The Liar

"Which of you is the con artist? I can refrain from attacking you in the first round. Let's work together to complete the mission first."

"Friends, the con artist's hidden hints must be shared. With our current information, there's no way we can clear this dungeon."

"Especially since, because of the con artist, a God Slayer has infiltrated our team."

"The God Slayer's appearance will increase the dungeon's difficulty. Without the con artist's hidden hints, we definitely won't be able to clear it..."

Just then, the security officer, whose expression kept shifting, took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.

One person responded, and the noblewoman immediately stepped forward with a ferocious expression to echo him;

"Why lie? The con artist should step forward willingly!"

"Because of you, we're facing an even graver danger. Don't you bear any responsibility?"

"Tell us the hidden hints. We'll clear the dungeon together!"

The others chimed in one after another.

Qin Shang had hesitated the instant those words were spoken.

Should I tell them?

At present, he still had two major questions.

The first concerned the relationship between the con artist and the other players.

Why was the con artist a public enemy?

The second concerned the relationship between the God Slayer and the con artist.

Why did the God Slayer only appear in game dungeons containing a con artist among the players?

It was obvious that only the security officer could answer these two questions.

However, when he noticed the flash of coldness in the security officer's eyes and the left hand silently slipping into his pocket, Qin Shang's heart tightened, and he completely abandoned the idea.

The security officer is testing me!

He wanted to exploit the crowd's herd mentality and force the con artist to reveal himself!

What was hidden in the pocket on the left side of his trousers?

Qin Shang had no doubt that if he revealed his identity now, the security officer would immediately turn on him and kill him.

Yes. In an environment filled with unknown dangers, protecting oneself was the first priority.

He barely knew these people and had no obligation to share the hidden conditions.

Besides, he truly hadn't received any hidden clues.

Qin Shang suppressed his thoughts and continued pretending not to hear.

The expression on the security officer's face gradually changed from impatience to anxiety.

He looked around. He couldn't detect anything unusual in anyone's expression, so he finally took a helpless deep breath;

"All right, we can only leave it at that for now. Let's begin the dungeon mission first!"

Death Train, activate

At the same time, a cold notification tone flashed through everyone's minds.

The ground shook for a moment, and the scenery outside the windows began to change.

The wheels continuously scraped against the tracks, producing a grating sound. Riding a steam train was a first in Qin Shang's life.

As the train started, the lights throughout the carriage suddenly dimmed considerably.

The already pitch-black surroundings now plunged completely into darkness.

In the gloom, Qin Shang could only make out everyone's blurred outlines.

Ding! The train has started. Hidden clue triggered.

Here it comes!

Just as the security officer had said, the con artist really seemed to have hidden clues inside the dungeon.

Qin Shang remained composed.

There were several priests in the carriage who could see in the dark. He couldn't appear too happy.

Con artist class-exclusive hint: During the self-introduction segment, someone among the six players lied about their class. Their game ID is 'Green Grass by the River'

Qin Shang's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected the con artist's exclusive hint to be this kind.

How did the hint know that we had just been honestly reporting our classes to one another?

Qin Shang pondered briefly.

Could it be that the con artist's exclusive class hint isn't fixed, but is instead generated according to the circumstances in the dungeon?

No wonder it was hailed as the class most adept at clearing Divine Path dungeons.

Compared with the highly limited class skills of the other players, the con artist's exclusive hint was exceptionally flexible.

It was practically heaven-defying!

However, after seeing the exclusive hint, Qin Shang's heart sank again.

He had never expected that, besides himself, another player had also lied.

That person... wasn't the God Slayer.

The hint said that someone among the six players had lied about their class during the self-introduction. What was the purpose of that lie?

Aside from the teacher and priest, whose classes were relatively easy to identify, there was no way to determine what abilities the martial artist and doctor actually possessed.

Furthermore, the security officer currently had the most authority in the group. If I questioned everyone, it would seem like I was overstepping my bounds.

Perhaps they would once again doubt my class, or suspect that I was the God Slayer.

When that happened, the God Slayer would definitely fan the flames and pin the blame on me.

As an NPC, he had no psychological burden about killing players.

He didn't care whether the first person killed was the con artist.

For the God Slayer, the easiest solution was to make us all perish. That way, no matter who the con artist was, his mission would count as complete...

"Wait!"

