{"id":3054,"date":"2026-04-19T02:44:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T02:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/global-examination-09\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T02:52:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T02:52:54","slug":"global-examination-09","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/chapter\/global-examination-09\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Examination 09"},"content":{"rendered":"


Chapter 9: A Head to Celebrate

You Huo extended his hand toward him and said, “Give me your head to celebrate.”

The attic was low, with a wooden pillar standing in the center, holding up the roof like an umbrella handle.

In the cramped space was a four-poster bed. The sheets and bedding hadn’t been washed in centuries, the canopy was tattered, and a foul sour smell emanated from it.

Qin Jiu pressed a glove to his nose and looked around.

“Let me think, where would be best to put you,” he said softly.

He was a little taller than You Huo. If he stood up straight, he’d hit the ceiling, so he had to keep his head down the whole time.

“The bed? The bedposts would work well to tie the rope to. Definitely wide enough, though a bit short.”

Qin Jiu shook the bedpost, testing its sturdiness. But when he turned his head, he saw You Huo’s “mutual destruction” face.

If Yu Wen or Old Yu had seen You Huo’s expression, they would have run for their lives, but Qin Jiu just laughed.

His deep, low laugh was muffled in his throat. “Alright, it is indeed not that clean, and the post is a bit thin. There’s a good chance it won’t hold you… It’s not big in here. What do you want?”

You Huo’s face was cold; he didn’t plan to answer.

But Qin Jiu wasn’t in a hurry. He just waited.

After being stared at for a while, You Huo finally said impatiently, “I want you to lie down on that fragrant bed yourself, tie the rope around your own neck, and hand me the other end. Then all I have to do is give it a yank and I’ll have peace and quiet. Is that okay?”

Qin Jiu narrowed his eyes.

For a moment, You Huo thought he must be displeased. But then he laughed again and said, “I’m afraid not. I don’t have that kind of hobby.”

You Huo: “…”

Psycho.

\u2026\u2026

The psycho still had a shred of humanity left and didn’t actually put You Huo on the hunter’s bed.

You Huo sat on the floor, his hands behind his back, tied to the pillar holding up the roof.

Qin Jiu walked around him to open the window.

The attic window was very small, no bigger than a palm. But the cold air that rushed in still dispersed the sour stench.

Qin Jiu asked, “Cold?”

That was utter nonsense. Wearing a T-shirt in a snowstorm \u2014 if not cold, then what?

But compared to the cold, You Huo found the sour smell even more unbearable.

Ignoring Qin Jiu’s question, he frowned and said, “Can you let me stand?”

“No.”

“…”

You Huo glared at him coldly.

Qin Jiu returned to the bed and sat leaning against the small wooden round table, facing You Huo. “Your legs are too long. You might stumble and lunge at me. Sitting is more stable.”

You Huo: “…”

Stable, my ass.

Angered twice in a row, You Huo turned his head to the right and couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore.

On the right, what should have been a wall was covered with a pane of glass. From You Huo’s angle, he could see half of the living room downstairs. The examinees were either standing or sitting there, at a loss.

Without You Huo, that group of old, weak, sick, and disabled was like headless flies, wringing their hands and pacing, completely\u4e0d\u77e5\u6240\u63aa.

\u2026\u2026

Yu Wen gripped the knife, struggling desperately by the answer wall.

He planned to write down every physics formula he’d learned in his life, whether related to optics or not. But after racking his brains, he realized his life’s learning was only enough for five minutes of writing.

Only when it came time to use knowledge did one regret having so little.

Yu Wen had lived eighteen years. This was the first time he’d thought of that saying, and it hurt everywhere.

“Anyone else? Does anyone remember anything?” He turned to ask the people behind him for help.

Yu Yao looked ashamed: “I studied science in high school, but switched to liberal arts in college, and I’ve been working for so many years… Just the stuff on the wall \u2014 if you hadn’t written it, I wouldn’t have remembered it at all.”

Yu Wen looked at her like a puppy: “Sis, think again. Anything, any supplement at all!”

He was lucky he took after his mother. Though far from You Huo’s level, he could still be considered attractive at school.

