Chapter 60: The Downward Spiral — Crossing Mountains to Catch a Cheater

This examination room had existed for a very long time.

In terms of actual years, it has been several; by the timeline within the questions, it could be called a century-deserted island.

For nearly a century, the octopus has always entrenched itself in this corner.

From one to two, then to a family of three.

They certainly knew about the group of pale-faces under the ice; not only knew, but had even witnessed them growing and strengthening, becoming one of the unprovokable presences on the island.

Every time the pale-faced creatures came out at night, the scene was downright eerie…

For some reason, they didn’t want to run into these pale-faced creatures.

Luckily, the activities were different.

When they were feeding in the ship’s cabin, the pale-faced creatures were on shore chasing examinees. By the time they finished eating and slipped back into the sea, the pale-faced creatures were still on shore chasing examinees.

The well water does not disturb the river water.

They thought life on the island would always be like this.

They never expected… to face this day.

The three octopuses froze on the spot.

They froze for a few seconds, tentacles spread wide, then turned and were about to dive into the water.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed—

Inside the cabin, You Huo kicked at the iron cabinet.

The massive, rust-covered object crashed to the ground, landing squarely and blocking the hole in the floor.

Outside the cabin, Qin Jiu propped himself against the hull of the boat, then vaulted over the edge and landed in front of You Huo, clutching a bundle of rope in his hand.

You Huo naturally assumed he had come to tie up the octopus, thinking that their synergy was still quite good. Despite the commotion, the cleanup work had been handled remarkably well.

But then Qin Jiu stood up, shook out the rope, and gave it a light toss. A pre-tied loop settled neatly around You Huo.

The big boss, completely unprepared, froze for a moment as he fell into the trap.

All the praise and kind words instantly vanished into thin air.

What cooperation? What teamwork?

Only when Qin Jiu tightened the knot, causing him to tense his shoulders and back, did he finally utter in disbelief, “What are you doing?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s that obvious?”

Qin Jiu wound the excess rope around his hand: “Traveled over mountains and rivers just to catch someone who’s trying to weasel out of a deal, and to pick up a couple of enforcers while I’m at it.”

“…”

The man trying to weasel out of a deal pursed his thin lips tightly, falling silent for a few seconds before speaking: “Can’t you at least get your priorities straight?”

Qin Jiu turned his head to look behind him—

Over thirty candidates tumbled in one after another, like dumplings being dropped into a pot, letting out a chorus of “Ow, my back!”

and “Ouch, damn it!”

Meanwhile, above their heads, the system punishment tools and question tools were already battling it out…

The White-Face Army charged straight toward the ugly octopus.

In that instant, the wind suddenly turned fierce, and roaring sounds erupted from all directions.

Somehow, White-Face seemed to forget about the fleeing examinees and unleashed an unprecedented level of aggression toward the three octopuses.

They stretched their necks and surged forth, in the blink of an eye wrapping the octopus within the white whirlwind.

It was the first time the examinees had seen the furious White Mask, and they were so terrified their souls nearly fled, hastily shrinking into the corners of the ship’s cabin.

Qin Jiu turned his head back, pointing behind him as he said to You Huo, “First secure the enforcers before coming to catch you—I believe I’m quite capable of prioritizing.”

“……”

You Huo had nothing to say.

The derelict ship’s upper deck had been torn open, leaving it completely exposed and unprotected.

The faces had already hoisted the octopus into the air. Broken ice and frigid seawater splashed wildly in the midst of their entangled struggle, crashing wave after wave into the ship’s hold.

The wooden floorboards crackled and snapped like a torrential downpour.

No examinee dared to peek out.

Diligently inquisitive classmate Di Li found himself a perfect spot. Sitting right beside Qin Jiu, he leaned against a wooden crate, pretending it could block a bit of the icy water.

Peeking out from behind the crate, he glanced at Qin Jiu, then at the rope, then at You Huo, and humbly asked, “Brother Qin, what’s the deal with tying the rope? This time my mind isn’t keeping up.”

You Huo said, “It’s a deranged move.”

Qin Jiu let out a laugh, as if tacitly agreeing.

