TDU Chapter 12: Direction of Home

Chapter 12 Direction of Home

If the saying {the rules are absolute} still holds true, then what’s written on the mask must be the key to the solution. But how can it be deciphered? And when will the harpoons be launched?

{Time will not stop even for one quarter}... Could this be discerned as ‘a quarter after one’? 

Qi Xia turned to the desk clock. It was already five minutes past one. If a quarter after one was when the harpoons would be launched, then less than ten minutes remained.

{Circle in the direction of home a hundred times}...

The nine individuals present hailed from diverse hometowns, moreover, {a hundred times} was a considerable number. If they selected the wrong direction, they could easily squander these ten minutes. But besides themselves, was there anything else that could {circle} in this room?

Qi Xia's gaze settled on the desk clock in the center of the table. He leaned forward and reached out to gently touch the clock, only to discover that it was firmly affixed to the table and could not move at all. ‘The clock can't be moved, could it be the chairs?’ Qi Xia lowered his gaze to the chair beneath him. It was an old, ordinary chair that exuded a musty smell. It was placed casually on the ground, without any hidden mechanisms to be found.

In this case, all that remained was...

Qi Xia reached out and turned the table. Sure enough, there was a faint sound of chains coming from inside. Nevertheless, the table bore considerable weight, thwarting Qi Xia's attempt to rotate it more than a mere few centimeters, despite his strenuous exertion.

‘One hundred times…’

The magnitude of the task at hand surpassed the capabilities of just a couple of individuals; the collective effort of all nine present was imperative for any hope of success in turning the table and securing their survival.

Upon witnessing Qi Xia's actions, Lin Qin swiftly rallied everyone's focus. They gathered around the table and discovered that it could indeed rotate.

"You're truly amazing, swindler," Qiao Jiajin said with a nod. "If we turn this table a hundred times, maybe it'll reveal an invisible door."

Qi Xia stole a glance at the ticking clock once more. Despite the dwindling time, the task at hand appeared more manageable. When it came to rotating the round table a hundred times in the direction of {home}, there were only two conceivable options: left or right. Yet, the crux of the matter lay in the fact that each individual's hometown lay in a different cardinal direction. How, then, could they ascertain whether to pivot left or right?

"Qi Xia, do you know when the harpoons will be launched?" Lin Qin asked, still covering her mouth and nose.

"The notice stipulated that the time {will not stop even for one quarter}, hence the launch should occur at one-fifteen, Qi Xia lightly replied.

Qiao Jiajin's countenance shifted visibly at this revelation. "Isn't there less than ten minutes left then? Let's start spinning quickly."

Doctor Zhao moved the body lying on the table to a corner of the room and then slowly sat down. He extended his hand to test the weight of the table and remarked, "We're afforded only a single opportunity. If we must rotate this weighty table a hundred times, what would the consequences be if it was turned in the incorrect direction?"

"There's still a fifty percent chance of survival!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed anxiously. "If we don't move, we'll die regardless. If we start turning, there's still a fifty percent chance of survival, so hurry up!"

With resolute determination, he poured every ounce of his strength into initiating the rotation of the table to the left. Despite Qiao Jiajin's slender frame, his latent strength proved formidable as he single-handedly maneuvered the table halfway around its circumference. "Why are you all just standing there?!" Qiao Jiajin's frustration erupted into a heated exhortation. "Shit! Come on, lend me a hand!"

The remainder of the group acknowledged the validity of Qiao Jiajin's logic, leaving them with little choice but to lend their assistance.

Now faced with an uncertain outcome, they found themselves compelled to take a gamble.

However, amidst the uncertainty, Qi Xia remained motionless. His hesitation mirrored his lingering uncertainty regarding the correct direction to pursue. Left or right?

Why the word {home}?...

Considering we're all Chinese, perhaps the direction should be {eastward}...

Up represents North, down corresponds to South, left indicates West, and right denotes East, hence the answer would be {right}? However, what about those who reside in the West?

Perhaps the hometown of each individual present is intertwined with the narrative of the {Zuo Zhuan[1]} from the Spring and Autumn Period, suggesting that the answer lies to the {left}. 

Qi Xia's eyes narrowed slightly as he contemplated the situation. Initially considering using two corpses to shield himself, he quickly realized the consequences if everyone else perished and the possibility of another game…

‘Now is not the opportune moment to forsake them,’ Qi Xia mused silently to himself. With resolve, he extended his hand and retrieved a sheet of white paper from the revolving table. Grasping a pen, he rose from his seat and made his way to a vacant spot. Settling himself down, he commenced writing.

Despite their collective perplexity, the movements of their hands persisted, and the table had already undergone more than ten rotations.

"If he hadn't labeled himself as a {swindler}, I might have mistaken that lad for a mathematician," remarked Qiao Jiajin to Tian Tian.

Slightly dizzy from her recent spinning, Tian Tian could only muster a perfunctory nod in response.

This time, Qi Xia abstained from jotting down any vertical formulations, instead opting to sketch a rudimentary map of the country on the paper. ‘The direction of home...?’ His thoughts raced feverishly, and suddenly, a realization struck him.

‘Wait a moment…’ Qi Xia's eyes widened. ‘If the {organizer} possesses such a remarkable ability, capable of gathering individuals with shared experiences from numerous provinces, could the {province} itself also be a focal point?’ Qi Xia turned and regarded the group as they continued rotating the table. "Did any of you fabricate your {hometown} when narrating?" he inquired solemnly.

Everyone shook their heads. After all, one’s hometown can often be discerned through their accent and expressions, making it difficult to convincingly lie about.

"Excellent," Qi Xia nodded slightly. "Please take turns reiterating where each of your hometowns are situated."

Police Officer Li was the first to speak. "I am from Inner Mongolia."

Qi Xia reached out and marked a black dot in Inner Mongolia.

"Sichuan Province," Lawyer Zhang Chenze aloofly said.

"I'm in Shaanxi Province..." Tian Tian said.

"Dali City, Yunnan Province," added Kindergarten Teacher Xiao Ran.

"Guangdong Province," stated Qiao Jiajin.

"Ningxia (autonomous region)." Counseling Psychologist Lin Qin said.

"I work in Jiangsu." Doctor Zhao remarked.

Qi Xia marked everyone's hometowns on the map one by one, then added his own hometown, {Shandong}.

At this moment, everyone turned their attention to the writer, Han Yimo, who had yet to mention his hometown.

"Han Yimo, are you from Guangxi or Taiwan?" Qi Xia inquired.

Han Yimo, taken aback, asked, "How did you know?"

"Time is running short. Answer me quickly."

"I'm from Guangxi Province..."

Qi Xia nodded in acknowledgment. 

There were only two possibilities for Han Yimo's origin: Guangxi Province and Taiwan Province. If his answer had been anything other than one of those two, it would have exposed a significant lie. Fortunately, he told the truth.

Qi Xia marked the last province on the map, and there were nine black dots on the sketch. ‘As expected.’ Qi Xia muttered to himself before commanding the collective, "Stop! Start turning to the right."

"Right?"

Qi Xia swiftly dashed to the table, flung the white paper onto its surface, and initiated the rotation of the table in the opposite direction.

Despite their initial confusion, everyone followed his lead.

Doctor Zhao cast a glance at the map on the table, noting the nine black dots. 

"Why is it {right}?"