Chapter 56: The Third Room! Five Statements!

Just as the black trapdoor above was the correct choice during the final "Decision" in the first room, the two rope bridges in the second room's final "Decision Question" were both fake—the real path to choose was in the middle!

The circle of candles on the stone altar was meant to mislead players, just like water pouring down from the trapdoor. This ring of candles made everyone think it marked the boundary of the stone altar—but that wasn't the case.

After Lin Yu pointed this out, the crow disguised as the Crow-Man representing "change" dissipated, and the crow flew into the darkness. From behind the stone altar, the real Crow-Man slowly emerged.

"Caw caw, so, what is your final choice?"

"Obviously this path."

Lin Yu calmly looked in the direction the Crow-Man had come from. The Crow-Man chuckled lowly again.

"Congratulations, you've answered the second room's 'Decision Question' correctly."

The Crow-Man spread its wings and flew up, then the room suddenly lit up. Countless previously extinguished candlesticks were revealed on the ceiling and side walls of the second room—much larger than the first, about the size of a soccer field—illuminating everything.

Lin Yu's expression changed slightly as he surveyed the scene. April beside him screamed in fright.

"Ah!"

Beneath them was only a narrow plank wide enough for four people to stand side by side—everything else was a bottomless abyss! The rope bridges they'd crossed weren't spacious either... Worse, except for the two "correct" bridges, the others had cuts in their ropes at the midpoint—no doubt they'd snap if stepped on.

Even the last two bridges were like this, especially since they led to a precarious, isolated stone pillar.

Number Eight beside April looked pale but tried comforting his girlfriend. "It's okay, we've made it."

Iron Uncle and Unforgotten remained relatively calm.

"This height reminds me of when I used to climb tower cranes!" Iron Uncle laughed, then looked at the "stone altar" where the Crow-Man stood.

Beneath it was a stone bridge previously hidden in darkness, extending to a black door. Lin Yu's utility knife lay quietly on that bridge.

"Let's go!"

Unforgotten nimbly jumped onto the stone altar, then down onto the bridge, picking up her utility knife before walking ahead briskly. Iron Uncle cautiously followed behind her.

Though physically capable, Lin Yu hesitated at this height. But eventually, he matched the pace of the two ahead.

April and Number Eight were much more cautious. Just jumping onto the spacious stone altar took them time. Even though the stone bridge was wider and more stable than the rope bridges, they moved much slower—after all, they couldn't see the abyss before!

Still, everyone safely reached the black door... Behind it was a spiraling staircase upward.

After climbing for about five minutes, they encountered another black door. Unforgotten, leading the way, pushed it open—

A gray, misty room appeared before the five. Hazy smoke swirled around, obscuring the ceiling and walls.

The Crow-Man emerged from the fog again.

"Caw, welcome to the final room."

It took out an ancient key from its chest. The thick fog parted to form towering walls of mist, creating a narrow passage between them—like the sea split by divine power in ancient legends.

At the end stood a locked gate.

"Caw, this room has only one 'Decision Question,' no 'reward-punishment question.'"

"Caw caw—answer correctly, and you may choose to leave this dungeon."

"Caw caw—but I warn you, not all may pass the 'Decision.'"

"Caw caw—each of you must identify a 'lie' in my statements and explain how you know it's false, or face punishment. Now, five statements!"

The Crow-Man spread its wings and paced before them.

"One—All of you are honest; no one has tampered with their identity!"

"Two—All of you trust each other; no one has hidden their cleared dungeon count."

"Three—All of you are straightforward and considerate; no one has lied about their profession."

"Four—Between those who know each other, no betrayal has occurred."

"Five—Among you, no one has ever thought, 'I wish they were dead.'"

After the Crow-Man finished, everyone's expressions darkened.

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes. "How amusing... Almost malicious."

These five "statements" seemed tailored for their group!

The rooms' "competitive nature" seemed to escalate.

From cooperating in the first room to solve puzzles and spot traps, to treating "survivor count" as a "resource" in the second... Now this third room felt deliberately provocative.

As Lin Yu pondered, Iron Uncle spoke first.

"Ahem, I think the fifth statement is definitely a 'lie'!"

The Crow-Man turned to him. "State your reason."

Iron Uncle pointed at Lin Yu and Unforgotten. "At the start, this Soldier wanted to kill this Thief! He considered it multiple times!"

The Crow-Man chuckled. "Insufficient reasoning."

It watched Iron Uncle with interest. "Choose one you're certain is a lie."

After a long silence, Iron Uncle smiled wryly.

"Fine. The first is a lie—I lied about my forum ID!"

"My old ID was 'Heavenly Artisan.' Now, I have no forum account."

Lin Yu showed no reaction, but April, Number Eight, and Unforgotten stared at Iron Uncle in shock, as if seeing a monster.

"'Heavenly Artisan' of the Marauders?!" April gasped. "I saw your bounty on the forum's new list this month..."

"You killed five players in reality—Order is hunting you!"