Global University Entrace Exam CH.5

 Present

Yu Huo sat on the couch, bent forward, with his long legs propped up, idly fiddling with his earring.

Hearing Qin Jiu’s words, he lazily lifted his eyelids, gave the other man a cold, cursory glance, and then let his gaze drop back down.

No explanations. No apologies. No response.

His attitude made it clear—he was one of the most difficult, obstinate types to deal with.

·

The moment 154 walked into their boss’s office, he felt a stifling tension, as if he had entered the disciplinary office.

“You wanted to see me?”

With an examinee present, 154 straightened his expression even more, adding a polite tone to his words.

“For a second offense, what’s the punishment?” Qin Jiu slowly twirled the pen in his hand and looked at him. “It’s been a while. I can’t quite remember.”

154 held a stony expression, hesitating for two seconds before replying, “Confinement.”

Qin Jiu: “…”

Yu Huo’s fingers stilled. He finally looked up.

His face remained cold, showing no emotion other than a hint of bored indifference, yet 154 couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being mocked.

Perhaps it was just something in his genes.

Or maybe their boss just naturally drew that kind of gaze.

Qin Jiu asked, “Is there no alternative punishment besides confinement?”

154 opened his mouth but didn’t say anything.

Something in the room let out a soft “beep.”

Yu Huo’s eyes flicked to Qin Jiu’s wrist. Something there flashed faintly; the sound had come from that spot.

“See? Adding additional punishment would break the rules,” 154 said.

Qin Jiu glanced down nonchalantly, smoothing out his sleeve. The faint glow disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

When he looked back up, his eyes met Yu Huo’s.

“A confinement room with just a table and chair is pretty boring,” Qin Jiu said, though the comment was directed at 154.

154 nodded. “It is.”

“How about you join him, give him some company?” Qin Jiu suggested.

154: “…”

Who exactly was being punished here?

Qin Jiu smirked. “Just kidding.”

Having gotten used to these cryptic remarks, 154 let out a silent sigh of relief. “So… do I send him back downstairs for another three hours of sleep, then let him out when he’s rested?”

“What am I, a motel with hourly rates?”

154 said nothing more.

He stared straight ahead, waiting for further instructions. When none came, he cautiously stole a glance.

Yu Huo was sitting on the couch, staring out the window. Whether he was spacing out or simply indifferent was unclear. His whole demeanor screamed, “Do whatever you want; I’m not cooperating,” a mix of cold aloofness and defiant nonchalance.

As for their boss, Qin Jiu…

He sat there with his hands loosely clasped, his gaze lingering on Yu Huo’s pale profile.

154 got the sense that their boss was slightly intrigued by this troublesome examinee, but for some reason, he also seemed to be in a bad mood.

“Boss?” 154 prompted softly.

After a moment, Qin Jiu withdrew his gaze and suggested, “Go find another examinee to break the rules and lock them in with him.”

154: “…”

What nonsense is that?

There was another “beep” from Qin Jiu’s wrist.

Likely another warning. 154’s jaw tightened slightly, but Qin Jiu seemed unconcerned.

“Should I just let him go instead?”

Beep.

Qin Jiu clicked his tongue.

He thought for a moment, then asked 154, “Has the last confinement room been cleaned?”

154 glanced at Yu Huo, looking puzzled. “Is there anything that needs cleaning? The rope’s been put away, and I threw out that paper ball with the ‘get lost’ message on it.”

Yu Huo’s fingers paused for a second, but he continued staring out the window, maintaining his indifferent façade.

“I meant the other room,” Qin Jiu clarified.

154 replied, “Oh, not yet. I was going to clean it, but there have been so many rule violations that 922 and I haven’t had a chance.”

“Then let this frequent offender…” Qin Jiu paused and looked at Yu Huo. “What’s your name?”

Yu Huo snorted coldly.

“Let this Mr. Snort handle it, then,” Qin Jiu said.

Yu Huo: “…”

Sensing that a violent scene was about to unfold, 154 hurriedly agreed and quickly ushered the troublemaker downstairs.

·

Downstairs, in the supply closet, 922 and 154 were rummaging through tools while the punished examinee leaned against the doorframe, his face dark.

“Don’t scowl like that. If you get into a fight, you’re definitely going to lose,” 922 said.

Maybe it was that audacious “Solution” answer that had changed 922’s attitude a bit. His tone was less formal than before.

Yu Huo didn’t respond, but his expression made it clear he wasn’t taking those words seriously.

“You think 001 is just a title for show?” 922 continued. “The first time I saw the boss… it was during some test near a military base, I think. Can’t recall exactly. Anyway, a whole street—an entire street—was covered in blood, and he was carrying a shoulder-fired rocket launcher that—”

“Find your bucket,” 154 cut him off with a stern expression.

“Oh.”

922 reminisced a bit longer, then straightened under 154’s glare. Turning to Yu Huo, he said, “You go on ahead. I’ll bring the bucket over in a moment.”

·

Yu Huo and 154 headed to that long corridor.

“All this blood needs to be cleaned up,” 154 said, pointing to the streaks and puddles on the floor. He then walked over to the confinement room where the bald man had been held and unlocked the door.

“Were you guys examinees before?” Yu Huo asked suddenly.

