Chapter 72: Big Boss Battles a Blaze If the system were a person, a single word could sum up its entire response: GET LOST!!!!

For the entire school’s teachers and students, this night was truly unforgettable.

Because it was too thrilling…

They never knew it could be played this way—

The two big shots were already experts at controlling the field, and with the four of them together, the effect multiplied by more than double.

They treated monsters on the level of Godzilla or zombie hordes like kites, leading the big monsters to crush the ghosts. The ghosts fled all over the school, while they conveniently took down even smaller creatures along the way.

To quote Little Fatty: “Those demons and monsters were having a miserable time… driven away like dogs.”

Big fish eats small fish, small fish eats shrimp, shrimp gnaws on mud.

A single food chain managed to eliminate 90% of the monsters.

The remaining 10% were a bit more troublesome, but they were cleared out before dawn as well.

At 4:37 in the morning, flames shot skyward from two laboratories on the west side of the school.

Countless walking corpses surged forward like a raging sea tide, the huge monsters wrapped in their gnawing visibly collapsing, turning into bare bones in the blink of an eye.

And when the zombie tide was about to retreat, waiting for them was an unbreachable wall of raging flames.

The scent of scorching mingled with hoarse roars, instantly spreading throughout the entire school.

The teachers who had been helping collapsed in a safe area, catching their breath with disheveled appearances.

The two chemistry teachers who had contributed the most effort were whispering to each other.

One said, “I always knew that studying this subject would eventually lead to burning down a laboratory. And now, it’s two at once.”

The other remarked, “It was clearly an explosion…”

“Pretty much. Who didn’t sing that song as a kid? Something about carrying a backpack and blowing up the school—dreams come true tonight.”

“…Have a little restraint. Making students laugh by performing a one-man comedy routine during class is one thing, but Director Xiao is right there in front of us. Don’t speak carelessly.”

Director Xiao’s high heels had long been discarded somewhere, and her skirt suit was now unrecognizable from its original color. Even so, when she sat down on the floor, her posture was still elegant, with her legs crossed and tilted to one side—quite dignified.

She tapped on her phone rapidly, causing the language teacher Yu Luo beside her to lean in and ask, “Director Xiao, what are you up to?”

“Record the losses.”

Chief Xiao typed as he spoke, “Two student dormitories collapsed, two labs burned down, half the sports field was destroyed, four roads cracked, one small bridge over the campus moat broke, plus several desks and chairs…”

Yu Luo: “…”

In normal times, she was actually a little afraid of this director, who was strict and rigid, his face perpetually stern and serious. But this time, she couldn’t help but say, “Director Xiao… these losses might seem heavy at first glance, but honestly, we’re lucky. At least no one got hurt tonight. Just yesterday at this time, we were still being chased all over the campus by monsters.”

She felt that no matter what, these losses shouldn’t be pinned on those two… well, now four.

Little did she expect, Director Xiao finished typing the last item with a clatter, looked at her from behind his glasses, and said, “What’s wrong, Teacher Yu? Did you think I was going to have A and B submit a bill? I may be strict and hard to talk to normally, but that doesn’t mean I can’t distinguish right from wrong or don’t know what’s good. I’m keeping this record to show the principal.”

Yu Luo: “Huh?”

Director Xiao: “To show our leaders how dire the situation is and ask for some funds. Little girl… go wash your face first, and later go thank those two.”

“……”

Teacher Yu stood dazed for two seconds, then ran off with a cheerful smile.

She washed the grime off her face and went with Teacher Zheng to find You Huo and Qin Jiu.

They found the two big shots behind the exploded lab, and then both of them felt unsettled… because the big shots were fighting.

Teacher Xiao Yu and Teacher Zheng looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.

“What’s going on?!” Teacher Zheng, who had a hot temper, was about to rush over and break up the fight when Teacher Xiao Yu grabbed him.

Teacher Zheng unwillingly shrank into the corner, observing the battle for a moment.

Based on his extensive experience with conflict since childhood, he felt these four would never reach a conclusion.

