Chapter 50: System Origins. If Candidates Are Locked Up, Can We Combine Them? Please Lock Me Up Next Door.
There’s definitely no hope of switching groups.
078 drummed his fingers on the notification sheet with a clatter: “001, you two are quite familiar with him. This candidate, you’ve also dealt with before. Right now, I just want to ask… For this exam, which lasts 15 days, how many times can they violate the rules?”
154: “…Can’t calculate, don’t know. Also, a reminder: their thawing period has been moved up. It’s not 15 days; it’s been changed to 2 days.”
“That’s right! How could I forget? 2 days!” 078’s eyes lit up for a few seconds, then dimmed with a puff: “2 days is still too long…”
“Coming twice in half a day, two days means four half-days, which is enough for them to come eight times…” 078 counted and felt utterly hopeless. “I just don’t get it, what exactly are these two thinking?”
922 was equally hopeless. “Maybe they digested dinner and came over to snack on midnight treats.”
154: “…”
078 slumped in his chair: “…I used to think invigilating was easy, with all candidates trembling in fear of breaking the rules. If anyone in a test center accidentally violated the rules, the other candidates would tread carefully every day, practically walking on tiptoes, making sure there wouldn’t be a second offender.”
922 looked nostalgic. “Yeah…”
Before meeting You Huo, they had lived that kind of life too.
“I used to work with other groups often. In principle, having a team of four should make things even easier…” 078 said.
“Indeed,” 922 agreed.
“Why am I so blind to have picked you guys?” 078 added.
“Indeed,” 922 agreed again.
021 clanked her cup down on the table.
078: “……”
I almost forgot, it was 021 who nearly went blind picking this group—dare I provoke the young lady?
Of course not.
078 said without hesitation: “Sorry.”
Outside the porthole, the night was dense.
Looking far out, the sea was frozen for thousands of miles, with only turbulent, heaving water surrounding the white ship.
Once the ship set sail, it began to rock and sway again. 154 felt nauseous and leaned back in the chair to recover.
922 went upstairs to the room to find seasickness patches for him, while 078 went down to the lower deck to prepare the confinement room.
021 picked up the sunglasses on the table and wiped them clean.
154, who had been lying there like a corpse, suddenly spoke up, “Are you sure you need to wear sunglasses to pick up examinees in the dead of night, miss? Be careful not to fall into the sea.”
021 paused, glancing across the table.
154 was still lying back with his eyes closed, a look of impatience creasing his brow.
021 retorted irritably, “Do I look stupid?”
In the evening, wearing this could still be justified as blocking the sea breeze. After all, she had always acted spoiled, so no one would question anything she did.
But if she wore it at night, even someone with an IQ like 078 would probably notice something was off.
She had originally just wiped the fog off the sunglasses, intending to put them away.
As for this 154… he seems quite sensitive?
Her beautiful eyes were fixed without a flicker, carefully examining the colleague opposite her who had a refined appearance. 154 had just straightened up.
He glanced at this Miss Decisive and was about to say something when he suddenly sprang up, covering his mouth as he rushed to the bathroom to vomit.
021：“…”
Am I so disgusting?
……
Shortly after, the small white boat docked at the shore.
Four examiners stood in a row, facing the winds that ruthlessly slapped their faces.
078 was a man who placed great emphasis on formality. He took out two slips of paper and recited the violation notice as a matter of routine: “Just a short while ago, we received word that the two of you have roasted the rabbit used by the system for broadcasting…”
He paused for a moment, unable to resist asking, “Are you really that desperate for a bite to eat?”
“I didn’t eat it, just roasting for fun.” Qin Jiu stood below the ship, letting out a shameless laugh. “No need to keep reading the notice. Just toss the rope ladder down so you can head into the cabin early. How enjoyable is this gust of wind, anyway?”
“……”
How dare you say that?
078 thought to himself, Damn it, if you two hadn’t broken the rules again, would we even need to be out here catching this blasted wind?
But this was just a silent complaint in his heart—after all, the person he was dealing with was 001.
To some extent, he was also a figure who existed solely through “hearsay” and “legend,” and in any case, he was not someone to be trifled with.
021 stood by the ship’s railing, nudging a rope ladder hanging over the side with the tip of her shoe, sending it tumbling down.
You Huo and Qin Jiu climbed aboard, one after the other, using the rope ladder.
She wasn’t wearing sunglasses at the moment and was trying hard to keep her expression neutral.
But the moment You Huo stepped over the rail, her eyes still lit up.
What a pity… the other walked right past her as if he hadn’t noticed a thing, and headed straight for the cabin as though he knew the way.
021 thought, sure enough, it seemed like not a single word she’d said last time had reached his ears.
Even though it was expected, she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
This lady doesn’t show her emotions on her face when she’s in a good mood, but her bad mood is written all over her.
It made the other three colleagues afraid to provoke her.
While escorting the two troublemakers downstairs, 078 whispered to 021, “What if… we switch? Last time I was in charge of 001, and honestly, it was really awkward. This time, could we…”
He looked up and met 021’s chilling gaze.
“……” 078 shut his mouth and thought for a moment, then whispered, “Alright, alright, I’ll take it back—I know you’re not happy with that guy. Come on, you first.”
With that, he stepped aside, clearing the way to Detention Room No. 1.
……
You Huo walked into the detention room.
Before the door closed completely, the room remained its original state—it hadn’t yet turned pitch-black.
There were tables and chairs inside the room, with large mirrors hanging on the walls.
This time, he didn’t pull out a chair to lie down and sleep, but instead took a few steps and stopped in front of a full-length mirror.
