《The End of Ten Days》 Chapter 1 - The Empty House An old tungsten filament light hung from the ceiling by a black wire, flickering with dim, uneven light. The silence in the room spread like ink dropped into clear water¡ªslowly permeating and expanding. In the center of the room was a large, weathered round table, its surface worn and aged. At the middle of the table stood a small, intricately designed clock, ticking away with a faint sound. Seated around the table were ten individuals, each dressed in a variety of tattered and dusty clothing. Their faces were smudged with dirt, and their expressions were weary. Some were slumped over the table; others leaned back in their chairs, all of them deeply asleep. Standing silently beside them was a man dressed in a black suit, wearing a goat-headed mask. Through the ancient, battered mask, his sharp eyes glimmered with interest as he observed the ten people.
The clock on the table began to chime as both the minute hand and the hour hand pointed to "twelve." In the far distance outside the room, a deep, resonant bell echoed faintly. At that exact moment, the ten men and women seated at the round table began to slowly awaken. As they regained consciousness, they first looked around the room in confusion, then glanced at each other with puzzled expressions. It seemed no one remembered how they had arrived in this place.
"Good morning, all nine of you," the goat-headed figure began, breaking the silence. "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you here. You¡¯ve all been asleep in my presence for the past twelve hours." The man¡¯s strange attire startled the group, especially in the dim, eerie light of the room. His mask looked as though it had been crafted from a real goat¡¯s head, with much of the hair yellowed, blackened, and matted together. The eyeholes of the mask were hollow, revealing his cunning, sinister eyes. Every movement of his emitted the distinct musky odor of a goat, combined with an unsettling scent of decay.
A man with tattooed arms blinked in confusion for a few seconds before finally realizing the absurdity of the situation. Hesitant, he asked, "Who... who are you?"
"I¡¯m sure you all have the same question," the goat-headed man replied cheerfully, waving his hands as if he had been waiting for this moment. "Allow me to introduce myself to the nine of you."
Sitting farthest from the goat-headed man was a young man named Qi Xia. He quickly scanned the room, his expression growing grim within moments. This room was strange. Far too strange. There were no doors, only walls on all sides. In fact, the room was completely sealed¡ªwalls, ceiling, and floor. And yet, somehow, there was this table placed in the center of the room. How had they gotten in here? Had they been brought in first, and then the walls constructed around them afterward? Qi Xia¡¯s gaze swept over the room again. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all marked with intersecting lines that divided them into large squares.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Another detail caught his attention: the goat-headed man had addressed them as "nine." No matter how he counted, there were ten people sitting at the table. Including the goat-headed man, there were eleven individuals in the room. What did "nine" mean? Reaching into his pocket, Qi Xia wasn¡¯t surprised to find that his phone was gone.
"There¡¯s no need to explain yourself to us," a cold voice interrupted. A woman with an icy demeanor turned to the goat-headed figure and said, "I advise you to stop whatever you¡¯re doing. I suspect you¡¯ve already detained us for over twenty-four hours, which constitutes illegal imprisonment. Everything you say now will be recorded as evidence against you." As she spoke, she brushed dust off her arm with an air of disdain, as if being dirty was more offensive to her than being held captive. Her words seemed to snap the group to attention. No matter who this man was, kidnapping ten people was unquestionably a serious crime that violated the law.
"Wait a minute..." A middle-aged man in a white lab coat interrupted, narrowing his gaze at the cold woman. "We all just woke up moments ago. How do you know we¡¯ve been detained for ¡®twenty-four hours¡¯?" His tone was calm and steady, yet his question struck directly to the point.
The woman, unperturbed, pointed to the clock on the table. "The clock is currently pointing to twelve. I have a habit of staying up late, and the last time I looked at the clock at home, it was also twelve. This indicates that we¡¯ve been detained for at least twelve hours." She then gestured to the walls around them and continued, "You should have noticed¡ªthere are no doors in this room. This means he went to great lengths to bring us here. He claims we¡¯ve been asleep for twelve hours, and now the clock is pointing to twelve again, having gone two full rotations. This is why I suspect it¡¯s been over twenty-four hours. Any objections?"
The man in the white coat stared at her coldly, suspicion still evident in his gaze. Her composure seemed too unnatural. In such an environment, how could someone remain so calm and logical?
A muscular young man in a black T-shirt broke the silence. "Goat-head, why are there ten people here, but you¡¯re saying there are nine?" The goat-headed man remained silent, offering no immediate response.
"What the hell does it matter how many there are?" the tattooed man snapped angrily. He tried to push himself up from the table, but his legs gave out beneath him, leaving him slumped in his chair. He pointed shakily at the goat-headed man and added, "You¡¯d better rethink what you¡¯re doing. You have no idea who you¡¯re messing with. I¡¯ll kill you for this."
The tension in the room rose. Several of the men¡¯s expressions grew serious¡ªit was clear that they needed to act. If they could overpower the goat-headed man, they might be able to regain control of the situation. But as they attempted to stand, they realized their legs were paralyzed, as though something had been injected into them. All they could do was hurl verbal threats and curses at the goat-headed man.
Qi Xia, however, remained silent. Stroking his chin, he stared at the clock on the table, lost in thought. Things weren¡¯t as simple as they seemed. The goat-headed man had specifically mentioned "nine participants." If there were ten people here, then one of them wasn¡¯t a participant. Who were they? Among the five men and five women in the room, could one of them be the "kidnapper"?
Without speaking, the goat-headed man slowly moved behind one of the young men seated at the table. Everyone followed his gaze and realized that the young man he stood behind was different from the others. Though his face was dirty, it was lit up with an eerie, almost blissful smile. The goat-headed man raised a hand and placed it on the back of the young man¡¯s head. The young man¡¯s smile grew more unsettling, and he glanced at the others with excitement, as if he already knew something they didn¡¯t.
With a dull thud, the goat-headed man slammed the young man¡¯s head down onto the table. A horrifying splatter of pink and white spread like paint across the table. Blood droplets landed on everyone¡¯s faces. The young man¡¯s skull had been shattered completely against the tabletop.
From outside the room, the distant sound of a bell echoed again.
Sitting closest to the deceased, Qi Xia felt something warm and sticky land on his face. Staring at the remains, his body began to tremble despite his best efforts to stay composed. The woman seated next to the victim froze for three seconds before her face contorted, and she let out a piercing scream. The scream shattered the frail psychological defenses of the group.
Could a human being truly shatter a skull with their bare hands? Was the goat-headed figure even human? Despite his frail appearance, how could he possess such terrifying strength?
