Chapter 8: Return Gift – This is that dirty bucket’s return gift, like it?

The rooster hanging on the door twisted its neck again, staring out the window as it crowed.

Three proctors arrived with snow on their shoulders, a wave of cold air rushing in as soon as they entered.

A familiar scene, familiar people.

The group of old, weak, sick, and disabled in the room all had numb expressions.

154’s face was even more wooden: “We received another violation notice.”

He pulled out a slip of paper and said, “The notice says that a certain examinee—”

“A certain examinee who looks well-behaved but never learns his lesson,” Qin Jiu interrupted, taking off his gloves and adding teasingly.

154 looked at him in disbelief.

“Problem?” Qin Jiu raised an eyebrow.

154: “…No.”

He was just wondering how blind someone had to be to see “well-behaved” in You Huo.

But since the one adding the commentary was the boss, he had to let him talk nonsense.

You Huo stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, giving Qin Jiu a cold glare.

Qin Jiu, however, had a smile at the corner of his lips. Across the orange glow of the fire and lamplight, he nodded in return.

The gesture was truly gentlemanly, but the attitude was truly mocking.

Afraid that a certain proctor and a certain examinee might come to blows on the spot, 154 quickly said with a stern face, “—A certain examinee answered the question improperly, causing the main component of the question—”

922: “That is, Hunter A.”

154: “…to die on the spot. This situation is currently quite rare—”

922: “Unheard of.”

154: “…We need to conduct an inquiry and hope you can provide an explanation.”

922: “Mainly referring to a specific examinee.”

154 closed his eyes for a moment.

The boss spent all his time provoking people, and his colleague had issues with his brain.

He paused, then put the note away expressionlessly. He said to everyone, “Where is Hunter A?”

The examinees in the room parted to both sides, revealing the long dining table. By the table leg lay a large heap of rags.

The proctor walked closer to examine it carefully and realized it wasn’t rags, but a black long robe wrapped in an old, moldy cloak with black bear fur along the edges, giving off a stale, sour odor.

The unlucky Hunter A lay face down, stiff and straight inside this pile of clothes.

Adhering to the professional ethics of a proctor, 922 turned Hunter A over.

When alive, Hunter A’s skin was deathly pale; after death, it had taken on a greenish-gray hue. His face was turned to one side, both eyes wide open, still wearing an expression of shock and disbelief. His mouth was like a split hole, his lips and tongue bright red.

922 took a formal step back, and while no one was looking, wiped his fingers on the back of 154’s coat.

154: “…”

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, he bent down to examine the body.

Hunter A’s thick fingers still held a fragment of a glass stem; the rest of the cup had shattered into pieces on the floor.

The received violation notice showed that Hunter A had said, “Everyone in this room, whoever breaks the tableware will be severely punished.”

This was completely consistent with the exam requirements, meant to be said to the examinees.

But shortly after he said it, he broke one himself and died faster than anyone else.

Although he roughly knew the process, 154 still asked You Huo for confirmation, sticking to protocol: “You kicked him?”

You Huo looked down at him and spoke lazily: “My leg was numb, I wasn’t standing steady. I stumbled.”

Everyone: “…”

The hell he stumbled.

154: “Is that reason a little too perfunctory?”

You Huo: “Did I make the rule that tableware can’t be damaged?”

154: “That’s not it—”

You Huo: “Was this uncoordinated A your creation?”

154: “…”

The other was cold and sarcastic, and Proctor 154 felt a bit overwhelmed. He turned to look for someone even more sarcastic to help him out, but found only 922 beside him. Their boss hadn’t come to examine the body at all.

Seeing the proctor hesitate, Yu Wen ventured, “Uh… Hunter A broke the cup himself, and he died by his own skill. Can you not count it as my brother violating the rules?”

Ding ding ding—

Before 154 could open his mouth, three violation alerts sounded in the room.

It was the first time the three proctors had been warned simultaneously.

The others in the room had never heard this sound before and didn’t quite understand.

Yu Wen looked around for the source and asked warily, “What now?”

922 said soothingly, “Don’t be nervous, it’s just the exam system urging us to hurry up and penalize.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment, then grew even more nervous.

Someone else spoke up: “Then… can I take the punishment for him?”

Everyone turned to look. It was Yu Yao.

She raised her slender white hand, like a student trying to get the teacher’s attention. Up close, you could see her hand was trembling, but her gaze was resolute.

Unfortunately, the proctors ignored her outright.

……

The system urged twice more.

The two proctors walked through the crowd to You Huo’s side.

The others wanted to follow, but hesitated.

Especially when 154 glanced at them halfway there, everyone who wanted to move froze in place.

