I Return From Hell

Chapter 64: Chapter 60: Who is Lying?

Everyone was amazed.

They hadn’t expected so much thought and calculation to have happened in just that short time.

”Impressive!”

The Treasure House owner nodded and said with appreciation, ”Congratulations, everyone, on passing the test and earning the right to play the game.”

”Next...”

”The game begins.”

’Game qualification?’

’The game begins?’

’What does he mean?’ ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The group scanned their surroundings with flashlights, their expressions a mix of confusion and vigilance.

This area was in the deepest part of the third floor, with several tables placed around.

The other tables were all a mess.

Only the round table before them was tidy, and...

Whether by coincidence or not, there were exactly five chairs arranged around the round table. A single card lay on the table in front of each chair—five cards in total.

”Is the game related to these cards?”

”Is this where we play the game?”

Xie Shaokun and the others started whispering amongst themselves.

”That’s right.”

”This game is related to cards—or more precisely, identity cards. This table is where you will play.”

”Now, you will face a choice.”

The Treasure House owner said, ”First, you can choose to sit down and play the game. Once you sit, you must strictly abide by the game’s rules. Otherwise, you’ll explode and die.”

Remembering the way the Bald Man and the Disordered Man had died, everyone shuddered, their fear intensifying.

”Of course, if you win the game, you can leave this place,” the Treasure House owner continued.

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

’Leave this place?’

’That’s great!’

They were all tempted, but also terrified of dying.

Zhao Xianghe couldn’t help but ask, ”What’s the second choice?”

’It would be even better if the second choice let them leave without any danger.’

”Second, you can choose to be a spectator and await an unknown challenge.”

He didn’t hesitate, continuing, ”If you win, you might be able to leave, or you might not. I’m not sure about that myself.”

???

’What kind of answer is that?’

Everyone’s mouths twitched, and they couldn’t help but complain, ”Isn’t this just forcing us to play the game?”

Zhao Xianghe spoke again, asking the question on everyone’s mind: ”What are the rules of the game? What’s the survival rate?”

The Treasure House owner replied, ”Only those who commit to playing the game can learn the rules.”

Everyone: ”...”

SWISH.

Their gazes all turned to Xia Yu.

Clearly, Xia Yu’s prestige among the group had already reached an extremely high level.

”We’ll play.”

Without hesitation, Xia Yu chose the seat directly opposite the Treasure House owner and sat down. ”Since there’s a chance to clear the game and leave, why back down?” she said.

”I’ll play too!”

Xie Shaokun sat down to Xia Yu’s right.

”I’ll play too.”

Little Nannan was smart; she quickly tried to sit to Xia Yu’s left, clearly feeling safer there.

But another figure was a step faster than her.

”I’ll play too.”

The Dingding Girl sat down to Xia Yu’s left, beating her to it.

Little Nannan felt wronged. Just as she was about to sit to Xie Shaokun’s right, a quick-reacting Zhao Xianghe had already taken the spot.

In the end,

Little Nannan could only sit diagonally across from Xia Yu.

She and Zhao Xianghe were closest to the Treasure House owner.

Once everyone was seated,

they were all restrained. Except for their heads and arms, they couldn’t move any other part of their bodies.

”Game name: Who’s Lying?”

”Each of you has an identity card. Find the liar among you.”

”Each of you must make a choice and point out the liar. Once you’ve made your accusation, it cannot be changed. If the liar is pointed out by three or more people, the liar dies; otherwise, the other players die.”

”Accusing the wrong person results in death.”

”During the game, anyone who violates the rules dies.”

A series of voices echoed once more in their minds.

Hollow.

Mechanical.

Everyone’s expression changed as they quickly tried to figure out the game’s mechanics.

”This... The death rate for this game is way too high, isn’t it?”

Zhao Xianghe was the first to speak.

The Dingding Girl couldn’t help but complain, ”Anyone with half a brain can see this game is skewed in the liar’s favor.”

Xie Shaokun added, ”This game will force everyone to fend for themselves, because it’s a kill-or-be-killed situation.”

Everyone was on high alert, secretly hoping they were the liar.

Xia Yu, however, was thinking: ’In this situation, how can I save both myself and Xie Shaokun?’

’I can’t just let the Spirit Servant I worked so hard to find die here. It would be like losing a ’rule-based resource’ and a subordinate I’ve put effort into cultivating. It’s just not worth it.’

’Xie Shaokun will trust my judgment and point to the same person I do.’

Xia Yu quickly analyzed the situation in her mind. ’So, the best-case scenario is: I’m not the liar, and Xie Shaokun isn’t the liar either.’

”The discussion period is over.”

The Treasure House owner announced, ”Let the game begin.”

”Please flip over your identity cards. Be careful not to let others peek; looking at another person’s card will result in punishment. One of you will be unable to see your own card.”

Hearing this, everyone cautiously flipped over their identity cards, their expressions varied.

Xia Yu didn’t rush to flip her card. Instead, she first observed everyone else’s changing expressions.

Zhao Xianghe let out a slight sigh of relief, then quickly suppressed it.

The Dingding Girl’s expression didn’t change at all.

Little Nannan couldn’t flip her card, and her small face grew paler.

Xie Shaokun furrowed his brow.

”Interesting.”

A glint flashed in Xia Yu’s eyes.

’So, those who can act get to flip their cards, while the one who can’t is left unable to.’

Even she couldn’t immediately determine who the liar was.

The next moment,

she flipped over her own identity card, then calmly let it fall, her expression as still as a tranquil well.

The others had hoped to read something on her face, but alas...

they failed.

”Round One: Statements.”

”Rules for statements: Everyone must state their biggest secret. This statement will be the only basis for judging if someone is lying. The liar must tell a lie within their statement.”

”The others may raise a challenge at any time. There are no restrictions on the content of the challenge,” the Treasure House owner explained.

Little Nannan asked, ”The rules say ’biggest secret.’ So, if you don’t tell your *biggest* secret, but just a *pretty big* secret, that still counts as lying, right?”

SWISH!

Everyone whipped their heads around to look at her, their expressions stunned.

They clearly hadn’t expected Little Nannan to notice such a crucial detail.

It seemed no one here was a fool. This game was going to be much harder than they’d imagined.

”That’s correct.”

The Treasure House owner nodded.

Zhao Xianghe exclaimed, ”Doesn’t that give the liar a huge advantage?”

The Dingding Girl readily agreed, ”Exactly! It really does!”

Xie Shaokun also nodded.

The Treasure House owner said, ”The person with the purple identity card will start. Statements will proceed in counter-clockwise order.”

’The purple identity card?’

SWISH.

Everyone’s gaze fell on Xie Shaokun.

”Me?”

Xie Shaokun clearly hadn’t expected to go first. He gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking, ”My biggest secret is...”