"The wolf-dog is the loyal subject, the fox is the treacherous minister. Who will be the fox?"
"Whoever we point to will be the fox!"
"Qi Si, Qi Si, Qi Si!"
A chorus of children's voices echoed from the depths of his mind, a noisy clamor that made his head spin.
Qi Si toyed with his identity card, flipping it over with feigned casualness and placing it face down on the table, leaving only the patterned, indecipherable back facing up.
The rules of the "Catch the Fox" game, as Charlie had explained them, were clearly unbalanced from a game theory perspective.
The Wolf-dog, the Tiger, and the Rabbit all had the ability to act, to either identify or judge the Fox.
Among them, the actions of the Wolf-dog and the Rabbit carried risk—an incorrect accusation meant instant death, making their roles more perilous than the Tiger's.
And compared to the Rabbit, the Wolf-dog's position was even more dangerous. It was forced to act, with no option to abstain.
The Fox, however, was different from all the others. It had no power to act. All it could do was disguise itself, sow chaos, and passively await the accusations of the other players.
Worse, the players who were the Tiger, the Wolf-dog, and the Rabbit could all openly reveal their identities, using a process of elimination to corner the Fox, who had no way to counter this strategy.
Its only chance of survival was to pretend to be the "Rabbit." Then, after the Wolf-dog made a wrong accusation, the real "Rabbit" could reveal the truth, resulting in the Wolf-dog's death and a victory for the "Rabbit."
Overall, the Tiger held the power of decision and judgment, giving it an absolute advantage. The Rabbit could abstain, potentially ensuring its own survival. But the Fox and the Wolf-dog had no room to retreat; their survival hinged entirely on the persuasive skills of the players portraying them.
The voting in the first act had, to some extent, proven the fairness of the play's game mechanics. Would the second act really let blind luck take the lead, predetermining everyone's chance of victory from the moment the roles were assigned?
Qi Si picked up the three chips in front of him, rubbing them between his fingers. He lifted his gaze to Charlie, who stood by the table. "Mr. Charlie, do you think these rules are fair?"
Charlie adjusted his mask and declared in a loud voice, "Fair? Of course, it's fair! I can guarantee that the game I've designed will satisfy the audience!"
So this game was "fair"...
Each role had a different balance of risk and reward. To achieve absolute fairness, the only way was if, like in the first round, everyone was the "Fox."
But clearly, such a lazy design would not satisfy the audience. And if Charlie were to deceive the audience with his words, that would also lead to dissatisfaction...
A theory formed in Qi Si's mind. He smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I have one more question. If the 'Rabbit' achieves a draw or a victory, what happens to everyone else? Are they all killed, or do they pay some other price?"
Charlie explained, "If the Rabbit achieves a draw, the count is tallied, but nothing else happens. If the Rabbit wins, every other player gives one chip to the Rabbit. If the 'Rabbit' achieves a draw or victory three consecutive times, the game will also end."
Qi Si understood now. He asked another question, "Do the chips have any special purpose?"
"That depends on your interpretation," Charlie said with a gravelly chuckle. "They are the tickets to this game, the victor's crown... and of course, they could also be your lives. So, you tell me, are they special or not?"
"I understand," Qi Si replied, sliding his chips under the white paper on the table and saying no more.
He Hui timidly raised her hand. "Mr. Charlie, excuse me, are we allowed to talk to each other?"
"Of course, Miss Number 3!" Charlie turned to He Hui and gave an elegant gentleman's bow. "A little tip: the way to play this game is through verbal probing and communication to figure out each player's identity and catch the 'Fox' hiding among you!"
He Hui lowered her hand and said in an uncertain tone, "I think there might be a way to end this game without anyone dying. We just need to let the 'Rabbit' achieve a draw three times..."
Seeing that no one was objecting, her voice grew a little louder as she continued, "If we all reveal our identities, the Wolf-dog and the Rabbit can accuse the Fox together. The Tiger chooses to spare the Fox, which results in a draw for the Rabbit, and the Fox doesn't die. If we do this three times in a row, the game will be over... By the way, I'm the 'Rabbit' this round."
