Chapter 41 Qin Jiu’s Confinement Room, It Seems… This Kind of Memory Feels Right.

The moment the violation announcement appeared, You Huo dropped the plank in his hand and said to Di Li, who had just flown out, “Gather these into a pile first.”

With that, he picked up his dagger, turned, and left without another word.

Right across the cave entrance, a system ship was pitifully moored there. Judging by several gaps along the gunwale, it was undoubtedly the one that had been dismantled.

And You Huo was heading straight toward it.

Di Li was stunned for a moment before hurriedly shouting, “Wait, wait! What are you going to do this time?”

You Huo simply didn’t hear it.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Di Li asked his companion, “The invigilator is about to arrive. Shouldn’t they be waiting here? Writing some self-reflection, admitting their mistakes, and seeing if they can get leniency? Why are they heading towards the ship? To apologize to it?”

“I don’t know, I can’t keep up with these two young people’s ideas,” replied the companion, who was considerably older. “Let’s see if we can plead for mercy when the invigilator arrives.”

Di Li said, “That’s right. Uncle Li, aren’t you in law? You can talk circles around the dead.”

Teammate retorted irritably, “I just turned 35, who are you calling ‘uncle’?”

Di Li said, “Just getting used to it, no offense intended about your age. When I used to meet elders, I’d always call them uncle or aunt. But now in college, suddenly it’s not allowed anymore. I need an adjustment period…”

The teammate was both exasperated and amused. “Who gives me time to adjust—what was that sound?”

The loud thud of a wooden board hitting the floor interrupted him.

Everyone froze for a moment, then followed the sound to look.

Not far away, on the system’s ship, You Huo stood by the side of the vessel and tossed a few more planks overboard.

Behind him, the tall mast suddenly tilted, dragging the sailcloth down with it as it crashed against the side of the ship. The loud thud made everyone instinctively shut their eyes.

By the time they opened their eyes again, they saw Qin Jiu straighten up from the broken edge, snatch the dagger from You Huo’s hand, cleanly slice through the binding ropes, and give the mast a sharp kick.

It rolled down completely.

You Huo bent down and disappeared for a moment. By the time he returned to the side of the boat, he had already started throwing things with a loud clatter.

Chairs…

Tables…

Wooden crate…

And there’s even a freaking cabinet.

Unbelievable.

Thirty-some examinees stood in a row, bewildered like emperor penguins.

This isn’t about repentance and admitting mistakes; it’s more like tearing everything apart once they’ve already broken the rules!

Anything that could burn didn’t escape.

The invigilator’s little white boat sailed over from the sea just then, with four invigilators standing at the bow.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Qin Jiu waved a greeting to the invigilators, then turned and tossed a ship’s rudder overboard with a loud clang.

Examinees: “……”

Di Li turned to his companion: “Brother Li…”

Brother Li: “…Call me uncle, this time even eight mouths couldn’t argue this one alive.”

……

On the small white boat, 922 stared straight ahead, his lips moving slightly: “I’m seasick.”

154: “…”

922: “Really seasick, really uncomfortable, can’t stand anymore, can I go rest in the cabin first?”

154: “Shut up, I’m getting dizzy too.”

Newcomer 078: “?”

922 said, “Don’t look at us, we’re not sick. You don’t understand yet, but you will in a moment.”

078 tilted his head from side to side, adjusted his sunglasses, and calmly said, “What kind of examinee haven’t I seen before?”

922 glared at him.

078: “Let’s not mention 001, that’s a special case. I’m talking about apart from him.”

922 let out a cold scoff.

The other new invigilator, 021, was a tall woman with medium-length hair that reached just past her shoulders. One side was tucked behind her ear, where oversized earrings swayed and collided in the sea breeze.

She was wearing sunglasses even bigger than 078’s and said, “Heard you wanted to catch 001? Who was the one trembling in the cabin for ten minutes?”

078: “…”

…

The bow of Little White Boat collided with the one carrying You Huo and Qin Jiu.

