Crack—–
Suddenly there was a soft sound.
"What broke?"
Everyone looked over at the source of the sound and saw Old Yu jump up in a hurry with a look of embarrassment, "Was lost in thought and didn't see that the chair was on the bag."
"My god, the arrows are in there!" Yu Wen rushed to check the bag, "Old Yu…..Are you okay?"
Old Yu waved his hand with embarrassment, "I'm fine, I'm fine. What are you looking at me for, look at the arrows!"
"I'm looking." Yu Wen busied himself with checking the arrows before saying with a huff, "Old Yu….You should lose some weight."
He picked out an arrow from the bag and, judging from its bent state, it was probably where the chair leg was when Old Yu sat down.
Old Yu was too embarrassed to say anything in return.
Di Li on the other end suddenly shouted, "Oh right, there are also weapons!"
"What?"
"I was too preoccupied with surviving and almost forgot about the weapons. Didn't the question say that examinees get deducted 5 points for breaking a weapon? If you reversed that, then you should get extra points for breaking a weapon."
Di Li was extremely excited about this discovery of his.
But Qin Jiu said, "Not necessarily."
Di Li froze, "Why?"
"I dismantled the crossbow earlier until only an empty shell was left." Qin Jiu said, "Did I get points for that?"
"Maybe it's because you assembled it back."
Di Li waited with disbelief...
But even after five minutes, there were no changes to their points.
Everyone's face revealed unconcealable disappointment.
"Why? This isn't fair." Di Li said.
"On the contrary, it is quite fair because it is too easy for Mirror Humans to find and break weapons. Think about it, just casually breaking an arrow or disassembling can give you points. Don't you think that's too easy for us?"
Would the exam make it easy for them?
Impossible.
The situation right now wasn't good.
But soon, it took a turn for the worse.
They started to feel hungry.
Yu Wen's stomach was the first to make sounds. It sounded as if it was amplified by soundproof walls.
It was a very amusing scene, but no one laughed.
Di Li stood in place and stared at him with a look of horror.
Yu Wen held his stomach for a few seconds and mumbled, "A little hungry but it seems okay for now?"
"What do you mean okay?" Di Li who had already taken a step back stopped in place when he heard this and asked cautiously, "How hungry is a little hungry?"
"It means that it's okay to eat and okay not to eat." Yu Wen reassured him, "Don't panic. Really, you don't look like roast chicken to me. I'm someone whose stomach reacts first but doesn't get hungry much. How about you guys? Hungry?"
As he said this, he looked around at the others.
Chu Yue shook her head, "I'm okay. If I have to make an analogy, it's like the urge to nibble on some melon seeds. There is an urge to eat but it's not to the extent of being hungry. It's nothing compared to the feeling at Shirley's place."
Everyone also echoed her sentiments saying that it was tolerable. Chatting and distracting themselves would easily make them forget about it.
Di Li felt a little relieved.
But he soon realised that there were two who hadn't spoken—–
The two great masters.
The little classmate stiffly turned to look at them.
You Huo sat by the windowsill, fiddling with his earring. Just based on his expression alone, nothing appeared to be strange, but his lips seemed to be pursed very tightly.
And Qin Jiu whose eyes were on his hand that was fiddling with his earring seemed to be…..a little worried?
Di Li felt a little uncomfortable.
He thought about it for a moment and then slowly extended his right thumb.
When he picked up the arrows earlier, he had tumbled on the ground and grazed his thumb there. It was only about the size of a soybean.
Di Li cautiously waved his little thumb and asked, "How about this?"
Yu Wen snorted and wanted to say that something like that wasn't going to do anything especially since it's no longer bleeding.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, You Huo suddenly got up and strode straight out the door.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Yu Wen asked.
"A?" Chu Yue also called out.
"Nothing. I'll take a nap in the office for a while." You Huo said.
***
The office wasn't large and only had a table and a couch.
You Huo closed the door and supported himself using the table.
Unlike Yu Wen and the others, his hunger this time was much stronger than that time back at Shirley's place.
Perhaps it was because their team of eight used his name, so his reaction was stronger than anyone else.
Once again, he experienced what it was like to feel one's heart burning from hunger.
The presence of everyone in this building became very strong. Like a plate of newly roasted chicken sitting on a table, that aroma enticed him who was practically like a beggar who had starved for several months.
These strong surges of hunger were strong enough to make people lose their rationality.
The reason why those Mirror Humans attacked them so unrelentingly and inhumanly earlier was probably also due to this hunger.
But You Huo wouldn't relent. The more unbearable it was, the more he tried to suppress it and not a single emotion was exposed on his face.
His face was cold but his heart was fast and heavy.
Soundproof walls were useful for the others, but they had little effect to him. Even with the door closed and with the corridor separating them, he could hear the voices of his companions. The low, the soft, they overlapped to form a blur.
There was a click.
The door to the office was pushed open and then closed.
You Huo didn't raised his head.
He could hear the other person's blood pulsating. It was clear and powerful and more enticing than anything.
"Is it very bad?" Someone lowered their head down next to him.
It was Qin Jiu.
His voice was suppressed and low but to You Huo it sounded all too clear, like warm water rolling down his ear canals.
