Survival Plan

"Damn it, we joined this game only to be toys!" Sule said miserably.

The weak had no rights. No one cared about their lives.

Even participating in the game meant carrying all the disadvantages.

Meimei bit her fingernail. "So we really can only cooperate with the cats."

Gaoxin nodded heavily.

Sule was still confused. "Wait, I still don't get it. You said so much, but how... how does that mean we can only cooperate with the cats?"

Gaoxin looked at Sule strangely. He considered himself an ordinary person; he had only come up with these ideas after racking his brains.

Meimei had thought of quite a lot too. She had merely been trapped in a blind spot and hadn't considered cooperating with the cats.

Once he pointed it out, she immediately understood.

He had never expected Sule to still not get it.

Meimei explained, "Cooperating with the dogs only works if identities cannot change. Once a dog can kill a cat and become a cat, all that promised protection becomes bullshit."

"Once he becomes a cat, why would he protect us Rats? Why split the points with the dogs? Wouldn't it be better to just kill us and take the full hundred points?"

Sule tilted his head. "Then we can give the dogs a hundred too. We just won't leave it for the Wa people..."

As soon as he said that, he froze.

Meimei shot him a sidelong glance. "Kid, there are only a hundred Redemption Vouchers, but there are three dogs."

"Are you going to tell them: Hey, you three go kill the cat. Whoever gets the Cat Collar and survives to the end gets all one hundred points from us Rats, while the other two dogs get nothing?"

"Wouldn't they slap you to death? Why would they listen to a bunch of Rats like us?"

"Even if their consciences suddenly woke up and they agreed to repay our kindness."

"That would still mean we had to hand all the Redemption Vouchers we earned to whoever became the final cat... In that case, why not just cooperate with the current cat?"

"Why negotiate with three old dogs, take such a huge detour, and add a whole pile of risks?"

Sule suddenly understood. Right—if the dogs were trying to become cats anyway, why not negotiate directly with the cat?

The identity of Old Dog had led him astray.

Meimei curled her lip. "The Old Dog identity is the most useless one. In the end, you get nothing and don't even remain a dog!"

"An Old Dog has to do everything possible to turn into an Old Cat!"

"So negotiating with Old Dogs is truly like seeking a tiger's hide!"

Sule nodded repeatedly. Combined with what they had said earlier, he finally understood.

"Yeah. A cat gets one hundred Redemption Vouchers for killing a Rat, but if sparing a Rat can also get him one hundred points, then the profits are the same."

"If he can earn the same reward without acting, why would he insist on killing people?"

"Besides, there's one cat and three dogs. He has to fight one against three, and he has to search everywhere to hunt Rats. The pressure is too great."

"So this is completely negotiable. As long as the Rats cooperate with the cat, the cat can free up his hands and focus on dealing with the three dogs!"

Meimei nodded. "Exactly. That's why, when the rules mentioned the cat's mission, they said something like surviving until the end of the game would earn one hundred Redemption Vouchers."

"Thinking about it now, the cat is actually an escape role too. He has a survival reward."

"As long as he accepts the Rats' conditions, he only needs to avoid the dogs' pursuit for the entire game. If he drags it out until time runs out, he gets one hundred Redemption Vouchers, plus the two thousand Redemption Vouchers offered to him by twenty Rats!"

Sule was stunned. "Holy crap! This role is practically printing money."

Meimei sighed. "You need the strength to take that money. Even you're jealous, let alone Old Dogs."

"The game rules seem to demand that cats kill Rats, making cats and Rats seem irreconcilable."

"But cats and dogs are the true mortal enemies! People do not fear scarcity; they fear unequal distribution. Cats and dogs are bound to fight!"

"Rats, on the other hand, can cooperate with cats and tell them that keeping the enemy alive to preserve one's own strength brings the greatest profit. Dogs are the true enemies."

"Besides, dogs gain nothing from killing Rats. Their first target must be the cat; only after becoming cats can they consider killing Rats."

"With that, neither cats nor dogs will prioritize killing Rats. While the two sides fight to the death, the Rats can hide in the shadows and survive until the end."

"This is the optimal solution for survival as a Rat!"

As she spoke, Meimei looked at Gaoxin, her eyes shining.

This man had thought up this entire survival strategy in such a short time.

