Dr. Uwem seems to consider his decision on Fujisaki's situation after listening to the others.

"Yes... Zhang got a good point there. We should pass." The doctor nods in agreement.

"So we'll pass, then?" Amethyst asked. "I'm worried about taking too long to find a red envelope, but it's better than putting one of us at 1 already."



"Uh, Wonseog was born in the year of the monkey, not snake." not Sun answered. "Why are you asking that now...?"

"This isn't the first time I've seen Yang over here." Mao indicated the AI. "Their creator--I met him first hand. Kwon Wonseog."

He had a slight smile at this, as if he had broken the case wide open. "Well? Are you going to deny it... Yang?"

Last edited by JesusMonroe on Fri Dec 11, 2020 7:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"This whole situation is so fucked up..." Suyin complains. "Zhang does have a point though, I suppose. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want his blood on my hands." She glances at Fujisaki as she speaks. "I think our choice is obvious here."

“There would be no point to Lord Rooster using the button in this moment, were he even physically capable of doing so,” Yang remarked, “This would only result in mutually assured discussion. To prevent such a sordid outcome, the button will remain deactivated until after the first Gifting Phase.”

---

"Don't ignore me machine!"

"I am afraid I do not possess any data pertaining to a 'Kwon Wonseog,'" Yang replies vaguely. "However, you may believe whatever you wish, Lord Ox."

[just a side note, Sunny can also vote]

---

Sun Taikong had to pause and think at General Mao's question; thankfully Amethyst bailed him out. His eyes flicked between Mao and Yang curiously, but he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself.



"For an all-powerful AI, you sure have a lot of limitations!" he said cheerfully. "That gives us some hope of beating you at this game, at least."

"Very well then." Mao grimaced, turning to the rest of the group. "'Yang' here is an AI developed for military strategy. It wasn't exactly perfect, but certainly groundbreaking and a large advantage in our war. Clearly it's been repurposed for this 'Zodiac Game', but it was created by Kwon, a prodigy in computer engineering. And now this cat is telling us that the creator is one of us."

He looked back at the AI as if to ponder something then back to the group. "Of course it could be a lie. But if we start assuming that anything this machine says is a lie, the game no longer has rules. Nevertheless, this is all I know of the matter."

“We have a chance to add time to the bomb. Willingly. There is also a chance we can all escape, alive.” Fujisaki states some facts while he clenches his first, powerless in his situation.

“I know nothing of machines.” He adds on. “Do I look like that sort to any of you? Of you were thinking I’m connected to that thing, you’d be mistaken. What sort of creator would put himself at risk like this? Don’t vote thinking I’m behind that.”

“We are just talking Mr. Fujisaki. You will still live if we vote to drain you, and the child will have much more time. Do you believe that’s not worth considering at all?”

“Do we know the rules of these doors? I cannot pass through any of them without losing my life.” He spoke rather calmly, considering his situation.

“If I’m forced to pass through one of these doors, before any sort of negotiations or envelopes, then my life is forfeit.”

“Do you not intend on passing?” He asks, rather bluntly.

"Wonseog made this AI, huh." Amethyst said, not as surprised as one would expect. "And then you went and lost it? Is this our great military's prowess on display?"

“We didn’t lose it. It—well, this is confidential.” Mao quickly decided, mysteriously not elaborating further. “Either way Mr. Fujisaki, I am simply discussing both alternatives. I intend to pass, but not until we’ve considered everything.”

"People lose track of their cats all the time, no-one can control those furballs," Sun Taikong joked. Smartass. "There's a chance this one's just a copy anyway, right? Private Kwon made it, coulda just copy+pasted the 'Yang' folder before it was given to us."

“Impossible.” Mao shook his head. “There were hundreds of code files. Copying all of them
would take hundreds of scribes and many moons.” Maybe the General wasn’t too tech-savvy.

