Bypassing the Rules

Not long after, the others also woke up one after another.

They each came to the hall, ordered different foods, and gathered in small groups chatting.

Fu Chen was the first to find Cai Zhiyuan.

After a moment of thought, Cai Zhiyuan got up and called Li Renshu and Cao Haichuan over to a small conference room off to the side of the hall.

This building had many small compartments of various sizes, each decorated differently, seemingly encouraging people to use them for different purposes.

Lin Sizhi was the last to be called.

"I want to discuss with everyone if there's a way to help Uncle Ding."

Fu Chen didn't beat around the bush and concisely explained the problem Ding Wenqiang was facing.

"The reason I didn't bring this up in public is that this matter involves Uncle Ding's privacy to some extent, and I was afraid he would lose face and refuse our good intentions.

"It would also be chaotic to discuss it with too many people.

"So, I wanted to ask you all to discuss it privately first, come up with a general plan, and if it's feasible, we can then try to persuade others."

Fu Chen looked at the other four people present.

Cai Zhiyuan shook his head: "I don't think it's possible.

"Direct or indirect trading of visa time between players is strictly prohibited; these are the basic rules of the community.

"Meaning, if I bought a plate of fried rice, pretended to leave it aside, and then Uncle Ding ate it, that would also be a violation.

"Depending on the severity of the violation, the penalty can range from deduction of visa time to direct expulsion from the community.

"I think it's best not to dance on thin ice."

It was clear that Cai Zhiyuan was an extremely rational person.

When considering anything, he would prioritize feasibility and probability, even unconsciously filtering out human emotions.

Perhaps this was a kind of occupational hazard for programmers?

However, Lin Sizhi had always felt that although Cai Zhiyuan possessed some characteristics of a programmer, he was completely different from the stereotypical "dull and honest" impression most programmers gave.

Fu Chen looked at Cao Haichuan: "Officer Cao, what do you think?"

Cao Haichuan spread his hands: "You've come to the wrong person for this. I'm a rough man. Besides solving cases and handling minor disputes, I don't know anything else.

"I think it's best not to violate the game rules if we can avoid it.

"Next time the gallery opens, if any of us are lucky enough to be grouped with Ding Wenqiang, we can just help him out then."

Li Renshu, however, lowered her head, her brow furrowed. She didn't give a quick conclusion like Cai Zhiyuan and Cao Haichuan.

"Although I can't think of a good solution right now, I believe it's very necessary to establish some kind of community welfare system as soon as possible.

"This isn't just for Uncle Ding, but for ourselves as well.

"Uncle Ding has the least visa time now, but what about later?

"Who can guarantee they'll never lose all their visa time in the game? Or get injured?

"The gallery is very likely to feature some extremely dangerous games, and any one of us could become a burden to the community.

"If we can find a way to solve the problem of food, it would be like establishing some basic guarantee within the community, which, in the long run, would actually enhance the entire community's resilience."

Cai Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then reluctantly said, "Hmm, that makes sense."

It was evident that he acknowledged Li Renshu's "logic," meaning he agreed that if such a guarantee system existed, it could indeed take care of the weak and enhance the community's overall resilience.

But he didn't believe he would be the one needing that help.

Everyone present fell silent. It was clear that they were faced with something that should be done, something that would bring benefits if done, but it seemed almost impossible to accomplish.

Fu Chen looked at Lin Sizhi: "Lawyer Lin, what are your thoughts?"

Lin Sizhi considered for a moment: "I think that although the community rules seem rigid, there might be ways to circumvent them."

As soon as he said this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Fu Chen's eyes: "Really? Elaborate?"

The other three were also a bit surprised, as Lin Sizhi had always been a reliable person in their eyes, not one to speak carelessly. His words should carry some weight.

But rules were rules.

Lin Sizhi paused slightly: "Do you all remember encountering people from Community No. 3 in the game?

"The reason Jiang He and the others suffered such a heavy loss at first was because the four players from Community No. 3 had formed a very tight organization.

"But thinking about it afterward, this is actually illogical.

"In the game, even players from the same community don't have much basis for cooperation. Because there's only one winner at the table, it's difficult to share the chips won with others.

"In other words, there's the problem of 'dividing the spoils.'

"But in the game, the other three players willingly cooperated and lost their chips to Lu Xinyi."

Cai Zhiyuan thought for a moment: "Perhaps it was some kind of PUA or mind control technique?"

Lin Sizhi shook his head slightly: "That possibility is unlikely.

"I'm more inclined to believe that the players from Community No. 3 had mastered some method to distribute visa time among their community members."

"This way, their interests will be tied together, forming a more stable alliance."

Everyone fell into thought; clearly, this specific example was quite persuasive.

Lin Sizhi continued, "Direct or indirect transactions involving 'Visa Time' are prohibited. This is written into the Community Basic Rules, so we naturally cannot violate it.

"However, we might be able to find a way around it.

"First, the only thing that can counter a basic rule is another basic rule. So, we should try to find a solution within the other basic rules.

"Second, we need to be precise with our wording. As long as the method we devise isn't considered a 'transaction,' then it won't be a violation."

Li Renshu mused, "It's not considered a transaction, but it would allow us to allocate our excess Visa Time to those with less..."

Cai Zhiyuan still didn't quite understand, "Is there really a way to do this?"

Li Renshu and Cao Haichuan exchanged glances; it was clear they had both guessed the answer simultaneously.

"Yes."

Li Renshu said seriously, "Before the money is distributed to everyone, if we first deduct a certain percentage and then redistribute it uniformly, it won't be considered a transaction. In the real world, we generally call this taxation and social welfare security."

Cai Zhiyuan instantly understood.

Taxation and social welfare security were things that already existed in the real world. Cai Zhiyuan had simply overlooked them after arriving in this so-called "New World."

Conceptually speaking, taxation and social welfare security were indeed not transactions, and they could provide the most basic living support for low-income groups, which perfectly aligned with their motives.

At this point, everyone had almost simultaneously thought of a method.

"According to the second of the Community Basic Rules, let's submit a proposal!"

When the basic rules were introduced earlier, this method had actually been mentioned.

In simple terms, anyone could submit a proposal to the community. After it was reviewed and approved, all community members would vote on it.

If the vote exceeded half, meaning at least 7 people agreed, then the proposal could be implemented.

Fu Chen nodded slightly, "In other words, we can propose a motion for 'Community Minimum Guarantee.'

"However, this proposal clearly can't be submitted arbitrarily, as it first needs to pass the community's review.

"It cannot violate the community's basic rules, and at the same time, it must be feasible."

Cai Zhiyuan had a sudden idea, "What if we propose that the community issues each of us ten thousand minutes of Visa Time every day?"

Officer Cao shook his head, "It probably won't pass the review. We'll most likely only be able to allocate our existing Visa Time. Trying to exploit the community with this rule is thinking too far ahead."

Cai Zhiyuan agreed, "Yeah, I guess so. But we can still try. Even if it doesn't pass the review, at least there's no obvious loss."