Chapter 56: Auditory Hallucinations—Did You Lose Your Memory, or Did I?

Once, Qin Jiu told 154 that if he ever saw Invigilator A again and recognized him by accident, he would return a few critical condition notifications and then ask him to stay far away, not to seek trouble.

The words were spoken with such conviction and certainty.

Only two years had passed.

Just two years…

The living, breathing Examiner A was now standing right before him.

He neither put the other person in a high-level hospital room, nor asked them to get far away.

That person invited him to patrol the island together.

He thought for a few seconds with mixed feelings about how to refuse, then replied with an “okay.”

……

The Dragon-Slaying Ten Palms, every strike hits the face.

You Huo passed the torch over.

Qin Jiu took it in silence.

He stood in place for two seconds, then suddenly tilted his head and wiped his face.

You Huo had walked a few steps, but when he saw that Qin Jiu hadn’t followed, he paused in confusion and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Qin Jiu rubbed his jaw and said, “My face hurts.”

You Huo: “?”

“Forget it, never mind.”

Qin Jiu wrapped another layer of red flame around the torch and followed, saying, “Let’s go.”

Just as they reached the cave entrance, they were grabbed by someone.

Aside from Di Li and Li Ge, the two most active participants, the ones who pulled others along were unexpectedly Chen Fei and Huang Rui, who usually ranked at the bottom.

“What, are you saying we can’t go?” Qin Jiu asked.

Chen Fei shook his head.

“No, we… we have a request.”

“Go ahead.”

You Huo disliked being obstructed and had little patience. He indifferently tossed out a single word.

Chen Fei and Huang Rui exchanged glances, then cautiously asked, “Can we come along? We promise not to slow you down.”

Qin Jiu: “What kind of request is that?”

“Um…”

Chen Fei felt a little embarrassed.

In comparison, Huang Rui was much more straightforward.

He scratched his head and said, “That earlier thing was just one part. There’s another request: if… if you happen to have time along the way, could you teach us a few methods for dealing with monsters?”

Huang Rui finished awkwardly, then added an explanation: “Given the current situation, the two of us are definitely sitting in last place. It’ll be dawn soon, and tomorrow night is getting closer and closer. We heard you say the monster’s legs were completely broken and it had already run away. But we’re still very nervous…”

Chen Fei nodded and continued, “Don’t make fun of us; we really are quite panicked. We’ve been worrying about what to do if the monster comes again tomorrow night to snatch someone on schedule.”

You Huo was quite skilled at freezing people, but comforting them was definitely not his forte.

He listened silently for a while before suddenly nudging Qin Jiu.

Qin Jiu stared at his nudged elbow, his verbal reassurance coming a beat late: “No need to agonize; there’s an 80% chance it’ll still come.”

You Huo responded succinctly, “90%.”

Chen Fei: “…”

Their precarious wishful thinking burst with a pop. The two in the last-place group turned deathly pale.

“Well…”

Huang Rui swallowed hard several times, trying to calm himself down, but he just couldn’t manage to say a complete sentence.

He kept saying “well”

repeatedly, until Qin Jiu finally shifted his attention from You Huo and his elbow.

“What did you ask just now?”

Qin Jiu couldn’t quite remember at the moment.

Huang Rui: “…”

“Is our way of dealing with monsters?”

“Yes.”

Qin Jiu tossed the torch in his hand and said, “With this.”

You Huo: “?”

“Really?”

Chen Fei and Huang Rui wore expressions of doubt.

“But… did you take torches when you vanished? You didn’t, right?”

Qin Jiu replied, “We didn’t. He had a lighter.”

“A lighter?”

The two were half-convinced, half-skeptical.

“Could a tiny flame like that even help?”

Qin Jiu said, “More or less. We scorched the thing’s mouth all around with it.”

You Huo: “?”

“Can that monster be dealt with so easily?”

Chen Fei and Huang Rui exchanged glances.

They actually thought it was a bit far-fetched…

No, it wasn’t just a bit—it was downright absurd. Relying on a tiny lighter to take care of something so terrifying?

With that creature’s size, it could overturn a ship just by waving all its tentacles. Its eyes alone were nearly half the size of a person, not to mention it could stretch, shrink, and change shape.

A tiny spark would be enough?