The goat-headed man finally spoke again: "The reason I brought ten of you here was so that one of you could be used to quiet the rest." [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to new chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 2 - Lying The woman''s screaming stopped, and everyone''s thoughts came to an abrupt halt. The men who had been hurling insults moments before also fell silent. This was no longer a matter of "breaking the law." The terrifying truth now stood before them: this monstrous figure was absolutely willing to kill. After a full minute of oppressive silence, the goat-headed figure nodded slightly. "Very good, nine of you. It seems you¡¯ve all quieted down." The group¡¯s expressions darkened, but no one dared to speak. Just as he said¡ªthere were now truly only "nine" of them. Qi Xia reached out with a trembling hand and pulled a pale yellow fragment off his face. It was a piece of shattered brain tissue, still warm and faintly pulsing. But within seconds, it lost its vitality, collapsing like a punctured balloon. "Now, allow me to introduce myself," the goat-headed figure said, lifting his blood-stained hand to point at his mask. "I am ''Man-Goat,'' and you are ''Participants.''" The group froze, confused by the terms. "Man-Goat"? "Participants"? "You¡¯ve been gathered here to participate in a game¡ªa game that will ultimately create a ''God,''" Man-Goat said in a calm tone. These words caused the group to frown collectively. During the short time they had spent with this man, they had already recognized that he was a madman. But now this madman was claiming to be creating a "God"? "Create¡­ what kind of God?" the muscular young man asked nervously. "A God like Nuwa!" Man-Goat exclaimed, gesturing excitedly. His rancid odor seemed to intensify, and his voice carried a hint of malevolence. "Isn¡¯t it wonderful? You will all be witnesses to history! Nuwa once created humanity, but sacrificed herself while mending the heavens, transforming into a rainbow... We cannot lose Nuwa, so we must create her anew! A great mission awaits this ''God''!" As he spoke, his voice grew louder and more manic, his entire demeanor brimming with fervor. "Nuwa..." The muscular man furrowed his brow, finding the concept increasingly difficult to accept. After a pause, he asked, "Are you some kind of religious cult?" "Religious cult?" Man-Goat tilted his head and looked at the man. "We are far grander than a ''religion.'' We possess an entire ''world''!" After hearing this, the group fell silent again. The muscular man¡¯s question was pointed¡ªMan-Goat¡¯s actions had clearly resembled those of a cult. However, most cults tended to invent new deities rather than invoke heroic figures like Nuwa. "If that¡¯s the case..." the muscular man pressed on, "what exactly are we here to ''participate'' in?" "I¡¯ve already told you¡ªa game," Man-Goat replied without hesitation. "If you win, one of you will become a ''God.''" "Damn it..." The tattooed man, who seemed to have calmed down, cursed under his breath. "So it¡¯s like the ''Investiture of the Gods''? And if we lose?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "If you lose..." Man-Goat glanced at the blood still on his hands, a trace of disappointment flashing across his face. "It would be a real pity..." Though he didn¡¯t say it outright, everyone understood his meaning. If they lost, they would die. There was no "walk away alive" option. It was either ascend to Man-Goat¡¯s so-called "Godhood" or die like the young man whose head had been smashed. "If everyone understands... then let the game officially begin. This game is called ''The Liar,''" Man-Goat said as he slowly pulled a stack of papers from his coat. Casually, he walked around the table, placing one sheet in front of each participant. Then, he handed out pens to everyone. The table was still stained with blood, and as each white sheet touched the surface, it absorbed the red streaks. When they flipped the paper over to examine it, the blood smeared further, making the sheets appear almost entirely red. "Next, I want each of you to tell a story¡ªabout what happened to you right before you arrived here," Man-Goat continued. "However, there is one rule: among the storytellers, one of you will be lying. Once all nine of you have shared your stories, you will begin voting. "If all nine of you select the ''Liar,'' the liar will be eliminated, and the rest of you will survive. But if even one person votes incorrectly, the liar survives, and the rest of you will be eliminated." "The Liar...?" The group was perplexed. Would anyone really dare to lie in a life-or-death situation? "Wait, can we discuss ''strategies''?" the muscular man suddenly asked. "Feel free," Man-Goat responded, nodding. "You have one minute to strategize before the game begins. Would you like to use that time now, or later?" "I¡¯ll use it now," the muscular man decided without hesitation. "Go ahead," Man-Goat said, stepping back from the table to give them space. The muscular man pressed his lips together, scanning the group while deliberately avoiding looking at the headless corpse on the table. He finally spoke: "I don¡¯t know who among us might lie later, but this ''rule'' feels far too rigid. As long as one of us votes incorrectly, we all die. And even if we vote correctly, the liar still dies. No matter what, someone will die. However, I¡¯ve thought of a way for everyone to survive..." The group turned their attention to him. Could there really be a way for everyone to survive? "The answer is simple," the muscular man declared. "None of us lie. We nine tell the truth, and at the end, we all write on our papers, ''No one lied.'' This doesn¡¯t violate the rules, and we can all survive." The man in the white coat tapped his fingers lightly on the table. After a moment, he calmly said: "Your plan is good¡ªassuming you aren¡¯t the liar. But how can we trust you? If you were the liar, and we all wrote ''No one lied,'' you¡¯d be the only one who survives." "What kind of nonsense is that?" The muscular man looked slightly annoyed. "If I were the liar, why would I propose such a plan? I could just focus on saving myself." Man-Goat raised his hand slightly and said, "Your one minute is up. Please stop discussing." The two men glared at each other but held their tongues. "Now, draw your cards," Man-Goat instructed, pulling a small stack of cards from his pocket. The cards were about the size of playing cards, with the words "Nuwa¡¯s Game" written on the back. The muscular man frowned. "What are these?" "Identity cards," Man-Goat chuckled. "If you draw the card marked ''Liar,'' you must lie." The muscular man gritted his teeth. "You¡¯re messing with us! Why didn¡¯t you explain this rule earlier?!" "This is your punishment," Man-Goat sneered. "I wasn¡¯t finished explaining the rules when you asked to discuss strategy. You wasted a valuable minute¡ªit¡¯s not my fault." Though seething, the muscular man swallowed his anger, knowing Man-Goat¡¯s strength made resistance futile. Within a minute, all nine participants had drawn a card, but no one dared to look at theirs. For the four women, their hands trembled slightly, while the men¡¯s faces were grim. This wasn¡¯t just about "identity"¡ªit was about "life and death." Qi Xia took a deep breath, casually sliding his card toward himself. He flipped it over for a quick glance. The words staring back at him were clear: "Liar." [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to new chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 3 - People with Skills "Liar..." Qi Xia silently repeated the word a few times in his mind. After confirming his identity, he nonchalantly placed his card face down. Just a minute ago, he had fantasized about the idea that "everyone could survive." But now, things were different. Although he didn¡¯t know any of the eight people sitting before him, there was no doubt in his mind¡ªthe ones who would die this time could only be them. "If no one has any objections, please remember the rules. In this game, there is ''only one liar''..." The goat-headed figure pointed to the sensual girl seated to Qi Xia¡¯s left. "We¡¯ll begin with you and proceed clockwise." "Huh? Me?" The girl was startled, then pouted her lips. Qi Xia glanced to his