Chapter 75: Psychological Warfare
"If everyone understands the rules, please take your positions. Follow the announcements from the room intercom from now on."
After arranging everyone, Digou went to the front desk alone.
In the two corridors, everyone was in position.
The "Senders" sat in the first room of each corridor, with the opposing team's "Spy" standing in the hallway. The last room housed the "Receiver" and the "Hostage."
The rules of this game seemed simple on the surface: the "Sender" would pass the password to the "Spy," who would then hand it to the "Receiver." The "Receiver" would check the password and finally open the door.
But rules that could be explained in a few words left everyone uneasy. After all, the most critical part of this game lay in the hands of the opposing team.
"Everyone." Digou spoke into a microphone at the front desk.
At the same moment, his voice echoed through the broadcasts in every room and corridor.
"The game will begin in ten minutes. Spies, please make contact with your Senders now."
Lin Qin looked at the various props in the room, her mind racing as she considered strategies.
A box, a lock, a key, a letter.
Three of the four items could potentially be destroyed by the shredder.
To avoid the shredder, she would have to place the letter inside the box and lock it.
That way, the entire box couldn't be thrown into the shredder, and the "Spy" would have to deliver it to the other side.
But the question was: what about the "key"?
She didn't know what tools Qi Xia had on hand, but based on the game's setup, it was impossible for there to be a matching key or any lock-picking tools.
So how would he open the box once he received it?
*Knock, knock, knock*—
A faint knock sounded, and the "Spy," a young woman, opened the door from outside.
"Are you ready?" she asked expressionlessly.
Lin Qin looked at the woman and asked, "What's your name?"
"Jiang Ruoxue. Are you ready?"
"Ruoxue, would you like to join us?" Lin Qin asked directly.
The young woman named Jiang Ruoxue thought for a moment and said, "Joining you is too risky. I can't gamble on it."
"Risk?"
"That's right." Jiang Ruoxue nodded. "If I help you win the game and you choose not to take me in at the last moment, I'll still die."
Her expression was serious, as if she had already considered this question.
"Your concern is valid." Lin Qin nodded, beginning her most adept conversational tactic. "But let's make a hypothesis. From what you know, what method would your team use to win this game?"
Jiang Ruoxue furrowed her brow slightly and said, "You mean... they would also cooperate with the 'Spy'?"
"Mm, that's exactly it." Lin Qin said. "It's like a job interview—we're in a 'two-way selection' now. You shouldn't just consider whether we'll abandon you, but whether your original team will abandon you."
"They won't." Jiang Ruoxue said firmly. "Abandoning me for some old man? That's impossible no matter how you look at it."
"They aren't doing it 'for some old man'; they're doing it 'to survive.'" Lin Qin slowed her speech as much as possible to keep lowering the other's psychological defenses. "Most people would rather hold their fate in their own hands than in someone else's, right?"
This time, Jiang Ruoxue was clearly hesitant.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but remained silent in the end.
"And I'm cooperating with you for the same reason—to survive."
"What about the 'Spy' you sent out?" Jiang Ruoxue said. "He's clearly your teammate, yet you can just abandon him?"
"I've known him for less than four hours. There's no way I'd stake my life on a connection that short." Lin Qin said seriously. "And how long have you known your teammates? Would they take risks for you?"
Jiang Ruoxue stood there dumbfounded for a moment.
After thinking it over repeatedly, she still didn't agree to Lin Qin's request.
"I can't trust you. Hurry up and prepare the letter. I suggest you make it sturdy, because I'll do everything I can to destroy the letter inside." Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. "Don't say anything else."
"Can I ask why you're so insistent?" Lin Qin asked one last time.
"Amu is my boyfriend. Do I need any other reason?"
As a psychological counselor, Lin Qin knew that breaking down someone's psychological defenses in just a few minutes was almost impossible—a scenario that only appeared in science fiction novels.
Normal people had extremely strong defenses against strangers, especially in life-or-death situations where every word exchanged could cost someone their life. People became even more cautious than usual.
Lin Qin didn't waste any more time. Instead, she focused her attention on the box in front of her.
If she completely ruled out cooperating with the "Spy," was there a way for Qi Xia to get the letter?
On the other side, Amu, sitting in the "Sender's" room, also met the "Spy," Old Lü.
"Hey, young man, hurry up and give me the stuff." Old Lü said, one hand on the doorframe, sounding very impatient.
Amu scratched his emerald-green hair and cast a contemptuous look at Old Lü.
He didn't look at the items on the table but instead thought for a moment and said, "Old man, ten 'Dao' for your teammate's life. How about it?"
"What the hell...?" Old Lü was taken aback. "Ten 'Dao'?"
"You don't seem stupid, so you must know the survival rules here, right?"
Old Lü thought for a long time before slowly speaking. "Are you talking nonsense, young man? How could I sell out my teammate for ten 'Dao'? Besides, I was the one who paid the entry fee..."
"Fifteen." Amu continued. "On top of the rewards from this game, I'll give you an extra fifteen 'Dao.'"
Old Lü's gaze slowly dropped to the floor, his face full of hesitation.
"Don't overthink it, old man. You should know how to 'guarantee' your survival." Amu tapped his fingers on the table, his tone filled with warning. "We'll take you in and let you live. After we get out, we go our separate ways."
Old Lü asked cautiously, "If you give me fifteen 'Dao'... won't you end up with nothing?"
"That's fine." Amu shook his head indifferently. "We take the other side's life and claim the spoils they're carrying. Can't say it's completely empty-handed."
"What about that woman?" Old Lü asked again. "Isn't she your girlfriend?"
"Just a woman!" Amu leaned in, glaring fiercely at Old Lü. "Women come and go. I can find another one if she dies. But if I die, that would be a bit of a problem..."
Old Lü felt there was something indescribably dangerous about the man in front of him.
But when he thought about it, Qi Xia and the others couldn't scrape together fifteen 'Dao' even if they turned themselves inside out. Accepting this offer here would make him a fortune.
"I want a down payment." Old Lü said. "Give me five 'Dao' right now."
"What...?"
"That way, you can't kill me." Old Lü flashed a smile, sweat trickling down his face. "'Kill to steal Dao' isn't allowed, right?"