God's Imitator
Chapter 259: Safe Profits
"Alright, I'll list all the shelters at 16 gold coins right now.
"Let's hope enough audience members buy them..."
Fan Zehui quickly completed the listing, but according to game rules, even if audience members had already purchased shelters, the gold coins would only be settled in the free trading segment of the next round.
Chen Guangming continued speaking to Fan Zehui, "I know that as a new member, it's very difficult for me to have absolute authority, so I must perform well enough in this game to get you all enough profits.
"Of all the shelters from now on, I only want 2 shelters with 50% probability. You four can freely distribute the other shelters among yourselves.
"I can guarantee you two things:
"First, my crime is price gouging, but I have a way to make this crime not take effect and not jointly implicate you.
"Second, at the right time, I'll unite with other communities to drive up prices, ensuring we sell shelters at the highest prices for profit.
"I'm taking on more risk than you, so you must trust me."
Fan Zehui nodded, "Of course."
50% probability shelters would be more susceptible to luck when avoiding death. Even preparing 2 of them still had a 25% probability of death. This was far less cost-effective than the 90% probability of normal shelters.
Chen Guangming's behavior represented his willingness to bear as much risk as possible.
While Fan Zehui and the other four players could hold and list more inferior shelters. Three inferior shelters would raise the death-avoidance probability to 87.5%, and four inferior shelters would raise it to 93.75%. This was obviously safer.
Moreover, when selling inferior shelters, the audience's gold coins would preferentially go to the seller. This also meant Chen Guangming was willing to give them the lion's share of gold coin income.
But just then, another player said somewhat hesitantly, "But... won't holding multiple shelters simultaneously also be a type of crime?"
Hearing this, a hesitant expression also appeared on Fan Zehui's face.
Chen Guangming didn't care at all, "Of course it might be a type of crime.
"If you're afraid of this risk, I can handle all the sales.
"But in that case, I'll distribute all the gold coin profits, and I'll take at least eighty percent."
Bear as much risk, take as much profit. This was very fair.
Fan Zehui and the other players looked at each other.
Clearly, this was a simple trade-off problem.
'Possessing too many shelters' might indeed be a type of crime, but as long as they wanted to earn gold coins, this behavior was unavoidable.
Holding more shelters also had benefits, because what they built were all 50% probability shelters. Keeping only two might not stably offset instant death punishment.
Besides this, according to Chen Guangming's statement, the more behavior extracted gold coins from the audience's hands, the more likely it was to receive game mechanism support.
So even if 'possessing too many shelters' was a crime, it would very likely be announced at a later time. By then, they might have already sold off the shelters they possessed.
Thinking of this, Fan Zehui nodded, "You're right. When you get a disadvantaged status, you leave things to fate. When you get an advantaged status, you look ahead and behind. Then when exactly can you win?
"I'll bear this risk!"
The other three players, after hesitating, also decided to join.
Just like Fan Zehui, they had previously lost too many times in games because they looked ahead and behind and didn't dare take risks. Even in distribution-type games, they hadn't earned much visa time.
This time, they decided to seize the opportunity.
Rather than die in the community due to exhausted visa time, better to earn big once.
Chen Guangming continued, "If we can obtain enough profits from this game, then after returning to the community, you must give me sufficient authority and completely follow my commands in future games."
Clearly, Chen Guangming wasn't doing this purely out of kindness, but for authority.
He wanted to use this behavior to exchange for Fan Zehui and others' support, and naturally become a core player or even leader of Community 12 as a new player.
Fan Zehui and the others all nodded, "No problem, that's only natural.
"Our community has always lacked a backbone. As long as you can lead us to win visa time, we'll listen to you completely!"
...
At the same time, players from Community 7 were all sitting dejectedly, no longer discussing strategies.
Previously, they had erupted in fierce arguments, but at this time they had lost their fighting spirit.
Seeing Li Renshu approach, Jin Cheng looked up and said, "Shelters are useless to us now. You keep them for yourselves."
After a moment of silence, Li Renshu said, "I know your situation is very difficult now, but it's not yet at the point of completely losing hope.
"Although you no longer have a death-avoidance opportunity, your community's crime has been announced. After this, there won't be any more punishments directly jointly implicating the entire community. There's still hope of leaving the game safely.
"My suggestion is that you can now minimize all behaviors as much as possible, reducing the probability of being jointly implicated due to 'similar crimes.'
"Our previous cooperation is still valid. In the 'final vote' segment, as long as our three communities band together to vote for other communities, nothing will happen."
Jin Cheng nodded absentmindedly, "Alright, I understand."
Li Renshu said nothing more and turned to leave.
She could only stimulate Jin Cheng's will to survive as much as possible, ensuring both sides continued cooperating on the 'final vote' issue through some safe strategies. But besides that, there really wasn't much else she could do.
...
Before long, a player from Community 15 also came to the A1 nine-square grid rest area where Community 7 was located.
"Hello, I'm Feng Bo from Community 15.
"Our Community 15 wants to reach cooperation with you."
Jin Cheng looked up at Feng Bo, distrust showing in her eyes.
Clearly, she didn't have a good impression of players from Community 15, especially their leader Wang Weidong.
Moreover, Jin Cheng had already reached preliminary cooperation with Community 17. Although buying shelters hadn't succeeded, for her, Community 17 was always much more well-intentioned than Community 15.
Feng Bo sighed, "I apologize on Wang Weidong's behalf, but the game rules are such. We only did what most communities would do.
"There are no eternal friends and no eternal enemies, only eternal interests, right?
"I've come with sincerity. I hope you can hear me out before making a decision."
Jin Cheng lowered her head and considered for a moment, then asked, "How do you want to cooperate?"
Feng Bo said quite frankly, "Although our two communities are in different situations now, we have a common goal: earn as many gold coins from the audience as possible.
"Take our community for example. We've already prepared ourselves psychologically. Everyone has already exchanged all their gold coins and will earn as many gold coins as possible.
"Even if our community dies down to just one person, he can bring back everyone's gold coins and the gold coins earned.
"Of course, if everyone dies, there's nothing to say. We'll accept it.
"It's precisely because of this spirit that our Community 15 became the community with the most total visa time."
Having said this, Feng Bo leaned forward slightly and said seriously, "You lost a companion. This is indeed regrettable, but if you don't bring back visa time, won't he have died in vain?"