Chapter 98: A Deal, a Devil, and a Discordant Crew

After a considerable pause, Wang Tianming finally typed out a single sentence in the chat box:

“I’ll consider it.”

His words were deliberately ambiguous, neither agreeing to the other party’s suggestion nor outright rejecting it.

On one hand, Wang Tianming was unsure of how events would unfold, so he kept his options open, hoping that if the situation turned unfavorable, the other party might remember his ambiguity and offer a helping hand, granting him an opportunity.

On the other hand, Wang Tianming also wished to lull the other party into a false sense of security, hoping they might mistakenly believe he had agreed and thus let their guard down slightly.

–Oh, so you *can* see my typing? Is this your weak typing?–

The other party’s initial reaction was not to inquire whether their request had been granted, but rather to focus on the fact that Wang Tianming could indeed see their words.

–In that case, it’s a deal then!~–

Judging by her tone and what she chose to focus on, Wang Tianming suspected the other party was a female player, and furthermore, of the ‘saintly mother’ type (TL Note: A derogatory term referring to someone who is overly compassionate, often to their own detriment or the detriment of others), one who hoped to minimize player deaths by aiming for a draw.

However, there were exceptions to every rule.

In his second game, he himself had pretended to be a female player to catch others off guard.

Perhaps she was employing a similar tactic to make Wang Tianming underestimate her.

In the game Identity V (TL Note: The official English title for the game 第五人格), many players were ‘fake Buddhas, true devils’ (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term describing someone who appears benevolent but is secretly malicious).

This was a common ploy for some.

They would pretend not to chase you, watching you repair cipher machines.

Then, when the ‘one-hit down’ (TL Note: A game mechanic where a Hunter can instantly down a Survivor after a certain condition is met) was available, they would capitalize on your complacency and eliminate all of you.

Consequently, Wang Tianming resolved to disregard whatever the other party might say.

He feared that paying too much attention would truly lead him into a trap.

While still possessing a degree of wariness, Wang Tianming swiftly shifted his gaze towards the table of human players.

****

Unlike the Hunter’s side, where no names were displayed, the human players, though nameless themselves, had their speeches accompanied by numbers 1 through 6.

These numbers corresponded to their seating order, counted from left to right.

–Adaptation isn’t fabrication, and dramatization isn’t nonsense! By changing the rules of Identity V (Game) like this, you must apologize to all the residents of the manor!–

The first to speak was Player 6, seated at the far right end of the table.

They spoke with compelling logic, but unfortunately, since the character models were limited to fixed poses and expressions, their brilliant performance could not be fully appreciated.

–Hah, a ‘Sixologist’ (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term referring to someone who overanalyzes or parodies a specific piece of media, often associated with a famous quote from a historical drama) here too! As expected of you, Player 6, truly 666 (TL Note: Chinese internet slang for ‘awesome’ or ‘amazing’)!–

Player 5 seemed on the verge of laughter.

He typed several ‘6’s, demonstrating his profound admiration for Player 6.

–Don’t ask; if you ask, it’s ‘blooming’!–

Player 2 also entered ‘Sixologist’ mode, responding cheerfully.

–No, how can you all be so relaxed? I’m so scared I could ‘dye’ (TL Note: A playful misspelling of ‘die’ in Chinese internet slang, similar to ‘ded’ in English) from fright.–

Player 3 initiated a new topic.

However, despite claiming to be ‘scared to death,’ they playfully misspelled ‘ganjue’ (feel) as ‘ganjio’ (TL Note: A common playful misspelling in Chinese internet slang, indicating a lighthearted tone).

This indicated that they weren’t actually very nervous.

–No, why did you say ‘no’?–

Player 2 promptly typed, asking.

–No, why did *you* also say ‘no’?–

Player 3 swiftly typed back in response.

–No, why did *you* also say ‘no’?–

Player 5 quickly picked up the topic, echoing the sentiment.

–No, why did *you* also say ‘no’?–

Player 6 also typed along.

