Chapter 40 Heartache for the Proctors The proctors 154, 922, 078, and 021 are on their way.

When the examinees first arrived, the crew members treated them as uninvited guests, always wearing tense expressions.

Of course, after living on the deserted island for eight months, there was no way for them to appear otherwise.

Now, as the examinees had taken the initiative to offer medicine, the crew’s attitude had noticeably improved.

To express their gratitude, the crew decided to share the bonfire with the examinees. As a result, everyone moved into the stone cave inside.

……

The stone cave was indeed small, and as soon as the examinees entered, they filled up the remaining space.

The man with a buzz cut pressed a finger to his lips and whispered, “The captain’s been keeping watch for a long time. Try to be quiet and avoid waking him.”

He pointed at a figure in the corner.

It was a middle-aged man, curled up in a spot farther from the fire, leaving the closer areas for the other crew members.

He faced the bonfire, frowning in his sleep. The firelight did nothing to improve his pallid complexion; instead, it cast stark shadows over his sunken cheeks and prominent cheekbones.

“Captain?” Di Li scrutinized him curiously, lowering his voice to ask, “Is it Barentsz?”

The crew stared at him with odd expressions.

“What’s wrong?” Di Li grew slightly nervous under their gaze and added, “I just—”

Before the words had even finished, a very young crew member exclaimed in amazement, “How did you know? Are you a wizard?”

Dili was extremely pleased with himself, revealing two canine teeth as he said, “I’m a werewolf.”

The man with the buzz cut said slowly, “A werewolf? Hmm, I’m not sure if it’s true or not… But in any case, whether you’re a witch or a werewolf, it’s best to be cautious. It’s okay on the island, but if you go out, you’ll get caught and burned alive.”

“……”

Dili’s smile froze on his face at that moment.

……

Wu Li gave a brief checkup to all the crew members. A total of 14 people had injuries, including the man with a crew cut and Captain Barents.

This lady really disliked being watched while working.

But for the sake of the medicine, she made an exception for You Huo and Qin Jiu.

Because she needed someone to hold down these foreign-tasting feudal remnants.

Like anti-inflammatory medicine.

This medication came in injection form, a box containing 12 vials along with a single syringe. There were no conditions here to use a new needle for each injection, so they had to resort to sterilizing it by heating it over a fire.

When Wu Li tightened the needle, several crew members took turns stepping back, mumbling with suspicious looks on their faces. But before they could retreat more than two steps, You Huo blocked their heels with his own feet, leaving them instantly looking hopeless.

“What are you doing?” Wu Li asked sternly.

The crew members’ expressions made it seem like she wasn’t there to save lives, but to end them.

The buzzcut first mate explained, “They say your medical skills are too strange—normal doctors don’t go around squirting people with that thing.”

Wu Li paused her bubble-squeezing hand. “…Squirting?”

Sensing her displeasure, Buzzcut quickly added, “Just an expression, don’t take it to heart.”

Wu Li still kept a straight face. “How do their normal doctors do it? Let me hear it.”

The crew member babbled away, gesturing wildly and making “smack—smack—” sound effects.

Pingtou summarized simply. “Generally, there’s a stick this long and thin. They rely on this to whip the patients.”

Wu Li: “…”

“Relies on what?” Shu Xue didn’t quite catch it.

Qin Jiu gave an even more succinct answer: “Beat it to death.”

Shu Xue: “…”

You Huo retorted sarcastically: “How come you’re so good at summarizing?”

Qin Jiu said with a smile, “You flatter me.”

The crewman made more gestures.

The crew with the short, neat hair added, “Or bleeding is also a good method, many doctors choose to do that.”

“……”

Dr. Wu really couldn’t stand this kind of nonsense and said to You Huo and Qin Jiu, “Please help control him, I’m afraid I can’t manage alone, thank you.”

Shu Xue had just taken a step forward when Wu Li, with eyes in the back of her head, said, “You sit back down.”

“…” The fake pregnant woman was practically suffocating with frustration.

Upon hearing that they were about to be restrained, the crew members immediately tried to scatter.

The other examinees weren’t just sitting idle either, intercepting them from all sides.

While they were still earnestly trying to persuade him, Qin Jiu pulled out the leather cord he often used, swiftly fashioned it into a knot, and looped it over a crew member’s hands in the blink of an eye.

He was incredibly proficient at it, tying a knot every three seconds, and in no time, he had bound a whole row of them.

Counting them, there were seven, conveniently tied into a bundle as a gift for Doctor Wu.

Just as he was about to secure the eighth one, a slender, well-defined hand suddenly intervened.

It was You Huo.

