Deceitful Game

Chapter 207 Consequentialism and Idealism

Chapter 207 Consequentialism and Idealism

Consequentialism.

It is somewhat similar to utilitarianism, but completely different. In a sense, utilitarianism is a sub-form of consequentialism.

That is, the group of people who believe that "the moral value of an action depends entirely on its consequences".

In other words, ideas such as "the means don't matter as long as the result is good" and "if a morality continues to prevent good results, then that morality is outdated and needs to be abandoned."

Those who are results-oriented towards "maximizing overall happiness" are called utilitarians.

This is completely different from Mingpo's mother.

She is a very sensitive and gentle person. But her gentleness doesn't stem from a mild temperament; rather, it's because she easily empathizes with others. In psychological terms, she has an extremely strong capacity for empathy—the kind of person who can be moved to tears by reading poetry.

No wonder Shen Yiqi used her pseudo-personality, yet Mingpo felt a strange sense of unease, like the uncanny valley.

Because he didn't have that kind of love in his heart, after seeing everything clearly, he felt a kind of "it doesn't matter anymore" kind of living, almost dead feeling.

Realizing that this pseudo-personality only possessed "personal abilities" and did not steal personality or character, Mingpo calmed down.

"You're not suited to using her personality; it will cause conflict."

Mingpo said softly, "How about my old man, Deng? He might be a better fit for you."

"I'll consider it."

Shen Yiqi nodded seriously.

As he calmly deployed the nanobots, exposing the traps along the way, he countered, "What's wrong with consequentialism?"

Their movement slowed down.

When Mingper realized that he might die in this game, the outcome of the game became much less important to him.

But strangely enough, Shen Yiqi wasn't in a hurry; instead, he joined him in slacking off.

Mingpo followed behind him and said softly, "I don't like to scheme so much."

"Only by calculating clearly can you do things correctly."

What is "correct"? Is being correct always good?

Mingpo scoffed, "Too many practice problems? Things in this world aren't like taking exams; there's no such thing as a simple right or wrong answer."

"Being right doesn't necessarily mean being good. Because 'good' is subjective, while 'right' is objective. Everyone has their own definition of 'good,' but what's right isn't necessarily so."

Shen Yiqi's tone remained flat: "What I pursue is what is right."

"Then I would also say that everyone has their own sense of right and wrong."

Mingpo rolled her eyes: "What kind of chuunibyou is this? — So, do you think it would be right for me to die in this game today?"

"That's definitely not right," Shen Yiqi, with his dead fish eyes, replied quickly. "Your abilities are very valuable. Valuable to your team, to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, to the country, to the world, to humanity—you'd be a waste if you died."

"And what about you? What if you're destined to die here?"

Mingpo countered with a question.

That's not correct either.

Without hesitation, he said, "I will change this world. If I die here, the world will lose its future."

"————That's incredibly arrogant."

Upon hearing this, Mingpo laughed instead.

This audacity actually piqued Mingpo's interest.

Compared to the somewhat tough-guy Shen Yiqi from before, the deadpan Shen Yiqi looks more like a student. Although he seems more radical, it's just that he's openly expressing his innermost thoughts.

Once you enter society, you'll realize that some dreams shouldn't be spoken of carelessly.

"What if one of us has to die?"

Mingpo asked with great interest.

"Then I will choose to let you die."

Shen Yiqi replied.

An answer that was both reasonable and unexpected.

To Mingpo's surprise, he didn't feel angry at all.

He, on the contrary, had a certain expectation.

It's like seeing someone spouting nonsense about starting a business and changing the status quo of an industry—Mingpo has no choice but to stop and watch his speech with interest.

He didn't say anything more, but followed Shen Yiqi for a while longer.

Suddenly, Mingpo spoke up, saying softly, "Actually—a long time ago, I really liked extreme sports. The more dangerous and exciting it was, the closer I was to death, the more I liked it."

"It wasn't because I wanted to die, but because at that time—I didn't know why people wanted to live."

"At that time?"

Shen Yiqi keenly grasped the key point in Ming Po's words.

She was as perceptive as Mingpo's mother.

But unlike Mingpo's mother, he wouldn't gently interrupt Mingpo's reverie—instead, he calmly and almost cruelly interrogated her: "You don't think that way anymore, do you?"

Like a fitness coach, constantly pushing the limits to uncover the truth.

"Um."

