The others looked astonished.
"I drew the Liar card," Elliot Hayes said slowly. "But it doesn't matter whether this card is flipped or not, because it's not important."
He picked up the card and casually tossed it onto the table in the center.
"If I'm not wrong, every one of you has the Liar card in your hands."
No one moved. After a moment, Officer Logan finally spoke, "So... you're saying everyone was lying just now?"
"That's right," Elliot Hayes nodded. "You're smarter than I thought. You all added a small lie into your stories, making them fit logically without disrupting the plot."
Officer Logan thought for a moment, then seemed to realize something.
"If what you're saying is true…" Officer Logan sighed meaningfully, "Then the problem becomes trickier."
The others looked at him, not understanding what he meant.
Officer Logan continued, "According to the rules, only if we all choose the Liar, can we all survive. But in that case, the Liar would lose. So, we…"
Dr. Clarke was the first to understand Officer Logan's point. "You're saying… we can vote freely because everyone's lying, and this turns into a guaranteed win game, where only the person who gets voted will die?"
"That's right." Officer Logan nodded. "The best strategy now is to focus all the votes on one person. That way, we minimize the damage since the rest of us can survive…"
His words cast a tense atmosphere over the group, while Basic Gemini remained silent.
So, are they just voting for someone to die?
Elliot Hayes sighed helplessly and looked at Officer Logan. "Officer, is interrupting others your hobby? Does it give you a sense of accomplishment?"
"You!" Officer Logan furrowed his brows. "Aren't I just trying to help you out?"
"I don't need your help," Elliot Hayes said without hesitation. "Your idea will get everyone killed."
"What?" Officer Logan was taken aback. "How would I kill everyone? Isn't what I said correct? If everyone's lying, can't any vote count?"
"Officer Logan, don't you remember what Basic Gemini said? 'The rules are absolute,' 'There is only one liar,'" Elliot Hayes reminded him.
"Right…" Officer Logan paused, recalling Basic Gemini's words.
"Let me clarify something for everyone," Elliot Hayes said coldly. "In this game, it seems the Liar has the best chance of winning because everyone feels like they're going to win. But if we vote carelessly, we'll all end up dead."
Vincent Moretti, sitting next to Elliot Hayes, rubbed his tattoo and muttered to himself, "Because we broke the rules…"
"Exactly." Elliot Hayes nodded. "But the interesting part of this game is that we can't really tell if someone's lying. As Attorney Hart said, we can only guess based on whether the details of their stories contradict each other. But we're not from the same city. Even if something seems contradictory, we have no way of being 100% sure that someone's lying."
Elliot Hayes glanced around at the others, who were deep in thought, and then said, "The organizer deliberately picked us nine to be here for a reason. The goal was to make us think we could find the flaw in each person's story from what seemed like interconnected narratives."
"But is that really right? How can we be sure someone's definitely lying?" Elliot Hayes sneered. "In this game, the only person we can be 100% sure is the Liar is one person. What they're saying is completely different from our current situation."
Elliot Hayes grabbed a pen and quickly wrote Basic Gemini on the paper.
"I've been wondering why Basic Gemini introduced himself with such a strange name at the beginning. It seemed unnecessary. Now I realize, this is part of the game."
The others slowly turned to look at Basic Gemini, who still didn't make any move.
Officer Logan blinked and then shook his head. "You're saying Basic Gemini didn't tell a story, but he said the rules were 'only one liar'? Doesn't that make him a liar too?"
"Didn't he?" Elliot Hayes shrugged noncommittally. "I clearly remember Basic Gemini saying he brought us together to create a god. Isn't that a crazy story?"
Officer Logan lowered his head, feeling that Elliot Hayes' words made sense, but something still felt off.
"But…" Dr. Clarke spoke up. "All your assumptions are based on the idea that everyone's a liar. Why are you so sure we're all lying? What if, when we flip the cards, only you're the Liar?"
"You can't be telling the truth," Elliot Hayes smiled bitterly, a little desperate. "I've taken some time to confirm this, and not only do I know you're all lying, I also know exactly where you've lied."
He pushed his paper forward and looked at Sasha Venus. "Sasha Venus. You were working in the car, with your head out the window. Did the falling billboard really hit the car and knock you unconscious?"
Sasha Venus bit her lip, silent.
"Vincent Moretti, you fell from such a height and landed on the billboard. Did you really just lose consciousness?"
Vincent Moretti remained silent.
"Emily Parker, you were with that child. Did you really avoid the car speeding toward you?"
Emily Parker's eyes darted away.
"Dr. Clarke, the operating room is supposed to be more secure than a regular room. You said the ceiling collapsed in the operating room. Were you really just knocked unconscious?"
Dr. Clarke turned his head away.
"Damien Reid, you said you had no idea what happened. But isn't the worst thing that can happen when you're writing being interrupted? How could you not know how you got here?"
Damien Reid sighed softly.
"Attorney Hart, your car was driven into a crack. How deep was that crack?"
Attorney Hart crossed his arms and remained expressionless.
"Officer Logan, what car do you drive? One that can instantly flatten the seat and free you from the person behind?"
Officer Logan touched the red marks on his neck, hesitant to respond.
"Seraphina Grace, your ceiling also collapsed, but you said your studio was on a high floor. Once a high floor starts collapsing, the whole building wouldn't survive, right?"
Seraphina Grace lowered her head deeply.
Elliot Hayes saw the expressions of the group, gritted his teeth, and said, "Everyone, admit it, including myself—we're all already dead."