Chapter 1: The Empty Room
1197 Words
The woman's scream stopped, and the thoughts of the group also came to an abrupt halt.The men who had been shouting and cursing moments ago were now silent.This was no longer a matter of "breaking the law." The strange man in front of them was actually capable of killing.After more than a minute of silence, the goat-head man nodded slightly. "Good, nine of you, it seems you've all quieted down."Everyone's faces changed, but no one dared to speak. Just as he said, it was now truly "nine."Qi Xia extended his trembling hand and removed a piece of yellowish-pink substance from his face.The fragment of the shattered brain still held warmth and was faintly pulsing, but within seconds, it lost all life, like a deflated balloon."Now, let me introduce myself..." The goat-head man extended his b****y fingers and pointed to his mask, saying, "I am 'Man-Goat,' and you are 'Participants.'"Everyone froze for a moment, then looked at each other in confusion—"Man-Goat," "Participants"?"I have gathered you together for a game, with the ultimate goal of creating a 'God,'" the goat-head man said flatly.The two sentences immediately made everyone furrow their brows.After spending a few minutes with this man, they had gathered that he was insane, but now this madman was claiming to create a "God"?"Create... what kind of God?" the muscular young man asked nervously."A God like 'Nuwa'!" The goat-head man began gesturing wildly, his voice laced with a sinister tone, "How wonderful! You will witness history with us. Once, Nuwa created humanity, but when she repaired the sky, she turned into a rainbow... We cannot lose Nuwa, so we must create a new Nuwa! A great task awaits the 'God' to fulfill!"His voice grew louder and more excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline."Nuwa..." The muscular young man frowned deeply, feeling that this was simply too hard to accept. After a moment, he asked, "Are you some sort of cult?""Cult?" The goat-head man was taken aback, then turned to the young man and said, "We are far grander than 'cults.' We have a 'World'!"After hearing this, everyone fell silent once again.The muscular man's question was quite pointed. The goat-head man's actions were no different from those of a cult, but most cults tended to invent new gods, rather than using a heroic figure like Nuwa."Then..." the muscular man continued, "What exactly do you want us to 'participate' in?""As I said, it's just a game," the goat-head man answered without hesitation. "If you win, one of you will become 'God.'""F***..." The tattooed man seemed to calm down and muttered angrily, "The 'List of Gods,' huh? What if we lose?""Lose..." The goat-head man glanced at the blood on his hands, slightly disappointed. "It's such a shame if you lose..."Though he didn't say it directly, everyone understood his implication.If they lost, they would die.There was no "leave alive" option in what he offered.Either they became his so-called "God," or they would end up like the young man whose head had exploded."If everyone understands... then this 'game' begins. The game is called 'The Liar.'" The goat-head man slowly took a stack of paper from his pocket, then casually walked to each person, placing one sheet in front of them.He then took out several pens and handed them out to the group.There were many bloodstains on the table, and as each person's white paper landed, it became stained red. If they flipped the paper over and wiped their hands on it, the blood spread like paint, turning the paper an even deeper red."Next, I want each of you to tell a story, the last thing that happened before you arrived here," the goat-head man continued. "But be aware, among all of you telling stories, one person will lie. Once all nine of you have told your stories, you will vote. If eight of you correctly choose the 'Liar,' the liar will be eliminated, and everyone else will survive. If even one of you votes incorrectly, the liar will survive, and everyone else will be eliminated.""'Liar'...?"The group looked puzzled. Would anyone really lie at a life-and-death moment like this?"Wait a minute, can we discuss 'strategies'?" the muscular man suddenly asked."Feel free," the goat-head man nodded. "Before the game begins, you have one minute to discuss your strategy. Will you use it now... or later?""I'll use it now," the muscular man said without hesitation."Please, go ahead."The goat-head man stepped back and moved away from the table.The muscular man pursed his lips, then looked around at the group. He deliberately avoided looking at the headless body slumped over the table and said, "I don't know who among you will lie, but this 'rule' sounds too arbitrary. If even one person votes wrong, we all die. And even if we choose correctly, the liar will still die. So, no matter what, there will be a death. I've come up with a way that everyone can survive..."Everyone turned their gaze toward the muscular man.Could everyone really survive?"That is, we all tell the truth," the muscular man said before anyone could think it through, revealing his idea. "All nine of us tell the truth, and at the end, we write 'No one is lying' on the paper. That way, we won't break the rules, and we can all survive."The man in the white coat tapped his fingers lightly on the table, then spoke after a moment, "Your plan is good, but there's one condition: 'You must not be the liar.' How can we trust you? If you're the liar, we'll all write 'No one is lying,' and only you will survive.""What kind of talk is that?" The muscular man said angrily, his face flushing slightly. "If I were the liar, how could I suggest this? I would only be trying to save myself."The goat-head man waved his hand slightly and said, "One minute is up. Please stop talking."The two men snorted in unison and fell silent."Now, please draw cards." The goat-head man took a small stack of cards from his pocket. The cards were the size of playing cards, and the back was inscribed with the words "Nuwa Game."The muscular man was momentarily stunned and asked, "What are these?""These are 'Identity Cards,'" the goat-head man laughed. "If you draw the 'Liar,' you must lie."The muscular man clenched his teeth. "Are you messing with us?! Why didn't you tell us about this rule beforehand?!""This is to teach you a lesson," the goat-head man sneered. "Before I finished explaining the rules, you asked if you could discuss strategies. You wasted a precious minute, not me."The muscular man’s expression darkened, but remembering the goat-head man's brutal methods of killing, he swallowed his anger.In a minute, all nine people had drawn a card from the goat-head man's hand, but no one dared to flip them over.If the card said "Liar," it would turn into a question of whether they lived or the others did.The female participants' hands trembled slightly, and the men's faces were also grim.This wasn't about "identity," but "life and death."Qi Xia took a deep breath, casually holding his card and moving it to his face.He gently flipped it over.Written on the card were the words "Liar."
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