Chapter 9 The Hard Truth

• Upon seeing those words, everyone's expressions turned into a state of bewilderment.
• “I drew the liar card, but it doesn't matter whether this card is revealed or not because it's not important at all,” Skyler said.
• He picked up the card and casually tossed it onto the center of the table.
• “If I'm not mistaken, each one of you is holding the liar card in your hands,” he continued.
• After hearing this, everyone remained still, not a single person moved. After a while, it was Spencer who finally broke the silence, asking, “So, are you suggesting that everyone was lying just now?”
• Skyler nodded. “That's correct. You all are smarter than I anticipated. Each of you has woven a tiny lie into your own stories, making them entirely plausible without disrupting the narrative flow.”
• Spencer pondered for a moment. Then, as if he too had thought of something, he let out a sigh and said, “If what you're saying is correct, then the problem just got a lot trickier.”
• Everyone turned their attention back to Spencer, utterly perplexed.
• Spencer continued, “According to the rules, we can only survive if we all correctly identify the liar. But if that happens, the liar loses. So...”
• Harvey was the first to grasp the meaning of Spencer's words. “Are you suggesting that we can vote as we please? Because everyone is lying, this has turned into a sure-win game, where only the one voted for faces death?”
• Spencer nodded. “That's correct. The best strategy right now is to pool all the votes onto one person. This way, we can minimize the loss. After all, it's crucial that the rest survive.”
• His words had once again pressed the atmosphere to its breaking point. Yet, in contrast, Goat Head had made no move at all.
• So, they're merely voting on who among them should die?
• With a sigh of resignation, Skyler looked at Spencer and said, “Officer Lloyd, do you take pleasure in interrupting others? Does it give you a sense of accomplishment?”
• “What kind of comment is that? Wasn't I just helping you by offering some advice?” Spencer retorted, his brow furrowed.
• “I don't need your help. Your ideas could get us all killed,” Skyler said without a second thought.
• “What?” Spencer was taken aback. “Why would I cause everyone's demise? Am I not speaking the truth? If everyone is lying, wouldn't any vote be valid?”
• “Officer Lloyd, Goat Head once said that the rules are absolute and that there is only one liar. Do you remember?”
• “Uh...” Spencer hesitated slightly, recalling that Goat Head had indeed uttered these words.
• “I'm going to streamline our thoughts now. In this game, it appears that the liar has a great chance of winning because everyone feels they are on the verge of victory. However, if we vote carelessly, we'll all end up losing in the end,” Skyler said coldly.
• Sitting next to Skyler, Jeremiah rubbed his tattooed arm, muttering to himself, “Because we would have broken the rules...”
• Skyler nodded. “Yes, but the intriguing part of this game is that we can't deduce whether the other party is lying or not. As Ms. Zeller said, we can only infer based on whether our own experiences contradict each other. But since we're not from the same region, even if the events contradict, there's no absolute certainty in proving that the other party is lying.”
• Skyler glanced at the crowd, that was lost in thought, then continued, “The organizer specifically chose the nine of us to sit here for a reason—to let us find the flaws in what we believe are interconnected stories. But is that really right? How can we be sure that the other person is definitely lying? In this game, the only liar we can be absolutely certain of from the clues we know, is this one person. What he's saying is completely different from our current situation.”
• Skyler took the pen and swiftly wrote down “Man Goat.”
• “I had been wondering, why did Goat Head introduce us to this odd name 'Man Goat' right from the start? It seemed redundant. But now I see, it was part of the game all along.”
• Everyone slowly turned their heads to glance at Man Goat, who still hadn't made a move.
• Spencer was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, “Liar, I have a question. Goat Head's rules stated there could be only one liar among all the storytellers, but he didn't tell a story at all.”
• “Is that so?” Skyler shrugged noncommittally. “I distinctly remember Goat Head saying he brought us all together here to create a god. Isn't that a bizarre story?”
• Spencer quietly lowered his head, finding a lot of sense in Skyler's words. Yet, something about it felt oddly amiss.
• “But all your assumptions are based on the premise that everyone is a liar. Why would you conclude that we are liars? What if we revealed our cards, and only you are the liar?” Harvey exclaimed.
• Skyler let out a wry chuckle, his expression somewhat desolate as he said, “You guys couldn't possibly be telling the truth. I've spent some time verifying this issue. I not only know you're all lying, but I also know where you've lied.”
• He pushed his draft paper forward, then turned to look at Candy beside him. “Candy, when you were 'working' in the car and stuck your head out, did the fallen billboard really hit the car and knock you unconscious?”
• Candy pursed her lips, daring not to speak.
• “Jeremiah, you fell from such a great height onto a billboard. Were you really just unconscious?”
• Jeremiah remained silent.
• “Ms. Sutton, did you really manage to dodge that speeding car with the child in tow?”
• Renee's gaze flickered evasively for a moment.
• “Dr. Johnson, the operating rooms are built to be much more robust than regular rooms to ensure stability. But you mentioned that the ceiling of the operating room collapsed. Are you sure you were merely just knocked unconscious?”
• Harvey turned his head to the side.
• “Michael, you claim to have no clue about what happened. But you've always dreaded interruptions when you're engrossed in writing. Don't you know how you ended up here?”
• Michael let out a small sigh.
• “Ms. Zeller, your car was hit and crashed into a crevice. How deep was that crevice?”
• Christine stood with her arms crossed, her face devoid of any expression.
• “Officer Lloyd, what brand of car do you drive? Does it have the feature to instantly recline the seats fully, thus freeing yourself from the person in the back?”
• Spencer touched the red mark on his neck, seemingly wanting to say something, but then hesitated.
• “Pomeline, your ceiling had collapsed too, but you mentioned that your studio is on a higher floor. If the higher floors start to crumble, wouldn't the entire building be gone?”
• Pomeline lowered her head in silence.
• Upon seeing the expressions of the crowd, Skyler tapped on the table and said, “Everyone, let's face it. Including myself, we were all already dead.”