The nine individuals dangled from the ceiling like living chandeliers, swaying back and forth with the pull of the ropes.
Lin Qin glanced downward and felt a chill grip her heart.
Below them yawned a pit, about ten meters deep.
If she hadn't grabbed the rope in time, she would have plummeted to her death.
"Hey, writer, hold on tight!" Qiao Jiajin shouted, noticing Han Yimo slipping down the rope. "Why are you losing strength at a crucial moment ?"
"I..." Han Yimo's face was contorted with effort, but his left hand was steadily losing its grip.
Qiao Jiajin, positioned close to Han Yimo, immediately released one hand from his rope and grabbed Han Yimo’s, attempting to wrap it around the latter’s waist. However, with only one hand, he couldn’t secure it as tightly as needed.
Seeing the struggle, Police Officer Li extended a hand to assist. Together, their combined efforts managed to secure the rope tightly around Han Yimo's waist.
Turning toward the source of the sound, they saw Tian Tian grimacing in pain. Only then did they remember that her hand was also injured.
The girl displayed remarkable resilience, enduring in silence until her blood had saturated the rope.
Unable to withstand the pain any longer, she released her grip with her right hand and clung desperately with her left. Yet lacking initial strength, supporting her entire weight with one hand proved too daunting, causing her to slide down abruptly.
Qi Xia's demeanor shifted abruptly as he swiftly grasped Tian Tian's injured wrist.
Upon contact, he noticed Tian Tian's slender form trembling faintly, her wrist chilling to the touch.
"Hey, swindler, turns out you're not entirely heartless after all," Qiao Jiajin quipped.
Qi Xia sighed helplessly and said, "I just don't want to see another dead body, don't read too much into it."
As time passed, everyone's arms grew increasingly weary.
The prolonged suspension took its toll on everyone; even Police Officer Li's forehead started to bead with sweat.
"How much longer do we need to endure this?" Lin Qin queried Qi Xia.
"I'm not sure," Qi Xia replied somberly.
He understood that there was currently no indication of a {next game}, yet hope remained elusive for everyone.
If the organizers were more ruthless, allowing everyone to hang would inevitably lead to their deaths.
Was there truly no indication for the next game?
Qi Xia felt a twinge of nervousness.
Could there be hidden clues somewhere?
He peered down at the ground below. If there were any clues, they must be somewhere beneath them.
Surveying the area, Qi Xia noticed that due to the room's collapse, a new wall had emerged at the base. In the bottom corner of this wall, there appeared to be a door.
However, that door was well beyond everyone's reach.
They were approximately ten meters above the ground. It was impossible to jump from this height and come out unscathed.
Lin Qin followed Qi Xia's gaze for a while and also noticed the anomaly.
Upon hearing this, everyone glanced downward and indeed spotted the decrepit wooden door at the base.
As astonishment and despair gripped them, the door creaked open slowly.
From the darkness emerged the silhouette of a figure. Qi Xia observed the newcomer, noting that he, too, wore a black suit, but his mask differed significantly from the goat-headed figure's.
The man was sporting a massive dark green snake head mask.
"Long time no see, everyone. I am Mortal Snake," he began in a deliberate tone.
"‘Mortal’ my ass!" Qiao Jiajin erupted. "First Goat, then Dog, and now Snake? Believe me, I'm going to finish you off!"
"Please, let's not get too excited," Mortal Snake's voice remained calm. He glanced up at everyone before continuing, "You are in the final stage of the trial. I have a lever by my hand here. Once I pull it, you will descend safely, and no one will be hurt."
Everyone turned their gaze towards the snake-headed figure's hand, where truly lay an inconspicuous lever beside the wooden door. It had gone unnoticed due to the dim lighting.
"Then... can you pull it now?" Xiao Ran asked timidly.
"Well..." Mortal Snake smiled imperceptibly and spoke, "I will engage you all in a game. Your survival will depend entirely on your performance."
"Another game..." Doctor Zhao's hair was disheveled, and he clenched his teeth fiercely, appearing ready to pounce on someone.
"Listen attentively, everyone. This game is titled {Yes or No}," Mortal Snake declared with a slight step forward, addressing the individuals suspended from the ceiling. "You, as a collective, have three opportunities to question me; with my responses will be confined to {yes} or {no}. I assure you, I will uphold truthfulness. Following these queries, if I choose to spare you all, I will activate the lever. Otherwise, I will seal the door, and your destiny will unfold accordingly."
Qi Xia furrowed his brow.
Answers restricted to {yes} and {no}?
This game seemed exceedingly challenging.
In any case, everyone's objective was to persuade the snake-headed figure to release them. Their questions were therefore centered on this crucial matter, but would he comply?
Kindergarten Teacher Xiao Ran seized the moment while everyone contemplated silently and spoke out without hesitation. "Hey, can you lower us down?!"
"Stop!" Qi Xia exclaimed in alarm, reaching out to cover Xiao Ran's mouth, but she had already blurted out her question, which clearly reached Mortal Snake's ears.
Mortal Snake sneered and replied, "No."
"Hey leng-mui?!" Qiao Jiajin shouted, "We only have three questions in total, so don't mess around!"
Xiao Ran lowered her head in embarrassment, her expression filled with sorrow.
"There are two questions remaining," Mortal Snake remarked calmly, taking a step back towards the wooden door.
It appeared he had resigned himself to their fate.
Xiao Ran's seemingly innocuous question had transformed the game into an ordeal of extreme difficulty.
Of course, Mortal Snake wouldn't yield so readily.
If his intention was to save them, why devise such a game?
Yet if he had no intention of saving them, how could they persuade him to activate the lever?
Even if the question was changed to {Will you not let us down?}, his answer would only become {yes}.
"Swindler, do you have a solution?" Qiao Jiajin turned to Qi Xia.
Qi Xia closed his eyes slightly, his thoughts in turmoil.
As a human being, how could he be expected to have all the answers?
Qi Xia had been the one providing solutions at every twist and turn since entering the room. Why must he be the one burdened with the responsibility for so many lives?
Despair quickly overtook him.
If he gave up, how would they all survive?
‘I can't die here…’ Qi Xia's eyes flickered with renewed determination. ‘She's waiting for me…’
A gentle female voice echoed in Qi Xia's mind. "Xia, did you know? There are many paths in this world, and everyone walks their own."
Qi Xia opened his eyes, clarity flooded his mind instantly.
Yes, his mistake had been trying to follow someone else's path.
"Mortal Snake," Qi Xia called out in a low voice.
Police Officer Li was startled, turning around to ask, "What do you want to ask? Let's coordinate beforehand to avoid repeating the earlier mistake."
"It's fine. I've figured out a way to survive," Qi Xia said, lowering his head and fixing his gaze on Mortal Snake. "Refrain from speaking. This will all be over soon."
"Do you truly have a solution?" Zhang Chenze inquired.
"I believe so," Qi Xia replied, taking a deep breath as he carefully pondered the next two questions to ask.
Or rather, to be precise, it was just one question.
The game will conclude with just one question.
From the start, they didn't need to fret over how to persuade the other party to pull the lever; all they needed was to consider the logic of {yes} and {no}.
Mortal Snake appeared intrigued by Qi Xia, his eyes peering through the aperture in the snake mask.
Qi Xia paused, then asked, "Mortal Snake, if my next question were {Will you pull the lever?}, would your answer be the same as this question?"