left. Starting the storytelling clockwise from the girl seemed unfavorable to him¡ªhe would end up being the last to speak. Under intense tension and pressure, people usually only remembered the first speaker and the last speaker. However, raising an objection now would make him stand out too much, so he decided to wait and see. The girl furrowed her brows, her large eyes darting around anxiously before she sighed and said, "Alright, I¡¯ll start. But I¡¯m not good at storytelling, so don¡¯t blame me if it¡¯s bad..." The others didn¡¯t say anything, simply sitting in silence as they listened. The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her slender fingers and began, "My name is Tiantian, and I¡¯m a... uh... ''technical worker.'' We earn money using our skills, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything shameful about that." Only now did everyone notice that this girl, Tiantian, was dressed scantily in a dirty low-cut mini-dress that barely covered what needed to be covered. But she didn¡¯t seem to care about her appearance at all. "Most of my stories aren¡¯t appropriate to share here... Just call me ''action-oriented,'' not ''descriptive.'' Honestly, if I were more educated, do you think I¡¯d be in this line of work?" "Anyway, before I came here, I was working. But the client I met was really something... Our shop provides a proper service area, but he insisted on using his car, saying it would be more ''exciting.'' So, for the money, I agreed to go with him..." "It was my first time working in a car. Though it looked fancy on the outside, the inside was so cramped, and soon I was sweating all over. I really don¡¯t get what¡¯s so ''exciting'' about it. On top of that, his phone kept ringing, and he refused to answer. It was driving me crazy..." Tiantian seemed ready to continue complaining about the client, but her eyes accidentally drifted to the dead body on the table. She shivered and took a deep breath before continuing, "Sigh, whatever. I chose this profession, so I accept it. But I never expected an ''earthquake'' to happen out of nowhere! At first, I thought our movements were too intense and causing the shaking, but it turned out to be a real earthquake."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. At the mention of "earthquake," everyone¡¯s expressions subtly shifted, as if recalling something. "Our car was parked in a small alley... Right above us was a huge billboard. I had my head sticking out of the car window and saw it clearly," Tiantian said, pointing above her head as her voice trembled. "That massive billboard broke with a ''clang'' for no reason and fell directly onto the car. I lost consciousness immediately..." She let out a long sigh and added, "When I woke up, I was here. I was scared to death..." Tiantian made a pitiful expression, clearly a practiced look designed to tug at men¡¯s heartstrings. The tattooed man sitting next to her paused for a moment before saying, "Do we need to continue listening to these stories?" The man in the white coat looked confused. "What do you mean?" "This ''lady'' has already lied. We can just vote now," the tattooed man declared confidently. "You...! What are you saying?!" Tiantian exclaimed, visibly startled. "How did I lie?" The tattooed man gave her a cold look and said, "Your name. You said your name is ''Tiantian,'' but everyone knows that companions like you use fake names. Names like ''Tiantian,'' ''Xiaofang,'' or ''Lili'' are common aliases. So by hiding your real name, you¡¯ve already lied." Hearing this, Tiantian¡¯s face turned bright red. "You... you¡¯re talking nonsense! My name really is Tiantian! I haven¡¯t used my real name in years!" she protested. Looking around nervously, she added, "At work, everyone only knows me as ''Tiantian.'' If you called my real name, no one would recognize it!" The group began to ponder this, while Qi Xia¡¯s expression grew serious. From Tiantian¡¯s story, Qi Xia couldn¡¯t detect any sense of dishonesty. Her storytelling was steady and conversational, like chatting with friends. Such a natural delivery suggested two possibilities: either she had rehearsed the story many times, or she was telling the truth. But now, the tattooed man had introduced a new angle: lying about one¡¯s name. Lying about a name didn¡¯t require logical consistency or coherence, making it hard to spot. After all, none of the participants knew each other, and names were only conveyed through personal claims. Qi Xia recalled the goat-headed figure¡¯s words: "Among all the storytellers, one person is lying." The rules didn¡¯t specify that the lie had to involve a false story¡ªit could also involve a false name. Tiantian, now accused, looked nervous and panicked. "If you still don¡¯t believe me, my real name is Zhang Lijuan... I¡¯m from Shaanxi... You can call me by my real name, but I won¡¯t respond unless you call me ''Tiantian.'' I... I..." Hearing this, Qi Xia shook his head silently. This woman wasn¡¯t as clever as she seemed. This meant she couldn¡¯t have planned such a detailed lie in advance, nor could she have come up with the "name deception" strategy on the spot. The goat-headed figure said there was "only one liar," and that liar could only be Qi Xia himself. If no one else caught onto the significance of Tiantian¡¯s "name issue," Qi Xia had found a foolproof method to win. To craft his own lie, Qi Xia decided to avoid attention-grabbing details. For instance, using the surname "Qi" wasn¡¯t ideal¡ªit was uncommon enough to be memorable. Instead, he decided to call himself "Li Ming." As for the rest of his story, he would keep it straightforward. This way, no matter how sharp the others were, they wouldn¡¯t find any inconsistencies. The game was about to end. [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to new chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 4: Disaster? At this moment, the tattooed man raised his hand and looked at the goat-headed figure. "Hey, referee, how do you handle cases like hers, where she uses an alias? Does that count as lying?" The goat-headed figure neither nodded nor shook his head. He simply said calmly, "I will no longer participate in any part of the process. You only need to write down the name you believe is the liar. Remember one thing¡ª''the rules are absolute.''* In the end, I will personally enforce ''punishment'' on the losers."* The word "punishment" fell heavily, sending a chill down everyone¡¯s spine. "This... this proves I didn¡¯t lie!" Tiantian shouted anxiously. "If I had lied, I¡¯d be dead by now, wouldn¡¯t I? Even if it''s an alias, my alias really is ''Tiantian''!" No one responded to her. At this life-and-death juncture, no one was willing to let go of any potential clue. "I guess it¡¯s my turn to tell my story," the tattooed man muttered, clicking his tongue in apparent reluctance. "If her story doesn¡¯t count as a lie, then mine definitely isn¡¯t." "My name is Qiao Jiajin. I live in Guangdong and don¡¯t have a steady job. Before coming here, I was collecting debts." His Mandarin was poor, so everyone had to listen carefully. "You know, people these days are something else. When they borrow money, they promise the world, but when it¡¯s time to repay, they start playing the victim." "Those bastards call us debt collectors devils, cold-blooded monsters. "But think about it¡ªwhen they were at their lowest, when no one else would lend them money, I was the one who stepped in to help. When no institution would give them a cent, I gave them a lifeline. To them, I wasn¡¯t a devil; I was their savior." "And how do they treat their savior?" "They run around crying about how hard their life is, claiming they¡¯ve been cheated out of two million yuan. Then they slam us for being cold-blooded debt collectors. They try to use the sympathy of their neighbors to wiggle out of their situation. But we signed a contract, didn¡¯t we? Every penny of interest was laid out clearly. And now they can¡¯t pay back the money¡ªthat¡¯s our fault?" "Last night, I decided to teach one of them a lesson. I tied him up and took him to the rooftop of a bar. But then an earthquake hit out of nowhere. I didn¡¯t want to kill him, but that coward pulled out a knife in the chaos and tried to stab me!" "In all the confusion, I ended up falling off the