Chapter 16: One Wave After Another
Although the crowd didn't understand medical knowledge, they roughly understood Dr. Zhao's meaning.
For them now, pulling out the harpoon was simple, but stitching a wound was very difficult.
"The writer's life is safe for now. Our only task is to leave here quickly, then find a place with proper conditions to re-treat his wound."
Dr. Zhao's words pulled everyone's thoughts back to reality.
If they couldn't leave this bizarre room, their fate would sooner or later be the same as Han Yimo's.
"But how do we leave? Is the 'game' over?" Lin Qin asked, covering her mouth and nose.
Qi Xia thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head.
The mask had just made it very clear: the person called "Human Dog" wanted them to survive, and also said "see you after the rain."
Logically, after this torrential rain of harpoons, the so-called "Human Dog" should appear, possibly bringing the next game.
But why didn't he show up?
"Hey, liar." Qiao Jiajin slowly walked over to Qi Xia and asked seriously, "You have a way to survive, don't you?"
"So what?" Qi Xia replied coldly. "Whether I live or die, what concern is it of yours?"
"I'm not as smart as you, so I have to find someone to cooperate with." Qiao Jiajin seemed to be recommending himself. "You've got brains, I've got strength. Let's work together."
Hearing this, Qi Xia frowned slightly.
"Sorry, I'm a liar. I don't plan to trust anyone except myself."
Before Qiao Jiajin could say more, Officer Li suddenly let out a questioning sound.
"What's this?"
Everyone turned to look, and found Officer Li examining the harpoon in his hand closely.
"What's wrong?"
Dr. Zhao approached Officer Li and asked cautiously.
"There are words." Officer Li handed the harpoon to Dr. Zhao.
Dr. Zhao took it and looked at it, his expression changing. Indeed, there were tiny characters on the tail of this finger-thick harpoon:
"I am 'Human Sheep.' If you can read these words, it means you survived."
"But how many of you survived?"
"Is anyone injured?"
"I am really worried about you."
"I can't just watch you die."
"In a quarter of an hour, death will rain down again."
"Dodge them, and find a way to survive."
Dr. Zhao gritted his teeth, then threw the harpoon to the ground in anger.
"Do you take me for a coward? This is relentless!" he roared loudly, as if trying to release all the pent-up emotions he had been holding back.
"Calm down!" Officer Li said in a low voice. "If you can't control your emotions, how will you survive?"
"Survive...? But we're already dead!!" Dr. Zhao finally couldn't take it anymore. "We're already dead, yet we're still tormented by the fear of death. What does the 'Host' want?! Can't he just kill us outright or let us go?"
Everyone's expressions turned grim. Indeed, what was the purpose of this wave after wave of death threats?
Was it really as that goat-head person said—to select a "god"?
Did that mean only one would become a "god," and the rest would go to hell?
"Everyone, we've survived two 'games.' Do you think it's because we're smart? No!" Dr. Zhao clenched his fist tightly. "It's because we've been too lucky! But what about next time? And the time after that? In this ever-changing room, how long can we really last?"
Officer Li pursed his lips, stepped forward, and grabbed Dr. Zhao by the collar. "Hey... buddy! At a life-and-death moment like this, what we need most is 'morale'! If you don't want to live, go die by yourself! Don't shake everyone's resolve here!"
"I...!" Dr. Zhao's lips trembled slightly. "But how do we get out? Do you have a way to lead us out?"
Officer Li was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't have a 'way,' but I know we have to survive! As long as we survive, there is hope."
He released his grip on Dr. Zhao, walked over to pick up a harpoon and looked at it, then went to Han Yimo's side and looked at the harpoon in his shoulder. He found the same words on both harpoons.
It seemed their luck really was too good.
In the previous round, not only did they have to dodge the fatal attacks, but they also had to keep at least one harpoon to learn the clue for the next round.
"Regardless, at least this time we have clear clues." Officer Li read the words on the harpoon carefully and said, "Unlike before, this attack will only come from above."
He pointed to the small words on the harpoon: "Death will rain down again."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room began to change again.
All the holes in the walls were slowly disappearing, while the countless holes in the ceiling began to shift and reposition.
In the end, only nine remained.
Three holes in each row, for a total of three rows.
"It looks like the game is getting simpler." Officer Li looked at the nine holes in the ceiling and sighed. "That's a silver lining, I suppose."
"But why has it become 'Human Sheep' this time?" Lawyer Zhang pointed at the corpse on the ground that had been torn apart by harpoons and asked. "Wasn't Human Sheep already killed by us?"
Qi Xia thought for a moment and also found it strange.
The goat-head person who died earlier did call himself "Human Sheep," but his mask had written "I am Human Dog."
First Sheep, then Dog.
Was this also one of the clues?
"Not much time left." Officer Li said to everyone, "It's already 1:23. Soon those nine holes in the ceiling will shoot harpoons down. Everyone pick up a tabletop and stand against the wall."
Most of the tabletops on the ground were now shattered, with only a few small ones still usable.
Fortunately, all nine holes in the ceiling were concentrated in the center, so the walls seemed safe.
Everyone silently picked up broken tabletops from the ground, spread out and stood against the wall, away from the central holes.
But at this moment, Qi Xia didn't move. He slowly closed his eyes again.
From any angle, the third game was too suspicious.
Because the "Host" had given a very direct solution.
In Qi Xia's view, this prompt was completely unnecessary.
Did he want them dead, or did he want them alive?
Why separately mention "Human Sheep" and "Human Dog"?
If "Human Sheep" and "Human Dog" weren't names, what did they represent?
"Hey, liar, come over here!" Qiao Jiajin shouted. "Standing under the holes will get you killed!"
"Killed...?" Qi Xia looked coldly at the holes in the sky. "I can't die here. I have a reason I must get out."
"What's going on? Has the smartest guy gone turncoat too?" Qiao Jiajin was puzzled.
Qi Xia raised his index finger and tapped it lightly against his temple.
"Hold on... hold on... give me a little more time."
Even everyone's breathing slowed as they quietly watched Qi Xia in the center of the room. None of them understood what there was to ponder so repeatedly about such an obvious game.