Cynthia gave a wry smile. "For that plan to work, it would require absolute trust among all of us. There's no dispute over the identities of the Tiger and the Wolf-dog, but the Fox is very likely to lie and claim to be the 'Rabbit,' causing the Wolf-dog to die for making a wrong accusation."
"Letting one role win for three consecutive rounds introduces a huge number of potential variables. The most stable approach is to determine a sacrifice in the first round to end the game as quickly as possible. The Fox is in the weakest position and lacks any sense of security. He wouldn't dare to trust that the Tiger would spare him, so he naturally wouldn't be willing to admit his identity."
He Hui understood Cynthia's implication, and her face paled. "I really am the 'Rabbit'... If I weren't, the real 'Rabbit' would definitely speak up to oppose me."
"Not necessarily," Cynthia said, shaking her head gently. "Perhaps the real 'Rabbit' also believes that letting the Wolf-dog die in the first round to end the game quickly would be a good choice."
"I really am the 'Rabbit'! I can show you my identity card..." He Hui said, about to lift the card in front of her to show Cynthia.
But the card seemed to be stuck to the table, and she couldn't flip it over no matter how hard she tried.
Charlie explained in a cheerful tone from the side, "To ensure the integrity of the game, players are not allowed to show their identity cards to others, and peeking is also forbidden!"
"I'm the fox," Qi Si spoke up unexpectedly.
In an instant, every player's gaze locked onto him.
Anyone could see that the Fox was in an absolutely disadvantaged position. Given the inevitable chain of suspicion, the person holding that card would most likely not dare to reveal themselves.
And Qi Si was obviously a dark, selfish pragmatist. In other words, anyone might confess, but he was the least likely to do so.
Cynthia had already laid bare the insidious possibilities behind the "Rabbit" and "Fox" roles. At this juncture, Qi Si's confession was all the more suspicious.
Was he truly the "Fox," or... was he the "Rabbit," eager to bring about the "Wolf-dog's" demise?
Dong Xiwen stared at the proud, majestic wolf-dog illustrated on his card, feeling utterly hopeless.
What did this instance have against him? Right from the start, he was forced into a fifty-fifty choice, one where the wrong answer meant death...
Qi Si smiled, his gaze sweeping across the others as he added in a slow, deliberate tone, "You can trust me. I absolutely want everyone to survive. After all, if we want to decipher the world view, it would be very troublesome to be missing the clues from any single room."
Dong Xiwen looked up at Qi Si's sincere expression, squinting his eyes and retorting, "I might have believed you if you hadn't said anything, but now that you have, I'm even more suspicious!"
Qi Si's eyes curved into crescents, his expression a clear "believe it or not."
Cynthia, who had dropped her smile the moment Qi Si announced his identity, now stared grimly at the white paper before her. "I'm the Tiger." Dong Xiwen buried his face in his hands. "Alright, I'm the unlucky Wolf-dog."
There was no suspense as to who the Tiger and the Wolf-dog were. The question was, between He Hui and Qi Si, who was the "Fox" and who was the "Rabbit"?
Charlie snapped his fingers at the opportune moment, his voice a hoarse rasp as he urged them on. "Time for discussion is over! Now, will the players portraying the Wolf-dog and the Rabbit please write down on the white paper who you believe is the Fox!"
He Hui quickly wrote down a name.
Dong Xiwen raised his hand. "What happens if I write down the Tiger?"
Charlie replied, "You die."
"What if I don't write anything?"
"You die."
"So I'm dead either way, is that it?"
With a miserable look on his face, Dong Xiwen picked up his pen. After a moment's thought, he finally wrote a name on the paper. When he looked up again, his expression had turned grim.
It had come to this. Hesitation was useless.
Faced with suspicion, he chose to trust.