"Damn, did you two plan this routine? Or is this improv comedy? Good job either way." Amethyst gave her sincerest praise.

"Doesn't really seem farfetched for somebody to have stolen the fucking thing, honestly." Mei says, once again tapping her right boot on the floor repeatedly in that usual expression of impatience. She gives the General a weird look with his joke, though. "I didn't know you could make jokes."

"Hey, depends on what type of scribes you have, right?" Monk said, clearly also not tech savvy. "Our captors are clearly quite efficient, they could have copied all of that code in some weeks. Who knows."

---

"I don't want mr. Fujisaki to 'perish'! We can figure out the bomb stuff later!" Sunny exclaimed with a new fascination for the word perish.

"And hackers can steal programs SUPER fast in action movies!"

"Time is the most valuable finite resource. This is a rare opportunity to get more. It is for the best to choose to DRAIN."

X hides her hand and inputs something into the watch, "It seems you are all intent on seeing the bomb explode. It is interesting to say the least."

"Let's not forget we can gift Fujisaki some points later on, too, if it's necessary in order to help him escape along with us," Sun Taikong pointed out. "Still though, you'd best not overlook group morale, X. We're not going to be able to keep our spirits up if we keep sacrificing each other all the time! We're not cold, logical machines like Yang. We're human! And humans care for one another in the darkest of times."

Fujisaki grits his teeth at X's words, but doesn't say anything. He just sits there and looks pretty angry.

"You would rather I be foolish and not logical when making a choice for the benefit of the group."

Dr. Uwem shot Fujisaki a look of concern before he looks toward the others.

"Ahem... You might need to please forgive X for her behavior, the way she talk, and how she think. She have been like that since..." The doctor explains before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, it's confidential information."

This time, the doctor did made sure to use the correct word as to not get called out on it.

"If you want logic, then consider we're not sure if we'll need to go through a gate before getting to a gifting phase." Amethyst spoke up. "If we have to, he'll die before we can do anything, while Sunny can still survive so long as we hurry up."

"Such a tease, doc!" Sun Taikong said brightly.

"Anyway, X, we're probably going to disagree on that a lot, I think. Which is good! Best make sure we get all sides of an argument represented. One thing I think we can both agree on is that we can't make these decisions recklessly."

Mao was silently frustrated that he had used the 'confidential' excuse earlier and found himself unable to call the doctor out.

Sunny’s screen cut to static for a moment. It was replaced by a black screen on which white text was printed.



With a click, Fujisaki’s restraints came off. He quickly threw himself off of the throne.

“Excellent decision, players,” Yang said, “I commend your faith and altruism. In fact, it reminds me of a story.

“…After the dragon crossed the finish line, the horse came along next, leaping onto the shoreline. However, the snake leapt from the grass and weaved beneath its legs, causing the horse to freeze up in fright. The snake shot like a dart across the finish line and secured the 6th place, leaving the horse to meekly step across at number 7.

“Along behind them came the sheep, the monkey, and the rooster. The three of them could not swim, so they elected to build a raft out of tree branches. They had trouble rowing through the tumultuous current, but through cooperation they made it. The raft carried the three of them across the finish line together. Impressed by their cooperation, the Jade Emperor gave the sheep the 8th year, the monkey the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.

“Finally, two stragglers came along. The dog had been spent so much time frolicking lackadaisically in the water that it was 11th across the finish line, though it at least had a joyous time.

“Afterwards, the Jade Emperor waited with the animals for the last arrival. Soon, a figure appeared on the horizon. It was the pig, caked in mud and grime. Despite its speed, the pig spent so long sleeping that it only managed to secure the 12th and final spot.

“And now you know how the order of the 12 zodiac animals came to be decided.”

The players stared at the emotionless cat in bewildered silence.

“Uhh...no, we don’t,” Suyin replied, “You skipped four animals!”

“Well, we’ve all heard the story multiple times since we were kids,” Taikong said, “I don’t think it matters.”

