Rose Manor (9): Prisoner's Dilemma

Lin Chen had been an outstanding student in the real world. With just a little guidance from Qi Si, he immediately understood the crux of the matter.

Shen Ming, the most capable among them, had already met with disaster. The difficulty of this instance was obvious.

Once the Players realized they could not clear the game through normal means such as gathering clues and deciphering The Rules, they might do anything against morality in order to survive.

What had originally been a team instance had now taken on the nature of competition and hostility. No wonder Qi Si had said from the start that he could not trust the others...

Having lived in a society governed by law for twenty years, Lin Chen still harbored a sliver of unrealistic hope.

He said hesitantly, "But... we're all human. We could pool our clues first, try working together against the Eerie Game, and find a way for everyone to clear it together..."

"Have you heard of the Prisoner's Dilemma?" Qi Si tapped his chin with a finger, speaking patiently. "Cooperating to uncover the world setting is indeed the best choice, but the chain of suspicion objectively exists. We cannot be sure whether the others harbor malicious intentions. Whoever reveals their clues first will inevitably be at an informational disadvantage, and whether they survive will depend entirely on the goodness or evil of others."

He paused and let out a long sigh. "No one is willing to place their fate in someone else's hands. So from the very beginning, this has been a deadlock."

Lin Chen protested softly, "But normally, no one would want to hurt others, right?"

"Why are you so naive?" Qi Si smiled. "You must understand that humans evolved from beasts. The drive for profit and bloodlust are memes engraved into instinct. Children are born knowing how to lie, and they will mercilessly kill insects or trample ants for no reason at all. As they grow older, become stronger, thoughts of hurting others often flash through their minds."

"Bullying on campus, brawls in the streets, mistreatment in the workplace, bloody or bloodless oppression—harming others for profit is written into our genes. Only refraining from harming people requires a reason: fear of causing trouble, fear that one's weak flesh will be destroyed by the group, or simply... because playing by the rules of morality makes it easier to gain benefits."

"In reality, the restraint of state violence means that, most of the time, the risks of hurting others far outweigh the rewards. But in this game, there are no laws, and no evidence is left behind. What do you think the balance between risk and reward is?"

Lin Chen unconsciously followed that logic through. He quickly realized that if the worst happened and the Players started killing one another, newcomers like him would undoubtedly become sacrifices.

His heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly looked up at Qi Si.

The latter lowered his eyes at just the right moment and smiled bitterly. "I have always despised the law of the strong devouring the weak, because I know there are no absolute strong ones. Even the fiercest beast will one day exhaust its strength. I firmly believe that peace and unity are more conducive to everyone's survival, but now... I no longer know whom I can trust."

"Shen Ming was on his third instance, yet he died on the first night. Chang Xu, who shared a room with him, is highly suspicious. Ye Zi clearly knew Shen Ming in real life, yet she deliberately concealed it before, so she cannot be trusted either. Zou Yan's emotions are far too stable, as if she had expected everything in advance. There are many suspicious points about her..."

By this point, Qi Si's voice had taken on a hint of weariness. "You're the only one I can trust."

"Of course, it seems that, for now, I'm also the only one you can trust."

Qi Si had an extraordinarily deceptive appearance. His features were gentle, his lips pale, and he did not look the least bit aggressive. Instead, he seemed calm, easygoing, and approachable, making people instinctively regard him as a trustworthy friend.

After the incident before bed last night, Lin Chen had long since put aside his doubts about Qi Si's identity. Only after hearing those words did he belatedly realize how luxurious "trust" was in the Eerie Game.

He was in a disadvantaged position, and trusting Qi Si was his only choice. Yet Qi Si, an experienced veteran Player, was willing to trust a newcomer like him and had even taken the initiative to say all this in order to earn his trust...

Clearly, Qi Si's explanation of his identity and cause of death had been flimsy, with no evidence to support it. Clearly, Qi Si had not trusted him much yesterday, yet now he was willing to take such a risk...

Guilt welled up in Lin Chen's heart. Did a useless newcomer like him really deserve trust and respect?

"I shouldn't have told you all this. Sorry." Qi Si gave a self-mocking smile. "Saying all this nonsense at a time like this serves no purpose other than increasing your pressure."

"Let's figure out The Rules and clear the instance first. As long as we uncover the world setting early enough, none of those things will happen."

Without even thinking, Lin Chen nodded heavily.

Then Qi Si instructed him gently, "Bring those notes out of the room. We'll read them in the hallway."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's more open here. If something happens, it'll be easier to run."

"Oh, okay!"

Watching his temporary teammate hurry away, Qi Si picked up the apple, took a bite, and chewed slowly.

Honestly, Lin Chen was stupid in a rather adorable way.

Qi Si dared to make things up, and this guy really dared to believe him...

Lin Chen returned to Qi Si carrying a pile of notes, only to see the latter calmly wiping his fingers with a napkin.

He had no idea that, in Qi Si's mind, his status had just been upgraded from "disposable tool" to "recyclable trash." Panting, he said, "Brother Qi, I'm back!"

