Chapter 1714: Chapter 57: [This Is Your Fourth Regret: The Companions You Never Got to Know]
Now, from Su Ming’an’s perspective, he knows the state of positions 4, 5, and 6. The bullet can only be in 1, 2, or 3, with a probability of 33.3% each.
From Alger’s perspective, he knows the state of positions 4, 5, and one unknown position.
From Chang Yue’s perspective, she knows the state of positions 4, 5, 6, and one unknown position. Among them, the state of position 5 is revealed to her deliberately by Su Ming’an as an act of shooting himself.
Since the hammer pointed to position 6 when it was in her hand, position 5 must be safe. However, this information is unknowable to Alger as a later position because Su Ming’an has not disclosed whether he rotated the cylinder.
Grateful for Su Ming’an’s favor, Chang Yue would be more inclined to let Alger go out first.
Su Ming’an glanced at Chang Yue. She was staring at the hammer, her lips moving slightly, seemingly calculating something.
Is she thinking? Or simply afraid?
"I... I will shoot Alger," Chang Yue finally said.
Indeed, she is clever, realizing this is Su Ming’an’s favor. Moreover, this is information only he and Chang Yue know, already excluding Alger in an invisible way.
She shoots Alger to indicate within the rules to Su Ming’an—I heard your hint, I know position 6 is safe, this round I will spin the hammer, continuing to gamble with a 16.66% probability.
Heidi Doya confirms: "Miss Chang Yue will shoot Mr. Alger."
The girl picked up the gun, her hand still trembling, a trace of resolution in her eyes.
She pulls the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
She puts down the gun.
"Safe," Heidi Doya says, "Mr. Alger, please."
Alger stared at the hammer, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, he saw the hammer located at position 3.
He was silent for a moment, biting his lip. In his view, he has already learned positions 2, 4, 5, and one unknown chamber is empty. If the unknown chamber does not overlap, the bullet for him is now a 50% lock probability.
"I will shoot Chang Yue," he said, while his thumb pointed down.
"Confirmed," Heidi Doya says.
Alger picks up the gun, aims at Chang Yue, pulls the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
Alger’s expression froze."
"Safe," Heidi Doya softly says, "Mr. Su Ming’an, please."
Su Ming’an took a glance, the hammer was at position 4. This means position 3 must be an empty chamber.
From his own perspective, the bullet could only be in positions 1 and 2, with a 50% probability each.
From Alger’s perspective, if the unknown chamber does not overlap with known chambers, Alger should have already locked the bullet position. The same goes for Chang Yue.
Su Ming’an’s hand pressed on the cold gun handle.
"If you die this time, can you come back?"
Alger suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse.
Su Ming’an raised his head. Alger was staring fiercely at him, the scars appearing particularly sinister under the dim light.
"I’m not sure," Su Ming’an honestly replied.
Alger’s expression changed dramatically. The falcon-like eyes flashed shock, fear, and finally some kind of nearly desperate frenzy. His lips trembled, hands pressing on the table, veins bulging.
"You’re... not sure?" Alger repeated, "Don’t you... don’t you have that ability? Aren’t you able to... after death..."
"I’m not sure. This is the origin of everything," Su Ming’an calmly said, "My ability may not work here."
Alger’s body began to tremble violently. He stared dead at Su Ming’an, as if trying to confirm something, then his gaze became hollow.
"It’s all wasted..." he murmured, "If you really die... humanity will be doomed. That prophecy... that prophecy said..."
He abruptly raised his head, eyes bloodshot.
"Su Ming’an," Alger’s voice suddenly became exceptionally clear, "I intentionally bypassed the oath between us before... because I thought even if you lost, you would come back, and next time I wouldn’t match with you. So, I wanted to compete fairly with you once."
"But now, you say your ability may not work... then."
He paused and said coldly:
"You save my sister. Then remember me, remember my name, my face, everything about me... write me again in your world in the future. Even if just as a name, a background... let me have existed. Then I will let you win."
The air froze.
Just then, the girl suddenly spoke: "But I... I don’t want to die."
Her voice was soft, she raised her head, under the short black hair, a pair of eyes were wet.
"I don’t want to die... I want to live!" She seemed to gradually awaken from the excitement of seeing the Number One Player, realizing this is a life-or-death competitive instance, and ultimately only one person can survive.
Alger was willing to give up victory to let Su Ming’an move forward... then what about her? Would she then default to become a consumable that couldn’t win? She also wanted to live... she didn’t want to die!