You Huo tossed down the last item, brushed the dust off his hands, and squinted toward the Little White Boat.

A ladder extended from the boat, and four invigilators were walking toward them.

You Huo: “What material is the invigilator’s boat made of?”

Qin Jiu chuckled softly. “What? Daring to dismantle it?”

“Breaking the invigilator’s boat—I’ll sit this one out.” Qin Jiu stepped away from the broken deck, treading on the walkable spots. “I do have subordinates to think about, after all.”

As soon as these reasonable words left his mouth, he called out to the four invigilators not far away: “Come to deliver new wood?”

“……”

Three out of the four invigilators instantly turned green.

021’s sunglasses were too big to tell if his eyes had gone green with envy.

“All four are yours?” You Huo’s light-colored eyes swept over them.

Qin Jiu shook his head. “Not quite. The two with sunglasses are following No. 009.”

“There are that many head invigilators?”

Qin Jiu said, “Not that few—numbers 001 to 010 make ten in total, each leading ten teams. The invigilators with later numbers are randomly assigned to one of these groups. But domestically, it’s mainly me and 009; the others are responsible for other regions.”

“You have a bit of a reputation issue, don’t you?” You Huo suddenly remarked.

Qin Jiu raised an eyebrow. “Who said that?”

You Huo’s gaze fell on the only lady present and said, “That one seems to have a lot of opinions about you.”

As for 154 and 922, there’s no need to mention them. 078 removed his sunglasses after boarding the ship and gave Qin Jiu a nod, showing a hint of courtesy beneath the reserved seriousness befitting an invigilator.

Except for 021.

From beginning to end, she showed no intention of taking off her sunglasses, nor any signs of attempting to be polite.

Qin Jiu looked at 021: “Does she have a problem with me? I honestly can’t tell.”

You Huo thought to himself, maybe you’re just blind.

“However, even if there were, it wouldn’t be because of my reputation. According to the initial grouping plan, she was originally supposed to become A’s subordinate. But before she could join the team, A was gone. Later, she almost ended up in my group, but I was recuperating at the time. So she went to 009’s side instead. Perhaps she’s heard those rumors and instinctively resents me?”

Qin Jiu thought for a moment and then said with a smile, “Not very familiar, so it doesn’t matter much.”

She almost became a team member and you didn’t even inquire about her?

You Huo felt Qin Jiu was really odd.

As the chief invigilator No. 001, he was an inseparable part of this ridiculous system. Yet from the subtleties in his words, one could sense that he didn’t like this system, nor did he enjoy being too deeply entangled with it.

Neither with the system itself, nor with the other invigilators.

……

154 and 922 stood opposite Qin Jiu and You Huo, their faces strained like two pumpkins.

Who would have thought…

The world is ever-changing.

A former superior, now a prisoner under my jurisdiction…

And the prisoner is still smiling over there.

I must have plundered a lot of people’s wealth in my past life to be punished like this, being made to invigilate.

The silence lasted for several seconds.

078 stood for a while, finally unable to hold his ground.

He looked to the left; his colleagues 154 and 922 seemed to have their mouths sewn shut.

Let’s take a look at the right side—never mind, he can’t afford to mess with 021.

So he cleared his throat, putting on a stern face, and said, “Ten minutes ago, we received a system notification saying that the two of you dismantled the boat the system uses to transport examinees and damaged parts of the deck… the furniture, mast, rudder, stairs…”

He twitched his mouth for a moment before composing himself and continuing, “Please come with us to the invigilator’s boat.”

You Huo let out an indifferent “Hm” and asked, “What’s the punishment this time?”

078: “???”

He turned to look at his colleague; 922 said with his mouth: “It’s a regular customer.”

078: “…”

He thought for a moment and said, “This is the first violation in this round of exams. According to the rules, you need to be confined for 3 hours. This isn’t your first time, is it? You should already know the procedure, so be mentally prepared.”

No sooner had 078 finished speaking than he urged a few people onto the cross ladder, taking up the rear himself.

