Deceitful Game

Chapter 142 The Death of Gao Song

Xiao Gao Robot.

After Mingpo finished speaking, the cards in front of Gao Fan and Gao Song turned white at the same time.

And they all flipped over by themselves without anyone doing anything.

The two cards had the same message written on them.

They are all "Xiao Gao Robot".

However, Gao Fan and Gao Song had different opinions on it.

Gao Fan didn't know how it was used... In his eyes, it was a product of paradoxical technology, an "extremely sophisticated portable artificial intelligence," so he considered it a powerful high-tech tool.

However, for Gao Song, who created it himself, it was just a toy.

He spent over a decade battling vegetables and frying fish. All the gains he made were transformed into his own knowledge.

This knowledge has been thoroughly integrated.

For him, creating "Little Gao Robot" was essentially just making a toy.

He did sample Gao Fan's voice, but it is not a "mini Gao Fan" modeled after Gao Fan.

A toy that resembles one's own son.

Gao Song has become a liar; he can no longer truly have a child of his own.

He loathed the old man's "plan," so it was impossible for him to try to create a pure-blooded deceiver like the Gao couple did; but if he tried to withdraw from the competition and regain his identity as a living person, he would inevitably "lose his memories as a deceiver."

For Gao Song, losing his memory was tantamount to killing himself.

That child is no longer "one's own".

In this context, the artificial intelligence he coded, trained, and nurtured himself was more like his son… and more like Gao Song's own child. It was created entirely by him alone, without… interference, influence, or manipulation by his father, untainted by the taint of money in deceptive games, and without any conspiracies, schemes, or exploitation… a true child.

For Gao Song, doing all this was a piece of cake.

It was just a small favor, and I didn't even have to think about it much.

Furthermore, Gao Song knew Gao Fan very well... He knew that Gao Fan would definitely choose this word.

Gao Fan always believed that this was a treasure left to him by his parents. In this kind of game, he would instinctively choose the word that gave him the most sense of security as his "talisman".

In a sense, that's not wrong... and it really is something his father left him.

This is also why... Gao Song insisted on bypassing Gao Fan, who was obviously easier to deal with, and instead targeted Ming Po, who was clearly a much stronger enemy.

Because he cannot eliminate Gao Fan first.

Because... he and Gao Fan used the same word.

Therefore, the more he tries to lock onto Gao Fan, the more he unconsciously locks onto himself.

If he reveals Gao Fan's answer, eliminating him from the game... then it means Mingpo will immediately know his own answer. In the next round, it will be Mingpo's turn to answer, and he will be doomed.

Gao Song had no choice but to target Ming Po.

But his choice of this word was not a mistake.

Instead, it's confidence.

Because there are two possibilities here.

If Gao Fan hadn't shown Mingpo the "Little Gao Robot," then Mingpo would never have guessed the term.

If Mingpo knew about the existence of "Xiao Gao Robot", he would easily guess that Gao Fan's trump card was this word; but he wouldn't be sure if Gao Song was also this word, at most he could only "guess".

But if Mingpo answered with that word directly, but didn't hit the truth—that would mean he had killed Gao Fan with his own hands.

This is also the moral dilemma set up by Gao Song, which is essentially the same as the previous two setups.

The reverse is also true...

Gao Fan is even less likely to actively guess "his own answer".

That's tantamount to killing yourself in exchange for a bullet that might not even hit you.

Not to mention, there are many issues, such as the fact that Gao Fan and Gao Song's card flashes are not synchronized. In Gao Fan's subconscious, he had already ruled out the possibility that he and Gao Song were the same person.

"When your card is 'consumed' by the 'opponent' and guessed correctly using 'guessing': the card is flipped face down and a loss is declared..." Mingpo's leisurely voice rang out: "This is a victory condition specifically stated in the rules. But it doesn't say... what happens if a teammate guesses correctly. Since the rules clearly state this, it means that if a teammate guesses correctly, it definitely won't be 'card flipped face down and a loss is declared'... I thought it would turn white, but I didn't expect it to be flipped face down. But then again, this makes it more direct, making it... impossible for the opponent to deny."

Mingpo's smile was a mix of relaxation and sarcasm: "Of course, no matter the outcome, the answer is the same."