Facing You Huo, 922’s tone lost its professionalism. Taking advantage of the other examinees not being able to hear, he spoke nonsense: “It’s not that we want to make things difficult for you. To be honest, when we got the violation notice, 154 missed a step on the stairs, my beef fell on my foot, and the boss was playing with his bird and almost twisted its head off. None of us wants to punish you, really. Who does that torture? — Don’t sneer. I’ve noticed you have a particular problem with our boss.”

You Huo’s gaze swept over Qin Jiu briefly, then snapped back, as if just looking at him hurt his eyes.

922 shook his head: “You’ve really got some nerve.”

You Huo remained unmoved.

922 continued, “The rules on the answer wall are crystal clear: no damaging tableware. Sure, you didn’t smash the cup directly with your own hands. If you had, you’d be the one stiff on the floor right now. But the cup broke and the question died, and you got off scot-free… If I were the system, I’d be pissed too.”

“An indirect cause is still a cause.” 922 touched his own neck.

When the system had issued the warning earlier, his little red light had been hidden in his hair.

922 paused, then said to You Huo, “This is already the result of the system’s balanced judgment.”

……

You Huo straightened up.

“What are you doing?” 154 asked warily.

You Huo’s height was around 185 cm, taller than 154, about the same as 922. But when he stood up straight and cast his gaze over, he always gave people a sense of looking down on them, even 922 was no exception.

You Huo glanced at them lightly: “Did I say I refused the punishment?”

922: “Then what were you doing, posing with your arms crossed?”

You Huo moved his lips: “Being polite, letting you finish your speech.”

The two proctors: “…”

If they had guns, they’d fire.

……

You Huo turned and walked off.

As he passed through the crowd, Old Yu grabbed him: “You’re really going?”

You Huo instinctively frowned.

He always hated physical contact, especially sudden, unannounced touches. But Old Yu’s concern was genuine. He endured two seconds before pulling his hand out: “It’s not the first time.”

Three times now, what was there to fear? he thought.

It was just that same small building. He’d been through solitary confinement, cleaned up blood, seen bones and flesh. What other tricks could they pull?

Besides, no matter how annoying the punishment… even if it meant staring face to face with that No. 001, it was only three hours.

With the last shred of his patience, he waved at Old Yu and headed for the door without looking back: “That little bit of punishment time, I’ll just sleep through it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar voice rang out.

“This certain incorrigible Mr. Hmm—”

You Huo stopped at the door. He held the doorknob and looked to the left expressionlessly.

Qin Jiu leaned against the back of the sofa, playing with a leather whip… no, a long leather rope in his hand.

He drawled, “Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

You Huo faced off with him for a moment, then finally moved his lips: “To be reborn. Want to come with me?”

Qin Jiu let out a short laugh, his voice deep: “Flattered, but no need to go that far.”

You Huo frowned: “What do you mean?”

“Oh, right.” Qin Jiu turned to look toward the others in the room. “Where’s our other proctor? Did you forget to tell him about this punishment?”

You Huo looked at 154 skeptically.

The other man pulled out another slip of paper and read, “According to the rules, if the same examinee violates the rules three times in a row during a single exam, they will become a special case, requiring the proctors to invigorate on-site throughout the exam, with focused monitoring.”

Everyone: “…”

For some reason, the proctor’s tone sounded very pained.

154 glanced at You Huo and continued reading, “Additionally, the examinee will be deprived of the right to choose once.”

The room fell dead silent.

After a moment, You Huo looked at Qin Jiu and said coldly, “Are you kidding?”

Qin Jiu made a “please” gesture at him, so gentlemanly it was practically begging for a beating: “No joke. The time until the exam ends normally is—”

He pulled a phone from his coat pocket, glanced at it half-heartedly: “—36 hours and 24 minutes. That means we’ll be cooped up together for a day and a half. We even brought our luggage. It’s right outside the door. Why don’t you open it and take a look?”

You Huo opened the door and looked outside.

By the door, two suitcases stood neatly in a row.

You Huo: “…”

Thirty-six hours and twenty-four minutes…

This wasn’t a matter of sleeping through it… this would require eternal slumber.

And bringing suitcases — who were they trying to disgust???

“Oh right, there’s one more thing I want to remind you of.” Qin Jiu’s voice rang out again. “There are still 24 minutes until the second paper collection. Make that 23. According to the rules, an examinee who has violated the rules has no right to answer questions during this period. To prevent a certain incorrigible gentleman from forcing another violation, I’ll have to do something discourteous…”

As Qin Jiu spoke, the leather rope in his hand was already coiled. He looped it around You Huo’s left hand, grabbed You Huo’s shoulder to turn him around, looped the right hand as well, and then yanked hard.

Smack—

The rope instantly knotted, tightly binding You Huo’s hands.

Qin Jiu stood behind him, holding his shoulders and said quietly, “This is that dirty bucket’s return gift. Like it?”

You Huo liked it so much he was about to explode.