Mingpo said softly, "I think—the important thing about living—is not how long you've lived. It's whether you're doing what you want to do every single second you're living."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I haven't decided yet, what about you? Don't say anything stupid like 'I want to create a Sibyl system.'"

The passageway splits into two sections, left and right, at the front.

Their conversation did not interfere with their business.

Without Mingpo needing to say anything, Shen Yiqi already knew where he planned to go and what he wanted to be told. This almost mind-reading ability was indeed approaching the effect of a "title".

Shen Yiqi raised his hand, and a drone flew towards the left fork in the road. He then entered the right fork without looking back.

This is precisely what Mingpo chose.

The fork in the road to the left is the direction from which the "Qingfeng" duo might come.

Their pace is likely faster than Mingpo and Shen Yiqi's. If they have already "hit the bottom," it means they could break in through the glass door at any moment. Or perhaps they already are.

In this situation, sending drones to scout the way is undoubtedly a safer option.

If they go to the right, then unless the two "Chainsaw Killers" dare to risk being sandwiched between them and choose to enter the Du Gate, Mingpu will definitely be safe.

They didn't know the spider's attack patterns, nor did they know which path the spider would choose.

So, the safest approach is to go all the way to the end first, then see if the spider appears from behind you, before deciding whether to open the door.

Because once the glass door is opened, it will be closed for thirty minutes.

This means that if they open the door and go through, the spiders will spawn on the destination side, and they won't be able to turn back. They'll be completely trapped inside.

If the goal is to fight the Spider Spirit, then it's best to wait in front of the door without moving.

But if it's to fight against people, then you have to go in immediately and lie in ambush ahead.

Is the spider more dangerous or the human?

Mingpo tentatively chose the spider.

Shen Yiqi released the nanobots again and found that there were no more traps from the fork in the road, so he quickly ran over.

Only then did he seriously answer Mingpo's question.

"I want to create a world where idealists are no longer needed."

Mingpo was taken aback.

He had considered many possibilities, but he never imagined that the answer would be so strange, even somewhat incomprehensible.

But Mingpo laughed.

His laughter, which was not exactly hearty but rather somewhat gloomy, echoed through the narrow dirt tunnel.

After choosing the fork in the road, the passage suddenly opened up.

Not only were there no more traps, but there was even light again—though faint, it had become much wider. It was somewhat like an underground cave carved out by flowing water.

The cave ceiling is very high, and the moss emits a faint blue-green fluorescent light, which can only illuminate a small area below.

"Do you even know what your background is, Shen Yiqi?"

Mingpo asked flippantly.

He suddenly realized that this was probably the first time he had called Shen Yiqi by his full name.

"What?"

"That's what you call an idealist. And the biggest kind at that. The absolute biggest kind."

Mechanical pioneers — is that what it means?

Mingpo felt that she didn't dislike this guy as much anymore.

Including the previous "socialite" who kept laughing and was as dazzling as the sun — and also the current "student" who is somewhat gloomy and likes to dream.

And just then...

Shen Yiqi suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong? Are you angry?"

Minpo smiled.

Shen Yiqi suddenly turned around, grabbed Mingpo's arm with a serious expression, and stared intently back at the path they had come from.

"They've arrived."

Shen Yiqi spoke earnestly, his back taut, his expression extremely serious: "Qingfeng entered through the glass door and invaded. She discovered my drone and destroyed it immediately—they are advancing at full speed and should be at the corner of the three-way intersection by now."

Clearly, he was angered by this undisguised hostility.

The Spider Spirits were about to respawn when Qingfeng from the next gate came chasing after them!

If the four of them start fighting, and if the Spider Spirit happens to choose this path—all four of them will die here!

This charlatan in the realm of wisdom eventually became troubled and afraid of this direct conflict.

Seeing his reaction, Mingpo simply laughed out loud. Even his increasingly dizzy head seemed to feel less uncomfortable at this moment.

"I know."

Mingpo narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath: "I just smelled it."

"Hmm—it has a very refreshing aroma, like bamboo leaf tea mixed with cantaloupe. Perfect for brewing a cup. And coincidentally—the other one tastes like smoked ham."

"Step back, mechanical pioneer. Let me show you a thing or two."

"

"Show me your skills?"

A cold, young female voice rang out from the darkness, accompanied by the scraping sound of a sword being slowly drawn: "The art of being human?"

"The Silence of the Lambs—or should I address you as, Hannibal?"

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