Chang Yue bit her lip, realizing the cruelty of the current situation. If she wants to live, both Su Ming’an and Alger must die... no, no, just thinking about this possibility made her tremble with fear all over!
Chang Yue looked at Su Ming’an, tears swirling in her eyes: "But I really don’t want to die..."
Su Ming’an looked at the two of them—one willing to die for him, the other paralyzed by fear and moral coercion, wanting to live but not wanting to win either.
He slowly opened his mouth: "Fair competition."
Both were stunned.
"This isn’t a game of moral coercion," Su Ming’an said, "Everyone has the right to live. Alger, your sacrifice is admirable but unnecessary for me. Chang Yue, if you win, that’s your skill. You can try your best to win and show me, if you can."
"However," he folded his hands, his gaze sweeping across the two: "I can win. By my own calculations, by the game itself—I don’t need your concessions. I’ve never lost a game called World Game."
The air fell silent again.
Heidi Doya hugged a teddy bear, a mysterious smile hanging on her lips.
"Well," he said, "Mr. Su Ming’an, what is your choice?"
Su Ming’an raised his head and directly announced:
"I choose to shoot Alger, spin the chamber."
After spinning, the hammer is at position 2.
"Confirming." The iridescence in Heidi Doya’s eyes flowed, "Mr. Su Ming’an shoots Mr. Alger."
Su Ming’an’s gun was steadily aimed at Algers’s forehead, pulling the trigger.
"Click."
An empty gun.
Alger’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but his body didn’t move an inch.
"Safe," Heidi Doya announced.
Su Ming’an closed his eyes.
—He could already confirm that the bullet is definitely in position 1.
For the three of them, the game had reached a round where the bullet’s location was almost visible.
"Round four, begin," Heidi Doya’s voice was as gentle as the whisper of death, "Miss Chang Yue, please make a choice."
Chang Yue glanced at the hammer pointer emitting an ominous cold light, positioned at 3. This shot would definitely be safe.
Should she shoot herself safely, or aim at another person, spin the chamber, and gamble on the 16.66% chance of landing on position 1?
She had to consider, if the hammer really fell to position 1, after one person is out of the game, her situation with the remaining person’s hammer.
The hammer would fall to 2, and if neither chooses to spin the hammer, it would alternate in the order of "Other (2) — Chang Yue (3) — Other (4) — Chang Yue (5) — Other (6) — Chang Yue (1)". Ultimately, the bullet would certainly reach Chang Yue’s turn. But things couldn’t be so smooth sailing; if any party chooses to spin the hammer in any round, the probability would return to 16.66%.
The most terrifying scenario is if the other person spins the hammer, causing it to land precisely on position 1, then Chang Yue dies.
Or if Chang Yue spins the hammer, putting it at position 6, and after one shot, the other person acquires the gun with the hammer on position 1... it would still result in Chang Yue’s death.
Her thoughts spun rapidly in her mind, Chang Yue never thought she could be so calm.
Until Heidi Doya started to softly count down, Chang Yue slowly spoke.
"I..." Her voice cracked and was hoarse, "I will shoot... Mr. Alger."
Alger’s eyes showed no surprise, only a cold understanding, even with a hint of faint mockery.
"So, will you spin the chamber?" Heidi Doya asked.
Chang Yue’s thumb went up, spin!
She chose to gamble on the 16.66% probability of position 1!
"Confirming. Miss Chang Yue shoots Mr. Alger."
Chang Yue trembled so much she could barely hold the gun. Alger calmly looked at her, even slightly raising his chin to expose his forehead clearer to the muzzle, as if saying: go ahead, shoot.
"I... I..." Chang Yue’s rationality was near collapse under the immense pressure, her gaze scattered, barely holding on to the gun, subconsciously applying more force, pulling the trigger.
"Click."
An empty gun.
The girl covered her mouth as tears rolled down.
Alger glanced at the hammer; it’s at position 3. After a brief contemplation with his eyes closed, he said, "I will shoot Chang Yue."
He raised his thumb, spun the chamber.
Alger pulled the trigger.
"Click."
An empty gun.
Su Ming’an held the gun, seeing the hammer at position 4. If neither of the three spun the chamber this round, he would receive the gun at position 1 in the next round.
But the person before him is Alger, which means when Alger sees the hammer at 6, he will definitely spin the chamber to gamble, there’s no way he would let position 1 fall into Su Ming’an’s hands.
So, Su Ming’an spins the chamber directly, aiming at Alger, betting on the 16.66% chance.