Yu Yao was literally stared into a maternal feeling. She hesitated and said, “I only remember a refraction diagram. The most, most basic kind. Don’t laugh at me if I draw it.”

“Not laugh! Whoever laughs, I’ll kill them, really.”

The rash oath was too fierce. Yu Yao blankly shrank back, then held her stomach as she moved over, took the knife, drew an arc, and then two refracted rays.

Yu Wen made an “mm” sound, thinking to himself, really basic. But even this, he hadn’t thought of.

“Anyone else?”

Yu Wen was like a hysterical pyramid scheme salesman, his gaze sweeping over the remaining people one by one.

The two old ladies… forget it, they might not even know what physics was.

The tattooed man and the sickly bamboo pole had already lowered their heads in guilt.

The bald man, faint and having peed himself, wasn’t crazy \u2014 that was good enough.

There was also an old man with twin granddaughters. The old man was hard of hearing and a bit senile. The granddaughters were probably in elementary school… Yu Wen couldn’t bring himself to abuse children with physics.

The foreigner, Mike, only knew two phrases \u2014 “hello” and “what did you say” \u2014 completely useless.

Old Yu… Old Yu only knew alcohol.

Yu Wen finally understood his brother’s despair.

\u2026\u2026

922 was moving the luggage inside. Seeing him standing blankly in front of the hearth, he said, “I suggest you move further from the fire. Don’t want you burning to death before answering the questions.”

Yu Wen, resigned to his fate, thought: Forget it, charcoal burning it is. At least die red.

He looked up toward the attic.

The glass was old and very scratched, and the light in the attic was dim. What would that Proctor 001 do to his brother? Would his brother be looking down at them, watching them flounder, and think disappointedly that he was a waste…

“Five minutes left,” 922 reminded.

Everyone was panicking.

\u2026\u2026

There were limited places in this rundown house to live, and limited places to sit.

The dining table was set with utensils, one set representing death. No one could just sit in any chair.

922 carried his suitcase around for a bit, then squeezed onto the sofa with 154.

154 asked quietly, puzzled, “Isn’t the boss in the attic?”

922 said, “I know.”

154 asked, “Then why are you leaving your suitcase here? Waiting for him to carry it up himself?”

922 said, “Two troublemakers are both up there. I don’t really want to go up right now.”

154 said, “…”

Some ambition.

922 pouted: “Why are you rolling your eyes at me? How about you go?”

154 sat up straight and looked at the examinees: “I’m invigilating.”

“Are you monitoring them? The one who needs monitoring the most is upstairs.”

“The boss is enough.”

922: “…”

154: “…”

The two proctors sat in silence.

Finally, 922 sighed and said, “I’ve been invigilating for three years… no, not just invigilating. Even counting my own exam days, I’ve never seen such a lawless examinee.”

He thought 154 would nod in agreement, but the other man thought for a moment and said, “You have.”

922 was stunned: “Huh??? Who? When?”

154 tilted his chin toward the attic.

922 was confused for a moment before it suddenly hit him… right, how could he forget! The last examinee who was this difficult later became Proctor 001.

Just how difficult was Qin Jiu back in the day? Legend has it he almost made the exam system collapse.

“Come to think of it, I’ve always wanted to get bold one day and ask the boss about his past exploits,” 922 said. “Since I’ve only seen two of them.”

154 quickly stopped him: “Are you crazy? Don’t do anything rash!”

922 was puzzled: “What? Can’t even ask? I’ve noticed that every time I bring up the boss’s past, you cut me off.”

“That’s because I don’t want you to die too quickly,” 154 said sternly. “The boss doesn’t remember the past himself. Apparently, there was an accident with the exam system, he got caught in it, and forgot some things.”

922 was dumbfounded: “There was such a thing? How come I don’t know?”

154 said expressionlessly, “Because all you know how to do is eat.”

922 sat there, stunned.

154 added, “Haven’t you noticed he never brings up the past himself? When I first became a proctor, I made the mistake of bringing it up… Anyway, I don’t want to go through that again, and you definitely don’t either, so please have some self-respect.”

\u2026\u2026

In the attic, the only lamp wasn’t lit.