Who are you trying to fool?

But when Qin Jiu spoke, there was no trace of mockery in his tone—only a lazy indifference.

It’s as if you just casually asked, and he casually answered, with no intention of elaborating further.

Somehow, that actually makes it more convincing.

Maybe it’s because his unhurried demeanor is just so steady? Or perhaps his deep voice sounds even more reliable.

Chen Fei and Huang Rui were tangled in their own thoughts, and the more they pondered, the more they felt… it doesn’t seem impossible, does it?

“Really?”

Chen Fei verified it again.

Qin Jiu looked at him with his eyelids lowered, as if he couldn’t care less whether he was believed or not.

Chen Fei shrunk his neck, then answered himself, “It should be true.”

You Huo: “?”

“If the small flame from a lighter works, wouldn’t it be easier if each of us carried a torch instead?”

After saying this, Huang Rui felt his tone was a bit too bold and corrected himself, “I mean, it’s not that terrifying.”

Chen Fei then asked doubtfully, “But if that creature closes its mouth, a lighter might still survive for a while—would a torch that big really not go out?”

Qin Jiu replied, “Then bring two knives or some other sharp weapons along. That should be enough.”

Upon hearing this, the two began to consider the idea carefully.

“You’d be better off looking for some handy tools.”

Qin Jiu spoke, then shot You Huo a meaningful look before they headed out of the cave one after the other.

* * *

Chen Fei and Di Li grabbed torches and hurriedly followed them out, only to find the two big shots had long since vanished.

“Could there even be esoteric arts like Qi Men Dun Jia in a place like this? How could they just disappear after a few turns?”

Di Li mumbled.

“It’s our fault. I’m guessing we annoyed them with all our questions.”

Huang Rui felt a bit regretful.

“We should have waited until after they finished patrolling the island before asking.”

“Don’t overthink it.”

Brother Li, who always had a good temper, began serving up chicken soup again: “People who stand out excessively often have a bit of a loner streak because others can’t keep up. Those two clearly have the habit of doing things on their own.”

Di Li curled his lip: “Not really, they obviously come and go in pairs.”

Brother Li: “They just happened to match up then.”

Dilly was a bit discouraged: “I feel like they just don’t want to take us along.”

After all, he was also a top performer within the exam hall. To some extent, he could be considered capable.

But with those two around, he simply couldn’t keep up with their pace, making him feel quite passive.

The gray-haired head drooped down. Brother Li found it somewhat amusing: “What’s wrong, little Dilly?”

Di Li said gloomily, “Feels like I’ve turned into deadweight, first time in my life.”

“Actually, it’s not that you’re dragging us down. Let me put it this way—how did we score points in the exams before?” Brother Li asked.

“By having both courage and strategy.”

After blowing his own horn, Di Li covered his face with his hand.

“Kinda, yeah.” Brother Li said,

“Think about it—what is courage? After you’ve nailed down the answer, you’ve gotta make the call when it’s time, right?”

Dili: “Yeah.”

“What does ‘mou’ mean? For us, it’s being cautious, not reckless, taking one step at a time, planning each move carefully, slowly advancing toward our goal. Right?”

Dili: “Mm-hmm—”

“Now think, how do those two score points?” Brother Li asked pointedly.

Di Li pondered for a moment and realized that those two relied on one thing—recklessness, and another—straightforwardness…

“Are they completely opposite?” Brother Li said,

“It’s like they use the method of failing to earn points. You follow the proper path; it’s impossible not to be dragged down, because their core philosophy is fundamentally opposite…”

Di Li suddenly understood.

“What should we do then?” Di Li asked.

Brother Li wanted to say, “Then let’s handle the logistics properly so they won’t have any worries.”

But before he could open his mouth, he heard Di Li suddenly come up with an idea: “How about we turn around and face it head-on with them?”

Brother Li: “What?”

* * *

The conversation at the cave entrance went completely unknown to You Huo.

All he knew was that Qin Jiu had taken several detours, and those who had been following them had all fallen behind, perhaps reorganized and gone in a different direction.

There were still only the two of them on this road.

Flames flowed over the frozen ground, casting a layer of orange-gold upon the ice-white surface.

Shadows flicker in the firelight.

