Right and wrong questions

The nine people were like chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, swinging back and forth while gripping the handles.

Ringo looked down and felt her heart sink.

Below them was a roughly ten-meter-deep void.

If they hadn't grabbed onto the handles, they would have undoubtedly fallen to their deaths by now.

"Hey, writer, hold on tight!" Qiao Jiajin suddenly noticed that Han Yimo was gradually losing his grip, and he became anxious. "Why are you losing strength at such a critical moment?"

"I..." Han Yimo's facial muscles tensed as he exerted all his strength, but his body still kept slipping downward.

Qiao Jiajin was very close to Han Yimo. He immediately let go of one hand, grabbed Han Yimo's pants, and lifted him up. Qiao Jiajin was strong, and Han Yimo felt as if he had been hoisted up. Taking advantage of the moment, he quickly reached out and grabbed the handle again. Officer Li saw this and extended a hand to help as well. The two of them, one with each hand, supported the nearly falling Han Yimo.

Just as the group was about to breathe a sigh of relief, they suddenly heard a muffled groan.

Turning their heads, they saw something that made Tian Tian cry out in alarm. Only then did the others remember that her hand had also been injured.

Yet the girl seemed incredibly resilient. She had held on in silence until her blood had soaked the handle before finally letting out a muffled groan.

She let go with her right hand, gripping the handle with only her left. But a girl's strength was naturally limited, and trying to support her entire body weight with one hand was even more difficult. She suddenly began sliding downward.

Qi Xia's expression changed, and he immediately reached out to grab her injured wrist.

With just that brief touch, he realized that Tian Tian's thin body was trembling slightly, and her wrist was ice-cold.

"Hey, liar, you're actually a pretty decent guy," Qiao Jiajin remarked.

Qi Xia sighed helplessly and said, "I just don't want to see another corpse. Don't overthink it."

Time ticked by, and everyone's arms started to ache.

Hanging like this for an extended period was no easy task for anyone, and even Officer Li was beginning to break into a sweat.

"How long do we have to keep hanging here?" Ringo asked Qi Xia beside her.

"I don't know," Qi Xia replied in a low voice.

He knew there was no longer a prompt for the "next game," yet there was still no hope in sight.

If the organizers were cruel enough to leave them hanging like this, it would only be a matter of time before they lost their lives.

But…

Was there really no next-game prompt?

Qi Xia felt uneasy.

Could there be some hidden clue lurking out of sight?

He lowered his head and gazed at the ground below. If there was a clue, it would surely be somewhere down there.

"Hmm?"

As he scanned the area, he noticed that due to the floor's collapse, a new wall had been exposed at the bottom. In the farthest corner of that wall, there seemed to be… a door.

But that door was impossibly far from their reach.

They were still about ten meters above the ground. Jumping down from this height unscathed was out of the question.

Ringo followed Qi Xia's gaze for a while before spotting it as well.

"A door?"

Hearing this, everyone looked down, and sure enough, they saw the old, worn-out wooden door at the bottom.

Just as they stared in stunned despair—

The door slowly creaked open.

A black figure emerged from the shadows.

Qi Xia looked over and saw that this person was also dressed in a black suit, but his mask was completely different from the ram-headed man's.

He was wearing a massive, dark green serpent head.

"Long time no see, everyone. I am 'Serpent Man,'" he said slowly.

"Screw you!" Qiao Jiajin roared. "First the ram, then the dog, and now a snake? Do you believe I won't kill you right now?"

"Please, don't be agitated." Serpent Man's voice remained calm. He looked up at them and said, "You are currently in the final round of the game. I have a lever here—if I pull it, the ceiling you're hanging from will slowly lower, and no one will get hurt."

Everyone turned toward the sound of his voice. Sure enough, beside the wooden door was an inconspicuous lever that had gone unnoticed in the dim lighting.

"Then… can you pull it now?" Xiao Ran asked timidly.

"I…" Serpent Man let out a barely perceptible smile and said, "Let's play a game. Whether you survive or not depends on your own performance."

"Another game…" Dr. Zhao's hair was slightly disheveled. He clenched his teeth hard, looking as if he wanted to tear someone apart.

"Listen carefully, everyone. This game is called Yes or No."

Serpent Man took a small step forward and spoke to the group swaying in midair.

"You may ask me a total of three questions. My answers will only be yes or no. Keep in mind—I will not lie.

Once you have asked all three questions, if I agree to save you, I will pull the lever. If I do not agree, I will lock this door and leave you to fend for yourselves."

Qi Xia frowned.

Three questions?

And only yes or no answers?

This game was far too tricky.

No matter what, their goal was to convince this serpent-headed man to let them down. But would he agree?

Before anyone could formulate a strategy, Xiao Ran, the kindergarten teacher, acted on impulse and blurted out, "Hey! Will you let us down?!"

"No!"

Qi Xia was startled and hurriedly reached out to cover Xiao Ran's mouth, but she was too quick—the question had already been spoken loud and clear.

Serpent Man let out a cold laugh and replied, "No."

"Hey! Are you serious, lady?!" Qiao Jiajin shouted. "We only have three questions! Don't mess this up!"

"I…"

Xiao Ran lowered her head in distress, her expression filled with regret.

"Two questions left," Serpent Man said calmly as he took a step back, positioning himself closer to the wooden door.

It was clear he had no intention of saving them.

With Xiao Ran's impulsive question, the game had instantly escalated to a hellish difficulty level.

Serpent Man was never going to let them down so easily.

If he truly intended to save them, why would he set up this game in the first place?

But then again, if Serpent Man had no intention of saving them, how could they make him agree to pull the lever?

Even if they changed the question to "You won't let us down, will you?", his answer would still be "Yes."

"Liar, do you have a plan?" Qiao Jiajin turned to look at Qi Xia.

Qi Xia closed his eyes slightly, his thoughts in turmoil.

A plan, a plan…

As if coming up with a plan was so easy.

Ever since they entered this room, every single step had required him to find a way forward. But why was it his responsibility to carry the weight of everyone's lives?

Yet, at the same time, he felt a wave of despair wash over him.

If he gave up—

Would there be any chance left for them to survive?

"I can't die here..."

A faint light returned to Qi Xia's eyes.

"She's still waiting for me..."

A gentle voice echoed in his mind:

"Xia, do you know? There are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own."

Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, his thoughts became much clearer.

That's right—his mistake had been following the opponent's path completely.

"Serpent Man," Qi Xia called out in a low voice.

Officer Li was startled and turned back. "Hey, what are you going to ask? Let's discuss it first, so we don't mess up like before."

"It's fine. I've already figured out a way to survive."

Qi Xia spoke with unwavering confidence as he looked down at Serpent Man.

"Don't say anything. This will all be over soon."

"You really have a plan?" Zhang Chenze asked.

"Probably."

Qi Xia took a deep breath, carefully considering the next two questions.

No—

To be precise, he only needed one.

With just one question, this game would be over.

From the very beginning, the key was never about convincing Serpent Man to pull the lever.

It was all about the logic of yes and no.

Serpent Man seemed intrigued by Qi Xia. His eyes peered out from the hollow sockets of the serpent mask, watching intently.

Qi Xia hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Serpent Man, if my next question were 'Will you pull the lever?', would your answer be the same as this one?"