The clown grinned, leaning forward.
"The rules are simple! Each of you will face me in turn. Each side will say three sentences—two true, one false. The opponent's job is to guess which one is the lie! If it's a tie, you win, if I win both times, you lose."
He held up three fingers.
"Whoever guesses more correctly will be the winner! If you win, I will open the way for you to leave here. And if I win…"
He licked his lips.
"Then I'll let the monsters in immediately. Okay?"
Everyone looked at each other. No one knew if the clown would keep his promise or not, but this was the only chance they had.
"But I want to add a small punishment for the losers in each round," the clown said and snapped his fingers, immediately a strange machine appeared in front of everyone.
"You and I will put a finger here. If either side loses, the guillotine will activate and take away that person's finger. In addition, this machine can also detect lies. How about it?"
Everyone sucked in a cold breath when they heard that.
Kazin immediately shouted: "You clearly didn't say that from the beginning!"
The clown laughed loudly.
"Oh but this is my game so I can change it if I want, you guys just cling here to hope for a way to live, otherwise just go out there and let the monsters tear you apart, hahahahaaa"
There was bitter laughter but no one dared to say anything more.
"So… who goes first?" the clown asked.
Everyone remained silent.
Although everyone has to participate, no one wants to be the leader.
"Let me," Yaka said.
"Very good, have spirit!"
The two quickly sat down on the chair, they both placed one of their fingers into the machine. Yaka said nothing as he looked at Ruminas, who could see his body trembling slightly.
"I'll let you go first," said the clown.
Yaka thought for a moment and said: "I have a child, I am an alcoholic, I once assaulted a woman."
Everyone was surprised by his last words.
"Ahahaa, it's already interesting." The clown laughed until tears came to his eyes, then his face became serious again. "The second sentence is a lie."
Yaka's face showed surprise but the machine confirmed it and the guillotine immediately came down and took one of his fingers.
"Aa…" A scream rang out, accompanied by blood flowing out.
But people were not surprised because the clown guessed correctly, but because of the truth that Yaka had once assaulted a woman.
Ruminas just let out a small sigh.
"So it's my turn?" The clown said and then seemed to think for a long time.
Finally he said: "I like to enjoy myself, I have never killed anyone, I am only one year old."
Yaka was silent.
"There is not much time," the clown said again.
Meanwhile, the others were also thinking about the answer. For Ruminas, she thought the first or third sentence would be a lie. As for the second sentence, according to her observation, killing people had no meaning to him. He wouldn't kill anyone directly, but would only kill the opponent through the game.
"Not killing directly is not killing," Ruminas reasoned.
"The second sentence is a lie," Yaka concluded.
The machine flashed an X to indicate that his previous answer was incorrect and the guillotine came down to take his next finger.
"As expected…" Ruminas thought.
"Hahaha, first round is over, I win, who's next?" The clown said.
The clown leaned back in his chair, giggling as blood from Yaka's hand continued to drip onto the floor. The smell of fresh blood made the air in the room even more stifling.
"So… who's next?" He tilted his head and asked, his eyes scanning each person like a predator choosing its next prey.
Kazin clenched his fists, his eyes sharp with hatred. "I"
He sat down on the chair, without saying another word, and placed his finger firmly on the guillotine's neck.
The clown clapped his hands excitedly. "Good! A strong one but hopefully not too stupid. Come here, let's have some fun~"
The guillotine made a cold "click" as both of them placed their hands on it.
"You go first," Kazin said coldly.
The clown smirked. "Fine~ I had a best friend once. I died once. I never cried."
The air was suffocating. Everyone understood that every word he said contained an unpredictable mystery.
"The first or third sentence would be a lie," Ruminas silently speculated. For a clown, the concept of friends was very vague. He might have many friends, but the so-called "close friend" was uncertain. As for the third, this clown was an emotional person, so it was normal for him to cry.
Kazin took a deep breath, his eyes boring into the clown's every expression. "The first sentence is a lie."
The clown raised his eyebrows, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Then he laughed, clapping his hands slowly. "Oh? Why do you think so?"
Kazin curled his lips: "A guy like you will never have something called a 'best friend'."
The clown paused for a second, but then burst out laughing. The machine let out a "ting" sound, confirming Kazin's guess.
"Amazing! First time someone guessed correctly!" He leaned forward, smiling wickedly.
"Your turn"
Kazin closed his eyes for a second, then opened them, his voice steady: "I have betrayed my comrades. I have a younger brother. I have never been afraid of anything."
