Chapter Five: The Truth Within the Lie

"She’s awake!" As soon as Qi Xiaoxiao climbed up from the ground, Ye Yutian exclaimed excitedly.

"Calm down. Let’s wait until she recovers before we make any plans," said Xu Zhengdong, the teacher, who smiled at Ye Yutian.

"Make plans slowly?" Liu Mengchao looked down at the two reincarnators who were talking to themselves and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

"Bai Ya, start issuing the missions." Liu Mengchao’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at the now fully awakened reincarnators, speaking to Bai Ya in his mind.

"Mission One: Form pairs with characters from Highschool of the Dead. Each reincarnator must team up with one story character. Successfully cross the Netogawa River.

Mission Two: Reach Saya’s parents’ temporary stronghold and survive until dawn the next day.

Hint: Each reincarnator starts with a score of minus five hundred.

Hint: For each zombie killed, you gain ten Lord God points. These points are shared between the reincarnator and their story partner. The actual points a reincarnator receives is half the total earned from killing zombies.

Hint: If a story character dies before reaching the opposite bank, two thousand Lord God points are deducted as a penalty."

As soon as Liu Mengchao announced the first mission, he noticed all the reincarnators below him changed their expressions in unison.

Prize pool: Sixty-five thousand.

"It’s increasing so fast?" Liu Mengchao smiled, leaping gracefully from the high stone platform and landing deftly among the reincarnators.

"Who are you?" Ye Yutian, more observant than before, looked at Liu Mengchao, whose presence was clearly unusual, and spoke with much more courtesy.

Is he... Liu Mengchao...? Qi Xiaoxiao stared at the person standing before her, the ancient name circling endlessly in her mind.

"Liu Mengchao!" Makoto Ito, on the other hand, was visibly excited; his eyes lit up the moment he saw Liu Mengchao.

"Yes." Liu Mengchao nodded, carefully observing the reincarnators’ reactions. Xu Zhengdong, formerly a teacher, was bowing his head slightly, lost in thought.

"You all know each other already?" Li Xin, the PR manager who had been silent until now, stepped forward with a smile, addressing Liu Mengchao and Makoto Ito.

"Rookie, now’s not the time to investigate relationships," Liu Mengchao had no interest in the PR manager’s line of work and went along with her words, "By now, you should all understand your current situation."

"Is this really Infinite Terror?!" Ye Yutian blurted out his question impatiently. Compared to the other four, all experienced in society, he seemed the least able to keep calm.

"That’s right. I’m a veteran—Liu Mengchao."

It really is him! As soon as Liu Mengchao spoke, Qi Xiaoxiao’s gaze changed entirely. In her eyes, a wistful nostalgia flickered, flowing quietly like water.

"You all know the Lord God’s mission by now, right?"

"Wait..." Chen Mo, the retired special forces soldier, cut him off. "How can you prove you’re a veteran? Maybe you’re just a bit more physically capable than us!"

Physical capability, not potential... Do you think it’s still the era of special forces as protagonists? Or are you just eager to seize leadership of the team? Liu Mengchao smiled slightly, saying nothing, merely exchanging a glance with Makoto Ito.

"I’m a character from the last world. I met him back then."

No testimony could be more convincing than that of a story character.

"And your enhancements?" Chen Mo pressed on, no longer silent, his eyes fixed tensely on Liu Mengchao. He’d learned some lie detection techniques during his time in the special forces, and knew that direct eye contact during questioning could create immense psychological pressure.

If Liu Mengchao were just an ordinary person, Chen Mo’s method might have worked.

How can you make your truth sound like a lie to others? Just do what Liu Mengchao did.

First, like Liu Mengchao, keep observing the other’s reactions, judging whether your answers are believed.

When you reply, parrot the general structure of the question in a stiff, unnatural way before giving your answer.

For example, Liu Mengchao’s response to Chen Mo’s question:

"I have undergone enhancement."

"What kind of enhancement?" Chen Mo pursued.