"If I were the God Slayer, and wanted everyone to perish, I would definitely find a way to manipulate the situation, make everyone panic, and even prevent us from uniting, disrupting the team's cohesion."

"Only by plunging the entire team into internal conflict and mutual suspicion would the God Slayer have the best chance of winning."

This wasn't a computer game, and game IDs weren't displayed. There was a traitor named 'Green Grass by the River'; the simplest solution was to ask.

Although Qin Shang didn't have much hope, he still called out to the security officer not far away;

"We still don't know one another's names. Can we share our game IDs?"

"That will make giving orders easier later. After all, two people in the team have the same class. We can't shout 'Priest' later and have all three of them come running!"

His expression remained calm.

The security officer pondered for a moment after hearing this, then nodded in agreement;

"My Divine Path ID is 'Eagle of Justice.'"

That ID really suits you, given your profession in real life.

After the security officer agreed with Qin Shang's suggestion, the others also reported their IDs in turn.

"Buddha Saves the Predestined."

"Don't Touch Me, I'll Turn Green."

"So Handsome They'll Chop Me."

"Heart-to-Heart Sister."

Only Qin Shang and the little girl in the pink dress, who had barely spoken at all, remained.

Everyone else had introduced themselves. 'Buddha Saves the Predestined' was the middle-aged priest.

When he heard that ID, Qin Shang looked at him strangely.

Buddha Saves the Predestined? Could he actually believe in Buddhism?

If his game class became a priest, wouldn't that make him a Christian instead?

Tsk.

The Buddha will forgive him...

A wicked thought surfaced in Qin Shang's mind.

'Don't Touch Me, I'll Turn Green' was the beautiful woman, while 'So Handsome They'll Chop Me' was the punk.

'Heart-to-Heart Sister,' on the other hand, was particularly strange. It belonged to the man who claimed to be a doctor.

A handsome man in his early twenties calling himself 'Heart-to-Heart Sister'...

Qin Shang got goosebumps all over. This time, he didn't dwell on the man's peculiar taste and instead looked toward the pink-dressed girl.

She seemed somewhat embarrassed to introduce herself.

Actually, Qin Shang felt the same embarrassment.

That was because he hadn't chosen his own game ID.

The system panel had come with it already attached when he entered.

He estimated that his wife, Jiang Qiqi, was probably responsible...

The ID was exactly the same as his wife's Taobao ID.

The punk, 'So Handsome They'll Chop Me,' saw that neither of them was speaking and immediately looked over;

"Why aren't you two telling us your IDs? Is it because NPCs don't have game IDs?"

The corner of Qin Shang's mouth twitched.

What an idiot. Even if I didn't have a game ID, couldn't I just make one up?

If only you were the God Slayer. If there's a vote later, I definitely won't kill you!

The next moment, the girl in the pink dress mumbled;

"Little Loli seduces Zhuangzhuang's mom in a maid outfit. My Divine Path ID was randomly assigned."

"When I entered the dungeon, my hands and feet felt numb, as if I were being controlled. I couldn't move. When I opened my eyes again, I was already here. Saying I wasn't afraid would be a lie. I was so nervous then that I was practically dying. Where would I have had time to think about an ID?"

"The electronic notification kept urging me, so I just..."

Huh!

That explanation was fairly reasonable.

Qin Shang took a deep breath. Before anyone could ask him anything, he said indifferently;

"Fiercely Licking Cockroach Jade Feet."

As soon as those words came out, the entire carriage fell silent.

Countless people looked back and forth between the little girl and Qin Shang with strange expressions, especially the security officer, 'Eagle of Justice.'

His expression was the strangest of all.

Qin Shang braced himself under everyone's gazes. He was actually used to it by now.

Every time he had helped his wife collect a package in the past, the staff would repeatedly ask, "Are you Cockroach Jade Feet?" "Aren't you Cockroach Jade Feet?" "Are you Jade Feet?"

In full view of everyone, the sorting-center worker had shouted those questions at him while he picked up packages at the residential compound's entrance.

Qin Shang had been so embarrassed that his toes could have dug a three-bedroom apartment into the ground.

But everyone's minds clearly weren't focused on the IDs. After becoming familiar with one another's nicknames, they followed the security officer and the middle-aged priest toward the carriage ahead.

Qin Shang stared at their backs, his heart gradually sinking to the bottom.

Sure enough, 'Green Grass by the River' wasn't among the seven people.

That person who had lied during the class introductions...

Had lied once again.