The nine people were swaying like a chandelier from the ceiling, suspended by a single rope.
Seraphina Grace looked down and her heart sank.
Below was an abyss about ten meters deep.
If they hadn't grabbed the rope, they would have surely fallen to their deaths by now.
"Hey, writer, hold on tight!" Vincent Moretti, noticing Damien Reid sliding further down, felt a rush of panic. "Why are you so weak at a critical time?"
"I…" Damien Reid's face was filled with strain, but his left hand was still loosening its grip.
Vincent Moretti, who was close to Damien Reid, quickly let go of one hand and wrapped Damien's rope around his waist, but with only one hand, it was impossible to secure it tightly.
Officer Logan, seeing this, also reached out to help, and together, they tied the end of Damien Reid's rope around his waist.
Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, a muffled groan was heard.
Turning around, Sasha Venus could no longer hold back and called out. It was then that everyone remembered she had also injured her hand.
However, this girl seemed to have great endurance, only groaning once her blood had soaked the rope.
She released her right hand and only held on with her left, but being a woman, her strength was naturally weaker. It was even harder to support her entire body weight with one hand, so she slid down rapidly.
Elliot Hayes' expression changed, and he immediately reached out to grab her injured wrist.
The moment they made contact, he realized Sasha Venus' emaciated body was trembling slightly, and her wrist felt icy cold.
"Well, well, liar, you're not so bad after all," Vincent Moretti remarked.
Elliot Hayes sighed helplessly. "I just don't want to see any more corpses, don't read too much into it."
As time ticked on, everyone's arms began to ache.
Hanging for such a long time was no easy task for anyone, even Officer Logan was sweating profusely.
"How much longer do we have to hang like this?" Seraphina Grace asked Elliot Hayes beside her.
"I don't know," Elliot Hayes replied in a low voice.
He knew there was no indication of a "next game" yet, but the group still couldn't see any hope.
If the organizers were heartless enough, they could just leave everyone hanging here, and death would be inevitable—it was just a matter of time.
But…
Was there really no hint about the next game?
Elliot Hayes felt uneasy.
Could there be some hidden clue somewhere that they hadn't noticed?
He looked down at the floor below. If there were any clues, they must be down there.
"Hmm?"
He scanned the area. Due to the collapse of the floor, a new wall had appeared below, and in the farthest corner of that wall, there seemed to be a door.
But that door was far out of reach for everyone.
They were still about ten meters above the floor, and there was no way they could survive a fall from this height.
Seraphina Grace, following Elliot Hayes' gaze, took a long look and also noticed the problem.
"A door?"
Everyone, upon hearing this, looked down and indeed saw the old wooden door at the bottom.
Just as everyone was stunned in disbelief, the door slowly creaked open.
A dark figure stepped into the dim light. Elliot Hayes looked up, and saw that the person was also dressed in black, but his mask was completely different from Basic Gemini's.
He was wearing a "bottle mask".
"It's been a while, everyone. I am Basic Aquarius," he said slowly.
"Your mother's A!" Vincent Moretti yelled angrily. "After Gemini, Cancer, now it's Aquarius? Do you believe I'll kill you right now?"
"Please, don't be so agitated." Basic Aquarius' voice was calm. He glanced at everyone before continuing, "You are now undergoing your final trial. I have a lever here, and if I pull it, you will slowly descend without anyone getting hurt."
Everyone looked toward the voice, and sure enough, beside the wooden door, there was an inconspicuous lever that no one had noticed due to the dim lighting.
"So... can you pull it now?" Emily Parker asked timidly.
"I…" Basic Aquarius gave a barely perceptible smile before answering, "I'll make you a deal. Whether you live or die depends on your performance."
"Another game…" Dr. Clarke's hair was disheveled. He gritted his teeth, as though ready to bite someone.
"Listen up, everyone. This game is called 'True or False,'" Basic Aquarius said, walking a little closer to the people hanging in the air. "You will have three questions in total, and I will only answer with 'Yes' or 'No.' I won't lie. After you ask the three questions, if I agree to save you, I will pull the lever. If I don't, I will lock the door and leave you to your fate."
Elliot Hayes furrowed his brows.
Three questions?
Only 'Yes' or 'No' answers?
This game was far too tricky.
No matter what, their goal was to get this "Bottle Person" to let them down, so all the questions had to revolve around this topic. But would he agree?
Before anyone could think further, Emily Parker, the preschool teacher, quickly spoke up: "Hey, can you let us down?!"
"Don't!" Elliot Hayes exclaimed, rushing to cover Emily Parker's mouth, but it was too late. Her question had already been clearly heard by Basic Aquarius.
Basic Aquarius sneered, and said, "No."
"Hey! Pretty girl?!" Vincent Moretti shouted. "We only have three questions, don't go wasting one!"
"I…"
Emily Parker lowered her head in embarrassment, her expression filled with sorrow.
"There are still two questions left." Basic Aquarius retreated slightly, moving closer to the door.
It seemed that he had already given up on them.
Emily Parker's unintended question had turned the game into a hellish difficulty.
Basic Aquarius was hardly going to make it easy for them.
If he had wanted to save them, why would he set up this game in the first place?
But on the other hand, if he didn't want to save them, how could they get him to agree to pull the lever?
Even if they rephrased the question as "You won't let us down, will you?" his answer would still be "Yes."
"Liar, do you have any ideas?" Vincent Moretti turned to Elliot Hayes.
Elliot Hayes closed his eyes for a moment, his thoughts in disarray.
Ideas, ideas.
As a human, how could he come up with so many solutions?
Every step since entering this room had required his thinking—how could he bear the lives of so many people?
But then he felt a sense of despair.
If he gave up, would anyone else survive?
"I can't die here…" Elliot Hayes' eyes suddenly glinted with faint light. "She's still waiting for me…"
A gentle female voice echoed in Elliot Hayes' mind: "Elliot, do you know? There are many roads in this world, and each person has their own path."
He slowly opened his eyes, and his thoughts instantly cleared.
Yes, his mistake had been following the path of others completely.
"Bottle Person." Elliot Hayes spoke softly.
Officer Logan turned, asking, "Hey, what are you going to ask? Let's discuss beforehand, so we don't end up like last time."
"It's fine. I've figured out how to survive," Elliot Hayes said firmly, lowering his head and gazing at Basic Aquarius. "Don't say anything, this will be over soon."
"Do you really have a plan?" Vivian Hart asked.
"Maybe." Elliot Hayes took a deep breath, carefully considering the next two questions.
No, to be precise, just one question.
Only one question was needed to end this game.
From the beginning, this game wasn't about figuring out how to get the lever pulled. It was about the logic of 'Yes' and 'No.'
Basic Aquarius seemed to be quite interested in Elliot Hayes, his eyes peering out from the holes of the bottle mask.
Elliot Hayes paused and asked, "Basic Aquarius, if my next question is 'Will you pull the lever,' will your answer be the same as this one?"