Chapter 98: Naturally and Rightly

Qi Xia looked up blankly; the storyteller had now shifted to Officer Li.

“My name is Li Shangwu, from Inner Mongolia. I’m a criminal police officer,” Officer Li said calmly. “Before coming here, I was staking out a fraudster.”

“But I failed. I finally caught up with him, only to end up wrestling with him during an earthquake.”

“He knocked me out, and I woke up here.”

What had once been a lengthy story was now condensed into just three sentences.

Everyone’s story was essentially the same, yet Officer Li was behaving unusually at this moment.

Fortunately, only Qi Xia remembered the events from before.

“A cop?” Xiao Ran exclaimed in surprise. “You’re a police officer—why aren’t you trying to save us?”

“Because I…” Officer Li hesitated slightly. “To be honest, I don’t know how to get everyone out of here. But if an opportunity arises, I’ll do my best.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?” Xiao Ran retorted, baffled. “You’re a cop—you should be investigating and figuring out a way yourself! If there’s a murder case, do you just say, ‘I don’t know who the killer is,’ and close the case?”

“It’s not the same…” Officer Li shook his head. “Right now, my options are extremely limited. All I can do is try to keep everyone alive…”

Xiao Ran grew increasingly agitated and pointed directly at the Sheep-Man standing nearby. “Isn’t that the ‘killer’ right there? Just arrest him!”

“Enough.” Qi Xia had seen enough and cut in. “You keep shouting like this—isn’t it annoying?”

Qiao Jiajin also nodded. “Cops aren’t superhumans, you know? None of us can move right now. Our lives are in the Sheep-Man’s hands. How do you expect the cop to arrest him?”

“You…!” Xiao Ran wanted to argue further but suddenly caught sight of Qi Xia’s icy glare and Qiao Jiajin’s muscular, tattooed arms. She instantly realized these two were not to be trifled with.

She knew people with eyes like that were nothing like the police. She could yell at cops all she wanted—they’d never dare talk back—but these two men were dangerous.

“I… I’m just too scared,” Xiao Ran said, putting on a pitiful expression and shaking her head. “Sigh… Maybe I just trust the police too much.”

“Manipulative and cowardly,” Qi Xia sneered. “Are you the ‘liar’ trying to sow discord?”

“What?! How could I be the ‘liar’? Don’t slander me!” Xiao Ran shrieked.

“Oh?” Qi Xia nodded. “If you’re not the ‘liar,’ then what’s written on your card?”

“It says…”

Xiao Ran was about to blurt it out but froze.

The Sheep-Man had never mentioned what the other identity cards said—only that if someone drew the “liar,” they had to lie.

To clear her name, she’d have to publicly reveal her identity.

But what was the other role called?

“Truth-teller”?

“Ordinary person”?

“Participant”?

Or was it a blank card?

Xiao Ran felt her blood run cold, paralyzed by fear.

This young man was far too clever—with just one sentence, he’d backed her into a corner.

A few others now stared at Xiao Ran, their expressions skeptical.

Yes, if they started suspecting her of being the “liar,” things would get complicated.

According to the rules, there was “one and only one liar” in the room. Since everyone thought they might be that person, logically, there couldn’t be another.

Now they were caught in a dilemma, wondering if multiple liars were possible.

“Why should I tell you?” Seeing the situation turn against her, Xiao Ran resorted to defiance. “What if you’re the ‘liar,’ just trying to trick me into revealing my answer?”

Qi Xia nodded. “Fair point. In that case, let’s make a bet.”

“A bet…?”

“Right. I’ll count down from three, and we’ll both shout out what’s on our cards at the same time. Let the others decide who’s lying.” Qi Xia was determined to put Xiao Ran in her place. A troublemaker like her didn’t deserve to stay.

“This…” Xiao Ran visibly hesitated.

Qi Xia smirked inwardly. If this truly was a game with “one and only one liar,” she was doomed.

Since no one knew what the other role was called, all he had to do was confidently name one, and victory was his.

“Three.”

“Two.”

Qi Xia began the countdown with a cold expression.

Just as he was about to say “one,” Dr. Zhao suddenly intervened. “Hey, come on, let’s not do this…”

Qi Xia turned to look at him.

“Brother, we shouldn’t pick on a woman. Neither of you seems like the ‘liar.’ If we’re going to vote, let’s wait until everyone’s told their stories,” Dr. Zhao said with an appeasing smile.

Qi Xia had no intention of actually condemning Xiao Ran as the “liar” here—the real answer still had to be revealed.

Besides, the upcoming “Bamboo Shoots After Rain” game required all nine participants to cooperate. Xiao Ran couldn’t die yet, so he agreed.

“Fine,” Qi Xia nodded. “As long as she stops pointing fingers at others, I have no objections.”

“I wasn’t pointing fingers…” Xiao Ran pouted, putting on a pitiful act. “I was just scared.”

“Don’t worry, I believe you,” Dr. Zhao reassured her with a smile.

After Officer Li finished his story, it was Lin Qin’s turn.

She recounted how she’d been caught in the earthquake on the 26th floor of a high-rise.

Finally, it was Qi Xia’s turn.

He laid out his story in full.

As he finished, he couldn’t help but marvel at how strange “time” truly was.

Even though he remembered everything that had happened before, his second telling differed subtly from the first—word choices, phrasing, narrative order.

Yet when he looked at the others, apart from Officer Li, they repeated their stories word for word, despite supposedly not remembering the previous iteration.

So who was right? Who was wrong?

Once Qi Xia finished, the Sheep-Man announced a twenty-minute free discussion period.

Qi Xia also requested another blank sheet from the Sheep-Man and meticulously rewrote the same formula he’d penned earlier.

What followed unfolded almost naturally.

Qi Xia led the group in turning their accusations toward the Sheep-Man, who, to everyone’s shock, once again shot himself.