Chapter 7: The Odds of Winning
1302 Words
“Officer, you’re lying,” Jason said coldly.
“Humph, I knew you would say that, but what evidence do you have to prove I’m lying? Just because someone attacked me?”
“Of course not.” Jason smiled slightly. “While I don’t know the reason, all the stories everyone has told so far have some connection. Many of these stories share common characters. If we set aside geographical locations, everyone’s accounts are quite reasonable.”
“So what?”
“The problem lies here.” Jason pointed at the lawyer, Zhang Chenzhe. “You and the lawyer share a common character in your stories, namely the ‘fraud who scammed two million yuan.’ However, your accounts contradict each other, which means one of you is lying.”
Officer Li paused, then asked, “What’s the contradiction?”
Jason shook his head and replied, “Zhang, you’re preparing for court, which implies you’ve already ‘caught the suspect’ in your story. Yet, you’re still surveilling him in Officer Li’s narrative, indicating that ‘the suspect has not been apprehended’ in your case. Isn’t that a contradiction?”
Officer Li pondered for a moment and replied, “I have to admit, you make a valid point, but I think you’ve been influenced by this ‘game.’ First, you need to understand a major premise: all the storytellers were not in the same city as the others. In other words, even if our experiences seem similar, they could not possibly be the same event. Since they are different events, naturally, there will be different outcomes.”
Zachary quietly watched the two continue to argue without intervening.
Yes, let them argue; the fiercer, the better.
As long as one of them casts a vote against the other, the Liar would win.
After all, the rules are absolute. Apart from the Liar, if any one person votes incorrectly, it will lead to the downfall of the rest.
Although Officer Li had offered an explanation, Jason's words still lingered in everyone’s minds.
This was the first time they had discovered conflicting elements in two people’s stories.
Zachary couldn’t help but look at Jason, the so-called thug, with newfound respect.
He appeared reckless but was smarter than he seemed.
“Um… it’s my turn now…” a girl spoke up.
Everyone turned their attention to her.
This girl had screamed loudly when the corpse was discovered, but now she seemed to have calmed down, though her gaze was still hesitant to look towards the body.
“Hello, everyone, my name is Lin Qing, and I’m a psychological counselor.”
Zachary paused slightly; the name “Lin Qing” was interesting.
In ancient China, “Lin Qing” meant “apple.”
These characters are rich in poetic meaning, leaving a strong impression.
Perhaps Miss Lin’s parents wanted their daughter to have a unique name, but this name clearly might be her downfall here.
Among those present, there were writers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and police officers—people who might recognize the significance of “Lin Qing.”
As long as this name lingered in their minds, Lin Qing’s story would certainly make a strong impact.
Noticing the lack of response from the crowd, Lin Qing covered her mouth and nose with her hand and continued, “I’m from Ningxia. Before I came here, I was waiting for a client. She is a kindergarten teacher.”
The crowd cast a glance at the teacher named Xiao Ran, noticing another connection in this story.
“She mentioned that the current kindergarten industry is tough. You can’t hit or scold the children. Parents treat teachers like babysitters, while children see teachers as servants. Every classroom has surveillance cameras for parents to monitor in real-time. If your tone is even slightly stern, a call will go straight to the principal.”
“But aren’t parents sending their kids to kindergarten to help them develop their values?”
“If teachers can’t discipline them, how will the kids learn to recognize their mistakes?”
“She feels lost and oppressed in this situation.”
“So I prepared a treatment plan for her, lasting about a month.”
“But for some reason, that client never showed up for our appointment, and I just waited in my studio.”
“When the earthquake struck, I didn’t have a chance to escape. After all, my studio is on the twenty-sixth floor.”
“The higher the floor, the stronger the tremors. I felt the entire building swaying.”
“I never knew Ningxia could experience earthquakes; this one opened my eyes.”
“Later, I vaguely remember the ceiling collapsing. Everything went dark, and I lost consciousness.”
After Lin Qing finished her story, everyone seemed to ponder something.
Jason spoke up first, “I have two questions.”
“Go ahead,” Lin Qing replied, covering her mouth and nose.
“You mentioned that every classroom has ‘surveillance.’ What does that mean?”
No one expected Jason to focus on this point, but Lin Qing, being a psychological counselor, patiently explained, “I think the purpose of the surveillance is to allow parents to see what happens in the classroom from anywhere.”
“Oh, so it’s ‘closed-circuit television’… Is it an elite kindergarten?” Jason muttered to himself before asking, “So the kindergarten teacher you were supposed to meet is this Xiao Ran next to us?”
“I don’t know,” Lin Qing shook her head. “I only added her on WeChat; we were supposed to discuss details in person.”
“WeChat?” Jason blinked, seemingly confused.
Officer Li interrupted, “Thug, you’re at it again. Xiao Ran is in Yunnan, while Lin Qing is in Ningxia. Who would travel that far to see a psychological counselor?”
Jason retorted, “I’m just pointing out a flaw. This is the first time someone’s story has mentioned another participant.”
Dr. Zhao nodded, finding merit in Jason's words. He asked, “Xiao Ran, is your reason for seeking a psychological counselor the same as what Lin Qing described?”
“Um…” Xiao Ran hesitated, then said, “Not exactly… I sought counseling because I was constantly criticized by a parent, leading to some depression…”
“That proves it’s just a coincidence,” Dr. Zhao nodded. “After all, these are two separate regional matters, and there’s no need to force a connection.”
At this moment, everyone fell silent, but then Lawyer Zhang suddenly spoke up. “Lin Qing, half of your story is the kindergarten teacher’s story. Doesn’t that violate the rules?”
“Huh?” Lin Qing was slightly taken aback. “I mentioned the kindergarten teacher to help you understand my work better…”
“Don’t misunderstand; I meant no offense,” Zhang Chenzhe smiled. “What I’m saying is, if the kindergarten teacher’s experience is fabricated, it will naturally differ from Xiao Ran’s story, proving you’re lying.”
“You…!” Lin Qing didn’t expect the woman before her to be so aggressive. She could only retort, “Dr. Zhao and Officer Li both said that we’re from different provinces. This is merely a coincidence!”
“A coincidence, is it?” Zhang Chenzhe crossed her arms and continued, “Think about it carefully: why were we specifically chosen to gather here? Don’t forget, we are nine strangers. If we are to detect flaws in each other’s stories, we need some clues. This ‘clue’ is that everyone’s stories are interconnected. Having listened to each person’s account, I feel we were deliberately selected. This way, we can successfully uncover the Liar’s identity among everyone’s stories. This game is absurd because the Liar's odds of winning are simply too great.”
- Writer