You Huo broke free from his hold, untying the rope while saying to Qin Jiu, “Didn’t you bring a whole box of medicine? You should take a few before heading out.”

Great, now he’s starting to curse.

Di Li finally realized he’d asked a foolish question and awkwardly withdrew.

He shrunk back halfway and heard Qin Jiu reply unhurriedly: “There aren’t any left, they were all used on the crew.”

Di Li: “…”

What the hell? That works?!

Di Li fully ducked back into hiding, pretending he didn’t exist…

* * *

That night, what the examinees regretted most was dropping their torches during the chase.

Those pretty boys charged ahead fiercely, yet the giant squid wasn’t easy to deal with.

The two fought fiercely, arms swinging, for a long time.

From the shore to the sea, then from the sea back to the shore, they roared back and forth over the barren wreck of a ship.

Fighting so earth-shattering, the frozen sea surface wasn’t even broken through.

During this time, some examinees dared to take a glance, filled with strong doubts about whether the ice would melt tomorrow… or rather, today, wondering if the ice would actually thaw.

For the rest of the time, most people were shivering from the cold.

The pretty boys suffered from not having as many hands as an octopus, and the slaughter lasted all night.

It wasn’t until the sea turned into a transparent shade of grey and dawn began to break that the pretty boys gradually faded away in the morning’s cold mist.

The exhausted octopuses hung on the reef, like seafood waiting to be dried.

If they remained motionless, then the examinees could move.

* * *

Three semi-comatose giant octopuses suddenly felt suffocated.

They opened their eyes and realized their faces hurt…

It hurts so badly.

It feels as if someone were pulling and tearing at him, and then bound him horizontally with a row of rubber bands.

And then they realized… Fuck, that’s exactly what happened!

They really were tied up, bound around some reef.

If only their tentacles were bound to stop them from waving, it wouldn’t really matter. They could sever their tentacles to save themselves and escape.

Unfortunately, some examinees had learned from last time and tied up their faces as well.

Losing limbs could still regrow, but losing their heads would not.

Under the scorching sunlight, they gradually dried up, filled with anger and despair.

After running wild on this island for so long, this is the first time feeling so humiliated…

But that’s nothing.

Some devilish examinees could make them even more embarrassed—

Considering the sea remained motionless long after daybreak.

The examinees, after hanging up the squid, began repairing the final merchant ship.

Perhaps due to their anxious mood, everyone worked with astonishing efficiency—completing the repairs in just over two hours.

After that, they began a tedious wait.

The waiting process was always agonizing.

They couldn’t sit still, so they found something to keep themselves busy.

The sun had shifted position, and the spot where the octopus was being dried became shaded. The examinees reached a consensus and, in groups of ten, dragged the octopus across the ice.

Its soft face scraped against the rugged reef rocks until it reached the shoreline.

The lead merchant ship had the highest load capacity, so the examinees simply hoisted the octopus and tied it in a row along the ship’s gunwale, facing the sun directly.

With the last hemp rope securely tied, Captain Barents leaned out from the stone cave.

He waved his hand and shouted something.

The first mate leaned out next, translating with a voice even louder than the captain’s: “What are you doing—”

The deformed face of the octopus was blindingly hideous; You Huo’s gaze touched it and immediately snapped away, as if his eyes had been stung by a hornet.

He was the first to return to the edge of the cave.

The first mate pointed at the merchant ship and asked again, “The captain wants to know what you did to his ship. What on earth is that tied up there?”

“Emergency rations, prepared just for you.”

The captain immediately grew excited. He shielded his eyes with his hand and looked into the distance, finally recognizing that it was the same whiskery creature they had eaten before.

First Mate: “The captain says thank you, it looks delicious, and he’s starving right now.”

No sooner had he spoken than the first mate’s own stomach growled twice.

He froze awkwardly, and the captain patted him on the back, laughing heartily.

The crew was indeed famished, but with the ship about to set sail, everyone was too excited to settle down and eat.

The octopus was still shamelessly hanging on the ship’s side, quietly awaiting its fate.

