Ten Day Ultimatum

As the woman's scream subsided, so did the collective train of thought. Even those who had been hurling insults just moments ago fell into silence. Now, it wasn't simply a matter of crossing a {legal boundary}; the figure before them appeared genuinely unflinching when it came to committing murder.

Following a silence that persisted for more than a minute, the man in the goat-head mask nodded slightly. "Very good," he remarked, "I'm pleased to see that all nine of you have settled down."

Everyone's expressions twisted, but no one dared to speak up. As he had said, there were indeed nine of them now.

Qi Xia stretched out his trembling hand and removed a pink-yellow substance from his face. The mass of brain tissue was still contracting slightly and warm to the touch. However, within moments, it lost its vitality, deflating like a punctured ball.

"Allow me to introduce myself..." The goat-headed figure extended his bloodied finger, pointing to his mask. "I am {Mortal Goat}, and you all are the {Participants}."

The announcement left everyone startled, followed by a wave of puzzlement. {Mortal Goat}? {Participants}?

"Bringing you all here is solely for the sake of participating in a game and ultimately creating a {God}." The man in the goat-head mask said in a flat tone.

These two consecutive sentences prompted furrowed brows among everyone present. In the brief moments of interaction, most had come to the realization that the individual before them was a madman. Yet, this madman spoke of creating a {God}?

"Create...what kind of god?" the robust man asked nervously.

"A god just like {Nüwa[1]}!" The goat-headed figure gesticulated with joy, the distinct musk emanating from his body lending a malevolent undertone to his words. "Isn't that wonderful?! You will all bear witness to history in the making! Nüwa created mankind before transforming into a rainbow while mending Heaven[2]... We cannot lose Nüwa, so we must create another! There's a great task awaiting {God} to fulfill!"

His excitement escalated, his pitch rising higher as if injected with chicken blood[3].

"Nüwa..." The robust man furrowed his brows, finding the situation increasingly difficult to comprehend. He paused before asking, "Are you part of a religious organization?"

"Religious organization?" The goat-headed figure paused briefly, then turned to the robust man before responding, "We are far beyond a mere {religious organization}; we have an entire {world}!"

Upon hearing the goat-headed figure's response, a heavy silence fell over the room once more. The robust man’s question was well directed. The conduct and deeds of this goat-headed figure closely resembled those of an evil cult, but majority evil cults tended to fabricate a new god rather than venerating a heroic figure like Nüwa.

"In that case..." the robust man pressed on, "What exactly are we here to {participate} in?"

"I've already told you, just a game," The goat-headed figure replied promptly. "If you win, one of you will ascend to become {God}."

"Hahm-ga-caan..." The sleeve-tattooed man, appearing to have regained some composure, cursed before asking, "So it's like {Investiture of the Gods[4]}, huh? But what if we don’t win?"

"Don’t win?" The goat-headed figure glanced at the bloodstains on his hands, a hint of disappointment in his tone. "It would be regrettable if you can't win..."

Though he didn't spell it out explicitly, his meaning was clear— if you can't win, you die.

None of the options he presented offered a means of {making it out alive}. It was either to become what he claimed as {God}, or face the same fate as the young man whose brain had been blown out.

"If everyone understands... then let's commence this {game}. This game is called {Liar}," The goat-headed figure declared, retrieving a stack of papers from his coat pocket and handing one to each person with indifference.

He then produced several pens and distributed them among everyone.

The table bore numerous bloodstains, and as each white sheet made contact, it was instantly tainted with red. Any attempt to wipe away the stains only caused the blood-red hue to spread like paint, intensifying the crimson on the once-white paper.

"The instructions are as follows: I want each of you to recount the events leading up to your arrival here," The goat-headed figure instructed. "However, please be aware that among all the storytellers, one person will not be telling the truth. After each of you has finished narrating your story, we will proceed with a vote. If all eight of you correctly identify the {Liar}, then the liar will be eliminated and the rest will survive. But if even one person selects incorrectly, the liar will survive and the rest will be eliminated."

"Liar……?"

Confusion clouded the minds of everyone present. Would anyone truly deceive others at such a pivotal moment of life and death?

"Wait a moment, are we allowed to strategize {tactics}?" the robust man interjected suddenly.

"Yes," The goat-headed figure affirmed with a nod. "Before the game commences, you all have one minute to discuss your tactics. Would you like to utilize it now... or later?"

"Now." The robust man said without much of a thought.

"Please proceed as you wish," The goat-headed figure responded, taking a step back from the table.

The robust man pursed his lips, casting a glance around at everyone present, consciously avoiding the headless corpse sprawled on the table. "I don't know which of you is going to lie later," he began, "but this {rule} seems too arbitrary. With just one misstep in voting, we all face death. And even if we correctly identify the liar, it means they will die. It seems that death is inevitable for at least one of us. However, I've thought of a plan to ensure everyone's survival..."

When everyone heard this, they all looked at the robust man.

Is it really possible to keep everyone alive?

"We all just have to tell the truth," the robust man declared without hesitation, preempting any further contemplation. "If all nine of us tell the truth and then write on our papers that {no one lied}, we wouldn't be breaking any rules. This way, we can all survive."

The man in the white coat tapped his finger lightly on the table before speaking. "Your plan is sound, but it relies on a crucial premise: that {you yourself aren’t lying}. How do you intend to prove this? If you happen to be the liar, suggesting that we all write {no one lied} would ensure your survival while condemning the rest of us."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" the robust man retorted, a hint of anger creeping into his tone. "If I were the liar, why would I suggest such a plan? I'd simply just need to protect myself."

The goat-headed figure gestured with a slight wave of his hand. "The one-minute discussion period has ended. Please refrain from further communication."

The two men exchanged cold snorts and fell silent.

"Now, please draw your cards," The goat-headed figure directed, producing a small stack of cards from his pants pocket. The cards appeared to be similar in size to regular playing cards, bearing the inscription {Game of Nüwa} on the back.

The robust man was taken aback. "What is this?"

"These are {Identity Cards}." The goat-headed figure laughed and said, "Whoever draws the {Liar} card must lie."

The robust man clenched his teeth in frustration. "Are you kidding me?! Why didn't you inform us of such a rule beforehand?!"

"To teach you a lesson," The goat-headed figure sneered. "You asked if you could discuss tactics before I finished explaining the rules. It was you all who wasted the precious minute, not me for not telling you in advance."

The robust man's face contorted, but recalling the goat-headed figure’s murderous methods, he could only swallow back his anger.

In the span of a minute, all nine individuals drew a card from the goat-headed figure's hand, yet none dared to glance at the identity they had received. If their card was inscribed with {Liar}, then they would need to suffer from the dilemma of whether to save or sacrifice themselves.

The hands of all four women trembled slightly, while the men's expressions darkened noticeably.

What was drawn here was not {Identity Cards} but {Life or Death Cards}.

Qi Xia took a deep breath, and without an expression, placed his hand on his card before sliding it in front of himself. With a tentative motion, he opened it and glanced inside.

Clear as day, the word {Liar} stared back at him.