Deceitful Game

Chapter 129 [Two Questions About Death]

Upon hearing the strange yet somewhat familiar tone of the Twenty Faces, Mingpo's gaze turned cold.

"Japanese?"

Mingpo squinted and asked.

The Mandarin spoken by the person from Ideal Country is too standard... Although they are also blond and blue-eyed, Mingpo is actually unsure if they are foreigners. However, the accent of Twenty Faces basically confirms it.

"It used to be."

Twenty Faces simply smiled and replied, "Mortals have nationalities, charlatans have nationalities, but hosts have no nationality—where our organization as charlatans is based determines where we can recruit hosts… My former organization was also in Shanghai."

Mingpo merely snorted coldly at her words.

Perhaps it's because his parents are often away on business trips abroad, or perhaps it's because he comes into contact with a lot of foreigners... he doesn't have a good impression of most foreigners.

Twenty Faces

Mingpo pondered the title of the host.

This title reminded him of Edogawa Ranpo's "The Phantom of the Phantom".

This series of stories tells the story of the duel between the famous detective Kogoro Akechi and the phantom thief with twenty faces, and its prototype is likely based on the phantom thief Arsène Lupin. The "Junior Detective League" formed in this book, the model of the detective dueling with the phantom thief who can disguise himself without killing, including elements such as "Kogoro Akechi" and "Kobayashi, the leader of the Junior Detective League", later became the core reference for "Detective Conan".

Judging from her title, her abilities are most likely related to disguise and cross-dressing.

But if you say it like that...

Mingpo then thought of Miss "Nameless".

She can also transform into another person... Her ability seems somewhat similar to that of the Twenty Faces.

As for Gao Song...

Mingpo turned her gaze to the handsome "young man".

His title is "Lucky Mistletoe Silver Crown".

The prefix "lucky" is the same as Gao Fan's. According to the Red Queen, this seems to be a rare prefix that allows one to "intuitively obtain answers." In the absence of a luck-based conflict, it can effectively help charlatans "guess" the correct path and the correct answer in the game. This power is essential in various organizations. In the charlatan organization "Chinese Merchants Association" that Gao Song joined, he was certainly an important figure.

Mistletoe... judging from its name, it is a typical parasitic plant.

In most cases, mistletoe poses no harm to healthy plants, but if the plant is malnourished, the nutrients it absorbs can be fatal. It also seems to have some mystical significance… Mingper vaguely remembers that it seems to be related to Baldr, the Norse god of light, and perhaps has some connection to Ragnarok.

These images seem to be related to "betrayal" and "parasitism".

However, its specific capabilities remain uncertain.

If only Ai Shiping were here.

Mingpo thought to herself.

It was rare for him to think of his close friend when he was in danger. Normally, he would do anything to keep Ai Shiping as far away from danger as possible.

Ai Shiping is quite knowledgeable about the occult—he has a broad understanding of religions, folklore, cultures, and legends from all over the world. He even understands tarot divination, astrology, plum blossom divination, and the occult meanings of various incense, essential oils, and herbs.

In addition, he learned some knowledge about barefoot doctors, as well as the making of simple tools and the synthesis of simple chemicals, and even strange things such as the making of explosives and the disposal of corpses.

That guy has a lot of miscellaneous knowledge and is quite smart, but he's usually interested in useless stuff. However, when Mingpo needs inspiration for his plot, he'll go over and listen to him brag for a bit, and sometimes he'll get some inspiration while listening.

When Mingpo asked Ai Shiping why he, who wasn't a screenwriter, writer, broadcaster, or fortune teller, was learning all this strange stuff...

Ai Shiping said in a serious tone that he was preparing for a possible "time travel" in the future.

If one day she really did travel to another world, maybe some of this random knowledge would come in handy. At the time, Mingpo wasn't even sure if Ai Shiping was serious.

If he were here, he would probably be able to guess Gao Song's abilities.

"Excuse me, may I interrupt?"

Seeing Mingpo deep in thought, Twenty Faces gave a somewhat enigmatic smile.

She spoke in a polite and gentle voice, drawing out the last syllable as she interrupted, "Please get ready, everyone, our game is about to begin." As "Twenty Faces" finished speaking, all three looked at her.

"This game is at the [Week] difficulty level. If the challenger completes the game, all survivors will receive [1 Week] chips; if the challenged player completes the game, they will receive all the challengers' chips. The difficulty and rewards of this game do not fluctuate." She said softly, "The game is called [Death Twenty Questions], and the gameplay is similar to the classic game '20 Questions,' or perhaps 'Turtle Soup.'"

As she spoke, she waved her hand.

A black card appeared in front of each of the three, Mingpo and his companions.

Players can use their imagination to inscribe the name of something on a card. This thing must be a specific term that someone in the opponent's camp understands or knows. If the opponent does not know the term, the inscription will fail.

"Then, players will speak in turn, starting with the first player. Each player can choose to 'ask a question' or 'guess,' and each player can only choose one action per turn."

"When any question is asked, all face-down cards on the field will be evaluated simultaneously. If the answer is 'Yes' or 'Yes and No,' the card will briefly turn white; if the answer is 'No,' 'Uncertain,' or 'Meaningless,' the card will not change color."

"The total number of questions that can be asked by everyone in both camps is '20'. After asking 20 questions, no one can continue to 'ask questions' and can only 'guess'."

It is completely different from the style of "ink".

The man with twenty faces had a gentle smile and a soft tone, yet his words were incredibly cruel: "Here are the specific rules of this game:"

"Rule 1: This game prohibits leaving your seat, directly looking at or peeking at other players' cards, using any form of violence, and obstructing or preventing players from answering questions. Otherwise, you will be judged to have lost."

Rule 2: The contents of your cards cannot be seen by anyone, including your teammates; otherwise, you will be judged to have lost.

Rule 3: In the first round, everyone has 10 seconds to think. Exceeding this time limit is considered "making a wrong guess". After that, every time someone asks a question, everyone's thinking time increases by 10 seconds per round, up to a maximum of 210 seconds.

Rule 4: This game allows the use of titles, abilities, and treasures, and communication is permitted. However, the use of Time Chips is prohibited.

Mingpo narrowed her eyes.

Is this... they're not even going to act anymore?

The twenty-faced fortune teller simply said, "The outcome will be determined based on the circumstances."

Does this mean she's about to blow the whistle unfairly?

If Gao Song cheats, the outcome is uncertain... but if they cheat, they will likely be judged to have lost.

At this moment, the Twenty-Faced Man revealed the final and most important part of the game.

That is, how to win... and the cost of failure.

Finally, let's discuss the factors that determine the winner of this game.

"When your card has had its turn consumed by the opponent and they guess correctly using 'Guess': the card is flipped over and you lose; "

If you guess incorrectly three times in a row: you will be automatically disqualified.

The game ends when all players on one side are declared the losers.

"A player who is judged to have lost will die immediately."