Twenty million was not to be delivered in one lump sum, for there was a special condition. The full amount was twenty million, with ten million to be divided equally among the five individuals as an upfront payment. The remaining ten million, the final payment, would be distributed based on a vote by these five.
They were to submit their proposed distributions according to a specific order. If a proposal was rejected, the proposer risked being killed.
...
Ta Read Novel App, a completely open-source and free web novel platform.
A fixed order, a fixed amount.
Luo Bo and I exchanged glances. I asked softly, "Is this like the pirates' division of gold?"
"It seems so!"
Game theory has a "pirate division of gold" model: it states that five pirates seize 100 gold coins. They sequentially propose distribution plans according to the order drawn by lot. First, pirate number 1 proposes a distribution plan. Then, all five pirates vote. If the proposal receives more than half of the votes, it passes. Otherwise, pirate number 1 is thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.
Assuming "each pirate is extremely intelligent and rational," then "what distribution plan should pirate number 1 propose to maximize his own gains?"
The reasoning process is as follows:
Working backward, if pirates 1 through 3 are all thrown into the sea, leaving only pirates 4 and 5, pirate 5 will definitely vote no, causing pirate 4 to be thrown into the sea so he can hoard all the gold coins. Therefore, pirate 4 has no choice but to support pirate 3 to survive.
Pirate 3 knows this and will propose the distribution plan "100, 0, 0," giving nothing to pirates 4 and 5 and keeping all the gold coins for himself. He knows pirate 4 will vote yes even though he receives nothing, and with pirate 3's own vote, his plan will pass.
However, pirate 2, foreseeing pirate 3's plan, will propose the plan "98, 0, 1, 1," meaning he will bypass pirate 3 and give one gold coin each to pirates 4 and 5. Since this plan is more advantageous for pirates 4 and 5 than if pirate 3 were to distribute the gold, they will support pirate 2 and not want him eliminated so that pirate 3 can distribute the gold. Thus, pirate 2 will take 98 gold coins.
Similarly, pirate 1 will see through pirate 2's plan and will propose a plan such as (97, 0, 1, 2, 0) or (97, 0, 1, 0, 2). This means he bypasses pirate 2 and gives one gold coin to pirate 3, and two gold coins to pirate 4 (or 5). Since pirate 1's plan is more advantageous for pirates 3 and 4 (or 5) compared to pirate 2's distribution, they will vote yes for pirate 1. With pirate 1's own vote, his plan will pass, and he will easily pocket 97 gold coins. This is undoubtedly the plan that allows pirate 1 to gain the most profit! The answer is: Pirate 1 distributes one gold coin to pirate 3, two gold coins to pirate 4 or 5, and keeps 97 for himself. The distribution plan can be written as (97, 0, 1, 2, 0) or (97, 0, 1, 0, 2).
...
The real world is far more complex than a model.
The participants in the forgery were not fools. Upon seeing this distribution plan, they all recognized it as the pirates' division of gold. According to the optimal distribution method, pirate 1 proposing a plan like (97, 0, 1, 2, 0) would be the most reasonable, and at the very least, everyone would survive.
However, the first person, who clearly knew the answer, proposed a plan for everyone to divide the money equally, adding a suggestion not to play games with the boss.
An equal split among the five, with each receiving 2 million, is absolutely acceptable in the real world. (97, 0, 1, 2, 0) is merely a backward reasoning, it might be logical, but who would agree to such a division?
Therefore, the first proposal should have been the most viable.
The proposer of the plan was the seller. He understood society and human psychology. The seller knew full well that even if everyone understood the reasoning behind the pirates' division of gold and were all intelligent pirates, they could not, as the model indicated, have the seller alone take 9.7 million.
After the proposal was made, Wang Tan found Uncle Li. As Wang Tan often bought paints from Uncle Li, they were relatively familiar with each other within the team. Wang Tan urged Uncle Li to agree to the equal split, because he was very concerned about one point: would the person whose proposal was rejected die?
Forgery is a crime, but it's nothing compared to murder. If this so-called 'death' simply meant losing the right to distribution, then? Wang Tan was very concerned about the money. Last year, using the 2 million upfront payment, he had managed to become famous through self-dealing transactions abroad. From then on, Wang Tan could not live without this money. Although Uncle Li was not as desperate as Wang Tan, he understood that more money was always better. So Uncle Li raised his own question: this painting was not created collaboratively; only the man with the butterfly tattoo was responsible for the coordination. Even if Wang Tan and Uncle Li voted no, if it didn't exceed half the votes, they couldn't stop the seller.
This concern was dismissed by Wang Tan. Wang Tan said he knew the artisan and that they could find the artisan to vote no. Thus, pirate 1's proposal was rejected 4:1, and pirate 1, the seller, lost his life.
Ta Read Novel App offers more high-quality free novels, read online for free without ads!
"Pirate 1 was indeed not Wang Tan," Luo Bo remarked casually.
"Mm!"
I frowned inwardly, vaguely guessing who the seller was. The forgery, so realistic it was indistinguishable, was found at Zhang Ying's home. Zhang Ying was certainly not the buyer of that painting, so Zhang Ying's identity was likely the seller.
As expected, this was a trap within a trap.
The Long-Tongued Ghost never intended to control me with that international plot; this pirate game was definitely not the end. He was using such 'games' to chip away at my confidence.
