Chapter 604: 'Prison Factory'

A sharp beep sounded. Huang Shengjie blinked and looked around, realising he had entered the game venue.

This was his second time entering a game. While he still hadn't fully adjusted, it was considerably easier than it had been during the Pain Game.

The first thing he noticed was two players from his own community: Zhou Wanlin and the older Geng Yuxia.

But Yao Yuan and He Qinyun were nowhere to be seen.

Based on the game invitation from the community, the five of them had certainly been placed in the same game, which could only mean some mechanic within the game had split Yao Yuan and He Qinyun into a different area.

Beyond that, Huang Shengjie also noticed that Zhou Wanlin and Geng Yuxia both had some kind of device clamped over their mouths, preventing them from speaking or making any sound.

He touched his own face and found the same.

The room appeared to be a wide lounge, furnished with sofas, a coffee table, and a large screen, but no vending machine.

What was also worth noting was the décor, which was not modern in style but felt closer to eighteenth-century Europe, distinctly vintage in character.

A door on the far side of the lounge led to another room, marked with a sign that read 'Raw Materials Warehouse.'

The door to the warehouse was not yet open, but through it the outlines of several rows of shelving could be made out.

At that moment, Zhou Wanlin waved to Huang Shengjie and Geng Yuxia and pointed toward a floor plan mounted on the wall.

What surprised Huang Shengjie somewhat was how large the game venue clearly was. Their community lounge was already quite spacious, yet on the floor plan it occupied only a small section at the very bottom.

Looking through the lounge window, he could also see that the game venue opened out into a wide exterior space, something like a large plaza.

At the centre of the plaza stood a large structure that looked unmistakably like a prison, its presence heavy and oppressive.

Huang Shengjie didn't have time to look more carefully before the large screen began displaying the game rules.

[Good morning to the 10 players from Community 2 and Community 23!]

[Welcome to 'Prison Factory.']

[As the name suggests, this is a game that simulates a prison organising its inmates to carry out production and commerce.]

[The Prison Factory operates in a fully sealed state, cut off from the outside. Three players on the outside of the prison, playing the role of 'Workers,' must find ways to deliver raw materials into the prison, where two players inside, playing the role of 'Prisoners,' will process them to earn 'Gold Pounds.']

[While securing your own team's earnings, you may also attempt to disrupt the opposing team's production process for additional gains.]

[At the end of the game, the Gold Pounds you earn through production can be converted into visa time and brought back to your community.]

[Although this is a distribution-type game, there is a low but present risk of death. Please take care!]

[The total duration of this game is 3 hours and 30 minutes, divided into 7 phases. The schedule is as follows:]

[Preparation Time → Round One → Production and Rest Time → Round Two → Production and Rest Time → Round Three → Final Production and Settlement Time]

[Each phase lasts 30 minutes.]

[During Rounds One, Two, and Three, all in-game equipment operates normally. During Production and Rest Time, all equipment outside the prison workshop will pause. Players may use this time to review lessons and consider strategy.]

[The specific rules of the game are as follows:]

[1. Raw Material Delivery]

[The Raw Materials Warehouse contains three categories of materials: 'Food,' 'Medications,' and 'Miscellaneous Goods.']

[Players on the outside playing the role of 'Workers' may collect a 'Worker Badge' and an initial sum of Gold Pounds, then use those Gold Pounds to purchase materials from the warehouse.]

[At the entrance to the Raw Materials Warehouse, there is a miniature steam train leading to the Prison Factory. This is the 'official channel' for delivering materials. Detailed rules can be found on the notice board at the platform.]

[2. Processing and Production]

[After raw materials have passed inspection by the opposing community, they may be delivered to the 'Holding Area' inside the Prison Factory.]

[Players inside the factory playing the role of 'Prisoners' may receive raw materials and send them to the workshop for processing to earn Gold Pounds.]

[3. Contraband]

[Each round, the system will designate one category of material as 'Contraband.' Please confirm this round's Contraband before formulating your transport plan.]

[Materials that have already entered the prison will not become Contraband retroactively due to a change in round.]

[Products manufactured using Contraband will earn triple the normal returns.]

[The two communities in this game are in an adversarial relationship. Either community may inspect the other's shipments in the Inspection Room to check for Contraband. Any Contraband that is discovered may be penalised.]

[Detailed rules can be found on the notice board inside the Inspection Room.]

[4. Cell Rules]

[When a 'Prisoner' is in poor health, they may enter the 'Medical Room' inside the prison. Each player may only enter once, may leave freely, and may remain until the end of the current round at the latest.]

[When a 'Prisoner' commits a specific violation, they will be placed in 'Solitary Confinement.' See Section 5 for details.]

[If a 'Prisoner' pays a sufficient number of Gold Pounds, they may leave the prison, gain their freedom, and continue participating in subsequent rounds as a 'Worker.']

[5. Penalty for Violations]

[In this game, any behaviour that constitutes a serious breach of the rules, or any act of severe violence that could result in permanent injury or death, remains 'absolutely prohibited.' Violators will face an instant-death penalty.]

[However, the following are classified as 'Minor Violations' and will not directly trigger an instant-death penalty.]

[a. Privately opening raw material packaging.]

[b. Being touched by a player from the opposing community while in contact with or carrying Contraband.]

[c. Leaving a designated area as defined by the rules.]

[d. Forcibly entering a 'Safe Zone' that already has one player inside.]

[e. Committing an act of minor violence against another player, lasting less than 5 seconds, with no risk of permanent injury or death.]

[f. Other behaviour that interferes with the game's progress without constituting a serious breach of the rules.]

[Any player who commits any of the above will receive a 'Full Body Paralysis' penalty. Other players will not be notified.]

['Prisoners' who trigger a Minor Violation will be placed in Solitary Confinement and may not leave for 20 minutes.]

[!! SPECIAL NOTICE !!]

[Each community has a maximum of 5 'Minor Violation Allowances,' and each individual player has a maximum of 2 'Minor Violation Allowances.']

[If a player exceeds their personal or community Minor Violation limit, a community-wide announcement will be made, and they will face an 'instant-death penalty' 10 minutes later.]

[However, if within that 10-minute window, 2 of the other 4 players from the same community each donate all of their personal Gold Pounds, and the total amount donated exceeds 20,000, the penalty will be waived.]

[6. Settlement Rules]

[Gold Pounds held by a deceased player will be added to the opposing community's earnings and divided equally among all surviving players from that community.]

[The community with the higher total Gold Pound count at settlement will be declared the winner and receive an additional 10,000 Gold Pounds. If the winning community's total is at least 1.5 times that of the opposing community, a '1.5x bonus multiplier' will also be applied when converting to visa time.]

[All surviving players may convert their Gold Pounds to visa time at a ratio of 1:2 and bring them back to their community.]

[There are 30 minutes of preparation time before the game officially begins. Players in the lounge may use this time to move freely around the venue, review the game's areas and notice boards, and consider strategy. Speaking and communication are not permitted.]

[The mouth restraints will only unlock in the final 5 minutes of the preparation time.]

[The game will begin officially after 30 minutes. Please make your preparations!]