At midnight, the campus was silent and empty.
The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, leaving the ground in complete darkness.
Tong Yang stood inside the circular mark, glanced around, and barely made out two dark figures in the distance.
“During the exam, please remain silent. If you need to communicate, please do so in the 1209 group chat.”
Tong Yang opened his phone. The 1209 group chat was buzzing. With the anonymous mode on, everyone’s nicknames were changed to random items, so it was impossible to tell who was who.
[What are we even supposed to do?]
[It’s so dark! Feels like something’s in the hallway.]
[Waaah! You guys are complaining, but do you know my situation? I’m sitting in the dead center of a classroom, too scared to even blink or turn around, afraid that something might suddenly appear.]
[Aaaaah! So nervous, but also kind of excited! What are we supposed to do?]
[What about the people on the playground? How’s it going over there? Shouldn’t your situation be better outside?]
[Not at all! I can’t see my hand in front of my face, and it’s freezing out here!]
[I keep feeling like someone’s blowing on my neck—chills all over my body.]
…
Tong Yang scrolled through the messages, but none of them were particularly helpful. However, based on the messages from someone nicknamed “Acrylic,” it seemed like they were likely the only ones heading to the classroom—Sun Ye.
“First row examinees, please move forward one by one to the next staircase.”
“Second row examinees, please move left to the next marked point.”
“Third and fourth row examinees, please move forward one by one to the next staircase.”
The broadcast announced again.
“Remember, you must stay silent during the first round of the exam.”
Moving left, so counterclockwise.
Tong Yang looked to his left, where Chu Shiyu stood at the front of the row. But it was too far to see what was happening. The wind howled across the field, making it impossible to hear any footsteps.
After a while, the examinee about 50 meters to Tong Yang’s left began to move forward, following the rules to the next mark. The examinee to the right of her then stepped into her previous spot.
Earlier, when they encountered something terrifying, everyone stayed together. But tonight, everyone was scattered, unaware of the exam rules. They couldn’t see or hear each other, and the fear of isolation only grew stronger.
[What are we supposed to do?!]
[This reminds me of the Four Corners Game I read about. Out of nowhere, another person would show up.]
[Nooo! I’d rather have one less person than one extra!]
[This isn’t the Four Corners Game though, right? Shouldn’t be that bad?]
[But there are five floors in both the dorm and the school building. Logically, there are ten staircases. We’re only occupying eight of them. What about the other two?]
[The more we talk about it, the creepier it gets. Damn it.]
…
Once all the examinees had moved to the next staircase or marked point, the broadcast announced again.
“Now, the first examinee in each row, please choose to move forward at least three but no more than five staircases or marks.”
[It’s so dark!!!]
[Why couldn’t we play this game during the day?!]
[My legs feel like jelly.]
[Are we done yet? What do we do next?]
Tong Yang frowned as he watched the occasional messages pop up in the group chat. Something felt off.
Both the teaching and dorm buildings of Third High School had five floors, with staircases on the left and right, totaling ten staircases. The examinees’ positions were similar to those on the playground: the first in each row at the fourth-floor staircases, and the last at the other fourth-floor staircases. After the first round of movement, the first examinee would move up to the fifth floor, while the others would move clockwise. The last person would end up at the third-floor staircase on the opposite side.
This left the staircases on the other side of the fourth and fifth floors empty.
In the second round, the first examinee had to move at least three staircases forward, meaning they would cross the fifth-floor hallway to the other staircase, then come down to the fourth-floor empty staircase, and eventually end up on the third floor—where the last examinee would be. The two would definitely meet there.
But on the second row of the playground, with a large area, the eight people were spaced 50 meters apart, covering only half the field. Even if Chu Shiyu moved the maximum of five marks, she couldn’t possibly meet the last examinee at the same mark.
Iced Cola: [Is there anyone near you?]
Tong Yang sent a message to the group.
[???]
[What nonsense are you talking about!]
[Don’t tell me there’s someone near you!!]
[No…]
[Me neither.]
[Help…]
Iced Cola: [According to logic, after this round of movement, the first in the first, third, and fourth rows should definitely meet the last person.]
