Chapter 36: Rock, Paper, Scissors

The shop owner blinked.

“What rumors have you heard?” he asked.

“You don't need to worry about that.
You just need to make a bet with me,” Gu Yi replied.

“If we're really going to bet, I won't let you back down,” the shop owner's eyes gleamed.
“If you lose, I'll kill you.
Are you sure you want to bet with me?”

Gu Yi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

(The deduction begins!)

(You open your eyes and nod firmly.)

(Shop owner: Good, let's make the bet.
I'm busy now, and don't have time to play cards with you, so let's make it simpler.)

(You: What are we betting on?)

(Shop owner: Rock-paper-scissors.
Best of three, two wins.)

(You: Is it that…
simple?)

(Shop owner: You don't have time to back out now.)

(You: Alright, let's do it.)

(You and the shop owner play rock-paper-scissors.)

(You lose two rounds in a row.)

(The shop owner takes out a gun and shoots you in the head.)

(Everything turns blood red before your eyes.)

(You die.)

(The deduction ends!)

“What the hell?”

Could it be that my luck is really bad?

“Are you in or not?”

“Hold on!”

Ignoring the shop owner's urging, Gu Yi continued the deduction.

Since the previous deduction was too short and he couldn't activate the backtracking, so he decided to spend 10 mental energy points to start a new deduction.

(The deduction begins!)

(You accept the shop owner's bet invitation.)

(Shop owner: I'm busy now and don't have time to play cards with you, so let's make it simpler.
Rock-paper-scissors, best of three, two wins.)

(You: Alright, let's do it.)

(You throw scissors, and the shop owner throws rock.)

(A drop of sweat drips down your forehead.)

(You: Wait a moment.)

(Shop owner: What's wrong?)

(You: Put on a blindfold and cover your eyes.)

(Shop owner: Pfft, fine.
But for fairness, you have to blindfold yourself too.)

(You: No problem.)

(You and the shop owner put on blindfolds.)

(You feel that the shop owner's hand-eye coordination is better than yours, which is why he can make the final move and defeat you each time.)

(You, shop owner: Rock-paper-scissors.)

(Shop owner: Are you ready?)

(You: Yes.)

(Shop owner: Let's take off the blindfolds then.)

(You throw rock, and the shop owner throws paper.)

(The shop owner sneers and pulls out a gun, shooting you in the head.)

(Your vision turns blood red.)

(You die.)

(The deduction ends!)

Gu Yi suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the shop owner in astonishment.

The shop owner also looked at him with surprise.
“What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?”

“It's nothing,” Gu Yi shook his head and continued the deduction.

(The deduction begins!)

(You close your eyes and ponder for a moment.)

(Rock-paper-scissors is simply a game of luck.
If there is any skill involved, it would be hand-eye coordination.)

(But just now in the previous deduction, both the shop owner and you had eyes closed, ruling out that possibility.)

(Could it be that the shop owner's luck is really off the charts?)

(Shop owner: What's wrong with you?)

(You: Nothing.
I want to bet with you.)

(Shop owner: Since you insist, let's make it simpler.
Rock-paper-scissors, best of three, two wins.)

(You: Wait, I want to play five rounds, three wins.)

(Shop owner: It doesn't matter how many rounds we play, are you sure?)

(You: I'm sure.)

(You nod.
You have to play multiple times to figure out how the shop owner is cheating.)

(You lose two rounds in a row.)

(Shop owner: It's your last chance now.)

(You: Can you read minds?)

(Shop owner: Hmph, even if I can, what can you do about it?)

(Your mental strength is powerful enough.
You empty your mind and enter an unconscious state to play rock-paper-scissors with the shop owner again.)

(You still lose.)

(Shop owner: Sorry, little buddy.
You used to be a great card player.)

(The shop owner takes out a gun.)

(You terminate the deduction.)

Gu Yi opened his eyes and stared at the shop owner.

The shop owner blinked, looking puzzled.
“Have I offended you in any way? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I understand your tricks,” Gu Yi said.

“What?”

“Let's get to the point.
I want to make a bet with you.
If I win, I'll take away a pig head mask.”

“Fine, I have other things to do, no time to play cards with you.
Let's make it simpler.
Rock-paper-scissors, best of three, two wins.”

“No need for best of three, let's decide with just one round.”

“Are you sure?”

The shop owner looked in surprise at Gu Yi.

“I'm sure, let's do it.”

“Alright.”

Gu Yi throws scissors.

The shop owner throws paper.

One round determined the outcome.

The shop owner looked at Gu Yi in astonishment and asked, “How is this possible? You clearly intended to throw rock.”

“You can read my mind in the instant I make my move, right? Even if I empty my mind, the moment I throw, you can immediately tell what I intended to throw.”

“That's right.”

“So, I hypnotized myself,” Gu Yi said while making a scissor gesture.
“I told myself that this is not scissors, it's rock.
And you fell for it.”

“How is that possible? Normal people can't change their habits so easily after decades.”

“Because I'm not a normal person.”

Gu Yi smiled.

After gaining the ability of unlimited deduction, Gu Yi's mental strength is no longer comparable to that of a normal person.
He almost instantly mastered the technique of psychological suggestion.

Gu Yi played one round with the shop owner to avoid him changing strategies immediately after knowing his trick.

As long as he succeeds in stealing the win once, he won't need to take risks anymore.

The shop owner sighed and couldn't hide his admiration for Gu Yi in his eyes.
“You're truly amazing.”

“It's just luck.”

“Come with me.”

The shop owner led Gu Yi to the shop's warehouse and found an unopened pig head mask among a pile of miscellaneous items, handing it to Gu Yi.

Gu Yi took the mask and curiously asked, “Why doesn't this mask have an instruction manual?”

“This is not an ordinary mask.
It's the first mask handmade by Toto herself.”

“Who is Toto?”

Gu Yi pretended not to know.

“She is an Unspeakable presence in this hospital, but please remember, she is your compatriot.
That's all I can say.
Go ahead, open it, and take a look.”

Gu Yi nodded and opened the packaging of the pig head mask.

The mask looked lifelike as if it were really sewn from a pig's head.

Gu Yi looked left and right, finally finding a line of bloody words inside the lining of the mask.

“Everything has a hidden price.”

“Remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch.”

“Good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds have consequences.
It's the only principle you need to abide by.”