God's Imitator

Chapter 608: Chapter 607: Incarnation of the Imitator

The newcomer Lu Qi, who rarely participated in discussions, unexpectedly asked, "But Brother Lu couldn’t see Shi Guoliang’s voting situation, right? What if Shi Guoliang didn’t vote for Brother Deng?"

Perhaps because the Judgment Game was closely related to everyone’s life and death, noticeably more players joined the discussion this time.

Yao Yuan shook his head: "That doesn’t affect the judgment.

"Because the next round of the game will inevitably end, even if Brother Lu votes Li Hui to death, Shi Guoliang still won’t have the chance for revenge. In that case, Deng Xiao can return safely.

"In other words, Deng Xiao’s death had nothing to do with Brother Lu’s choice; it solely depended on Shi Guoliang’s thoughts."

Qin Cheng pondered for a moment: "But clearly, Shi Guoliang thought the same way.

"Precisely because both sides thought this way, it turned into a vicious cycle, causing both Brother Deng and Li Hui to inevitably suffer a fate of death."

Huang Shengjie curiously asked, "Eh? Then who did Xu Guangxin vote for?"

Qin Cheng had already thought of the answer: "Shi Guoliang.

"The final round of voting was: Xu Guangxin had 2 highest votes, followed by Deng Xiao, Li Hui, and Shi Guoliang each with one vote.

"According to Brother Lu’s account, during the final round of voting, although Xu Guangxin was suffering from angina, he still tried hard to look up at the other players, especially Shi Guoliang.

"Because Xu Guangxin, as the Disguiser, could view the voting situation in real-time.

"Seeing that Li Hui and Deng Xiao each received a vote, he guessed that there was a high probability these two players would die, then just looked up for confirmation.

"Shi Guoliang’s situation was clearly more optimistic. If he wanted to take Shi Guoliang with him, Xu Guangxin would have no choice but to cast his vote there.

"As a result, even after Shi Guoliang received this Sudden Death Ticket, he still didn’t die."

Huang Shengjie was somewhat surprised: "So, was Xu Guangxin a bit disappointed when he saw Shi Guoliang didn’t die?

"But he was ruthless enough to resort to off-board tactics, cursing Shi Guoliang to death."

Lu Bingjun nodded: "Yes, Shi Guoliang was already on the verge of death at the time.

"The condition of his cardiac vessels must have been severe, yet he could still barely hold on for a while.

"If another round of voting were to take place, both Shi Guoliang and I would definitely vote for Xu Guangxin. Although Xu Guangxin could use a single vote to finish off Shi Guoliang, the successive angina was undoubtedly significant harm, and he would be in danger himself.

"So, Xu Guangxin decided to speak first, using words to provoke Shi Guoliang, making him emotionally agitated and causing him to die suddenly.

"This was a strategy that ordinary people wouldn’t think of."

The usually silent and reserved He Qinyun seemed to have thought for a long time. She looked at everyone: "From this perspective, could Xu Guangxin very likely be the Imitator who designed this game?

"Otherwise, how could he be so familiar with all the mechanisms and details of this game?

"Not to mention his operation of angrily cursing Shi Guoliang to death, even his earlier operations of controlling votes and putting three players in near-death situations isn’t something an ordinary player could think of in a short time.

"The final tragic outcome of four deaths is largely related to his vote manipulation.

"If the deaths had happened one at a time, perhaps the game could have ended sooner, sparing one or two lives."

Yao Yuan nodded in agreement: "Yes, I think so too.

"Though top players in the Walkway can instantly think of the optimal solution upon seeing the rules, that’s still a rare few.

"It’s still premature to assert that Xu Guangxin is such a top player.

"If he’s not, then he’s most likely the Imitator."

Lu Bingjun was silent for a moment, then slightly shook his head.

"It’s hard to say.

"Because the game rules clearly mentioned: the Disguiser will receive special system prompts, obtaining more information than average players.

"The information displayed on the easel holds considerable value.

"While we were reviewing our crimes, Xu Guangxin should have been carefully looking at these ’special information.’

"The Imitator could have easily disclosed hints to him directly.

"For example, writing down information such as:

"Attack other players first to become the host in the next round and decide the speaking order.

"Target the weakest first to cause chaos and then protect yourself, letting other players fight amongst themselves, to sit back and benefit. As the Disguiser, you can always exit the game, so there’s no need to fear backfire.

"Constantly observe the voting pattern, and try to make two to three players accumulate the same number of Sudden Death Tickets, then kill them all at once.

"Use verbal attacks to induce strong emotional reactions in players for the final blow.

"Of course, these are just some random thoughts.

"The malicious part of these rules lies in how the Imitator, using the identity and rules of the ’Disguiser,’ made Xu Guangxin their proxy within the game.

"If Xu Guangxin is the Imitator, he wouldn’t need the ’special information’ rule because he’d know everything from the start.

"And if Xu Guangxin isn’t the Imitator, then the Imitator used this method to cast significant suspicion onto Xu Guangxin, absolving themselves."

Huang Shengjie pondered: "But maybe Xu Guangxin deliberately used this way to clear his own suspicion?

"Although it seems convoluted, it’s not impossible."

Lu Bingjun nodded: "Yes, that point is indeed hard to conclude. Finding the Imitator is always the most challenging problem in the New World."

Wen Wan, her head hanging, looked very downcast: "So, Deng Xiao’s death was indeed unavoidable.

"Li Hui and Shi Guoliang had the most votes, but they both died.

"If there’s anyone to blame, it would be Xu Guangxin and the Imitator who designed this game; they are the real culprits."

Lu Bingjun said no more, only looked at Wen Wan with a comforting expression, tacitly agreeing with this view.

Ye Lin silently sighed: "Seeking help was indeed a bit late, missing the optimal window of opportunity."

Lu Qi suddenly nodded: "Oh, right, why wasn’t help sought earlier?

"Lawyer Lin, you should have realized Xu Guangxin was a problem quite early, right?

"If this issue was identified earlier and Sudden Death Tickets were concentrated on Xu Guangxin, feeling the tangible threat, he would definitely have ended the game early, and perhaps then Deng Xiao would have survived."

Lin Sizhi looked at her: "You seem to have asked the wrong person.

"Audiences can only speak after Inner Court Players voluntarily press the help button.

"This wasn’t decided by me."

Yao Yuan looked at Lu Qi meaningfully: "Are you suggesting Lawyer Lin is the Imitator who designed this game?"

Lu Qi was evidently startled, stunned for a moment, then hurriedly waved her hands frantically: "Of course not! How could that be!"

Yao Yuan laughed: "Sorry, I was kidding.

"I’m known for my strange, dry jokes, as the veteran players know, no intent to scare you.

"I said that because your question was a bit too demanding.

"According to the game rules, the help feature can be seen as a crucial mechanism and the community’s most important resource within the game. If used properly, it can indeed turn the tide.

"But it’s not about using it as early as possible; it requires consideration of using it at the most appropriate time."