Only because of his hint had she realized that cooperating with the cat was the optimal solution.

Yet Gaoxin's eyes also lit up as he looked at her. "Did you go to technical school too? That line about fearing unequal distribution instead of scarcity was incredible."

Meimei smiled awkwardly. "No. Technical school was too expensive. When I worked as a legal outreach worker, I taught myself in the community library."

Gaoxin suddenly understood. He remembered that Meimei had said in front of Fúshé that she had once been a community legal outreach worker.

She had likely used the convenience of her position to enter and leave the library often under the excuse of checking materials, then taught herself from many books.

Meimei continued, "That saying comes from the Analects, spoken by one of our ancient sages thousands of years ago."

"Those who govern states and families should not fear having too few people, but fear unequal distribution; they should not fear poverty, but fear instability. For where there is equality, there is no poverty; where there is harmony, there is no scarcity; where there is peace, there is no collapse."

"It means that whether governing a nation or managing a household, one should not worry about too few people, but about unequal distribution; one should not worry about too little wealth, but only guard against unrest within. Thus, equal distribution means poverty is no longer a concern; harmonious people do not feel few in number; and a stable realm faces no danger of collapse."

Gaoxin was stunned. After thinking for a long time, he said, "That truly is a profound saying. I've learned something."

Meimei seized the chance. "Since you've already figured out how to survive, let's do it your way. Um... Gaoxin... let's stick together in the game."

Gaoxin frowned slightly. After pondering for a moment, he said, "What would be the point of following me? If negotiations succeed, there'll be no need for us to hide."

"If negotiations fail and we still have to hide, hiding together in a group will be more dangerous."

Meimei froze. She opened her mouth but did not know what to say.

Gaoxin added, "Actually, I'd really like to learn some culture from someone who has read books..."

Meimei hurriedly said, "Right! I can teach you."

Gaoxin smiled bitterly. "But after this game ends, we probably won't live together. Where would I even find you?"

"Are we supposed to study for an hour or two during the game? Life and death are at stake next. We should focus our energy on survival."

Meimei had no response. After this game, they would probably go their separate ways. They still had no idea how the Wa people would arrange them.

As for studying during the game, that was far too carefree.

"Sule, let's go. We've wasted a lot of time. We need to get familiar with the third and fourth floors quickly," Gaoxin said, turning to leave.

Meimei suddenly felt wronged. "Why can he follow you? Just because he's a man? Because you can look after each other if you live together in the future? And because I'm a woman, even if we got acquainted, it would be useless?"

"Yes, I don't know where I'll go or what kind of fate awaits me even if I survive this game... But are you really so calculating when making friends?"

Gaoxin did not explain. He simply walked away.

But at that moment, a group of people suddenly surged up from the stairwell and blocked him and Sule.

"Finished talking? What a great plan. I never expected the optimal way for Rats to survive was to cooperate with Old Cats..."

The bald man led the group. He had brought Cao Yang and eight other newcomers in prison uniforms.

The three of them were instantly shocked. This group had quietly come upstairs and eavesdropped from the stairwell.

Of course. They had talked for too long. Someone should have come up long ago.

They had probably heard the crucial part, found it reasonable, and kept listening until only now revealing themselves.

Gaoxin smiled. "You understood it? Then what do you think of the plan?"

The bald man clapped his hands. "I think it's excellent. It makes a lot of sense. Let's do it this way! I'm willing to hand over one hundred Redemption Vouchers to the Old Cat in exchange for a chance to live."

"What about you guys?"

He turned to Cao Yang and the others.

Cao Yang quickly said, "Of course we are. As long as we can live."

The bald man said directly, "Good. Gaoxin, right? I agree with your plan, but I have a few questions."

"First, since you thought of this, why didn't you tell everyone? We're all Rats, tied to the same rope. You told us to look for hidden areas while keeping this to yourselves. That's a little unfair, isn't it?"

"Wouldn't more Rats agreeing to pay protection money make the offer more attractive to the Old Cat?"

"If only a few of you reach an agreement while the other Rats hide away, the Old Cat still has to spend energy looking for them. With dogs chasing him, he may worry he won't have time to kill them all and take his anger out on you instead."

"After all, killing you or sparing you earns him the same reward."