–No, why did *you* also say ‘no’?–

Player 1, who had remained silent until then, also joined in.

…

Amidst the group, humanity’s true nature—repetition—began to manifest.

–Enough! Aren’t you all annoying?! Are you all idiots?! This is a life-or-death situation!–

Player 4, who had been silent all this time, finally erupted, entering ‘furious big brother’ mode (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term for an angry, straightforward male).

–Every single one of you, constantly bickering and repeating the same sentence—is that truly entertaining?!–

–I don’t like the look of you; you must be the Destroyer (TL Note: A role in the game, often suspected of being a traitor).–

Player 6 immediately typed back, attacking.

–Go to hell! This isn’t Werewolf (TL Note: A popular social deduction game, also known as Mafia), so what ‘look’ are you talking about?!–

Player 4 was genuinely furious, with censored words appearing one after another.

–Alright, let’s pick characters; time is running out.–

Player 5, sensing the tense atmosphere, quickly stepped in to mediate.

–I’ll choose… the Mechanic (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for her fast decoding and ability to provide a team-wide speed boost). She decodes quickly and offers team-wide acceleration; one of her shouldn’t be a problem, right?–

–Brother, you’re quite brave to pick the Mechanic; aren’t you afraid of being the first to die?–

Player 1 immediately praised him.

–Alright then, I’ll pick the Mercenary (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for his ability to withstand more damage). If you get ‘hung on a tree’ (TL Note: A game mechanic where Survivors are placed on a rocket chair, colloquially referred to as a ‘tree’), I’ll be the one to save you!–

–Then… I’ll choose the Coordinator (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for her flare gun and rescue abilities); rescuing will be a bit safer with her.–

Player 2 pondered for a moment before selecting the Coordinator.

–Then I’ll go with the Seer (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for his ability to send an owl to protect teammates).–

Player 4 immediately selected the Seer.

–I… I’ll just be the Perfumer (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for her ability to rewind her position and health). I’m a bit scared, so I’ll pick her for self-preservation.–

Player 3 chose the Perfumer, who possessed the ability to rewind time.

–No, Player 4, remember to give your owl (TL Note: The Seer’s main ability, used to protect teammates)! So many Seers nowadays hoard their owls and never give them out, eventually taking their owl ‘to heaven’ (TL Note: Slang for dying in the game without using a crucial ability).–

Player 6, having confirmed Player 4’s selection of the Seer, then typed,

–Then I… I’ll go with the Magician (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for his invisibility and decoy abilities)?–

–No!– –Don’t!–

Almost simultaneously, Player 1 and Player 2 typed out their objections as if shouting.

–F-fine… then I’ll pick the Thief (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for his flashlight and ability to stun the Hunter).–

Player 6 looked at Player 1 and Player 2 with resignation.

After all, while the Magician possessed strong self-preservation abilities, if their inherent item, the ‘Magic Wand,’ wasn’t used skillfully, they could be ‘terror shocked’ (TL Note: A game mechanic where a Survivor is instantly downed if hit by a Hunter while performing certain actions) by the Hunter during invisibility.

Furthermore, the Magician required double the time to rescue a teammate, placing immense pressure on the rescuer.

–Why isn’t anyone using the Forward (TL Note: A Survivor character in Identity V known for his rugby ball and ability to stun the Hunter)? The Forward can effectively kite (TL Note: A game term for distracting and evading the Hunter) the Hunter!–

Player 5 quickly typed, asking.

–This map is quite difficult, isn’t it? Red Church (TL Note: A map in Identity V) has many ‘pallet zones’ (TL Note: Areas with numerous wooden pallets that Survivors can drop to stun Hunters), and the Forward could easily crash into walls.–

Player 1 pondered for a moment before typing.

–And haven’t you noticed? We’re currently in a first-person perspective, not the third-person view of the original game.

For the Forward, controlling direction would be exceedingly difficult.–

There were no flashy skins available.

This game, unlike the previous one, did not allow players to freely use skins; only the default outfits were permitted.

It must be said, this truly captured the original game’s level of stinginess.