Ten Days End Revised Edition

Chapter 17: Sheep and Dog

"Sheep and Dog..." Qi Xia squinted and carefully considered everything that had happened so far.

At the start, the person who called himself the "Human Sheep" had wanted them to kill each other, but now this "Human Sheep" claimed to be very worried about them, saying he couldn't bear to watch them die.

"This doesn't make sense..."

Suddenly, a flash of realization struck Qi Xia.

That's it!

Lying!

Everything was pointing in the direction Qi Xia had expected — the "sheep" and "dog" weren't names, but types of games!

Could "sheep" refer to the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"? In that tale, the shepherd boy cried wolf too many times, and when a real wolf appeared, no one believed him. So, the "sheep" game must involve lies, it's a game about "lying".

On the other hand, "dog" might represent loyalty. In the previous harpoon game, if they hadn't cooperated, none of them would have survived. So, could it be that the "dog" game is about "cooperation"?

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

But which part of the short message was a lie?

"I can't watch you die," if this sentence was a lie...

"Wait..." Qi Xia slowly widened his eyes. "This statement isn't the 'answer,' it's the trap that will lead to everyone's demise."

"What are you talking about?" Jo Jiajin asked in confusion.

"Everything in that statement is a lie!" Qi Xia said decisively. "Standing by the wall will lead to 'death,' standing under the hole is 'life'!"

Zhao Yisheng and Officer Li exchanged glances, unsure of what Qi Xia was trying to express.

"Remember, 'sheep' lies!" Qi Xia stood in the center of the room, trying to get everyone to listen. "If we follow what he said, we will end up killing ourselves. That's the difference between the 'sheep' and the 'dog'!"

"But is that really reasonable?" Xiao Ran asked timidly. "The only holes in the room are directly above your head, that must be the most dangerous place..."

Qi Xia hadn't fully figured that out either.

What would fall from above that could kill the people standing by the wall?

"Hmm..." Qi Xia thought for a moment before changing his statement. "It doesn't matter. After this round, there's a good chance we'll be able to escape. So you can choose as you like."

"How do you know we'll escape?" Officer Li asked suspiciously.

"Because this time, the hint doesn't include any 'preview' of the next game," Qi Xia answered. "So, there are two possibilities: either this is the final game, or the organizer is confident that they can kill us all in this game."

Hearing this, the group became quiet and grim, but no one could argue.

"Anyway, I'll stand here," Qi Xia pointed to the spot under his feet. "As for how you choose, it's up to you."

Qi Xia knew that everything he said was just speculation, so to be safe, he picked up a square piece of the table from the ground.

After hearing Qi Xia's words, Jo Jiajin slowly walked over to him and said, "I told you, I trust you."

"But I'm a liar," Qi Xia replied coldly.

"I don't care."

Lin Qing thought for a moment and then covered her mouth and nose as she walked toward the center of the room.

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

Lin Qing nodded slightly. "Yes, think about it, who got us through this far?"

Xiao Ran was taken aback, suddenly realizing Lin Qing had a point. After a brief internal struggle, she also followed.

Han Yimo, holding his injured shoulder, also walked over.

"Your name is... Qi Xia, right? I trust you too."

Tian Tian and Zhang Chenze followed suit.

At this moment, only Zhao Yisheng and Officer Li remained near the wall.

"Hey, aren't you coming over?" Tian Tian shouted.

"I..." Zhao Yisheng hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to do.

"No need to force anyone," Qi Xia waved his hand. "This round doesn't require cooperation, just focus on surviving."

The clock on the floor slowly reached 1:28.

Officer Li squinted and stared at Qi Xia.

He didn't think the liar would choose to die now, but why was he trying to get everyone to stand under the holes?

At this moment, Lin Qing noticed their thoughts and said to them, "Qi Xia doesn't seem to be lying, are you coming?"

"You can tell?" Officer Li asked quietly.

"Yes," Lin Qing nodded. "Because of my job, I'm often able to tell whether someone is lying."

"In that case..." Officer Li and Zhao Yisheng exchanged glances and silently walked over to Lin Qing. "Since a professional says so, we'll believe you."

Everyone quickly picked up the nearest tableboard and held it over their heads. No matter what fell from the hole, they could at least protect themselves.

"You guys are quite clever," Jo Jiajin shook his head helplessly, also picking up a tableboard. He examined it carefully; now the tableboard looked more like a shield, not just a square with 50-centimeter sides, but with a very sturdy handle.

Qi Xia glanced at the time and grabbed Jo Jiajin. "Get ready, it's coming."

Just as he finished speaking, the clock struck 1:30, and a loud chain sound echoed from the ceiling, as though something invisible was being drawn up.

But there was no reaction from the holes. Neither the "death" nor "life" they'd expected appeared.

After waiting a few seconds, the floor beneath their feet suddenly began to rise.

"Bad news..." Qi Xia's face changed. "This is worse than I imagined."

Shouts and confusion filled the room as no one expected the "organizer" to try and squeeze everyone into a pancake in this cramped room.

"What is happening?"

Before anyone could ask, Qi Xia immediately shouted, "Get down!"

The three people who reacted quickly crouched down. But their eyes were filled with despair. Everyone knew that if the floor and ceiling came together in this low room, no one would escape.

Qi Xia crouched down, his mind racing. He knew his guesses had to be right—the hole above was the "way out." But how could they survive?

The floor continued to rise with a deafening sound, and the room's height was cut in half in a short amount of time. Everyone had to crouch completely to move.

Qi Xia looked up and saw that the rectangular hole above was now close enough to touch.

In the chaos, Qi Xia made a quick decision and reached up to explore the hole. It was a regular hole, and the ceiling seemed to be made of some kind of hard metal.

"Could it be...?"

Qi Xia quickly lowered his head and picked up the square tableboard. Since the hole was the "way out," and the tableboard was his only tool, was there a connection between the two?

Qi Xia placed the board vertically and shoved it into the ceiling hole. Then he horizontally positioned the board and pulled it down. The tableboard got stuck firmly in the hole, with the handle sticking out downward.

"This is... the way out?" Qi Xia's eyes widened as he instantly realized what was about to happen.

Seeing Qi Xia's action, everyone quickly followed suit, putting their own square tableboards into the hole above.

"Be careful, something's about to happen..."

Just as Qi Xia was about to say something else, the floor beneath them suddenly shattered into pieces.

"Ah!"

"I can't!"

Shouts erupted simultaneously as everyone fell. In that moment, their bodies instinctively grasped the handles above their heads, preventing them from falling straight down.

Han Yimo gritted his teeth, gripping the handle with his left hand. But he had lost too much blood, and his strength was fading. Qi Xia watched helplessly as his hand slowly loosened...