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Playing the "killer" came with greater risks, but also greater rewards; playing a "good person" was steadier, though it required relatively more effort.

Overall, the game's balancing mechanics were fairly well designed.

After explaining the rules, 333 followed procedure and reiterated the precautions for newcomers. [For example, you can't quit midway through a game or confess outright. A full playthrough of one script is called a round; quitting means leaving midway, while confessing means the "killer" voluntarily admits it before the game is over. Serious breaches of the rules require compensation. A-Liu, you're so poor, so make sure you pay attention.]

Zhen Liu nodded. He had already heard about these things from a friend. Qian Xiaoqian had also told him to avoid going AFK or acting out of character during the game. There was no punishment for behavior that ruined the experience for now, but if Zhen Liu wanted to keep playing in the future, he would definitely need to be careful.

[All right, let's start the game quickly. Before every stage begins, I'll come out to give you newcomer guidance, so don't worry. If you have any questions, you can ask me privately at any time. Other than spoiling the plot or carrying others through the game, I'll do everything I can to help you.]

By this point, smart AI personalities had evolved to be no different from real people. In many games, different player-exclusive AI personalities could create entirely different experiences.

Zhen Liu's AI was a little impatient.

[The first stage of the game is choosing the character you'll be playing.]

As soon as 333 finished speaking, silhouettes and profiles for five characters appeared before Zhen Liu. There were no names, only professions and one-line descriptions.

Lawyer (Male): As the city's star attorney, he was at the height of his fame.

Doctor (Male): Though he saved lives, he always kept to himself.

Rich Heir (Male): Wasn't life meant for eating, drinking, and having fun? He apparently didn't need to work hard.

Basketball Coach (Male): Once an outstanding athlete, he could now only teach children how to play basketball.

University Professor (Male): The refined professor seemed to have been weighed down by worries lately.

Zhen Liu carefully read every character description before asking 333, "Can I choose according to my own preferences?"

[Different scripts have different selection rules. For Class Reunion, all five players need to choose characters together. If you're ready, I'll contact the DM.]

"I can start anytime."

Then a floating countdown appeared before Zhen Liu's eyes: 3, 2, 1.

Zhen Liu was no longer standing on the magic circle. Instead, he was sitting in a chair that had suddenly appeared, with a matching table in front of him. A red buzzer sat on the table. Only four pillars of light remained around him. This time, he finally saw clearly that someone was seated inside each one. They were probably the other players in this game, and they had apparently been waiting for some time.

The DM's mechanical voice sounded at just the right moment. It was a shared voice that all five players could hear. As they sized one another up, they all noticed the synchronized announcement.

[The game has officially begun. Sorry for the wait.]

[The first stage is now beginning—character selection.]

[Next, I will present several psychological tests. The players must buzz in to answer. Based on your different choices, I will assign corresponding characters.]

333's voice sounded alone beside Zhen Liu's ear. Only he could hear it, and it was trying hard to restrain its excitement. [I just received a notification from above. You've been invited to start a livestream. Very few new players receive an invitation during the character selection stage!]

Zhen Liu did not rush to respond. Only after confirming that the game had been paused and that the others could neither see what he was doing nor hear what he was saying did he ask, "A livestream?"

[That's right. All games at the Twilight Mystery Club are livestreamed from beginning to end. But don't worry—anything involving privacy will be censored, and the audience isn't made up of ordinary people in the usual sense. Player safety is absolutely guaranteed. Livestreaming is invitation-only, and normally only veteran players qualify.]

"In other words, although I'm currently playing a beginner script, one of the other four players is an experienced player eligible to livestream." Zhen Liu was not interested in the livestream itself. He cared more about what it implied.

333 lagged for a moment before catching up with Zhen Liu's train of thought. [Right! Someone above must have seen you through another player's livestream and sent the invitation. So, do you want to try it?]

"Can I refuse?"

[Of course. If you don't agree, then when other players livestream, what appears on their end won't be your real face, but a randomly generated in-game appearance instead. It's just that...] 333 hesitated, but still revealed as much as it could. [You can think of the viewers as Twilight's investors, or people working under those investors. They aren't just wealthy—the range of help they can offer is extremely broad. You understand what I mean, right?]

Zhen Liu understood, but he still was not particularly interested. However, "Does it pay?"

[There are tips, as well as a base salary. It's similar to ordinary game livestreaming. There are monthly KPI performance requirements; once you meet them, you can receive a base salary provided by the platform, directly deposited into the bank account linked to your identity information. The platform takes a fifty percent cut of the tips.]

In other words, the better he performed, the more he would earn.

"Turn it on." Zhen Liu agreed at once. He had long wanted to become a wage slave, because he really was short on money and did not mind others knowing that. "You should've said that earlier."

Wage slaves never go unrewarded!

333: [...]

Sorry for not realizing you were so eager to become a wage slave.

A template for the electronic contract soon appeared on Zhen Liu's table. The terms were clear and precise, but he still carefully read it from beginning to end twice before using a golden pen to sign his name in a flowing flourish. Zhen Liu—the Zhen Liu from "pillow upon the stream, rinse with stones," not Shen Liu.

[Okaaaay, now that you've signed the contract, you can start livestreaming~ From now on, whenever you come back to play, the livestream will automatically start from the very first stage of character selection.]