rooftop with him. We crashed into a billboard. After that... my memory¡¯s a blur." After listening to his story, everyone frowned. Tiantian, however, seemed to catch onto something. She let out an angry laugh and said, "See? I knew it! This is why you were trying to throw dirt on me. Turns out you¡¯re the liar!" "What? What makes you think I¡¯m lying?" Qiao Jiajin retorted fiercely. "I¡¯m in Shaanxi; you¡¯re in Guangdong!" Tiantian pointed at him. "Your story is clearly copied from mine! I said there was an earthquake, and now you¡¯re saying there was an earthquake. I got hit by a billboard, and now you¡¯re saying you also hit a billboard. If this isn¡¯t lying, what is?"A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Who cares where you are? I experienced an earthquake, simple as that," the tattooed man shot back, his eyes glaring. "If I didn¡¯t mention it, that would be lying. And as for the billboard, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s only one billboard in the entire world!" "You¡¯re lying, plain and simple!" Tiantian shouted, pointing at him. "Your profession is inherently shady. It¡¯s no surprise you¡¯d lie!" "Heh, and you think your profession is so much better than mine?" Qi Xia watched the two argue intensely. Something about the situation felt... odd. It wasn¡¯t that he could determine who was lying, but rather, he had also experienced an earthquake. He wasn¡¯t in Shaanxi, nor was he in Guangdong¡ªhe was in Shandong. Was it possible for a natural disaster like this to span such a vast area? This earthquake seemed to have affected three provinces, covering half the country. If all of their stories were true, then this would have been an unprecedented catastrophe. "Stop arguing and let¡¯s move on," said the muscular man sitting across from them. His deep voice silenced the two bickering participants. He glanced at the next girl and added, "Your turn. If we¡¯re going to judge who¡¯s lying, we might as well wait until everyone has spoken." Hearing this, the two offenders snorted coldly but said nothing more. The woman next to Qiao Jiajin nodded timidly, her voice shaking as she started her story. "Um... My... my name is Xiao Ran. I¡¯m a kindergarten teacher." She looked terrified, her voice barely above a whisper and trembling as she spoke. "Before coming here, I was waiting with a child for his parent to pick him up. His mom used to come every day, but I heard that she was seriously ill, something about needing brain surgery¡­ So his dad had been picking him up instead. But his dad often forgot to come." "Last night, it was already past six. My work hours had long since ended, but for some reason, the child¡¯s father wasn¡¯t answering his phone..." "I didn¡¯t know their home address, so I couldn¡¯t take the child home. All I could do was wait with him at the street corner." "I actually had an appointment last night... with a therapist. I¡¯ve been feeling like I don¡¯t enjoy teaching anymore. I was hoping the therapist could help me figure things out." "But I ended up waiting at the street corner for hours, missing my appointment completely." "While I was lost in thought, the ground suddenly started to shake. I was so scared¡­ It took me a few seconds to realize it was an earthquake." "The tremors didn¡¯t feel like what I¡¯d heard about before. The ground didn¡¯t jump¡ªit swayed back and forth. It was like standing on a table while someone rocked it from side to side." "I immediately grabbed the child and held him close, but I didn¡¯t know what to do. I saw the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple in the distance begin to crack... Thankfully, we were standing in an open area." "Then I saw a car, completely out of control, speeding straight toward us. I tried to carry the child and run, but the shaking ground made it impossible to stay on my feet. I kept falling with every step." "The last time I fell, I hit my head... and passed out. When I woke up, I was here." Her story was unremarkable, except for one detail that caught Qi Xia¡¯s attention: Chongsheng Temple¡¯s Three Pagodas. Those pagodas were located in Dali, Yunnan. Qi Xia gently tapped the card on the table. Beneath his fingers lay the words "Liar." Could there be multiple liars? If "the rules are absolute," as the goat-headed figure had said, then the statement "there is only one liar" must also be absolute. Since Qi Xia drew the "Liar" card, it meant no one else could be lying¡ªthe others¡¯ stories had to be true. And yet, these stories, spanning three provinces, seemed inexplicably connected. Not just the earthquake¡ªthe events themselves seemed intertwined. Wasn¡¯t that far too strange? At this moment, all eyes turned to the next person: the middle-aged man in a white coat. [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to new chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 5: The Doctor "I..." The man in the white coat seemed much calmer than everyone else, even though the corpse on the table in front of them didn¡¯t faze him. "My name is Zhao Haibo. I¡¯m a doctor, as you can probably tell from my attire." He tugged at his dirty, blood-stained white coat and continued: "Before I ended up here, I was performing surgery on a woman. She had a rapidly growing tumor in her brain¡¯s ventricles¡ªa condition that had worsened over the past six months, causing minor hydrocephalus. Without immediate cranial surgery, her life was at serious risk." "I opted for a frontal lobe approach, using CT imaging to directly puncture into the ventricles. This kind of surgery is always high-risk, but the woman chose to face it bravely so she could stay alive for her young son." "Normally, surgery rooms are kept stable¡ªeven a slight breeze is unacceptable. But no one predicted something far more disruptive than wind." "When the earthquake struck, I had just removed the woman¡¯s skull and was cutting into the dura mater. Any mistake at this stage could cause severe brain trauma, leading to catastrophic consequences." "I made an immediate decision to stop the surgery and temporarily replace the skull. If I didn¡¯t, the dust and debris in the air would likely have killed her." "But it turned out to be far harder than I expected. I couldn¡¯t even stand steadily¡ªhow could I possibly reposition a small piece of skull with precision?" "The nurse beside me bumped into me, throwing me off balance. Everyone was struggling to stand. In the chaos, I could only cover the woman¡¯s head with a sterile sheet before turning around to organize an evacuation. But just then, a medical cart slammed into my leg, and I fell to the ground." "Before I could get back up, the ceiling in the operating room cracked open. I lost consciousness immediately." After hearing the doctor¡¯s story, everyone¡¯s expressions were uneasy. He had used a lot of medical terminology. If even one of those terms had been fabricated, no one here would be able to tell. "Dr. Zhao, where are you from?" the muscular man asked casually. "I don¡¯t feel obligated to answer that," Dr. Zhao replied. "I¡¯ve already told my story." The muscular man opened his mouth to say something but ultimately stayed silent. "I-Is it my turn now?" A bespectacled young man, his eyes darting nervously, spoke up. "My name is Han Yimo, and I¡¯m¡ª" "Wait." The Goathead interrupted Han Yimo¡¯s statement. Han Yimo flinched, startled. He turned his head in confusion. "W-What is it?"