Chapter 2: Lying
1349 Words
The woman’s scream came to an abrupt halt, and so did everyone’s thoughts.
Even the men who had been shouting and cursing moments ago fell silent.
This was no longer just a matter of "breaking the law"—the strange man before them was truly willing to kill.
For over a minute, there was absolute silence. Then, the goat-headed figure nodded slightly.
“Very good. Nine of you. It seems you've finally quieted down.”
The remaining people’s faces twisted in shock, but no one dared to speak.
As he said—there were now truly only nine of them left.
With trembling hands, Qi Xia reached up and peeled a piece of pinkish-yellow flesh from his cheek.
It was part of the young man's shattered brain, still warm and pulsing slightly.
But within seconds, it lost its vitality, deflating like a punctured balloon.
“Now, allow me to introduce myself…” The goat-headed figure raised his bloodstained fingers, tapping against his mask.
“I am Ren Yang (Human Goat), and you… are the participants.”
The group flinched, exchanging uncertain glances. Ren Yang? Participants?
“I have gathered you all here today for a game,” the goat-headed figure continued, his tone calm.
“A game that will ultimately create a God.”
At these words, everyone’s brows furrowed deeply.
By now, they had already realized that the man before them was a complete lunatic.
But a lunatic talking about creating a god?
“A god…?” The muscular young man asked, his voice tinged with unease.
“A god like Nüwa!” The goat-headed figure spread his arms wide, his voice growing animated.
The stench of blood and filth clung to him as he continued, his tone frenzied.
“How wonderful! You will all witness history with me! Once, Nüwa created humanity, but when she mended the heavens, she became the rainbow itself…
We cannot afford to lose Nüwa. So we must create a new one! A great task awaits the God we shall forge!”
His voice reached a fever pitch, as if he had just injected himself with adrenaline.
“Nüwa…” The muscular man frowned.
The entire situation was becoming harder and harder to accept.
After a brief pause, he asked cautiously, “Are you… some kind of religious cult?”
“Religion?” The goat-headed figure tilted his head slightly, then turned to look at the young man.
“We are far greater than religion! We have an entire world of our own!”
Silence fell once more.
The muscular man’s question had been well-aimed.
This goat-headed man’s actions resembled that of a fanatical cult.
But most cults invented their own gods, rather than deifying a mythological figure like Nüwa.
“If that’s the case…” The young man spoke again, forcing himself to remain calm.
“What exactly do you want us to participate in?”
“As I said—just a simple game,” the goat-headed figure answered smoothly.
“If you win, one of you will become God.”
“Damn it…” The tattooed man had finally calmed down, but his words were still laced with curses.
“A ‘God-making’ contest, huh? And what happens if we lose?”
“If you lose…” The goat-headed figure glanced down at the blood on his hands, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment.
“Then that would be quite unfortunate…”
He didn't say it outright, but the meaning was clear.
If they lost, they would die.
There was no option to simply walk away.
They could either become his so-called "God" or end up like the young man whose head had just been blown open.
“If everyone understands… then let’s begin our first game.”
The goat-headed figure pulled a stack of papers from his coat and walked leisurely around the table, placing one sheet in front of each person.
Then, he pulled out a few pens and distributed them as well.
The table was already stained with blood.
As the sheets of white paper touched its surface, they soaked up the red,
and with just a light touch, the color smeared, making the sheets look even redder.
“Now,” the goat-headed figure continued, “I want each of you to tell a story.
A story about the last thing you remember before coming here.”
“But listen carefully—among you, there is one liar.
Once all nine of you have finished telling your stories, you will cast your votes.
If all eight of you correctly identify the Liar, they will be eliminated, and the rest will survive.
However, if even one person votes incorrectly…
Then the Liar will live, and the rest of you will all die.”
The Liar…?
The group hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances.
Would anyone really lie in a life-or-death situation like this?
“Wait—can we discuss strategy beforehand?” The muscular man suddenly asked.
“Of course.” The goat-headed figure nodded.
“The game officially begins in one minute. You may use this time to strategize now… or later.”
“I want to use it now,” the young man replied without hesitation.
“As you wish.”
The goat-headed figure took a step back, giving them space.
The muscular man clenched his jaw, then swept his gaze over the others.
He deliberately avoided looking at the headless corpse slumped on the table.
“I don’t know who among us will be the Liar,” he said in a low voice,
“But this rule is way too brutal.
If even one person makes the wrong choice, we all die.
And even if we do guess correctly, the Liar still dies.
No matter what, someone will end up dead.”
He exhaled sharply, then continued.
“But I’ve thought of a way for all of us to survive.”
His words immediately captured everyone’s attention.
A way for everyone to live?
“That’s simple—none of us lie,” the muscular man declared.
“All nine of us tell the truth. Then, when it comes time to vote, we all write:
‘No one lied.’
That way, we don’t break the rules, and we all get out alive.”
The man in the white lab coat tapped his fingers against the table, considering.
“This plan sounds good,” he admitted, “But there’s one major flaw…
It only works if you are not the Liar.”
He paused, then asked pointedly,
“So tell me—why should we trust you?”
The muscular man’s face darkened. “Are you seriously accusing me?
If I was the Liar, why the hell would I suggest this plan? I could just try to save myself.”
“Time’s up,” the goat-headed figure interrupted. “No more talking.”
The two men shot each other a final glare but remained silent.
“Now, each of you will draw a card.”
The goat-headed figure pulled another small stack of cards from his pocket.
They were about the size of playing cards, with the words Nüwa Game inscribed on the back.
The muscular man hesitated. “What… are these?”
“These are your roles.” The goat-headed figure grinned.
“If you draw the Liar card… then you must lie.”
The muscular man’s face contorted in anger.
“You set us up! Why didn’t you tell us that before we started discussing strategy?!”
“This is your lesson,” the goat-headed figure sneered.
“You interrupted me before I finished explaining the rules.
It was you who wasted your precious minute—not me.”
One by one, the nine remaining participants drew their cards.
None of them dared to look at them right away.
They weren’t just drawing roles.
They were drawing life and death.
Qi Xia took a deep breath and lifted his card.
Three words stared back at him.
“Liar.”
- Writer
