The woman's scream stopped abruptly, and everyone's thoughts came to a screeching halt.
The men who had been yelling and cursing just moments ago were now silent.
This wasn't about "breaking the law" anymore. The freak in front of them could actually kill.
After more than a minute of silence, the man in the mask gave a slight nod. "Good, all nine of you, looks like you've quieted down."
The group exchanged nervous glances, but no one dared speak. As he said, it was truly "nine" now.
Elliot Hayes reached out with a trembling hand and pulled a small, pale object off his face.
The shattered brain, still warm, continued to twitch slightly, but within seconds, it deflated like a deflated balloon, losing all life.
"Now, allow me to introduce myself..." The man in the mask extended his bloody fingers and pointed to his mask, saying, "I'm Basic Gemini, and you are the 'participants.'"
The group paused, slightly confused. Basic Gemini? Participants?
"I've gathered you all here to participate in a game, with the goal of creating a 'god.'" Basic Gemini spoke in a flat tone.
His words made everyone frown in confusion.
In the few minutes they'd spent with this man, they had already figured out he was insane, but now he claimed he wanted to create a "god"?
"A 'god'... what kind of god?" the muscular young man asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.
"A god like Gaia!" Basic Gemini's voice suddenly grew animated, his voice thick with fervor. "How wonderful it will be! Together, you will witness history. The Earth is being destroyed by humanity... tsunamis, shifting continents, melting glaciers. We need Gaia! There's a great mission waiting for this god to complete!"
His voice grew louder, and he seemed pumped up, as though he'd just been injected with adrenaline.
"Gaia..." The young man frowned deeply, still unable to accept this. He paused before asking, "Are you some kind of cult?"
"Cult?" Basic Gemini blinked, then turned to the young man, saying, "We are far grander than a 'cult.' We have a *world*!"
After hearing this, the group fell silent once again.
The young man's question was sharp. The way this man was acting felt just like a cult, but most cults tend to make up a new god, not use a mythological figure like Gaia.
"Well then..." the young man continued, "What exactly do you want us to 'participate' in here?"
"I've already said it," Basic Gemini replied without hesitation. "It's just a game. If you win, one of you will become a 'god.'"
"Motherfucker..." The tattooed man seemed to calm down a little. He muttered and said, "What if we lose?"
"If you lose..." Basic Gemini looked down at the blood on his hands, his tone tinged with disappointment. "It's too bad…"
Though he didn't directly say it, the group understood.
If they lost... they died.
There was no option to "live and leave."
Either become the so-called "god" he talks about, or end up like that young guy with his head split open, dead right here.
"If everyone understands..." Basic Gemini said, "Then the game officially begins. The game is called 'The Liar.'" He slowly pulled a stack of paper out of his coat and began walking around the table, placing one piece in front of each person.
He then handed out a few pens to the group.
The table was stained with blood. As each person's white paper fell onto the table, it became tinged with red. Turning it over and wiping it with their hands, the blood spread like paint, turning the paper a deeper crimson.
"Next, I want each of you to tell a story," Basic Gemini continued, "The last thing that happened before you ended up here. But be warned—among all the storytellers, one of you will be lying. Once all nine of you have told your stories, you'll vote. If eight of you pick the 'liar,' the liar is out, and the rest survive. But if even one person picks the wrong person, the liar survives, and the rest are out."
"A liar...?"
The group seemed a little confused. Would anyone really lie at a time like this, when their lives were on the line?
"Wait, can we discuss this?" The muscular man suddenly asked.
"Feel free." Basic Gemini nodded. "Before the game starts, you have one minute to discuss. Would you like to use it now, or wait a moment?"
"I'll use it now," the muscular man immediately replied.
"Go ahead."
Basic Gemini stepped back, distancing himself from the table.
The muscular man pressed his lips together, then glanced around the group, trying his best to avoid looking at the body with the severed head lying on the table. He finally spoke up. "I don't know who among you might lie, but this 'rule' sounds ridiculous. If even one person votes wrong, we all die. And even if we pick right, the liar dies. So no matter what, someone's going to die. But I've thought of a way for everyone to survive…"
The group looked at him, intrigued.
Could everyone survive? Was that even possible?
"Here's my idea: none of us should lie." The muscular man didn't wait for everyone to catch on before giving his answer. "All nine of us tell the truth, and at the end, we all write 'No one is lying' on our paper. That way, we won't break the rules, and we can all survive."
The middle-aged doctor lightly tapped his fingers on the table. After a moment, he spoke. "That plan sounds good, but there's one problem. You have to *not* be the liar yourself. But how can we trust you? What if you *are* the liar? Then we all write 'No one is lying,' and the only one who survives is you."
"Is that what you think?" The muscular man's face flushed with anger. "If I were the liar, why would I suggest such a thing? I'd just try to save myself!"
Basic Gemini waved his hand, signaling for them to stop. "Time's up. Please stop discussing."
The two men huffed and fell silent.
"Now, it's time for you to draw your cards." Basic Gemini pulled out a small stack of cards from his pocket. They looked about the size of playing cards, with the words *Gaia Game* written on the back.
The muscular man was puzzled. "What's this?"
"These are *Character Cards*," Basic Gemini said with a laugh. "If you draw the 'liar,' you must lie."
The muscular man clenched his teeth. "Are you messing with us? Why didn't you tell us about this rule earlier?!"
"It's to teach you a lesson," Basic Gemini sneered. "I hadn't finished explaining the rules, yet you asked if you could discuss it. You wasted a valuable minute, not me."
The muscular man's face grew darker, but remembering how Basic Gemini had killed before, he swallowed his anger.
After one minute, all nine participants had drawn a card from Basic Gemini. But no one dared to look at their cards.
If the card said *Liar*, it was a matter of whether they would survive or someone else.
The four women's hands trembled, and the men's faces weren't any better.
This wasn't a matter of *Character*—it was a matter of *life and death*.
Elliot Hayes took a deep breath, held his card tightly in his hand, and brought it up to his face.
He slowly flipped it over.
It clearly read *Liar*.