Both sides knew each other well—their moves and tactics were almost identical, and their reflexes were just as sharp.

He watched silently for three minutes, feeling grateful that Teacher Xiao Yu had pulled him aside earlier.

Given his reckless nature, rushing in wouldn’t have harmed the four big shots at all, but he, the mediator, would’ve ended up getting mistakenly beaten to a pulp.

The two young teachers discussed it briefly and decided to call for backup.

* * *

In the distance, there was the crackling sound of roaring flames, while nearby, the wind swept past with a whistle.

The clang of metal colliding and the rustling of fabric brushing against each other mingled in the chaos…

A chokehold was inevitably reversed, and a grab of the wrist was countered just as swiftly.

The fight was indeed fierce, but neither side truly gained the upper hand.

Thousands of monsters didn’t give them a headache; fighting among themselves was the most troublesome part.

Another attack proved ineffective. After a stalemate lasting a few seconds, both sides simultaneously disengaged.

Qin Jiu and You Huo leaned against the broken walls and swiftly flipped behind the debris.

They used the broken wall as cover, leaning against it to catch their breath.

Qin Jiu suddenly laughed and pulled at his collar, saying, “This fight is impossible.”

On such a cold day, You Huo actually had sweat on his temples. He pursed his lips, his breathing a bit labored.

After calming down for a moment, he said, “If your hands were a bit heavier, it wouldn’t have been so hard to fight.”

Qin Jiu: “…”

Just now, when Qin Jiu grabbed “Examiner A,” if he had been just a bit fiercer, the other would have had at least two seconds of stunned reaction. But at the critical moment, he relaxed his grip.

Qin Jiu turned his head to look at him for a moment, then pointed out unhurriedly, “Mr. A, if we’re keeping score like this, I have to say it’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black.”

You Huo: “…”

Where did you get so many endless names to call people…

He thought to himself.

But Qin Jiu was right—it really was a case of pot calling the kettle black. He also had the same situation when facing the other “Qin Jiu.”

And objectively speaking, it was the same for the other side.

It was halfway through the fight that they realized this and, with an uncanny understanding, switched to “fighting their own selves.” The result was even more disastrous. If they hadn’t stopped, they could have kept going until the next century.

“So, what now?” Qin Jiu leaned back against the wall without ceremony.

“Could they understand what we just said?”

You Huo muttered indifferently.

They hadn’t been purely fighting earlier—they had used the fight as a cover to exchange information again. They had told the other two “themselves” more detailed information about this examination center and the consequences of failing to complete the cleanup.

Qin Jiu: “Maybe.”

He had a feeling that it wasn’t just someone from a dream. He always felt… that was himself, that was You Huo.

You Huo from a certain period, himself from a certain time.

That’s why they always loosened their grip at crucial moments in their confrontations.

Qin Jiu leaned the back of his head against the wall and suddenly winked at You Huo, asking, “What exactly did you dream about?”

That gentle blink made You Huo freeze for a second. Then, coming back to his senses, he turned his head away and said, “One room, seems like there were tables and chairs? And also a—”

Bed.

A very simple word, yet You Huo suddenly stumbled.

“What kind of card?” Qin Jiu asked.

You Huo narrowed his eyes: “A bow.”

Qin Jiu: “?”

You Huo kept a straight face while making up nonsense: “Yeah, I’m holding a bow and arrow, probably to shoot you.”

Qin Jiu: “???”

Another two seconds passed.

You Huo heard the person beside him let out a low chuckle.

* * *

Tens of meters away, examinee “Qin Jiu” and “Examiner A” leaned against the corner of the teaching building, alert to the movements of the other two.

Gin looked at the opposite side for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, “Examiner, what those two just said, do you believe it?”

“And you?”

“Yes.”

Gin said.

“Examiner A” was a bit surprised, “Then why have you been fighting for so long?”

“Qin Jiu” gave an affirmative hum.

In reality, “Examiner A” believed it too, because the timeline given to the other two was consistent, while his and candidate “Qin Jiu’s” was not.

