As the only female player who had exchanged likes with him, they had previously made a verbal agreement. After Zheng Jie confirmed the like exchange, he would give Zhou Rong a 10,000-minute visa time voucher, while Zhou Rong would confirm exchanging likes with him in their final meeting.
Now the first step of exchanging likes had been completed. Zheng Jie thought that if she accepted the invitation, he would immediately fulfill his promise to buy a voucher and give it to Zhou Rong in their next meeting to further establish mutual trust.
If everything went smoothly, the two of them could even keep matching for meetings until the game ended.
This way, both of them wouldn’t need to match with other strangers, and they would both be safe.
However, not long after sending the invitation, a rejection notification popped up.
Zheng Jie’s hopeful heart sank again.
Obviously, Zhou Rong was the safest meeting partner for him, but he wasn’t the same for Zhou Rong.
Among the many male players sending her invitations, Zhou Rong would naturally choose those who appeared to have more “Likes.” This was the same safety strategy.
Zheng Jie lowered his head somewhat regretfully. Although this result disappointed him, if he had to say, he didn’t feel too wronged.
The like exchange had actually been completed long ago. Before the second phase updated the killing rules, he could have invited Zhou Rong.
But Zheng Jie had hesitated and didn’t send the invitation immediately.
Now, the second phase had updated the killing rules, everyone was in danger, and sending a meeting invitation at this time was indeed a bit late and seemed to have ulterior motives.
It was normal for Zhou Rong to be wary of him.
Perhaps she had already found someone more trustworthy to match with?
Zheng Jie had no choice but to accept random matching again.
However, just as he was about to open the door and enter the meeting room, a broadcast message appeared on the big screen.
[Community 1’s Fang Wencong broadcasts a piece of data to all players.]
[In meeting rooms, the percentage of female players who agreed when male players actively proposed was: 7%.]
Zheng Jie was stunned. Fang Wencong, he remembered him.
He was the guy Zheng Jie had met in his third meeting room visit.
Not handsome, but quite friendly to Zheng Jie.
At such a critical moment, he was still obsessing over splitting the room fee? Completely clueless about the situation, wasn’t he?
[Players must immediately enter the meeting room, or face instant death penalty for being late.]
Zheng Jie couldn’t be bothered with such inexplicable data and hurriedly opened the door to the meeting room.
Seeing the other party’s gender, Zheng Jie instinctively became nervous.
[Community 8, Jiao Hongtao].
This was a disheveled, dejected-looking middle-aged man. Zheng Jie had some impression of him, he seemed to be the first one to get on the talent show and then quickly get his signal cut after receiving 20 “Boring” votes.
Moreover, he seemed to have sent inflammatory broadcasts too.
This person’s “Dislikes” were definitely numerous. Zheng Jie couldn’t help but worry.
Jiao Hongtao plopped down in the chair across from him and quickly slapped the [I’ll Pay] button.
"I’m treating you this meeting. When leaving, give me a ‘Dislike.’"
Jiao Hongtao’s voice was very low.
Zheng Jie had a bad feeling and tentatively asked, "You want dislikes... what are you planning to do?"
Jiao Hongtao suddenly looked up, glaring at Zheng Jie, "Why the hell do you have so many questions?
"Give me a ‘Dislike,’ or I’ll kill you right now!"
Zheng Jie quickly raised both hands to signal for calm, "Okay, okay! I’ll give you a dislike right away.
"Alright, I’ve pressed ‘Dislike.’"
Only then did Jiao Hongtao lower his head again, staring expressionlessly at the empty space in the meeting room, "I was cheated out of 20,000 minutes of visa time, 20,000 minutes!
"Those bitches, each one speaking so earnestly, saying they would definitely keep their promises, but then wouldn’t accept my invitations in the next meeting!
"And so many people gave me dislikes...
"Since they’re heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless.
"I’m going to use these ‘Dislikes’ they gave me to take back the visa time they cheated from me!"
Zheng Jie opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.
He could see that Jiao Hongtao was currently in a very unstable mental state. The first 4 hours of the game seemed to have dealt him quite a blow.
As for how to take back the cheated visa time...
Obviously, meeting with those female players who had cheated him was impossible.
Those who had reported him would certainly not accept his meeting invitations again, and the probability of the two randomly matching together was also very low.
What Jiao Hongtao was going to do next was most likely indiscriminate killing.
Kill the next unlucky female player who got matched with him.
Zheng Jie wanted to persuade him, but he also knew that his advice would most likely have no effect and might instead put himself in danger.
The two remained silent and ended the meeting.
After leaving the meeting room, Zheng Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course, he hadn’t given Jiao Hongtao a dislike. Just like with Lu Xinyi before, he had just placed his hand near the button and pretended to press it.
But this didn’t have much significance, because Zheng Jie knew that Jiao Hongtao definitely already had enough “Dislikes.”
Whether he gave this “Dislike” or not would only affect whether he would kill a second person, it couldn’t prevent him from killing the first.
It might not even prevent the second killing.
Because according to the rules updated in the second phase, if players had unused “Likes” or “Dislikes” when the game ended, each would deduct an additional 10,000 minutes of visa time.
Even if he didn’t give Jiao Hongtao a dislike, other male players would.
"This is bad, this is bad..."
Zheng Jie walked back to his rest room with a troubled mind.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw two names appear on the big screen, slowly being crossed out by a bright red line.
That meant in the last meeting, two players had been killed.
Zheng Jie nervously swallowed and carefully looked at the two names.
[Community 9, Zeng Shiya]
[Community 12, Liu Lin]
Zheng Jie didn’t know Zeng Shiya, hadn’t been matched with her, and this person seemed to have never participated in the talent show either.
But he remembered Liu Lin, a player he had been matched with before, and it had ended somewhat unpleasantly.
He just hadn’t expected that the next time he heard this name, it would be as a cold line of text crossed out on the big screen.
"Strange, Jiao Hongtao just met with me, shouldn’t he not have had time to act yet?
"Could it be... besides him, two other players have already started killing??"
Although he was reluctant to believe it, the facts were right before his eyes, forcing Zheng Jie to accept them.
He looked anxiously at the big screen. A new round of talent show had begun.
Unlike the previous situation where two people were crying and sobbing, this talent show had some changes.
Performer No. 1 was a young man wearing round-framed glasses. Although not particularly handsome, he had a smile on his face and seemed to be the cheerful, optimistic type.
Before officially beginning his performance, he specifically said something to encourage all the players.
"I know everyone might be in panic right now, and so am I, but I want to say:
"This game doesn’t have any mechanism that requires us to kill other players. In the end, it’s still trying to incite hatred and greed among us to make us kill each other.
"I hope everyone can still calm down and maintain rationality and restraint as much as possible. The ‘Likes’ or ‘Dislikes’ in killers’ hands are not unlimited. As long as most people stay rational, we can all survive this game."