Chapter 1915: U: Beyond Major Events (Four)_1

Before the safe zone was activated, everyone was still in the previous Silver Space. Steve, who had just become the team leader, planned to hold a tactical meeting during this time.

He stood before the round table, resting his hands on the tabletop and looking around. "I believe everyone here is intelligent, at least more intelligent than me, so I won't try to micromanage. Feel free to speak your minds, but try to stay on topic. The purpose of this meeting is to analyze the known rules and establish principles for our next move. Let's begin."

Natasha gave him a thumbs-up, then said: "That's what I like about you, Captain. If Nick were to say that, it would take at least half an hour."

Steve laughed and shrugged. "He wasn't like this when we were at war before. After being in power for a long time, he couldn't help but develop a tendency to be bureaucratic."

Stark pressed his middle finger against his forehead, pulling himself out of a deep thought. Putting down his hand, he lightly tapped the table with his index finger. "Well, I won't beat around the bush. Concerning the rules we just heard, I indeed have some thoughts."

"Firstly, this is one of the simplest zero-sum games. There can only be one winner, and the loser gets nothing. This implies two things. One, we have to snatch resources from others. Two, the early mover will undoubtedly have a massive advantage."

"The reason I am saying the first point is..." Stark's eyes lingered on Peter and Steve's faces for a moment, and then he said: "It is inevitable that we will have to compete for resources with those who are like us, that is, other superheroes. So, what do you all think about this?"

After musing for a moment, Steve said, "I believe we should focus on successfully clearing each round of the game. After all, if we lose the game, we lose everything."

"I don't intend on hurting anyone." Peter shook his head vehemently. "I know I can't do it, no matter the reason."

"Fine, let's dig a little deeper." Shiller asked, "If someone from another team is about to die, would you save them?"

Steve, Peter, and Stark exchanged glances. It was Steve who spoke first. "If they haven't harmed us, we will try to help as much as we can. But if they intend to harm us, they can't blame us if we no longer remain polite."

Peter also nodded. Stark rubbed his upper lip lightly, saying, "If they haven't helped us, I won't help them either. If they did help us, I will return the favor. However, if they not only fail to help us but even try to harm us or deliberately sabotage the game, then I would be the aggressor."

It was then that Matt spoke: "If someone intentionally tries to harm us or disrupt the game so that everyone loses, regardless of whether their Points are positive or negative, I would take them down."

Shiller nodded, understanding everyone's moral principles. It wasn't surprising. Steve and Peter were traditional heroes, Stark was relatively neutral, and Matt was aggressively righteous. As for him and Natasha, they believed in an eye for an eye.

"Now, let's set some ground rules." Stark extended a finger. "Without compromising the overall team's interest for winning the game, no one will interfere with each other's decisions. If you have the capacity and wish to save someone, go on your own. If you want to seek revenge, do it yourself."

Natasha frowned, apparently in disagreement. "But doesn't an attempt to save someone, resulting in a potential loss of team members, also affect team interests?"

"Someone has to take that risk," Steve mused before adding, "According to the game rules, trying to save someone isn't merely an act of conscience. In order to prevent negative numbers from entering the prize pool, we may save lives for gain. Similarly, for the team to eventually win, someone might have to take lives."

"If we divert our attention from each other--some of us stopping others from saving lives, some blocking the ones trying to take lives--we would likely be our own downfall."

Peter covered his face. "I certainly won't harm anyone, but I must admit that there are always some black sheep. So if you plan to seek revenge, I'll turn a blind eye."

"It's good to air this out," Matt said, lightly tapping the ground with his cane. "We want to avoid a moral debate when an unexpected event occurs."

"Then it's settled." Stark knocked on the table and said, "Everyone should act according to their conscience, assuming that everyone else is neutral and not interfering."

"What if a conflict arises?" Natasha asked.

"Team interest takes priority," Shiller said.

The others looked at each other, exchanged glances, and finally nodded, implicitly accepting this approach.

"Let's move on to the second point." Stark returned to the main topic. "The rule that Points can be used to purchase tools gives an unimaginable early advantage to those who accumulate early in the game. As long as one earns enough Points and amasses a sufficient amount of tools, one could be almost unbeatable."

" Therefore, I believe our early game strategy should lean towards being more aggressive and daring, striving to earn as many Points as possible and exchange them for tools."