Logically speaking, if someone had to be non-real, it could only be him and “Qin Jiu.”

He was equally aware of this and had been fighting just as long.

The corner fell into silence; for a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

After a moment, “Qin Jiu” lazily turned his head, his dark eyes reflecting the faint glow of dawn. “I actually feel like I’m dreaming too. In my understanding, it seems like we’ve been at odds for a long time.”

“Examiner A” looked at him.

“Qin Jiu” suddenly winked at him and said, “For the first time ever, we got to be teammates—naturally, we had to make the most of it. What do you think?”

“Examiner A” said nothing.

After a moment, he tilted his head and let out a faint laugh.

“Qin Jiu” gazed at the slender lines of his neck and, for a moment, an impulse flashed through his mind—he felt like giving it a bite.

He withdrew his gaze and licked the tip of his canine tooth.

In the distance, the night sky at the horizon gradually grew lighter, the thick darkness fading into a translucent gray.

He knew that dawn was about to break.

It wouldn’t be long before the countdown for this exam would stop, and they were the last two dreams left to be cleared.

“Qin Jiu” didn’t turn his head: “Chief Examiner—”

“Mm.”

“It always seems like I’m the one calling out to you. What would you call me? Suddenly, I really want to know.”

“Examiner A” was momentarily stunned.

This should be one of his dreams, a fragmented dream without past or future. The only scenes were a meeting room, a corridor, a group of colleagues with blurred faces, and Qin Jiu.

In this dream, he had never called Qin Jiu by his name, nor had he used any other form of address.

However, the moment he heard the question, an answer suddenly surfaced in his mind.

As if it had been buried deep in his subconscious, secretly spoken many times before.

He said, “Gi.”

“What?”

“Gin, minus the last letter.”

“Everyone calls him that? Or is it just you?”

“……”

“Is that a nickname?”

“……”

“Alright, I’ll remember.”

“Qin Jiu” smiled faintly and said, “It’s about to get light. Care to take a bet?”

“Examiner A”: “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

* * *

Behind the broken wall, You Huo suddenly asked Qin Jiu, “If it were you, what would you do?”

If you discover that you are a character in a dream, locked in a stalemate with reality—potentially triggering a series of subsequent troubles—what would you do?

Qin Jiu said, “I might play something exciting.”

At the moment he heard this question, the arrogance and madness in his bones surged forth once again.

He thought…

No, he was inexplicably certain—

“Look to the left.”

You Huo looked over. The orange-red flames burned startlingly bright in the night.

Qin Jiu said, “I’ll take a big gamble and walk in.”

While they were speaking, they suddenly heard someone whistle.

With a teasing and arrogant air.

They exchanged a glance and stood up.

Not far away, Qin Jiu during his examinee days and invigilator You Huo walked side by side.

The leaping flames cast long shadows behind them, the orange-red light in that moment passionate and unrestrained.

Qin Jiu watched a version of himself from a certain point in time, waving his hand behind his back with the same lazy arrogance as always. Together with You Huo from that same moment, they walked into the fire without looking back.

In that instant, Qin Jiu once again felt a sense of déjà vu.

He could even recall the sensation of flames engulfing him..

Nearby, a large group of teachers and students rushed over, with screams and gasps echoing one after another.

The little fatty’s voice abruptly rang out as he said, “Damn, if I have another dream tonight, I’m probably going to dream about this…”

It wasn’t just him—everyone felt that way after a day like this.

At night, you’d either dream of the big shots rushing into the fire or the big shots fighting monsters.

……

The instant the little fatty’s voice fell, all the surroundings suddenly froze.

The voice of the system abruptly rang out:

[Anomalous factors detected, examination hall system malfunction, cleanup task aborted. Violating examinees are requested to leave immediately.]

If things went on like this for another night, with over a thousand students, over a thousand You Huo’s and Qin Jiu’s.

That would be even more terrifying than a zombie horde battling Godzilla.

If the system were a person, one word would represent the entire sentence—

Fuck off!!!!