He looked suspicious, worried that there was a flaw in Gaoxin's plan. Cooperating with a cat as Rats felt utterly absurd on instinct.

Gaoxin checked the time. There was a wall clock in the third-floor corridor too. It was already eight minutes past two. Then he looked at the eight people blocking the corridor and knew he would not be allowed to leave without explaining.

He immediately said with a headache, "Oh, that? You still didn't figure that out?"

"When negotiating, can't we simply tell the Old Cat that all the Rats have agreed to pay for their lives?"

"Why do I have to truly unite every Rat and negotiate together? What if he refuses? Would everyone then scramble to find hiding places? We'd probably all die..."

"In truth, only a small number of people need to know this plan. The key to attracting the Old Cat into cooperating is... making him feel that finding all the Rats is troublesome!"

"If all twenty Rats actually show up for negotiations, the Old Cat can just pretend to agree, then rush in once the time comes and wipe us all out in one go. Wouldn't that be easier for him?"

"Don't forget, Old Dogs enter ten minutes later than Old Cats!"

"In theory, if the Old Cat can kill all the Rats, or most of them, within ten minutes, he can still focus entirely on dealing with the dogs..."

"No. With no Rats left, the dogs would actually lose their motivation to attack the cat except over personal grudges."

The bald man froze. Right.

He immediately felt awkward. Once the logic was explained, he realized at once that gathering a bunch of Rats to negotiate with the Old Cat would be unbelievably stupid.

For the Old Cat, directly killing them was definitely more convenient. Rats promising to give him their rewards afterward involved too many uncertainties. What if some Rats reneged?

The possibility might be small, but directly killing people for rewards was still the most reliable option.

Gaoxin's plan only required a few people to carry it out. If it succeeded, everyone benefited. If it failed, those who had hidden early lost nothing.

"Mm... ahem. Then why aren't you doing it already? What are you wandering around for? Don't tell me you intend to wait until the Old Cat can enter, then negotiate face-to-face?" the bald man asked.

Gaoxin said solemnly, "Of course not. We have to negotiate in the final two minutes before he enters. Once he gets in, it'll be too dangerous. Do you dare stand before an Old Cat and negotiate with him?"

Everyone shook their heads. Who would dare? No one wanted to do it.

If the Old Cat casually killed them, he lost nothing. But they would lose their lives!

So they had to settle things during these twenty minutes while the Old Cat still could not enter.

The bald man asked, "Then why not go now? Why wait until the final two minutes?"

Gaoxin stared at him. "How did you survive the Redemption Game?"

The bald man's face darkened. Naturally, he had survived through good luck and being carried by someone else.

He immediately muttered, "You don't need to know that. I have my own abilities. Just tell me why we have to wait until the last moment."

Gaoxin pointed at the clock. "First, I need to familiarize myself with the terrain, understand every passage, and prepare an escape route... You've already wasted a lot of my time."

"Besides... if we negotiate too early, how do you know the cat you negotiate with will be the one who enters last?"

At his last sentence, everyone suddenly understood.

They instinctively assumed the Old Cat would definitely be the silver-handed youth.

But actually... that was not certain.

The four people outside were still fighting desperately. The closer they got to death, the more people without collars would fight with everything they had. There were too many variables; the situation could reverse.

The bald man pondered. "Since no matter who becomes the cat, the three dogs will definitely hunt him, what if the Old Cat dies in the middle or late stages and someone else replaces him? Wouldn't we have to negotiate again? Wouldn't that still be too dangerous?"

Gaoxin said impatiently, "As long as I don't hand over those two collars, there will only be one dog..."

"That silver-handed youth probably figured out the game's mechanics long ago. At the very least, he understood that the three dogs were designed to kill the cat, so from the start he used the Targeted-Kill Rule to eliminate the dogs."

"If he only has to deal with one dog and doesn't need to divide his attention to searching for Rats, he has a high chance of surviving."

"Stop asking whether the cat might refuse. He will definitely agree, because otherwise I can immediately throw out the Dog Collars and let the three dogs in!"

"He isn't confident he can deal with three dogs. Otherwise, he would have thrown all three collars inside instead of only two."

"That guy deliberately kept one collar for self-protection, so he could lure the three dogs into killing each other and wearing themselves down first."

"That's why I said that if we negotiate with the dogs, it must happen during the ten minutes after the cat enters but before the dogs can enter, because we must first see the cat's attitude!"

The bald man pressed on, "How do we see his attitude? We can't just take his word for it, can we?"

Gaoxin said, "Of course we can't trust an Old Cat's verbal agreement. He might agree just to deceive his opponents. The important thing is what he does after entering."

"The cooperation plan is to forbid him from entering the mansion. He can only move around the courtyard. Since he won't need to kill Rats, he won't need to enter the mansion anyway."

"We Rats will promise to give him the rewards after the game ends, and we won't give the collars to the people outside. That guarantees there will be two fewer dogs. The Old Cat only needs to stay in the courtyard and focus on dealing with the remaining dog."

"When time runs out, he can receive two thousand one hundred Redemption Vouchers. It's a win-win. He has no reason to come into the building."

"So after the cat enters the courtyard, we can watch him from upstairs. His actions will tell us his attitude."

The bald man nodded. "I see. You're really smart. You're no less capable than Brother Qiao."

This was the second time he had mentioned Brother Qiao. He was probably some formidable figure in the Redemption Squad.

Gaoxin silently remembered it, then said bitterly, "I don't think I'm that smart. I'm just used to considering problems as thoroughly as possible, afraid of leaving even the slightest gap."

The bald man asked again, "That guy is extremely vicious. What if he insists on killing us? What do we do then?"

Gaoxin glanced at the clock and said irritably, "Enough. What perfect plan is there? Rats can only survive in the cracks. If the cat refuses, what can we do?"

"We're all ordinary people. There are already too many things in this world where you fight desperately to the end and still fail. Maybe a single thought or a single sentence from someone else can destroy all your efforts. What can you do about it?"

"If you have so many concerns, then go hide. We never intended to involve you anyway. Why the fuck are you talking so much?"

His temper flared. He pointed right at the other man's nose and cursed him out.

Brother Guang was dazed by those words for a moment, and the others felt bitter too.

But then the bald man flew into a rage from embarrassment and glared at Gaoxin. "Don't get cocky, kid. If the Old Cat goes back on his word, we'll just use the collars to negotiate with the dogs and let the three dogs in to restrain the cat."

"The Dog Collars are important bargaining chips. Give them to me!"

Gaoxin's face sank, but he did not move.

"Brother Guang, I'll search him!" Cao Yang stepped forward voluntarily and immediately began feeling around Gaoxin's body.

He quickly found the two collars looped around Gaoxin's thigh. A group of people surged forward and began stripping them off by force.

"Brother Xin Ku!" Sule cried out and tried to intervene.

Gaoxin hurriedly raised a hand to stop him. "Fine. If you want them, take them. It saves me the trouble of negotiating myself."

"But don't think those collars are that important. As long as the cat puts on an act before the dogs die, once the person acting as the dog dies, the collars become useless."

"So don't think you can threaten the cat with the collars. It's better to let the cat feel your sincerity."

Everyone understood that this was possible, but they felt it was the least likely outcome.

Because it depended on the Old Cat insisting on killing the Rats. Only then would he be devious enough to wait until the dogs died before going back on his word.

Why bother? They were only a group of Rats.

The plan Gaoxin described was genuinely win-win, and the Old Cat would be the one profiting immensely!

He only needed to deal with one dog in the courtyard to win all the Redemption Vouchers. What more could he want?

Did he really have to drive all the Rats into hiding so deeply that he had to search for them one by one? Even if two dogs died, one dog would definitely still target him. With that last dog holding him back, if he showed any sign of breaking his promise, everyone would still have time to hide.

The bald man said coldly, "Enough. I know all that. Just as you said, there's no foolproof solution. Maybe even after fighting to the death, we'll still fail in the end."

"But the bargaining chips have to be in my hands. I'll do the negotiating."

Cao Yang quickly pulled off the two Dog Collars and handed them to the bald man.

P.S.: Sorry. I actually wanted to write this book after my last one. I only forced myself to write Flame Emperor so I could wrap up the Five Emperors.

I never expected AI to start affecting reality after just two short years, so I added the death game in the early stages to enrich the elements. This book isn't really about a death game; at its core, I just want to write something hot-blooded with lots of fights. Even if it doesn't suit me, I still want to write it—like after eating meat for five meals straight, wanting a cup of tea.