# Chapter 96: What a Shame
An old tungsten filament lamp hung from a black wire in the center of the room, flickering with a dim light.
The quiet atmosphere was like ink dripping into clear water, spreading and permeating through the room.
As the clock on the table pointed to "twelve," a low bell sound vibrated from far away.
The ten people beside the table suddenly woke up, all looking at this bizarre scene.
Qi Xia widened his eyes, looking at this familiar scene, his heart churning like ten thousand horses galloping—unable to calm down.
He had returned.
Everyone had returned.
Human Sheep still stood beside everyone, emitting his unique smell of decay and muskiness.
Although he had long thought they would return, when Qi Xia sat down at the round table once again, there was only despair in his heart.
"Good morning, nine of you." Human Sheep's familiar voice sounded again, "I am very pleased to meet you here. You have been sleeping before me for twelve hours."
Qi Xia took this opportunity to quietly observe those familiar faces, finding that their behavior was exactly the same as when he first saw them.
Qiao Jiajin stared blankly at Human Sheep and asked, "You... who are you?"
Hearing this, Qi Xia frowned.
What's going on? Did everyone not remember what happened before?
If so, why did he himself still remember?
"Since you all have this question, let me introduce myself to the nine of you..."
Just as Human Sheep was about to wave his hands and give a grand speech, Lawyer Zhang spoke up: "No need to introduce yourself to us. I advise you to stop your actions early. I suspect you have detained us for more than twenty-four hours, constituting 'unlawful detention.' Every word you say now will be recorded by me and will become unfavorable testimony against you."
Qi Xia looked blankly at Lawyer Zhang, then turned to Dr. Zhao.
It was his turn to raise doubts.
Sure enough, Dr. Zhao spoke: "Wait, we all just woke up. How do you know we've been imprisoned for 'twenty-four hours'?"
"What's going on..." Qi Xia murmured. These people all acted as if they didn't know each other, saying the same things they did last time, doing the same actions.
Everything seemed as if nothing had changed, just starting over once more.
Lawyer Zhang explained arrogantly to Dr. Zhao, drawing everyone's attention.
Yes, in Qi Xia's impression, Lawyer Zhang's initial behavior was very suspicious. She was using every opportunity to assert her dominance—this was probably the protective color beneath her calm exterior.
After she finished explaining, everyone fell into silence.
The silence lasted a full ten-plus seconds.
Qi Xia felt something was strange. Last time, it seemed someone said something at this moment, but this time he didn't speak, so the subsequent chain of events didn't happen.
This sense of disconnect between reality and memory made Qi Xia very puzzled.
"You may have also noticed that there are clearly ten people in this room, yet I call you 'nine of you.'"
"Motherf*cker... I don't care how many people are here. I advise you, you bastard, to know your place!" Qiao Jiajin said fiercely, "You might not know what happens when you mess with me, but I will really kill you!"
Qi Xia suddenly thought of something and turned to look at the young man on his right hand side.
It was a face both familiar and strange.
Also the tenth person in the room, whom Qi Xia had only seen once.
He still sat there with a strange smile on his face, looking at everyone.
Having already gone through this once, Qi Xia understood somewhat.
People with this kind of smile on their faces were almost all "Natives." Could this tenth person just be someone Human Sheep brought in to make up the numbers?
Human Sheep walked over to the young man and placed his hand on the back of his head.
Qi Xia was startled and quickly turned his face away without a sound.
Last time, this young man's brains had splattered onto his face, and he did not want to experience that warm feeling again at all.
With a muffled "bang," the young man's head bloomed on the table.
At the same time, a bell sounded from afar.
And it was this bell that suddenly made Qi Xia think of something.
This man who had just died might not be a "Native," but an "Echoer"!
But why was his behavior so dull? Why was his role so absurd?
"The reason I prepared ten people was to use one of them to make you all quiet down." Human Sheep shook the blood off his hand and said.
Lin Qin immediately let out a scream, right on time, not a second off.
Qi Xia should have thought of it earlier. The moment they woke up, they heard the bell, meaning at least one person had obtained an "Echo."
When the young man died, the bell sounded again—the "Echo" ended.
If something that happened only once could be considered coincidence, but the young man died twice in a row and each time the bell sounded.
He was definitely an "Echoer."
As Lin Qin's scream abruptly stopped, Human Sheep let out a few strange laughs:
"Very good, nine of you. It seems you've all quieted down. Now allow me to introduce myself. I am 'Human Sheep,' and you are 'Participants.'"
"Now that you've been gathered here, it's to participate in a 'game,' ultimately creating a 'god.'"
This time, Qi Xia wasn't frightened by the death, so all his attention was focused on Human Sheep's explanation.
But now everyone fell into silence again.
Qi Xia had somewhat forgotten who spoke at that time, only remembering someone asking Human Sheep "what kind of god are we creating?"
But why wasn't he speaking?
"Aren't you curious about what kind of 'god' we are creating?" Human Sheep looked blankly at everyone.
"Say it or don't, I don't care!" Qiao Jiajin gritted his teeth and snorted coldly, "Think I'll be impressed just because you killed someone in front of me?"
"Forget it..." Human Sheep shook his head and said, "We are going to create a god like 'Nüwa,' one who can fulfill all our wishes! A great task is waiting for the 'god' to accomplish!"
Looking at the silent crowd, Human Sheep sighed helplessly: "You're so boring. Don't you have any questions?"
Several women were clearly terrified. Qi Xia then looked at the remaining men.
Officer Li stared seriously at Human Sheep, no different from last time.
Dr. Zhao and Han Yimo were also trembling after seeing the dead person, with fear on their faces.
And Qiao Jiajin looked disdainful, showing his unique expression.
Seeing no one speak, Qiao Jiajin's anger flared up. Others might be afraid of Human Sheep, but he wasn't.
"Motherf*cker, 'List of Gods,' right? If we play games with you and win, you'll make us gods? And if we can't win?"
"Can't win..." Human Sheep looked at the blood on his hand, his tone somewhat lost, "If you can't win, it's a shame..."
"A shame for whom?" Qi Xia suddenly asked coldly.
Human Sheep turned to look at Qi Xia, his eyes extremely icy.
"A shame for this world."
"For this world?" Qi Xia was stunned, as if he understood something, but the questions in his mind only increased.
So that meant if they couldn't create a "god," the biggest loser would be "Zhongyan Land"?