"Stop stirring up trouble," Officer Li glared at Qiao Jiajin, speaking with an imposing tone. "You're a loan shark, and I'm a cop. Who do you think people will believe?"
Qi Xia glanced at the bickering crowd. He knew Officer Li wasn't lying—he was, indeed, a detective.
But his focus was misplaced.
Maybe it was his professional instinct or an unyielding sense of justice, but he was intent on organizing the group.
The intermission was already halfway over, and the room gradually quieted.
During this time, Qi Xia had mentally rehearsed his line, "My name is Li Ming," countless times, to the point where even he was tired of it.
After all, there was a shattered corpse beside him, making it hard to keep calm.
Blood dripped from the table to the floor, tick-tocking away. They had been in this room with the body for nearly an hour, and a strange stench was beginning to pervade the air.
Qi Xia glanced at the corpse next to him. His pants were already filthy.
When a person dies, their muscles quickly lose control, leading to incontinence.
Before the stench of decay set in, the reek of bodily fluids already filled the room.
Qi Xia and a woman were seated on either side of the corpse. The woman, clearly bothered by the smell, had been covering her nose and mouth.
Another ten minutes passed, and finally, the goat-headed figure spoke: "The 20-minute intermission is over. The game resumes now."
The young man who had introduced himself earlier as Han Yimo steadied his nerves and took a deep breath before speaking.
"My name is Han Yimo, and I'm a web novelist."
"Before I came here, I was working on the finale of my book in my rented apartment. Since the story involves hundreds of characters, most of whom appear in the finale, I was deeply engrossed and didn't hear anything happening outside."
"In fact… I have no idea when the earthquake started or when I lost consciousness…"
Han Yimo's story was unique compared to the others. He seemed completely "independent," and he stopped after just a few sentences.
"That's it?" The muscular man raised an eyebrow. "You're just going to say 'I don't know' and leave it at that?"
"Since I can't lie, there's no need to make up something just to satisfy the group," Han Yimo replied softly but with conviction.
"Alright… Next," Officer Li said, his expression still skeptical. "It's the lady's turn."
"Hey, cop," Qiao Jiajin said, irritated at Officer Li's demeanor. "We're all 'participants' here. Stop acting like you're the leader."
"Someone needs to organize everyone," Officer Li retorted. "As I said, there's only one enemy among us, and the remaining eight need to work together."
"And who made you the boss?" Qiao Jiajin scoffed, completely dismissing him. "Out there, I might be afraid of you, but in here, who knows if you're the 'liar'?"
"Gentlemen, please stop arguing," the cold woman interrupted.
From the beginning, this woman had been sharply critical of the goat-headed figure for holding them captive for 24 hours. She appeared composed and logical.
Seeing the two quiet down, she continued, "In this so-called 'game,' no matter who wins in the end, the rest of us may be considered 'accessories to murder.' After all, it's through our collective vote that the person is executed by the goat. That's what you should be thinking about."
Qi Xia's expression shifted slightly at her words.
If he did survive and leave this room, he would have "killed" the other eight people.
But what choice did he have? The card before him clearly labeled him as the "liar." Who would willingly give up their life to save the others?
"My name is Zhang Chenze, and I'm a lawyer," the cold woman said, arms crossed and face emotionless. "It's unfortunate to meet you all in such a strange place. Otherwise, I would've handed out my business card."
No one reacted to Zhang Chenze's humor, but she didn't seem to care.
"Before coming here, I was preparing court materials. My client had been swindled out of two million yuan—a case of significant value and severe implications."
When she mentioned "two million," the group remained impassive, but Qiao Jiajin's expression flickered with shock.
"Two million?" he asked.
"Yes, two million. People say lawyers are impartial, but we have personal biases too. The man who lost the money was trying to support his family and even took out high-interest loans. It's concerning. But illegal lending is another case entirely and unrelated to me."
"When the earthquake struck, I was driving to meet my client. I was on Qingyang Avenue, past Du Fu's Thatched Cottage and near Wuhou Shrine. I remember I wasn't driving fast—around 40 km/h—when I saw the ground crack ahead."
"I braked immediately, stopping at the edge of the crack. But the car behind me couldn't stop in time, leading to a pile-up."
"I heard a series of loud crashes as my car was pushed into the crack. Then, I blacked out and woke up here."
Another story concluded. Only three people hadn't shared theirs.
"Wuhou Shrine…" Dr. Zhao murmured, "Is that the one in Chengdu?"
"Yes, I work in Chengdu," Zhang Chenze confirmed.
It seemed this earthquake had impacted the entire country.
Based on these fragmented stories, identifying the liar seemed nearly impossible.
"Now it's my turn," Officer Li began, glancing at the group. "As I've mentioned, my name is Li Shangwu. I'm a detective from Inner Mongolia."
"Before I came here, I was staking out a scammer. We had reliable intel pinpointing his exact location."
"This suspect had defrauded people out of a significant sum—two million yuan—the largest fraud case in my city this year."
"My partner and I were surveilling from our car, waiting for the suspect to show up."
"But the suspect was craftier than we thought. He seemed to sense danger and didn't appear for three days straight."
"Those three days were grueling. We ate, drank, and… well, did everything else in the car. Our nerves were shot."
"But do you know what's worse than not eating or drinking for a grown man?"
"Not having cigarettes."
"Neither of us had a single cigarette left. Protocol dictated we couldn't leave the stakeout, but the withdrawal was unbearable."
"So, I sent my partner to run and buy some while I kept watch on the suspect's residence."
"But just as my partner left, the ground began to shake violently. I wanted to get out and check what was happening, but suddenly, someone looped a wire around my neck from behind."
"Even though we're trained in close combat, dealing with a wire from the backseat was nearly impossible. I couldn't reach the attacker or remove the wire from my neck."
The group stared at Officer Li, noticing the faint red mark on his neck.
"So, I reclined the car seat to breathe again. But I couldn't turn around. My tall frame was pinned under the steering wheel."
"The attacker took advantage of my position and hit me hard on the head with something. I lost consciousness."
Everyone was silent.
Officer Li's account stood out. Unlike the others, who were all rendered unconscious by accidents, he had been attacked.
If they had to pick the most suspicious person, wouldn't it be him?