Chapter 17 Goat And Dog

• “Goat and dog...” Skyler narrowed his eyes, meticulously pondering over everything.
• At first, the individual who called himself “Man Goat” wanted them to fight amongst themselves. But now, this “Man Goat” claimed to be deeply concerned about them, stating he couldn't just stand by and watch them die.
• “Isn't this a lie...” Suddenly, a flash of insight sparked within Skyler's mind. That's right! This is it. He was lying!
• Everything was just as Skyler had anticipated. “Goat” and “Dog” were not individuals' names, but rather, they were “types of games”. Could “Goat” possibly represent the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”? Due to his numerous lies, the shepherd boy ended up without any help. Thus, in the “Goat” game, “lies” exist. It's a game of “deception”. “Dog” could potentially symbolize loyalty, just as in the recent harpoon game. Had we not collaborated, we likely wouldn't have survived. So, could it possibly signify “cooperation”?
• Skyler picked up the harpoon again, examining it. He knew that “Goat” could have lied while explaining the rules. But, in those brief few sentences, which one was the lie? “I couldn't just stand by and watch you all die.” If this sentence is nothing but a lie...
• “Hold on...” Skyler's eyes slowly widened. “This statement isn't the 'answer', but a deadly trap for everyone.”
• “What are you talking about?” Jeremiah asked, puzzled.
• “All these words are lies,” Skyler uttered resolutely. “Standing by the wall signifies 'death'. Only standing beneath the hole represents 'life'.”
• Harvey and Spencer looked at each other in bewilderment, unsure of what Skyler was trying to convey.
• “Everyone, do you remember?” Skyler stood in the center of the room, attempting to draw everyone closer. “'Goat' is a liar. If we follow the rules as he dictates, it will eventually lead to our demise. That's the difference between 'Goat' and 'Dog'.”
• “But is this logical?” Renee asked timidly. “Out of the whole room, only the area above your head has a hole. It seems like that would be the most dangerous spot, wouldn't it?”
• On this matter, Skyler hadn't quite figured it out either.
• What could possibly fall from this overhead hole that would be lethal to someone standing by the wall?
• “Hmm...” Skyler pondered for a moment before rephrasing. “No worries. After this stage, there's a good chance we can get out. So, you guys should make your choices based on your thoughts.”
• “How do you know we can get out?” Spencer asked warily.
• “In this round of hints, there was no 'preview' for the next game,” Skyler responded. “This suggests two possibilities. Either this is the last game, or the organizer is highly confident that they can eliminate us all in this round.”
• Everyone's expressions turned grave after they heard that. Yet, no one could muster a word of rebuttal.
• “Regardless, I'll be standing right here.” Skyler pointed to the ground beneath his feet. “As for what you choose, it's entirely up to you.”
• Skyler knew that everything at the moment was mere speculation. To be on the safe side, he picked up a square table top from the ground and held it in his hand.
• After hearing Skyler's words, Jeremiah slowly moved to his side and said, “I've told you before. I trust you.”
• “But I'm a con man,” Skyler responded coldly.
• “It doesn't matter.”
• After some careful thought, Pomeline, covering her mouth and nose, also made her way toward the center of the room.
• “Hey! What are you doing?” Renee shouted while leaning against the wall. “Do you really believe him?”
• Pomeline gave a slight nod and said, “That's right. Think about it. Who do we owe our survival to?”
• After hearing that, Renee was taken aback for a moment. Suddenly, she found Pomeline's words to be quite sensible. After a brief internal debate, she decided to follow along.
• Michael covered the wound on his shoulder with his hand and made his way over as well.
• “Your name is Skyler, right? I believe in you too.”
• Candy and Christine also walked over.
• Only Harvey and Spencer were left clinging tightly to the wall at that moment.
• “Hey, aren't you guys coming over?” Candy called out.
• “I...” Harvey appeared hesitant, seemingly unsure of what choice to make.
• “There's no need to force others.” Skyler waved his hand. “This challenge doesn't involve teamwork. As long as one can survive, that's all that matters.”