……

The sun slowly began to sink in the west as You Huo leaned against the cave entrance.

Beside him came the soft rustle of fabric; with a sidelong glance, he saw it was Qin Jiu.

“What are you looking at?”

Qin Jiu emerged from the cave entrance, propping himself up on the overhead rock.

You Huo gestured with his chin toward the distance.

“Watching the ice melt.”

“In a rush?”

“I couldn’t care less,” You Huo said.

“Whether it’s a few hours earlier or later makes no real difference.”

“Actually, there is a slight difference,”

Qin Jiu also leaned against the cave entrance.

“If the thaw happens only after nightfall, it might attract those faces. Then it’ll just be a chorus of wailing again.”

These words would soon prove prophetic.

The ice on the sea surface was like an old lady’s mouth—stubbornly clamped shut, refusing to let a crack show.

It stubbornly held on through the evening, then through the nightfall, until deep into the night, when everyone finally heard a sound in the silence.

“The ice is melting!”

a few old sailors jumped to their feet!

The next second, the captain and the others darted out.

That was the faint crackling sound of ice breaking.

One crackle was faint, two crackles were faint, but when the vast, endless sea surface fractured on a large scale, the sound became terrifying.

The examinees hurried out with their courage-boosting tools and torches, sprinting forward amid the roaring sounds rushing toward them.

Though no one dared to look down, they clearly knew that those white faces were rapidly approaching.

Perhaps the next moment they would suddenly break through the ice layer, surging in like a roaring tidal wave, sweeping all of them into the white frenzy.

Though they had not personally experienced it, the fate of the three octopuses was clear for all to see.

Even now, as they lay tied to the ship’s rail with their eyes covered and unable to see a thing, they still instinctively writhed their tentacles, trying to escape a second beating.

If even giant octopuses feared it so much, how could such insignificant people not…

Since they were to escort the return voyage, the candidates had to stay on the merchant ship.

The crew threw down rope ladders, and they scrambled up in an instant. As soon as they stepped onto the deck, the white wind wall arrived.

The howls rose one after another, seemingly coming from all directions. Human faces strained to stretch their necks, poking out from the surface of the wind wall.

Despite such frantic movements, their expressions remained unchanged. This stark contrast between their calm expressions and wild actions instead created an eerie sense of horror.

“Holy shit, hurry up! Weren’t we all set before? Didn’t they say we could leave just by turning the wheel?”

“Turn it now!!”

“Hoist the sails! Hoist the sails—”

The wall of wind, composed of pale faces, was rapidly closing in.

“Hurry—captain, hurry! If we don’t leave now, we’re going to die!!”

On the ship, screams and roars intertwined into a chaotic chorus.

Amid the cries, the helmsman spun the ship’s wheel to its limit, and the repaired sails billowed out with wind the moment they turned.

The moment the pale-faced figures leaned their necks forward and lunged toward the shore, the merchant ship finally pulled away from the bank.

Their stiff faces actually showed a flicker of disappointment.

Wonderful, even though I’ve been anxious all this time… we’ve finally made it.

The captain thought to himself.

He held a rusted pocket watch in his hand, repeatedly flipping the cover open and closed, producing a clicking sound.

From the corner of his eye, You Huo caught a glimpse of a small portrait inside the watch.

Perhaps it was intuition, but his brow suddenly twitched.

At the same moment, Qin Jiu muttered quietly beside him, “Not good.”

His deep voice had just faded when the three merchant ships offshore suddenly spun in place, making a full 360-degree turn before inexplicably docking back at their original positions.

Immediately after, something resembling a music box on one of the ships began to speak:

[Detected failure to meet all return conditions]

Examinee: “?”

【All merchant vessels are to return to shore immediately. The current ice-melting period will end in five seconds.】

Candidate: “???”

【Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1】

【No new ice-melting period will occur in the short term following the end of this one.】

【Wishing candidates a swift and safe return with excellent results.】

The situation suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse.

Before the candidates could even realize what had gone wrong, the endless sea had already frozen over once again.

There wasn’t even a moment left for them to digest or process the situation!

And even got good grades…

Bastard.