"Do you know who pirate 1 was?" Luo Bo asked Uncle Li.
"I didn't know before, but after pirate 1 died, we learned the seller's name was Zhang Ying. The boss sent us her picture after she died."
"The boss?"
"The one who paid us to make the fake paintings. We call him the boss. It turned out this wasn't just a word game; it was genuinely connected to death. Wang Tan also became afraid. As pirate 2, Wang Tan had not yet proposed a distribution plan."
Luo Bo frowned. The pirates' division of gold was not a game theory problem for just a day or two; the principle of maximizing returns by working backward could be found online. Pirate 2, Wang Tan, loved money and was intelligent. If he modified the "98, 0, 1, 1" plan to meet everyone's expectations, it might work. For example, Wang Tan could ask for 6 million, bypass pirate 3, and give 2 million each to pirates 4 and 5. Pirates 4 and 5 would understand the implications and wouldn't say much, making Wang Tan the biggest beneficiary.
I recalled those haggard eyes and couldn't help but interject, "Why didn't Wang Tan propose a plan?"
"Wang Tan knew the artisan and me, but none of us knew the seller or the man with the butterfly tattoo. Wang Tan's analysis was that the boss, capable of paying twenty million for a fake painting, had no reason to kill someone himself. So, after asking for our numbers, Wang Tan confirmed that the man with the butterfly tattoo was pirate 3 and suspected him of killing the seller, Zhang Ying."
This was the complexity of society. According to the most logical reasoning, Wang Tan could have won perfectly by giving pirate 3, the man with the butterfly tattoo, nothing. But the man with the butterfly tattoo was a killer. Based on this alone, how could Wang Tan dare to make any suggestions?
I saw Luo Bo frowning, and I understood from his expression that Luo Bo, like me, knew who the killer was. Only the Long-Tongued Ghost, with his logical and intelligent mind, could orchestrate something like this.
"Did Wang Tan make a proposal when he died?"
Uncle Li, still shaken, said, "From the beginning, the boss never intended to give us that ten million. Wang Tan didn't make a proposal, but he found me and told me he knew who the boss was. Then, he contacted the boss privately."
"Where and when did he contact him?"
"I don't know. Wang Tan didn't tell me. Later, I received a message on my phone saying the boss claimed Wang Tan had submitted a proposal and that we should vote. In the proposal, Wang Tan received 6 million, the man with the butterfly tattoo received nothing, and the artisan and I each received 2 million. I thought it was the result of discussions between Wang Tan and the boss, so I chose to agree. However, the man with the butterfly tattoo and the artisan voted no, resulting in a 2:2 tie, which failed to meet the majority to reject Wang Tan's proposal. After I got the result, I immediately called Wang Tan, but I couldn't get through. Later, I learned from the news that he had died."
After listening, Luo Bo sighed deeply and said to me, "Tang Nan, come out for a moment. I need to discuss something with you."
After I came out, Luo Bo got straight to the point and asked me, "What's your take on this matter?"
Ta Read Novel App offers more high-quality free novels, read online for free without ads!
"This is just a shell of the pirates' division of gold. The Long-Tongued Ghost never intended for them to survive; he's been using them as pawns all along."
"I thought so too. Do you have a plan?"
"Actually, Wang Tan never proposed a plan. Because Wang Tan learned from me that the artisan he knew was actually the boss, he threatened the boss, intending to hoard the ten million for himself. Then, the Long-Tongued Ghost ordered the man with the butterfly tattoo to kill Wang Tan and use Wang Tan's phone to submit the proposal."
Luo Bo nodded. "With these external factors, there's a prerequisite. The man with the butterfly tattoo was hired by the Long-Tongued Ghost as an assassin, and the man with the butterfly tattoo doesn't know that the Long-Tongued Ghost is the artisan."
"Exactly. Only then can the game continue and satisfy the Long-Tongued Ghost's morbid pleasure."
Luo Bo smiled. "So, the man with the butterfly tattoo will propose a plan: 100, 0, 0. Not only will the man with the butterfly tattoo get two million and the reward for helping the Long-Tongued Ghost kill someone, but he'll also hoard the ten million. This is the game's tone that the Long-Tongued Ghost emphasized."
"Yes, so we need to use this game to set a trap and play a game of wits with the Long-Tongued Ghost."
Luo Bo's eyes lit up. "What are your thoughts?"
"After the man with the butterfly tattoo proposes his plan, have Uncle Li vote no. I believe the Long-Tongued Ghost will also vote no. We'll wait for the killer to break the rules and then catch him in a trap."
Luo Bo gave me a thumbs-up. "That's the same as my idea. Shall we proceed?"
The original text is from Ta Read Novel App, download Ta Read Novel App for more free good books.
...
The task of apprehending people is naturally for the police. I returned to school; it was quite late. I thought that Yang Zhenzhen, who had returned to school early, wouldn't refuse a dinner at this hour. So I called Yang Zhenzhen, but she didn't answer. I went downstairs to her dormitory building and called their dormitory, but Yang Zhenzhen wasn't there. It was so late; could she be in the art studio? I hurried to the art studio, but it was locked and empty.
Just then, my phone rang. It was an international call. Was it the Long-Tongued Ghost? I answered it, and indeed, it was the Long-Tongued Ghost.
"Tang Nan, I know that with your and Luo Bo's abilities, you will definitely play my game. Are you ready? The game is about to begin."