This big shot formed his hand into a chopping blade and with each strike took down one head, precisely knocking out the other crew members. He only left the flat-headed first mate and translator standing.

Flat-head stared, dumbfounded.

Wu Li looked at the one person standing and the others lying on the ground, barely able to keep a straight face.

She sighed, cleaning the wounds and giving injections one by one.

……

You Huo noticed that the wounds on the crew members were rather odd.

Some had open, lacerated flesh, while others bore long bruises on their backs or arms. When the bruises lingered for too long, they would turn a terrifying shade of blue-black, startling to the eye.

These certainly aren’t claw marks from a wild beast, and they’re definitely not bite marks either.

But in this kind of icy, snowy weather, couldn’t it be something like a polar bear or an Arctic wolf?

What kind of wild animal attack leaves wounds like that?

Taking advantage of Flat-top’s consciousness, You Huo asked him.

He sighed and said, “I don’t know either, none of us do.”

“What do you mean?”

“It all started recently…” Buzzcut said.

“Recently” refers to about ten days ago.

That day, they encountered a tide of fish beneath the ice, taking the opportunity to haul in a batch and eat until they were stuffed.

It was one of the rare lucky days on the deserted island. After eating, they warmed themselves by the fire, talking about hopeful things to encourage each other.

Somehow, as they talked, they all ended up falling asleep.

When they suddenly woke up, the fire had inexplicably gone out, leaving the cave pitch black.

They heard a scream, right next to the buzz-cut first mate.

“Good thing my hands are always quicker than my mind—my first instinct was to grab him,” the buzz-cut man said. “Just lucky, I guess. I happened to catch him by the ankle. At the time, something was dragging him out of the hole, and the force was absolutely insane. Even with a group of us pulling from behind, it almost dragged us all out too.”

This heart-pounding tension lasted until the fire was rekindled.

The force dragging them suddenly loosened, and they fell into a pile, face-first in the mud.

“The next day, the places where we were dragged ended up like this,” the crew-cut man sighed and said. “After that, we didn’t dare let the fire go out during the day. If there were people around, there had to be fire, so we took turns keeping watch at night. Even with that, sometimes we still couldn’t stop it.”

“We later discovered that the bigger the fire, the safer it was, so we doubled our fuel and wood usage, burning more and more.”

“We ran out of fuel and had no choice but to tear down part of the deck to burn. Originally, it would have been enough to last until the snow melted, but because of this situation, we’re going to run out of firewood today.”

“No,” Wu Li interrupted, “We can’t let the fire go out for even a minute.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

She said, “Medication isn’t a cure-all. We have to maintain body temperature. If the fire goes out, the cave’s temperature will drop dramatically in just a few minutes, and the shots will have been for nothing. Not only do we need fire, but it has to be big enough and with enough wood. Ideally, we should light fires in both the inner and outer caves to maintain a healthy temperature.”

“We understand the reasoning, but carrying it out will be difficult,” one candidate remarked. “When I came, I took a quick look around. This island is almost entirely rock.”

“If all else fails, we’ll have to rely on the merchant ship.” Di Li’s impression of the exam question was too deep; he kept thinking about the ship’s wooden planks.

The shaved-head sailor grew anxious: “No way! The cargo must not be touched! If we really tamper with it, we’ll have no face to return. The captain said if the cargo is lost, he’ll jump into the sea to atone—I feel the same way.”

Everyone: “…”

Di Li quickly clarified, “We won’t touch the cargo. I know your cargo is more important than your lives—this was the subjective question I wrote about for a whole year. I meant to dismantle the deck!”

“The deck can’t be dismantled further either,” the shaved-head sailor insisted. “If we dismantle more, the ship will become unusable, unable to withstand wind or rain. The cargo will still be in danger, and in the end, we’d still have to jump into the sea.”

Di Li: “…”

How do your causes of death vary so much?

“Not a single one?” Everyone tried to bargain.

The short-haired man said, “No, and besides, there isn’t enough to burn anyway.”

……

Inside the stone cave, the fist-sized flame flickered slightly and became even smaller than before.

“It’s no use, it’s really going out.” Although Di Li was young, he held the top rank after all and felt he was the destined representative of the examinees.

He patted his butt and stood up, saying, “Here’s the plan: part of us should go back to the island and search again to see if we can retrieve a bit more firewood. The rest should follow this uncle—”

Flathead: “…”

“——Big Brother, go check the merchant ships again, just in case there are any survivors? Every little bit helps.”

The others were all older than him, so they gave him some leeway.

What’s more, the kid made a pretty reasonable point, so everyone split up and followed his lead.

Wu Li, on the other hand, stayed behind to take care of the wounded.

Shu Xue had prepared ten excuses in her mind, planning to go out with them.

She wanted to follow You Huo and Qin Jiu, seeing if there was anywhere she could help out. After all, these two knew she wasn’t actually pregnant, so she didn’t have to hold back.

Little did she know that the two big shots were unhurriedly trailing at the end of the line, stopping Shu Xue right before leaving the cave.

You Huo said, “I’ll go look around by myself.”

Qin Jiu glanced at him and said, “What a coincidence, so am I.”

You Huo gave an “oh,” then lifted his chin towards the cave entrance. “Different routes, you can go.”

Qin Jiu pushed his tongue against his cheek, thought for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and said, “Alright then.”

Only after Qin Jiu had left did You Huo finally turn his head around.

Shu Xue asked gently, “Are you sure you don’t need any help? In a situation like this, finding firewood is quite troublesome. Everyone else is busy, and I feel bad just sitting here. But if it’s inconvenient, I can go back and keep Wu Li company.”

You Huo said, “It’s not troublesome, just a bit unconventional at most.”

Shu Xue: “…”

He waved his hand, turned around, and walked away. Just before reaching the cave entrance, he looked back and said, “Just stay here. Keep an eye on that guy’s suitcase.”

After saying that, he added, “It has a lot of food.”

Shu Xue: “…Oh.”

……

In the twilight, the small boats used by the system to ferry candidates were neatly arranged in a circle, separated by a short distance from the three merchant ships in the scenario.

According to the initially announced exam rules, these system-configured boats would only set sail again once the exam was successfully completed, carrying each group of candidates away from the testing ground.

Apart from this, no one should have been here.

Yet at this moment, a tall figure suddenly appeared on the deck of one of the system boats.

He had just climbed up the rope ladder and was bent over, picking through the tools by the steering console, searching for something useful.

It was You Huo, who had said moments ago that he wanted to look around alone.

He was searching for the long iron hook he had used when boarding the ship.

He clearly remembered tossing it there, but for some reason, he couldn’t find it.

You Huo circled around, losing his patience. He drew a dagger slightly longer than his hand and got ready to take action.

His fingers traced along the seam of the deck planks before he raised the blade to pry them open. Suddenly, a cracking and splintering sound echoed from inside the cabin.

Someone there?

You Huo paused briefly, then walked over to the stairwell with a frown, using his foot to push the hatch open.

He expected to see the old captain left behind, but instead, he saw Qin Jiu…

In one hand, the other held the missing long iron hook, while the other tossed aside a freshly pried plank.

With a thud, the plank fell nearby, where a small pile had already formed.

Hearing the commotion above, Qin Jiu spun the long hook in his hand, resting it on his shoulder, and looked up. “What a coincidence, top student. Are you here to explore the system’s ship too?”

You Huo: “…”

He lowered his gaze for a moment, holding the dagger as he crouched down beside the trapdoor.

“Do you still remember you’re an exam proctor?” he asked Qin Jiu across the high wooden stairs.

Qin Jiu laughed. “Oh? I have a faint impression. But at the moment, it seems I’m more like your accomplice. Don’t you think?”

You Huo looked down at him for a long moment before finally turning his head and letting out a soft chuckle. “Alright, then.”

……

Half an hour later.

Dili and the others returned to the stone cave in shifts, carrying their spoils: two bundles of damp branches and three wooden planks to keep them alive.

That was it.

It was clearly far from enough.

As everyone was feeling depressed, the examinee closest to the cave entrance suddenly stood up.

“What’s wrong?” Everyone tensed up.

“I heard a voice… Wait, I’ll go check it out!” The examinee said, and then rushed out.

In less than half a minute, he came running back frantically.

“Shit…”

He started with a curse the moment he entered, then took two big gasps of air.

“What happened? Stop catching your breath and speak up!”

“The two in the second-to-last spot!”

“Huh?”

“Brought back a large pile of dry timber—it’s right at the entrance!”

“A large pile? How is that even possible? Where did it come from?” Before Li Di could finish asking, he was already dashing out.

As he rushed out, he heard the candidate say, “Pried it off the boat! They tore apart the system’s ship!”

Dili: “…”

Huh???

The thirty-some examinees hurriedly emerged from the cave and were immediately shocked by the pile of wood, which was as tall as a person, at the entrance.

Before they could even close their mouths, the dead rabbit outside the cave came back to life:

[Examinees You Huo and Qin Jiu have violated regulations by dismantling the system’s boat. The invigilators for this exam have been notified. Invigilators 154, 922, 078, and 021 are now on their way.]