“I don’t recall hearing it,” Amandi added, wrinkling his nose. “And I was a little lost, honestly. It seemed like some sort of race was going on?”

“I haven’t heard the story either,” X added, “The whole thing is pointless nonsense, but I must admit I’m curious myself. If it was a race, why would the dragon be fifth? It can fly, so there’s no reason it could possibly lose to a rat. How’d the rat beat everyone with such stubby legs anyway?”

“I’d tell you the rest, but I honestly don’t give a fuck. Let’s just go find Sunny’s room.”

Fujisaki strode down the steps of the throne, relieved to be free, and headed for the back of the room.

“That sounds like a good idea,” he said, “Come on, I saw a door back here.”

The group followed him into the next room. Yang watched them depart and then vanished from the monitor.

———————————

The group stepped into a small antechamber behind the throne room. It was slightly cleaner than the one they just exited from, aside from two mangled gurneys lying in a heap on the floor. They certainly stood out on the ancient stone tiles.

On the left and right side of the antechamber were two wooden doors. The wall in front of the group had three in a line. The first was a single door with the number [12] painted across it. The middle one was a set of metal double doors bearing [龙]—the dragon symbol. The last was an unlabeled metal door that had a circle of twelve keyholes on the front.

“Dragon?” Zhang shouted, “Sunny must be in there!”

She rushed over to the door and attempted to get it open, but it was locked tight. She noticed a scanner sitting nearby and slammed her bracelet against it. Of course, nothing happened.

“Is that you, Mama?” Sunny shouted from a small monitor in the wall behind her. “I can just barely hear you pounding outside!!”

“This must be the right place then,” Zhang replied, “But the door isn’t budging…”

“I bet if some of the soldiers gave it a try, they could bust it down! They’re strong!”

“I would abandon that front,” Yang said, appearing in the center of Sunny’s monitor. “In order to open a door marked with an animal symbol, you need to place the bracelet bearing that symbol against its scanner.”

“But the child is locked inside the room,” Fujisaki said, “How is he supposed to scan the door from the outside?”

“It’s quite the conundrum, isn’t it?” Yang replied.

“Hey, get out of the way!” Sunny shouted, shifting side-to-side to peer around Yang’s image. “I can’t see anything!”

“As for the door with the 12, that can only be unlocked if a player collects 12 CDP. It contains an alternate means of exit from the game. However, only one player may use it.”

A door requiring a large amount of points that only admitted one player...No doubt this was designed for murderers. The group couldn’t help but get a sense of dread as they stared at its surface.

“What about this one over here?” Amethyst asked, looking up at the smaller metal door. “How do we open this one?”

“Using its keys.”

“You mind being a little more specific?” Monk replied, laughing.

Yang ignored him, causing Monk’s cigarette to wilt sadly.

“You have all gained access to the West Wing. I recommend you begin your search there,” Yang continued, “When you open the door, you’ll notice a Meridian Gate. At the moment, it is inactive, but it will turn on once you pass through.”

Mao pulled on the wooden door. It swung open, revealing a metal door frame glowing a faint shade of red. Mao stepped through and checked his bracelet. Sure enough, his points hadn’t changed.

[The next post will go up once I finish it. You aren’t expected to do anything to advance the scene.]

---

"Didn't Yang mentioned that there are different ways to get Sunny out of there?" Dr. Uwem pointed out.

"One of those ways... It's plausible that there is likely another Dragon bracelet... But we have little information, so I can't be certain... Sunny have the Dragon bracelet and the scanner is outside his room..." The doctor explains, frowning at the fact that there's a set of metal double doors that stand between Zhang and Sunny.

"The scan-thingy is outside... how cruel..." Sunny pouted while flipping through a colorful picture book.

"We will definitely find another way, right?!"

“That’s a, well, uh…” Amethyst remarked, “That’s a big door.”

