Chapter 9: The Unbearable Truth

Everyone looked visibly shocked after seeing those three words. "I drew the 'Liar' card," Ken said slowly, "but it doesn't matter whether it's revealed or not because it's totally insignificant." He picked up the card and casually tossed it onto the table's center. "If I'm not mistaken, each of you holds a 'Liar' card." No one moved after hearing this. After a moment, Jacob finally spoke up, "So... are you saying everyone lied just now?" "That's right." Ken nodded. "You're all smarter than I thought. Each of you added a little lie to your story, making it completely believable without messing up the plot." Jacob pondered for a while as if something had dawned on him. "If what you're saying is true..." He sighed deeply. "the problem gets even more complicated." Everyone turned their eyes to him, confused. He continued, "According to the rules, only if we all chose the Liar can we survive together, but doing so means the Liar loses. So we..." Zeus was the first to grasp his meaning, "You mean... we can vote however we like because everyone is lying, making it a 'sure-win game,' with only the voted person needing to die?" "Exactly." Jacob nodded. "The best strategy now is to concentrate all the votes on one person, keeping the loss to a minimum. After all, the rest can survive..." His words plunged the atmosphere into a stifling silence while Satyr remained motionless.  So, were they just voting for someone to die? Ken sighed helplessly and looked at Jacob. "Officer Lowe, is interrupting others your hobby? Does it give you a sense of accomplishment?" "What are you talking about?" Jacob replied, frowning. "Aren't I helping you devise a plan?" "I don't need your help," Ken retorted without hesitation, "Your idea is going to get everyone killed." "What?" Ken was taken aback. "Why would I get everyone killed? Didn't I say it correctly? If everyone's lying, then any vote can count, right?" "Officer Lowe, Satyr mentioned, 'the rules are absolute,' 'there is and can only be one Liar." Do you remember that?" "This..." Jacob paused, recalling that Satyr did indeed say those words. "Let me break it down for everyone," Ken said coldly, "In this game, it seems the Liar has a great chance of winning, as everyone feels they are about to win. But if we vote recklessly, we'll all end up dead." Sitting next to Ken, Jonah stroked his tattooed arm and murmured, "Because we broke the 'rules'..." "Yes." Ken nodded. "But the game's intrigue lies in how we can't determine if someone is lying, just as Ms. Chapman mentioned. We can only rely on contradictions in each other's experiences, yet we're not from the same area, so even if things seem contradictory, we can't be 100% sure the other is lying." He glanced at the pensive group and continued, "The 'organizer' specifically chose the nine of us to sit here, undoubtedly to have us find flaws in seemingly interconnected stories." "But is that truly correct? How can we be sure the other is lying?" Ken chuckled. "In this game, the only Liar we can be 100% sure of from the clues we have is this one person. What he said is totally different from our situation now." Ken picked up a pen and swiftly wrote Satyr on a piece of paper. "I was curious earlier why the Satyr introduced the name 'Satyr' at the start—it seemed redundant. Now I see it's part of the game." Everyone slowly turned their heads to look at Satyr, who remained motionless.  Jacob was momentarily stunned, then shook his head. "Liar, I have a question. Satyr's rule states 'among all storytellers, there is and can only be one Liar,' but he hasn't told a story." "Hasn't he?" Ken shrugged nonchalantly. "I distinctly remember Satyr saying he gathered us here to create a 'god.' Isn't that a crazy story?" Jacob lowered his head silently, finding that what Ken had said made sense, but he still felt something was off. "But..." Zeus spoke. "All your assumptions are based on the premise that 'everyone is a Liar.' Why are you so sure we're liars? What if we reveal the cards and only you are the 'Liar,' then what?" "You couldn't have told the truth." Ken chuckled bitterly, somewhat despairing, "I spent some time checking this out. Not only do I know you're all lying, but I also know where you lied." He pushed his notes forward and looked at Kourtney beside him. "Kourtney, you were 'working' in the car with your head out the window. Did the falling billboard actually hit the car and knock you out?" The woman pressed her lips together, saying nothing. "Sharon, did you really manage to dodge that speeding car with that child?" She remained silent. "Dr. Zimmerman, operating rooms are built more solidly than ordinary rooms for stability, yet you said the ceiling collapsed. Were you really just knocked out?" Zeus turned his head aside. "Finn, you said you had no clue what happened, but when you're focused on writing, isn't being disturbed the worst? Don't you know how you got here?" Finn sighed softly. "Ms. Chapman, your car crashed into a fissure. How deep was that fissure?" Cheryl crossed her arms, her face expressionless. "Officer Lowe, what brand of car do you drive? Could it instantly recline the seat, allowing you to escape the grip from behind?" Jacob touched the red marks on his neck, hesitating to speak. "Liora, your ceiling also collapsed, yet you said your office is on a high floor. If a high floor starts to collapse, wouldn't the entire building cease to exist?" Liora bowed her head deeply. Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Ken tapped the table and said, "Face it, all of us, me included, are already dead."