[Whaaat??]
[Yeah, with ten staircases and two empty ones, the first person has to move at least three places and will surely meet the last one.]
[Is anyone currently sharing a position? No jokes, if so, speak up.]
[This doesn’t count as revealing your identity, right?]
[Help me… there’s no one here… it’s empty.]
[Same here…]
[Ahhhhh! I’m going crazy! Bring back the daytime monsters! At least I could see them!]
[Screw this! I don’t want this exam anymore!]
At that moment, someone with the nickname “Garlic Chicken” sent a message: [There’s someone here, but there shouldn’t be…]
“Examinees, please stand back to back with the person next to you. Do not make any sound during this time.”
The broadcast voice sounded again.
Acrylic: [Help, help, help, there’s an extra person in the classroom!]
Acrylic: [Who is it? Who is it? It’s gotta be one of you, right?]
Acrylic was Sun Ye, who was sitting alone in the classroom. Even through the screen, Tong Yang could feel his breakdown.
[Huh??]
[Please don’t joke about this, I beg you.]
[What did we do to deserve this?]
[I’ve sinned, but you can let the law punish me. Don’t make me go through this.]
[Don’t push me, or I’ll get down on my knees and beg you to let me go.]
[Please, let this end, I can’t take it anymore.]
…
“Odd-numbered examinees, please move forward or backward by one place.”
Tong Yang, being number 12, didn’t need to move and stayed in her spot.
After waiting for about ten seconds, no one came toward her. The examinees on either side, spaced 50 meters apart, had already disappeared.
“Examinee number 33, please move to the first row.”
[Noooo! I don’t want to!!!]
[What kind of nightmare is this?! Kill me already!]
[Finally, there’s someone next to me!]
[Not me…]
[Having someone nearby feels strangely comforting.]
Garlic Chicken: [I moved back one place, but there’s someone here, even though there wasn’t when I passed earlier…]
Iced Cola: [Can you see who it is?]
Garlic Chicken: [They’re facing away from me. I’m too scared to look.]
Iced Cola: [Try flashing your phone screen.]
Tong Yang looked across the playground and saw a faint flash of light from the opposite side. If she hadn’t been paying close attention, she wouldn’t have noticed it.
As she expected, “Garlic Chicken” was Chu Shiyu, who was in the same row as her.
Chu Shiyu had moved forward by about four marks in the second round. No one should have been there, so that’s why she said, “there shouldn’t be anyone.” Now that she had moved back one mark, there really shouldn’t have been anyone next to her.
Which meant, at least two “extra people” had appeared on the playground.
“Examinees standing in groups of two or more, those with odd numbers, please close your eyes and allow the other person to lead you forward or backward by two positions.”
This round still didn’t involve Tong Yang.
About a minute later, two figures appeared faintly to her right. Due to the darkness, their features were impossible to see.
“Examinees, please stand back to back and do not look at each other’s faces.”
Tong Yang and the two others formed a triangle, standing back to back within the mark.
“Examinees whose numbers end with ‘2,’ please move forward and find a person standing alone. Tap them once on the shoulder to have them stay in place. Tap twice to have them move forward by two places.”
Tong Yang moved forward. The first two marks were empty. When she reached the third mark, two people were standing in the circle. According to the rules, she had to keep moving until she found someone standing alone.
Upon reaching the fifth mark, she saw a girl standing alone in the circle, her back to Tong Yang, her hair draped over her shoulders. Tong Yang tapped her once on the shoulder, signaling for her to stay put with her.
[How’s everyone doing? Is there anyone near you?]
[Since the last round, I haven’t seen anyone. The staircases I passed were empty, and so was the other side of the floor.]
[What’s the point of this exam? I don’t get it.]
[Wait! How many people are in your senior teaching building?]
[Number 33 is in a classroom on the first floor, and there are eight people in total in the building.]
[From what I see, there are at least 12 people on your side. Two on the first floor, five on the second, two on the third, two on the fourth, and one on the fifth.]
[What the hell? Who are the extra four people?]
[Forget who they are. I’m more interested in whether they’re human or not.]
