitchen.

They had deliberately woken up early this morning, possibly to avoid the others and any awkwardness. Of course, it was also possible that people their age were simply accustomed to waking up early.

Not long after, Wang Yongxin, who had woken up the latest, also arrived in the hall.

He seemed to be in good spirits, likely having slept until he woke up naturally.

Overall, after a night's rest, most people had relaxed considerably.

There was no work to be done here, and for the time being, not many pressing matters to worry about.

Besides basking in the sun by the window, drinking coffee, or reading a book, there really wasn't much else to do.

Lin Sizhi went to the library area and briefly browsed the books.

There were common bestsellers as well as some complex and profound academic works; the selection was quite diverse.

Admittedly, this was a good place to clear one's mind.

However, just as Lin Sizhi found a book and was about to sit down and read, a prompt appeared on the large screen in the hall once again.

[Good morning, players!]

["Gallery" will open in 1 hour.]

[This game is called "Blood Poker". The game objective is "to complete the first visa time allocation". All players in the New World are required to participate. This is an 8-player game with random matchmaking.]

[Please prepare yourselves.]

Afterward, a one-hour countdown appeared on the large screen.

59:59

59:58