As for the message broadcasted by Qian Li, it's even deadlier.

[At the current time point, the proportion of male players among murderers is: 100%.]

So far, out of the 40 players, two female players have died, making it undeniable that the murderers are two male players.

Because male players often have more 'steps', murder only requires 5 steps to take effect immediately.

Female players have tried to kill, but female players need to report three times, and there could be many male players like Zheng Jie who have been reported once in the game.

As the game progresses, more and more male players will inevitably fall at the hands of female players.

But eventually, it still takes time, requiring more meetings.

At this time, according to the data queries from within the game, 100% of the murderers are male, which is indeed a fact.

Under the enormous pressure of a life-and-death crisis, this data will further cause many female players to lose their sanity.

Because they will subconsciously believe that 100% of male players will become potential murderers.

This is the allure of numbers: although these two 100% have no relation, precisely because they are both 100%, they will subconsciously correlate in the minds of irrational people.

[Players must immediately enter the meeting room; failure to do so will result in instant death penalty.]

Zheng Jie took a deep breath and walked into the meeting room again.

…

Before entering the meeting room from the hallway, Zheng Jie secretly prayed, hoping to meet a male player.

Given the current situation, same-gender match-ups are indeed safer, and even if the other party has enough 'steps', they likely won't waste them on him.

However, as he pushed the door open, Zheng Jie's heart skipped a beat.

It was a female player, and he had seen her before!

[Community 12 - Zhao Duo].

It was the same person who, during the selection, passionately incited everyone, telling all female players to immediately report male players indiscriminately for self-protection.

So unlucky.

From Zhao Duo's speech during the selection, it was clear that actively reporting male players was nothing unusual.

Is Zheng Jie just very unlucky, always encountering such high-risk matches?

Not entirely, it also has to do with the matching mechanism.

So far, a small number of fortunate players have formed fixed partners; to ensure safety, they continue inviting each other to meetings instead of matching with those they distrust.

And this means that the players left outside, forced to engage in the matching mechanism, all more or less have some issues.

Like Zhao Duo.

After making those statements on the big screen, hardly any male player would be foolish enough to send or accept her meeting invitation, so she can only choose random matching.

But this is truly terrible news for Zheng Jie.

However, just as Zheng Jie felt despair, Zhao Duo seemed even more panicked.

She raised her hands immediately: "Don't misunderstand! I don't want to 'report' you!

"Whatever you're thinking, I hope you stay calm, we can complete this meeting safely!

"Now, please raise your hands too, don't put them near the button, okay?"

Zheng Jie was quite surprised, but he and Zhao Duo seemed to be in a state of mutual fear.

This was a situation he was pleased to see, so he raised his hands just like Zhao Duo.

"Alright, we both stay away from the button."

Zhao Duo slowly moved to the table and sat down, keeping her hands upright the whole time, with her hands placed beside her face so Zheng Jie could clearly see them.

"I'll pay."

Saying this, Zhao Duo pressed the 'I'll pay' button very slowly, then returned to her upright hand position.

Zheng Jie also pressed 'You pay' slowly.

Afterward, with his hands raised, he found the scene both amusing and pathetic.

He never thought that his first time being treated by a female player in the game would happen under such circumstances.

The two of them just stared at each other in silence.

Zheng Jie remembered a previous meeting where a similar awkward silence occurred, but his mindset this time was entirely different.

Time passed, minute by minute.

Finally, the 10-minute countdown ended.

Zhao Duo's hands, constantly raised, began trembling intensely, shaking several times, but she never rested them.

"Can I leave now?" she asked softly.

Zheng Jie finally exhaled deeply and nodded: "Yes, you go first."

Zhao Duo awkwardly got up slowly, then turned and left the meeting room.

Only when the opposite door closed did Zheng Jie finally relax, taking several deep breaths.

He then stood up and walked out.

"Thank goodness, no danger after all…"

Every meeting now felt like a near-death experience for Zheng Jie, a severe challenge to his heart.

However, when he walked through the hallway to the lounge, he was once again stunned.

[Current number of reports: 2]

[Be warned! On the third report, you will face an instant death penalty.]

…

Zheng Jie felt his legs weaken, and he sat down on a nearby seat, leaning against the wall.

Unlike his earlier anger, this time he felt more despair and confusion.

What happened?

How did it happen?

"Could it be… her elbows…"

Zheng Jie considered the potential reason and was filled with regret.

After sitting down, Zhao Duo didn't raise her hands, only maintained an upright position, with her palms roughly at the sides of her face.

Though Zheng Jie could clearly see her hands, he overlooked the fact that in this posture, Zhao Duo could actually touch the button in her blind spot using her elbows.

During the long ten minutes in the meeting room, all Zhao Duo had to do was slightly move her elbows to complete the 'report' operation.

And such a tiny movement was something Zheng Jie couldn't detect at all.

He slumped back into his chair, his mind blank.

"One more report, and I'm dead…

"According to game rules, there's a 10-second window before death; can I rush back to the lounge and exchange my visa time for credits? Not a minute should be left for that damned Imitator!

"But… after the meeting starts, the door seems locked.

"How about exchanging half for credits now?

"No, no, why am I considering this? I can't give up; I need to think hard about how to survive!"

The big screen still displayed ongoing broadcasts and selections.

[Community 17 Yang Yuting broadcasts a piece of data to all players.]

[In the first 4 hours, Community 9 Zhang Shichao received 'Likes' through meetings, taking up 85% of the total 'Likes' and 'Dislikes' gathered from meetings.]

[Community 17 Xu Tong broadcasts a piece of data to all players.]

[In the first 4 hours, Community 12 Zhou Rong received 'Likes' through meetings, taking up 71% of the total 'Likes' and 'Dislikes' gathered from meetings.]

"I must find a way to seek help from Lawyer Lin…"

Zheng Jie didn't think he could solve his current problems alone.

He had already been reported twice, with a despairing two-plus hours remaining in the game.

One more report, and it's all over.

He had wanted to seek help from Lin Sizhi before but couldn't find any way to do so.

Now, he had to think even if he couldn't.

Zheng Jie anxiously paced around the room before a flash of inspiration came, providing a strategy.

He rushed to the data query machine, spending 1 'Like' to query and broadcast a piece of data.

[Community 17 Zheng Jie broadcasts a piece of data to all players.]

[As of now, the proportion of reported players in Community 17 is: 25%.]

Zheng Jie knew this messaging style was perhaps too direct and not subtle enough, possibly exposing some information to other communities, but he had no better option.

Because he didn't have many 'Likes' and 'Dislikes', and couldn't afford to squander them. If he expressed himself more subtly and Lin Sizhi misunderstood, it would be a big problem.

After sending this message, Zheng Jie waited, feeling restless.

[Community 17 Lin Sizhi broadcasts a piece of data to all players.]

[As of now, the proportion of players with fewer than 5 'Dislikes' showing clear intent to kill during meetings is: 0%.]

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