Tong Yang read the chat, feeling confused. What was the point of this nighttime exam? Was it just to scare them with a creepy Four Corners game?
And then? What’s next?
Acrylic: [Is anyone paying attention? There are already four things sitting next to me. I’m trembling as I type this.]
“Examinees standing in groups of two or more, please decide if you trust the other person. If you trust them, stay where you are. If not, move forward or backward by one position.”
The broadcast voice sounded again.
Tong Yang stood back to back with the person behind her, hesitated for a moment, then chose to move forward. But the other person, surprisingly, chose the same direction as her.
Tong Yang paused slightly, noticing the other person trembling lightly out of the corner of her eye, and raised an eyebrow.
She’s scared? Then she’s probably another examinee from the second row.
Since they couldn’t speak or reveal their identities in the group chat, Tong Yang had no choice but to walk with the trembling girl to the next mark.
In the faint light, a boy in a white shirt stood in the mark ahead, his back to them.
The girl next to Tong Yang, seeing this as a sign of hope, hurriedly quickened her pace towards the boy.
Tong Yang followed suit, carefully observing the boy in the circle. Given the situation, it seemed like there were extra “people” at each mark. The girl beside her was likely an examinee, but the boy ahead… that was uncertain.
He stood stiffly, his arms hanging naturally at his sides, his posture unnaturally rigid.
[Oh my god! I’m sure the girl next to me isn’t human! She’s way too calm—there’s not even a sound of breathing! Everyone I passed before was so nervous I could hear their breathing!]
[That makes sense. I’ve noticed that too. The heavy breathing probably means they’re human, right?]
[Thank goodness I moved forward when she did. There was someone at the next mark.]
“If you still don’t trust the people around you, you may choose to continue moving forward.”
Upon hearing the broadcast, Tong Yang immediately chose to move forward.
But after taking two steps, she noticed the girl who came with her hesitate for a moment. Then, seeing Tong Yang move, she immediately stopped.
Tong Yang: “…”
So you don’t trust me either, huh?
At the next mark, Tong Yang was finally alone.
She stood still in the circle and opened her phone to check the 1209 group chat.
[I almost walked with that thing, but luckily I was smart enough to stop in time.]
Tong Yang: “…”
Iced Cola: [Really? You think you’re smart?]
[???]
[What do you mean?]
Iced Cola: [You guess.]
[Come on, don’t be so vague!]
Iced Cola: [Want to know? Consulting fee is five bucks.]
[… That language sounds familiar. Is that you, sis?]
[Wait—no way. You weren’t the one next to me, were you?]
Iced Cola: [What do you think?]
Iced Cola: [A little tip: if you see someone standing with their back to you at the next mark, check their clothing. If they’re neat and clean, don’t hesitate. Just move to the next place.]
[Good point. After all, we’ve been battling all day. No way any of us are still clean.]
[Not necessarily. My sis still looks clean, which is why I thought she was…]
Iced Cola: [Didn’t you notice the guy next to me was even cleaner?]
Garlic Chicken: [Wait a sec.]
Garlic Chicken: [Iced Cola, how many people are with you?]
Garlic Chicken was Chu Shiyu, who was in the same row as Tong Yang.
Iced Cola: [Just me.]
Tong Yang’s reputation for hustling was well known, so most people had already figured her out. Since Garlic Chicken specifically asked her, it meant they were in the same second row. Soon, other examinees from the second row chimed in.
[I’ve got two people here.]
[Same here.]
[I’m scared… I didn’t follow my sis, and the thing behind me is probably not human.]
[I’ve only got one person here.]
[Me too.]
Iced Cola: [What’s wrong?]
Garlic Chicken: [There are five people with me…]
[What the heck???]
[Huh???]
[How many people are there on your side??]
[My sis is alone. The two in the middle might be together, making three. There’s one suspicious one, and the two behind are in separate spots. There are only six people in total, but you’ve got five with you???]
[Holy crap! If the two in the middle aren’t together, then none of the four people with you are human???]
Tong Yang frowned as she read this. She hadn’t expected Chu Shiyu to be so unlucky, surrounded by so many people. It definitely wasn’t normal.
