Chapter 75: Psychological Warfare

If everyone has understood the rules, please take your positions. The following instructions will be broadcasted in the rooms.

Di Gou arranged everyone and went to the front desk alone.

In the two corridors, everyone was already in position.

The Fa Xin Ren were sitting in the first room of the corridor, with the opposing team's Jian Xi standing in the hallway, while the last room held the Shou Xin Ren and the Ren Zhi.

The rules of this game seemed simple: the Fa Xin Ren would pass the code to the Jian Xi, the Jian Xi would pass it to the Shou Xin Ren, the Shou Xin Ren would check the code, and finally, the door would be opened.

However, even though the rules could be explained in just a few words, no one felt confident. After all, the most crucial part of the game was in the hands of the opposing team.

"Everyone," Di Gou said into a microphone at the front desk.

At the same time, his voice echoed through the broadcasts in each room and corridor.

"The game will start in ten minutes. Now, please have the Jian Xi meet with the Fa Xin Ren."

In the room, Lin Geng was looking at various props, constantly thinking of strategies in her mind.

Box, lock, key, letter.

Among these four items, three could potentially be destroyed by the shredder.

To avoid the shredder, the letter had to be placed inside the box and then locked.

That way, the entire box couldn't be thrown into the shredder, and the Jian Xi would have to deliver it to the other side.

But what about the key?

Although she didn't know what tools Qi Xia had, based on the game's setup, it was impossible for him to have a matching key or any lock-picking tools.

So, how would he open the box once he received it?

Knock knock knock—

A faint knocking sound came from the door, and the Jian Xi girl opened it from outside.

"Are you ready?" she asked expressionlessly.

Lin Geng glanced at the girl and asked, "What's your name?"

"Jiang Ruoxue. Are you ready?"

"Ruoxue, would you like to join us?" Lin Geng asked straightforwardly.

Jiang Ruoxue thought for a moment and said,

"Joining you carries too much risk. I can't gamble on it."

"Risk?"

"That's right." Jiang Ruoxue nodded. "If I help you win the game and you decide not to accept me at the end, I'll still die."

Her expression was serious, as if she had already thought this through.

"Your concern is valid." Lin Geng nodded and began her most skilled approach to conversation. "But let's make a hypothesis. Based on your understanding, what method would your team use to win the game?"

Jiang Ruoxue furrowed her brow slightly and said,

"Are you saying... they would also cooperate with the Jian Xi?"

"Exactly." Lin Geng said. "It's like an interview—we're in a 'mutual selection' process. The same goes for you. What you should consider isn't whether we'll abandon you, but whether your original team will abandon you."

"They won't." Jiang Ruoxue said firmly. "They wouldn't abandon me for some old man, no matter how you look at it."

"It's not 'for some old man', it's 'to survive'." Lin Geng tried to speak as gently as possible, to keep lowering the other person's guard. "Most people would want to control their own lives, rather than leave it in someone else's hands, right?"

Jiang Ruoxue clearly hesitated this time.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but remained silent.

"Working with you is also just for my own survival."

"What about the Jian Xi your team sent?" Jiang Ruoxue asked. "He's your teammate—can you just abandon him like that?"

"I haven't known him for more than four hours, and I'm not about to risk my life for four hours of acquaintance." Lin Geng said seriously. "How long have you known your teammates? Would they take risks for you?"

Jiang Ruoxue was stunned for a moment.

After thinking it over repeatedly, she still didn't agree to Lin Geng's request.

"I can't trust you. Hurry up and prepare the letter. Make it sturdy—I’ll do everything I can to destroy what's inside." Jiang Ruoxue shook her head. "Don't say anything else."

"May I ask why you're so insistent?" Lin Geng asked finally.

"A Mu is my boyfriend. Do I need any other reason?"

As a psychological counselor, Lin Geng knew it was almost impossible to break down someone's psychological defenses in just a few minutes—that kind of thing only happened in science fiction novels.

Normal people had extremely strong defenses against strangers, especially in life-or-death situations where every word could mean life or death, making them even more cautious than usual.

Lin Geng stopped wasting time and focused her attention on the box in front of her.

If she didn't consider cooperating with the Jian Xi at all, was there a way for Qi Xia to get the letter?

On the other side, in the Fa Xin Ren room, A Mu met the Jian Xi Lao Lv.

"Hey, kid, hand over the stuff quickly," Lao Lv said, one hand on the doorframe, sounding very impatient.

A Mu scratched his green hair and gave Lao Lv a contemptuous look.

Instead of looking at the items on the table, he thought for a moment and said,

"Old man, how about ten Dao for your teammate's life?"

"What the...?" Lao Lv was stunned. "Dao?"

"You don't look like a fool, so you must know the survival rules here, right?"

Lao Lv thought for a long time before slowly saying,

"What nonsense are you spouting, kid? How could I betray my teammate for ten Dao? Besides, I paid for the tickets..."

"Fifteen Dao." A Mu continued. "On top of the rewards from this game, I'll give you an extra fifteen Dao."

Lao Lv's eyes slowly shifted to the ground, his face full of hesitation.

"Don't think about it, old man. You know how to guarantee you'll 'one hundred percent' survive." A Mu tapped his fingers on the table, his voice full of warning. "We'll take you in and let you live. Once we're out, we go our separate ways."

Lao Lv asked cautiously,

"Give me fifteen Dao... and then you'll get nothing out of it?"

"It's fine." A Mu shrugged nonchalantly. "Once we take their lives, we can get their spoils. So, it's not nothing."

"What about that woman?" Lao Lv asked again. "Isn't she your girlfriend?"

"Women are a dime a dozen!" A Mu leaned in close, glaring fiercely at Lao Lv. "If one dies, I can find another. But if I die, things will get messy..."

Lao Lv sensed a dangerous aura from this man.

But thinking it over, Qi Xia and the others probably didn't have fifteen Dao on them. If he agreed, he'd come out ahead.

"I want a deposit," Lao Lv said. "Give me five Dao right now."

"What...?"

"That way, you won't be able to kill me." Lao Lv smiled, sweat trickling down his face. "'Killing for Dao' isn't allowed, right?"