154 paused, then nodded. “Yeah, years ago.”

“How did you become proctors?”

154 hesitated before replying, “We passed the exams with outstanding results.”

Yu Huo frowned. “What exactly is this exam?”

154 glanced at him and answered vaguely, “It’s… a special selection process. Like any other test, really.”

Yu Huo sneered. “Selecting for what? The bravest valedictorian?”

As he spoke, that eerie feeling of being watched returned.

Yu Huo glanced up at the ceiling. It was the same stark white ceiling, no holes or openings, nothing peering down at him.

“What kind of people are brought here?” he asked, ignoring the sensation.

154 thought for a moment and said, “Exceptionally dangerous individuals.”

Yu Huo remained expressionless.

154 recalled the room full of the elderly, the sick, and a pregnant woman, and added, “Well… maybe that’s not entirely accurate.”

Yu Huo: “So what is this, a paranormal event?”

154 shook his head. “It’s not paranormal; it’s…”

Beep.

That sound again.

Yu Huo turned to look, half expecting that insufferable 001 proctor to have followed them.

But the corridor was empty. It took him a moment to realize that the beep had come from 154.

154 touched his finger.

He was wearing a plain band ring on his index finger, and a faint red glow, like a warning light, shone through. At the sight of it, 154 immediately fell silent.

“What’s that?” Yu Huo asked. “The 001 guy had something similar.”

“A violation alert,” 154 explained, twisting the ring to block the light.

“You have rules and restrictions, too?”

“Of course! Lots of them,” came 922’s voice.

He arrived carrying an aluminum bucket, carefully stepping over the bloodstains. “No discussing dangerous topics, no abusing power to bully examinees, no helping them cheat, no inappropriate relationships between proctors and examinees—”

Yu Huo: “…”

“Well, that last one hardly ever happens,” 922 continued. “Most of the time, we’re lucky if we don’t fight each other. But even if we do fight, we’re not allowed to kill an examinee out of line—”

“What if an examinee kills a proctor?” Yu Huo interrupted.

922: “…”

“So what happens if you guys break the rules?” Yu Huo asked.

154 turned a shade paler.

Even 922, who was usually more easygoing, went quiet for a couple of seconds before letting out a nervous laugh. “Better not ask. It’s really bad. I haven’t experienced it yet, and I don’t plan to in the future.”

“So stop asking dangerous questions. Wouldn’t it be better if we all just got along?” 922 placed the aluminum bucket in front of Yu Huo. “Focus on passing the test and getting out of here alive. Then you’ll learn everything you need to know.”

154 remained silent and simply removed the lock on the confinement room door.

When the door swung open, a sharp, unpleasant odor immediately wafted out. The air was a mix of blood and other remnants clinging to the floor and walls.

Yu Huo’s expression turned sour. “Do you usually clean these rooms yourselves?”

“Not manually, of course,” 922 replied, pinching his nose. “Otherwise, that’d be no different from punishing us.”

“Sure, it’s disgusting, but cleaning beats being stuck in confinement,” he added.

Yu Huo shot him a cold look.

922 gave an awkward laugh. “Well… for you, I mean, it’s better than being stuck in there with our boss, right?”

After that, he quickly grabbed 154 and left.

The corridor fell silent once more.

·

Actually cleaning was out of the question.

Yu Huo leaned against the doorframe, surveying the room with a cold gaze. He grabbed the aluminum bucket, filled it with water, and tossed it into the room.

The water spread across the floor, washing away blood and loosening the clumps of material stuck to the floor and walls. The pale remnants of whatever had been there began to fade.

He crouched down near a chunk that had settled at his feet. On closer inspection, it resembled a shard of bone wrapped in a tangle of long, dark hair.

What kind of horror movie was this bald guy playing in his head?

Suppressing his nausea, Yu Huo stepped inside.

·

When he was done, the room had been cleared out. The blood-soaked debris filled the entire bucket.

At the very top of the pile was a piece of what looked like human skin—probably dislodged from somewhere in the room. The pale, waterlogged flesh appeared fake, but a small tattoo stood out against its surface, a simple and delicate image of a bellflower.

·

Three hours later, 922 arrived to escort Yu Huo back to the examination room.

Meanwhile, Qin Jiu was in his office stretching, about to ask 154 for some food. But when he opened the door, he found a bucket of gory refuse sitting neatly at the threshold. Beside it was a scrap of torn paper, its messy handwriting slender and jagged. The note read:

This is for you. No need to thank me.

154’s voice came from behind him: “Boss, I was about to grill some beef. Do you want me to make you anything?”

Qin Jiu looked at the bucket, then at the note. “…I don’t think I’ll feel hungry today.”

154 walked over holding oven mitts. When he saw the bloody bucket, he stared for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t think I’ll feel hungry for the rest of my life.”

Qin Jiu removed the paper from the bucket, leaned against the doorframe, and studied it for a while before asking, “What’s the punishment for a third violation by the same examinee?”

His voice was slow and measured, each word delivered with a casual yet provocative tone.

154 hesitated. “There… shouldn’t be a third violation, right?”

“And if there is?”

154 cautiously replied, “The punishment would be… full-time on-site proctoring. Constant surveillance.”

Qin Jiu: “…”

The little building went silent.