Chapter 97: The Human-Sheep's Instruction

"However, this place..."

Qi Xia still wanted to ask something, but Ren Yang suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder. He trembled all over and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. Last time, Ren Yang had never touched Qi Xia. What did this hand represent? Qi Xia only felt that the hand exerted a slight force, as if hinting at something to him. He looked up at Ren Yang, but found that the other was not looking at him.

"Next, I will introduce the game rules to everyone." Ren Yang stepped away from Qi Xia and said, "I want each of you to tell a story about the last thing that happened before you came here. But note that among all the storytellers, one person is lying. When everyone has finished telling their stories..."

It was exactly the same rules as last time. Among the nine people, there was only one "Shuo Huang Zhe," and they had to vote to identify that person. This game had nearly caused the deaths of everyone when they first arrived.

Ren Yang handed out the white papers to the nine people present. As Qi Xia took the paper, a faint light flashed in his mind. Another sense of unease suddenly arose in his heart. That's right... At this moment, shouldn't someone be asking Ren Yang, "Can we discuss strategies?" But why wasn't that person speaking? Qi Xia's pupils dilated slightly. Of course—it was him! In this experience, that person had suddenly become quiet and uncommunicative. Every time Qi Xia had felt uneasy before, it was because that person hadn't spoken when he should have. All the questions he used to ask were absent this time. Why didn't he have any doubts? Qi Xia knew there was only one answer: that person already had memories of "last time"! Qi Xia turned his head and stared doubtfully at the muscular man. Li Jingguan! Li Jingguan sat there with a serious expression, tapping his fingers on the table as if he didn't care about anything.

"Since no one has any questions, we will now distribute the 'identity cards.'" Ren Yang pulled out a stack of card-sized pieces from his pocket and went to each person. "I must state in advance that if you draw the 'Shuo Huang Zhe,' you must lie."

Everyone took their cards from Ren Yang's hand, and no one looked happy. During this time, Qi Xia kept glancing intentionally at Li Jingguan. Yes, he had changed. He didn't even hurry to check his own identity. Qi Xia held his "identity card" in his hand, palm down, and kept thinking. The situation was tricky now. If he rashly told everyone that this was the "second time," no one would believe him, and he might instantly become the target of all. After all, not everyone among the nine had exceptional wisdom—if someone led the discussion astray, Qi Xia had a high chance of being voted out. So, this wasn't the best time to reveal himself. To avoid arousing any suspicion, Qi Xia had to lead everyone through these challenges just like before. He looked up at the walls and floor around him, divided neatly into many squares by lines, just as last time. The game venue hadn't changed, and the rules hadn't changed.

"Well... let me say a few words." Zhao Yisheng spoke up without asking Ren Yang's permission. Everyone turned to look at him with suspicion. "We're all meeting for the first time, and I don't know who any of you are, but I suggest that the 'Shuo Huang Zhe' come forward right away." Zhao Yisheng said seriously, "For the sake of one person, making the other eight turn against each other is just too cruel."

"Yeah!" Xiao Ran suddenly agreed. "If any of you drew the 'Shuo Huang Zhe,' just admit it. Why make so many people risk their lives with you?"

Qi Xia gave a bitter smile and shook his head helplessly. These two had a very different mindset from Li Jingguan. Clearly, they had drawn the "Shuo Huang Zhe" cards, yet here they were, taking the moral high ground. Their goal wasn't to get the "Shuo Huang Zhe" to come forward; it was to send a false message to everyone that they weren't the "Shuo Huang Zhe." After all, in normal thinking, the "Shuo Huang Zhe" wouldn't call for the "Shuo Huang Zhe" to step up. In contrast, Li Jingguan had always advocated for everyone to unite and not lie. Qi Xia thought that no one in the group would pay attention to these two, but unexpectedly, Qiao Jiajin nearby looked hesitant. He picked up his card and stared at it for a long time, as if making some kind of decision. Qi Xia was stunned and felt that something was wrong. That's right, Qiao Jiajin was that kind of person. He was too naive. He would be swayed by these two. He didn't know that everyone's cards were "Shuo Huang Zhe"; he only thought that for the sake of morality, he shouldn't drag everyone down, so he might reveal himself at this moment. Just as Qiao Jiajin sighed and was about to speak, Qi Xia quickly interrupted and asked Ren Yang, "Hey, let's get on with the stories—who starts?"

Qiao Jiajin was startled, and the words he was about to say died on his lips, leaving him hesitant again. Humans are like that—once a decision is interrupted after much buildup, it has to start over.

"Since no one objects, the game officially begins, and you go first." Ren Yang pointed at Tiantian.

"Ah? Me?" Tiantian pouted, then slowly began her story. "Okay, okay. My name is Tiantian, and I'm a... 'technical worker'..."

Tiantian's entire story was identical to before; if Qi Xia remembered correctly, not a single word was different. After she finished, Qiao Jiajin naturally raised his questions. He accused "Tiantian" of using a fake name, which counted as lying, and the two even argued heatedly over it. Then, one by one, everyone told their stories. Qi Xia had no choice but to pretend to listen carefully, even though he had heard them all once before.

While listening, Qi Xia glanced at his "identity card" again. The back was printed with the words "Nüwa Youxi." He suddenly realized that he hadn't looked at his own identity from the start, and if anyone noticed, they might suspect him. Thinking of this, Qi Xia expressionlessly flipped over the card and glanced at it. Seeing the words on it, he was slightly stunned and pulled the card closer to himself. In the next second, he trembled all over and froze. The card didn't say "Shuo Huang Zhe" at all; instead, it had a strange sentence—

"Don't tell anyone you still remember."

"What?"

Qi Xia read the sentence carefully several times and looked up at Ren Yang, but Ren Yang ignored him. "Don't tell anyone I still remember..." Qi Xia lowered his head and rubbed his eyes, and the words on the card quietly changed. They became "Shuo Huang Zhe."