The space was small. The light from downstairs filtering through the hatch and the glass was enough to give people and objects a fuzzy edge.

Outside the window, the snow was still heavy, howling and pounding past.

You Huo kept looking downstairs, as if silently resigned, or maybe not worried at all. His eyes were clear and bright, and his earring occasionally caught the light at certain angles.

Qin Jiu watched him for a while, then spoke in a low, lazy voice, “Have I seen you before?”

After a moment, You Huo turned to look at him. His light brown eyes were like a cold winter pond.

“No. If you had, probably only one of us would still be alive.”

You Huo’s voice was chilly, full of sarcasm.

“Is that so?” Qin Jiu pressed his tongue against his cheek, as if genuinely considering it for a moment, then agreed, “A bit regrettable, but yes, that does seem to be the case.”

As they spoke, the attic ladder creaked.

154’s voice came up: “Boss, time’s almost up.”

922’s mumbled voice also drifted in; he seemed to be following behind 154: “Everything okay up there? Why am I so nervous?”

154 hushed him in a whisper: “Shut up.”

“Boss.” 154 stuck his head in first. “Are you coming down? It’s time to collect the papers.”

Qin Jiu asked, “How are the answers? I saw one little guy writing furiously, never stopping.”

922’s voice came before his body: “Useless. I didn’t look closely at what exactly he wrote, but one glance was enough to know \u2014 if he gets points for that, I’ll chop off my head to celebrate.”

154: “…”

\u2026\u2026

On top of the cupboard was an old-fashioned clock. Every tick of the second hand made a sound. Normally no one paid it any mind, but now it was clearly audible, making everyone anxious.

It ticked a few times, and then the rooster for collecting the papers crowed.

The three proctors came down the stairs to that nerve-wracking sound. To avoid violating the rules, they waited until the nine crows had finished before untying You Huo.

Everyone huddled together in the corner furthest from the door, like newly hatched chicks in a bamboo cage. As if that would keep them from being expelled from the exam room if they failed to get points.

Almost every examinee closed their eyes, waiting for judgment.

They waited a full minute.

922 said, “…Don’t tell me there was too much text and the system crashed?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the answer wall changed. Among the long, sprawling answers, two places had blood-red circles around them.

Yu Wen looked through his fingers.

One of them was what he had written: refractive index.

The other was what Yu Yao had added at the last moment: that extremely simple refraction diagram.

Next to the two red circles, two numbers appeared:

1

2

Everyone looked at the numbers, not yet understanding.

The answer wall changed again. All the abandoned answers that hadn’t earned points disappeared. In the empty space, a line of red text appeared:

Scoring: 1 death among 13 people, meeting question requirements, +6.
Additional: All examinees survive, +2.
Total score for this marking: 11 points.

The cottage was quiet for a long moment, and then Yu Wen howled, “FUCK!!!! Plus 11 points! I thought we were done for! But we got plus 11 points!”

“Bro!!! Did you see that I got one point!!!”

Above the examinee’s deafening voice, 922 asked 154, dumbfounded, “Has the system lost its mind! You kill the question and there’s still bonus points?!”

Seeing that 154 was also bewildered, he turned to glare at You Huo.

This boss, who had been tied up for over twenty minutes, had single-handedly scored 8 points.

You Huo coolly admired his expression, then extended his elegant hand toward him and said, “Give me your head to celebrate.”

922: “…”

After calculating the total score, the system might have realized it had lost its mind as well.

It held back for a while, then spit out another line:

Penalty for messy writing: -2.

The total jumped from 11 to 9.

The industrious writer Yu Wen: first +1, then -2, total -1.

Joyous and celebratory.

Just as examinees and proctors alike were losing their minds in the cottage, the question on the answer wall changed again.

Question: The hunter’s cottage now has only 12 guests and 12 sets of utensils, one set per person, no more fighting. But the secret within the utensils still remains, hidden beneath the light. The person sitting before the conspiracy will face a curse. Will that be you?
Requirement: Find the special set of utensils (but do not damage the utensils).
Topic: Optics.<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3054","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3054"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3060,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3054\/revisions\/3060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}