The End of Ten Days

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"‘Sheep’ and ‘dogs’…" Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, carefully pondering everything.
At first, the person who called himself "Human Sheep" wanted them to kill each other, but now this "Human Sheep" claimed to be deeply concerned about them and said he couldn’t bear to watch them die.

"Isn’t this a lie…?"
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Qi Xia’s mind.
That’s it!

Exactly this!
Lies!
Everything aligned with Qi Xia’s initial speculation. "Sheep" and "dogs" weren’t names—they were "game types"!

"Sheep" most likely represented the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," where the shepherd boy lied repeatedly, leading to no one coming to his rescue. Therefore, "Sheep" symbolized "deception-based" games.
On the other hand, "dogs" represented loyalty, meaning "cooperation-based" games. Just like in the previous harpoon game, if they hadn’t worked together, none of them would have survived.
Qi Xia picked up the harpoon again and examined it. He knew that "Sheep" might have lied when explaining the rules.

But in those few short «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» sentences, which one was the lie?
"If I can’t bear to watch you die," if this sentence was a lie…
"Wait…" Qi Xia’s eyes slowly widened. "This statement isn’t the ‘answer’—it’s a trap meant to kill us all."

"What are you talking about?" Qiao Jiajin asked, confused.
"Every word of that statement is a lie!" Qi Xia declared decisively. "Standing by the wall means ‘death,’ while standing under the holes means ‘life’!"
Dr. Zhao and Officer Li exchanged glances, unsure of what Qi Xia was trying to convey.

"Everyone, remember? ‘Sheep’ lies!" Qi Xia stood in the center of the room, trying to get everyone to gather around him. "If we follow the rules he gave us, we’ll end up killing ourselves. That’s the difference between ‘Sheep’ and ‘dogs’!"
"But is that really reasonable?" Xiao Ran asked timidly. "The only holes in the entire room are above your head. No matter how you think about it, that seems like the most dangerous spot…"
Qi Xia hadn’t figured this part out either.
What could possibly fall from the holes above to kill those standing by the wall?

"Hmm…" Qi Xia thought for a moment and changed his approach. "It’s fine. After this round, there’s a high chance we’ll be able to escape. So, you can make your own choices based on what you think is best."
"How do you know we can escape?" Officer Li asked warily.
"Because there’s no ‘preview’ of the next game in this round’s hints," Qi Xia explained. "This suggests two possibilities: either this is the final game, or the host is very confident they can kill us all in this round."

Everyone’s expressions darkened upon hearing this, but no one could refute his logic.
"Anyway, I’ll stand here," Qi Xia pointed to the spot beneath his feet. "As for the rest of you, it’s up to you to decide."
After hearing Qi Xia’s explanation, Qiao Jiajin slowly walked over to him and said, "I told you, I believe in you."

"But I’m a liar," Qi Xia replied coldly.
"I don’t care."
Lin Qin thought carefully for a moment, then covered her nose and mouth as she walked toward the center of the room.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Xiao Ran, still pressed against the wall, shouted. "Do you really believe him?"
Lin Qin nodded slightly. "Yes. Think about it—who’s the reason we’ve survived this long?"
Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment, suddenly realizing that Lin Qin made a good point. After some internal struggle, she followed.

Han Yimo, clutching the wound on his shoulder, also walked over.
"You’re… Qi Xia, right? I believe you too."
Tian Tian and Zhang Chenze followed suit.

Now, only Dr. Zhao and Officer Li remained pressed against the wall.
"Hey, aren’t you coming over?" Tian Tian called out.
"I…" Dr. Zhao hesitated, seemingly unable to decide.

"There’s no need to force anyone," Qi Xia waved his hand. "This round doesn’t require cooperation. As long as you can survive, that’s what matters."
The clock on the floor slowly approached 1:28.
Officer Li squinted at Qi Xia.

He didn’t believe this liar would choose to seek death now, but why was he leading everyone to stand under the holes?
Lin Qin, noticing their hesitation, spoke up. "Qi Xia doesn’t seem to be lying. Are you coming over?"
"You can tell?" Officer Li asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Lin Qin nodded. "Because of my job, I can usually tell when someone is lying."
"In that case…" Officer Li and Dr. Zhao exchanged a glance, then silently walked over. "Since a professional has spoken, we’ll trust you."
Despite their words, the two still held onto the broken table planks.

They stood under the holes, raising the planks above their heads as a precaution, ready to block whatever might fall from above.
"You’re quite cunning," Qiao Jiajin muttered as he went to pick up a plank from the floor.
Qi Xia glanced at the time and stopped him.

"Don’t bother. It’s too late."
As soon as he finished speaking, the clock struck 1:30, and a loud chain rattling sound echoed from the ceiling, as if something invisible was being wound up.
"Are you sure about this, liar?" Qiao Jiajin asked nervously, looking up. The situation felt like a gamble, but the stakes were far too high—nine lives.

Qi Xia shook his head. "I’m just guessing. Let’s see if I’m right."
Suddenly, the entire room trembled slightly, causing the nine of them to tense up.
Tian Tian instinctively moved closer to Officer Li and Dr. Zhao.

Qi Xia looked up, staring intently at the nine holes clustered together. His eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness, searching for the hidden mechanism within.
In the next moment, something dark shot out from the nine holes, causing everyone to shut their eyes in fear.
Only Qi Xia saw clearly what the dark objects were.

They were nine old, filthy ropes.
He reached out and grabbed one of the ropes.
The ropes were about two fingers thick, just enough to grip firmly.

"This is bad…" Qi Xia’s expression changed. "It’s worse than I thought."
Everyone slowly opened their eyes to find themselves holding onto foul-smelling ropes.
"What’s going on?"

Before anyone could fully grasp the situation, Qi Xia shouted, "Hold onto the ropes!!"
The three or four who reacted quickly immediately grabbed the ropes, while the others followed suit.
Qi Xia glanced over and saw that Han Yimo, due to his injured right shoulder, could only weakly grip the rope with his left hand.

"No, you…"
Before Qi Xia could finish speaking, the floor beneath them shattered into dust.
"Ah!"

"Damn it!"
Screams erupted simultaneously.
Their bodies plummeted downward, but thanks to the ropes in their hands, they didn’t fall straight down.

Han Yimo gritted his teeth, gripping the rope tightly with his left hand. But he was already losing blood, and his strength was fading. Qi Xia watched helplessly as Han Yimo’s grip on the rope began to loosen.
 
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