Though the group didn't have much medical knowledge, they understood Dr. Zhao's point. For them, removing the harpoon was easy, but stitching up a wound was another matter entirely.
"Now that the writer's life has been saved, the only thing we need to do is quickly leave this place and find somewhere with proper conditions to treat his wounds," Dr. Zhao's words pulled everyone's thoughts back to reality. If they couldn't leave this eerie room, their fate would end up like Han Yimo's.
"But how do we leave? Has the 'game' ended?" Lin Qing asked, covering her nose and mouth.
Qi Xia thought for a moment before shaking his head. The mask had just clearly stated that the one called "Human Dog" wanted them to survive and had said, "See you after the rain." Logically, after the barrage of harpoons that rained down like a storm, "Human Dog" would appear and might bring the next game. But why hadn't he shown up?
"Hey, fraudster." Joe Jiajin walked slowly to Qi Xia's side, his face serious as he asked, "You have a way to survive, right?"
"Why?" Qi Xia replied coldly, "Whether I survive or not has nothing to do with you."
"I'm not as smart as you, so I need to cooperate with someone." Joe Jiajin seemed to be offering himself. "You have the brains, I have the strength. Let's work together."
Qi Xia frowned slightly upon hearing this.
"Sorry, I'm a fraud. I don't plan on trusting anyone except myself," Qi Xia said before Joe Jiajin could speak further.
Just then, a voice of doubt came from Officer Li.
"What's this?"
Everyone turned to look and saw that Officer Li was carefully inspecting the harpoon in his hand.
"What's wrong?"
Dr. Zhao approached cautiously, asking, "What is it?"
"There's writing on it," Officer Li said, handing the harpoon to Dr. Zhao.
Dr. Zhao took it and examined it closely. His expression changed when he saw that at the end of the harpoon, there were small letters:
"I am 'Human Sheep,' if you can see this message, it means you've survived."
"But how many of you have survived?"
"Has anyone been injured?"
"I'm really worried about you all."
"I can't just watch you die."
"Fifteen minutes from now, death will come again."
"Avoid them, and find a way to survive."
Dr. Zhao gritted his teeth and slammed the harpoon to the ground.
"Am I being mocked here? This will never end!" He roared, seemingly trying to release all the suppressed emotions he had been holding in.
"Calm down!" Officer Li said in a deep voice. "If you can't control your emotions, how are you going to survive?"
"Survive…? But we're already dead!!" Dr. Zhao finally couldn't hold it in anymore. "We're dead, yet we still have to endure the fear of death. What does the 'host' want?! Why can't he just kill us or let us go?"
Everyone's faces darkened at this. Yes, what was the point of these waves of death threats?
Just as the 'Human Sheep' had said, was the 'host' trying to select a 'god'?
Does only one person get to become the 'god,' while the rest are sent to hell?
"Everyone, we've survived two 'games,' do you think it's because we're clever? No!" Dr. Zhao clenched his fists tightly. "We've just been incredibly lucky! But what about next time? And the time after that? In this ever-changing room, how long can we survive?!"
Officer Li pursed his lips, stepped forward, and grabbed Dr. Zhao by the collar. "Hey, buddy! At times like this, what we can't afford to lose is 'morale!' If you don't want to live, go die on your own! Don't shake the others' resolve!"
"I…!" Dr. Zhao's lips trembled. "But how do we get out of here? Do you have a way to get us out?"
Officer Li paused for a moment, then said, "'A way' I don't have, but I know we have to survive! As long as we survive, there's hope."
He released his grip on Dr. Zhao's collar, walked to the side, and picked up the harpoon, examining it. He then moved to Han Yimo's side, checking the harpoon in his shoulder. He saw that both harpoons had the same writing.
It seemed their luck had been incredibly good. Not only did they have to avoid the deadly attacks, but they also had to keep at least one harpoon to get the clue for the next stage.
"At least this time, the clue is clear." Officer Li read the writing on the harpoon carefully. "Unlike before, this time the attack will come from above."
He pointed to the words "Death will come again from above."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room began to change.
All the holes in the walls slowly disappeared, and the holes in the ceiling began to change as well. They formed several rectangular openings, each about a meter long and twenty to thirty centimeters wide. Upon closer inspection, there were a total of nine such holes.
Could this be "Death coming again from above"?
"It looks like the game is becoming simpler." Officer Li sighed as he looked at the nine holes in the ceiling. "This is at least some good fortune in the midst of misfortune."
"But why is it 'Human Sheep' again this time?" Lawyer Zhang pointed to the dismembered body on the ground that had been pierced by harpoons. "Didn't we already kill the 'Human Sheep'?"
Qi Xia thought for a moment, also feeling puzzled. The one who died just now indeed called himself "Human Sheep," but his mask had said, "I am Human Dog."
One moment it's a sheep, the next moment it's a dog.
Could this be another clue?
"We don't have time." Officer Li spoke to the group. "It's already 1:23. It looks like it won't be long before those nine holes above start to drop something dangerous. Let's all grab the table boards and stand by the wall."
At this point, the group noticed that the table boards on the floor were also strange. These table boards seemed to have a special construction. After being torn apart by the harpoons, only a square with a handle was left. The central wood seemed harder than the surrounding parts.
Although the table boards they had were now small, fortunately, the nine holes in the ceiling were all clustered near the center. Standing by the wall seemed to be the safest choice.
Everyone quietly picked up the fragmented table boards from the ground and moved to the wall, standing apart to stay away from the central holes.
At this moment, Qi Xia remained motionless and slowly closed his eyes.
From any angle, the third game seemed too strange.
Because the "host" had given a direct solution.
In Qi Xia's view, the hint this time was unnecessary.
Was the host trying to make them die or live?
Why specify "Human Sheep" and "Human Dog" separately?
If "Human Sheep" and "Human Dog" weren't names, what could they represent?
"Hey, fraudster, come over here!" Joe Jiajin shouted. "You'll die standing under the hole!"
"Die…?" Qi Xia glanced coldly at the holes in the ceiling. "I won't die here. I have a reason I can't leave."
"What's going on… Looks like the smartest one has become a fool?" Joe Jiajin was confused. Qi Xia extended his index finger and lightly tapped his temple.
"Wait… wait… give me more time."
The group slowed their breathing and silently watched Qi Xia in the center of the room, unsure of what he was thinking about in a situation that seemed so clear.