Chapter 146: Two Liars?

Chapter 146: Two Liars?

"Pocket Picking" was still "Pocket Picking" after all. No matter how strong Officer Li's conviction was, he couldn't become a creator.

Qi Xia picked up a few "Dao" from the ground, but the next second, the pain was indescribable, and the "Dao" rolled back onto the floor.

"Conman..." Qiao Jiajin stepped forward to support Qi Xia, looking bewildered.

He had no idea what was wrong with Qi Xia; he could only see him curling up, trembling all over.

Yun Yao ignored Qi Xia, instead staring blankly at the two corpses beside Officer Li.

Although their faces were disfigured and their hair and clothes burned, their body shapes were far too conspicuous.

One appeared to be a youth, while the other was thin and wiry.

"No way...?" Yun Yao's lips quivered slightly. "Were we... all along... just killing our own kind...?"

"Idol, stop talking..." Qiao Jiajin said quietly.

"Meaning Tiantian desperately drained herself dry of blood... just to kill our own companion..." Yun Yao stared wide-eyed, her heart thundering like a stampede of horses.

"Stop talking..." Qiao Jiajin looked at Qi Xia and Yun Yao, who had nearly lost control, suddenly at a loss. "Both of you, calm down..."

"If 'Dragon' is the kind of game this is... how can we lead everyone out?" Yun Yao's gaze dimmed. "Chu Tianqiu never told me..."

Qi Xia finally came to his senses. He slowly stood up, his face devoid of all expression.

"Conman... you..." Qiao Jiajin looked at the Qi Xia before him, feeling as if they were miles apart, not from the same world.

"Qiao Jiajin, did you see that?" Qi Xia said. "Even if we don't kill, we'll be killed sooner or later."

Qiao Jiajin's eyes also turned cold. "Conman, I don't understand grand principles. I only know you did nothing wrong. That's enough."

"You think I did nothing wrong...?" Qi Xia slowly picked up the 'Dao' from the ground, one by one. "One day you'll regret it, Qiao Jiajin. You'll regret standing on the same side as me."

"No, I won't..." Qiao Jiajin said. "Conman, stay calm. This place is getting to you."

Qi Xia said nothing more. He coldly pushed past the two Dragons and walked out of the room.

Qiao Jiajin could only follow.

Yun Yao pondered for a long while, then followed them as well.

"Hey, you haven't taken your reward yet." The male Dragon laughed and tossed over a cloth pouch. "Thirty 'Daos'—you still came out ahead."

Qi Xia reached out and caught the pouch, feeling an intense irony.

Ahead?

Five lives, not even worth thirty 'Daos'?

Then what value did three thousand six hundred 'Daos' hold?

Qi Xia had no heart to continue the next game. After all, it had cost five lives for him to understand the 'Dragon.'

But he asked himself: did he feel 'sadness'?

No. He just felt empty inside, but not sad.

The three returned to 'Heaven's Gate' with Tiantian's body.

Chu Tianqiu was standing in front of the teaching building. When he saw the three approaching from a distance, his face filled with alarm, and he immediately hurried over.

"What happened?" he asked, frowning. "Someone died on the very first day?"

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances. Qiao Jiajin nodded and handed Tiantian over into Qi Xia's arms.

Tiantian's body was exceptionally light, ice-cold all over.

"Asshole, come out here." Qiao Jiajin waved at Chu Tianqiu, then rolled up his sleeves.

"What are you doing...?" Chu Tianqiu took a cautious step back.

"I have something to ask you. Come out."

Seeing that Chu Tianqiu still hadn't moved, Qiao Jiajin stepped forward on his own.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Chu Tianqiu looked uneasily at Qiao Jiajin. "Are you going to start something here?"

"Why did the map you gave us lead to the 'Human Dragon'?" Qiao Jiajin asked bluntly. "What's your agenda?"

"What?" Chu Tianqiu was startled. "The Human Dragon...?"