Iced Cola: [Just keep calm and see how it goes.]
Tong Yang offered a reminder.
“Now, it’s time for the final movement. Examinees, please move forward by at least three but no more than five places. Please note: you can only move forward, not backward, and you cannot stay in place. You must also make the same choice as those around you.”
As soon as the announcement ended, the group chat was muted.
You could only move forward no more than five places, and everyone had to move at the same time, making it much harder to meet up with others.
Tong Yang had already made a deal with Chu Shiyu for the money, so it would be best to move toward her. However, since they would both be moving, if the distance between them was greater than five marks, it would be impossible to meet up.
After thinking for a moment, Tong Yang began to move forward. No matter what, she had to leave her current position first.
At the first mark, as expected, there was no one.
Tong Yang moved forward again. At the second mark, she saw someone standing there, but since Chu Shiyu had four people with her, it definitely wasn’t her.
So, Tong Yang continued forward.
At the third and fourth marks, there was no one. With no choice, she pressed on. If there was still no one at the fifth mark, it would mean the gap between her and Chu Shiyu was too large, and she wouldn’t be able to catch up.
As she approached the fifth mark, she saw several silhouettes in the dim light—more than one or two people.
When she got closer, she found five people standing back to back in the circle, with an empty spot seemingly left for her.
Since Chu Shiyu was the only one with that many people around her in the second row, one of these five must be her.
The broadcast had said this was the last movement. Although it wasn’t clear what was coming next, staying close to Chu Shiyu seemed like the safest bet to get that 50,000 RMB. Besides, there was no chance to move forward anymore.
Tong Yang stayed in the fifth mark, standing in the empty spot they had left for her.
She opened her phone again, and the group chat had been unmuted.
[How many people are around you?]
[I’m alone.]
[There are three with me.]
[Wahh, I have three people too.]
[I don’t know if they’re human or not. Honestly, I’d rather be by myself.]
[What are we supposed to do now? Are we really going to stand here with these creepy things all night?]
[Standing all night would be fine. I’m more afraid they’ll make us play games with them.]
[Aaaaah, save me! This thing next to me definitely isn’t human!]
Garlic Chicken: [+1. I’d rather stand alone than have someone beside me. Luckily, I managed to move to an empty mark in the earlier rounds.]
Iced Cola: [?]
Iced Cola: [You don’t have anyone near you??]
[??????]
[Didn’t you say earlier there were five people with you?]
Garlic Chicken: [Huh? My phone’s been out of signal since the fourth round. I thought everyone was in the same boat!]
[What the heck? Then what about your earlier messages?]
[No wonder the invigilator said at the beginning that we have to discern the information in the group for ourselves. They’ve been setting us up this whole time!]
[But what’s the point of it?]
Tong Yang’s face darkened, and she ground her teeth. Of course, there was a point—it was to scam her. It was like this whole thing had been set up specifically to mess with her. Who else would be dumb enough to run towards Chu Shiyu?
Now, the situation was clear: all five of the things behind her weren’t alive.
If she hadn’t figured it out, she might’ve been fine. But now, Tong Yang could clearly feel the cold air creeping up behind her.
I lost! I lost big time! If I had known, I would have charged her more!
“Congratulations to examinees number 1, 4, 9, 13, 17, 21, 26, 30, and 32 for passing the exam. Please leave the testing area immediately.”
At that moment, the broadcast echoed with the voice of a man.
Tong Yang gritted her teeth, cursing the invigilators in her heart. If she hadn’t gotten tricked by Chu Shiyu, she would have been on that list!
Because, as expected, all the examinees who passed the exam were the ones standing alone after the final movement.
The nine successful examinees were immediately kicked out of the group chat by the admin.
Which meant that this exam was all about luck. You could control your own decisions and movements, but you couldn’t predict what others would do.
“Remaining examinees, please rest in place for one minute before continuing the exam.”
[I think I get it now. If you end up alone at the last round, you pass!]
[Hold up. Wasn’t my sis alone earlier? Why didn’t she pass?]
