God's Imitator

Wang Weidong also looked at the plots currently owned.

Community 15 currently had 14 plots. Their choice was to use 5 plots to build normal shelters, and build inferior shelters on all remaining 9 plots.

Normal shelters were of course for their own use.

Of the remaining 9 inferior shelters, 5 were listed at 16 gold coins, and 4 listed at 18 gold coins.

Wang Weidong had already realized that after Community 12 obtained the ’privileged community’ status, he very likely couldn’t outbid for subsequent plots anymore.

At this time, if they sold shelters at low prices and forcibly bid on plots, it would have absolutely no benefits for Community 15.

Better to sell existing shelters at high prices as much as possible, with all communities earning the audience’s money together.

That’s why he had Feng Bo risk some danger to communicate with other communities, to drive up shelter prices as much as possible and obtain maximum profits.

So far, 4 shelters listed at 16 gold coins had already sold. The remaining shelters hadn’t had any movement yet.

On Community 12’s side, they should also be listing at 16 gold coins, just unclear how many had sold.Although the big screen would display the latest transaction price, if multiple shelters sold at the same price, it didn’t seem to display repeatedly.

New broadcasts only appeared when prices changed.

...

Just then, the seventh round of the game began.

The second criminal’s list appeared on the big screen.

[Zhang Shichao, male, 28 years old.]

[As a well-known blogger, on the internet and in reality, advocated for rising housing prices, inciting netizens and real-life friends to purchase properties.]

[Judgment result: Not judged.]

[In the game, behavior committing similar crimes to the criminal is: ’Inciting players from other communities to purchase or sell shelters at prices higher than 15 gold coins.’]

[You have 10 seconds to choose ’Confess’ or ’Appeal.’]

[During criminal judgment, shelter trading will be prohibited.]

Hearing this broadcast, players from Community 15 all looked at Wang Weidong somewhat surprised. He had actually guessed correctly.

And this also meant that Feng Bo indeed committed a similar crime. But even if Zhang Shichao was judged ’guilty,’ it didn’t matter. Only players from Community 9 would be ’jointly implicated.’

Zhang Shichao’s expression clearly stiffened. Although he had already prepared himself mentally in advance, at this time his heart still accelerated and cold sweat poured out.

Of course, he also didn’t choose to confess.

Compared to Community 7’s previous chaotic situation, other players from Community 9 looked much calmer and didn’t urge Zhang Shichao to confess.

Because Zhang Shichao had good relations within Community 9, counting as a relatively core player. More importantly, other players had no way to force him to confess.

[Criminal chooses ’Appeal,’ will have 1 minute for statement.]

A close-up of Zhang Shichao’s face appeared on the big screen. At the same time, what he said would also be heard by all players in the field through broadcast.

”I don’t recognize this as a crime!

”For the past twenty years, housing has continuously risen! Some people worked diligently but didn’t buy houses. Some people were lazy good-for-nothings who relied on their parents to buy houses. But the final result was the former lost everything while the latter achieved financial freedom!

”In this situation, was I wrong to advise others to buy houses? Should I have advised them not to buy houses, then in the future watch housing prices continuously rise and become unattainably high? Would that have been right?

”I only used my observations of this world to give some suggestions, but those who ultimately made decisions were still themselves.

”If there must be a guilty verdict, it should be those who made housing rise who are guilty, those who speculate on houses for rent who are guilty. In any case, it shouldn’t be me, someone who was forced to reluctantly recognize reality, who is guilty!”

Clearly, compared to Jin Cheng’s previous statement, Zhang Shichao’s statement had improved somewhat.

This was because he had long since seriously considered his own crime and prepared accordingly in advance.

But players still had to be true to their inner answers.

Soon, players completed voting.

[Voting result: Guilty.]

[In the game, behavior committing similar crimes to the criminal is: ’Inciting players from other communities to purchase or sell shelters at prices higher than 15 gold coins.’]

Zhang Shichao sighed. The bit of wishful thinking he had left was still shattered.

Of course, compared to Jin Cheng’s crime, Zhang Shichao’s crime was more minor, so the number of people voting ’guilty’ shouldn’t be too many.

But as long as it exceeded half, the result was still guilty.

This game’s judgment mechanism was much stricter than imagined.

Wang Weidong looked toward Community 9’s direction, the corners of his mouth slightly rising.

The plot development was completely as he predicted.

Although two players from Community 15 also committed similar behavior, they were far from reaching 5 people, so they wouldn’t be jointly implicated.

However, as the broadcast on the big screen continued to appear, Wang Weidong was stunned.

[Players who committed similar crimes exceed 5 people, therefore, players who committed similar crimes will be ’jointly implicated.’]

[The above players will suffer instant death punishment in 10 seconds.]

Wang Weidong looked with shock toward his community’s occupied A4 nine-square grid, and Community 9’s occupied D7 nine-square grid.

A total of 6 plot signs all shattered. The green LED strips that had turned on after shelters were built also all went out.

This meant 6 players were jointly implicated. Their shelters were completely destroyed and abandoned.

These 6 were all shelters with 90% probability. They functioned normally. No one encountered that 10% probability to become the unlucky one.

Among these, Community 9 had 4 shelters destroyed.

On Community 15’s side, the two players who had respectively gone to Community 7 and Community 12 to persuade had their shelters destroyed.

Although no one died, Feng Bo’s expression became very ugly.

Because his death-avoidance opportunity had been consumed. This was an unexpected situation.

Feng Bo somewhat couldn’t accept this result, ”Why? What exactly is the situation?

”How could players with similar crimes reach 5 people??”

Wang Weidong frowned, and quickly figured out the reason, ”Community 9 deliberately arranged for three players to commit this crime to make up the numbers! So adding your two, players with similar crimes reached 5 people!

”But... exactly when?

”They clearly hadn’t had any actions all along! Could it be, was it Community 17...”

...

Li Renshu went to find Zhang Shichao to remind him of this matter.

Zhang Shichao had already guessed his own crime. If he did nothing, then it would definitely be the other four players from Community 9 who would be jointly implicated.

But if three of those players actively committed this type of crime, then it would be ’players with similar crimes’ who would be jointly implicated.

So, at Li Renshu’s suggestion, 3 players from Community 9 actively committed similar crimes, attempting to incite Li Renshu to purchase or sell shelters at high prices.

This method was thought up by Cao Haichuan, but still had to be executed by Li Renshu.

This way, it led to the number of players in the field who committed similar crimes reaching 5 people.

Although Community 9 still had 3 players jointly implicated, at least 1 player retained his shelter.

This meant that if Community 9 needed to execute some dangerous strategies afterward, this player could do it. After all, he still had one death-avoidance opportunity.

In game strategy, there was still very high freedom.

And Community 15, which should have been completely unscathed, was also weakened.