A moment later, my phone rang, seemingly an international call. I held the phone, hesitating, spurring myself on mentally, "Isn't everything you've done, Tang Nan, just to find him? Don't be a coward!"
"Are you scared of me?"
Long-Tongued Ghost got straight to the point.
"Who's scared of you? My hand just slipped. How else would the call have dropped?"
Long-Tongued Ghost chuckled on the other end of the line, "You're just like Cao Shi, tough on the outside, soft on the inside."
"Who is Cao Shi?"
"He didn't even tell you his name? Your master is truly unscrupulous. You don't know Cao Shi, but you must have heard of Gluttonous Ghost, right?"
I was quite surprised. So Old Ghost's name was Cao Shi.
"Yes, I know Gluttonous Ghost, but he's not my master."
Long-Tongued Ghost chuckled again. It was hard to believe that someone like him was a cheerful person. His voice sounded genuine, not the sinister tone of a movie villain, but rather like a gentle breeze, his pronunciation clear, in Mandarin, with a subtle cadence that reminded me of poetry recitation.
"Fatty truly found a treasure. That young man from Ruili who was suicidal after being swindled has so quickly become a capable The Schemer. However, you're not suited to learn from Fatty. You're suited to learn from me. This is also why I came to Hohhot to set up this scheme. I want to take you as my disciple."
"Don't talk nonsense. Do you think you can just decide? I also want to send you to prison. Is that okay?"
"If you had the ability, of course. Unfortunately, you're not yet capable of defeating me. In this scheme, you, who have become like Jiang He, can only seek Fatty's help and rely on Gao Ji's identity to forcefully break the scheme."
He didn't know? I immediately seized upon something. Long-Tongued Ghost didn't know the process of how I broke the scheme. That was right; Gao Lao's identity could indeed help me break the scheme, but before I knew about that identity, this scheme was already broken.
Karma? As expected, karma was something that transcended schemes.
Initially, I was quite flustered, but suddenly, my confidence soared. What was so great about Long-Tongued Ghost? He wasn't invincible.
"I think Old Ghost is stronger than you?"
"Fatty? He's no match for me. Ever since we went to Beijing to learn from Teacher Wen De, Fatty has never once defeated me. He was just lucky to narrowly escape that grand 'scheme'."
"I don't believe you. Aren't you still hiding from Old Ghost everywhere?"
"Me, hiding from him?" Long-Tongued Ghost chuckled again. "Where am I hiding from him? He clearly knows I'm in Hohhot, yet he took his female disciple to Chengdu to break the 'counterfeit currency' scheme. Do you think I need to hide from someone like him?"
I really hadn't considered that. Now that I thought about it, it made some sense. Long-Tongued Ghost caused trouble everywhere, and Old Ghost was incredibly powerful, yet he had never apprehended Long-Tongued Ghost. Hearing my silence, Long-Tongued Ghost became earnest, like a teacher, and said, "Child, have you heard of the Hawk-Dove game?"
"Yes, why?"
The Hawk-Dove game refers to two different strategies of resistance in conflict: one is fierce and aggressive like a hawk, the other is patient and gentle like a dove. The Hawk-Dove game is an important theory for studying the evolution of species competition and has been widely applied. To become a The Schemer, I had studied many strategies, so I was naturally familiar with this game theory.
"In the grand family of The Schemers, Fatty is a dove, and I am a hawk. If you admit this, I will tell you everything."
"I admit you are a hawk. Go ahead!"
...
The Schemer doesn't necessarily apply to scams. It can push careers, love, and marriage towards an ideal direction. Even a The Schemer can become a leader and make a country stronger.
Old Ghost had told me this when we first met. Now, Long-Tongued Ghost had confirmed it. Neither Gluttonous Ghost nor Long-Tongued Ghost had ever intended to be swindlers; they wanted to bring the concept of scheming into the entire society. Compared to Gluttonous Ghost's natural, dove-like approach, Long-Tongued Ghost's actions were more radical, making him a true hawk.
We know that Confucianism, with its emphasis on forbearance, has always been promoted in our country. Both in foreign affairs and domestic management, we demonstrate a typical dove-like approach, avoiding danger and pursuing peaceful development.
Because of this philosophy, Long-Tongued Ghost, who advocated the concept of scheming everywhere, found it difficult to advance. Most people believed there was no need to achieve success by defeating others. With no success in his advocacy, Long-Tongued Ghost entered the police academy as a lecturer. He was studying criminology at the time and discovered that education aimed at guiding people towards goodness not only strengthened the beliefs of doves but also caused many hawks to quickly "dove-ify" during their studies.
This is easy to understand. The Hawk-Dove game refers to the method of gaining benefits under certain resources. In this theory, there are three scenarios: when a hawk meets a dove, the dove flees; when a hawk meets a hawk, it ends with one injured; when a dove meets a dove, neither is harmed. If we quantify the outcomes, a win is +10, a loss is -5, serious injury is -10, and no injury is +5...
In this situation, the best outcome is for us to adopt the hawk strategy and the opponent to adopt the dove strategy, giving us a stable gain of +10, while the opponent gains +5. The worst-case scenario is for us to adopt the hawk strategy and the opponent to also adopt the hawk strategy, resulting in mutual combat and serious injury, with a loss of -10 for each.
