"Wolfhounds are loyal ministers, foxes are treacherous ministers. Who will play the fox?"
"Whoever gets picked will play the fox!"
"Qi Si, Qi Si, Qi Si!"
Echoes of children's voices rose from the depths of his mind, so noisy that they made his head spin.
Qi Si toyed with his Identity Card and casually flipped it over, placing it face-down on the table so that only its patterned, inscrutable back was visible.
The rules of the "Fox Hunt" game Charlie had described were visibly incompatible with the principle of fair play.
The wolfhound, tiger, and rabbit all had the ability to act proactively. They could identify or judge the fox.
The wolfhound's and rabbit's actions came with risks: a wrong identification meant death, making them more dangerous roles than the tiger.
Compared to the rabbit, the wolfhound was even more dangerous. He had to act; abstaining was not an option.
The fox, on the other hand, had no ability to act at all. All it could do was disguise itself, muddy the waters, and passively wait to be identified by the other Players.
What was more, Players who were tigers, wolfhounds, or rabbits could all openly reveal their identities and determine the fox by elimination, while the fox had no means of countering them.
Its only chance of survival was to pretend to be a "rabbit," then have the real "rabbit" reveal the truth after the wolfhound made a wrong identification, leading to the wolfhound's death and the rabbit's victory.
All things considered, the tiger held the power to decide and judge, giving it an absolute advantage; the rabbit could abstain and might be able to protect itself; while the fox and wolfhound had nowhere to retreat, their survival depending entirely on the eloquence of whoever played them.
The vote