Chapter 12: Descending the Mountain

Reward: Candidate Qi Yang has obtained two lottery draws.

This examination consisted of four sub-questions:

(1) Unknown (5 points)

(2) Unknown (5 points)

(3) The number of diners changed from 13 to 12 (6 points)

(4) Find the cursed tableware (8 points)

Under normal circumstances, this question was worth a total of 24 points. Under special circumstances, there were additional opportunities for bonus points or deductions.

…

New text appeared on the answer wall, and everyone began discussing it quietly.

“There were actually two unknown questions before this?”

“Yeah. We got the points for the third sub-question right away, so the first two must’ve been skipped.”

“No, the first thing we got points for was solving the character.”

“…”

“Judging by the order, those two points for solving the character probably belonged to the unknown questions.”

“The points Yu Yao and I got for identifying the refraction might’ve counted too.”

“So the first two questions were just setup?”

“Could they have been triggered by Hunter A?”

“Maybe. Who knows? Honestly, I don’t even want to know.”

Hunter A’s accidental death caused the first two sub-questions to never appear, becoming permanent unknowns.

Those two questions alone were worth ten points, a significant portion of the total score, but nobody felt any regret.

If Qi Yang hadn’t been there, someone would have died during the very first collection of answer sheets. After that, things would only have gotten worse. Over forty-eight hours, five or six deaths wouldn’t have been impossible.

In that kind of situation, who still cared about answering more questions?

Fewer questions and lower difficulty were exactly what they wanted.

Simply surviving was already a blessing.

…

The answer wall continued calculating scores:

Solving the character: 2 points

Refraction key-point answer: 3 points

Question (3): 6 points

Bonus points: 2 points

Paper deduction: -2 points

Question (4): 8 points

Total: 19 points, exceeding the average score for this question by 11 points.

Total time used: 12 hours, 37 minutes, and 49 seconds.

Compared to the average time, they saved 35 hours, 22 minutes, and 11 seconds.

Yu Wen let out a “Whoa,” then turned to Qi Yang and said, “So if you calculate it like that, the average completion time is forty-eight hours?”

Proctor 154 was about ready to lose it. “Forty-eight hours is the normal amount of time.”

Could you people restrain yourselves a little and stop getting so inflated?

But then he reconsidered.

Out of those short twelve hours, they also had to subtract the three hours Qi Yang spent sleeping, plus the three hours wasted being forced to clean and endure disgusting nonsense…

Which meant that if you excluded confinement time, these people—no, this particular candidate—had finished the exam in less than six hours?

Was he even human???

…

The inhuman Qi Yang received a corresponding reward.

The answer wall slowly displayed another notification:

Reward: Candidate Qi Yang has obtained two lottery draws.

“Lottery draws?” Qi Yang frowned.

He had no idea what nonsense the exam system was pulling this time. The answer wall seemed to die briefly after declaring it was “for encouragement,” then fell silent again without displaying another word.

Just as everyone was confused, a “ding-dong” sound suddenly echoed through the room, as though someone had received a new message.

Qi Yang abruptly sensed someone standing behind him. A hand brushed past his cheek from behind, long fingers lazily dangling a box of playing cards before his eyes.

Qi Yang’s face instantly darkened. “You again…”

“You recognized me just from my fingers?”

Proctor 001 always spoke with the same careless tone, one that made Qi Yang want to punch him.

Qin Jiu smiled and stepped back just in time to avoid Qi Yang’s hand.

“Sneak attacks don’t work on me.” Qin Jiu opened the card box and took out a deck. “Draw first.”

Hearing this, everyone crowded around.

But they were still deeply afraid of Qin Jiu. Somehow, even when he smiled, it didn’t feel friendly or approachable.

So they formed a circle with a four-meter diameter, refusing to move their feet and only stretching their necks forward.

All the card backs in Qin Jiu’s hand looked identical, but the fronts displayed different contents. Some were extremely eye-catching, for example:

> Total score +15 (Single Person)



> Total score +10 (Entire Group)



> Exam Exemption (Single Person, Single Exam; score calculated according to average results)



…

There were also some bizarre ones:

> Cheat Sheet



> Last-Minute Cramming



…

Everyone could roughly guess what those names meant.

But how exactly they worked, and how useful they were during exams, was hard to say.

Besides the obviously rewarding cards, the deck also contained many absurd things that made people laugh helplessly.

Qi Yang swept his eyes over them and saw at least ten cards carrying nearly identical phrases:

> Excellent Candidate, Keep Up the Good Work.



> Outstanding Student, Encouragement Awarded.



> Top of the Class, Special Commendation.



Qi Yang truly couldn’t understand what use certificates of merit had in a hellhole like this.

Translated differently, they basically meant:

Thanks for participating. Please come again.

Qi Yang pointed at several of the strangest cards and asked, “What do the black cards mean? Punishment?”

The fronts of those cards were completely black, without a single word on them. They didn’t look like anything good.

Qin Jiu pulled one out and flipped it before Qi Yang’s eyes while dragging out his words lazily.

“Not exactly punishment, but they are special. At the very least, they can’t be considered normal rewards.”

“One black card represents one reform to the examination system. It takes effect immediately that same day.”

The younger candidates instantly turned green.

“There are reforms in this damn place too?” Yu Wen looked especially green.