Pulling the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
Heidi Doya said, "Miss, please."
Chang Yue’s hand trembled as she reached for the gun, the hammer now on position 6, her gaze shifting between Su Ming’an and Alger, finally settling on Su Ming’an’s face.
"I choose... to spin the chamber." Her voice was hoarse.
She had to spin the chamber; otherwise, Alger would take the gun at position 1 and shoot her dead.
Heidi Doya nodded. The chamber spun, and the hammer finally stopped at—
Chang Yue was stunned.
Before her eyes, the number "6" was clearly visible.
—After spinning, it was still position 6!
And she didn’t have a second chance to spin; after firing this shot, she’d have to hand the deadly gun to Alger and watch him shoot her dead...
Chang Yue picked up the gun, trembling all over.
She pulled the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
Alger closed his eyes, then opened them again.
Heidi Doya said: "Mr. Alger, please."
Now, the hammer pointed to position 1—the position with the bullet.
Alger stared at the gun and suddenly laughed. It was a relieved smile.
"I’m going to shoot Chang Yue." He said, "I choose... not to spin."
Sure enough.
Chang Yue closed her eyes tightly.
The hammer was at position 1, the bullet at position 1; if Alger shot Chang Yue, the bullet would fire.
She initially hoped to gamble, thinking Alger couldn’t be 100% sure position 1 had the bullet, but it seemed Alger had completely confirmed.
"Are you sure?" Heidi Doya asked.
"I’m sure." Alger picked up the gun and aimed it at Chang Yue.
But his finger wasn’t on the trigger; he gently moved the gun’s muzzle towards himself.
"The rules say I must openly declare the target." Alger said calmly, "I declared the target Chang Yue, but when I shoot, I can choose to pull the trigger on myself. As for who the bullet hits—the rules don’t say it can’t hit myself, right?"
Chang Yue opened her eyes dumbfounded.
Heidi Doya paused, then burst into laughter: "Brilliant! Indeed, the rules only require you to openly declare the target, but don’t stipulate the muzzle can’t turn towards yourself. However, if you shoot yourself and die, Chang Yue as ’the target’ won’t die; you’d just be committing suicide, and the game continues."
Alger was silent for a moment, then laughed: "I see. Then there’s no choice."
He aimed the gun again at Chang Yue.
"..." The girl was very quiet, as if she’d already accepted the outcome.
Then Alger pulled the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
Everyone was stunned.
The bullet was at position 1, the hammer at position 1, firing should have been... the bullet fires.
But why was it an empty gun?
The bullet was at position 1, that was certain. But firing was an empty gun, there’s only one possibility—
"I see." Su Ming’an said, "[Anything mentioned in the rules must be considered certain to happen. Anything not prohibited by the rules must be considered possible.]The rules do not mention that the bullet will definitely fire."
Heidi Doya slowly sat down, resuming the mysterious smile: "It’s been discovered... indeed, the bullet is fake—it won’t fire. The true death mechanism of this game isn’t the bullet, but ’choice.’"
"When the hammer points to the position with the bullet, firing won’t shoot the bullet, but the system will directly determine the target player dead. This is a rule-level death, unrelated to physics."
He looked at Alger: "So, Mr. Alger, when you fired, you actually triggered the ’bullet hit’ condition. The system will determine Chang Yue’s death."
Alger’s face instantly turned pale.
"But—" Heidi Doya drew out his voice, "Miss Chang Yue is still alive."
He smiled and said: "Due to the existence of the ’choice’ mechanism, if the shooter ’declares the wrong target and then turns the muzzle to himself,’ the system will determine that behavior as ’abandoning competition,’ thus voiding the shot and skipping the round."
"So, Mr. Alger’s shot is void, it did not trigger death. Furthermore, since the round needs to be reset, the hammer will spin randomly."
"Of course, this rule will disappear once the dead appear. After all, for a two-person game, this rule is too shameless."
"The game continues. Mr. Su Ming’an, please."
The situation became extremely bizarre.
The hammer just moved from position 1 to position 5. Next, if it doesn’t rotate, the hammer’s movement order is: Su Ming’an’s turn (position 5) → Chang Yue’s turn (position 6) → Alger’s turn (position 1).
Su Ming’an held the gun.
He now has two choices: one is to spin the cylinder and shoot at Alger. The other is not to spin the cylinder and shoot randomly. If Chang Yue doesn’t spin, the guaranteed bullet will land in Alger’s hands.
