Chapter 4: Disaster

At that moment, the tattooed guy raised his hand and looked at Satyr. "Hey, judge, how do we handle people with aliases? Does that count as lying?" Satyr neither nodded nor shook his head; he simply said calmly, "I won't be involved in the process anymore. You just need to write down the names according to your thoughts. Just remember the rules are absolute. In the end, I'll personally punish the loser." The word "punish" echoed with authority, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. "See, this means I didn't lie!" Kourtney shouted anxiously, "If I were lying, I'd be dead now, right? Even if it's an alias, my alias is really 'Kourtney'!" No one responded; it was a critical life-and-death moment, and no suspicion could be overlooked. "Then, it's my turn," the tattooed guy said reluctantly, curling his lips. "If her story isn't considered a lie, mine shouldn't be either." "I'm Jonah Waylon, and I live in Gaston without any particular occupation. Before coming here, I was collecting debts." He had a poor command of language, so everyone had to listen carefully. "People these days are really something. They agree to everything when borrowing money, but they start crying when it's time to repay." "Damn, they call us debt collectors devils, as cold-blooded." "But those fools should see it from another angle. When they were most helpless and needed money, I lent a hand. When no institution would lend them money, I did. To them, I wasn't the devil but a savior." "And how did he treat me, his savior?" "He cried everywhere about how hard it was, claiming he was swindled out of two million. He even criticized us for being cold-blooded debt collectors, trying to resolve his plight with neighbors' sympathy. But when he borrowed the money, we signed a contract, and all the interest was clearly explained to him. Now he can't pay back, and that's our fault?" "Last night, I was gonna teach him a lesson. I took him to a high rooftop, but unexpectedly, an earthquake hit. I didn't mean to kill him, but that fool pulled out a knife in the chaos, trying to kill me!" "In the ensuing chaos, he pushed me off the rooftop, and I hit a billboard. What happened after that... I can't remember." After hearing the man's story, everyone frowned. Kourtney seemed to realize something, and with a mocking smile, she said, "See! I knew why you were throwing dirt on me! Turns out you're the liar!" "What? Why do you say I'm lying?" Jonah retorted. "I'm from Jaston, and you're in Gaston," Kourtney pointed at him. "Your story is just a rip-off of mine! I had an earthquake, and so did you. I hit a billboard, and so did you! If that's not lying, then what is?" "I don't care where you are; I experienced an earthquake." Jonah glared. "If I hid that, it would be lying! As for the billboard, there can't be only one in the whole world, right?" "In any case, you're lying!" Kourtney accused, pointing at Jonah. "Your profession is something only bad people do, so it's unsurprising you'd lie!" "Hah, and your job is any better?" Ken observed the heated argument and felt something was indeed off. It wasn't about who was lying; it was because he, too, had experienced an earthquake. He wasn't in Jaston or Gaston; he was in Belton. Could an earthquake really be this widespread? The earthquake spanned half the country, affecting three places. If what they said was true, wouldn't that be an unprecedented disaster? "Stop arguing. Let's end this quickly," the muscular man sitting opposite them interrupted, then glanced at the next woman. "Your turn. If we are to judge who is lying, let's hear everyone out first." At his words, the two fell silent with a cold snort. The woman beside Jonah nodded timidly and began, "Um... I'm Sharon Young, a kindergarten teacher." Sharon seemed quite frightened, her voice small and trembling. "Before coming here, I was waiting with a child for his parents. The child's mother used to pick him up, but I heard she fell seriously ill and needed brain surgery, so his father took over, though he often forgot to come..." "It was already past six in the evening, and I had long finished my shift. But the child's father never answered the phone for some reason." "I didn't know the child's home address, so I could only wait with him at the corner." "I actually had something planned that evening... I had an appointment with a psychologist. I didn't quite like my current job, and I hoped the psychologist could help me." "But I waited for hours, and the evening appointment fell through." "Just as I was distracted, the ground suddenly started shaking. I was terrified... It took me several seconds to realize it was an earthquake." "The sensation wasn't what I'd heard about. The ground didn't bounce; it swayed side to side. It felt like standing on a table that someone was constantly shaking." "I instinctively hugged the child but didn't know what to do. I saw the three pagodas of the Saintess Church in the distance cracking. Luckily, we were standing in an open area." "Then, I saw a car lose control and speed towards us. I could only stagger away with the child in my arms, but the shaking ground made me fall with every step." "In the end, I hit my head when I fell... then I passed out, and when I woke up, I was already here." This was a story without much highlight. What puzzled Ken was the mention of the "Saintess Church." After all, it was located in Belville. Ken lightly touched the card on the table, covering the words "Liar" with his fingers, but he knew that was what it read. Could there be multiple liars? If the rules were absolute, Satyr's earlier statement that "there is only one liar" must be absolute. Since he had drawn the "Liar" card, it proved that no one else could be the liar; there could only be one. They were all telling the truth. Yet, the stories spanning three places seemed to connect subtly. It wasn't just the earthquakes; even their narratives intertwined. Wasn't that too strange? At that moment, everyone's attention shifted to the next person, the middle-aged man in the white coat.