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "It¡¯s intermission time," Goathead chuckled awkwardly. "We¡¯ll take a twenty-minute break now." Everyone looked at each other in confusion. A break? At a time like this? Qi Xia glanced at the clock in the center of the table. It had been half an hour since they woke up. The time was now 12:30. "So this break is mandatory," Qi Xia thought to himself. "At the thirty-minute mark, no matter who is speaking, there will be a twenty-minute break..." However, considering that the "game" had been going on for only thirty minutes, taking a twenty-minute break now seemed absurd. Qi Xia frowned. He understood this wasn¡¯t something he needed to dwell on. The person hosting this game was clearly a lunatic. It was pointless to approach this situation with normal reasoning. He could only mentally prepare himself, repeating the same phrase over and over: "My name is Li Ming. I¡¯m from Shandong." He needed to drill these words into his head, so that when it was his turn to speak, they would come out naturally. Everyone remained silent, waiting uncomfortably. Although this was supposed to be "intermission," the atmosphere grew even more oppressive. "Can we... talk during the break?" the muscular man asked Goathead. "Oh, of course. This is your free time. I won¡¯t interfere." The muscular man nodded and turned to Dr. Zhao. "Dr. Zhao, where are you really from?" Dr. Zhao¡¯s expression darkened. "You seem to have been against me from the start. Why must I tell you where I¡¯m from?" "Don¡¯t misunderstand me. I mean no harm," the muscular man responded calmly. "The more you tell us, the more credible your story becomes. Since everyone else has shared their hometowns, there¡¯s no reason for you to withhold yours." "The more I say, the more credible it becomes?" Dr. Zhao shook his head dismissively. "I only know that ¡®the more you say, the more mistakes you make.¡¯ If the rules are absolute, then my story is sufficient as it is. Besides, I don¡¯t trust any of you." "That¡¯s a bit unfair," the muscular man said. "There are nine of us here, and only one of us is the enemy. If you¡¯re willing to cooperate with the group, we can work together to identify the liar. By staying secretive, you¡¯re just making yourself look suspicious. This is the second time I¡¯m asking: will you keep hiding the truth?" The muscular man was clearly skilled at interrogation. With only a few words, he had backed Dr. Zhao into a logical corner. His meaning was clear: only the liar wouldn¡¯t need to trust anyone, since they already knew their own identity. If Dr. Zhao continued to withhold information, he would only make himself a bigger target. But as a neurosurgeon, Dr. Zhao was no ordinary man. He scoffed coldly and countered: "Then let me ask you first: who are you? What do you do?" "Me?" The muscular man hadn¡¯t expected the doctor to turn the tables on him, and his expression stiffened. "That¡¯s right. Since you¡¯ve been badgering me after my story, I think it¡¯s only fair that I ask you before you tell yours," Dr. Zhao said with a slight smile. "Fair, isn¡¯t it?" The muscular man thought for a moment, then nodded. "You¡¯re right. I have nothing to hide. My name is Li Shangwu, and I¡¯m a criminal investigator." At his words, everyone turned to look at him. At a time like this, the words "criminal investigator" brought an unexpected sense of security to the group. "You¡¯re a police officer?!" Dr. Zhao was momentarily stunned. No wonder this man had been probing and asking questions from the beginning. He was also the first person to suggest trying to save everyone. It was possible he genuinely wanted to lead them out safely. Dr. Zhao¡¯s attitude noticeably softened. "If that¡¯s the case, I apologize for my earlier behavior. I¡¯m from Jiangsu." At this point, the tattooed man, Qiao Jiajin, spoke up with a grim expression: "So, Dr. Zhao, you¡¯re willing to trust this Officer Li?" "Hmm?" Dr. Zhao looked at Qiao Jiajin, puzzled. "What are you trying to say?" Qiao Jiajin tapped his finger on the table and said flatly: "It¡¯s not ¡®story time¡¯ right now. In other words... anyone can lie during this break." [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to new chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 6: The Police Officer "Stop trying to sow discord," Officer Li glared at Qiao Jiajin, his tone stern. "You¡¯re a loan shark, and I¡¯m a police officer. Who do you think everyone here will trust?" Qi Xia glanced at the arguing group. He believed Officer Li wasn¡¯t lying¡ªhe truly was a criminal investigator. But his approach was flawed. Perhaps it was his professional instincts, or maybe his sense of justice, but he was determined to organize everyone into an orderly group. The intermission was already halfway over, and the room gradually fell silent. Qi Xia had repeated the phrase "My name is Li Ming" countless times in his head by now, to the point where it was starting to irritate him. After all, there was a corpse with a shattered skull lying right next to him, making it nearly impossible to focus. Blood dripped from the table onto the floor with a steady "drip¡­ drip¡­". The group had been trapped in the same room with the body for almost an hour, and a strange, putrid odor was beginning to fill the air. Qi Xia glanced absentmindedly at the corpse beside him. His pants were already stained and filthy. When a person dies, various bodily functions cease suddenly, leading to loss of muscle control and involuntary excretions. Before the stench of decomposition fully sets in, the sharp smell of bodily fluids already assaults the senses. Qi Xia and a young woman were seated on either side of the corpse. The woman, clearly disgusted by the smell, kept her hand over her nose and mouth. Another ten minutes passed, and finally, Goathead spoke again: "The twenty-minute intermission is over. The game will now resume." The young man named Han Yimo steadied himself, took a deep breath, and began: "My name is Han Yimo. I¡¯m an online novelist." "Before I arrived here, I was at my rented apartment, working on the final chapter of one of my novels. Since the finale involved a cast of over a hundred characters, I was intensely focused on writing and didn¡¯t notice anything happening outside." "In fact¡­ I didn¡¯t even realize when the earthquake struck or when I lost consciousness." Han Yimo¡¯s story was concise and vastly different from those before him. His account seemed completely "independent" and ended in just a few sentences. "That¡¯s it?" The muscular man blinked in surprise. "You¡¯re just going to end with ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯?" "Because I can¡¯t lie, I don¡¯t need to fabricate an answer just to cater to everyone," Han Yimo replied calmly. His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it carried an inexplicable sense of credibility. "Fine... Let¡¯s move to the next person," Officer Li said, still visibly skeptical. He turned to the next individual. "It¡¯s the lady¡¯s turn." "Hey, cop." Qiao Jiajin looked displeased with Officer Li¡¯s attitude. "We¡¯re all ¡®participants¡¯ here. Stop making it seem like you¡¯re the team captain." "Someone has to organize everyone," Officer Li retorted. "I¡¯ve already said, there¡¯s only one enemy among us. The other eight have to work together." "And who made you the leader?" Qiao Jiajin sneered, ignoring Officer Li¡¯s words. "Outside, maybe I¡¯d be afraid of you. But in this situation, no one knows if you¡¯re the liar."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Enough, you two," the cold woman interjected, interrupting their argument. From the beginning, this woman had been logical and composed, even accusing Goathead of holding them captive for 24 hours. Seeing the two calm down, she continued: "In this so-called ¡®game,¡¯ whoever wins in the end will be seen as having committed ¡®indirect murder.¡¯ That¡¯s what you should really be considering." Hearing this, Qi Xia¡¯s expression shifted slightly. If he truly made it out of this room alive, it would mean he had "killed" the other eight participants. But what could he do about it? The card in front of him clearly stated he was a "Liar." Who would willingly sacrifice their own life to save others? "My name is Zhang Chenzhen. I¡¯m a lawyer," the cold woman said, crossing her arms with a blank expression. "It¡¯s unfortunate to meet you all under such bizarre circumstances. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve handed out my business card." The group didn¡¯t seem to understand her humor, but she didn¡¯t appear to care. "Before I came here, I was organizing materials for a court case. My client had been scammed out of two million yuan. The amount was significant, and the circumstances were egregious." When she mentioned "two million yuan," most of the group remained expressionless, but Qiao Jiajin¡¯s face showed a flicker of shock. "Two million?" he asked. "That¡¯s right, two million. Lawyers are supposed to be impartial and unbiased, but we do have personal feelings. That man took out high-interest loans to support his family, and it¡¯s deeply concerning. But illegal lending is a separate case and unrelated to me." "When the earthquake struck, I was driving to meet my client. I was on Qingyang Avenue, just past Du Fu¡¯s Cottage, near Wuhou Shrine. I remember¡­ I wasn¡¯t driving fast, only about 40 km/h. Then I saw the ground ahead cracking open." "I braked immediately, coming to a stop right in front of the crack. But I didn¡¯t expect the car behind me to fail to stop in time, causing a chain reaction of collisions." "I heard several loud crashes, and my car was pushed into the crack. After that, I blacked out and woke up here." Another story concluded. Only three people had yet to share their accounts. "Wuhou Shrine¡­" Dr. Zhao muttered thoughtfully. "You mean the one in Chengdu?" "Yes, I work in Chengdu." It seemed this earthquake had affected the entire nation. Judging from the fragmented stories, figuring out who was lying was proving incredibly difficult. "It¡¯s my turn now," Officer Li said, looking around the group. "As I mentioned earlier, my name is Li Shangwu. I¡¯m a criminal investigator from Inner Mongolia." "Before coming here, I was staking out a fraud suspect. We had reliable information and had pinpointed the suspect¡¯s location." "The suspect had scammed someone out of two million yuan. It was the first major fraud case in our city this year." "My partner and I had been sitting in the car, watching the suspect¡¯s residence, waiting for him to show up." "But the suspect turned out to be even smarter than we thought. He must¡¯ve sensed danger because he didn¡¯t show up for three days." "During those three days, we stayed in the car, eating, drinking, and even relieving ourselves there. It was mentally exhausting." "But do you know what¡¯s worse for a grown man than being hungry or thirsty?" "Running out of cigarettes." "Neither of us had a single cigarette left. Technically, we weren¡¯t supposed to leave our post, but the craving was unbearable." "So I sent my partner to go buy cigarettes while I kept watching the suspect¡¯s residence." "But just after my partner left, the ground started shaking violently. I was about to get out of the car to see what was happening when someone suddenly wrapped a thin wire around my neck from behind." "Even though I¡¯m trained in close combat, it¡¯s incredibly difficult to deal with a wire coming from the back seat. I couldn¡¯t reach the person behind me, nor could I remove the wire from my neck." Everyone stared at Officer Li. They noticed a visible red mark around his neck. "I immediately reclined my seat to regain my breath, but I still couldn¡¯t turn around. My large frame was stuck under the steering wheel." "While I was down, the attacker struck me hard on the head with something. I blacked out and woke up here." After hearing Officer Li¡¯s story, suspicion began to rise among the group. His account was completely different. Before him, all the participants had described accidents that led to their injuries and unconsciousness. He was the only one who claimed to have been attacked. If they had to choose the most suspicious person, wouldn¡¯t it be him? [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to new chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 7: The Winning Edge "You''re lying, kid." Qiao Jiajin coldly snapped. "Hmph, I knew you''d say that, but do you have any proof to back up your accusation? Just because someone attacked me?" the man replied with a sneer. "Of course not." Qiao Jiajin gave a slight smile. "Although the reasons aren''t clear, all the stories we''ve heard up until now are somehow connected. Many of the characters in these stories overlap. If we disregard the geographical locations, everyone''s accounts are reasonable." "So what?" the man retorted. "The problem lies right here." Qiao Jiajin extended his hand, pointing at Lawyer Zhang Chenze. "In both your story and the lawyer''s, there¡¯s one common character: the ''fraudster who scammed two million yuan.'' But your stories contradict each other, which means one of you is lying." Officer Li paused, then asked, "Where¡¯s the contradiction?" Qiao Jiajin shook his head and turned to Officer Li. "Lawyer Zhang is about to go to trial, which means in her version of the story, the ''suspect has been caught.'' But you''re still on stakeout, which means in your version, the ''suspect is still at large.'' Isn¡¯t that a contradiction?" Officer Li thought for a moment, then spoke. "I¡¯ll admit, you have a point, but I think you''ve been influenced by this ''game.'' First, you have to understand one major premise: everyone who told a story before was in a different city. In other words, even if our experiences are similar, it¡¯s impossible they¡¯re all about the same event. Since these are different events, naturally, there will be different outcomes." Qi Xia quietly observed the two men arguing, without intervening. Let them argue, the more fiercely, the better. As long as one of them votes for the other, the liar wins. After all, the rules are absolute. If anyone but the liar casts a wrong vote, everyone else is doomed. Although Officer Li had given his explanation, Qiao Jiajin''s words still lingered in the minds of everyone. This was the first time anyone had noticed a contradiction in the stories of two people. Qi Xia couldn¡¯t help but give a subtle nod to this man, Qiao Jiajin. He appeared reckless and unruly, but he was smarter than she had expected. "Mm... I guess it''s my turn now," a young woman spoke up. Everyone shifted their attention to her. This girl had screamed loudly when the body was found earlier. Now she seemed to have calmed down, though her eyes avoided looking at the people beside her. "Hello, everyone. My name is Lin Qin, and I''m a psychological counselor." Qi Xia paused for a moment, as "Lin Qin" was an interesting name. Before the Tang Dynasty, "Lin Qin" meant "apple." The name carried a poetic feel, leaving a deep impression.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Perhaps this young lady''s parents wanted her to have a unique name, but ironically, that name might cost her life here. Among those present were writers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and police officers. Anyone of them might recognize the meaning of "Lin Qin." Just letting the name circulate in their minds would make her story memorable. Lin Qin noticed that no one seemed to react, so she covered her mouth and nose and continued, "I''m from Ningxia. Before I arrived here, I was waiting for a client, a kindergarten teacher." Everyone glanced at the kindergarten teacher, Xiao Ran, who was sitting nearby. Once again, there was a connection in the story. "According to her, the kindergarten industry is really tough now. Children can''t be hit or scolded. Parents treat kindergarten teachers like nannies, and children treat them like servants. Every classroom has surveillance cameras, and parents monitor in real time. If your tone is even slightly harsh, parents will call the principal." "But aren''t parents sending their children to kindergarten to establish proper values?" "If teachers can¡¯t discipline them, how can children recognize their mistakes?" "She said she¡¯s been feeling lost and oppressed for a long time." "So, I put together a treatment plan for her, about a month long." "But for some reason, the client never showed up for the appointment, and I was just waiting in my studio." "When the earthquake struck, I didn''t have a chance to escape. My studio is on the 26th floor." "The higher the floor, the stronger the tremor. I felt the whole building shaking." "I never knew that Ningxia could have an earthquake, but this one made me feel it." "Later, I vaguely remember the ceiling collapsing. Everything went black, and I lost consciousness." After Lin Qin finished her story, everyone seemed to have had a realization. Qiao Jiajin was the first to speak. "I have two questions." "Go ahead," Lin Qin said, still covering her mouth and nose. "You mentioned that every classroom had ''surveillance,'' what do you mean by that?" Everyone was surprised that Qiao Jiajin¡¯s focus was on this, but Lin Qin, being a psychological counselor, answered calmly, "I think the reason they installed ''surveillance'' is so parents can view the classroom at any time." "So it''s ''closed-circuit TV''... is it a fancy kindergarten?" Qiao Jiajin muttered to himself, then