Chang Yue’s attitude is very clear. She wants to live but doesn’t want Su Ming’an to die. Her lack of determination makes it impossible for her to bear the guilt of killing others. If it’s her turn, she’s more likely to choose to spin and leave her fate to luck.
But if she doesn’t spin, Alger will have a guaranteed kill shot. In the previous round, Alger had a guaranteed kill shot, but he chose to test the rules, which led to his turn being skipped. Will Alger point the gun at Chang Yue again this round?
Probabilistically, Su Ming’an should shoot Alger and spin the chamber, giving him a 16.66% chance of killing Alger directly. If Su Ming’an chooses not to spin the chamber and Chang Yue spins, she has a 16.66% chance of killing Alger. If Chang Yue doesn’t spin, Alger will have a guaranteed shot, with a 100% chance of killing someone else.
From any perspective, Su Ming’an should choose the former.
However, Su Ming’an always remembers... things outside the game are equally important as the game itself.
Finally, Su Ming’an spoke, his voice calm and unwavering:
"I’ll shoot myself."
Alger’s pupils contracted.
"No spin."
Alger’s breathing suddenly became rapid, and he almost stood up, only to be pressed back into his seat by an invisible force of the rules.
Su Ming’an raised the gun to his temple. Position 5 is safe, he knows it well. He pulled the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
"Safe. Hammer moved to position 6." Heidi Doya turned to the girl, "Miss Chang Yue, please."
All eyes focused on the girl. The hammer is at position 6. The bullet is at position 1. If she doesn’t spin, the hammer will move to position 1, and it’s Alger’s turn; guaranteed hit. If she spins, everything returns to randomness.
Sweat beaded on Chang Yue’s forehead. She looked at Su Ming’an, then at Alger. Su Ming’an’s expression was calm and unruffled, while Alger’s gaze was like a tempered blade, tightly locking onto her.
"I..." Her voice was dry, "I will shoot Mr. Alger."
Alger’s body slightly tensed.
"...I choose," Chang Yue closed her eyes, as if summoning all her strength, "to spin the cylinder!"
Sure enough. She still couldn’t bear the weight of directly pushing someone else to certain death, even if only indirectly. She chose to rely on luck, throwing the moral dilemma back to probability.
Heidi Doya smiled: "Confirmed. Spinning the cylinder."
The chamber once again turned silently before finally slowing to a stop.
The hammer fell... at position 2.
Chang Yue abruptly opened her eyes, gasping as if she’d escaped a great disaster.
"Please execute the shooting command," Heidi Doya said.
Chang Yue picked up the gun, aimed at Alger, and pulled the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
"Safe." Heidi Doya’s voice carried a hint of delight, "Mr. Alger, it’s now your turn. Please choose."
The pressure returned entirely to Alger. The hammer is at 3; if he doesn’t spin, it’s safe. If he spins, the probability resets.
Alger looked at the gun on the table and suddenly laughed, a deep, complex laughter.
"Su Ming’an," he didn’t look at anyone, just stared at the gun, "what do you want to see? You gave me a safe round, giving me time to think, a chance to make a choice in line with your expectations?"
"We’ve been very lucky." Su Ming’an clasped his hands together, "Neither side has a clear intent to kill the other, unlike the competitive games I’ve experienced before... And since we’ve determined the bullet’s position, it’s caused this delay and stalemate..."
"The most interesting part is that you and Chang Yue want to live, but neither of you wants me dead. So before the inevitable competition arrives, you’ll always aim the gun at each other. If I want to win, a kill bullet in any of our hands will result in a loss for someone else, not me."
"Continuous courtesy is meaningless. Even if I declare fair competition, you won’t point the gun at me first for your sister’s sake."
"So, I gave you a chance—I clearly told you, if the guaranteed bullet comes to my hand, I will definitely aim at you. Based on this known information, make your choice."
Alger was silent for a moment:
"No spin."
Not spinning means he gave up resetting the probability, choosing to follow the predetermined path.
"Confirmed." Heidi Doya became increasingly interested, "Mr. Alger is shooting himself, not spinning the cylinder. The hammer is currently at position 3."
Alger swiftly picked up the gun, pressed the barrel against his chin. Position 3 is safe; he pulled the trigger.
"Click."
Empty gun.
"Safe. Hammer moved to position 4," Heidi Doya’s speech quickened, "Mr. Su Ming’an."
Su Ming’an pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head to look at Alger.
He lightly smiled, clasped his hands together, and said:
"...Come and play a real Russian roulette with me, Alger."