However, if we imagine it, this situation is unlikely to occur in everyday life. Most of the time, people tolerate each other. In peaceful coexistence, everyone lives well.
This is the ideal dove-dove strategy, also known as utopia.
This is just an idea. Divinity cannot exist. When there are too many doves, someone will naturally become a hawk, and the hawk will begin to profit. When there are too many hawks, conflict will increase, leading to heavy losses. Gradually, hawks weary of conflict become doves and begin to coexist peacefully. This is the basis of human development and evolution.
...
However, in today's society, this is not how natural development occurs. A minority of hawks control the doves, restricting their living space and granting them limited benefits. This reduces conflict among hawks and makes their gains more realistic.
Therefore, what Long-Tongued Ghost wants to do is to change the existing structure of the world and restore its normal development. He wants hawks to no longer be "rational" hawks, and he wants doves to understand that they have the right to become hawks and reclaim what belongs to them.
...
Turning "doves" into "hawks" was a topic Long-Tongued Ghost had researched for ten years. He found a lot of material in the library, focusing on the concept of the "born criminal." As an evolutionary variant of the intelligent population, Long-Tongued Ghost believed that born criminals were more likely to become The Schemers and "hawks."
Thus, Long-Tongued Ghost set his sights on a clever boy who played detective games. This clever boy was Luo Bo. In that scheme, Long-Tongued Ghost obtained a detective puzzle set by a "ultimate criminal" from a classmate of Luo Bo's. Luo Bo solved the puzzle and began to scheme.
Luo Bo was a typical dove, gentle in his actions, a non-aggressive young man. What Long-Tongued Ghost saw in him was his innate identity as a born criminal. This self-centered Luo Bo, who considered himself the smartest, had no friends, a soft exterior, and a cold heart. He always diligently worked on his planned tasks, and felt no remorse for harming others within his plans.
Such a person is a typical born criminal.
(Born criminal, societal "dove") Long-Tongued Ghost could not let go of someone who possessed both these attributes.
First, Long-Tongued Ghost proved Luo Bo's theory. He told Luo Bo that the method of locked-room murder Luo Bo had conceived could kill without a trace in the real world. He created a cold case that the police could not crack.
Then, after Luo Bo deeply understood this, Luo Bo introduced the theory of the born criminal, confusing Luo Bo's thoughts. Luo Bo, who was not familiar with psychology, would start thinking about his own personality state and even believe that the alibi evidence was fabricated by himself.
When these things began to trouble Luo Bo, Long-Tongued Ghost revealed his identity, admitted his crime, fled the school, and gave Luo Bo a contact number.
The final choice was a turning point for Luo Bo's faction: would he continue to flee like a dove, or would he transform into a hawk, acknowledge himself as a born criminal, unleash his true nature, and soar through the skies?
In fact, Long-Tongued Ghost was disappointed. Luo Bo chose to flee. He suppressed his instinctual criminal impulses with reason and then reported to the police.
...
At that time, Long-Tongued Ghost was almost in despair. He believed he would never be able to change this balance. It wasn't until he met his "mentor." His "mentor" was a person of high social standing who was tired of the scheming within their circle of the wealthy. After meeting Long-Tongued Ghost, he also believed that the tamed doves should regain their self and change their identities to join the ranks of those controlling the world.
Only by changing the evolutionary equilibrium strategy of human intelligence, by turning more doves into hawks, and then through competition, survival of the fittest, could humanity evolve once more. Once it reached that point, it would no longer be a few ancient figures who controlled the world with the madness of doves and the rationality of hawks, and the world would take great strides forward.
...
Honestly, I was utterly confused. Aren't you two just swindlers? Have you tricked yourselves into insanity? What does the evolution of human intelligence have to do with you? Long-Tongued Ghost saw that I hadn't asked a single question for a long time and understood: "You don't get it, do you?"
"I can't understand the world of the insane."
Long-Tongued Ghost chuckled again.
What are you laughing at? Is being cheerful your persona? You're a villain, a big antagonist!
"One hundred yuan, Game A: you lose one yuan per round. Game B: when the amount of money is even, you win 3 yuan. When it's odd, you lose 5 yuan. If you play one hundred rounds, which game will you win?"
"Uncle, if you're this ill, please go see a doctor, okay? Don't go out and harm people."
"Answer my question?"
"Neither will win."
"Playing the two games alternately?"
I was stunned. If I played Game B first, 100 yuan is even, so I win 3 yuan... 103 yuan to play Game A, lose 1 yuan, then play Game B again, 102 is even, win 3 yuan... It goes on and on. Damn! I'll definitely win!
What's going on? Games that should be losing, yet I can win? This is a paradox!
"No way, is this how 'Logical Paradox' came about?"
"That's right, this is the origin of 'Logical Paradox.' I'll also tell you that you think the games I play are bound to lose, but I've found a surefire way to win. 'Logical Paradox' is now a criminal organization, but many years from now, history will surely remember us. Now, I officially invite you to join 'Logical Paradox'!"
Long-Tongued Ghost's voice began to grow excited. This old fellow was using strange theories to trick me. He was waiting for my answer, and what else could my answer be but a clear and resounding: "Get lost!"