Chapter 7: Odds Of Winning

"You're lying, Officer Lowe." Jonah snapped coldly. "Hmph, I knew you'd say that, but what proof do you have that I'm lying? Just because someone attacked me?" "Of course not." Jonah gave a slight smile. "Although I don't know the reason, all the stories everyone told before have some connection. These stories share many common characters. If we set aside the geographical locations, the narratives make sense." "So?" "Here's the problem," Jonah said, pointing at Cheryl. "In both of your stories, there's a character known as 'the con artist who scammed twenty million,' but your stories contradict each other. This means one of you is lying." Jacob paused, then asked, "What's the contradiction?" Jonah shook his head, looking at Cheryl. "Ms. Chapman is preparing for a trial, which means in her story, 'the suspect has been caught,' yet you're still on stakeout, meaning in your story, 'the suspect is still at large.' Isn't that a contradiction?" Jacob thought momentarily before replying, "I must admit, you have a point, but I think this game has influenced you. First, you must understand that all the storytellers are from different cities. In other words, even if our experiences are similar, we couldn't possibly be talking about the same event. Since they're different events, naturally, there will be different outcomes." Ken watched the two argue without stepping in. Yeah, let them argue—the more intense, the better. The liar won as long as one of them voted against the other. After all, the rules were absolute: if anyone but the liar voted incorrectly, everyone else paid the price. Even though Jacob explained, Jonah's words stuck with everyone. This was the first time two people's stories had conflicting narratives.  Ken couldn't help but look at this rogue named Jonah with newfound respect. He seemed reckless but was brighter than expected. "Um... It's my turn..." a girl said softly. Everyone snapped back to attention, turning to her. This girl had screamed when the first person died. Now, she seemed calmer, though her eyes dared not wander to her surroundings. "Hello, everyone. My name is Liora Lane, and I'm a psychological counselor." Ken paused slightly, intrigued by the name "Liora." It was poetic and memorable. Maybe her parents wanted her to have a unique name, but it could really cost her here.  Among the group were writers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and police officers—any of whom might know the meaning of "Liora." If the name stuck with them, her story would leave an impression. Seeing no reaction from the group, Liora covered her mouth and nose and continued, "I'm from Lyton, and before I got here, I was waiting for a client who is a kindergarten teacher." The group glanced at Sharon, the kindergarten teacher, realizing another connection. "According to her, being a kindergarten teacher these days is tough. You can't hit or scold the kids. Parents treat teachers like babysitters, and children see them as servants. Every classroom has surveillance, and parents monitor it in real-time. Even a slightly stern tone results in a call to the principal." "But isn't sending kids to kindergarten about building their values?" "If teachers can't teach strictly, how will children learn from their mistakes?" "She felt trapped in a constant state of confusion and oppression." "So, I drafted a treatment plan for her. It's about a month long." "But for some reason, she never showed up, and I kept waiting in my office." "When the earthquake hit, I had no chance to escape. My office is on the twenty-sixth floor." "The higher up you are, the stronger the shaking feels. I felt the whole building shaking." "I never knew Lyton could have earthquakes. This was an eye-opener." "I vaguely remember the ceiling collapsing, everything went dark, and I lost consciousness." After hearing Liora's story, the group seemed to ponder something. Jonah was the first to speak, "I have two questions." "Go ahead," Liora replied, covering her mouth and nose. "You mentioned every classroom has 'surveillance." What do you mean?" Jonah's focus caught the group off guard, but Liora, being a psychologist, patiently explained, "I believe the 'surveillance' is for parents to see the classroom from anywhere." "So, 'CCTV'... a private kindergarten then..." Jonah muttered to himself before asking, "The teacher you mentioned, is she Sharon?" "I don't know." Liora shook her head. "We only connected via WhatsApp. We planned to discuss details in person." "WhatsApp?" Jonah was puzzled. Jacob interjected, "There you go again. They are in two different places. Who would travel such distances for a counselor?" Jonah remained defiant. "I just think there's something fishy. This is the first time someone's story mentions another Participant." Zeus agreed with Jonah's point, nodding as he asked, "Sharon, is your reason for seeing a counselor the same as Liora described?" "Um..." Sharon hesitated, "Not exactly... I was feeling depressed because a parent kept criticizing me." "That proves it's just a coincidence," Zeus concluded. "They're events from two different regions; we shouldn't force a connection." The group fell silent momentarily until Cheryl spoke up. "Ms. Lane, half your story was about the teacher. Isn't that against the rules?" "Huh?" Liora was taken aback. "I shared the teacher's story to help you understand my work better." "Don't get me wrong. I mean no offense." Cheryl smiled. "I'm saying if you made up the teacher's story, naturally, it would differ from Sharon's, proving you lied." "You...!" Liora was stunned by Cheryl's aggression, defending herself, "Dr. Zimmerman and Officer Lowe said it was just a coincidence!" "A coincidence, is it?" Cheryl crossed her arms. "Think carefully. Why were we nine gathered here? We're strangers. If we're to find flaws in each other's stories, there must be clues. The 'clue' is that all our stories are linked. Hearing each tale, I feel we've been deliberately selected. This way, we can spot the flaws and catch the liar. Otherwise, this game would be too absurd, giving the 'liar' too great an edge."