Qiu Yinong also realized what was happening.
'The result of Chen Ran's layout is...'
'When the others fail to deduce the solution, they will send useless players to act as Cannon Fodder.'
'And when they do manage to deduce it, they will be even more inclined to send those useless players out as Cannon Fodder.'
'No matter how things play out, this guarantees that those who are good at deduction and possess extensive knowledge will survive to reach the second Secret Room and help decipher the puzzles.'
'It is like fishing. By changing the size of the net's mesh, he can selectively filter out the exact fish he wants to keep.'
'For them, figuring out Chen Ran's setup is only the beginning. The ensuing psychological warfare is the real crux of the matter.'
Zhang Jinhua silently retreated behind the rest of the group.
The Middle-aged Woman's eyes darted around shiftily as if she were plotting something.
'If they dare try to make me Cannon Fodder, I will throw a massive tantrum. I am on my own here. If I refuse to go, what can they possibly do to me?'
The Middle-aged Uncle caught a glimpse of the two women's subtle movements and sneered inwardly.
'These two Unaffiliated Wanderers still do not see the problem clearly enough.'
'The moment those two deduced the setup, they already placed themselves in an invincible position.'
'There is only one key to this entire scheme: whoever deduces that there is a problem with number three gets to live.'
'As for the ones who figured it out, no amount of deception will trick them into becoming sacrificial Cannon Fodder.'
The Middle-aged Uncle swept his gaze over the team, ultimately landing on his teammate, Wang Yan.
The Tall Captain did the same, his eyes finally settling on his teammate, Li Chenglong.
The Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man also shifted his focus to his teammate, Liang Jing.
Hell was a cruel place where the rule was Better Them Than Me. However, considering their bonds as teammates, they still had to make an attempt to salvage things.
The Middle-aged Uncle spoke first. "There is a problem with the Xuan Paper. The top sheet was soaked, but the one underneath remained dry. This indicates that the stacked sheets of Xuan Paper were taken away one by one and submerged in water."
"The Old Man's cause of death was suffocation, brought on by having wet sheets of Xuan Paper placed over his face one after another."
"A book that fits this exact scenario is one about papermaking. During the production process, pulp scooped from the vat is stacked aside for natural dehydration."
"Now that we have deduced the answer, we need to decide who goes to pull the book."
Hearing this, the respective team members all looked toward their captains.
The Tall Captain and the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man both wore troubled expressions, simply because they knew...
'There is a problem with number three.'
'Just a moment ago, the Teenager triggered a trap while pulling a book, causing him to completely lose his memory.'
'In other words, whoever steps up to solve the puzzle of the third sheet of Xuan Paper will inevitably trigger a trap that leads to total amnesia.'
'If a person who has completely lost their memory is not killed, no one can guarantee what kind of insane actions they might take.'
'Who knows...'
'They might just end up getting everyone killed!'
'Therefore, whoever loses their memory entirely will be tricked by the others into uttering a Common-Sense Lie, and ultimately executed through Judgment.'
Seeing the expressions on the two men's faces, the Middle-aged Uncle already had his answer and suggested, "Since that is the case, I will propose a relatively fair solution."
"Stop right there," the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man interrupted mercilessly. "I do not even need to think about this so-called fair method of yours to know that it is highly likely to be in your favor."
"I believe the most relatively fair method in this world is flipping a Coin."
As he spoke, the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man fished a Coin out of his pocket and declared, "Whoever flips tails gets priority for their team to solve the puzzle. If two or all three of us get tails, we keep flipping."
Hearing this, the two captains nodded in agreement. However, Chen Ran, who was crouching on the ground smoking a Cigarette, cast a surprised glance at the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man.
"Acceptable."
"Fine by me."
All three of them understood that if they continued to argue, it might spark Infighting, and even more people would die as a result.
Next,
The three of them supplemented the rules. For instance, determining heads or tails would strictly depend on the face-up side, and for the remaining eighteen Xuan Paper puzzles, they would cycle through the order established by the Coin toss.
At the same time, the Middle-aged Woman and Zhang Jinhua were allowed to cut in line at any point.
That was not all. The trio also established an additional rule for their teammates: when it was their team's turn, the captain would designate who had to step forward and pull the book.
Some team members hesitated, but considering they could barely figure out the puzzles to begin with and were entirely at the mercy of their leaders, they ultimately agreed to the terms.
"Who goes first?"
The Middle-aged Uncle gave him an odd look, took the Coin, and flicked it into the air.
The Coin hit the ground.
Tails!
Next was the Tall Captain. He took the Coin from the ashen-faced Middle-aged Uncle, weighed it in his hand a few times to ensure there was no tampering, and tossed it upward.
It landed. Heads.
Finally, it was the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man's turn. He simply gave it a casual toss, and the Coin fell to the floor, landing perfectly on heads.
"You!"
The Middle-aged Uncle pointed furiously at the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Captain, thoroughly frustrated but at a loss for words.
"You what? There are two types of people I despise in this life: those whose skills are inferior, and those who are sore losers. Accept your defeat gracefully. If you want to break the agreement, you will have to answer to the Liar-Slayers in our hands!" the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man stated coldly.
The others watched with cold detachment. The Tall Captain, however, stood with flickering expressions in his eyes.
After a moment of deliberation, he said, "Now it is down to the two of us to flip the Coin, but my new rule negates the previous criteria. Whoever gets heads facing up gets priority in solving the puzzle."
Hearing this, the Unaffiliated Wanderer Zhang Jinhua nodded subtly in approval.
'The reason the Tall Captain proposed a new rule and adopted a different judging standard is because he fears the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man tampered with the Coin, and thus he reversed the winning condition.'
"Acceptable."
The Tall Captain looked suspiciously at the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Captain, who had agreed without hesitation. Still feeling somewhat uneasy, he said, "You go first."
The Gold-Rimmed Glasses Captain picked up the Coin from the floor. Staring unblinkingly at the Tall Captain, he gave it a casual flick into the air and did not even bother to look. Perhaps he already knew the outcome in his heart.
The Coin landed on the ground.
It was tails!
The Tall Captain looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he asked, "Before you died, you did not happen to work in a Casino, did you?"
"Oh my, you figured it out," the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Captain said, spreading his hands.
"Actually, the moment I replied that it was acceptable, I already realized it. The 18th Level uses Points as currency. Why would anyone carry around something as useless as a physical Coin? Unfortunately, it was already too late."
Even as he spoke, he casually tossed the Coin back into the air. It landed—heads.
Puzzle-solving priority: the Middle-aged Uncle's team, the Tall Captain's team, and finally, the Gold-Rimmed Glasses Man's team.
The Middle-aged Uncle's gaze darted back and forth between the two speaking men. He could not shake the feeling that things were not quite so simple.
Ultimately, he sighed in resignation. "Wang Yan, go. Pull out a book related to papermaking from the bookshelf."
Wang Yan, who had just been called out, maintained a normal expression. Not a single trace of fear could be seen on his face.
He walked slowly toward the bookshelf, but halfway there, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Without even turning his head, he said, "There is definitely a problem with the number three Glass Bead in the Hourglass, right? To be honest, I always knew this day would come."
"Hell..."
"I have been lost, I have repented, I have prayed devoutly, but... hehe, none of that matters. Without strength, a person is ultimately nothing more than Cannon Fodder."