Lin Heng, a quantitative trader framed and sent to prison, wakes up to find himself dragged into a deadly game.
The first round is called “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” Four people are locked in a room. If they all stay silent, everyone survives. If one person betrays the others, only the traitor survives. If multiple people betray them, everyone is executed.
As a man in a suit solemnly urges everyone to stay silent, Lin Heng leans against the wall, rapidly tapping his fingertips on his knee. In fifteen minutes, his mind simulates 1,728 possible outcomes. The chance that everyone stays silent is only 0.03%. So his choice is clear: betray everyone before they can betray him.
The white light of execution descends, but Lin Heng survives. Then the announcement rings out: “Betrayal detected. You have obtained the 【Deceiver’s Mark】. The difficulty of all subsequent rounds will increase by 50%.”
He looks down at the blood-red scales branded on the back of his hand and finally understands: this game has never truly rewarded traitors. Every scheme carves an indelible mark into him, and every betrayal brings him one step closer to the abyss.
Only when he finally reaches the brink of the final round does he truly see the truth: the ultimate objective of this deadly game was never to win. It was to find the person still worth trusting with his back, beyond the calculations of “absolute rationality.”
Never change your principles for the sake of data.
Those are the author’s words, and Lin Heng’s answer.