asked, "Was the kindergarten teacher you met, this Xiao Ran?" "I don''t know," Lin Qin shook her head. "We only added each other on WeChat, and we hadn''t planned to meet up yet." "WeChat?" Qiao Jiajin seemed confused for a moment. Officer Li interrupted, saying, "Hey, you¡¯re at it again. Xiao Ran is from Yunnan, and this Lin Qin is from Ningxia. Who would travel such a long distance to see a psychological counselor?" Qiao Jiajin didn''t back down. "I just find it suspicious. This is the first time someone¡¯s story mentioned another participant." Dr. Zhao nodded, agreeing with Qiao Jiajin, and asked, "Xiao Ran, does the reason you went to see a counselor match what Lin Qin described?" "Mm..." Xiao Ran hesitated, then said, "It¡¯s not exactly the same... I went because I was being constantly criticized by a parent, so I was feeling a bit depressed..." "Well, that¡¯s just a coincidence then," Dr. Zhao said, nodding. "After all, these are two separate regions, so we don¡¯t need to force a connection." Everyone fell silent for a moment, but Lawyer Zhang suddenly spoke up. "Miss Lin, half of your story is actually the kindergarten teacher¡¯s story. Isn¡¯t that a violation of the rules?" "Ah?" Lin Qin was taken aback. "I mentioned the teacher so you could better understand my work..." "Don''t misunderstand, I don''t mean anything by it," Lawyer Zhang smiled. "What I¡¯m saying is, if the teacher''s experience is made up by you, it would explain the discrepancies with Xiao Ran''s story, and that would prove you¡¯re lying." "You...!" Lin Qin didn''t expect the woman in front of her to be so aggressive. She could only argue, "But Dr. Zhao and Officer Li both said it¡¯s a coincidence! We¡¯re from different provinces!" "A coincidence, huh?" Lawyer Zhang crossed her arms and continued, "Think about it carefully. Why were we, of all people, selected to gather here? Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re nine strangers. If we¡¯re supposed to find contradictions in each other¡¯s stories, we need a clue. And that ''clue'' is that all our stories are interconnected. After hearing everyone¡¯s story, I feel like we were specifically chosen. This is the only way we could find the liar¡¯s contradiction; otherwise, the game would be too unfair, because the liar would have an overwhelming chance of winning." [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to +10 Advance chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 8: The Reveal This speech almost woke everyone up, and it also woke Qi Xia. Yes, the liar indeed has a huge chance of winning. Qi Xia furrowed his brow. Why does his chance of winning seem so big? Lying to a group of strangers¡ªpeople who don''t know him, don''t understand him¡ªjust making up a random lie would be hard for anyone to see through. Could using a fake name really cost him the lives of eight people? Or perhaps... Could it be that the one who drew "liar" is the chosen one, and this is inherently an unfair game? "No, wait..." Qi Xia thought to himself. "If drawing the ''liar'' card ensures survival, why not just write ''life'' and ''death'' directly on the cards? That would make the goal much easier to achieve. Otherwise, what''s the point of this hour-long game?" A deep sense of discomfort spread within him. Qi Xia kept replaying every word the goat-headed man had said. Could it be... "Hey, it''s your turn." Qiao Jiajin patted Qi Xia on the shoulder. Qi Xia snapped out of it and noticed everyone was looking at him with strange expressions. At this point, it was too late to think any further. Otherwise, he¡¯d only seem more suspicious. He composed himself, sorted his thoughts, and continued. His mind kept repeating the phrase "My name is Li Ming, I''m from Shandong..." But at this moment, he absolutely couldn¡¯t use this answer. To find the solution to this game, he had to take a gamble. Qi Xia opened his eyes and said to everyone, "Everyone, my name is Qi Xia, I''m from Shandong, and I''m a professional swindler." "Swindler?" Upon hearing the first sentence from Qi Xia, everyone gasped. After all, the role of the "swindler" appeared in many people''s stories. This swindler was the one who vaguely connected everyone¡¯s stories. Ironically, they now had to judge whether a swindler was telling the truth. "Before coming here, I was trying to clean the two million I had in hand." "Anyway, I went through a lot of effort, and in the end, I managed to pocket one hundred and forty thousand. This was the most cost-effective method I could think of." "But on the way back, I suddenly encountered an earthquake. I saw my house shaking." "Logically, during such a time, I should never have gone inside, since the house could collapse at any moment. But I was worried about the people inside, so I had no choice but to rush in." "Sure enough, as I entered, the porch collapsed, and I was crushed, losing consciousness." Qi Xia said all this in a calm tone, only a few words to tell his story, and everyone stared at him warily. He knew he was doing something very risky, but only by doing this could he verify whether his idea was correct. If the goat-headed man spoke now, it would mean his guess was almost certainly right. As Qi Xia expected, the goat-headed man slowly walked up to the front and said to everyone, "Good, everyone has finished telling their stories. Now, there will be twenty minutes for free discussion. After twenty minutes, everyone will need to write a name on the piece of paper in front of you." "Just as I thought!" Qi Xia raised his eyebrows. "There really are twenty minutes!" This explained everything! At this moment, the group began to panic. After all, there were only twenty minutes left to decide their fate.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Qiao Jiajin and Li Shangwu both wanted to vote for each other. Perhaps due to their professions, there was a lot of animosity between them. Dr. Zhao began questioning the writer Han Yimo, since Han Yimo¡¯s story had no connection to anyone else¡¯s. Lawyer Zhang and Xiao Ran seemed to be suspicious of Qi Xia, while Lin Qing, Han Yimo, and Tian Tian were still hesitating. According to the surface rules, it seemed like the game¡¯s liar was about to win. Because the votes weren¡¯t unanimous. The rules were clear: only if everyone selected the liar could all eight people survive. Qi Xia didn¡¯t participate in any of the discussions and quietly closed his eyes. Countless clues were spinning in his mind. The goat-headed man said, "There is only one liar among the storytellers." The goat-headed man said, "The rules are absolute." The goat-headed man said, "Everyone has been asleep for twelve hours." Qi Xia opened his eyes. Now, only one last piece of information was needed to solve this "puzzle." But where was that information? Suddenly, a flash of insight lit up in his mind. The lines on the walls and floor, crisscrossing, instantly made him wide awake. He looked at the clock on the table; it was almost 1:00. "So that''s it..." Qi Xia widened his eyes. "So close... I¡¯m a swindler, yet I almost got fooled by all of you." The group noticed Qi Xia¡¯s odd behavior. After all, this swindler had barely spoken up from the start, and no one knew what he was thinking. "Hey, can I get another piece of paper?" Qi Xia asked the goat-headed man. Hearing this, the goat-headed man was visibly stunned, then tentatively asked, "You... want another piece of paper?" "Yes," Qi Xia nodded. "I need a scratch paper." The goat-headed man fell silent for a while, then took out another piece of paper from his suit pocket and handed it to Qi Xia. Qi Xia didn¡¯t hesitate. He took the paper and immediately started calculating. He counted the large squares on the wall¡ªthere were nine in total, and the squares on the floor and ceiling added up to sixteen. "If I''m not mistaken..." Qi Xia quickly scribbled something. "The squares are one per square meter. This means we are in a room that is three meters high, with a length and width of four meters..." "Four times four times three... forty-eight cubic meters." Qi Xia''s hand slightly trembled. "Not enough... not nearly enough..." The group stared at him in confusion. This was clearly a question about who was lying, yet he was doing math. He continued writing many long division problems and ended up