Chapter 585: Chapter 584: Missing Something

After dinner.

Lu Bingjun still arranged a simple dinner party. Although it wasn’t as lavish as the previous welcome dinner, there were still plenty of delicacies.

The atmosphere of this gathering was relatively relaxed and free, so after everyone was full, they left the long table in small groups. Some went to the lounge area to digest, while others returned to their rooms to rest.

Huang Shengjie originally planned to eat a lot but found himself full sooner than expected.

He felt an inexplicable stuffiness in the hall, so he went outside and randomly found a vacant corner to sit down, somewhat dazedly looking at the pitch-black night sky.

After a while, Huang Shengjie heard someone calling his name.

"Shengjie."

Huang Shengjie turned his head and saw that Qin Cheng had already sat down on the outdoor sofa next to him.

Huang Shengjie was a bit surprised: "You’re full? I remember you didn’t seem to eat much, and I thought you’d eat for a while longer. Aren’t you hungry? This game took more out of me than I expected."

Qin Cheng shook his head: "My sense of taste isn’t very developed, and no matter what I eat, it makes no difference to me. It’s merely for maintaining vital signs.

"I roughly calculate the nutrients I need to consume each day, and once I’ve eaten enough, I stop eating."

Huang Shengjie was silent for a moment: "Did you do this back in high school?

"I don’t remember eating with you much in the cafeteria."

Qin Cheng shook his head again: "No, it became a habit after college."

Huang Shengjie let out a long sigh: "No matter how you look at it, it’s nice to meet a high school classmate after coming to this creepy place.

"At least there’s someone you can always trust.

"How does it feel? I mean, being the medical supplies custodian, you sort of have an official position in this community, right?

"You can tell Brother Lu values you a lot."

Qin Cheng didn’t follow that line but instead asked, "Don’t you think this community is kind of strange?"

Huang Shengjie was puzzled: "Strange? In what way? I don’t feel that way.

"Isn’t everything fine?"

Qin Cheng was silent for a moment: "Don’t you think that this community isn’t actually in a state of ’completion’?"

Seeing Huang Shengjie’s still-confused expression, Qin Cheng continued to explain: "Take this voting for example.

"The first vote was 9:6, and the second vote was 10:5.

"These numbers don’t seem too exaggerated, but with Lu Bingjun holding the First Player Identity Card, his vote counts as two.

"So, if we take out Lu Bingjun’s two votes, the actual result is 7:6 and 8:5.

"That’s quite bad."

Huang Shengjie frowned: "But didn’t Brother Lu say that internal community disputes are normal?

"Because players who haven’t participated in the game can’t really empathize. They might think taking a couple of these pills doesn’t matter..."

Before he could finish, Qin Cheng interrupted him.

"I know, but it’s not that simple."

Qin Cheng glanced around the environment with the corner of his eye. No one was nearby, but he still lowered his voice:

"When deciding on the custodian, it was obvious Lu Bingjun wanted to do it himself.

"Though it was Yao Yuan’s suggestion, it can basically be seen as a result of Lu Bingjun’s acquiescence or hint.

"If no one objected, perhaps this matter would have been settled just like that.

"However, after Shen Bowen voiced his objection, He Qinyun, Zheng Chunhua, and Geng Yuxia also concurred.

"Who do you think they originally wanted to recommend?"

Huang Shengjie was taken aback.

He frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly saying, "...Was it Sister Ye Lin?"

Qin Cheng nodded: "So, don’t you think it’s peculiar?

"Lu Bingjun’s explanation is actually deliberately blurring the issue.

"His point is that the main disagreement is over the handling of these medications.

"But in reality, the primary dispute lies in ’who the custodian should be.’"

Qin Cheng still didn’t quite understand: "But doesn’t that seem fine?

"Sister Ye Lin is also a core player in the community, and during the first phase of the game, she must have helped other players.

"If Uncle Zheng and Auntie have benefited from her in the past, supporting her on this issue isn’t strange, right?

"Besides, Brother Lu already has the First Player Identity Card. Wouldn’t it be too much power if he also held the medical supplies?

"For ordinary players, seeking a balance of power is a normal thought, right?"

Qin Cheng asked again: "Do you remember that when we first entered the community, Shen Bowen asked a question?"

Huang Shengjie tried hard to recall: "Hmm... I think he asked how many core players the community has? The answer was two, Brother Lu and Sister Ye Lin.

"Then Brother Lu said that later on, they could establish a third and fourth core based on everyone’s actual performance in the game.

"What about it?"

Qin Cheng explained: "A dual-core structure is a very lousy setup and shouldn’t be the state of a mature community.

"In the first phase, each community has 12 players, and most group games are conducted in units of 4 people.

"So, I privately asked Lawyer Lin and Shen Bowen; their former communities had a three-core structure.

"In a dual-core setup, if a game involves everyone, what happens to a 4-player group without a core?

"Additionally, the three-core structure is far more stable than a dual-core one.

"In case of disagreements in the community, resolving it is straightforward either with a single-core or a three-core setup: either one person has the final say, or it’s two votes against one.

"But with a dual-core setup, what happens when the two cores disagree?

"Lu Bingjun, as the community’s First Player, should presumably have Ye Lin obey him, but the problem with dual cores is that due to the lack of a third-party check, conflicts between them will intensify."

Huang Shengjie considered: "Well, isn’t it simple? Brother Lu could just find another influential player to side with him, right?"

Qin Cheng countered: "Wouldn’t that effectively be a three-core structure?

"If the goal is to unify the community, the optimal structure is like this:

"First, have a player with the highest prestige, who can convince the community both in terms of community building and game strategy, becoming the First Player.

"Additionally, choose two other strong players to become the game’s core.

"This way, the First Player’s position is secure, and the other two game cores are in a state of mutual balance, making the community structure stable enough.

"If all three agree, that’s obviously ideal;

"If a conflict arises between the First Player and one of the cores, the other core mediates, and in a 2:1 scenario, the party with fewer people makes a justified concession.

"Of course, each community’s situation is different, and there may be scenarios where the community’s actual leader doesn’t play the role of a game core. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"But no matter what, a strong community will certainly form a stable structure after continuous clashes over time.

"Regardless of the specifics of this structure, it should stand up to scrutiny.

"Both Lawyer Lin and Shen Bowen’s previous communities were like this.

"But our current second community has a dual-core structure and even encounters this many opposition votes. Isn’t that strange?

"To put it more bluntly, as the First Player, Lu Bingjun hasn’t demonstrated the control he should have.

"Many people don’t completely comply with him.

"It’s just that these structural contradictions haven’t yet clearly emerged."

Huang Shengjie frowned deeply, thinking carefully for a moment before saying: "So the most likely scenario is...

"This community originally had a third game core?"