The mirror reflected the scene at the doorway—
078 made a greeting gesture and headed towards the neighboring confinement room number 2. Qin Jiu followed behind him, but before stepping forward, he raised his eyes, his gaze meeting You Huo’s across the mirror.
He blinked softly and then walked away, brushing past 021’s shoulder.
Next, 021 stepped into the detention room, shutting the door behind her.
……
The room was quiet.
In the mirror, the straightforward young lady with a cold yet beautiful appearance leaned against the door, tucking her hair behind her ear.
She took a deep breath, about to speak.
You Huo said, “I heard what you said last time.”
“……”
Miss Decisive held her breath in her throat, forgetting to exhale.
You Huo shifted his upper body slightly, his gaze falling calmly upon her.
This was completely unexpected.
All the way there, 021 had been thinking about how to begin, how to get the words out clearly in such a short time. Even if she couldn’t explain it fully, at the very least, she needed to leave behind some crucial information.
She had mentally outlined everything, but when You Huo suddenly said something like that, she found herself… at a loss for words.
“Shall we sit down and talk?”
You Huo pulled the chair open, turning it around to place in front of her.
The noise snapped 021 out of her trance, finally bringing her back to her senses.
She quickly shook her hand and said, “No need, there’s not that much time. Once a candidate is locked in, the confinement room will start functioning within a minute or two at most. If I stay here any longer, I’ll be the one crying.”
After saying this, she finally remembered her prepared speech and said rapidly, “You once said that if you were to be eliminated from the system, the first thing it would do is erase all your memories from those years. It seems that has now come true. I know you must have many questions, but please hold them for now and listen to me first.”
“I know you’re very curious about this examination system, but I can only give you the short version.”
“The system was created many years ago, originally designed for use in places like the military, with the purpose of selecting special talents. Each exam is highly comprehensive and exceptionally difficult because it assesses every aspect of the candidates. Those selected are all dangerous individuals—like a double-edged sword. If not used properly, they could easily backfire.”
“Initially, for the fairness and safety of the exams, a group of Examination Supervisors was selected to oversee all examinees. To be able to control such examinees, of course, they were all elites, mostly from domestic and international military units. To fit the theme, these Examination Supervisors later became known as Invigilators.”
“You entered the system earlier than me, earlier than anyone on this ship—you were one of the original Invigilators, the head of the entire Invigilation Group, with the designation A.”
“Later, the system encountered some issues… I don’t need to tell you this. The examinees being brought in became increasingly strange—elderly, children, pregnant women—it pulled in all kinds of people. To this day, I still don’t understand the screening principles it uses. In short, it got a bit out of control.”
“I participated in the exams early on, back when the system wasn’t like this. We graduated from the same school—you were my direct senior, of course, you don’t know me, and there’s probably no trace of someone like me in your remaining memories. Anyway, you invigilated me a few times during the exams. Later, thanks to my one-sided efforts, we gradually became somewhat familiar.”
“When I became an invigilator, the system had already started to go wrong, but I couldn’t escape it. The system’s control and surveillance over invigilators are even stricter than over examinees because we’ve become part of it.”
“The grouping of invigilators was decided long ago. I was supposed to join your group after my probationary period, but before I could, you were involved in an incident.”
“The system erased all traces related to that accident very thoroughly, making it difficult to find any evidence. At the time, I had just transitioned from being a reserve invigilator and wasn’t directly involved in that matter, but I knew you wanted to destroy it.”
“You tried to dismantle it, but the chances of success were limited. So you left me a message, saying the system would most likely log you out. If you got out and the system was still there, I had to pull you back in and wake you up again.”
“Actually, I was quite surprised that you chose to leave the words for me. My abilities are limited, so it took me some time.”
“But… fortunately, I didn’t let you down. I’ve come.”
The light in the confinement room began to dim, and 021’s words came faster and faster.
Except for this last sentence.
After speaking, the detention room fell silent again.
You Huo sat on the edge of the table, his gaze fixed on a point in the void, seeming lost in thought.
He was always like this—when he was quiet, his expression turned cold, and no hint of joy, anger, or emotion would escape from the corners of his eyes or brows, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
After a moment, he looked up at 021 and said, “Thanks.”
At that moment, 021 felt a bit emotional.
She took a deep breath and finally smiled for the first time.
“Well… after all that I just said, do you have any sense of familiarity? Or remember any fragments?”
“Not at the moment.”
021 looked disappointed, but quickly perked up again. “That’s all right, you’ll remember eventually.”
You Huo nodded in agreement.
The confinement room was growing darker by the minute. 021 said, “I need to hurry and leave now. I know you still have a lot of questions, but I’ll try to find opportunities to see you later. Just cooperate with me when I do.”
Then, remembering the way this boss usually operated, she hastily added, “Just a little bit of cooperation is fine, nothing more.”
As she gripped the doorknob, You Huo suddenly spoke, “Right, I’ve got a question, and there’s also something I need your help with.”
021 turned her head, “What question?”
You Huo said, “When we were invigilators, how was my relationship with the person next door?”
021, “Eek…”
You Huan: “What ‘yi’?”
021: “Don’t mention next door, it’ll just ruin the mood. Your relationship with him is terrible, absolutely terrible. They say the main reason for your accident was him.”
After saying that, she asked You Huan again: “Let’s skip this topic, so you don’t remember the worst things before the good ones. You mentioned earlier you still need my help with something. What is it?”
You Huan: “Can candidates’ solitary confinement be merged? Help lock me up next door.”
021: “…”
mmp