This was different from what You Huo had imagined the island tour to be like; the atmosphere felt a bit strange.

But for someone who never cared about atmosphere to have such a thought… was itself quite strange.

You Huo held a torch in one hand and the other tucked in his pocket, his gaze sweeping over the vast expanse of rocky reefs.

As someone accustomed to the cold, he unexpectedly found this path too quiet, with only the sound of footsteps crunching on icy fragments echoing around. He walked ahead, with Qin Jiu following just half a step behind.

You Huo listened for a moment before suddenly asking, “Why did you lie to them earlier?”

“To let them get a bit overconfident,” Qin Jiu replied.

“They’ve survived up to the third round, after all—they’re not entirely useless, just a bit weaker. Making them believe a single lighter could save them might actually give them enough motivation to prepare well, and who knows, maybe it really could.”

You Huo said, “Or maybe it still wouldn’t be enough.”

He spoke, and for a long time, there was no reply.

Turning his head, he found You Huo looking at him again, the torchlight reflecting in his pupils.

“Was I wrong?”

“No.”

You Huo withdrew his gaze and continued watching the road ahead. After a moment, he said, “I’ve noticed that sometimes you tend to take on everything, and without a word.”

You Huo was not very satisfied with this description, letting out a soft, mocking snort.

“If there’s a hundred-person examination hall, I’d be very curious whether you could handle it all,” Qin Jiu said.

“Are you laughing at someone for doing the same thing you do?”

You Huo shot him a sidelong glance.

“Did you take on any fewer tasks than I did? Haven’t you meddled in everything I did?”

Qin Jiu let out a low “Hmm”

and fell silent.

After a few seconds passed, he suddenly added, “The psychological motivations are quite different.”

You Huo asked, “How are they different?”

“You voluntarily took it upon yourself.”

Qin Jiu spoke with puffs of white mist forming before his nose and mouth.

“As for me… thinking back just now, most of the time it was more like I was forced into it.”

Bullshit.

You Huo had no idea where this ruffian’s logic came from and couldn’t help but say, “Which one of us has amnesia, you or me?”

“I actually did suffer memory loss once.” Qin Jiu replied without the slightest hint of guilt.

After saying that, he paused for a moment before adding, “But I don’t know about you.”

You Huo was left speechless by his retort, snorted through his nose, and fell silent again.

Qin Jiu’s gaze fell on You Huo’s shadow, narrowing slightly.

He was waiting for an answer.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t get one, You Huo suddenly spoke up, saying, “I’m really not much different from you.”

Qin Jiu’s brow twitched as he looked up at him.

The firelight cast a warm glow on his profile, softening its usual haughty chill just slightly.

You Huo said, “There are a few years I can’t remember at all.”

“…What do you mean by ‘can’t remember’?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” You Huo replied.

“So, when you told me you spent years in the military academy and years in the army—was that just to scare me?”

Examiner 001 took another step forward, testing the waters.

“I still remember those things, but they’re not exactly vivid in my mind,” Youhuo said.

“Everything after that, I’ve forgotten.”

“What caused it?”

“Training injury, by accident.”

That was the reason he had been given upon waking up and had believed all these years, so it couldn’t be considered a lie.

You Huo thought to himself.

Qin Jiu let out a soft “oh.”

Only now did he realize that he had let out a sigh of relief.

You Huo was still unaware that he was Examiner A, and this fact actually made him… somewhat relieved.

Relieved about what, he didn’t know, but Examiner 001 pushed the phone in his pocket a little deeper.

* * *

The ice field grew quiet once more.

Each of them advanced with their own thoughts.

“Wait for me…”

Suddenly, a soft whisper rose.

You Huo’s heart skipped a beat. He turned and asked Qin Jiu, “What was that?”

Qin Jiu was also taken aback, his phone nearly slipping from his pocket.

“Huh? I didn’t say anything. Auditory hallucinations again?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that this time, it wasn’t You Huo hearing things.

Because he heard it too.

A few faint whispers drifted over with the wind, muffled and light, as if something were following them like a shadow.

This must be the commotion Shu Xue was talking about.

The two men abruptly stopped in their tracks, raising their torches to scan their surroundings.

After listening for a while, they realized the sound wasn’t coming from the wind—it was coming from beneath their feet…