Chapter 18 True False Question

• At that moment, the nine of them were like chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, swinging back and forth as they held onto the handles.
• When Pomeline looked down, her heart sank.
• Beneath, there was a hollow space roughly ten meters deep.
• Had she not grabbed onto the handle, she would have surely met her end by now.
• “Hey, author, get a grip!” At that moment, Jeremiah noticed that Michael was beginning to loosen his hold, which filled him with urgency. “How can you be so weak at this crucial moment?”
• “I...” Michael's facial muscles strained with effort, but his body continued to slide downward bit by bit.
• Jeremiah was very close to Michael, and he immediately let go of one hand to grab onto the latter's pants, hoisting them up. Jeremiah was quite strong, making Michael feel like someone was lifting him. He quickly reached out to regain his grip. Seeing that, Spencer also reached out to lend a hand. With one hand each, they managed to support Michael, who was on the verge of falling.
• Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, they heard a muffled groan.
• They turned their heads and noticed it was Candy who had involuntarily let out the groan. Only then did the others remember she had also injured her hand.
• However, Candy appeared incredibly resilient. She didn't so much as grunt until her hand was coated with blood.
• She loosened her grip with her right hand, holding onto the handle only with her left. However, as a woman, her strength was naturally limited. Hence, trying to support her entire body weight with one hand was an incredibly difficult feat. Consequently, she slid downward abruptly.
• Skyler's expression shifted instantly as he immediately reached out to grasp Candy's injured wrist.
• With just a brief touch, he noticed her slender body subtly trembling. Her wrist was also notably cold.
• “Well, you're not such a bad person, con man,” Jeremiah remarked.
• With a helpless sigh, Skyler said, “I just didn't want to see another dead body. Don't read too much into it.”
• As time ticked away, everyone's arms began to feel sore.
• Hanging on for a prolonged period wasn't easy for anyone. Even Spencer began to break into a sweat.
• “When will this end?” Pomeline asked Skyler, who was hanging next to her.
• “I don't know,” Skyler responded solemnly.
• He knew there were no hints for the next game, yet the crowd still couldn't see any hope for survival.
• If the organizers were even a bit more ruthless, their demise would be a matter of time if they were left hanging in that manner.
• Still, is there really no hint for the next game? Skyler felt a bit nervous. Could there be any unseen hints hidden in places invisible to the eye?
• Skyler cast his gaze downward, studying the ground beneath him. If there were any clues, they would surely be somewhere below. “Oh?”
• He cast his gaze around and noticed that due to the collapse of the ground, a new wall had emerged at the bottom. It seemed as if there was a door tucked away in the furthest corner of that wall.
• Yet for everyone, that door was simply out of reach.
• They were roughly ten meters above the ground floor, and a fall from that height would certainly not leave them unscathed.
• After following Skyler's gaze for quite some time, Pomeline also noticed the issue. “Is that a door?”
• Upon hearing that, everyone looked down, and sure enough, they saw the old wooden door at the bottom.
• As everyone watched in stunned despair, the door surprisingly began to open slowly.
• A shadowy figure in black emerged from the darkness. Skyler noticed the man was also dressed in a black suit, but his mask was completely different from that of Goat Head.
• Surprisingly, the newcomer was wearing a massive blackish-green snake headpiece.
• “It's been a while, ladies and gentlemen. I am 'Man Snake'.” The person spoke at a leisurely pace.
• “My arse!” Jeremiah roared. “After Goat and Dog, now it's Snake? Do you believe I can take you down right now?”
• “Please, calm down.” Man Snake's voice was steady. He glanced at the crowd before continuing, “You are in the midst of your final game. I have a lever by my side. All I need to do is pull it, and your ceiling will gently descend. No one will get hurt.”
• Everyone shifted their gazes, and sure enough, there was an inconspicuous lever next to the wooden door. Due to the dim lighting, no one had noticed it earlier.
• “C-Can you pull it now?” Renee asked timidly.
• “I...” Man Snake gave an almost imperceptible smile before he spoke. “I propose a game. Whether you survive or not depends entirely on how you perform.”
• “Another game...” Hair disheveled, Harvey gritted his teeth maliciously.
• “Listen up, everyone. This game is called 'True and False'.” Man Snake stepped forward slightly, addressing the people suspended from the ceiling. “From now on, you can collectively ask me three questions, and my answers will only be 'yes' or 'no'. Remember, I won't lie. After the three questions are asked, I will pull the lever down if I agree to save you. If I disagree, I'll lock this door, leaving you to fend for yourselves.”
• Skyler frowned. Three questions, and he can only respond with yes or no? This game sounds too fishy. Regardless, our goal is to persuade Snake Head to let us go. Therefore, we can only focus our inquiries on this subject. However, will he agree to our request?
• While everyone was deep in thought, the kindergarten teacher, Renee, seized the moment and decisively spoke up. “Hey, can you let us down?”
• “No!” Skyler was startled, hastily covering Renee's mouth with his hand. Unfortunately, as straightforward as Renee was, Man Snake had already heard her question.
• Man Snake sneered and replied tersely, “No.”
• Jeremiah bellowed, “Hey, missy! There are only three questions. Don't mess them up!”
• “I...”
• “There are two more questions left.” Man Snake casually stepped back, positioning himself closer to the wooden door.
• It seemed as if he had already given up on everyone.
• Renee's casual question unexpectedly turned the game into a hellish challenge.
• Naturally, Man Snake wasn't going to let them off the hook that easily.
• Skyler thought. If he genuinely intends to save us, why would he have set up this game in the first place? But then again, if he doesn't want to save anyone, how could we convince him to lower the lever? Even if we change the question to if we won't let us go, he can simply answer yes.
• “Con man, do you have a solution?” Jeremiah turned his head to look at Skyler.
• Skyler closed his eyes, his thoughts in disarray. Solution, solution. How could one possibly have so many solutions? From the moment we entered the room, I had to come up with solutions. How could I possibly be responsible for the lives of so many people?
• Nevertheless, shortly after, he was overwhelmed with despair. If I give up, will there be any way for the others to survive?
• “I can't die here.” Skyler's eyes sparked with a faint glimmer once again. “She's still waiting for me.”
• A gentle female voice resonated in Skyler's mind. “Skyler, do you know? There are countless paths in this world, and everyone has one that belongs solely to them.”
• He gently opened his eyes, and thoughts in his mind became significantly clearer. That's right. My mistake is that I've been following the path set by the other party.
• “Snake Head,” Skyler uttered in an undertone.
• Spencer paused, then turned around to ask, “Hey, what do you want to ask? Let's communicate in advance to avoid a repeat of the situation just now.”
• “It's okay. I've already figured out how to survive.” Skyler confidently lowered his gaze to look at Man Snake. “Don't speak. This will all be over soon.”
• “Do you really have a solution?” asked Christine.
• “Should be.” Skyler took a deep breath, carefully pondering the next two questions he wanted to ask.
• No, to put it accurately, there was only one question.
• He only needed one question to end the game.
• From the very start, this game wasn't about obsessing over how to make the other party pull the lever but simply about considering the logic of 'yes' and 'no'.
• Man Snake appeared quite intrigued by Skyler, his eyes peering out from the holes of his snake skin mask.
• Skyler paused before he asked, “Man Snake, if my next question is 'Will you pull the lever?', will your answer be the same as to this question?”