Chapter 55: Perfect Examiner A — Mission Accomplished ✔

154 would have never guessed that as an invigilator, his days would be more thrilling than the examinees’.

He had merely gone out for the routine duty of seeing off rule violators, yet he had ended up being forced to take a dip.

Could anyone with a normal mind enjoy a bath in the Arctic Circle?

Only a beast could act so recklessly.

922 is an absolute beast, through and through.

078 and 021 reacted extremely quickly. From discovering the situation, to being stunned, and finally to fishing them out of the water, the whole process took less than 20 minutes.

But in these icy waters, 20 minutes is enough to lose half of one’s life.

Thankfully, even though Ms. 021 dislikes Qin Jiu, she has no habit of punishing by association. She treated 154 and 922 with the decency expected among colleagues.

She strode swiftly through the cabin in her high heels, one hand cracking open a bottle of wine, pouring it clatteringly into a wooden bucket.

After pouring nearly ten bottles, filling most of the bucket, she then ordered 078: “Everything we could find is here. I saved one bottle to force-feed them later. Use these to rub them down first. Remember, rub until they’re warm before warming them by the fire, or else those two unlucky souls will roast to a crisp.”

078, after all, was also a high-ranking proctor; he understood all this, but his reactions were just a half-step slower than Miss Gāncuì’s. At this moment, he could only lower his head and listen to the lecture: “Alright, alright, I understand.”

“Make it quick, or they’ll still be ruined,” 021 said.

078 said, “Sis, I only have two hands…”

“Surely you don’t expect me to dig one out?” 021 kicked the bucket toward him. “If all else fails, give them the bucket and let those two wash each other.”

078 pictured the scene—it would be quite a sight.

He exclaimed, “Great idea!” and ran off with the bucket.

Hearing his footsteps clattering upstairs, 021 added more coal to the stove and poked it a few times.

The flames suddenly leapt up with a crackling light sound.

021 crouched there for a while, watching, then grabbed a pillow and nestled into the chair.

The break room was exceptionally warm, yet she wore a deeply troubled expression.

When the confinement ended earlier, she seized the opportunity to speak a few more words with You Huo.

Actually, it couldn’t be called “her speaking to You Huo.” She was merely passing on a message—Examiner A had instructed her to leave a crucial piece of information for her future self.

【Go to the resting area, find one thing and one person.】

You Huo asked her, “Which resting area?”

She said, “I don’t know.”

You Huo asked, “What do we need to find?”

She said, “I don’t know.”

You Huo asked, “Who are we looking for?”

She said, “I also… don’t know.”

You Huo: “…”

As she knew nothing no matter what was asked, Miss 021 simply covered her face and said, “Probably no messenger is worse than me.”

“It’s not your fault,” You Huo casually comforted her. “Blame the speaker for not speaking human language.”

For a moment, 021 didn’t know whether she should snap back at him or not.

……

Up to this point, their exchange was still quite normal.

She thumped her chest, promising she would definitely help You Huo find a clue. He expressed his gratitude.

For a moment, the atmosphere was harmonious.

But right after that, You Huo suddenly asked her, “Just how bad is my relationship with 001?”

Merely asking wasn’t enough—this former Examiner even tried to make her give an example.

Take her grandmother for example!

Does this need examples?

Isn’t this a common consensus that just rolls off the tongue like thunder and crashing waves?

But back then, time was limited, and there was no chance to elaborate; the most frustrating part was that what she actually knew wasn’t that much.

Now that 021 had calmed down, he began to worry. Where could he find something to make the examiner see the truth with his own eyes?

Footsteps suddenly echoed from the stairwell.

078 arrived with two colleagues who had jumped into the sea.

021 composed his expression, watching them settle by the fireplace. 154 and 922, each wrapped in a blanket, huddled on the sofa, trembling as if in a trance.

“Feeling better?” 021 asked.

078 nodded: “Anyway, after a lot of clattering and scrubbing, until the skin turned red and started burning on its own, I led them down.”

154 was wrapped in the quilt up to his neck, only his flushed face visible. To anyone who didn’t know, it might look like he was shy, but in reality, he felt like killing 922.

