God's Imitator

Earlier, on the other side of the venue.

Zhou Wanlin had also been in a standoff with Zhou Xiaoying near Safe Zone 5, the latter still holding her Contraband.

Both were silent.

Zhou Wanlin thought for a moment, then said again, as gently as she could, ”As I’ve said, Huang Shengjie’s offer still stands. Talking it through with me is just as valid.

”All three of us from Community 2 outside the prison have already agreed. As soon as we can get word to our two players inside, we can send you a formal invitation.

”And look, we share the same surname. Isn’t that a kind of fate? I’m sure once you join Community 2, we’ll become very good friends.”

She had said all of this from the moment she first intercepted Zhou Xiaoying, but Zhou Xiaoying had remained unmoved throughout.

”I’ve also already told you: everything I said to Huang Shengjie was made up.

”I was trying to distract him and get him to let his guard down.

”But the fact that you’re now the one wearing the Inspector Armband means you’ve seen through our plan and sent Huang Shengjie to intercept Peng Xinyuan.”So let me be direct: there is no way I’m joining Community 2.”

Zhou Wanlin gave a small shake of her head, ”I have some background in psychology, actually.

”I can see that you do have the instinct to stall for time. But what you said to Huang Shengjie was most likely true.

”You simply still have doubts.

”So regardless of how the game unfolds from here, both Huang Shengjie and I intend to keep the offer open.”

Zhou Xiaoying shook her head again and said nothing more.

Zhou Wanlin was about to say something else, but at that moment she noticed another figure approaching through the mist behind Zhou Xiaoying.

Peng Xinyuan came up behind Zhou Xiaoying carrying several more units of Contraband.

Zhou Wanlin immediately sensed trouble and instinctively shifted toward the middle of the space.

Blocking Zhou Xiaoying alone in this open area was straightforward enough, but with Peng Xinyuan’s added physicality, the situation became considerably more dangerous.

Peng Xinyuan could simply force his way through with the Contraband in hand, and if Zhou Wanlin tried to intercept him, he could drop it before she touched him. As long as he wasn’t in contact with the Contraband when touched, no violation would be triggered.

And while she was chasing after Peng Xinyuan, Zhou Xiaoying could break through from the other side.

With the two of them working in combination, Zhou Wanlin would find herself strung along like a ball being passed between players, unable to stop either of them.

There was nothing she could do but try to hold the centre of the space and delay as long as possible.

Then, without warning, Zhou Xiaoying spoke.

”If you really want to poach someone, take Peng Xinyuan.”

Peng Xinyuan froze, ”What are you saying?”

Zhou Xiaoying glanced at him and lowered her voice, ”Community 2 is looking for a male player. For their purposes, you’re a better fit than I am.

”Your gender matches, your physical condition is good, and your dependency on the medications is milder than mine. You should be able to fit in without too much difficulty.”

Peng Xinyuan looked flustered, ”Stop talking nonsense. If I left, you’d face the collective punishment. They might cut off your medication supply.”

Zhou Xiaoying’s expression became complicated, ”You told me before, didn’t you? You promised your father that no matter what, you would survive. Even in a place like this.

”Community 2 might be a better choice for you.”

Zhou Wanlin felt mildly surprised, but said nothing, silently weighing the sincerity of what she was hearing and how much information was embedded within it.

Peng Xinyuan seemed to realise something. He cut Zhou Xiaoying off urgently, ”Shh! Stop.

”Zhao Heng’s out of the prison. He could show up at any moment.”

Zhou Xiaoying’s face went instantly pale. Her already hushed voice disappeared entirely.

The strange tension in the air pressed down on Zhou Wanlin from all sides. Then, through it, a massive silhouette emerged from the mist.

”You were both held up by one person?

”Peng Xinyuan, what are you doing?”

Zhao Heng’s voice carried a note of displeasure.

He had new Contraband in his hands, clearly having gone back to Community 23’s warehouse to resupply before coming straight over.

”Sorry, Brother Zhao. I’m going right now.”

Peng Xinyuan lowered his head, gripped the Contraband, and prepared to push through.

Seeing Zhao Heng’s build, Zhou Wanlin felt genuinely taken aback. She had never encountered a player this physically imposing anywhere in the Gallery.

In a game where physical capability was this relevant, the opposing side’s strength was simply overwhelming.

With a decisive numerical and physical advantage, any defensive position they held would be nullified entirely.

But at that moment, she heard the sound of running footsteps approaching from behind.

”Don’t worry, Sister Wanlin, I’m here!”

Huang Shengjie had sprinted over the instant the paralysis lifted, and arrived gasping for breath, chest heaving with the effort.

Zhou Wanlin felt a measure of relief. With both of them defending, their flexibility as pure defenders improved, and their effective coverage doubled, making the odds considerably more favourable.

Zhao Heng dropped the Contraband in his hands to the ground, ”I’ll create the opening. You two find your moment and push through.”

Huang Shengjie braced himself. He had a clearer sense than anyone of just how physically formidable Zhao Heng was.

Zhao Heng was clearly intending to use a screen-and-roll approach, using his body to block Huang Shengjie and Zhou Wanlin and create space for Peng Xinyuan to break through. This kind of play inevitably involved physical contact, which might or might not trigger a violation depending on the intensity.

Huang Shengjie had no way of predicting exactly how it would unfold, but he had no choice but to hold his ground.

Then, just as both sides were about to move, a voice came from behind Huang Shengjie and Zhou Wanlin.

”There’s no need for this. Let’s talk.”

Yao Yuan stepped out of the mist and positioned himself between the two of them.

”At this point, the strategies available in this game have been just about fully explored.

”This is a game where defence has the advantage. If we keep grinding against each other, neither side will be able to deliver any Contraband, and everyone’s earnings will take a significant hit.

”There’s nothing to gain from that.

”But there is still an opportunity for cooperation.

”In Round Three, if we both stop inspecting each other’s cargo, send only Contraband through the steam train, and have our other players carry Contraband to the cell block windows, both sides can maximise their returns.

”Looking at the underlying rules, this game is a classic positive-sum scenario. Honestly, we should have been cooperating from Round One.

”That’s a bit idealistic, of course, and difficult to realise in practice.

”But it’s not too late to cooperate now.

”From our side, there’s no realistic path to overtaking you, especially since your physical capabilities are substantially better than ours. Zhao Heng, on your own you can carry twice as much material as any player on our side.

”So the 10,000 Gold Pounds victor’s bonus goes to you. Whether you can reach one and a half times our total is up to you.

”For Round Three, we each go about our own business. What do you say?”