God's imitator

Chapter 2 'The Roulette of Redemption'

"Di-"

A sharp buzzing sound echoed in the cramped space, waking Wei Xinjian from his deep sleep.

He suddenly regained consciousness and immediately realized that he was firmly locked up, with special iron ring mechanisms on his wrists, ankles, and waist, and the iron chair was welded directly to the ground.

Even his mouth was tightly bound with strips of cloth, so he could only make muffled sounds.

The fog in my mind gradually dissipated, and my sore eyes began to adjust.

Look around.

It looks like an abandoned underground warehouse, with no light shining in, except for a dim, old incandescent bulb hanging forlornly on the rusty steel frame.

The air was filled with a damp, musty smell, mixed with a hint of rottenness.

On the wall to the right hangs an old CRT television, displaying only static.

In the very center of the warehouse was a somewhat dilapidated, heavy, square wooden table with a silver revolver on it.

The person opposite the wooden table was a young man who was still unconscious.

Like Wei Xinjian, the young man was firmly locked to an iron chair with a strip of cloth wrapped around his mouth.

But Wei Xinjian soon realized that he was different from the young man in two obvious ways: his right hand could move freely, and there was a special mechanism on both sides of his head.

Like a giant clamp, with a rough and complex gear system, two heavy iron blocks are distributed on both sides of his head, facing his profile.

"Mmm! Mmm mmm..."

Wei Xinjian immediately began to shake his body violently, trying his best to make a sound.

But there was no response whatsoever in this dark underground warehouse.

Wei Xinjian used his free right hand to grab the lock on his left wrist and tried to open it.

After failing to do so, he tried to undo the lock on his waist, but it didn't budge either.

Just then, a cold, emotionless electronic voice came from the CRT television, which had been making static and producing only static.

Along with the sound, images appeared on the television.

However, it wasn't a human figure, but rather an explanation of the game rules.

Hello, Wei Xinjian.

Now you will be put on trial and play a game called "Redemption Roulette".

The following are the game rules:

As you can see, in this confined space, there is an innocent person, a revolver, and a live bullet.

A revolver cylinder has six magazines, five of which are empty and located at random positions within the cylinder.

[On either side of your head is a special mechanism; the total gap between the mechanism and your head is 6cm, averaging 3cm on each side.]

You have only two choices: shoot yourself in the forehead or shoot the innocent person opposite you.

[Shoot a blank bullet at yourself, and nothing will happen.]

[Shoot an innocent bullet into the ground; the mechanisms on either side of your head will move inward, 1.29cm on each side.]

The mechanism will cause you damage when it moves for the third time.

If hit by live ammunition, death will occur instantly.

The game will end and all mechanisms will be unlocked after the revolver has been fired 6 times.

You have 5 minutes to complete this game. Any violation or exceeding the time limit will result in instant death—the iron block will crush your skull.

I want to know, after committing such an unforgivable sin, did you ever feel even a shred of remorse?

Are you willing to place the lives of the innocent above your own sinful life?

[The game is now starting, good luck!] The picture on the TV disappeared, and the screen turned into static again.

At the same time, with a "snap," an old-fashioned LED electronic timer popped out of the square table, and bright red numbers began to count down.

05:00
04:59
"Ugh! Mmm..."

Wei Xinjian struggled even more violently, his eyes bloodshot, but the chains binding his body remained firmly in place, making it impossible for him to break free.

After a brief hesitation, he reached out his only functional right hand and grasped the silver revolver on the table.

Then, Wei Xinjian tried to bring the pistol close to his eyes to observe the cylinder and determine the position of the bullet.

—The game rules state that there is only one live bullet.

If there is a visual difference between blank rounds and live rounds, then as long as the location of the only live round is determined, and then you use blank rounds to shoot yourself and live rounds to shoot the opponent, you can survive.

However, at the same time he made this move, a string of blue lightning flashed across the seat, accompanied by a crackling sound of electricity!
"Ahhhh-"

Wei Xinjian screamed in agony from the electric shock, his eyes rolled back uncontrollably, his whole body convulsed, and he almost dropped his pistol.

[This is a warning. Any further violations will result in immediate and severe punishment.]

Wei Xinjian's eyes were bloodshot, his whole body was soaked in sweat, and he was panting heavily.

This revolver has a unique shape, making it impossible to determine the location of the live bullet simply by observation.

Wei Xinjian dared not take any further risks and attempt anything else, as that could result in immediate death.

He glanced at the innocent man opposite him, who was also unconscious and chained to an iron chair, then swallowed hard and raised his gun with a somewhat ferocious expression.

He didn't know the young man opposite him, but he had already made his choice.

A pistol cylinder can hold a total of six bullets, only one of which is live. Therefore, the probability of death when shooting is 1/6.

If Wei Xinjian had fired at himself and hit a blank, it would have been a happy ending for everyone, and nothing would have happened.

However, there is also a 1/6 chance that he will die directly.

At this moment, the iron blocks on both sides of Wei Xinjian were not close to his head; according to the rules, there should be a 6cm gap.

This means that the first two moves will not cause him any harm.

Fear of bullets and the will to survive drove him to make the obvious choice.

Wei Xinjian gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger!
"Snapped."

It's a blank bomb.

Roll, roll, roll——

A dull mechanical sound rang out as metal gears rubbed against each other, and the iron blocks on either side of Wei Xinjian's head moved inward, the cold iron blocks now pressed against his ears.

"Mmm! Mmm-hmm!"

Wei Xinjian angrily pounded the iron chair, but the shot was already irreversible.

The cold metal block near his ear sent a chill down his spine, bringing another kind of fear to his heart.

Second shot.

Wei Xinjian shakily turned the gun around and aimed it at himself.

But soon he changed his mind and turned his gun back on Lin Sizhi.

If the probability of being shot was 1/6 before, then the probability of being shot has now risen to 1/5.

Wei Xinjian dared not gamble.

What if the game's creators anticipated this psychology and saved the live ammunition for the second shot?

After catching his breath, Wei Xinjian decided to let the other party take the risk.

(End of this chapter)