Chapter 17: Sheep and Dogs

“Sheep and dogs…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, carefully pondering everything that had happened.

At first, the one who called himself “Ren Yang” had wanted them to turn on each other, but now this “Ren Yang” was claiming to be deeply worried about them and saying he couldn’t just stand by and watch them die.

“Isn’t this a lie…”

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Qi Xia’s mind.

That’s it!

Exactly this!

Lying!

Everything was unfolding just as Qi Xia had anticipated. “Sheep” and “dogs” weren’t names at all, but rather “game types”!

Could “sheep” possibly refer to the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”? The shepherd boy lied so many times that no one came to help, so in “sheep” games, lies exist—it’s a game of deception.

As for “dogs,” they might represent loyalty, just like in the harpoon game earlier; if they hadn’t worked together, none of them would have survived. So, could it be about “cooperation”?

Qi Xia picked up the harpoon and examined it again. He knew that when “sheep” explained the rules, there was a chance of lying.

But in those few sentences, which one was the lie?

“If I can’t just stand by and watch you die”—if that sentence was a lie…

“Wait…” Qi Xia’s eyes widened slowly. “This whole statement isn’t the ‘answer’; it’s a trap that will kill everyone.”

“What are you talking about?” Qiao Jiajin asked, puzzled.

“This is all a lie!” Qi Xia declared firmly. “Standing by the walls means ‘death,’ while standing under the holes means ‘life’!”

Zhao Yisheng and Li Jingguan exchanged glances, unsure what Qi Xia was trying to say.

“Everyone, remember: ‘Sheep’ tells lies!” Qi Xia stood in the center of the room, trying to get the others to come closer. “If we follow the rules as he said, we’ll end up killing ourselves. That’s the difference between ‘sheep’ and ‘dogs’!”

“But is that really logical?” Xiao Ran asked hesitantly. “In the whole room, only your head has a hole above it—how could that not be the most dangerous spot…”

Qi Xia hadn’t fully figured that out himself.

What exactly could fall from that hole in the ceiling to kill those by the walls?

“Hmm…” Qi Xia thought for a moment and changed his approach. “It’s fine. Once this round ends, we have a good chance of getting out, so you can all choose based on your own thoughts.”

“How do you know we can get out?” Li Jingguan asked warily.

“Because this hint doesn’t include any ‘preview’ of the next game,” Qi Xia replied. “That leaves two possibilities: either this is the final game, or the organizers are confident they can kill us all in this one.”

The group fell silent, their faces growing somber, though no one argued.

“Anyway, I’m staying right here.” Qi Xia pointed to the spot under his feet. “As for you, do what you think is best.”

After hearing Qi Xia out, Qiao Jiajin slowly moved to his side and said,

“I told you, I believe in you.”

“But I’m a liar,” Qi Xia replied coldly.

“Doesn’t matter.”

Lin Geng thought it over carefully, then covered his mouth and nose as he walked toward the center of the room.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Xiao Ran shouted from against the wall. “You really believe him?”

Lin Geng nodded slightly and said,

“Yes. Think about it—who’s the reason we’ve made it this far?”

Xiao Ran was taken aback, suddenly seeing the truth in Lin Geng’s words. After a moment of internal struggle, he followed suit.

Han Yimo, clutching the wound on his shoulder, walked over as well.

“You’re… Qi Xia, right? I believe in you too.”

Tian Tian and Zhang Chenze followed.

Now, only Zhao Yisheng and Li Jingguan remained pressed against the walls.

“Hey, aren’t you coming over?” Tian Tian called out.

“I…” Zhao Yisheng hesitated, unsure of his decision.

“No need to force anyone,” Qi Xia said, waving his hand. “This round doesn’t involve cooperation; as long as you survive yourself, that’s enough.”

The clock on the floor ticked toward 1:28.

Li Jingguan narrowed his eyes, staring at Qi Xia.

He didn’t think this liar would choose to seek death, but why was he leading everyone to stand under the holes?

At that moment, Lin Geng sensed their hesitation and said to them,

“Qi Xia doesn’t seem to be lying. Are you coming over?”

“Can you tell?” Li Jingguan asked quietly.

“Yes,” Lin Geng nodded. “Because of my work, I can usually spot if someone’s lying.”

“In that case…” Li Jingguan and Zhao Yisheng glanced at each other, then quietly walked forward and said to Lin Geng,

“With a professional saying so, we’ll believe you.”

Even as they spoke, both still gripped pieces of the broken table board.

Once under the holes, they raised the boards above their heads as a shield, ready for whatever might drop from the holes.

“You guys are pretty cunning,” Qiao Jiajin grumbled, bending down to pick up a piece of the table board.

Qi Xia glanced at the time and pulled Qiao Jiajin back.

“Don’t bother; it’s too late.”

No sooner had he spoken than the clock hit 1:30. A massive chain noise echoed from the ceiling, as if some invisible mechanism was winding up.

“Is this really okay, you liar?” Qiao Jiajin asked nervously, looking up and feeling like they were gambling with their lives—the stakes were nine lives.

Qi Xia shook his head. “I’m just guessing. We’ll see if it’s right.”

Suddenly, the entire room shuddered slightly, making everyone’s hearts race.

Tian Tian instinctively moved closer to Li Jingguan and Zhao Yisheng.

Qi Xia looked up, staring intently at the nine holes clustered together, his eyes piercing the darkness as if to uncover the hidden secret.

The next second, dark objects shot out from the nine holes, startling everyone into shutting their eyes.

Only Qi Xia saw what they really were.

They were nine old, dirty ropes.

He reached out and grabbed one, holding it firmly.

These ropes were about two fingers thick, just right for a steady grip.

“This is bad…” Qi Xia’s face darkened. “Worse than I thought.”

The others slowly opened their eyes to see ropes emitting a rotten stench in front of them.

“What’s going on?”

Before they could figure it out, Qi Xia shouted,

“Grab the ropes!!”

The quicker ones among them immediately seized the ropes, and the rest quickly followed suit.

Qi Xia turned and saw Han Yimo struggling with his injured right shoulder, barely holding on with his left hand.

“No, you…”

Before Qi Xia could say more, the floor beneath their feet shattered into pieces with a thunderous crash.

“Ah!”

“Darn it!”

Screams erupted simultaneously.

Their bodies plummeted downward, but the ropes in their hands kept them from falling straight down.

Han Yimo gritted his teeth, clinging desperately with his left hand, but he was losing blood and strength. Qi Xia watched in horror as his grip slowly slipped away.