After a brief round of introductions, the Players learned what to call one another.
The elderly Cynthia smiled kindly. "Everyone, tell us how many puzzle-solving Instances you've cleared and describe your understanding of puzzle-solving. If we encounter a puzzle that requires collective effort, I can assign the most reasonable workload based on everyone's experience."
"Why should we listen to you?" Hansen fixed her with a cold stare. "This isn't a team Instance. Who knows whether we'll be required to kill each other later? You think we're idiots for revealing information here?"
He spoke loudly, his face fierce enough to make Heyi beside him shrink back.
Yet Cynthia's smile did not fade. "I have no intention of deceiving any of you, but this is a 'multiplayer' Instance, not a 'competitive' Instance. That means cooperation is possible. I'm a humanist. No matter the circumstances, I will first consider how to keep more people alive."
Qi Si smiled faintly. "The preliminary hint said, 'Every one of us is guilty.' In a setting where everyone is evil, pretending to be a good person isn't very wise."
Cynthia shook her head. "Preliminary hints have always been vague. Without gathering enough clues, wild speculation will only create internal conflict."
"That may be true, but I wouldn't dare gamble on it." Borrowing Shang Qingbei's words from the previous Instance, Qi Si smiled and countered, "When life and death are at stake, there can be no mistakes. What position are you taking to ask us to lower our guard?"
Dong Xiwen had been quietly lurking on the sidelines. Listening to the Players' tense verbal sparring, he had more or less grasped this game's zero-sum nature.
After waiting for a while without hearing anyone get to the point, he could not help but speak up. "By the way, does