Chapter 8 Revealing The Card

• These words practically served as a wake-up call to everyone present, and in the same way, they awakened Skyler as well.
• Indeed, the liar really did have a huge advantage.
• Skyler's brows furrowed slightly.
• Why are my chances of winning so high? Spinning a web of lies among strangers is easy. They don't know me, nor do they understand me, so any lie would be hard for anyone to see through. Could a false name truly be the end of eight lives? Or should I say, the one who draws the liar card is the chosen one, and this game is unfair from the beginning? Something's not right... If drawing that card could mean the difference between life and death, why not simply label them with “Life” and “Death” instead? That way, the goal would be much easier to achieve. Otherwise, what's the point of this nearly hour-long game?
• A profound sense of discord spread throughout Skyler's heart at the thought of that.
• He kept replaying every word Goat Head had said in his mind.
• Could it be...
• “Hey, it's your turn,” Jeremiah said while giving Skyler a gentle pat.
• It was only then that Skyler regained his senses, realizing everyone was looking at him with peculiar expressions.
• At that point, there wasn't time left to overthink. Otherwise, it would only make him appear more suspicious.
• He stilled himself, reorganizing his thoughts anew.
• The phrase “My name is Matthew Lewis, and I'm from Sonora.” kept replaying in his mind over and over again.
• However, at that very moment, he couldn't resort to this answer. If he wanted to find the solution to this game, he had no choice but to take a gamble.
• Skyler opened his eyes and addressed the crowd, “Everyone, my name is Skyler Kinsley, and I'm from Sonora. I'm a professional con man.”
• “Con man?”
• Everyone present gasped as soon as they heard Skyler's first sentence. After all, the role of a con man had appeared in many of their stories.
• This con man had subtly woven everyone's stories together.
• Ironically, they had to determine whether or not a con man was telling the truth.
• “Before coming here, I was finding ways to launder the two million I had on hand. It took quite an effort, but in the end, I managed to secure one million four hundred thousand. This is already the most cost-effective solution I could think of. However, on my way back with the money, I unexpectedly encountered an earthquake. As I reached the doorstep, I saw my house shaking incessantly. Logically, it's absolutely not advisable to enter the building at such a time, given the ever-present risk of collapse. But my concern for the people inside left me no choice but to rush in. Sure enough, as I stepped into the room, the porch collapsed. I was pinned underneath and lost consciousness.”
• After Skyler finished telling the story in a calm and succinct manner, everyone was alertly watching him.
• He knew he was taking a considerable risk, but it was the only way to confirm whether his thoughts were accurate or not.
• If Goat Head were to speak up at this moment, it would mean that his hunch was pretty much on the mark.
• Just as Skyler had anticipated, Goat Head slowly stepped forward, addressing the crowd, “Well done; everyone has finished their stories. Now, we have twenty minutes of open discussion time. After twenty minutes, each of you will need to write a name on the blank sheet of paper in front of you.”
• Skyler's eyebrows lifted when he heard that.
• I knew it! There really is twenty minutes! With this, everything is finally making sense!
• At that moment, everyone was starting to panic. After all, they had only twenty minutes left which would determine their life or death.
• Both Jeremiah and Spencer wanted to cast their votes for each other. Perhaps due to their professional rivalry, there was an air of hostility between them.
• Harvey began questioning the author, Michael. after all, Michael's story seemed to have no connection with anyone else's.
• Christine and Renee seemed to harbor doubts toward Skyler, while Pomeline, Michael, and Candy were still hesitant.
• Going by the apparent rules, the liar in this game was already on the verge of winning due to the vote count being inconsistent.
• The rules had explicitly stated that the only way the eight people could all survive was if they successfully identified the liar.
• Skyler didn't engage in any discussions and silently closed his eyes.
• Countless clues were swirling around in his mind.
• Goat Head stated that only one of the storytellers is the liar, that the rules are absolute, and that everyone has already been asleep for twelve hours. Now, only one piece of information is missing, and then this puzzle can be solved.
• Skyler opened his eyes.
• But where is that piece of information?
• Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
• The intersecting lines on the walls and floor snapped him back to reality. He glanced at the clock on the desk and saw that it was nearly one o'clock.
• “I see...” Skyler's eyes widened. “That was a close call... I'm a con man, and yet I almost got deceived by you all.”
• It seemed everyone had noticed something off about Skyler. However, this con man had always been a man of few words from the beginning, leaving them clueless as to what he was truly thinking.
• “Hey, could you pass me another sheet of paper?” Skyler asked Goat Head.
• Upon hearing these words, Goat Head was clearly taken aback, then tentatively asked, “Y-You need another piece of paper?”
• Skyler nodded. “Yes, I need a piece of draft paper.”
• Goat Head remained silent for a long while. Then, he reached into his suit pocket, pulled out another piece of paper, and handed it over to Skyler.
• Without any hesitation, Skyler took the paper and began to calculate.
• He counted the large squares on the wall; there were nine in total. Meanwhile, the total number of squares on the floor and ceiling combined was sixteen.
• Skyler was rapidly jotting down something, “If my guess is correct, each square represents one square meter, which means we're currently situated in a room that's three meters high and four meters in both length and width. Four multiplied by four and three... That's forty-eight cubic meters.”
• Skyler's hands were trembling slightly. “Not enough... Totally not enough...”
• The crowd stared at Skyler in confusion. It was clearly a situation where they were supposed to figure out who was lying, yet he had begun to solve a math problem instead.
• He listed a series of formulas, ultimately yielding the two figures, “54.6” and “49.14.”
• Upon seeing these two numbers, Skyler's face turned ashen. It was as if he was trying to come to terms with something.
• If his suspicions were indeed correct, then the current situation would be truly terrifying.
• His eyes were constantly flickering; his thoughts had long since soared to the farthest reaches.
• The clamor of the crowd gradually began to subside.
• Skyler didn't partake in any discussions and seemed solely engrossed in some calculation. Could it be that he had truly discovered the solution to this problem?
• After what seemed like an eternity, Skyler finally lifted his head, gazing at the crowd.
• The look in his eyes was filled with fear, hesitation, doubt, and confusion.
• Skyler cleared his throat and said softly, “Ladies and gentlemen, I initially had no intention of saving you all. However, if you make the wrong choice, I too will die. I absolutely cannot die here as there's someone waiting for me outside. Therefore, no matter what, I must find a way out. The only thing I can do now is reveal the answer. I hope you all will listen carefully to what I have to say.”
• Jeremiah, who was closest to Skyler, paused slightly before asking, “Young lad, what do you mean by the answer? Do you know who's lying?”
• Skyler didn't respond. Instead, he simply reached for his identity card and gradually revealed it to the crowd.
• “This was the identity I drew.”
• Everyone took a closer look; the words “the liar” on the card were particularly striking.