Zhao Tian rattled off a string of names in one breath:
"Lin Jie, Lin Zhi, Xia Qu, Chen Li, Yu Ze, Zhao Tian."
"How about this order?"
"Since Lin Jie proposed this plan, I put him first as a sign of respect."
Lin Jie saw through Zhao Tian's intentions.
He wanted to be the last to put in his talisman paper.
Because according to the rules, the color chosen by players who put in their talisman papers first would be visible to everyone.
And once a talisman paper was put in, there was no taking it back.
So the later someone put theirs in, the greater their advantage.
Besides, Zhao Tian hadn't put Lin Jie first out of any respect.
He wanted Lin Jie to test the waters first.
Zhao Tian grinned, making his own little calculations inwardly.
That really was what he was thinking.
In theory, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this plan.
But in practice, who knew what might go wrong?
What if... Lin Jie was the little ghost?
Lin Jie had proposed the plan. Putting him first meant that if he tried anything, everyone would notice right away.
Chen Li was the first to object. "That's not right, is it? How can you put Lin Jie first?"
"We can all see that the earlier you put in your talisman paper, the worse off you are, right?"
"Lin Jie came up with the strategy for a perfect victory. By rights, he should go later!"
Xia Qu also offered her opinion. "It's thanks to the plan Lin Jie came up with that we could break the deadlock. I'd rather let him decide the order."
The others agreed as well.
Zhao Tian looked deflated. "Fine, fine, I was only making a suggestion. I agree that Lin Jie should arrange it."
But Lin Jie sneered inwardly.
Voting first was exactly what he wanted.
Lin Jie said without betraying anything, "The order you suggested is pretty good. I have no objection to going first."
Everyone looked at him in surprise. "What? You're willing to put in your talisman paper first?"
Lin Jie nodded naturally. "Of course. Since I proposed this plan, I have an obligation to be the first to carry it out."
"This is also to prove to everyone that my plan is exactly as I said before: absolutely safe, a strategy for a perfect human victory."
Everyone gazed at him in admiration.
Then Lin Jie shifted the subject. "But Zhao Tian, I'd like to make a slight adjustment to your position."
"You and Yu Ze should swap places."
"The final order will be: Lin Jie, Lin Zhi, Xia Qu, Chen Li, Zhao Tian, Yu Ze."
Puzzled, Zhao Tian asked, "Of course I don't mind. But is there a reason for that change?"
Lin Jie's tone was calm. "No particular reason. It's just that this was the order I used in the example when I explained it earlier.
"To keep everyone from getting confused, I thought we might as well just use that order."
But Lin Jie's words were only an excuse.
Lin Jie sneered inwardly.
Heh, Zhao Tian, you want to go last? I'm not letting you have your way.
There was nothing Zhao Tian could do, so he could only comply. "Fine, fine. It's all pretty much the same anyway. I'm okay with this order."
Zhao Tian felt unhappy, so he convinced himself: there wasn't much difference between going last and second to last. It was no big deal.
What he didn't know, however, was that this tiny adjustment might cost him his life.
Everyone settled on the order.
And so, the first round of the summoning ritual began.
"As arranged, Lin Zhi and I will put in red and blue talisman papers, one each. Everyone else will put in multicolored talisman papers."
As he spoke, Lin Jie picked up a blue talisman paper and gently tossed it into the fire.
The flames crackled, giving off blue smoke.
After a while, the fire returned to normal.
Lin Zhi stepped forward and picked up a red talisman paper.
She didn't understand her brother's plan at all.
From the humans' perspective, it was a perfect plan. The little ghost, however, had no chance whatsoever.
Though puzzled, she still put in the red talisman paper.
The fire gave off red smoke, which then dispersed.
Different colors had already appeared in this round. The summoning ritual had already failed.
So the players who followed beamed as they picked up multicolored talisman papers and put them into the fire.
With every talisman paper added, the fire gave off multicolored light.
Soon, the last player had completed the process as well.
"First round of the summoning ritual, result: different colors. Summoning failed. The game continues."
White Rabbit announced the result in an emotionless voice.
It had gone very smoothly.
Everyone looked happy.
"Next, Xia Qu and Chen Li will put in the red and blue talisman papers."
The second time was easier than the first. With the experience of the first round, everyone quickly put theirs in this time.
Xia Qu put in a red talisman paper, and Chen Li put in a blue one.
The others also put in multicolored talisman papers as arranged.
"Second round of the summoning ritual, result: different colors. Summoning failed. The game continues."
White Rabbit continued dutifully announcing the results.
The third round went quickly as well.
Zhao Tian and Yu Ze put in red and blue talisman papers, while the others put in multicolored ones.
There wasn't the slightest mistake, nor any unexpected incident.
Everyone was united, and everything was heading toward a perfect human victory.
"Great! The little ghost hasn't come out to cause trouble either!" Chen Li rubbed his hands excitedly. "Now every one of us can get double lifespan and the theoretical maximum prize money!"
Yu Ze also patted Lin Jie on the shoulder in admiration. "It's all thanks to the guaranteed winning method you came up with! I've participated in so many games, and every one has been a bloodbath."
"I never thought a hero would emerge today to lead everyone to a perfect victory!"
Lin Jie replied modestly, "You flatter me. Actually, all of this is for my own sake too."
Lin Jie hadn't lied. Everything was proceeding according to his plan.
It just wasn't a plan for a perfect human victory.
It was the little ghost's.
Yu Ze looked understanding. "I know. By carrying out this plan, you can get double lifespan too."
"Ultimately, this plan requires everyone to stand united to keep the little ghost in check and reach the theoretical optimum."
"Thinking back over this plan, I still can't help admiring your brain."
Lin Jie laughed inwardly, but on the surface, he still nodded along.
At this point in the plan, three rounds had passed, and everyone had received two million yuan in prize money. After six more rounds of the same, the game would be declared over. Barring anything unexpected, everyone would be a big winner.
But Lin Jie would be that unexpected factor.
The game continued.
Rounds four, five, and six repeated the previous method of taking turns to vote.
By now, Chen Li was so excited that he spoke directly to White Rabbit. "Hey, Rabbit. Why don't you just declare a human victory and give us the prize money?"
"Anyway, playing another three rounds is just a waste of time. The result will be the same."
"The moment that young man proposed his guaranteed winning plan, we humans had already won!"
White Rabbit wouldn't even look him in the eye, much less bother to respond.
Seeing White Rabbit ignore him, Chen Li curled his lip in disappointment. "Tch, so inflexible."
"All right, Lin Jie, hurry up and start the next round!"
Even this far into the game, nothing unexpected had happened.
By now, everyone was full of admiration for Lin Jie.
In the seventh round, it was once again Lin Jie and Lin Zhi's turn to put in red and blue talisman papers.
Everyone looked expectantly at Lin Jie.
Lin Jie stepped forward, picked up a blue talisman paper, and held it over the fire.
But he didn't move for a long time.
Then he slowly set it back down.
Next, he picked up a multicolored talisman paper and swiftly tossed it into the fire.
The fire gave off dazzling, multicolored light.
Lin Jie slowly turned around and spread his arms against that brilliant backdrop.
"I am the little ghost."