Chapter Three: Solitary Confinement
“Why don’t you… sleep a bit longer?”

From where they stood, the man in front was clearly Proctor 001.

He looked like someone who had just come in to escape the snow. As he surveyed the room, he removed his black leather gloves and smiled faintly. “Not bad—you knew to light a fire. It’s snowing hard outside. Quite cold coming all the way here.”

No one returned the smile.

Most people in the room instinctively shrank back.

He acted as if he hadn’t noticed. Walking over to the stove, he held his hands out to warm them. The faint smile still lingered on his lips, carrying a lazy hint of mockery.

The snow on his shoulders and collar slowly melted, leaving damp marks that soon dried in the heat.

Everyone stared at him, but no one dared speak.

They had just seen a metal can turn to powder the moment it left the house, yet these three had walked through the snow unharmed.

Yu Wen trembled behind You Huo, practically vibrating against him. In a tiny whisper, he asked, “Are they… even human?”

Proctor 001 seemed to hear him. He turned and glanced at You Huo.

His eyes were pitch black, hidden in shadow. Occasionally, the firelight flickered across them—brief, sharp. The hint of amusement remained.

You Huo looked back expressionlessly, pressing down on the trembling Yu Wen behind him. “Can you be quiet?”

Yu Wen froze.

…

After 001 finished warming himself and put his gloves back on, another proctor near the door spoke in a flat, official tone:

“We are the proctors for this exam. I am No. 154. We have just received notice that two of you did not follow the rules when answering.”

Yu Yao’s face turned deathly pale. Already unsteady, she now looked as if she might faint.

Tears streamed down her face.

As for the bald man tied to the sofa—he didn’t even dare breathe.

“But—”

Someone suddenly spoke.

154 paused and looked toward the speaker.

Yu Wen peeked out from behind You Huo.

Surprisingly, the one who spoke was his drunken father.

“At… at the beginning, you never said what we had to use to answer,” Old Yu stammered.

“All rules have hints,” 154 replied.

“Where are the hints?”

“I am not a candidate.”

“But we didn’t know! Ignorance shouldn’t be punished—”

154 cut him off coldly. “That has nothing to do with us.”

He took out a white slip of paper and read, “According to reports, the violators are a middle-aged man and a young girl—”

He glanced at 001, paused, then corrected himself stiffly: “A middle-aged man and a woman. The two violators will come with us.”

While he spoke, Proctor 922 had already grabbed the bald man and dragged him toward the door like a sack.

The door opened.

A blast of icy wind rushed in.

Snow pelted into the room, and everyone shrank back in terror.

They watched as 922 dragged the bald man into the storm—and vanished.

Only his screams remained, along with a wet stain on the floor.

154 scanned the room. “And the other… female…”

Old Yu and two elderly women tried to shield Yu Yao, trembling violently.

Just as 154’s gaze was about to land on them—

001 tilted his chin toward You Huo. “The other one is him. Take him.”

“Who?”

154 looked down at the slip.

The words clearly read: “young girl.”

He stared blankly at You Huo.

You Huo frowned and glared coldly at 001.

154 had no doubt—if this man had a knife, their boss’s head would already be gone.

Before he could say anything, 001 turned and walked out into the snow.

…

“Damn it! Bro!!”

“They don’t even follow logic!!” Old Yu shouted.

“It’s not him—it’s me!” Yu Yao cried, rushing forward.

But when she reached the door, it was already empty.

The proctors—and You Huo—were gone.

“Stop yelling!” the tattooed man snapped, slamming the door shut and locking it.

Silence returned.

Old Yu collapsed to the ground, eyes bloodshot.

Yu Yao broke down again.

Yu Wen stood frozen at the door before turning to his father. “My brother left me a message.”

“What?”

“Find a knife.”

“What knife?”

Yu Wen didn’t answer. He stared at the wall.

Then it clicked.

“The knife marks… they’re the hint.”

Ink couldn’t leave marks.

But a blade could.

So the knife was the “pen.”

Old Yu’s eyes lit up. “That’s clever.”

“Shh!” Yu Wen quickly covered his mouth. “The knife is hidden.”

…

The snowstorm worsened.

You Huo walked through the white void, expression cold.

The hut had vanished behind him.

At least one thing was certain—under proctor supervision, they wouldn’t disintegrate.

But honestly, the proctors were worse than the snow.

The bald man kept screaming.

Thankfully, the journey wasn’t long.

A small villa appeared ahead.

The kind horror movies loved.

“We’re here,” 154 said, pushing him inside.

The interior was filled with sculptures and murals—faces everywhere.

The bald man collapsed to the floor.

922 dragged him down a hallway.

“Please—I was wrong—!” his voice echoed.

“Scared?” 001 asked beside You Huo.

You Huo ignored him and walked inside.

154 glanced between them.

“Why are you looking at me?” 001 said lazily. “Go. Someone’s eager.”

…

The hallway was unnaturally long.

Finally, they reached a door.

922 shoved the bald man inside and locked it.

You Huo asked, “What’s the punishment?”

“Solitary confinement,” 154 said.

You Huo: “…”

He stared at him. “You’re afraid. You’ve been inside?”

154 frowned. “You should be the one afraid.”

Then he felt something sticky underfoot.

Blood seeped from beneath the door.

Screams followed.

“Don’t worry, he won’t die,” 154 said, opening another door and pushing You Huo inside. “Three hours.”

The door slammed shut.

“You’ll relive your worst fear,” 154’s voice came faintly.

…

Upstairs, Proctor 001—Qin Jiu—sat in a chair, idly playing with a black bird.

922 complained loudly nearby.

154 burst in, waving the slip. “It said girl! You wrote girl!”

Qin Jiu didn’t respond.

“Boss?” 922 called.

“Qin Jiu!”

He finally looked up.

“What?”

“Why’d you bring the wrong person?”

“I followed the rules,” Qin Jiu said calmly. “His hand touched the ‘ink.’”

154 blinked. “Oh…”

“And besides…” Qin Jiu trailed off.

They waited.

Ten minutes passed.

“…never mind.”

…

Three hours later, 154 opened the door.

He braced for chaos.

Instead—

You Huo was asleep.

Head on the table.

Like a student napping in class.

154 froze.

You Huo woke, glanced at him, then leaned back lazily. “Done?”

154: “………………………………”

…Should you maybe sleep a little longer????