Qi Xia stared seriously into Chu Tianqiu's eyes. This man had too many suspicious points.

"The map I gave you was for 'Tiger'! How could it be 'Dragon'?"

His expression seemed to indicate he truly knew nothing.

Just then, Qi Xia turned his head and saw four more people approaching from behind: Lin Qin, Han Yimo, Old Lu, and Zhang Shan.

Looked like they were from the same team.

By inference, the person dead beside Officer Li was probably Lawyer Zhang.

The four of them seemed to have just finished a game as well, carrying a cloth pouch back.

"Lin Qin, perfect timing," Qi Xia said. "Help me detect a lie."

"Detect a lie...?"

Before Lin Qin could process, she caught sight of Tiantian in Qi Xia's arms.

Her face paled, and she quickly stepped forward to examine Tiantian's condition.

But Tiantian's complexion was deathly white, tinged purple—no different from a corpse.

"What happened?"

"That scumbag Chu Tianqiu is playing tricks again," Qi Xia said in a low voice. "I suspect he had this all planned out. Help me determine if he's lying."

"Alright." Lin Qin nodded, stood up, and came beside Qiao Jiajin, facing Chu Tianqiu together with him.

Zhang Shan, sensing the situation was off, strode over to stand beside Chu Tianqiu.

"Damn... all tense and ready to brawl—what's going on?"

"Big guy, I don't have time to mess with you," Qiao Jiajin said. "Your boss got someone killed. I want an explanation."

"Explanation?" Zhang Shan frowned, then snorted coldly. "The rule of 'Heaven's Gate' is to follow Chu Tianqiu's arrangements. Besides, death is inevitable in games. What explanation do you need?"

Qi Xia sighed. "Everyone who took part in the games today was arranged by Chu Tianqiu. In this single arrangement, he got Little Glasses and Kim Won-sun killed. It's only the first day. Don't you have any questions?"

"What...?" Chu Tianqiu was visibly stunned. "Little Glasses and Kim Won-sun are dead?"

Zhang Shan also looked at Chu Tianqiu with suspicion. After all, Little Glasses had come from the same interview room as him. He was a righteous, courteous man to everyone. Such a good person... how could he die just like that?

Old Lu's jaw dropped. "What the hell?! Who the fuck killed Little Glasses?!"

But when he looked at Chu Tianqiu, the man still wore a wronged expression.

"What are you pretending for?" Qi Xia said, his tone icy. "Didn't I tell you to put away your little schemes?"

"There must be some misunderstanding!" Chu Tianqiu waved his hands. "The maps I gave you were all for 'Tiger'—there's no way they could have been for 'Dragon'! Think about it: I have no reason to kill Kim Won-sun and Little Glasses."

Lin Qin stared intently at Chu Tianqiu's expression, her face puzzled.

He didn't look like he was lying.

That left two possibilities: first, he was genuinely unaware; second, he had undergone micro-expression training.

His eyes, lips, nostrils, and the positioning of his hands and feet all didn't match those of a liar.

"Qi Xia, it's a bit strange," Lin Qin said. "The odds are higher that he isn't lying."

"Is that so?" Qi Xia nodded slightly. Chu Tianqiu was indeed no ordinary man.

Could it be that Chu Tianqiu had indeed given a 'Tiger' map, but the 'Dragon' had usurped the 'Tiger' game location?

If that was the case...

Why then had Officer Li's team and Kim Won-sun's team ended up killing each other?

Qi Xia thought for a long time, then suddenly wore an expression full of meaning. He thought to himself: Chu Tianqiu, are you just like me?

Are you a liar?

"I know you've always been suspicious of me," Chu Tianqiu said to Qi Xia. "But I truly mean no harm. Our goal is to escape this place, and the more people we keep alive, the better. Kim Won-sun and Little Glasses were both promising 'Echoers.' Think about it: before they even 'Echo,' what reason would I have to let them die?"