If he was right, all the better. If he was wrong, he would accept his loss.
Charlie bent down, took the white paper from Dong Xiwen, and announced in a booming voice, "Player Number 5 has written the name 'Zhou Ke'! Player Number 5 believes Player Number 1 is this round's Fox! Let's see the correct answer—"
Dong Xiwen stared at him with burning intensity. Though he had prepared himself mentally, he couldn't help but hold his breath, like a student awaiting their final exam results in the last agonizing second.
In a silence so heavy it felt crushing, Charlie burst into exaggerated laughter. "Congratulations, you are correct! This round's Fox is indeed 'Zhou Ke'!"
Like the Sword of Damocles that had been hanging over his head had finally fallen, landing just inches from his feet, Dong Xiwen let out a long sigh of relief.
He had gambled correctly. He Hui hadn't lied, and "Zhou Ke," at the critical moment, had chosen to tell the truth instead of causing harm.
Everything was moving in a positive direction. Now it was all up to Cynthia...
"As the 'Tiger,' do I just write my decision for the 'Fox' directly on the paper?" Cynthia asked.
"Yes," Charlie replied, turning his back to the players and addressing an unseen audience in the void like a game show host. "Congratulations to the animals for finding the fox hiding in the forest! It is Player Number 1, 'Zhou Ke'! Now, please let the Tiger decide how to deal with this unwelcome fellow—kill or spare?"
Cynthia picked up her pen and swiftly wrote a single word on the paper.
Ever since encountering the human-skin collector, the embodiment of "Zhou Ke's" sins, she had wanted this masked youth dead.
Props couldn't be brought into dreams. Faced with a ghost determined to kill her, she had been utterly defenseless.
In her dream last night, the ghost in red had restrained her with a monstrous, terrifying corpse. Its fingernails, sharp as blades, traced a slow, languid path across her cheek as it murmured, "I happen to be missing a hypocrite's mask. You will make the most perfect raw material..."
That sense of despair still clung to Cynthia. She was a person who craved control and could not tolerate sharing a room with a threat.
She could, of course, kill another player at random to survive one more day, but what about tomorrow?
Since a golden opportunity had presented itself, she might as well seize it and kill Qi Si, eliminating the problem at its root.
Cynthia handed the paper to Charlie. It felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart, and she felt a profound sense of relief.
The word "Kill" on the paper was pressed so hard it was almost visible from the back, a grim testament to her intent, even with the page turned away from the others.
Dong Xiwen's face changed, his eyes widening as he stared at Cynthia. "What are you doing? We could have gotten through this without anyone dying!"
Cynthia simply smiled, offering no comment.
In truth, she had wanted to kill Qi Si from the moment she first saw him.
He wore a mask, a clear sign he wasn't straightforward. With just a few words, he had turned everyone against Hansen, proving he was ruthless, cunning, and perfectly capable of executing a cruel plan.
Such a dangerous egoist reminded Cynthia of herself from many years ago.
She knew exactly how dangerous such a person was and felt the threat the young man could pose to her.
Egoists rarely form lasting alliances. Even if they cooperate temporarily, their paths will inevitably diverge, and it's common for them to stab each other in the back upon parting ways.
Last night, when she had approached Qi Si to cooperate in choosing rooms, her offer had been genuine. But her plan had always been this: first, survive the second act. Then, in the third act, she would bide her time and see if she could eliminate this dangerous individual from the game.
In a zero-sum game, when two rationalists meet on a narrow path, one must perish.
Charlie held the paper high, announcing with great satisfaction, "The Tiger's choice is—to kill the Fox."
"The result of the first round is—kill Player Number 1, Zhou Ke!"
..................
[Note] "Animal Farm" is a novella by the British writer George Orwell. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who successfully carry out a "revolution," driving out their oppressive human masters to establish an equal animal society. However, the animal leaders, the intelligent pigs, ultimately usurp the fruits of the revolution, becoming even more dictatorial and totalitarian rulers than their human predecessors.