Chapter 228: Socrates Paradox

After Li Manman entered the maze, she never came out. At the very least, her figure never appeared on the security monitors again. "She was lying." I hadn't followed Li Manman out; instead, I had stayed behind, watching as she ventured into the depths of the maze.

The Magic Mirror Maze was like a man-eating monster. If I got lost inside without a map, I would likely encounter unexpected danger.

I stood in the room, mentally analyzing my encounters from this timeframe. I felt like anyone could be the killer. 'Xiaobei, Li Manman... One of these two is definitely lying. If I find the liar, I should be able to follow the vine to touch the melon and catch the killer.'

"Streamer, your logic is restricted. The liars might not be just one person, but three!"

I looked down at the Underworld Live Show Phone's screen. A livestream viewer with the ID Socrates Paradox had posted a particularly interesting comment in the chat.

"Three? I only see two people here. Where would a third come from?" At first, I didn't pay it much mind, thinking they were just spouting nonsense. But their next sentence caught my attention.

Socrates Paradox: "You overlooked your own girlfriend. I can't blame you; those involved are blind. Think carefully about the first time you watched the security footage. Your girlfriend was wandering around the maze exit, but her face didn't show any sign of anxiety. Let me ask you: if you got separated from a loved one, would you maintain a cold and indifferent expression?"

"That makes some sense. Go on," I said. Looking at this livestream viewer's comment, I instantly thought of many things.

Socrates Paradox: "The second strange point is that Li Manman had never met your girlfriend before, yet she ran over to the Haunted House with absolute certainty to call you and Xiaobei out, claiming she had found her. Do you remember that phone call in the Haunted House? Li Manman's tone didn't carry any hesitation or doubt, as if she already knew your girlfriend!"

"Based on these deductions, I suspect your girlfriend and Li Manman knew each other beforehand. This is a premeditated scheme!"

Having it pointed out like that left a bitter taste in my mouth. I trusted Tie Ningxiang one hundred percent, so I had subconsciously ignored this possibility during my analysis. Now that a livestream viewer had brought it up, I was forced to face it.

Socrates Paradox: "The first person lying and acting is your girlfriend. The second person lying and playing along is Li Manman. As for Xiaobei, he is the third liar!"

This livestream viewer felt very unusual. Their deductions and logical reasoning were even clearer than mine.

"I hope you can explain this a bit more clearly," I said. I was worried about the safety of Tie Ningxiang and Yi Yi, my mind in complete turmoil. Having an objective bystander point the way for me right now was exactly what I needed.

Socrates Paradox: "Lying is an art. A true lie can never be overturned."

This arrogantly speaking friend successfully provoked the dissatisfaction of many lurkers. The livestream viewers watching the broadcast weren't nearly as good-tempered as I was.

Floating Alone on a Dark Windy Night: "Acting pretentious is also an art. True pretentiousness catches people off guard. The guy above's method is outdated."

I Can Feed Nine in League: "I'm just passing by. Also, asking weakly, who is Socrates?"

"A great thinker and philosopher of ancient Greece."

"Fuck! So it's a guy who worships foreign things! Mr. Lu Xun disdainfully rolls his eyes at you and tells the young Runtu to throw a pitchfork at you!"

"Who is the young Runtu?"

"How ignorant are you guys? The PEP edition Chinese textbook, sixth grade, first semester, Unit 5, Lesson 17. Do you need me to highlight the key points for you?"

"6666!"

...

Faced with the siege and questioning of numerous livestream viewers, Socrates Paradox didn't panic. They leisurely posted their next comment.

Socrates Paradox: "Since you all think I'm being pretentious, I'll say one sentence right now, and you can judge whether it's true or false."

Shortly after, they posted another comment: "I am lying right now."

"That's it? Where's the rest?"

"Are you stupid? What he wanted to say was precisely, 'I am lying right now.'"

"Interesting, interesting. If we say he's telling a lie, then what he said becomes the truth. If he's telling the truth, then according to the literal meaning, he should be lying. Not bad, interesting."

"That 'interesting' at the end was brilliant!"

I watched the livestream viewers' comments, feeling more and more that this Socrates Paradox was hiding profound depths.

"Everyone wait a moment," I said. "Let's allow this livestream viewer to finish their point first. You said all three people are lying. Do you have any proof?"

Socrates Paradox: "Li Manman clearly left the security room at one point, but she claimed she stayed here the entire time. She lied. When discussing her relationship with Xiaobei, she said they had a great relationship, like he was her own younger brother. But when she called Xiaobei at the Haunted House, the caller ID showed an unknown number. So she lied again."

"Moving on to Xiaobei: he had clown makeup foundation on his face, and he was still patrolling in a serial killer costume even after the Haunted House closed. This kind of mindset is chilling, indicating that he might be a mentally disturbed person."

"When you first met him, he was so frightened by you that he went into shock and collapsed. But please note: extreme fear can indeed cause temporary fainting, but the probability of that is only one percent. The remaining ninety-nine percent will experience an emotional breakdown after a severe scare."

"Given the probabilities, I lean toward Xiaobei deliberately faking shock to confuse you. Fortunately, you took his axe immediately, making him extremely wary and unable to carry out his next plan. I don't know if you noticed, but when you two were together, he rarely kept his eyes on you; most of the time, he was staring at that axe."

"What struck me as even stranger is that when Xiaobei and Li Manman met at the entrance of the Haunted House, he didn't say a single word to her. This goes completely against common sense!"

"You have to remember, he said himself that he had run into Li Manman on the first floor of the Haunted House, and that she had been following right behind him. But after meeting her outside the Haunted House, he didn't show the slightest bit of surprise. Don't you think there's a problem here?"

"A woman who was supposed to be right behind him suddenly appeared outside the door with a completely new expression. At a moment like that, anyone would feel terrified, wondering, 'Who was the person following me just now? Is it a ghost?'"

"Yet Xiaobei had no reaction whatsoever. He didn't even ask Li Manman about it. This proves a very important point."

"The two of them had a tacit understanding. Everything was an act put on for you. Those two never had any intention of helping you find your missing friend!"

Socrates Paradox sent multiple comments in quick succession. With every single one I read, my heart grew a fraction colder.

"I've considered what you said before, but they have no reason to deceive me," I said. "Why would they do this?"

After a while, the livestream viewer's response appeared in the chat: "Streamer, although I don't want to say this, the way I see it, the most dangerous person among them is actually the one you are most familiar with."

"Tie Ningxiang?"

Socrates Paradox: "That's right. This play was put on for you by the three of them. I don't know why they're doing this, but the reason most likely lies with your girlfriend."

"Tie Ningxiang wants to harm me?" I rewound the security footage to the part where she was recorded. Although her face hadn't changed in the video, she gave me an unfamiliar feeling. That cold, slightly bizarre expression was something Tie Ningxiang could never make.

"Right, the United Heart Jade!" I tried to zoom in on the monitor, but the image was too blurry to see clearly.

Socrates Paradox: "Streamer, don't limit your thinking. If you truly have faith in your girlfriend, you might want to look at this from another angle."

"What angle?"

"She became like a completely different person in such a short amount of time. There are many possibilities that could cause this situation. Given your numerous livestream experiences, you should be clearer on this than I am."

"Ghost possession? The hex sorcery art? Or..." My eyes locked onto the security footage. "This person isn't Tie Ningxiang, but just someone dressed up to look like her?"

My mind suddenly flashed back to the phone call before the livestream started. Right as the call was about to end, someone had spoken to me in Tie Ningxiang's voice.

"Guess who I am?"