Ten Day Ultimatum

In his confusion, Qi Xia looked up and realized that the storyteller had become Officer Li.
"My name is Li Shangwu. I'm a criminal police officer from Inner Mongolia," he said calmly. "Before arriving here, I was conducting a stakeout on a swindler."

"But I messed up. When he finally showed up, we ended up fighting during an earthquake."
"I was knocked unconscious and woke up here."
What had once been a lengthy narrative was now condensed into just three sentences. Though everyone recounted similar stories, Officer Li’s behavior at that moment was notably unusual.

Fortunately, only Qi Xia remembered what had happened before.
"Criminal police officer?" Xiao Ran exclaimed. "You’re a cop, so why aren’t you trying to get us out of here?"
"Because I..." Officer Li hesitated. "To be honest, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ I don’t know how to lead everyone out. But if such an opportunity arises, I’ll certainly do my utmost."

"What kind of bull is that?" Xiao Ran asked, confused. "You're a cop—shouldn’t you investigate and find a solution? So when there’s a murder, you just say, {I’m not sure who the killer is} and call it a day?"
"That’s not the same..." Officer Li shook his head. "My options are extremely limited right now. All I can do is try to keep everyone alive..."
Xiao Ran grew increasingly agitated, pointing at Mortal Goat beside them. "Isn’t this the {murderer}? Just arrest him already!"

"Enough." Qi Xia could no longer watch the argument unfold. "All you’re doing is causing a racket—do you have any idea how annoying that is?"
Qiao Jiajin nodded in agreement. "Isn’t copper human too? None of us can move right now; our life and death is in that goat’s hands. What do you expect copper to do?"
"You two…!" Xiao Ran was about to snap back when she caught the coldness in Qi Xia’s eyes and the formidable muscles of Qiao Jiajin’s tattooed arms. It struck her that these two were far from harmless. A person with a gaze like that was nothing like a cop. She could yell at a police officer—he wouldn’t talk back—but these two were different.

"I... I was just caught up in fear," Xiao Ran muttered, lowering her head. "Sigh, maybe I’ve relied too much on the police."
"Harassing the good while avoiding the wicked—peculiar words and actions," Qi Xia scoffed. "Could it be you’re stirring conflict because you’re the {liar}?"
"How is that possible?!" Xiao Ran cried. "How can I be the {liar}? Don’t slander me!"

"Oh?" Qi Xia nodded. "If you’re not the {liar}, then what does your card say?"
"It’s..." The words nearly slipped out—but Xiao Ran suddenly froze. Mortal Goat hadn’t revealed what identities existed besides {liar}. He’d only said that {whoever draws the liar card must lie}. To clear her name, she’d have to publicly state her identity—but what could it even be?
{Truth-teller}?

{Commoner}?
{Participant}?
Or was it a blank card?
A chill ran through her. Fear crept up her spine. The young man before her was too clever—he had effortlessly cornered her with a single question.

She noticed others beginning to watch her, their expressions touched with suspicion. If they started believing she was the {liar}, the situation would spiral quickly.
According to the rules, there was {only one liar} among them, and each believed that role belonged solely to themselves. Yet here they were—facing the disturbing possibility of {multiple liars}.
"W—Why should I tell you?" Backed into a corner, Xiao Ran deflected. "What if you’re the {liar}, just fishing for information?"

Qi Xia nodded, contemplative. "Fair point. Then let’s make a wager."
"A wager…?"
"Yes. I’ll count down: {three, two, one}, and we both announce the words on our identity cards at the same time. The rest can judge who’s lying." Qi Xia was determined to settle the matter—he had no reason to let a source of chaos remain.

"Uh…" Xiao Ran hesitated, clearly caught off guard.
Inwardly, Qi Xia smirked. If this game truly had {only one liar}, Xiao Ran was doomed. None of the others knew what the 'non-liar' identity was. Once Qi Xia confidently declared it, the outcome would be sealed.
"Three."
"Two."

With an impassive expression, Qi Xia continued his countdown. But just as he was about to say {one}, Doctor Zhao interjected, trying to defuse the tension.
"Okay, okay. Xiōngdì, let’s not make things hard for the fairer sex..."
Qi Xia turned to look at him.

"Neither of you seems like the {liar}. If we’re going to vote, let’s wait until everyone’s finished telling their stories," Doctor Zhao suggested, offering a conciliatory smile.
Qi Xia couldn’t expose Xiao Ran as the {liar} just yet—the truth was still unclear. Besides, the upcoming {Bamboo Shoots After Rain} game required the cooperation of all nine participants. Xiao Ran’s elimination would be premature.
So he accepted the compromise. "Alright," Qi Xia said. "As long as that woman stops pointing fingers, I have no objections."

"I’m not pointing fingers..." Xiao Ran said, pouting slightly. "I’m just really scared."
"Don’t worry, I believe you," Doctor Zhao replied with a smile.
Following Officer Li’s story, Lin Qin shared hers—describing how she’d faced an earthquake on the twenty-sixth floor.

Finally, it was Qi Xia’s turn. He recounted his story in full. Yet, even as he spoke, he found himself reflecting on the strange nature of {time}. Although he knew everything that had happened before, telling the story a second time brought out notable differences—variations in grammar, phrasing, and narrative order.
In contrast, the others—except Officer Li—repeated their tales word for word, despite not knowing what had come before. Which raised the question: who was right, and who was wrong?
After Qi Xia finished, Mortal Goat announced a twenty-minute free discussion period. Qi Xia asked for another blank sheet of paper and meticulously rewrote the formula he had recorded previously—word for word.

What happened next felt almost inevitable.
Qi Xia steered the group into directing their suspicion at {Mortal Goat}, who, under their astonished gazes, once again shot himself.