Chapter 1050: The Logic Within the Problem
"Wait a minute... I'm not convinced!" Chen Junnan said. "Why does he get to win just by saying those two sentences?"
The Serpent Man paused and said, "Because my teacher once taught me a theory called 'survivorship bias.'"
"Can that theory be applied here?" Chen Junnan asked. "A restaurant owner talking about 'survivorship bias'?"
"Yes, just as this young man said..." The Serpent Man nodded. "The people who leave comments on a message board are always the minority. To use the most ideal example... out of a hundred customers, one person thinks today's food is a bit salty, so he writes down this opinion. The owner, wanting to accommodate this opinion, reduces the salt. As a result, ninety-nine people think the food is bland."
"Huh...?" Chen Junnan was startled, feeling that this argument was indeed more reasonable than his own.
The Serpent Man thought about it more and found it increasingly logical: "This answer is too correct... This is exactly 'survivorship bias.' In this ideal hypothesis, it's not that ninety-nine people think it's bland... it's that one hundred percent of people think it's bland."
"What do you mean?" Chen Junnan asked.
"Because the person who wrote down the opinion is highly likely to never patronize the restaurant that dissatisfied him again, leaving only those who had no opinion to endure the consequences of this reform." The Serpent Man looked as if he had just grasped some profound truth of life. "You all should have noticed too... there are often restaurants we love to eat at. We don't go for a few weeks, and when we finally visit again, we find the food is nowhere near as good as before. Eventually, none of us go anymore, and it puts up a 'For Lease' sign... Meanwhile, those restaurants that have barely changed their recipes in decades just keep running. So, 'opinions' can be heard, but they must be filtered and summarized. You can't blindly follow every single one."
"That does seem to be the case... Running a restaurant really is a skill."
Chen Junnan agreed verbally, but he was somewhat annoyed. This time, Jin Yuanxun had gotten the point by pure luck. Next time, they would have to be more cautious. If they couldn't take his "pawn," the situation would become even more troublesome.
The Serpent Man pulled out a nearly rotten pencil from his bosom and gently drew a checkmark next to the question.
"It's the same whether it's running a restaurant or living life." The Serpent Man said. "Those who point fingers and criticize your life are always the minority. If you keep adjusting yourself according to their demands, life will become confusing too."
Chen Junnan and Jin Yuanxun both fell silent after hearing this.
The Serpent Man: "How was my little philosophical elevation just now?"
"The logic was okay, but the delivery was a bit pretentious," Chen Junnan said.
"I'll work on it next time," the Serpent Man said.
"Right. Looks like you wasted that 'survivorship bias' lesson. Hurry up and move to the next question." Chen Junnan said. "I thought this book was all logic puzzles, but it turns out there are theoretical questions too... Are there math problems and humanities questions as well?"
"Probably," the Serpent Man said. "These hundred difficult questions are my treasures. Usually, I just read through them like a book, but I never try to answer them."
"But why?" Chen Junnan asked. "You don't seem stupid, kid. If you were willing to put in the effort... couldn't you solve them all in a few days? Why do you need to listen to us talk to figure out the answers?"
"I'm conflicted," the Serpent Man said, flipping through the notebook. "Do you know what that person told me...? He said that if I could answer all one hundred of these questions, he would come back and help me become a 'Di-level'."
"Huh...?" Chen Junnan was stunned.
"But has he ever considered..." The Serpent Man's eyes flickered. "If he truly left, I didn't want him to come back."
"This person you're talking about is actually..."
"An old friend who was deeply kind to me." The Serpent Man said. "Or maybe I misunderstood his meaning. Perhaps this hundred questions lead not just to a hundred answers, but to solutions for a hundred problems, a hundred philosophies of life. By the time I've finished them all, I might not even need him to come back. I'd be able to handle most situations here on my own."
"You're making this sound more and more mysterious..."
"That's why I said these hundred questions are like a train ticket." The Serpent Man said wistfully. "I thought I had a long time to wait, to wait until I felt like getting on the train, then open it and head towards the future... But now, I might very well die in this game. When I sit here, I realize that everything is almost too late."
"Hey, hold on, you're making this sound scary." Chen Junnan said. "Let me make this clear first: I have no intention of 'betting my life' with you. You're not going to die."
After speaking, he reached out and pulled Jin Yuanxun. "Little Jin isn't 'betting his life' with you either, right?"
"Why would I 'bet my life'...?" Jin Yuanxun asked.
The Serpent Man shook his head after hearing this. "It's not about that... You don't want to 'bet your life' with me, and I don't want to 'bet my life' with you. We can naturally coexist peacefully, but I might still die."
"So who did you offend...?" Chen Junnan asked.
"Offend?" The Serpent Man gave a bitter laugh. "In this place, you don't need a valid reason to die. Maybe just because I didn't want to 'bet my life' with you, I'll end up dead."
"What the hell kind of bullshit logic is that..." Chen Junnan said. "Don't worry, if anyone dares to come after you, just tell me!"
"Qing Long."
"...Then you can tell Old Qi!" Chen Junnan quickly corrected himself.
"Hopefully." The Serpent Man smiled and flipped open the notebook. "Next question."
The two became serious again. This question could directly determine the fate of their 'characters' (the game pieces), so neither dared to take it lightly.
"Two generals are surrounded by the enemy, but their troops are stationed on two separate mountains, Mountain Jia and Mountain Yi. It is known that if both sides launch a breakout at the exact same moment, they can wipe out the enemy and both escape. But if only one side attacks, it will be completely annihilated. Do you understand so far?"
The two nodded. "Understood."
"So the two need to agree on a time to launch the breakout simultaneously. Since the distance is too great to even see smoke signals, they can only rely on a messenger risking his life to deliver the message. Suppose the general of Mountain Jia sends a messenger to Mountain Yi, informing the other side to 'break out at noon.' But in reality, he is not sure if the messenger will be ambushed on the way, nor does he know if the messenger will reach Mountain Yi. So he does not dare to attack rashly until the messenger returns."
Chen Junnan scratched his head after hearing this. "It's a bit abstract, but I can still follow it."
"The general of Mountain Yi faces the same problem. After receiving the message, he is not sure if the messenger can make it back to Mountain Jia to tell the general there that 'the other side has received the message.' So he still does not dare to attack rashly."
"Hmm..." Chen Junnan frowned slowly as he listened, feeling that the complexity of this question had skyrocketed in just a few sentences.
"So my question is, under the given conditions, what method can guarantee that these two generals will definitely launch their breakout at the exact same time?"
Chen Junnan and Jin Yuanxun looked at each other, both at a loss for an answer.
"Can't they just have everyone on the whole mountain act as messengers...?" Chen Junnan asked.
"...?"