“Y-y-y-you tell me…” he asked 922, trembling, “W-w-what on earth were you thinking? What could possibly make you fall into the sea? I r-r-remember you wanted to tell me something… s-s-something…”

922 was curled up right beside him; because of his height, wrapped in a blanket, he looked like an oversized silkworm cocoon.

The thoughts that flashed through his mind just before he plunged into the sea, he remembered them clearly.

Chilled by the icy seawater, it all became even clearer—

He had heard that the phone was the relic of some examinee, and the video must have been shot several years ago. The people in the video were Qin Jiu from his examinee days and Examiner A, who was still around at the time.

And Examiner A was You Huo…

He remembered the rumors over the years. It was said that Examiner A was most likely already dead, removed from the system.

Now, it appeared he not only wasn’t dead but had even returned to the system—just under a different identity, turned into an examinee.

Based on their previous encounters… it seemed he didn’t remember anything from the past.

Then what was he here for this time?

……

As shocking as all this was, taking a leap into the sea was enough to calm him down.

What truly took 922 by surprise was Qin Jiu’s reaction.

He had subtly probed 154 a few times about his own boss getting injured and losing his memory, and each time the person inevitably mentioned was Examiner A.

As is well known, the two of them have a sworn enemy relationship.

Shouldn’t sworn enemies seize the opportunity to take advantage of a crisis or cause more trouble for the other to ease their own resentment?

Why was Qin Jiu’s first reaction after watching the video to say “no one”? Was this a subconscious attempt at concealment?

Even if he kept it from You Huo himself, why would he hide it from his closest subordinate as well?

If it weren’t for knowing how poorly these two got along, and understanding Qiu Jiu’s unfavorable attitude toward Examiner A.

922 might almost suspect… that this concealment was a form of disguised protection.

But it definitely wasn’t.

Maybe he had some other plan in mind? 922 thought.

He curled up under the covers, pondering for a long time without ever quite understanding Qin Jiu’s meaning.

But that didn’t stop him from unconditionally siding with the boss.

“922?”

“Blockhead?”

“Moron—”

“Hmm?” 922 jolted back to reality amidst 154’s increasingly bold forms of address.

154’s lips trembled for a few seconds before he finally spoke. “I’m talking to you. What were you trying to say earlier when you kept flinching so dramatically?”

922 trembled as he mentally repeated “I’m sorry,” while saying out loud, “I… damn, it’s so cold. What was I going to tell you again? I’m so frozen… damn… I’ve forgotten.”

154, who had been left in suspense for a while, kept a stiff face, thinking inwardly, “Damn you and your grandmother, if I don’t beat you to death, I’ll take your surname.”

……

One round of confinement lasted three hours, and when they were released, it was the dead of night in the exam room.

The cave echoed with snores, mainly from those carefree sailors who had eaten their fill. As for the examinees, surprisingly, every one of them had wide-open eyes, like a flock of squatting owls.

Dili and his teammate held branches, upon which hung the dead rabbit.

They waited respectfully, as if presenting an offering.

“Hungry again?” You Huo entered the cave and was immediately assaulted by the sight of the roasted rabbit, asking in puzzlement.

Dili replied, “… I’d rather starve to death than eat this.”

“Why are you holding onto it then?”

“We planned to deal with it…” Di Li wanted to say it was because no one else dared to touch it.

Shu Xue and Wu Li weren’t afraid, but they both looked slim and delicate, and he couldn’t bring himself to pass the trouble onto them. So, he ended up holding onto it, lost in thought.

“Then why haven’t you dealt with it?”

“After all, you were the ones who grilled it—I was afraid you might actually want to eat it.”

“……”

“So, are you still planning to eat it?” Di Li asked cautiously.

“Not interested.” You Huo considered saying to just toss it, but then he remembered the “you” included Qin Jiu. What if Qin Jiu had a taste for it?

“What about you? Do you want to eat it?” He turned and asked.

He saw Qin Jiu lagging a step behind, looking at him with a very, very complicated expression.

You Huo: “…”

It’s just a rabbit, why the hesitation?

He halted his steps and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Qin Jiu was taken aback, snapping back to reality in an instant.