Oh, this isn’t a good look. Liu Mengchao noticed Chen Mo’s cheeks lifted, raising his lower eyelids. Most telling was his nose and mouth; the expression resembled a naked woman, shockingly exposed.

His lips were tense and slightly upturned, but the skin around his eyes wasn’t taut with tension—it was relaxed.

A classic microexpression of contempt. Clearly, Liu Mengchao’s overt display had convinced the special forces soldier that everything he’d said was a lie.

"Assassin’s Creed movement pack."

Liu Mengchao even worried Chen Mo wouldn’t realize he was lying, so he exaggerated, shaking his shoulders and finally touching the spot below his nose.

It worked!

Prize pool: Sixty-seven thousand.

Seeing Liu Mengchao’s performance, Chen Mo nearly shouted for joy inside. Everything he’d learned in the military was spot on! He’d seen through this so-called veteran’s lie; everything Liu Mengchao did matched the textbook examples.

This Liu Mengchao had never been enhanced; the so-called Assassin’s Creed movement pack was obviously a last-minute fabrication—he’d never even heard of it.

So, if the veteran has no real power, who is more suited to lead this team than himself?

"My name is Chen Mo. You can call me Blackie," he said, turning away from Liu Mengchao, "I’m a special forces soldier!"

At his words, the reincarnators’ expressions shifted. After all, in this environment, a special forces soldier sounded much more reassuring.

"Has anyone seen this horror film? Give us a rundown of the plot." Chen Mo continued, not giving Liu Mengchao a chance to speak. He’d already decided—he must become the leader, the Zheng Zha of this world!

"I have," Ye Yutian whistled, "Highschool of the Dead is a Japanese horror film. The protagonist is Takashi Komuro. There are two heroines: Rei Miyamoto, with orange hair, and Saeko Busujima, with purple hair. There’s also Saya Takagi, with pink hair—the daughter of those at the temporary stronghold we’re supposed to reach according to the Lord God’s mission."

"And there’s a fat guy, Kohta Hirano," Li Xin chimed in softly. "The school nurse is a blonde woman named Shizuka Marikawa."

"Details—I need their specialties, and yours!"

Chen Mo’s face was stern, as if this were a real special forces drill, not the reincarnation world. He was the team captain.

"Saeko Busujima is skilled with swords and strong in close combat. Rei Miyamoto uses a spear. The fat guy, Kohta Hirano, knows all kinds of guns—he’s a military otaku."

A military otaku?

Liu Mengchao noticed that as soon as Ye Yutian said this, the special forces soldier’s face was openly disdainful.

He almost felt like apologizing to the soldier. After all, planting an anchor in someone’s mind—someone you barely know—wasn’t exactly polite.

"And you?"

"I’m a student."

"So am I," Makoto Ito echoed.

"Public relations manager, I enjoy yoga."

"Teacher—I teach chemistry."

"Bodyguard." Qi Xiaoxiao nodded, quietly taking her place beside Liu Mengchao.

"Good, then let’s assign the tasks!"

Contrary to his name, Chen Mo was anything but silent now, already issuing orders excitedly. Hopefully, he hadn’t realized Liu Mengchao had already anchored his thoughts.

Sometimes, you’d rather have your lie exposed by a psychologist than try to expose a psychologist’s lie.

Because that might be your first step toward death.

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2333333—I was out all day yesterday... If there’s going to be a burst of updates, I’ll announce it in advance... I feel really bad... I came back and saw so many urge-to-update votes, but only managed one chapter...

Starting tomorrow, there will be a burst of updates—starting at midnight, then at 10 a.m., 4 p.m., and 10 p.m., with 10,000 words each time...

By the way, anyone interested in guessing in the review section which side character will die first? The answer should be revealed soon...

Lastly, a deep bow of thanks for the generous tips from Low-key in Life, Oath of the Heart, Four Games, Heaven·Primordial Spirit·Weep, Post-Era vb, Story of the Starry Sky, Letting Go of the Morning, and others.