You Huo closed his eyes and turned away, "Go out first. Along the way...."
He was a little anxious and his throat was dry. He could only pause for a moment between his words.
"Along the way, lock you inside?" Qin Jiu could easily guess his intentions. After finishing his words for him, he said, "That request is too much. If it was me, would you do it?"
"......"
You Huo calmed himself down before turning to look at him with a frown.
But he then saw Qin Jiu raise his hand, use his long and slender fingers to reach for the bandages on the side of his neck and slowly peel it off.
Even the very small sounds were exceptionally clear. The smell of blood and warm flesh travelled over.
Qin Jiu wiped it with his thumb allowing the wound to reopen slightly and fresh blood to ooze out.
"Want to try?" Qin Jiu said.
You Huo's eyes fell onto the side of his neck. For a moment, he couldn't seem to move it away.
After a moment, he closed his eyes and said hoarsely, "No."
Qin Jiu looked at him.
He felt that his Big Invigilator's face really suited saying "No". It carried an indescribable appeal. If it was the usual, Qin Jiu would even like to tease him and make him say it but now wasn't the right time.
This exam made him feel uncomfortable. He didn't know if it was because of the phrase "disappear" or if it was because of something else.
He just found it extremely uncomfortable seeing You Huo in this state.
He didn't know what it was like when a Mirror Human is hungry but from what he saw today, he could tell that it wasn't anything good. They were no longer human and practically zombies.
"Do you know why I'm letting you try?" Qin Jiu's voice was soft and, in the room shrouded by night, it carried rare gentleness, "Because I know that you still have your reason, because I know that our Mr A knows himself better than anyone."
He tilted his head, revealing his neck and said to him like it was a joke but also very seriously, "I am willing to bring my vital spot over in front of you because I know you won't lose control and you won't actually treat me as food."
The reason why a monster is a monster is not because of what it does, but why it did it.
That is its ugly and disgusting root.
Even if you licked some blood, you are not a monster.
You Huo half opened his eyes.
He could even hear the sounds from the building next to them. Those people seemed to be whispering, perhaps chatting, and someone was drinking water. He could hear the sound of water flowing down the throat...
Qin Jiu tapped his neck and asked in a low voice, "My dear, won't you give me a kiss?"
***
There was the taste of blood in the kiss. It actually gave them a sense of familiarity.
It was like smoke in a snowfield; fierce, dangerous and persistent.
.....
You Huo turned over and knelt over Qin Jiu.
He wiped away the traces of blood between his lips using the back of his hand, and his shirt was slightly disordered and wrinkled.
Qin Jiu laid on the sofa, allowing him to press him down.
He lifted his upper body slightly and touched the side of his neck: "My dear, you are bit too restrained. I'm even suspecting that you're here to clean my wounds."
"...."
You Huo lowered his eyes to look down at him and said emotionlessly: "Your pain receptors must be dead."
Qin Jiu laughed.
Although he said this, You Huo was indeed very careful. Fortunately, it seemed to have an effect and that that unbearable feeling of hunger had lessened slightly. It at least won't show up on his face now.
Surprisingly, Qin Jiu's hunger had also lessened. It was as if they were one.
"Oh, about the elimination, I've actually thought of an idea." Qin Jiu said.
"What idea?" You Huo asked.
"According to the examination rules, elimination happens after the results are assessed at the end of the exam. At that time, our eight-member team will automatically be disbanded, and the score would be yours alone." Qin Jiu pointed at You Huo's trouser pocket: "And luckily we managed to win back the Guaranteed Pass card at the casino. When the results are out, remember to use this card."
"And then? Send me out of the system and clear my memories again?" You Huo refused, "Don't even think about it."
"Of course not. I remember that there is a small chance of a bug happening in a situation like this. I want to find 154 before that to see if he can help turn that probability into 100% to use to the card to prevent you from being eliminated and also take advantage of the bug to prevent you from being sent out."
That was something that could be considered.
You Huo pondered for a while. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Qin Jiu asked.
You Huo raised a finger to indicate for him to stop speaking.
His hunger was not completely gone, and his highly sensitive hearing helped him a little.
He heard the sound of rustling coming from the west wall. It sounded like something slowly creeping up.
***
On the west side of the building, Di Li was lying on a folding bed.
Since the others were hungry, he was settled here to avoid getting hurt but after lying down for more than twenty minutes, he was not sleepy and was instead becoming more and more sober.
He pondered over various questions in his mind and would occasionally draw from his experience in previous exams.
Suddenly, he noticed something white and blurry outside the window from the corner of his eyes.
It was as if.... someone's face was outside the window, peeping at him.
Di Li was startled. Without moving his neck, he quietly rolled his eyes over to look
The window was completely empty and all he could see was the balcony of the building next door which was about five metres away.
He half closed his eyes and calmed his breathing for about half a minute before the pale face finally appeared again outside the window. Pressed firmly against the wall four floors high, Di Li could almost imagine his posture – like a reptile with a human face.
And he had seen that face before…..
It was the fluorescent man who had reluctantly left.
KK has something to say:
"My dear, won't you give me a kiss?" LOVE IT