This speech almost woke everyone up, including Qi Xia.Yes, the advantage for the "liar" is indeed too significant.Qi Xia's brow furrowed slightly. Why did his odds of winning seem so high?Lying to a group of strangers, who didn't know him or understand him, would be difficult for anyone to detect.Could using a fake name really jeopardize eight lives?Or...Was the person chosen to be the "liar" somehow favored, making this inherently an unfair game?"No, that's not it..." Qi Xia thought to himself. "If simply being chosen ensures survival, why not just write 'live' and 'die' on the cards? That would achieve the same purpose more easily. Otherwise, what's the point of this almost-hour-long game?"A deep sense of unease spread within him.Qi Xia kept replaying every word the Goat Head had said in his mind.Could it be..."Hey, it's your turn," Qiao Jiajin interrupted, patting Qi Xia on the shoulder.That brought him back to reality, realizing everyone was now looking at him with strange expressions.There was no time to dwell on it further; otherwise, he'd appear even more suspicious.He composed himself, rearranging his thoughts.He kept recalling the phrase "My name is Li Ming, I'm from Shandong"...But that answer absolutely couldn't be used now. To find the "solution" to this game, he had to take a gamble.Qi Xia opened his eyes and addressed the group, "Everyone, my name is Qi Xia, and I'm from Shandong. I'm a professional swindler.""A swindler?"The people present exclaimed in surprise at Qi Xia's first words, as the "swindler" character appeared in many of their stories.This "swindler" also subtly linked everyone's stories together.Ironically, they now had to determine whether what a "swindler" said was true."Before coming here, I was figuring out how to launder the two million in my possession.""In the end, I managed to get one hundred and forty thousand. It's the most cost-effective way I could think of.""But on my way back with the money, I suddenly encountered an earthquake. I saw my house shaking violently.""Normally, it's absolutely not safe to enter indoors at such times, considering the risk of collapse. But I was worried about the people inside and had to rush in at that moment.""As expected, as soon as I entered the room, the porch collapsed, pinning me down, and I lost consciousness."Qi Xia spoke calmly, briefly recounting his story, while everyone watched him warily.He knew he was taking a significant risk, but this was the only way to confirm whether his suspicions were correct.As Qi Xia had anticipated, the Goat Head slowly approached and addressed the group, "Very well, everyone has finished telling their stories. Now, there will be twenty minutes of free discussion. After twenty minutes, each person needs to write down a name on the blank paper in front of them.""Exactly!" Qi Xia's eyebrows lifted. "There's indeed twenty minutes of time!"This explanation makes everything clear!The people present were now in a bit of panic, as there were only twenty minutes left before their fates were decided.Qiao Jiajin and Li Shangwu both seemed inclined to vote for each other, perhaps due to their professional rivalry, and they harbored mutual hostility.Meanwhile, Doctor Zhao began to interrogate the writer Han Yimo, as Han Yimo's story had no connection to anyone else's.Lawyer Zhang and Xiao Ran seemed to hold suspicions toward Qi Xia, while Ringo, Han Yimo, and Tiantian remained indecisive.According to the apparent rules, the "liar" was already poised to win because of the lack of consensus in the voting.Qi Xia didn't engage in any discussion, silently closing his eyes.Countless clues swirled in his mind.The Goat Head had said, "Among the storytellers, there is only one liar."The Goat Head had said, "The rules are absolute."The Goat Head had said, "You've been asleep for twelve hours."Qi Xia opened his eyes, realizing he was missing the final piece of information to solve this "problem."But where was that piece of information?Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.He looked at the intersecting lines on the walls and floors, then glanced at the clock on the table. It was almost 1 o'clock."So that's how it is..." Qi Xia's eyes widened. "It's so close... I almost got fooled even though I'm the liar."The others seemed to notice Qi Xia's strangeness, but this swindler had been silent from the start, leaving them wondering what he was thinking."Hey, can I have another piece of paper?" Qi Xia asked the Goat Head.Upon hearing this, the Goat Head visibly hesitated before tentatively asking, "You... need another piece of paper?""Yes," Qi Xia nodded. "I need a scrap paper."After a long silence, the Goat Head took out another piece of paper from his suit pocket and handed it to Qi Xia.Without hesitation, Qi Xia started calculating.He counted the large squares on the walls, totaling nine, while the floor and ceiling squares added up to sixteen."If I'm not mistaken..." Qi Xia quickly jotted down some notes. "Each square represents one square meter, meaning we're in a room that's three meters high and four meters long and wide...""Four times four times three... forty-eight cubic meters."Qi Xia's hands trembled slightly. "Not enough... definitely not enough..."The others watched Qi Xia puzzledly. This was clearly a deduction about who was lying, yet he was doing math.He then listed several calculations, finally arriving at the numbers "54.6" and "49.14."Upon seeing these two numbers, Qi Xia's face turned ashen, as if trying to accept something.If his guess was entirely correct, then the current situation was truly terrifying.His eyes darted around, lost in thought.The debate among the others gradually quieted down.The man in front of them hadn't participated in any discussions, merely calculating something all along. They had no idea what was going through his mind.After a long while, he finally looked up at them.His gaze held a mix of fear, hesitation, suspicion, and confusion."Everyone," Qi Xia cleared his throat softly, speaking quietly, "Originally, I didn't want to save you all. But if you choose wrong, I'll die too. I absolutely can't die here; someone is waiting for me outside. So, I have to find a way out no matter what. I can only reveal the answer now and hope you listen carefully.""Bro, what's the 'answer'?" Qiao Jiajin, closest to Qi Xia, frowned slightly. "Do you know who's lying?"Qi Xia didn't answer. Instead, he reached for his "identity card" and slowly revealed it to everyone."This is the identity I drew."The others looked closely, the words "liar" standing out on the card.
YOU ARE READING
十天的毁灭
Paranormal"When I thought it was just an ordinary day, I found myself trapped in the land of doom. When I thought all I needed was to keep participating in the death games to escape, I realized that people began to help me."