Decorated in red and gold patterns, the door towered over the group, stretching nearly to the ceiling. In fact, the entire room was larger than life, looking as if it could host a banquet, a ball, and a tennis match at the same time.

After the Meridian Gate turned on, casting a blue light across the doorway, the group headed deeper into the West Wing. They spent some time navigating through twisting hallways until finally arriving in this grand hall. From there, they split up and began to look around.

“Door’s locked, of course,” Monk said, rubbing the back of his head. “Saw a card reader nearby, but obviously we don’t have any cards.”

“Maybe the others found something useful,” Amandi said, staring at the wooden door. “I’m sick of just standing around. We need to start tracking down those keys.”

On cue, Mao and Taikong ran into the room. Mao stopped to catch his breath, but Taikong launched right into the explanation.

“Okay, so we found two doors in the hallway nearby. One says Horse, and another says Monkey.”

“There’s also that tent over there,” Suyin says, gesturing toward a squat green tent sitting in the corner of the grand hall, [猪] (Pig) sprayed across its entrance.

“That’s not as many options as I was hoping for,” Fujisaki said, “There’s always the door back in the Dungeon, the one marked with Rooster, but that’s back the way we came.”

“Well, we should start with the rooms here,” Amethyst began, “If we split into groups of three, we can—”

“No good,” Mao snapped, “According to Yang, that door has something she calls an Afterlife Gate. It’s like the gate we passed through earlier, but stepping through brings your points right down to zero.”

“How do we get in then?” Amethyst asked, looking disappointed.

“Apparently, it will get changed to a normal door if we track down some sort of key. Anyway, the point is we can only search three rooms right now, counting the one in the dungeon.”

“I’ll go back to the Rooster door,” Fujisaki said firmly. “Might as well repay you all for not stripping me of my points.”

“I’ll check out the Pig door, then,” Monk added, “There must be a reason it’s got my symbol on it…”

“Great!” Taikong shouted, “That leaves Mei to take care of the horse room!”

“…What?” Mei said. “Wait, I didn’t agree to—”

“But if we divide into groups of three, there’ll be one of us left over…” Suyin said.

“That’s easy!” Monk replied, smiling. “We can just have X choose any group she wants! Cause she’s X-tra, see?”

“There is not a single volcano on this entire planet deep and molten enough to come close to the rage you have just incited in me,” X replies blankly.

“That settles that then,” Amandi interjected, “Let’s divide up and get moving.”

[Fujisaki, Mei, and Monk are the team leaders. Everyone must pick the team they wish to join on a first-come first-serve basis. Each team can only have three players except for the one that X joins.]

---

"If this is how it's going to be, I'd like to go with Mei's group." Amethyst spoke up. "... I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed and a little relieved we can't enter the door with my sign right away. I wonder if there's a reason for them..."

"I think... I'd like to go with Mei's group." Dr. Uwem said before he looks towards Mei.

"Mei, let's hope we can work along each other like back in the old days..." The doctor said.

"Hmm..." Suyin mutters, as she ponders her options for a few moments before coming to a decision.

"I'll join Fujisaki's group. I'm sure the two of us will get along swimmingly." She smiles.

“I would also like to join Mr. Fujisaki’s group..” Mao smiled at Suyin. “But I suppose if you’d rather be with your sister, I can join Monk’s team.”

"Well, I can't really go into a team but I can help! I'm very smart, I got a really good grade on the last exam I took at school!" Sunny enthusiastically added.

"She's not my sister." Suyin replied. "So no, I don't mind if you join us. The more the merrier, and all of that crap."

"I guess that means that Zhang and Taikong are joining Monk then. So now we just need X to decide where she wants to go."

Sunny looks at Suyin curiously, but says nothing.

X's mouth twitches, suppressing a smile, "I smell boiled pork. I'll go with the pig."

"It seems this group was least desirable. Fujisaki had much interest in him. Perhaps there is something I'm missing from my knowledge that others have."