Sheep and Dogs

"Sheep and dog..." Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, carefully contemplating everything.

At first, the one who called himself "Sheepman" wanted them to kill each other. But now, this "Sheepman" claimed to be deeply concerned about them and said he couldn't just stand by and watch them die.

"Isn't that a lie...?"

Suddenly, a spark of realization flashed through Qi Xia's mind.

That's it!

Lying!

Everything was unfolding just as Qi Xia had suspected—"sheep" and "dog" were not names of people, but game types!

Could "sheep" represent the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf? In that story, the shepherd boy repeatedly lied, leading to no one believing him when danger truly arrived. So, the "sheep" game must involve lying—it's a deception game.

As for "dog," could it symbolize loyalty? Just like in the harpoon game earlier—if they hadn't worked together, none of them would have survived. So, could it be that "dog" represents cooperation?

Qi Xia picked up the harpoon again, deep in thought. He now understood that when "Sheep" explained the rules, there was a possibility of deception.

But in those few short sentences, which one was the lie?

"I can't just stand by and watch you die."

If that sentence was a lie…

"Wait a minute…" Qi Xia's eyes slowly widened. "This statement isn't the answer—it's a trap that will get everyone killed."

"What are you talking about?" Qiao Jiajin asked, confused.

"This entire statement is a lie!" Qi Xia declared firmly. "Standing by the wall means death, while standing under the hole means life!"

Dr. Zhao and Officer Li exchanged glances, unsure of what Qi Xia was trying to say.

"Everyone, do you remember? The 'Sheep' lies!" Qi Xia stood in the center of the room, trying to get the others to move closer to him. "If we follow the rules exactly as they were given, we'll end up dead. That's the difference between 'Sheep' and 'Dog'!"

"But… does that really make sense?" Xiao Ran asked hesitantly. "The only hole in the room is right above your head. No matter how you look at it, that seems like the most dangerous spot…"

Qi Xia hadn't figured that part out yet either.

What exactly would fall from that hole that could kill the people standing by the walls?

"Hmm…" Qi Xia thought for a moment before changing his approach. "It doesn't matter. Once this round is over, there's a good chance we'll be able to get out. So just make your own choice based on what you believe."

"How do you know we'll be able to get out?" Officer Li asked cautiously.

"Because this time, the hint didn't include a 'preview' of the next game," Qi Xia replied. "That leaves us with two possibilities—either this is the final game, or the organizers are confident that they can eliminate all of us in this round."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions grew heavy, but no one could refute him.

"In any case, I'm standing right here." Qi Xia pointed to the spot beneath him. "As for the rest of you, it's your choice."

Qi Xia knew that everything he said was just speculation. To be safe, he picked up a square tabletop from the ground and held it in his hands.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Jiajin slowly walked over to stand beside him. "I told you before—I trust you."

"But I'm a liar," Qi Xia said coldly.

"I don't care."

Lin Qin thought for a while, then covered her mouth and nose as she walked toward the center of the room.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Xiao Ran shouted from against the wall. "Do you really believe him?"

Lin Qin nodded slightly and said, "Yes. Think about it—who do we have to thank for surviving up to this point?"

Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, Lin Qin's words seemed to make sense. After struggling with his thoughts for a while, he finally stepped forward and joined them.

Han Yimo clutched the wound on his shoulder and walked over as well.

"Your name is… Qi Xia, right? I trust you too."

Tian Tian and Zhang Chenze followed suit.

Now, only Dr. Zhao and Officer Li remained pressed against the wall.

"Hey, aren't you coming?" Tian Tian called out.

"I…" Dr. Zhao looked hesitant, seemingly unable to make up his mind.

"There's no need to force anyone," Qi Xia said, waving his hand. "This round doesn't require cooperation—each person just needs to survive on their own."

The clock on the floor slowly ticked to 1:28.

Officer Li narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Qi Xia.

He didn't believe that this liar would willingly choose to die, but why was Qi Xia leading everyone to stand directly under the hole?

At that moment, Lin Qin noticed the hesitation in their expressions and spoke up, "Qi Xia doesn't seem to be lying. Are you coming or not?"

"You can tell?" Officer Li asked in a low voice.

"Yes." Lin Qin nodded. "Because of my job, I can usually tell when someone is lying."

"In that case…" Officer Li exchanged a glance with Dr. Zhao before silently stepping forward. Looking at Lin Qin, he said, "Since a professional has spoken, we'll trust you on this."

One by one, everyone picked up the nearest tabletop and raised it over their heads. No matter what fell from the hole, they would at least have some form of protection.

"You guys are pretty cunning." Qiao Jiajin shook his head helplessly and picked up a tabletop as well. He examined it carefully—this one looked even more like a shield than the ones before. It was a well-formed square, about 40 to 50 centimeters on each side, with an unusually sturdy handle.

Qi Xia glanced at the clock, then grabbed Qiao Jiajin's arm. "Get ready. It's coming."

Just as he finished speaking, the clock struck 1:30.

A loud chain mechanism roared from the ceiling, as if some unseen force was winding up.

Unfortunately, nothing happened in the hole—neither the expected "death" nor "life" appeared.

After a few seconds of silence, the floor beneath them suddenly began to rise.

"Damn it…" Qi Xia's expression changed. "This is worse than I thought."

A chorus of panicked voices erupted. No one had expected that the "organizers" would try to crush them all into meat paste in this low-ceilinged room.

"What's happening?!"

Before anyone could fully process the situation, Qi Xia shouted, "Get down, now!"

Three or four people with quicker reflexes immediately crouched, but despair was already evident in their eyes. Judging by the current trajectory, the floor and ceiling were likely to meet, leaving no chance for survival.

Qi Xia crouched down as well, his mind racing. He was sure his deduction had been correct—the hole above had to be the "way to survive." But how exactly were they supposed to escape?

The floor continued to rise with a loud, grinding noise, and in just a short time, the room's height had been cut in half. Now, everyone had to stay completely crouched to move at all.

Qi Xia lifted his head to look up. The rectangular hole that had once been on the ceiling was now right in front of him—within arm's reach.

Amidst the chaos, Qi Xia made a split-second decision. He reached into the hole and felt around—it was just an ordinary opening, but the space inside was large. The ceiling's structure also seemed unusual, appearing to be made of a hard metal.

"Could it be…?"

Still crouching, Qi Xia quickly lowered his head and instinctively grabbed his square wooden board from the floor. If the hole was the "way to survive" and the board was their only tool, then what was the connection between them?

Qi Xia turned the board upright and inserted it into the ceiling hole. Then, he adjusted it horizontally inside the opening and pulled down slightly—the board locked firmly in place, leaving only the handle exposed beneath it.

"This is… the way out?" Qi Xia's eyes widened as he instantly realized what was about to happen.

Seeing his actions, the others quickly followed suit, scrambling to insert their own square boards into the ceiling holes.

"Be careful, in a moment…"

Just as Qi Xia was about to warn everyone, the floor beneath them suddenly crumbled into dust.

"Ah!"

"Holy—!"

A chorus of screams erupted at the same time. Everyone's bodies plummeted downward, but their instincts kicked in, and they grabbed onto the handles above them just in time to avoid falling completely.

Han Yimo gritted his teeth, clutching the handle tightly with his left hand. But he had lost too much blood—his strength was fading fast.

Qi Xia watched in alarm as Han Yimo's fingers slowly began to slip.