lying

The woman's scream stopped, and the people's thoughts stopped abruptly.

Several of the men who had been shouting insults were now silenced.

It's no longer a matter of "breaking the law" these days, the freak in front of me can actually kill people.

There was more than a minute's silence before the goat's head bowed slightly. "Very well, nine, it looks like you're all quiet."

Everyone changed their faces and colors, but none dared to speak. As he said, it was now truly the Nine.

Zisha reached out with a trembling hand and took a piece of pink from her face.

The shattered brain was still beating slightly with body heat, but in a few seconds it lost its life like a leaky ball.

"Let me introduce myself now..." The goat's head stretched out its bleeding fingers, pointed to its mask, and said, "I am a'sheep', and you are the participants."

The crowd froze at this, and then wondered: "the sheep," "the participants"?

"You are gathered together today to participate in a game that will ultimately create a God." The head of the goat said in a flat voice.

These two words made everyone frown.

After spending just a few minutes together, everyone had more or less realized that the man before them was a lunatic. But this lunatic was claiming that he was going to create a "god"?

"Create... what kind of god?" the muscular young man asked nervously.

"A god like 'Nüwa'!" the goat-headed man gestured wildly as he spoke, his body exuding a pungent, musky odor. His voice carried a twisted excitement. "Isn't it wonderful? You will all witness history with me! Long ago, Nüwa created humanity, but when she mended the heavens, she turned into a rainbow... We cannot lose Nüwa! So, we must create a Nüwa! There is a great mission waiting for this 'god' to accomplish!"

His voice grew louder, his entire being seemingly consumed by a manic fervor.

"Nüwa…" The muscular young man frowned, finding this whole idea far too difficult to accept. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you some kind of religious group?"

"Religion?" The goat-headed man was momentarily stunned. He turned to the young man and said, "We are far grander than 'religion'—we have a whole 'world'!"

After hearing this, everyone fell silent again.

The muscular man's question had hit the mark. The goat-headed man's actions were no different from those of a cult, but most cults tended to fabricate new deities rather than using a heroic figure like Nüwa.

"If that's the case..." the muscular man continued to ask, "what exactly do you want us to 'participate' in?"

"I've already told you—just a game," the goat-headed man answered without hesitation. "If you win, one of you will become a 'god'."

"Bloody hell..." The tattooed man seemed to have calmed down. He cursed under his breath before speaking, "So this is some kind of 'Investiture of the Gods,' huh? And what if we can't win?"

"If you can't win..." The goat-headed man glanced at the bloodstains on his hands, looking somewhat disappointed. "Then that would be a real shame..."

Though he hadn't said it outright, everyone understood his implication.

If they couldn't win, they would die.

Among the choices he offered, there was no option for simply walking out of here alive.

Either they became the so-called "god" he spoke of, or they ended up like the young man whose head had been blown apart.

"If everyone understands... then this 'game' officially begins. The name of this game is 'The Liar.'"

The goat-headed man slowly pulled out a stack of papers from his coat and then casually walked around, placing one in front of each person.

Next, he took out several pens and distributed them among the group.

The table was stained with blood. As each sheet of white paper landed, it picked up the crimson smears. When someone flipped their paper over and wiped it with their hand, the blood spread like paint, turning the white paper even redder.

"Now, I need each of you to tell a story—specifically, the last thing that happened before you arrived here," the goat-headed man continued. "But pay close attention: among all the storytellers, one person will be lying.

"Once all nine of you have shared your stories, you will vote. If all eight correctly identify 'The Liar,' the liar is eliminated, and everyone else survives.

"But if even one person votes incorrectly, then the liar survives… and everyone else is eliminated."

"'The Liar'...?"

The group looked slightly puzzled. Would someone really lie at such a life-or-death moment?

"Wait, can we discuss a 'strategy'?" the muscular man suddenly asked.

"Feel free," the goat-headed man nodded. "Before the game begins, you have one minute to discuss your strategy. Do you want to use it now… or later?"

"I'll use it now," the muscular man said without hesitation.

"As you wish."

The goat-headed man took a step back, distancing himself from the table.

The muscular man pressed his lips together, then glanced around at the others, deliberately avoiding the headless corpse slumped over the table. He spoke up:

"I don't know who among you will have to lie in this game, but this 'rule' sounds far too absolute. If even one person votes incorrectly, we all die. And even if we guess correctly, the liar will die. No matter what, someone is bound to die. But... I've thought of a way for everyone to survive."

Hearing this, the others immediately turned their attention to him.

A way for everyone to survive? Was that even possible?

"And that is—none of us lie," the muscular man announced before anyone could fully grasp his idea. "If all nine of us tell the truth, and at the end, we all write 'No one lied' on our papers, then we wouldn't be breaking any rules. That way, we can all make it out alive."

The man in the white coat tapped his fingers lightly against the table. After a brief moment, he spoke up:

"Your plan is clever, but it has one condition—'that you yourself are not the liar.' But how can we trust you? If you are the liar, and we all write 'No one lied,' then the only one who survives… is you."

"What kind of nonsense is that?" The muscular man looked slightly angry. "If I were the liar, why would I suggest such a plan? I would only need to focus on saving myself."

The goat-headed man waved his hand slightly and said, "Time's up. Stop talking."

The two men let out cold snorts but fell silent.

"Now, please draw a card," the goat-headed man said, pulling a small stack of cards from his pocket. The cards were about the size of playing cards, with the words Nüwa Game written on the back.

The muscular man frowned and asked, "What are these?"

"These are 'identity cards,'" the goat-headed man laughed. "Whoever draws the 'Liar' card must lie."

The muscular man clenched his teeth tightly. "You're screwing with us?! Why didn't you tell us this rule earlier?!"

"This is to teach you a lesson," the goat-headed man sneered. "I hadn't finished explaining the rules when you asked if you could discuss a strategy. It was you who wasted a precious minute, not me for not telling you in advance."

The muscular man's face turned dark, but remembering the goat-headed man's murderous methods, he suppressed his anger.

In just one minute, all nine people had drawn a card from the goat-headed man's hand, but no one dared to look at theirs.

If the card read "Liar," it would become a matter of whether they themselves survived or someone else did.

"This is to teach you a lesson," the goat-headed man sneered. "I hadn't finished explaining the rules when you asked if you could discuss a strategy. It was you who wasted a precious minute, not me for not telling you in advance."

The muscular man's face turned dark, but remembering the goat-headed man's murderous methods, he suppressed his anger.

In just one minute, all nine people had drawn a card from the goat-headed man's hand, but no one dared to look at theirs.

If the card read "Liar," it would become a matter of whether they themselves survived or someone else did.

The four women's hands trembled slightly, and the men's expressions were grim as well.

This wasn't about drawing an "identity," but rather a matter of "life and death."

Qi Xia took a deep breath, casually holding her card with her hand, and moved it in front of her eyes.

She gently flipped it over.

It clearly read: Liar.

The four women's hands trembled slightly, and the men's expressions were grim as well.

This wasn't about drawing an "identity," but rather a matter of "life and death."

Qi Xia took a deep breath, casually holding her card with her hand, and moved it in front of her eyes.

She gently flipped it over.

It clearly read: Liar.