The woman's scream came to an abrupt stop, and everyone's thoughts froze along with it. Even the men who had been shouting curses moments ago fell silent.
This was no longer a matter of "breaking the law." The bizarre man before them was clearly capable of murder.
For a long minute, the room was steeped in silence before the goat-headed man gave a slight nod. "Good," he said. "There are nine of you now, and it seems you've all quieted down."
The group's faces turned pale, but no one dared to speak. It was as he said—there were now only nine of them.
With trembling hands, Qi Xia reached up and pulled a piece of pinkish-yellow matter from his face. The fragment of brain tissue, still warm, twitched faintly for a few seconds before it went limp, like a deflated balloon, losing all signs of life.
"Now, allow me to introduce myself," said the goat-headed man, pointing a bloody finger at his mask. "I am 'Ren Yang'—the Human Goat—and you are all 'Participants.'"
The group was stunned, confused by the terms "Human Goat" and "Participants."
"I've gathered you here to participate in a game," Ren Yang continued in a calm tone. "A game to create a 'god.'"
His words deepened the furrows on their brows.
By now, the group had realized this man was a lunatic, but the idea of creating a god? It sounded insane even for him.
"A… god?" a muscular young man asked nervously.
"A god like 'Nuwa.'" Ren Yang gestured wildly as he spoke, his voice tinged with madness and his scent reeking of blood. "Isn't it marvelous? You will witness history alongside me. Nuwa once created humans, but she turned into a rainbow after mending the heavens… We cannot lose Nuwa. So, we must create a new Nuwa! There is a great mission awaiting this god!"
His voice grew louder and more frenzied as he spoke, his whole demeanor becoming increasingly unhinged.
"Nuwa…" The muscular man frowned deeply, finding it difficult to process. After a pause, he asked, "Are you some sort of religious cult?"
"A cult?" Ren Yang seemed momentarily taken aback. Then he turned to the man and replied, "We are far grander than any 'religion.' We possess an entire 'world.'"
The group fell silent once more, mulling over his words.
The muscular man's question had been sharp. Ren Yang's actions were indeed cult-like, but most cults invented their own gods rather than invoking figures like Nuwa, a mythic heroine.
"If that's the case…" The muscular man pressed on, "What exactly do you want us to 'participate' in?"
"As I said, it's just a game," Ren Yang answered without hesitation. "The winner among you will become the 'god.'"
"Like hell…" a tattooed man muttered, now visibly calmer. He spat out his words. "This is some kind of twisted 'Investiture of the Gods,' isn't it? What happens if we lose?"
"If you lose…" Ren Yang looked at the blood on his hands, appearing disappointed. "It would be a shame…"
He didn't say it outright, but everyone understood his meaning. Losing meant death.
There was no option to leave alive.
Either you became his so-called god, or you ended up like the young man whose head had been blown open.
"If everyone understands…" Ren Yang continued, "then this game officially begins. The first round is called 'The Liar.'"
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a stack of papers and casually distributed one sheet to each participant. Then he handed out pens, moving slowly around the table.
The blood-stained table marked each piece of white paper with crimson as they landed. Flipping the sheets or wiping at them only spread the red further, like paint, tainting the pages.
"Now," Ren Yang said, "I want each of you to tell a story about what happened to you right before arriving here. But take note: among all the storytellers, one of you will be a liar. Once everyone has shared their story, you will vote. If all eight of you correctly identify the liar, they will be eliminated, and the rest will survive. However, if even one person votes incorrectly, the liar survives—and the rest of you will die."
"A liar…?"
The group was baffled. Would anyone really lie at a time like this, with their lives on the line?
"Wait, can we discuss strategy?" the muscular man suddenly asked.
"As you wish," Ren Yang replied. "You have one minute to discuss your strategy. Will you use it now, or save it for later?"
"Now," the muscular man answered without hesitation.
"Be my guest."
Ren Yang stepped back from the table, giving them space.
The muscular man pressed his lips together and surveyed the others. He avoided looking at the headless corpse slumped over the table and began, "I don't know which of you might lie later, but this rule is too strict. If even one of us votes wrong, we all die. And even if we vote correctly, the liar still dies. Either way, someone ends up dead. But I've thought of a way for us all to survive…"
The others turned to him, their eyes filled with a mix of hope and doubt.
"Here's how we do it," the muscular man continued. "No one lies. All nine of us tell the truth, and we write 'No one lied' on these sheets. That way, we don't break the rules, and we all get out of this alive."
A man in a lab coat tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully before speaking. "Your plan sounds good, but it depends on one thing: that you are not the liar. Why should we trust you? If you are the liar, and we all write 'No one lied,' you'd be the only one who survives."
"What kind of nonsense is that?" The muscular man's face darkened with anger. "If I were the liar, why would I suggest this plan? I'd only need to save myself!"
Ren Yang raised a hand slightly. "Your minute is up. Please stop talking."
Both men snorted in frustration but said no more.
"Now," Ren Yang said, "draw your cards." He pulled a small stack of cards from his pocket. Each was about the size of a playing card, with the words 'Nuwa Game' printed on the back.
The muscular man frowned. "What are these?"
"Identity cards," Ren Yang explained, laughing. "If you draw the card marked 'Liar,' you must lie."
The muscular man gritted his teeth. "You're kidding! Why didn't you tell us this rule earlier?"
"To teach you a lesson," Ren Yang replied with a cold smile. "You wasted your minute by jumping to conclusions instead of listening to all the rules. That was your choice, not mine."
The muscular man swallowed his anger, realizing that defiance was pointless.
One by one, the nine participants drew a card. None dared to flip theirs over right away. Whoever held the 'Liar' card would face a cruel dilemma: sacrifice themselves or ensure the death of everyone else.
The four women's hands trembled, and the men's faces were grim. These weren't just "identity cards"—they were cards of life and death.
Qi Xia took a deep breath, held his card between his fingers, and slowly lifted it to his eyes.
He flipped it over.
The words on it were chilling: "Liar."