Qi Si raised his eyes and asked with concern, "You didn't run into any danger, did you?"

Moved, Lin Chen shook his head. "No! Thank you for caring, Brother Qi!"

"I see..." Qi Si pulled the blade from his wristband and held it between his fingertips before turning his back. "Read the notes to me. I'll keep watch, so I can react in time if there's danger."

Lin Chen nodded, then began reading aloud with clear enunciation.

[My chest has decayed]

[Flesh spreads across the ground]

[Rose dwells here]

[Tomorrow shall endure with me]

[They said she was the most beautiful girl. She truly was beautiful, far more beautiful than I was. I believe she will be the most perfect girl in the world. She will be. I hope she will.]

[Why does she never look at me? Why are those beautiful eyes of hers filled with tears? Why does she, who possesses beauty, not carefully protect this treasure?]

[I will not let her see him again. I only need to gently turn the hands, and time can be altered...]

[She is about to wither, the doctors said. It is because she is heartbroken. She is grieving for that hateful man! That bastard should go to hell!]

[No, she would never think that way. She is much kinder than I am...]

[Everyone thinks I am the one who survived. In truth, I am not. My younger sister survived. I was the one who died of illness.]

[We both survived. She is still withering, but there is still a way... I will love her forever, and I will cherish her perfection more than she cherishes it herself.]

Lin Chen's voice remained steady. It seemed that he had not encountered anything eerie from beginning to end, completely unlike what Qi Si had experienced after opening the notes last night.

Suspicious, Qi Si turned and leaned over for a glance at the open notebook. Layer upon layer of black smoke filled his vision, nearly blocking his sight. Amid it, phantom blood-red vines seemed to sway as they grew, then scattered into red light across the floor.

The abnormality lasted only an instant, like an illusion. His vision settled and became clear again. On the yellowed page, English handwriting writhed like earthworms, creating an uncanny-valley horror unique to text.

The only things he could truly make out were the four-line poem on the title page and the five diary entries. The moment his gaze touched them, they were translated into Chinese and appeared on the system interface.

Was the danger only directed at specific people, or did it have a time limit and disappear after a while?

Qi Si stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"It has neither a beginning nor an end. I have no idea what it's talking about." Lin Chen remained oblivious to Qi Si's focus.

A whole pile of melodramatic stories he had seen on some website flashed through his mind. He awkwardly rubbed his nose. "It sounds like a tragic unrequited love. It feels so sick and twisted..."

Qi Si clicked his tongue. "What normal person keeps a diary?"

Lin Chen pricked up his ears, ready to hear an expert's analysis, but Qi Si changed the subject. "There are records missing from many periods. There should be clues in the other Players' rooms."

Lin Chen asked, "Then what do we do?" Were they going to steal clues?

Qi Si looked up at the damp ceiling. "Let's check the third floor."

"Oh... huh?"

"It isn't wise to clash with the other Players in the short term. The only places left for us to explore are the garden and the third floor. I choose the third floor." Qi Si turned to Lin Chen, his voice calm.

"At this hour, they still haven't gone upstairs. It can't be that they weren't full and ordered another table of food. I'd guess they've most likely all gone to the garden. After all, The Butler's words last night indirectly indicated that exploring the garden during the day was relatively safe."

"In comparison, the third floor is a risky location and generally would not be the first option considered. There must be plenty of fresh clues waiting for us there."

Lin Chen shook his head repeatedly. "But... if Miss Anna finds us, we're done for..."

Qi Si patted Lin Chen's shoulder reassuringly. "Mm. As long as we aren't discovered, it'll be fine."

"How can we avoid being discovered?" Lin Chen wailed with a miserable face. "Miss Anna appears and disappears like a ghost. Who knows when she'll suddenly come upstairs..."

"You go upstairs and investigate. I'll take the initiative to meet Miss Anna and see if I can lure her away or stall her."

The moment he heard the words "investigate upstairs," Lin Chen's face turned pale, and he instinctively wanted to refuse.

Then he heard Qi Si's arrangement for himself.

Taking the initiative to meet Miss Anna and stall her for a while was undoubtedly the more dangerous and difficult task.

"We trust each other. That is our advantage over the other Players. While they hesitate and hold back, only we can explore the third floor through cooperation and planning. If we don't go to the third floor, how can we gather all the clues and clear the instance?"

Qi Si sighed and added apologetically, "I may not be able to stall her for long. Prioritize scouting the terrain and determining whether there are other NPCs on the third floor. It would be best if you can obtain more information, but if you cannot, then forget it."

Lin Chen listened with his head lowered, ashamed of his momentary hesitation.

Qi Si had voluntarily taken on greater responsibility, while all Lin Chen had to do was conduct a simple investigation, something that might not even help clear the instance...

He had always prided himself on being responsible. Why had he become so cowardly and fearful the moment he entered the Eerie Game, like a turtle hiding in its shell?

With that thought, Lin Chen no longer hesitated. Clenching his fists, he said, "I... I'll do my best!"