The clown was silent for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "The third sentence is a lie."
The machine made a sound of confirmation. Kazin flinched, but immediately, the guillotine came down.
"Damn it—!"
Blood splattered everywhere. One of Kazin's fingers fell to the floor, rolling on the cold ground. He clenched his teeth, not letting out any screams, but cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Too predictable," Ruminas thought.
The clown laughed loudly, his voice filled with pleasure. "You are strong, but even the strong have their fears, don't they?"
Kazin did not reply. He only clenched his free hand, his eyes flashing with deep hatred.
"Round two is over! It's a tie so you win! Next up~"
The atmosphere became heavier and heavier. The remaining people began to realize—this game was not as simple as they thought.
"So… who will be the next prey?" The clown licked his lips, his eyes flashing with extreme excitement.
Akira was the next to volunteer.
"Oh, youthful spirit? Not bad."
The two quickly started the game, Akira taking the initiative to go first.
"I have someone I want to kill. I lied to someone recently. I can pay anything to get revenge."
"Oh, a young man with a grudge? Hmm~ The first sentence is a lie"
Bam!
One of Akira's fingers was taken away.
"What does that mean?" Ruminas whispered.
"The part about him wanting to kill someone was a lie? And if the other two were true too…" Ruminas now realized that she had most likely been tricked, but she also wondered why Akira was bringing this up now.
"Either he colluded with Kazin, or he has another agenda. But no matter what, he was dishonest, so this deal is off," Ruminas silently decided.
"Come to me"
"I like children. I used to perform in the circus. I hate liars."
"The second one is a lie," Akira decided without thinking, but unfortunately—
Bam!
The guillotine came down on his finger again.
"Third round, I win, hahahaa"
"Of the three sentences just now, the third sentence is likely to be a lie. As a clown, the first two are completely reasonable, but based on the weaknesses I saw from the assessment, the third sentence is also likely to be true. So are all three sentences true?"
Something just dawned on Ruminas.
"Did this guy exploit a loophole in the game's rules?" Ruminas speculated, but since she had no evidence yet, she needed to observe further.
"Fourth turn, who?!" The clown shouted.
"Let me," said the Hama girl.
"Oh, a rose? I like it very much, but that stench is out of the question." The clown gave a sinister smile that made Hama shiver slightly.
"I'll go first," said Hama.
"Invite"
Hama took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. She placed her fingers on the neck of the guillotine, feeling the cold metal against her skin. The clown in front of her still had a smirk on his face, his eyes shining with glee.
"I have a sister. I have killed people. I believe there is still justice in this world."
A silence fell over the room.
Kazin squinted at Hama, seemingly surprised by what she said. But what concerned everyone more was the clown's reaction—he didn't laugh immediately like he usually did.
He tilted his head, staring at Hama for a few seconds, as if pondering something. Then suddenly, he smirked and clapped his hands.
"Interesting! But guess what…" He raised a finger to his forehead, then tapped it. "The third sentence is a lie."
Ding!
The machine makes a confirmation sound.
"Let me see, you really don't believe in justice?" The clown laughed loudly. "Have you ever been betrayed? Or have you seen too much injustice to believe in so-called 'justice'?"
Hama pursed her lips, but said nothing.
The clown shrugged. "Well, I guessed right, so now it's my turn, right?"
He shook his neck once, then began.
"I was once saved by someone. I have never lost any game. I never change the rules halfway through the game."
Hama thought for a long time, but then she bit her lip and spoke.
"The third sentence is a lie."
The clown smiled. A sinister smile.
Ding!
The bell that confirms the wrong answer rings.
Bam!
The guillotine immediately came down, taking away Hama's finger.
She screamed in pain, blood dripping onto the floor.
The clown laughed loudly, wiping his mouth with his hand, looking delighted. "Hahaha! I won again! This is amazing!"
Hama gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with anger.
The clown tilted his head to look at her, the smile on his lips growing wider. "You think I don't change the rules midway? But what did I say from the beginning? This is my game. And in my game…"
He chuckled. "…I always have the right to do whatever I want."
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
Ruminas clenched her fists.
"He is slowly taking control of this game completely."
"Great! Round four is over! What next?!"
No one spoke up immediately. The rest understood—this was not just a simple game.
The clown was still smiling, but his eyes were no longer filled with pure joy. There was something… dangerous in them.
"So who will be the next prey?"
The game wasn't over yet but everyone was slowly realizing that this clown didn't want them to win so the next few moves would be nothing but despair.