with the numbers 54.6 and 49.14. When he saw these numbers, Qi Xia''s face turned ashen, as if he was trying to accept something. If his guess was completely correct, the situation now was truly terrifying. His eyes flickered as his thoughts soared to the sky. The arguments around him gradually quieted. The man in front of them hadn¡¯t participated in any discussion, only scribbling something. Did he really find the "answer" to the problem? After a long time, he finally looked up and gazed at everyone. His eyes showed a mix of fear, hesitation, doubt, and confusion. "Everyone," Qi Xia cleared his throat, speaking softly, "I didn¡¯t want to save you, but if you pick the wrong one, I¡¯ll die too. I absolutely cannot die here; someone is waiting for me outside. So no matter what, I must find a way to leave. I can only reveal the answer now. Please listen carefully to what I have to say." "Handsome, what do you mean by ''answer''?" Qiao Jiajin, closest to Qi Xia, asked in surprise. "Do you know who¡¯s lying?" Qi Xia didn¡¯t answer. He simply took his identity card, slowly revealing it to everyone. "This is the identity I drew." Everyone looked closely at the card. The words "Liar" were particularly eye-catching. [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to +10 Advance chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy Chapter 9: The Truth That Is Hard to Accept After reading these three characters, everyone was somewhat stunned. ¡°I drew the ¡®Liar¡¯ card,¡± Qi Xia said slowly. ¡°But whether I reveal this card or not doesn¡¯t matter, because it¡¯s really not important.¡± He picked up the card and casually tossed it in the center of the table. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, each one of you has the ¡®Liar¡¯ card.¡± No one moved after hearing this. After a while, Officer Li finally spoke: ¡°So... are you saying everyone just lied?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Qi Xia nodded. ¡°You all are smarter than I thought. Each of you added a small lie to your story, making the story fit perfectly without affecting the plot logic.¡± Officer Li thought for a moment, as if he had figured something out. ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true...¡± Officer Li sighed meaningfully. ¡°Then the situation becomes even more complicated.¡± Everyone looked at Officer Li, confused. Officer Li continued: ¡°According to the rules, only if all of us choose the Liar can we survive together. But if that happens, the Liar loses. So, we...¡± Dr. Zhao was the first to understand what Officer Li meant. ¡°You mean... we can vote freely, because everyone¡¯s lying, making it a ¡®win-win game,¡¯ where only the person voted out has to die?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Officer Li nodded. ¡°The best strategy now is to concentrate all votes on one person, minimizing the loss. After all, those who are left can survive¡­¡± His words cast a heavy silence over the room, while the Goat Head remained unmoving. So, they were just voting for one person to die? Qi Xia sighed helplessly and looked at Officer Li. ¡°Officer, is it your hobby to interrupt others? Does it give you a sense of accomplishment?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Officer Li frowned and replied. ¡°Aren¡¯t I helping you come up with a plan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help,¡± Qi Xia said without hesitation. ¡°Your idea would get everyone killed.¡± ¡°What?¡± Officer Li froze. ¡°Why would I get everyone killed? Am I wrong? If everyone¡¯s lying, then wouldn¡¯t any vote be valid?¡± ¡°Officer Li, Goat Head said, ¡®Rules are absolute,¡¯ and ¡®There is only one liar.¡¯ Do you remember that?¡± ¡°Right...¡± Officer Li paused, recalling the two things Goat Head had said. ¡°I¡¯m going to organize everyone¡¯s thoughts,¡± Qi Xia coldly stated. ¡°In this game, it seems like the Liar has a great chance of winning because everyone feels like they¡¯re going to win. But if we vote recklessly, in the end, we¡¯ll all die.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Sitting next to Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin touched his tattooed arm and muttered to himself, ¡°Because we broke the ¡®rules¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Qi Xia nodded. ¡°But the interesting part of this game is that we can¡¯t deduce whether someone is lying. Just like Lawyer Zhang said, we can only deduce it by contradictions in the stories, but we¡¯re not from the same area. Even if something is contradictory, we can¡¯t be 100% sure that the person is lying.¡± Qi Xia looked at the thoughtful crowd and then said, ¡°The host deliberately chose the nine of us to sit here, and there must be a purpose behind it. That purpose is to make us think we can find the flaw in the story of others based on our individual experiences.¡± ¡°But is that really right? How can we be sure that the other person is lying?¡± Qi Xia sneered. ¡°In this game, the only Liar we can be 100% sure about from the known clues is this one person. What he said is completely different from our current situation.¡± Qi Xia took a pen and quickly wrote the words ¡°Human Sheep¡± on a piece of paper. ¡°I¡¯ve been curious about why Goat Head introduced the name ¡®Human Sheep¡¯ at the beginning. It seemed unnecessary. But now I realize, it¡¯s part of the game.¡± The crowd slowly turned to look at Human Sheep, who still hadn¡¯t moved. Officer Li was taken aback and then shook his head. ¡°Liar, I have a question. Goat Head said the rule was ¡®There is exactly one liar among the storytellers,¡¯ but he didn¡¯t tell a story, did he?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he?¡± Qi Xia shrugged indifferently. ¡°I clearly remember Goat Head saying he gathered us here to create a ¡®god.¡¯ Isn¡¯t that an absurd story?¡± Officer Li silently lowered his head. He felt Qi Xia¡¯s words made a lot of sense, but something still seemed off. ¡°But...¡± Dr. Zhao spoke up. ¡°All your assumptions are based on the premise that ¡®everyone is a liar.¡¯ Why are you so sure we¡¯re lying? What if we open the cards and you¡¯re the only Liar?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be telling the truth.¡± Qi Xia sighed bitterly, looking somewhat desperate. ¡°I¡¯ve spent some time verifying this. Not only do I know you¡¯re all lying, but I also know where you¡¯re lying.¡± He pushed his draft paper forward and looked at the sweet girl beside him. ¡°Tiantian. You were ¡®working¡¯ in the car, with your head outside. Did the falling billboard really hit the car and make you lose consciousness?¡± Tiantian pursed her lips and didn¡¯t speak. ¡°Qiao Jiajin, did you really just ¡®lose consciousness¡¯ when you fell from such a high place onto the billboard?¡± Qiao Jiajin stayed silent. ¡°Teacher Xiao Ran, you were carrying that child. Did you really dodge the car that was coming at high speed?¡± Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Dr. Zhao, the ceiling of the neurology operating room is usually built underground for stability. But you said the ¡®ceiling¡¯ collapsed. What does it mean if the ceiling of the underground collapsed?¡± Dr. Zhao turned his head away. ¡°Han Yimo, you said you didn¡¯t know what was going on, but when writing, you hate being disturbed. Don¡¯t you remember how you got here?¡± Han Yimo sighed slightly. ¡°Lawyer Zhang, your car was crashed into a crack. How deep was that crack?¡± Lawyer Zhang crossed his arms, expressionless. ¡°Officer Li, what brand of car do you drive? Can it instantly recline the seat and free you from being bound behind?¡± Officer Li touched the red marks on his neck, hesitating to speak. ¡°Lin Qing, your ceiling collapsed too, but you said your studio was on a high floor. Once a high floor starts collapsing, the whole building wouldn¡¯t exist anymore, right?¡± Lin Qing lowered her head deeply. Seeing the expressions of the crowd, Qi Xia gritted his teeth and said: ¡°Everyone, admit it. Including myself, we¡¯re all already dead.¡± [--------------------------------------------] Enjoyed the chapter? If you want early access to +10 Advance chapters and to support the continuation of this story, consider subscribing to my Patreon. Your support means a lot and helps me bring more great content to you! Join me on Patreon: Patreon.com/flokixy