• The clock on the ground gradually moved to twenty-eight minutes past one.
• Spencer narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Skyler. I don't believe that this con man would choose to court death at this moment, but why does he want to lead everyone to stand under the hole?
• At that moment, Pomeline discerned the two's thoughts and said to them, “Skyler doesn't seem to be lying. Do you guys want to come over?”
• “Can you tell?” Spencer asked in a hushed tone.
• “That's correct.” Pomeline nodded. “Due to my job, most of the time, I can tell if someone is lying.”
• “In that case...” Spencer and Harvey exchanged glances, silently stepping forward. They uttered to Pomeline, “Since the professional has spoken, we'll trust you.”
• Everyone quickly grabbed the nearest table tops around them and held them over their heads, providing a makeshift shield. This way, no matter what fell from the hole above, they were prepared to protect themselves at a moment's notice.
• “You guys are quite crafty.” Jeremiah helplessly shook his head, also picking up the table top from the ground. He took a careful look at it. The table top resembled a shield more than it did before. It was not only a perfect square with each side measuring fifty centimeters, but it also had an exceptionally sturdy handle.
• Skyler glanced at the time and grabbed Jeremiah's arm, saying, “Get ready. It's about to start.”
• No sooner had the words been spoken than the clock struck one-thirty. There was a loud clanging sound from the rooftop as if something invisible was being wound up.
• Unfortunately, the hole did not respond, and neither the anticipated “die” nor “live” situations took place.
• After a few seconds of waiting, the floor beneath everyone's feet astonishingly began to rise abruptly.
• “D*mn it.” Skyler's expression shifted. “This is even worse than I had imagined.”
• A clamor erupted. No one had anticipated that the “organizer” would actually want to squeeze everyone into this low-ceilinged room like sardines.
• “What's going on?”
• Before anyone could fully grasp their current situation, Skyler immediately shouted, “Get down, now!”
• The quick-witted trio immediately crouched down, yet the despair in their eyes was impossible to suppress. Everyone understood that, given the current circumstances, the floor and ceiling would likely merge, leaving no chance for anyone to escape.
• Skyler crouched on the ground, his mind racing. He was sure his guess was correct. The hole above me has to be the way out. But how am I supposed to survive?
• The floor began to ascend slowly, accompanied by a thunderous noise. Within a brief moment, the room's ceiling height had halved, forcing everyone to crouch down completely in order to move around.
• Skyler looked up, only to find that the rectangular hole that was above his head moments ago had now surprisingly come within his reach.
• In the midst of the chaos, Skyler made a snap decision. He reached into the hole, discovering it was no ordinary cavity. It was vast, and the structure of the ceiling appeared to be anything but common, seemingly made of hard metal. “Could it be...”
• Skyler hastily crouched down, swiftly lowering his head. Unconsciously, he picked up his square wooden board from the ground. Since the hole represents the way out, and the wooden board is my only tool, what connection could there be between the two?
• Skyler propped up the wooden board, fitting it into a hole in the ceiling. Then, he positioned the board horizontally inside the hole and pulled it downward. Surprisingly, the plank held firmly in place within the hole, leaving only a handle pointing downward.
• “Is this... the way out?” Skyler's eyes gradually widened. He immediately thought about what was to happen next.
• Upon seeing Skyler's actions, the others around him quickly followed suit, each inserting their square table tops into the holes in the ceiling.
• “Be careful, later on—” Just as Skyler was about to speak, the floor beneath everyone's feet suddenly shattered into dust.
• “Ah!”
• “D*mn it!”
• A collective gasp erupted simultaneously. Everyone's bodies plunged downward, and at that moment, they instinctively grasped the handles above them, preventing them from tumbling down headfirst.
• Michael gritted his teeth, his left hand tightly clutching the handle above him. However, he had lost too much blood, and his strength gradually faded. At that moment, Skyler could only watch as Michael's left hand slowly started to loosen its grip.