“But here…”
Qi Xia still wanted to ask something, but Sheep suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.
He shuddered, swallowing the words on the tip of his tongue.
Last time, Sheep had never touched Qi Xia.
What did this hand signify?
Qi Xia only felt the hand exert a slight pressure, as if hinting at something.
He looked up at Sheep but found the other wasn’t even looking at him.
“Now, let me explain the rules of the game,” Sheep said, stepping away from Qi Xia. “Each of you must recount the last story of what happened before you arrived here. But be warned—among all the storytellers, one person is lying. When everyone has finished speaking…”
The exact same rules as before.
Among all of them, there was one and only one “Liar,” and they had to vote to identify them.
This game had nearly cost the lives of everyone when they first arrived here.
Sheep handed out sheets of white paper to the nine people present.
As Qi Xia held the paper, a faint glimmer flashed through his mind.
A sense of dissonance abruptly surfaced in his heart.
Wait a minute…
Shouldn’t someone be asking Sheep right now, “Can we discuss tactics?”
But why wasn’t that person speaking?
Qi Xia’s pupils dilated slightly.
That’s it—it was him!
This time around, that man had suddenly become unusually quiet.
Every time Qi Xia had felt something off, it was because this person hadn’t spoken when he should have.
None of the questions he had asked before were raised this time.
Why had he stopped questioning things?
Qi Xia knew there was only one answer: that man no longer needed to ask those questions.
He, too, remembered the “last time”!
Qi Xia turned his head, staring suspiciously at the burly man.
Officer Li!
Officer Li sat with a stern expression, tapping the table with his fingers as if indifferent to everything.
“Since no one has any questions, we’ll now distribute the ‘Role Cards,'” Sheep said, pulling out a stack of playing card-sized cards from his pocket and handing them out.
“To be clear—if you draw the ‘Liar,’ you must lie.”
One by one, everyone took their cards from Sheep, their expressions grim.
Throughout this, Qi Xia kept glancing at Officer Li.
Yes, he had changed.
He didn’t even rush to check his own role.
Qi Xia also covered his own “Role Card” with his palm, lost in thought.
The situation was tricky now.
If he recklessly told everyone this was the “second time,” no one would believe him. Instead, he’d instantly become the target of suspicion.
After all, not all nine people here were exceptionally sharp. If someone steered the discussion the wrong way, Qi Xia stood a high chance of being voted out.
So this wasn’t the best place to reveal himself.
If he wanted to avoid suspicion, Qi Xia had to lead everyone through this just as he had before.
He looked around at the walls and floor—just like last time, they were neatly divided into squares by lines.
The game’s setting hadn’t changed, and neither had the rules.
“Uh, maybe I should say something,” Dr. Zhao suddenly spoke up without waiting for Sheep’s permission.
Everyone turned to look at him with suspicion.
“We’re all meeting for the first time, and I don’t know any of you, but I suggest the ‘Liar’ come forward now,” Dr. Zhao said seriously. “For one person to make the other eight scheme against each other is just too cruel.”
“Yeah!” Xiao Ran chimed in. “Whoever got the ‘Liar’ should just admit it. Why make so many people risk their lives for you?”
Qi Xia let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.
These two had a very different approach from Officer Li.
Their own cards were clearly marked “Liar,” yet they were suddenly acting from a moral high ground.
This wasn’t about getting the “Liar” to step forward—it was about misleading everyone into thinking they weren’t the “Liar.”
After all, in normal logic, the “Liar” wouldn’t tell others to confess.
In contrast, Officer Li’s speech last time had always been about unity and honesty.
Qi Xia had assumed no one would take these two seriously, but then Qiao Jiajin, sitting nearby, suddenly looked hesitant.
He stared at his card for a long time, as if wrestling with a decision.
Qi Xia froze, sensing something was wrong.
Right—Qiao Jiajin was exactly that kind of person.
He was too naive.
He’d fall for their manipulation.
He didn’t know everyone’s card was the “Liar.” He only believed that, for the sake of righteousness, he shouldn’t drag everyone down—so he might just confess right now.
Just as Qiao Jiajin took a deep breath and was about to speak, Qi Xia quickly cut in, asking Sheep, “Hey, let’s get on with the stories. Who goes first?”
Startled, Qiao Jiajin swallowed his words, his resolve wavering again.
Humans were like that—if a long-held decision was suddenly interrupted, they had to make up their minds all over again.
“Since no one objects, the game begins now. You first,” Sheep said, pointing at Sweetie.
“Me?” Sweetie pouted, then began her story. “O-Okay. My name is Sweetie, and I’m… a ‘technical worker’…”
Her entire story was identical to last time—if Qi Xia remembered correctly, word for word.
Once she finished, Qiao Jiajin naturally raised his doubts.
He accused “Sweetie” of being a fake name, meaning she was lying, and the two even got into a heated argument over it.
Then, one by one, everyone told their stories.
Forced to play along, Qi Xia pretended to listen attentively, even though he’d heard them all before.
As he listened, he glanced again at his “Role Card.” On the back, it read: “Nuwa Game.”
He suddenly realized he hadn’t even checked his own role yet. If anyone noticed, suspicion could easily fall on him.
Thinking fast, he flipped the card expressionlessly and skimmed it.
The words on it made him pause. He brought the card closer.
The next second, his entire body stiffened in shock.
The card didn’t say “Liar” at all—instead, it bore a baffling message:
**”Don’t tell anyone you still remember.”**
“What?”
Qi Xia read the sentence several times, then looked up at Sheep, who ignored him.
“Don’t tell anyone I still remember…”
He lowered his head, rubbing his eyes. When he looked again, the words on the card had changed.
Now it simply read: **”Liar.”**
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage