The nine people were now like lamps hanging from the ceiling, grasping the handles and swinging back and forth. Lin Qin looked down, and her heart sank. Below was a chasm about ten meters deep.
If they hadn't grabbed the handles, they would have already fallen to their deaths.
"Hey, Writer, hold on tight!"
Qiao Jiajin noticed that Han Yimo was starting to lose his grip and grew anxious.
"Why are you so weak at a critical moment?"
"I..."
The muscles on Han Yimo's face were straining, but his body still slid down bit by bit. Qiao Jiajin was very close to Han Yimo. He immediately let go with one hand, grabbed his pants, and pulled him up.
Qiao Jiajin's strength was immense, and Han Yimo felt as if he were being lifted. He quickly reached out and got a firm grip on the handle again. Seeing this, Officer Li also reached out a hand to help.
The two men, each with one hand, supported Han Yimo, who was about to fall. Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, they heard a muffled groan. Turning their heads to look, Tian Tian couldn't help but cry out.
It was only then that the others remembered her hand had also been injured. But this girl seemed incredibly stoic; she didn't make a sound until her blood had coated the handle. She let go with her right hand, holding onto the rope with only her left.
But a girl's strength was naturally small, and supporting her entire body weight with one hand was exceedingly difficult. She suddenly slid downward. Qi Xia's expression changed.
He immediately reached out and grabbed her injured wrist. In that brief moment of contact, he felt Tian Tian's slender body trembling slightly, and her wrist was ice-cold.
"Yo, con man, you're not such a bad guy after all," Qiao Jiajin said.
Qi Xia sighed helplessly and said, "I just don't want to see any more corpses. Don't overthink it." Time passed, second by second, and everyone's arms began to ache.
Hanging for a long time was no easy task for anyone. Even Officer Li's forehead began to break out in a sweat.
"How long do we have to hang here?"
Lin Qin asked Qi Xia, who was beside her.
"I don't know," Qi Xia replied in a low voice.
He knew there were no more hints for the "next game," yet the group still saw no hope. If the organizer were a bit more ruthless and just left them hanging, their deaths would only be a matter of time.
But...
Was there really no hint for the next game? Qi Xia felt a drumbeat of uncertainty in his heart. Could there be some unknown hint hidden in a place they couldn't see?
He looked down at the ground below. If there was a hint, it had to be somewhere down there.
"Hm?"
He scanned the area. Because the floor had collapsed, new walls had appeared at the bottom. In the farthest corner below, there seemed to be a door on the wall.
But that door was utterly out of reach for them. They were still about ten meters from the floor below. It was impossible to jump from this height and remain unharmed.
Lin Qin followed Qi Xia's gaze for a while and also noticed the problem.
"Is that a door?"
Hearing this, everyone looked down and, sure enough, they spotted a dilapidated wooden door at the bottom. Just as everyone was staring, dumbfounded and in despair, the door slowly creaked open. A black figure walked in from the shadows.
Qi Xia looked closely. This person was also wearing a black suit, but his mask was completely different from the goat-head man's. He was actually wearing a massive, dark green snake head.
"It's been a while, everyone. I am the 'Snake-Head Man'," he said slowly.
"Snake-Head your mother!"
Qiao Jiajin shouted.
"A snake after a goat and a dog? Believe it or not, I'll slaughter you right now!"
"Please do not get agitated."
The Snake-Head Man's voice was very steady. He looked up at the group and said, "You are now in the final round of the game. There is a lever next to me.
As long as I pull it, your ceiling can slowly descend, and no one will be hurt." Everyone followed his voice and looked. Beside the wooden door, there was indeed an inconspicuous lever that no one had noticed before due to the dim lighting.
"Then... then can you pull it down now?"
Xiao Ran asked timidly.
"I..."
The Snake-Head Man let out an imperceptible smile and said, "I will play a game with you. Whether you can survive depends on your own performance."
"Another game..."
Doctor Zhao's hair was a mess. He gritted his teeth so hard it looked like he wanted to eat someone.
"Listen well, everyone. This game is called 'Yes or No'," the Snake-Head Man said, walking forward slightly to address the group swinging in the air.
"From now on, all of you combined can ask me three questions. However, my answers can only be 'Yes' or 'No'. Take note, I will not tell a lie. After the three questions are asked, if I agree to save you, I will pull the lever. If I do not agree, I will lock this door and leave you to fend for yourselves."
Qi Xia frowned.
Three questions?
And the only answers were 'Yes' or 'No'? This game was a bit too tricky. No matter what, the group's goal was to get this Snake-Head Man to let them down, so they could only ask questions around this topic.
But would he agree? While everyone was thinking, the kindergarten teacher, Xiao Ran, acted decisively and spoke up: "Hey, can you let us down?!"
"Don't!"
Qi Xia was startled and quickly reached out to cover Xiao Ran's mouth, but the girl was a fast talker, and the question had already clearly reached the Snake-Head Man's ears. The Snake-Head Man gave a cold laugh and said, "No." "Hey!
Pretty lady!"
Qiao Jiajin yelled.
"There are only three questions in total, don't mess this up!"
"I..."
Xiao Ran lowered her head, looking very upset.
"Two questions left."
The Snake-Head Man took a step back without a change in expression, moving himself closer to the wooden door. It seemed he had already given up on them. Xiao Ran's casual question had turned the game's difficulty to hell mode.
Of course the Snake-Head Man wouldn't let them down so easily. If he had any intention of saving them, why would he set up this game in the first place? But then again, if he didn't want to save them, how could they get him to agree to pull the lever?
Even if the question was changed to "You won't let us down, will you?", his answer would simply become "Yes".
"Con man, do you have a plan?"
Qiao Jiajin turned to look at Qi Xia. Qi Xia closed his eyes slightly, his thoughts in turmoil. A plan, a plan.
As a human being, how could he have so many plans? Every step since entering this room had required a plan from Qi Xia. On what grounds could he bear the weight of so many lives?
But then he felt a sense of despair. If he gave up, was there any other way for the group to survive?
"I can't die here..."
A faint light flickered in Qi Xia's eyes again.
"She is still 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 has their own." He opened his eyes slightly, and the train of thought in his mind instantly became much clearer.
That's right.
His mistake was in completely following the opponent's path.
"Snake-Head Man," Qi Xia called out in a low voice.
Officer Li was taken aback and turned his head to ask, "Hey, what are you going to ask? Let's discuss it beforehand to avoid a repeat of what just happened."
"It's fine. I've already thought of a way to survive."
Qi Xia lowered his head with confidence, looking down at the Snake-Head Man.
"Don't say anything. This will all be over soon."
"You really have a way?"
Zhang Chenze asked.
"I should."
Qi Xia took a deep breath, carefully pondering the next two questions he would ask. No, to be precise, it was one question. Only one question was needed, and this game would be over.
From the very beginning, this game wasn't about getting bogged down in how to make the opponent pull the lever. One only needed to consider the logic of 'Yes' and 'No'. The Snake-Head Man seemed very interested in Qi Xia, his eyes peering out from the holes of the snake-skin mask.
Qi Xia paused, then asked, "Snake-Head Man, suppose my next question is 'Will you pull down the lever?'. Would your answer to that question be the same as your answer to this one?"