"Liars…"
Qi Xia murmured the word to himself more than once, committing it to memory. After confirming his own identity card, he calmly pocketed it. Just one minute ago, he'd harbored a foolish hope that everyone might walk away alive. Now, of course, things were different. He didn't know any of the other eight people here—but this time, only they could die.
"If nobody objects, remember the rule: in this game there is—and can only be—one liar." Goat Head extended a finger toward the sexy girl to Qi Xia's left. "We'll go in clockwise order, starting with you."
"Huh? Me?" The girl blinked in surprise, then pouted.
Qi Xia glanced at the seating chart. Going clockwise from the girl on his left meant he would have to speak last—hardly an enviable position. Under extreme stress and pressure, people typically remembered only the first and last speakers. He decided to wait and see how things played out.
The sexy girl furrowed her brow; her large eyes darted around, then she sighed. "Okay… I'll go first. But I've never been much of a storyteller—so please don't blame me if it's not good…"
No one knew quite what to say; they simply waited in silence.
The girl brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and began.
"My name is TianTian. I'm… uh… a 'service technician.' We get paid for our skills, and I'm not ashamed of it."
Only now did the others realize that 'TianTian' was wearing nothing but a grimy, low-cut miniskirt that left very little to the imagination—and she seemed entirely unbothered by it.
"I can't really tell you most of my stories… Just call my line 'Action.' Calling it 'Description' would be ridiculous—who in the world would read a manual if they were literate? Anyway, I was on the job when I met a really… strange client. Our shop provides a room, of course, but he insisted on going to his car because he thought it'd be more thrilling. So, money talks—I went with him."
"This was my first time working in a car. It looked fancy on the outside, but inside it was so cramped that I broke a sweat in no time. I really don't know what's 'thrilling' about such a cramped space. On top of that, his phone kept ringing—he refused to answer, which drove me completely nuts…"
TianTian looked as though she wanted to go on ranting, but her gaze accidentally flicked to the corpse on the table. She gave a start, took a deep breath, and said, "Anyway, I chose this line of work—so I accept it. I just didn't expect an earthquake to hit out of nowhere. At first, I thought our struggling was rocking the car, but then I realized it was a real quake."
At the word "earthquake," every face shifted slightly, as if recalling something.
"Our car was parked in that alley… under a huge billboard." TianTian pointed above her head, her voice trembling. "For some reason, that massive sign broke loose with a 'clang' and fell right on our car. That's the last thing I remember before blacking out."
She exhaled. "When I woke up, I was here. It nearly killed me."
A look of grievance crossed her face—one that seemed carefully practiced, calculated to tug at a man's heart.
The tattooed man sitting beside her frowned. "Do we really need to keep listening?"
White Coat looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"That… lady has already lied. We should just vote." Tattooed Man declared confidently.
"You… what are you saying?!" TianTian gasped. "Where did I lie?"
The Tattooed Man fixed her with a cold stare. "Your name. You said you're called 'TianTian,' but all the hostesses use pseudonyms. Names like 'TianTian,' 'XiaoFang,' and 'LiLi' are common aliases. By hiding your real name, you've already lied."
At that, TianTian's cheeks turned crimson.
"You… you're speaking nonsense! My name really is TianTian! I haven't used my real name in years!" She looked around at everyone, then added, "At my workplace, nobody would find me if they called me by my birth name. People only know me as 'TianTian.'"
Everyone fell into deep thought. Qi Xia's expression grew serious. From TianTian's steady, natural tone—like she was chatting with friends—Qi Xia couldn't detect any deceit in her story. Such a relaxed delivery could mean only two things: she'd either rehearsed a false story countless times, or she was telling the truth.
But Tattooed Man had offered a new angle: the "false name" lie. A lie about one's name didn't need any logical consistency; it was nearly impossible to detect among strangers who only knew each other by self-introduction. Goat Head's rule stated, "Among all who speak, there is one liar." It didn't specify that the lie had to be a fabricated story—so a false name counted too.
TianTian, realizing she was accused, widened her eyes in panic. "I—I'll tell you my real name: Zhang Lijuan. I'm from Shaanxi… You can try calling me by that name, but I won't answer. I only respond to 'TianTian.' I… I…"
Qi Xia shook his head silently. This woman wasn't as clever as she thought. She couldn't have prepared this "name lie" in advance; she certainly hadn't just thought of it now. If Goat Head's rule held, then the lone liar must be Qi Xia himself. With everyone else distracted by TianTian's accusation, Qi Xia had discovered a surefire strategy: choose a completely forgettable name. "Qi" was neither rare nor common enough to stand out. He would introduce himself as "Li Ming" and proceed with a straightforward tale. No one would spot any inconsistency.
The game was nearly over.