Chapter 278: Prisoner's Dilemma
“Huh?” I jolted in shock, having no idea what I had done wrong.
“Mouse, tell me honestly: was this game you came up with after thinking all night?” Big Brother White Sheep asked in a stern tone.
“I… I…” I silently lowered my head. “Big Brother White Sheep, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have lied…”
Grandma had told me that good children don’t lie.
I thought apologizing would calm Big Brother White Sheep down, but he seemed even angrier.
“Why are you apologizing?” He stood up and walked over to me. “If you think ‘lying’ is wrong, then how are you going to survive here? This is the first time you’ve admitted a mistake to me, and I don’t want there to be a next time.”
“Ah…?” Looking at his expression, I didn’t know what to do.
“Mouse, I’ve written a game for you.” Big Brother White Sheep pulled a notebook out of his pocket, covered in writing. “Today, you’ll run this game.”
The three uncles behind me quickly crowded around to look.
Game Name: Fraud Warehouse.
Entry fee: two ‘Dao’.
First person enters and observes all items in the warehouse. Second person enters five minutes later and also observes all items.
Then both take one item each, and after a second round of observation, guess what the other person took.
If both guess correctly, each gets one ‘Dao’. If both guess wrong, they get nothing.
If one is wrong and the other is right, the wrong person gets four ‘Dao’, and the person who guessed correctly gets no reward.
The three uncles thought for a moment, then nodded in succession.
“I see…” Uncle Black Sheep spoke first. “That’s a classic ‘prisoner’s dilemma’. This rule will tear human nature apart, and there’s a chance to make a big profit.”
“Even though it’s a ‘Sheep’ game, the operation is simple,” Big Brother White Sheep said. “Try it out today with these rules, and report to me tonight.”
I nodded, half understanding, then glanced at the uncles.
“Little Mouse, today’s your first day on the job—make sure you do well,” Uncle Tiger said, patting my head. “If you forget the rules, just pull out the notebook and check.”
“On the job…?”
Uncle Tiger nodded. “That’s right, little Mouse. From now on, follow us, earn ‘Dao’ properly, eat well—Brother Sheep and we will help you.”
Uncle Snake winked at me too. “Be good. Don’t learn from Uncle Money-Losing Tiger. Aim to not lose anything today.”
“Ah, okay… okay.”
I nodded, and saw the uncles starting to straighten their clothes. They adjusted their masks, smoothed out the wrinkles in their attire, and one by one headed out the door.
“Let’s go, little Mouse,” Uncle Tiger said to me.
I tucked the notebook Big Brother White Sheep had given me into my chest and quickly followed.
Uncle Snake and Uncle Tiger each took one of my hands, and the three of us walked down the corridor behind Big Brother White Sheep and Uncle Black Sheep.
I noticed that the doors on both sides of the corridor were slowly opening, and people wearing all kinds of masks were coming out. I had thought they were scared of Uncle Tiger, since they always made way for him, but I hadn’t expected that some masked uncles and aunties would be so frightened by Big Brother White Sheep that they retreated back into their rooms.
Was Big Brother White Sheep even more short-tempered than Uncle Tiger?
As we walked forward, someone suddenly blocked our path.
His head was strange—not a mask and not a fuzzy animal… was he a… lizard?
“Earth Sheep, what are you up to now?” the lizard-man asked, looking at me.
“Going to work,” Big Brother White Sheep replied coldly. “Move aside.”
“You still have the face to go to work?” The lizard-man stood in front of Big Brother White Sheep. “Heavenly Dragon thought so highly of you, but your students are a bunch of losers. Instead of figuring out how to teach them, you’ve taken on a little dwarf—are you just giving up?”
“How my students turn out is my business,” Big Brother White Sheep answered fiercely. “Who the hell do you think you are, sticking your nose into my affairs?”
“I am the manager of all Earth-level ‘Zodiacs’!” the lizard-man roared. “Why shouldn’t I be able to discipline you?!”
“The only reason you’re the manager is that I didn’t bother to compete for it. Go flaunt your authority in front of those who suck up to you, but don’t stand in my way,” Big Brother White Sheep said. “If you insist on being shameless, I don’t care if you’re the Earth Dragon—I’ll make you lose face completely.”
Several people standing behind the lizard-man suddenly stepped forward. One of them, wearing a horse-head mask, pointed aggressively at Big Brother White Sheep. “Earth Sheep, don’t you know when to back off!”
“Dead Horse, who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?!” Uncle Tiger yelled, but he glanced at me, paused, and corrected himself, “Little Horse, may I ask who you are speaking to?”
The Horse Mask seemed a bit scared and shrank back behind the lizard-man, then shouted, “Human Tiger, don’t think just because you’re big and strong you can bully people! One day I’ll sign a contract and come back to tear you apart!”
“Then I’ll just have to… ensure you never leave!”
The two were about to start fighting, and this time Big Brother White Sheep didn’t stop them.
Uncle Tiger knocked the Horse Mask to the ground with a few moves and reached to rip off his mask. “I… myself… I want to see what you really look like!”
Seeing that I was scared, Uncle Snake pulled me behind him to block the view. “It’s okay, don’t worry.”
Just as the Horse Mask was about to be torn off, the lizard-man made his move. He stepped forward and punched at Uncle Tiger’s back, but in the next second, Big Brother White Sheep appeared and kicked the lizard-man’s fist away.
I thought it was just an ordinary scuffle, but when their fists and feet made contact, there was a huge sound that almost knocked me off balance.
“Earth Sheep! You dare fight me?!” The lizard-man seemed furious. “Have I been too lenient with you?!”
“No, I’ve been too lenient with you,” Big Brother White Sheep replied. “Lenient enough that you think you can mess with my people.”
“You…” The lizard-man clutched his wrist, his face twitching. “Dare to provoke me… you’ll regret it sooner or later…”
“I won’t need to regret,” Big Brother White Sheep answered. “Because right now I’m thinking about how to kill you.”
“What?! You…” The lizard-man gritted his teeth. “Kill me? Don’t you even care about the Heavenly Dragon?!”
“After I kill you, I’ll go and confess in person,” Big Brother White Sheep said with a smile. “If he executes me, he’ll lose two generals at once. So, considering long-term plans, I’ll most likely be pardoned.”
“What the hell kind of madman are you?” The lizard-man’s tone had clearly softened. “You’d scheme against the Heavenly Dragon himself?”
“Too bad the Heavenly Dragon likes my schemes,” Big Brother White Sheep said. “If you understand, then get lost. If you delay everyone from going to work… you’ll be responsible for everyone’s losses here today.”