Chapter 19 - All-Powerful
1331 Words
"I..." The Serpent Head paused slightly, clearly unsure of how to respond. He wanted to choose an answer, but he realized that no matter what he said, it would be futile.
"Hahahahaha!"
Suddenly, the Serpent Head burst into laughter, laughing so hard that his body swayed back and forth. After a moment, he stopped, collecting himself, and said, "You are truly interesting."
"Interesting?" Qi Xia coldly glanced at the Serpent Head. "What's interesting about this? Haven't I already won?"
The Serpent Head slowly walked to the wall and pulled the lever.
The group felt their bodies drop, and the ceiling began to slowly lower.
Jiao Jiaqing was confused. He turned to Qi Xia and asked, "Con man, what does this mean? Why is this considered winning?"
Qi Xia realized that they were indeed descending and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He replied, "Think about it. As long as that question was asked, no matter what happens, we’re saved."
"‘If my next question is 'Will you pull the lever,’ will your answer be the same as this question...?" Jiao Jiaqing muttered, trying to make sense of it.
"I see now..." Doctor Zhao nodded thoughtfully. "If he answers ‘Yes,’ the next question can only be answered ‘Yes,’ so we'll be saved. After all, the next question is 'Will you pull the lever?’”
"But what if he says 'No'?" Jiao Jiaqing seemed to have found a loophole. "If he says ‘No,’ wouldn't that work?"
"If he says ‘No,’ the next question must still be answered ‘Yes,’” Han Yimo weakly explained. "The brilliance of this question lies in the fact that if he answers ‘No,’ it acknowledges that he would give two different answers to the two questions. Remember? The Serpent Head said he wouldn't lie."
Jiao Jiaqing froze, then turned back to look at Qi Xia, asking, "Did you just think of this... What kind of monster are you?"
"I'm no monster," Qi Xia shook his head. "I'm just a conman wandering the world."
While speaking, the group had slowly descended to the ground. Due to the long suspension, their palms burned with pain, and the condition of the two injured individuals was even more concerning.
"Congratulations, everyone, you’ve survived the 'interview,'" the Serpent Head said, standing with his hands behind his back beside the wooden door. "Push open this door, and a new world awaits you."
"Piece of trash..."
Jiao Jiaqing stormed up, seemingly wanting to vent all his frustrations with the 'human sheep' and 'human dog' onto the 'Serpent Head.'
The Serpent Head turned his cold eyes toward Jiao Jiaqing, yet remained motionless.
"Are you all freaks?!" Jiao Jiaqing shouted, stepping forward and grabbing the Serpent Head's collar. "Wearing these strange masks, trying to kill us time and time again. Now I’ve finally caught you!"
The Serpent Head sneered, then whispered, "While you're still alive, I advise you to let go."
"What did you say?!"
Jiao Jiaqing raised his fist, about to punch the Serpent Head, but was stopped by Officer Li, who grabbed his arm.
"Hey, have you forgotten about the guy with his skull crushed?" Officer Li whispered. "If they’re all the same kind of people, how do you plan on defeating them?"
"I..." A trace of unwillingness crossed Jiao Jiaqing's face. He clenched his teeth, slowly saying, "But these d*mn..."
"Don’t worry, we can get out, right?" Officer Li interrupted him, speaking softly. "Once we’re out, I’ll make them pay."
After hearing this, the group fell silent and slowly walked up to the Serpent Head.
Now, up close, they saw how eerie he truly was.
The Serpent Head exuded an unusually cold aura. His worn-out suit and the mask he wore emitted a strange, foul odor. His eyes peered out from the mask’s holes, clearly human, yet his scent resembled that of a long-dead snake.
"Everyone, welcome to the new world," the Serpent Head’s muffled voice came from the mask. He then turned and opened the door.
With a soft creak, light from outside streamed in.
Qi Xia frowned. He realized that what lay outside wasn’t the outdoors, but rather a corridor.
"Where is this?" Qi Xia asked.
"I told you, it's a new world," the Serpent Head slowly raised his hands. "A future 'god' will emerge from among you! A god who can make all things happen! How exciting!"
"Another god..." Jiao Jiaqing growled. "What exactly are you plotting?"
When someone asked a question, the Serpent Head showed visible interest. "A god who can do anything... He can make all ideas come true!"
"Anything?" Jiao Jiaqing frowned, his mind racing.
Doctor Zhao, remaining calm, gestured for Jiao Jiaqing to stay quiet, then turned to the Serpent Head and said, "Alright, we understand. Now let us out."
The Serpent Head paused, then nodded and stepped aside.
Qi Xia walked ahead, and the others, eager to leave, followed behind him.
As they stepped into the corridor, a heavy, peculiar smell filled their nostrils.
How to describe this scent?
It was heavy, a very heavy scent.
It was as if the entire world’s billions of people had died, their bodies exposed to the air, rotting away. This decaying smell attracted countless insects to feast. They bred in large numbers, died, and rotted too.
After the overwhelming stench had settled for a while, it turned into this dense, oppressive scent.
Qi Xia took a long time to regain his composure, then looked up and saw a scene that filled him with despair.
They were in a seemingly endless corridor, with low, oppressive ceilings stretching ahead.
On both sides of the corridor, countless wooden doors were slowly opening.
Just like the wooden door they had come through.
Soon, figures began to appear in the doorways. Most of them were masked figures, drenched in blood. Only a few normal-looking people stepped out.
Those "normal" people, however, looked tired and trembling, just like Qi Xia. They, too, had survived.
"What’s going on?" Han Yimo weakly asked. "Were there more than just the nine of us captured?"
Qi Xia's expression grew heavy. What was happening here was beyond his imagination.
Had this organization captured countless people and forced them into deadly games?
"But... there are too few survivors..." Zhang Chenze sighed.
Looking around at the thousands of doors, only a handful of people emerged.
The situation in Qi Xia's room, where "everyone survived," seemed even more impossible.
"Everyone, please."
The Serpent Head gestured to a side, indicating the direction they should go, and stood by the door, seemingly unwilling to leave.
"Let’s go."
The group knew it was best not to linger here. They fell into a single-file line and slowly began to leave.
As they passed one worn-out wooden door after another, they saw the masked figures up close.
Among them were people wearing cow, horse, and dog masks.
There were also sheep and snake masks, ones they'd seen earlier.
Each of them gave off a strange, ominous vibe, carrying the scent of decay. The scenes inside the rooms were mostly full of corpses. It was unclear what kind of "game" these people had been part of.
After walking a few more steps, the group was startled by two figures with animal masks.
One wore a giant rat mask and leaned against the wall; the other wore a huge rooster mask, arms crossed in front of his chest.
These masks weren’t man-made but real animal skulls.
But where in the world could you find such large rats and roosters?
Like the others, these two figures just glanced at Qi Xia’s group, doing nothing else.
"What are these animals?" Lin Qing asked, frightened, instinctively distancing herself from the two.
Qi Xia frowned slightly, as if something clicked in his mind.
Sheep, dog, snake, rat, rooster...
"It's the zodiac," he muttered.
The others froze and turned to him.
Indeed, the animal masks worn by the people in old suits were all part of the Chinese zodiac.
- Writer