They hadn’t gone far when 078 saw the regular customer starting to get ready, asking 922, “Got any food?”

078 stumbled, almost tumbling into the sea.

“No, no food here, didn’t bring beef! Am I a cafeteria, ordering the moment you show up?” 922 was terrified of this jinx, rushing down the ladder in three quick steps.

He threw out a line about “I’m so seasick I’m about to throw up” and ran off as if his pants were on fire.

154 finally couldn’t bear it any longer. He said, “Boss, to be honest, an hour ago, 922 and I were swearing that with you here, he… that candidate couldn’t possibly break any rules. Look at my face, boss—it’s been brutally beaten, about to swell up any second.”

Qin Jiu said, “Birds of a feather flock together; that candidate corrupted me.”

A certain examinee: “…”

How can he say such shameless words with a straight face?

154 cast an astonished glance at his boss and then, suppressing his expression, quickly followed suit.

……

With two of the four invigilators having slipped away, talent was truly in decline.

078 could only follow 021, taking the violating examinee down to the cabin together.

The invigilator’s ship, true to tradition, featured a white exterior for easy identification, but its interior was decorated in the same style as the entire examination hall.

The ship’s cabin had three floors.

The first floor, just like the system ships, was lined with side-by-side compartments, each equipped with beds, desks, and chairs, serving as bedrooms for the invigilators. After all, like the examinees, they would be drifting at sea until the examination ended.

Currently, the two compartments marked 154 and 922 had their doors locked, vividly expressing the wish to “stay as far away from the plague god as possible.”

Below the bunk beds were the dining hall and kitchen.

The fire in the fireplace was blazing, keeping the entire cabin warm—almost too warm.

Qin Jiu unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and held it in his hand.

“Want me to help you put it away?” Number 078 attempted to break the awkward silence.

Qin Jiu said, “There’s no need for that.”

The awkward conversation ended.

078: “…”

He glanced at 021, who was still wearing sunglasses and raising her chin, showing no intention of speaking up.

078 sighed inwardly, then led You Huo and Qin Jiu further down.

The lowest level of the ship’s cabin was very cramped, consisting of only a few tightly closed rooms and a narrow corridor.

078 opened the first door and said to You Huo, “Go in. When the time is up, 021 will come to open the door for you.”

The layout of the confinement room was no different from before—still just a table and a stool, with few other items. A row of mirrors on the wall artificially expanded the space into an infinite expanse.

You Huo was familiar with the routine; after entering, he even took the initiative to close the door.

078 stared at the door, then silently opened the second one and said to Qin Jiu, “Um…”

Without him even needing to speak, Qin Jiu went inside.

078 awkwardly coughed and said, “I’ll open the door in three hours.”

Then, the door creaked shut.

The light source was cut off, plunging the room into complete darkness.

This darkness lasted for just an instant, only to be replaced by a flood of sunlight.

Qin Jiu squinted to adjust his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself standing amidst a vast expanse of ruins.

The ruins were extensive, far larger than the confinement room had been. All around were curved, twisted protective fences that formed a circular enclosure. Inside the fences lay rusted cars, scattered machinery, and broken cables…

Ah, and there were long metal pipes and steel reinforcing bars, right beside him.

If he sat with one leg bent on that pile of metal pipes, took off his coat, and splattered blood on the front of his shirt, it would be exactly the same as the scene in his memory…

Qin Jiu stood there in front of the metal pipes, his gaze lowered, fingers unconsciously twitching a couple of times, before he wrapped the scarf around his neck again.

With a gentlemanly flair, he tucked it into the collar of his coat, completely covering the front of his shirt.

In that instant, a thought flashed through his mind.

It seems… this is the right way.

In that distant, hazy scene, he should have been wearing a scarf. Black or grey, just covering up all the bloodstains on his chest.

The person stood before him, while he sat on a metal pipe, looking completely unscathed, save for a little fatigue.

It seems… this kind of memory is the right one.