"Is it really like this?" Bruce said, "By denying his self-worth, you make him achieve self-realization in another way?"
"Thinking too much when you shouldn't, and not using your brain when you should." Shiller shook his head and said, "Why do you think these words are meant for that guy?"
"Aren't they?" Bruce turned to look at him and asked.
Shiller shook his head and said, "Those so-called denials of his self-worth are actually just proving that I am not making baseless accusations, but rather that I am reasonable and justified. The real aim is to tell the design department people: I can write a logical and persuasive unfavorable review. If you don't want to see that in the comment section tomorrow, it's best to let us pass smoothly."
Bruce was speechless. After a while, he said, "So it's a threat?"
"That's right, the people designing the mechanisms are not important, what matters is the person who can truly decide the direction of the level. That person is very good at leaving others with no choice. It's the same for this Mr. Tiger."
"Tony Stark!" The voice in the team channel was a greedy roar, "Look what you've done! We're going to be hit with long unfavorable reviews!"
"How can you blame me for this?! Didn't you all agree???" Stark was exasperated.
"But we're all dead now, only you're left in the level. To prevent us from getting those bad reviews, hurry up and reach inside."
"What? No way, it'll hurt terribly!"
"Then hurry up and die!" Greed said coldly, "Each of us has died once already, why can't you?"
"But, but... dying so miserably is too tragic." Stark was clearly a bit scared.
"Which of us didn't die miserably?" Scarecrow interjected, "And since your mechanism design is so lousy, dying tragically is just normal."
"You better hurry." Greed said, "If I see that unfavorable review in the comment section tomorrow, I'll release the recording of their conversation just now. Then..."
"No, no, no, no, no!!" Stark cried out quickly. It must be said, Anatoli's words did have a point. Stark's understanding of mechanisms is too metaphysical, completely disconnected from the level. If this recording is released, everyone will think so, and Stark would lose face throughout the multiverse.
Stark is someone who values his reputation greatly. For the sake of his reputation, he can sacrifice anything. He bit his lip, swallowed hard, his Adam's apple trembled for a while, and eventually, he nervously reached his hand over.
"Ahhhhhh!!!!"
Blood filled the entire atrium, then continuously flowed downward, almost all blades stained scarlet. But the key was indeed knocked down, jumping among a pile of blades, rebounding off the wall, finally clattering onto the ground.
Bruce reached down to pick up the blood-stained key. He wiped the blood off the key and walked towards the door, with Shiller following behind him.
"We're almost at the final stage." Bruce said, "What do you think the final stage will be, Professor?"
"Maybe it'll be simpler than imagined, but it also might be more difficult than imagined." These words seemed meaningless, but in reality, Bruce knew Shiller meant the form might be simpler, but passing it wouldn't be so easy.
After entering the door, the two were startled. Because at the end of the corridor wasn't one room, but two rooms. A red door and a blue door. The wall the doors are on is transparent, allowing a view of what's behind.
The structure behind is also very simple. Each room has a chair. The chairs face each other. On the wall connecting the rooms sits a mechanism. Saying it's a mechanism is not entirely true, more like a space composed of two transparent walls, with something resembling a falling guillotine above.
Shiller and Bruce each entered one door. Seated in the chairs, the two ended up facing each other. And they saw that within the space separated by two transparent walls, there was a diagram of two hands clasped together, with a palm and a semicircular opening right in the center of the wall.
It seems they need to each reach one hand in for a handshake, somewhat akin to arm wrestling. However, considering the guillotine hanging above, it's surely not as simple as arm wrestling.
Shiller looked up along the guillotine to see what controls the blade. Meanwhile, Bruce wanted to find out how to slow down the winch speed in the previous stage, so he started examining the entire room.
But it seems this stage, like the previous ones, has no places to explore, the main feature is this mechanism. And the thing that could slow down the winch in the previous stage seems to control the guillotine.
But what does this mean? Reach in, grab, and then get chopped? Does it slow down the previous level? So they're sacrificing one hand for the others?
Shiller and Bruce both know that this level surely isn't that simple. So far, the double player levels have been testing their teamwork and sacrificial spirit. It doesn't make sense to set up such a scenario. Not that it's too difficult, but rather too simple.
The two just sit there, extend their hands, the guillotine falls, cutting their hands, and then everyone else can pass. The logic is a bit too simple. So there must be some other trap.
