TDU Chapter 3: A Skilled Person

Chapter 3 A Skilled Person

‘{Liar}……’ Qi Xia repeated the word in his mind several times. After confirming his identity, he placed the card face down, back on the table, remaining calm and collected.

Just a minute ago, he had entertained the fantasy of {everyone leaving alive}. However such a matter was no longer feasible. Although he did not know the eight people in front of him, they’ll be the ones who have to die.

"If you all have no objections, then please keep in mind that {there is only one liar in this game}..." The goat-headed figure pointed at the sexy girl on Qi Xia's left, "Then starting clockwise, beginning with you."

"Huh? Me?" The girl was momentarily taken aback, then pouted in response.

Qi Xia turned around and assessed that going clockwise starting with the girl on his left would not be very beneficial to him.

Because this will mean he will be the last narrator.

In highly tense and oppressive situations, people typically remember only the first and last narrators. But questioning this arrangement would raise suspicions. Qi Xia realized he could only proceed cautiously, one step at a time.

In the midst of his thoughts, Qi Xia saw the sexy girl frown, her big eyes darting around before she relented with a sigh "Fine... I'll go first. But I've never been a great storyteller since I was young, so don't blame me if I don't do a good job..."

At this moment, no one knew how to respond, so they all just listened quietly.

The sexy girl extended her slender fingers, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear before beginning, "I’m Tian Tian(甜甜), and I’m a... uh... {skilled worker}. We make money through our own abilities, so I don't see any reason to be ashamed."

It was only then that everyone took note of Tian Tian's scantily clad attire—a dusty minidress with a plunging neckline, leaving little to the imagination, yet it looked as if she didn't care about it.

"Most of what happened is really not appropriate for me to tell you guys... Either way, you can just say I’m in {action}, but I can’t really give a {description} of my job even if you ask. After all, who would do what I do if they were a bit cultured..."

"Either way, I was in the middle of work before I came here. But that customer was really weird... Our place obviously provided a service site, but he insisted on going to his car, saying that it would be more exciting... So for the sake of the money, I had no choice but to go with him..."

"This was the first time for me to be working in a car. I didn't think such a high-end looking car would turn out to be so narrow inside. It didn't take long for me to be covered in sweat. I really don’t get what’s so {exciting} about that shabby space. During this period, the customer’s cell phone kept ringing but he refused to answer the phone. I was really annoyed..."

Tian Tian appeared on the verge of launching into a tirade against a customer, but her gaze inadvertently landed on the lifeless body sprawled on the table. She recoiled in fright, but after taking a deep breath, she composed herself and pressed on.

"Sigh, nevermind, there’s nothing I can do since this is the industry I chose to work in. But I didn't expect that an {earthquake} would suddenly occur. At first, I thought our movements were too big, causing the car to shake violently. Who knew it was actually a real earthquake?"

At the mention of the word {earthquake}, a subtle shift rippled across everyone's expressions, as if stirring up a certain memory.

"Our car was parked in an alley... There was a big billboard right above it... At that time, my head was outside of the car, so I just happened to see it." Tian Tian pointed at the top of her head, her voice trembling as she said, "I don't know how, but that huge billboard broke off after a {clang} sound and fell directly onto the car. Then, I lost consciousness..."

She breathed another long sigh and said, "When I woke up, I found myself here. Scared me to death..."

Tian Tian's aggrieved expression, seemingly rehearsed, possessed a captivating allure that could stir desire in any man.

The sleeve-tattooed man blanked momentarily before speaking up, "Everyone, is there a need to continue?"

The man in the white coat appeared taken aback, directing his gaze toward the sleeve-tattooed man. "What do you mean?"

“This {young lady} has already lied, we just all need to vote on her." The sleeve-tattooed man declared with solemnity.

"You...! What do you mean?!" Tian Tian was shocked, "Where did I lie?"

The sleeve-tattooed man glanced at Tian Tian with a grave and stern look and said, "Your name. You claimed it's {Tian Tian}, but all accompanying hostesses[1] use an alias, such as {Tian Tian}, {Xiao Fang}, or {Li Li}. They are all common aliases, so by hiding your birth name, you're lying."

Tian Tian's face stifled red from his words. "You...what nonsense are you talking about? I really am called Tian Tian! I haven't used my birth name for many years!" After she finished speaking, she looked around everyone and added, "People can only find me if they call for {Tian Tian} at the place I work at, no one knows me by my birth name!"

A moment of silence followed, with everyone lost in thought while Qi Xia's complexion turned somewhat solemn. Qi Xia couldn't detect any falsehood in Tian Tian's words just now. Her delivery was steady, her tone relaxed. This conversational style, akin to chatting casually with friends, suggested one of two possibilities. Either she had concocted and rehearsed the story long ago, or she was telling the truth.

But now, the sleeve-tattooed man provided Qi Xia with another idea.

{Pseudonyms}.

Using a pseudonym would circumvent the need for aligning logic and reason, making it challenging for ordinary individuals to detect inconsistencies in speech or narrative.

After all, none of them had met before, and their identities could only be gleaned from each other's stories.

Qi Xia carefully recalled the goat-headed figure's instructions— he had stated, {among all the storytellers, one person will not be telling the truth}. This rule didn't stipulate that the Liar had to fabricate a {false story}, implying they could simply employ a {false name}.

Upon seeing the suspicion directed towards her, Tian Tian's eyes widened, and she appeared visibly nervous. "If—If you all still don’t believe me, my real name is Zhang Lijuan(张丽娟)... I'm from Shaanxi Province[2]... You can try calling me by my birth name. I won’t respond to it; I only answer to the name {Tian Tian}... I— I—..."

Upon hearing this, Qi Xia inwardly shook his head.

This woman wasn't as clever as he had presumed.

It was implausible for her to concoct this lie beforehand, let alone devise the {pseudonym} tactic at the last minute.

The goat-headed figure stated that {there is only one liar in this game}, and that person could only be Qi Xia himself. If no one else recognized the gravity of the {Tian Tian} issue, then he had discovered a foolproof method for victory.

If he were to fabricate a pseudonym, {Qi} wouldn't be an ideal choice for a surname. While it wasn't exceptionally rare, it wasn't overly common either. It's best to avoid using surnames that are easily memorable.

In essence, throughout his narrative, every detail provided must draw as little attention as possible.

So he resolved to use the name {Li Ming(李明)}.

By doing so, he could proceed with the rest of the story in a natural manner, ensuring that even the most astute observer wouldn't detect any flaws.

The game would soon see its end.