Chapter 98: Taking Its Natural Course
Qi Xia looked up blankly. By now, the person telling the story had become Officer Li.
"My name is Li Shangwu. I'm from Inner Mongolia. I'm a police detective," Officer Li said calmly. "Before I came here, I was staking out a fraud suspect."
"But I failed. I was waiting for him, and then during the earthquake, we got into a fight."
"He knocked me unconscious, and I ended up here."
The previously lengthy story was now only three sentences.
The stories everyone told weren't much different, but Officer Li's behavior at this moment was quite unusual.
Fortunately, only Qi Xia remembered what had happened before.
"Police detective?" Xiao Ran exclaimed. "You're a cop, so why don't you figure out a way to save us?"
"Because I..." Officer Li hesitated for a moment. "To be honest, I don't know how to get everyone out. If there were such an opportunity, I would do my best."
"What kind of bullshit reasoning is that?" Xiao Ran asked incredulously. "You're a cop. You should investigate on your own, find a way! Does every murder case get closed just because you say, 'I don't know who the killer is'?"
"It's different," Officer Li shook his head. "There's so little I can do right now. I can only try my best to keep everyone alive..."
The more Xiao Ran spoke, the more agitated she became. She reached out and pointed at the Goat-man standing off to the side. "Isn't that the 'killer' right there? Just arrest him!"
"Enough." Qi Xia couldn't take it anymore and cut her off. "You've been yelling nonstop. Don't you ever get tired?"
Qiao Jiajin nodded as well. "Cops are human too, aren't they? None of us can move right now. Our lives are completely in that Goat-head's hands. What do you expect the cop to use to arrest him?"
"You guys..." Xiao Ran wanted to argue further, but she caught Qi Xia's icy stare and glimpsed Qiao Jiajin's muscular, tattooed arms. She instantly knew these two men were not to be trifled with.
She understood that someone with that look in their eyes was not like a cop. She could yell at a cop all day, and the cop wouldn't dare talk back. But these two men were not to be provoked.
"I... I'm just too scared." Xiao Ran put on a pitiful expression, shaking her head. "Sigh, maybe I just trust the police too much."
"Passive-aggressive, bullying the weak and fearing the strong," Qi Xia sneered. "Could it be that you're the 'Liars' trying to sow discord?"
"How is that possible?!" Xiao Ran shrieked. "How could I possibly be the 'Liar'? Don't slander me!"
"Oh?" Qi Xia nodded. "Since you're not the 'Liar,' what word is written on your card?"
"It's written..."
Xiao Ran was about to blurt it out, but she froze.
From the very beginning, the Goat-man had never mentioned what the identity cards were besides the 'Liar.'
He only said, 'If you draw the Liar card, you must lie.'
If she wanted to clear her suspicion, she would have to state her identity publicly.
But what was the other identity card called?
'Truth-teller'?
'Ordinary person'?
'Participant'?
Or was it a blank card?
Xiao Ran felt as if all the blood in her body had run cold. She was terrified beyond control.
This young man was far too clever. With just one sentence, he had backed her into an inescapable corner.
A few others now stared blankly at Xiao Ran, their expressions quite confused.
Yes. If they began to suspect Xiao Ran was the 'Liar,' the situation became complicated.
According to the known rules, there was 'one and only one liar' present, and everyone thought it was themselves. So theoretically, there couldn't be another liar.
So they were now caught in a dilemma, all wondering whether there could be 'multiple liars.'
"I-I don't have to tell you," Xiao Ran, sensing the danger, decided to act recklessly and defend herself. "What if you're the real 'Liar' and you're just trying to trick me into giving the answer?"
Qi Xia nodded. "That makes sense. In that case, I'll make a bet with you."
"A bet...?"
"That's right. I'll count down 'three, two, one.' You and I will shout out the word on our cards at the same time, and let everyone here judge whose identity is made up." Qi Xia was ready to put Xiao Ran in her place. A troublemaker like her wasn't worth keeping.
"This..." Xiao Ran clearly hesitated.
Qi Xia sneered inwardly. If this really was a game with 'one and only one liar,' she was done for.
Because no one here knew what the other identity was. As long as Qi Xia confidently stated one, he would already win.
"Three."
"Two."
Qi Xia began his countdown with a stern expression.
Just as he was about to say 'one,' Doctor Zhao suddenly stepped in to mediate. "Hey, come on, let's drop it..."
Qi Xia turned to look at him.
"Bro, we can't be too hard on a lady. I don't think either of you seems like the 'Liar.' If we really need to vote, let's wait until everyone's finished telling their stories." Doctor Zhao said with an ingratiating smile.
Of course, Qi Xia wasn't going to convict Xiao Ran as the 'Liar' here and now. The real answer was yet to be revealed.
The upcoming 'Bamboo Shoots after Spring Rain' game also required the cooperation of all nine people. Xiao Ran couldn't die yet. So he agreed to Doctor Zhao's request.
"Fine." Qi Xia nodded. "As long as that woman stops pointing fingers at others, I have no problem."
"I wasn't pointing fingers..." Xiao Ran pouted, putting on a pitiable expression. "I'm just too scared."
"Don't be afraid. I believe you." Doctor Zhao said with a smile.
After Officer Li finished his story, it was Lin Qin's turn.
She told her story of experiencing an earthquake on the twenty-sixth floor of a high-rise building.
Finally, it was Qi Xia.
Qi Xia also recounted his entire story.
When he finished, he couldn't help but feel that 'time' was a truly wondrous thing.
Even though he knew everything that had happened before, when he told the story a second time, it was still quite different from the first.
Including the grammar, wording, and the order of events.
But when he looked at the others, aside from Officer Li, they clearly didn't know what had happened before, yet their stories were word-for-word identical to the last time.
In that case, who was correct? And who was wrong?
After Qi Xia finished his story, the Goat-man announced that everyone would have twenty minutes for free discussion.
Qi Xia asked the Goat-man for another blank piece of paper and wrote down the exact same formula he had written once before.
What happened next was almost a foregone conclusion.
Qi Xia led the group in pointing their fingers at the 'Goat-man,' and under everyone's astonished gazes, the 'Goat-man' once again shot himself in the head.