Chapter 11 Continuing Onwards
Qi Xia remained seated, neither standing up nor searching for clues. The peculiarity of the situation still lingered in his mind.
The only other person who also stayed seated was the counseling psychologist, Lin Qin. "What's on your mind?" she asked, absentmindedly covering her mouth and nose.
"Me?" Qi Xia was taken aback. "What? Are you trying to give me a psychological assessment?"
"No. Although intelligent people like you often grapple with psychological issues, the current situation is not suitable for therapy," Lin Qin replied with a slight smile. "I just want to know what you're thinking about."
Qi Xia pondered for a moment before responding, "I'm contemplating the motive."
Qi Xia didn't address Lin Qin's question directly. Instead, he turned to Doctor Zhao and inquired, "Doctor, how long can an average person survive after sustaining a gunshot wound to the heart?"
Doctor Zhao turned around, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts. "If I recall correctly, when the heart is shot, a person typically enters an unconscious state within a matter of seconds. However, in medical terms, {death} is defined as {brain death}. Even if unconscious, the brain can remain active for a few more minutes."
"Yes," Doctor Zhao affirmed. "It was several minutes before he lost consciousness completely after being shot in the heart."
As Qi Xia conversed with Doctor Zhao, the others fell silent, their attention drawn to the exchange. It was thanks to the astute logic and reasoning of this swindler that all nine people were able to survive.
"Then why do you suppose he chose that?" Qi Xia extended his index finger and thumb to mimic a gun, placing his hand against his temple. "Most individuals would opt for this method as a means of suicide." After a brief pause, he shifted his finger gun upward, pointing it at his chin. "Or this."
Qi Xia withdrew his hand and pointed at his heart. "No matter what... someone intent on ending their life would typically choose the least painful method, so why target the heart?"
Qiao Jiajin toyed with the goat's head mask in his hand before adjusting the man's head and remarked, "Perhaps this lan-joeng's head is harder and can't be killed with a single shot."
"Given that he can vomit blood, it indicates that his bodily structure is similar to ours," Police Officer Li asserted. "Regardless of his strength, if shot in the head from this range, he would undoubtedly die."
Qi Xia concurred with a nod. "In that case, I can only surmise one explanation." He gestured toward the mask in Qiao Jiajin's hand. "The goat man's decision to shoot his own heart was likely to safeguard something. I fear the {game} hasn't concluded yet."
Qiao Jiajin was startled, "You mean... he's afraid of breaking his mask?"
Following Qi Xia's instruction, Qiao Jiajin inverted the goat mask, revealing the crude goatskin lining to everyone present. A putrid and pungent odor emanated from it. As anticipated by Qi Xia, there was writing on the interior of the goat mask, inscribed with black ink. Some areas were stained with blood, yet Qiao Jiajin paid no mind. He took his T-shirt and used it to wipe away the stains, eventually revealing every word.
"What the hell?" Qiao Jiajin was momentarily taken aback and commenced reading the words in his non-standard Mandarin:
"You are all under a curse."
"I hope you can all survive."
"Time will not stop even for one quarter; great danger looming from all sides."
"If you wish to endure, circle in the direction of home a hundred times."
"By the way, there's an idiom: 'countless bamboo shoots after rain'. Why aren't bamboo shoots afraid of rain?"
"Until after the rain."
Qi Xia furrowed his brow slightly. It was undoubtedly a clue for the next game… The specter of death loomed over everyone, a constant presence that refused to dissipate. They might have been dead already, but would they be forced to experience it once more?
"Hey, swindler, what's this supposed to mean?" Qiao Jiajin queried.
"How would I know?" Qi Xia retorted icily. "There are nine people here; must I do all the thinking?"
Lawyer Zhang Chenze settled into the chair and remarked, "While I'm reluctant to acknowledge it, your train of thought aligns closely with the {organizers}. If you have any insights, now's the time to share them."
"I—" Before Qi Xia could respond, the surrounding walls abruptly shifted.
Amid everyone's astonished expressions, holes materialized seemingly out of thin air. The once-solid cement wall now resembled a mutable, malleable substance.
After a brief moment, rows of holes were neatly arranged on the wall, appearing as though they had always been there. Simultaneously, the sound of metal chains being dragged reverberated from all directions.
"What's happening?" Panic began to grip everyone.
"Look up at the ceiling!" Someone screamed.
All eyes turned upward to discover that even the ceiling was riddled with holes.
Qi Xia finally rose to his feet, retrieved the goat mask from Qiao Jiajin, and meticulously studied the final sentence inscribed upon it: {Until after the rain}.
Qiao Jiajin cautiously approached a wall, leaning in to peer through one of the holes. Suddenly, his expression shifted to one of shock, and he quickly recoiled. "The hell!" He screamed in terror, frantically searching for a place to hide, only to realize there was nowhere to seek refuge.
"What's happening? What did you see?" Xiao Ran inquired, her voice tinged with apprehension.
The fact that Qiao Jiajin, known for his courage, was so shaken by whatever he witnessed that he retreated indicated that it must have been something truly dreadful.
"Fucking hell...!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed, "Harpoons! The holes are packed with harpoons {being drawn back}!"
"What do you mean by {being drawn back}?" Doctor Zhao questioned, puzzled.
"It's probably {winding up}," Qi Xia responded. "The continuous sound of chains has been coming from all directions. These harpoons are being wound up and could be launched at any moment."
"Hey, swindler, think of something fast!" Qiao Jiajin urged, anxiety evident in his voice. "If they are launched from all directions at the same time, where can we hide?"
Qi Xia pondered the situation carefully. Surviving wouldn't be too difficult for him after all; there were already two corpses present. The harpoons' penetration power was limited. By stacking two corpses in a corner and positioning himself behind them, he could effectively shield himself. While there was still a risk of injury, the likelihood of survival remained high.
"It seems unlikely that everyone will make it through this ordeal," Qi Xia remarked casually. "I must prioritize my own survival; I won't be able to save you all anymore."
"You..." Qiao Jiajin was at a loss for words, turning to Police Officer Li and Doctor Zhao for assistance. However, they too appeared unsure of what to do.
Qi Xia revisited the clues on the goat mask. Could I have misinterpreted them?
The game would only truly end when the last person remained standing. As long as everyone remained alive, these death games would continue to persist. After all, the room was incredibly peculiar; the walls could change at any given moment. The situation did indeed defy logical explanation, bordering more on the realm of magic than reason.
However, if the organizer possessed such formidable magical abilities, why would they go through the trouble of orchestrating challenges for nine deceased individuals? Could this be a sadistic game devised by an organization specializing in the management of the supernatural?
While Qi Xia was deep in thought, Lin Qin glanced at the mask in his hand and remarked, "There… is a way for us to survive written here. It says we must {circle in the direction of home a hundred times}."
Everyone calmed down slightly and began to contemplate this peculiar instruction.
"Could it mean we have to keep facing the direction of our hometown while walking in circles?" Tian Tian suggested.
"It can't be," Qiao Jiajin replied, shaking his head. "How would you even know the direction of your hometown in this closed room? Plus, circling a hundred times would just make you dizzy."
"Whatever! I'll try it first!" Tian Tian found a random direction and started walking in circles on her own.
Qi Xia remained deep in thought. He knew the solution couldn't be that simple.