Chapter 8: Revelation

Those words were like a wake-up call to everyone—and to Ken as well.  Indeed, the odds of the "liar" winning were overwhelming.  Ken furrowed his brow—why were his odds of winning so high? Lying to strangers who neither knew nor understood him made it easy for any lie to slip unnoticed. Could using a fake name indeed seal the fate of eight people? Or was it that the person who drew the "liar" card was simply destined to win, making this an unfair game from the start? "No, that's not right..." Ken mused internally. "If survival depended on drawing a card, why not just label them 'life' and 'death' directly? It would achieve the same purpose without this nearly hour-long game. What, then, is the point?" A deep sense of unease grew within him. Ken replayed every word Satyr had spoken in his mind.  Could it be...? "Hey, it's your turn," Jonah said, patting Ken on the shoulder. He snapped back to reality, realizing everyone was staring at him with peculiar expressions.  There was no time to ponder further; hesitation would only make him appear more suspicious. He took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and focused.  The phrase "My name is Liam Lynch, and I'm from Belton" echoed in his mind. But now was definitely not the time for that answer. To solve this game, he had to take a gamble. Ken opened his eyes and spoke to the group. "Folks, my name is Ken Quinn. I'm from Belton, and I'm a professional con artist." "A con artist?" The moment Ken uttered the first sentence, gasps filled the room. The "con artist" role had appeared in many of their stories, subtly tying them together.  The irony was palpable—they had to determine whether a "con artist" was telling the truth. "Before I came here, I was figuring out how to launder my twenty million." "It took quite an effort, but I finally managed to secure 15 million. It was the most cost-effective way I could think of." "But on my way back with the money, an earthquake struck. As I reached my doorstep, I saw my house shaking violently." "Logically, you should never enter a building during an earthquake due to the risk of collapse. But I was worried about the people inside, so I rushed in." "Sure enough, as soon as I entered, the porch collapsed. I was trapped and lost consciousness." Ken recounted the story calmly and concisely while the group watched him suspiciously. He knew he was taking a considerable risk, but it was the only way to test his theory. If Satyr spoke now, his suspicions would be confirmed. Just as he expected, Satyr stepped forward and spoke to the group. "Well done, everyone has finished their stories. Now, there will be twenty minutes of free discussion. After twenty minutes, each person must write a name on the paper before them." "Just as I thought!" Ken's eyes lit up. "There really is a twenty-minute window!" Everything made sense now. The group started panicking, knowing they had only twenty minutes left to decide their fate. Jacob and Jonah were keen to vote against each other, likely due to their professional rivalry.  Zeus began questioning Finn, whose story seemed unrelated to everyone else's. Meanwhile, Cheryl and Sharon appeared skeptical of Ken, while Liora, Finn, and Kourtney remained undecided. On the surface, it looked like the "liar" would win because the votes weren't unanimous. The rules were clear: all eight could survive if everyone identified the liar. Ken kept out of the discussion, closing his eyes instead. Countless clues whirled in his mind.  Satyr had said, "Among the storytellers, there is and only ever will be one liar." He had also said, "The rules are absolute." And, "You have been asleep for twelve hours." Ken opened his eyes, realizing he was just one piece of information away from solving the "puzzle." But where was that information? Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. The intersecting lines on the walls and floor brought clarity. He glanced at the clock on the table—it was almost 1 o'clock. "So that's it..." Ken's eyes widened. "Close call. I'm a con artist, yet I almost got fooled by you all." The group noticed his change in demeanor, but given his reticence from the start, they had no idea what he was thinking. "Hey, can I get another sheet of paper?" Ken asked Satyr. Satyr hesitated, clearly taken aback, and asked, "You... need another sheet?" "Yes." Ken nodded. "I need a scratch paper." After a prolonged silence, Satyr produced another sheet from his suit pocket and handed it to him. Without hesitation, Ken took the paper and began calculating. He counted the large squares on the walls—nine in total, while the floor and ceiling had sixteen each. "If I'm not mistaken..." He quickly jotted down notes, "Each square is a square meter, which means we're in a room three meters high and six meters wide and long..." "Six by six by three... 108 cubic meters." His hand trembled slightly. "Not enough... It's not enough at all..." The group watched Ken in confusion. This was supposed to be about identifying the liar, yet he was doing math here. He listed several calculations, finally arriving at "54.6" and "49.14."  Upon seeing these figures, Ken's face turned ashen as if grappling with a terrifying realization. If he was right, the situation was really dire. His eyes darted, his thoughts soaring beyond the clouds.  The group's arguments gradually subsided. This man, refusing to engage in discussion, was calculating something instead. Had he really figured out the "answer" to the riddle? After a long silence, he finally looked up at the group. His gaze was filled with fear, hesitation, doubt, and confusion. "Folks," Ken cleared his throat and whispered, "I hadn't intended to save you, but if you choose incorrectly, I'll die too. I absolutely cannot die here—someone is waiting for me outside. So, I must find a way out. All I can do is tell you the answer and hope you'll pay attention." "Hey, what do you mean by 'answer'?" Jonah, closest to Ken, asked in surprise. "Do you know who's lying?" Ken didn't respond. Instead, he reached for his "identity card" and slowly revealed it to the group. "This is the identity I drew." Everyone stared at the card, where the word "Liar" was unmistakably printed.