His three years of high school had been tortured by endless reforms. Wherever the winds of reform blew, their study plans changed accordingly. One day it was a 3+2 system, the next day the “2” became a ranking grade system.

He never could have imagined that even after surviving the college entrance exams, he still couldn’t escape reforms.

Just as everyone’s expressions grew uglier, Qin Jiu suddenly shook the card box again and pulled out one final card.

“Almost forgot this one. You should all like it very much.”

> Direct Admission (Single Person)



The cabin fell silent for a moment before erupting into buzzing discussion.

“This direct admission… does it mean what I think it means?” Zhou Jin asked.

Because of his illness, he couldn’t get overly emotional, making him the only one among the background candidates who could ask calmly.

“Does this mean… no more exams?”

Before Qin Jiu could answer, 922 eagerly interrupted. He seemed especially fond of introducing the “Direct Admission” card.

“This one looks a little similar to the exemption card. But the exemption card only lets you skip a single exam and calculates your score according to the average. It’s a very safe card, a pretty standard reward.”

922 grinned. “But the Direct Admission card is different. This is the true ace card. There’s only one in the entire deck. If you draw it, it means you directly pass all examinations. You can eat well, sleep well, rest properly…”

“When you open your eyes again, you’ll be home.”

Home?

The moment they heard that word, every candidate in the room froze.

In the past twelve hours, this was the thing they had least dared to think about. Staying alive already depended on teamwork and luck. Who still dared dream about going home?

But now, this Direct Admission card awakened everyone’s desire to return home.

Old Yu gathered his courage and asked, “If we don’t get this card, how long will it take before we can go home?”

922 thought for a moment. “Depends on the current examination system. Finish the required subjects and reach the required score. Meet those two conditions, and you can leave.”

Old Yu looked like he wanted to ask something else, but Qin Jiu had already gathered the cards together and shuffled them twice like a poker deck. Then he spread them into a fan shape face-down before Qi Yang.

“Come on. Two chances. Don’t waste time.”

But Qi Yang didn’t move. Instead, he turned to the others and said, “Whoever has good luck, come draw.”

The moment he finished speaking, the radio crackled:

【Warning: Candidates may not transfer lottery rights.】

Qi Yang: “…”

“The system issued the warning. Why are you glaring at me?” Qin Jiu tilted his chin lazily. “Don’t weaponize your looks. Hurry up and draw.”

Go screw yourself with that “weaponize your looks” nonsense.

Qi Yang’s expression turned colder than winter itself. He stared at Qin Jiu for several seconds before roughly yanking out a card.

The people watching became incredibly tense, holding their breath as they stared at the card face.

Qi Yang flipped it over:

> Top of the Class, Special Commendation.



Note: This is recognition of the candidate’s excellent ability. Please continue maintaining your performance.

Qi Yang: “…”

Exactly what he hated most.

What terrible luck.

The radio beeped inappropriately:

【One lottery right has been used.】

Qin Jiu pressed his tongue against his cheek and smiled slightly. “Not bad. One more.”

Qi Yang had already given up caring. He randomly pulled another card.

Yu Wen clasped his hands together in prayer beside him, though nobody knew what kind of blessing he was invoking. Somehow, it actually seemed to work a little, because this time it wasn’t another encouragement card.

Qi Yang turned over the card:

> Assistance from a Proctor



Note: Your outstanding performance has earned a proctor’s favor. During the examination period, you may make one additional request to a proctor, and the proctor is obligated to fulfill it. Valid until the end of the next examination.

“…”

Qi Yang felt that every sentence on this card was mocking him.

Fortunately, he regained his composure quickly and asked Qin Jiu, “Are the proctors fixed for every exam?”

“Of course not,” Qin Jiu replied. “Every new subject randomly refreshes the proctors.”

…

The radio crackled again:

【Two lottery rights have been used. Lottery concluded. Congratulations.】

The moment the announcement ended, the long-silent answer wall creaked noisily and displayed new text:

Punishment: One guest sat in the cursed seat. He escaped death and will become the new Hunter A.

…

When the second half of the sentence appeared, everyone stared at the words without understanding them.

Or rather…

They didn’t dare understand them.

“What does it mean by becoming the new Hunter A?” someone muttered.

A shrill scream suddenly rang through the cabin.

Everyone stiffly turned their heads.

The bald man sitting in Seat Twelve had finally straightened his body. His eyes were wide with terror as he stared at his hands.

His normal skin color was rapidly fading into a pale bluish gray.

His lips turned bright red, stretching unnaturally toward both sides beneath the contrast of his corpse-like skin. Strange blotches surfaced along his temples and fingers.

The bald man slowly raised his head blankly. After staring in a daze for a long time, he suddenly twisted his neck stiffly and stood up.

His appearance and movements became more and more like the dead Hunter A. Only his expression still faintly retained traces of his original terror.

“No… no… no… it can’t be like this… You can’t leave! Stay with me. Stay with me, okay?”

He muttered a few words before suddenly lunging toward everyone.

Whoosh—

The roaring wind and snow surged in from nowhere, blasting directly into their faces so violently that nobody could open their eyes.

Instinctively, they raised their arms to shield themselves.

And when they opened their eyes again, the cabin was gone.

The bald man who had become Hunter A was gone too.

Even the three proctors had disappeared.

They stood in endless falling snow, facing a vast pine forest. In the distance, a path leading down the mountain faintly emerged.

Volume 2: Guess Who I Am