Though the others didn’t understand much about medical knowledge, they roughly grasped Dr. Zhao’s meaning.
For them now, pulling out the harpoon was simple, but stitching up a wound was difficult.
“The writer’s life is saved for now. The only thing we need to do is get out of here as soon as possible and find a place with proper conditions to treat his wound again.”
Dr. Zhao’s words pulled everyone’s thoughts back to reality.
If they couldn’t escape this eerie room, sooner or later, they would all end up like Han Yimo.
“But how do we leave? Is the ‘game’ over?” Lin Qin asked, covering her nose and mouth.
Qi Xia thought carefully and shook his head.
The mask’s message had been clear—the one called “Human Dog” wanted them to survive and said, “See you after the rain.”
Logically, after this storm of harpoons, that so-called “Human Dog” should have appeared, possibly bringing the next game.
So why hadn’t he shown up?
“Hey, conman,” Qiao Jiajin slowly walked up to Qi Xia, his expression serious. “You have a way to survive, right?”
“What?” Qi Xia replied coldly. “Whether I survive or not—what does it have to do with you?”
“I’m not as smart as you, so I need to find someone to team up with,” Qiao Jiajin said, seemingly offering himself. “You’ve got the brains, I’ve got the strength. Let’s work together.”
Qi Xia frowned slightly at these words.
“Sorry, I’m a conman. I don’t plan on trusting anyone but myself.”
Before Qiao Jiajin could say more, a question suddenly came from Officer Li.
“What’s this?”
Everyone turned to look and saw Officer Li carefully examining the harpoon in his hand.
“What’s wrong?”
Dr. Zhao approached Officer Li cautiously.
“There’s writing,” Officer Li said, handing the harpoon to Dr. Zhao.
Dr. Zhao took it and examined it, his expression shifting. Indeed, on the finger-thick tail of the harpoon were tiny words:
*”I am ‘Human Sheep.’ If you can read this, it means you’ve survived.”*
*”But how many of you are left?”*
*”Is anyone injured?”*
*”I’m truly worried about you.”*
*”I can’t just watch you die.”*
*”In a quarter of an hour, death will rain from the sky again.”*
*”Avoid it. Find a way to survive.”*
Dr. Zhao gritted his teeth and then violently flung the harpoon to the ground.
“You think this is a joke?!” he roared, as if unleashing all the suppressed emotions he’d held until now.
“Calm down!” Officer Li said sternly. “If you can’t control your emotions, how do you expect to survive?”
“Survive…? But we’re already dead!!” Dr. Zhao finally snapped. “We’re already dead, yet we’re still being tormented by the fear of death. What does the ‘host’ even want?! Why can’t they just kill us outright or let us go?”
Everyone’s faces darkened. Indeed, what was the purpose of this relentless cycle of death threats?
Was it truly as the ram-headed figure had said—to select a “god”?
Would only one person become a “god,” while the rest were condemned to hell?
“Everyone, we’ve survived two ‘games’ now. Do you think it’s because we’re smart? No!” Dr. Zhao clenched his fists tightly. “We’ve just been incredibly lucky! But what about next time? Or the time after that? In this ever-changing room, how long can we possibly last?!”
Officer Li pressed his lips together, stepped forward, and grabbed Dr. Zhao by the collar. “Hey… pal! At a time like this, the one thing we can’t afford to lose is morale! If you don’t want to live, go die on your own! Don’t drag everyone else down!”
“I—!” Dr. Zhao’s lips trembled slightly. “But how do we get out? Do you have a way to lead us out?”
Officer Li pondered for a moment before replying, “I don’t have a ‘solution.’ All I know is that we have to survive. As long as we live, there’s hope for everything.”
He released Dr. Zhao, walked over to pick up a harpoon, and examined it. Then he went to Han Yimo and checked the harpoon lodged in his shoulder—both bore the same message.
It seemed their luck had been too good.
Not only did they have to dodge fatal attacks in the last round, but they also needed to keep at least one harpoon to learn the next clue.
“At the very least, this time, we’ve been given a clear hint,” Officer Li said after reading the words on the harpoon. “Unlike before, the next attack will only come from above.”
He pointed to the small words: *”Death will rain from the sky again.”*
As soon as he finished speaking, the room began to change again.
All the holes in the walls slowly vanished, while the holes in the ceiling transformed—now, several rectangular openings appeared, each about a meter long and twenty to thirty centimeters wide. Upon closer inspection, there were nine in total.
Was this the “death raining from the sky”?
“It looks like the game is getting simpler,” Officer Li sighed, staring at the nine openings in the ceiling. “That’s a small mercy in this misfortune.”
“But why has it changed to ‘Human Sheep’ again?” Lawyer Zhang asked, gesturing to the mutilated corpse on the ground. “Didn’t we already kill ‘Human Sheep’?”
Qi Xia thought for a moment, equally puzzled.
The ram-headed figure who had just died had indeed called himself “Human Sheep,” yet the words inside his mask had read, *”I am Human Dog.”*
First sheep, then dog.
Was this another clue?
“We don’t have much time,” Officer Li said to the group. “It’s already 1:23. Soon, those nine holes will likely drop something deadly. Everyone, grab a table plank and stand against the wall.”
The group then noticed something odd about the table planks on the ground. They seemed specially constructed—after being torn apart by the harpoons, only a square section with a handle remained, suggesting the center was made of sturdier wood than the edges.
Though the planks they now held were small, the nine holes in the ceiling were all clustered near the center, so standing by the wall should be safe.
Silently, everyone picked up the broken planks and dispersed along the walls, keeping away from the central openings.
Only Qi Xia remained still, slowly closing his eyes again.
From every angle, the third game was far too suspicious.
Because the “host” had given them the solution outright.
To Qi Xia, this hint was entirely unnecessary.
Did they want them dead or alive?
Why emphasize “Human Sheep” and “Human Dog” separately?
If “Human Sheep” and “Human Dog” weren’t names, then what did they represent?
“Hey, conman, get over here!” Qiao Jiajin shouted. “You’ll die if you stand under those holes!”
“Die…?” Qi Xia glanced coldly at the openings above. “There’s no way I’m dying here. I have a reason I must get out.”
“What’s going on…? Even the smartest guy’s turned traitor?” Qiao Jiajin muttered in confusion.
Qi Xia raised a finger and lightly tapped his temple.
“Wait… wait… just give me a little more time.”
The others even slowed their breathing, watching Qi Xia silently from the walls. None of them understood what could possibly require such deep thought in such a straightforward game.
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