“…It’s fine.” He quickly furrowed his brow, then turned his head away, rubbing his temples several times.

It seemed like he had suddenly grown drowsy and was doing his best to stay alert.

When he turned back, his expression had already returned to normal.

“What’s the matter? Did you deliberately leave this for us as a midnight snack?” he asked Di Li.

Di Li was bewildered for two seconds, exclaiming in surprise, “Are you really going to eat it?”

“Just kidding.” Qin Jiu reached out his hand. “Give it to me, I’ll go bury it outside. Maybe it’ll freeze hard enough to keep talking in a bit.”

Who knew that as soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of several examinees changed drastically.

“Don’t go out…” Di Li said.

The others hurriedly nodded in agreement.

“Right, let’s not go out for now.”

“Let’s wait until daylight.”

“What time is it now? Is it past three or four yet? Anyone have a watch, or quietly borrow a watch from a crew member to check?”

“A quarter to four; dawn isn’t far off. Whatever needs doing, just wait.”

Amid all this chatter, You Huo couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Shu Xue waved to them and said, “Something just happened. You were at the invigilator’s office and weren’t aware of the situation.”

“What happened?” You Huo walked over.

“Something is approaching from outside,” Shu Xue said.

“Approaching? What do you mean?”

“So it went like this… After you two were taken by the invigilator’s office, everyone originally planned to change shifts, with one half resting and the other waiting for your return. I was the one on night watch…”

At that time, those who rested fell asleep quickly, their breathing mingling into a steady rhythm within the cave.

Shu Xue was leaning against the wall, using a long stick to poke at the fire when she suddenly heard some very strange voices talking.

It sounded like several people huddled together, whispering secretly, mixed with a soft humming, but the words were unclear.

Four men had been standing guard by the cave entrance, and Shu Xue assumed they were whispering among themselves to pass the time, so she didn’t pay it much mind.

Who would have guessed that after a short while, the whispering started up again. This time, she deliberately glanced toward those men and found them all lost in thought, not a single one speaking…

She waited a little longer, and when the whispers sounded for the third time, she leaned down and searched around carefully.

Finally, she discovered the source of the whispering…

The voice was not inside the cave, but somewhere outside, faintly coming through the thick ice and stone walls.

Shu Xue didn’t take it lightly and immediately told the other night watchers about the discovery.

Everyone quickly sat close to the walls in a circle, waiting for the strange sound.

“We heard it six times in total,” Shu Xue said. “What’s even more frightening is that each time the sound came, it felt like it was getting closer.”

Di Li chimed in, “That’s right. Not long before you all came back, a few of us took torches and checked around the entrance of the cave, but we didn’t find anything.”

“Checked around the entrance?” You Huo glanced toward the cave opening. “How exactly did you check?”

Di Li coughed awkwardly. He strode to the mouth of the cave, took a stance like an archer, and swung the torch around. “Just… like this.”

You Huo expressed that he was convinced.

He walked over to the fire, bent down, and picked up a torch.

Di Li asked, “You… what are you doing?”

“Going out to take a look.” You Huo said, as he reached for a second torch.

However, as he reached out halfway, he paused again.

Since this exam began, every incident had coincidentally involved him and Qin Jiu.

To be precise, it hadn’t happened many times, yet strangely, he had already fallen into a habit.

Habitually thinking that “going out to check” would also mean the two of them.

You Huo’s finger paused a few centimeters away from the flame, his expression icy while inwardly feeling quite awkward.

But this awkwardness didn’t last long.

He twitched his finger slightly, then ultimately picked up the second torch as if nothing were amiss.

For reasons even ghosts couldn’t fathom, he currently had little desire to let Qin Jiu know that he was Examiner A.

According to all accounts, it seemed impossible that the invigilator who was at odds with Qin Jiu would ever invite his rival to walk out side by side.

Now, by doing the complete opposite, even if Qin Jiu had ten brains, he would never connect him to that invigilator.

Perfect.

He picked up the torch and glanced at Qin Jiu, asking for the first time in eight hundred years, “Shall we go?”

Qin Jiu: “…”

Perhaps it was just too rare; Invigilator 001’s face was stiff with joy.