The two of them have been checking here for a while, even using crowbars to knock on the middle position, but clearly, there was no reaction. It seems like it must be two people putting their hands on it to trigger some sensor, causing the guillotine to drop, thereby obtaining something.
"Something's not right," Bruce said, "Although this seems like a test of our sacrificial spirit, it's a bit too simple. And before, it was always one person sacrificing; why does it have to be two this time?"
"The key is why we need to shake hands," Shiller said, "At this point, could it be to avoid someone running off alone in this way?"
But no matter how they searched in the room, there really were no other mechanisms. It was as if they really had to just extend two hands and give it a try.
Generally speaking, players would certainly hesitate. After all, there didn't seem to be any other solution. And the door to the original passage was already closed and couldn't be returned to. The entire passage and room had been thoroughly examined, with no signs of hidden content.
But this level encountered two very stubborn types. Bruce and Shiller didn't believe in that solution, so they were determined not to solve it that way, and because the two of them were equally stubborn, neither persuaded the other. No one suggested "how about putting our hands in to try," and the two of them just mulled over their own reasoning.
"From the perspective of level design, even Mr. Tiger wouldn't design such a simple level. Moreover, there was more than one designer for the level. Although the mechanism design level is mediocre, the gameplay design of the previous levels was quite exciting, so how come there's no gameplay in this level?"
"Actually, it started feeling strange from the previous level," Shiller analyzed from a more metaphysical angle. The previous levels, "They could all skip the necessary sacrificial parts. This proves that the level designers allow the players to be the bad guys."
"Among them, there's no self-proclaimed righteous yet controlling grand educator. Many games and mechanism designs easily fall into this trap. That is, they first set a mindset and insist that players agree with their views, failing to pass the level if they don't follow that mindset, or get mocked even if they succeed. This can be considered a hallmark of bad games."
"But looking at the previous levels, whether you are good or evil, whether you are willing to sacrifice, you can successfully pass. Even if your actions harm others, there was no extra punishment. The entire level contains no educational meaning, not even a hint of inspiring goodness. Yet this level insists that you sacrifice yourself to save everyone."
"Another questionable point is that though several mechanisms require a sacrificial spirit to pass, those seem more like sacrifices for your friend beside you, rather than for the entire group. But this is specifically designed for you to contribute to all players."
"Wait." Bruce suddenly remembered something. He said, "If the organizer didn't enter the previous level, but it had to be the other team's players sacrificing, then could this be a kind of 'tit for tat,' 'everyone for me, I for everyone' kind of guidance?"
"Does that mean, if other players sacrificed first to let us into this level, we should also sacrifice to let other players pass? Is that it, Professor?"
"You finally used your brain, but unfortunately, this is the last level." Shiller said somewhat helplessly, "That's indeed one aspect. If the organizer didn't stumble here, if we hadn't persuaded him to contribute an arm, then it would inevitably be other players sacrificing. And when other players sacrificed, we might feel guilty and upon entering this room, finding we must sacrifice an arm for others to pass, might not hesitate."
"But there's a problem," Bruce said, "How can the organizer assume that the bottom players are kind-hearted people who would feel guilty?"
"According to the normal process, who enters the bottom can be controlled by the organizer," Shiller pointed out the crucial point.
Bruce seemed enlightened because he remembered that in the level before last, the lantern level, opening door order was actually controlled by the control panel inside the lantern, unrelated to who won or lost.
If at that time a team was indeed eliminated, they would remain forever. But for the remaining groups, who came out first, was still controlled by the organizer. They could completely use how players perform in that level to find a soft-hearted god for the bottom level.
That way, when the key fell, the bottom level players came to this level, saw the current situation, and thought of the previous level's sacrifice, they would perhaps grit their teeth, harden their hearts, and directly put their hands in.
Still, the same thing to be said, this kind of excessive interference is completely inconsistent with the previous levels. It's like suddenly changing the designer...
"The designer changed?" Bruce muttered. "Was this level really designed by the previous organizer?"
"Wait," he continued, "Based on the plot we reasoned out earlier, and the performance in the lantern level, besides the agent knocking on the ladder and the mole sabotaging the company for the rich, shouldn't there be another mole? What was mentioned before? Cultist?"
Bruce realized again, "That's right, this style of blood and flesh sacrifice is likely a cultist's trap."