"You've lost, Mr. Gao Song."

The three-minute time limit has expired.

The dim yellow light in Mingpo's eyes faded and dissipated, followed by its punitive side effect—an increase in mental abnormality level. "Twenty Faces" did not immediately declare the game over, but instead remained with his hands folded in front of him, smiling like a beautiful doll, watching Mingpo... letting Mingpo vent her joy of victory.

Gao Song was different from what she had imagined.

She had initially thought that, given Gao Song's usual personality, he might frantically try to put the card back face down, or perhaps even try to leave his seat and attack the Madman directly...

But unexpectedly, facing his impending doom, Gao Song took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes wearily.

"Finally...it's over."

He remained silent for a long time, and the others generously gave Gao Song time to experience defeat.

He opened his eyes and looked at Mingpo: "I really didn't expect you to be so daring."

...Well, that makes sense. It was my mistake.

"I shouldn't have used the moral blackmail of 'you dare not reveal Xiao Fan's trump card' at the same time as the self-proving trap of 'your teammate only has one last chance.' When there's only one last chance, you don't need to worry about 'what if you reveal Gao Fan's trump card but don't kill me'... Sigh, I'm too used to dealing with other charlatans."

"It's rare for Xiao Fan to come this time, so I added an extra layer of moral blackmail that I had prepared for him beforehand, but it actually broke my own logical structure..." After the failure, Gao Song calmed down and began to seriously review the situation.

Although it's meaningless now.

But after calming down, Gao Song revealed the aura of a "true elite".

"If you had approached me with this attitude from the beginning, I might have actually lost."

Mingpo also praised it.

But soon, he revealed a wicked smile: "Just kidding."

He looked up at Gao Song: "Do you think I don't know? Perhaps your creation of 'Little Gao' was indeed out of fatherly love..."

"But you transplanted the trained Xiao Gao into the music box and deliberately left it in Gao Fan's stronghold, forging evidence that it was left by his parents... wasn't it all so that you could play this game with Xiao Gao when he breaks into your palace in the future? You've already planned this all along, and Gao Fan's answer will definitely be these five words."

"And the rules you set—whether it's 'the rule of judging words prioritizes personal subjective impressions,' or 'the answer must be a Chinese character of five or less,' or these underlying rules with a one-to-many dynamic... and the various forms of moral blackmail and self-justification traps you set for those with weak personalities..."

"Admit it, Uncle Song. From the very beginning, this whole game was your execution ground for Gao Fan."

"Your intentions are too obvious. The more obvious the intention, the more it is exposed in my eyes."

"...Not necessarily."

Gao Song remained silent for a while, but did not deny Ming Po's words.

He simply added, "There's another possibility..."

"You mean, Gao Fan killed you himself, right?"

Mingpo slowly said, "If Gao Fan really has the awareness to risk suicide by saying that word—or if he is willing to betray his teammates and choose to collude with you—then you have no need to kill him."

"Because then, he would truly be my successor."

Gao Song looked at Gao Fan and said calmly, "Then... he can truly become my son."

Upon hearing this, Gao Fan closed his eyes in pain.

He remained silent, clutching his chest as if he couldn't breathe.

Gao Song then looked at Ming Po: "My only miscalculation was that I didn't expect... that my son, who is as dull as Gao Feng, would actually know such a powerful and cold-blooded ally."

"I saw you wield the power of Frankenstein, and now I see your title is Madman. I thought you were just a brainless brute..." Gao Song sighed, "A bet is a bet."

His body began to disintegrate piece by piece, turning into nothingness.

When the crack reached his elbow, he tossed the bloodstained dagger back to Mingpo from his pocket.

Its blade had been sheathed, but it was stained with blood.

"I took it with me when I died. I've been completely corrupted by the title, so... it should be a treasure by now," Gao Song said softly. "I'm giving it to you."

The cracks spread upwards along the neck.

He glanced back one last time, then turned away, closing his eyes, unwilling to look at Gao Fan.

Gao Song sighed, his pupils losing the brilliance of a charlatan and turning back into a weary and empty black.

"Take good care of the baby..."

Before he could finish speaking, he shattered completely.