"Beep——"

A sharp buzzing sound echoed, and Zheng Jie looked around the environment in a daze.

The feeling of participating in the Walkway game for the first time was quite surprising to him. Clearly, one second he was still in the lobby, and the next, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar space.

It seemed like an ordinary lounge here, very spacious, and from the furnishings, it gave off a comfortable and cozy vibe.

The room had a relaxation area with a sofa and a coffee table. The wall featured a giant screen, and there was a separate open space.

This open space resembled a mini stage, steps below, with extra lighting above, though currently unlit.

Beside the stage was a conspicuous button, with an uncertain purpose.

In the corner of the room stood two machines, one resembling a community vending machine, while the other was slightly smaller but also had an operational screen.

The entire room contained only two doors, one of which led to the restroom.

The other looked like a gateway to the outside, but when Zheng Jie tried the handle, it was locked.

Beside this door, there was also a small display screen, currently showing no information.

"Where is everyone else?"

Zheng Jie panicked.

He initially thought that the players from the same community participating in the game would be together, in which case he wouldn't have to do much, just follow group decisions.

Lawyer Lin, being a seasoned player, would naturally lead the way.

Yet now, being suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar setting alone, he felt a bit lost.

At that moment, text suddenly appeared on the big screen, accompanied by an emotionless electronic voice beginning the rule introduction.

[Hello, Zheng Jie. Welcome to the 'Matchmaking Game.']

[The game duration is 8 hours in total, strictly prohibiting any violent behavior. The current phase lasts 4 hours.]

[Due to the extended game duration, you may purchase food, drinks, and visa time vouchers from the vending machine beside you at your convenience.]

[This game consists of 40 players from 6 different communities.]

[Please note: In this game, male and female players have different reward rules.]

[Male players will indiscriminately receive 30,000 minutes of visa time upon game completion.]

[Female players will have visa time continuously and randomly deducted during the game, and will not receive a visa time reward upon its conclusion.]

[After the official start of the game, every 10 minutes, you must enter the meeting room ahead to begin a 10-minute meeting with another player.]

[Each hour, you will receive 1 'Like' and 1 'Dislike.']

[During the 8 hours of game time, you will participate in a total of 24 meetings, accumulating 8 'Likes' and 8 'Dislikes.']

[The system will randomly match non-community players to meet with you.]

[Alternatively, you can invite a previously matched player for another meeting via the small screen beside the door.]

[After a meeting, the two players can 'Like' or 'Dislike' each other to express their sentiments.]

[Beside the vending machine, a 'Data Inquiry Machine' is available for checking specific in-game data. Please refer to the machine's instruction page for more details.]

[Special note: The final meeting of the game will entail a 'Final Selection Vote'. If the meeting involves different-gender players and they mutually 'Like' each other, both will receive an additional 30,000 minutes of visa time.]

[As the game progresses, more rules will continuously unlock.]

[The first meeting will begin in 10 minutes, good luck!]

The rules remained displayed on the big screen for players to memorize.

Additionally, in a conspicuous spot within the room, there was a special timer showing the current game time and a 10-minute countdown for each waiting period.

Zheng Jie, still a bit bewildered, reread the rules several times, scratching his head.

"Eight hours?? That's so long.

"Seems like there hasn't been a game this long before.

"But based on the rules, it seems quite simple?

"Just meeting other players and mutually liking each other?

"Regardless of the outcome, there's 30,000 visa time to get, which seems too easy.

"Finding a willing opposite-gender player for mutual liking could even earn an extra 30,000.

"Is this a beginner's benefit?"

Zheng Jie was a bit puzzled. He hadn't played Walkway games before, but from past cases, 30,000 minutes of visa time was considered a medium gain from the game.

If it were risk-free, it would be quite rewarding.

After all, even in safe games like 'Blood Poker', one has to donate blood.

Of course, Zheng Jie didn't let his guard down too quickly and was also trying to figure out where the catch in the game might be.

Thinking about it, maybe some dangerous rules haven't been disclosed yet? After all, the game mentioned that more rules would unlock as it progressed.

But worrying about those things now was pointless since it's impossible to predict what kind of rules might update. For now, he'd focus on the present tasks.

As Zheng Jie pondered, the waiting time quickly passed.

[Please proceed immediately to the meeting room, late by 1 minute will result in an instant death penalty.]

Zheng Jie hurriedly pushed open the door to the meeting room, finding himself in a hallway of moderate length.

Upon reaching the end and pushing another door open, he found himself in a slightly narrower reception room than the previous single room, divided into two different spaces by a long table in the center, one side per player.

Seated, the two players had an operational slant in front of them for ease of use.

At the top of the operational area were three large, conspicuous buttons labeled [I Pay], [Split], and [You Pay], each in a different color, clearly visible to the opposing player.

At the bottom of the operational area were four small, inconspicuous buttons.

Two of these were unlocked, labeled [Like] and [Dislike].

Besides the text, they featured different icons, a thumbs-up in red and a thumbs-down in black, readily apparent.

Next to these buttons were two other inactive buttons, covered and inaccessible.

These buttons were small, arranged compactly, roughly fitting entirely under one hand and precisely within the opponent's blind spot.

Additionally, the meeting room's related rules were clearly written on the table, not overly lengthy, just a few in total, but Zheng Jie had no time to read them thoroughly as the opposite door opened.

A young, pretty girl with short hair at ear-level and a sweet demeanor entered.

"Hello there!"

The girl greeted Zheng Jie first, glanced around briefly, then took a seat opposite him.

Though she wore minimal makeup, the natural fairness of her skin under the meeting room's soft lighting made Zheng Jie involuntarily dizzy, leaving him momentarily helpless.

"Hi, uh, hello!" Zheng Jie realized he stammered a bit.

The girl chuckled, "You seem a bit clumsy. No need to be nervous. Based on the rules, this game doesn't seem to pose much danger,

"At least for now."

Before Zheng Jie could respond, the system prompt sounded in the meeting room.

[Please pay the room usage fee of 200 minutes of visa time before this meeting session ends.]

[Press the operational button on the table to choose a payment method.]

[When both sides choose the same, payment follows the button option.]

[If choices don't align, or any player hasn't pressed a button by the session's end, 200 visa time minutes will be forcibly deducted from both.]

With a "pop", the buttons with the options [I Pay], [You Pay], and [Split] sprang up, lights flickering above them urging prompt pressing.

A timer emerged at the center of the table, displaying a 10-minute countdown.

Meanwhile, a screen appeared on the back of each player's console, akin to a nameplate, showing both players' names and communities.

Upon seeing [Community 17 - Zheng Jie], the girl displayed a slight surprise on her face.

Then, she smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Lu Xinyi from Community 3, nice to meet you."

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