Iced Cola: [Surprised? Didn’t see that coming, huh?]
[Did you run into someone in the last round?]
Tong Yang chuckled coldly. It wasn’t that she “ran into” someone—it was that she chose to run into someone.
One minute later, the broadcast resumed.
“Examinees, please choose a location to move to with your companions. If there is a disagreement, the majority decision will prevail. Please note that negotiation and discussion are allowed in this round.”
Majority rule? That meant Tong Yang had no choice at all.
Tong Yang felt utterly depressed. As the figures behind her slowly began to move forward, she had no choice but to follow along.
The moon peeked out from behind the thick clouds, and Tong Yang finally saw the backs of the people in front of her. Other than their stiff movements, they looked like normal students. But if this were like a movie, once they turned around, there was no way their faces would still be intact.
Tong Yang wasn’t fazed by this. She had seen stranger things before. What bothered her was the frustration of feeling like she was being toyed with. It left her with an uncomfortable sensation all over.
“If an examinee returns to their starting position, they may choose to leave one companion behind.”
“Examinees, please discuss with your companions and choose to move forward or backward by five steps.”
Tong Yang, being all by herself, had no say. She could only follow the group’s movements.
There were five people with her now, which meant it would take at least four trips to return to her starting position. And even then, there was a chance she might overlap with someone else again.
If she kept failing the exam, was she going to be stuck here walking in circles all night?
[This round seems easier.]
[Does it? I feel like there are people everywhere! It’s so annoying!]
[What the heck are these things? I’ve got three people with me, and two of them definitely aren’t human. I have no choice but to follow them back and forth! I’m so tired, I don’t even care anymore. I just want to rip their heads off!]
[It’s been two hours, and we’ve got another exam tomorrow morning!]
[Screw this exam. I’d rather deal with the daytime survival game and answer-sharing.]
[Honestly, without my sis’s godlike cheating, half of our exam hall would’ve flunked.]
After the second exam ended, a few more examinees passed. However, the five figures around Tong Yang remained motionless.
They had moved back and forth several times during this round, but not once had they returned to her starting position.
Trailing behind the group, Tong Yang was grinding her teeth in frustration. Her patience was wearing thin. She even began to suspect that the invigilators were deliberately messing with her in retaliation for her cheating earlier that day.
But that had been within the rules!
As the third exam ended, the broadcast listed the numbers of those who had passed. Tong Yang, still surrounded by the five motionless figures, felt her mood hit rock bottom.
She was now certain that she was being targeted for revenge. If she didn’t do something soon, she was going to end up walking in circles around the playground all night like an idiot.
“The fourth exam is about to begin. Examinees, please discuss with your companions and decide whether to move forward or backward. If there is a disagreement, the majority decision will prevail.”
Since the rules allowed for discussion this time, and they no longer had to remain silent, Tong Yang marched up to the two nearest figures, grabbed their shoulders, and gritted her teeth: “We need to talk.”
The five figures stopped in their tracks and slowly turned around. Under the cold moonlight, Tong Yang finally saw their pale faces.
Suddenly, her pupils contracted, and her expression darkened.
She recognized these faces all too well.
While Tong Yang didn’t have a photographic memory, she could still remember the faces of classmates she had spent some time with.
These “people” looked exactly like the other examinees from the second row. And among them, she saw the face of someone she knew all too well—Chu Shiyu.
Just like that night when someone had tried to hurt her, these figures had faces eerily similar to the people she knew.
So, it’s true… this must be what they call a parallel world, right?
“Move back three spaces, got it?” Tong Yang lowered her eyes, her face shadowed with gloom.
The five figures ignored her and turned to walk forward.
“Hey.” Tong Yang unzipped her bag and pulled out her spiked weapon. “The rules don’t say I can’t use force on my companions. If I have to drag each of you to the spot I want, it’ll be troublesome, but not impossible.”
She pressed the weapon’s spiked end against one of their necks and said coldly, “I’ll say it again: move back three spaces.”
The figures stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Just as Tong Yang was about to swing the weapon, they all turned around and began walking backward.
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes, hooked her arm around one of their shoulders, and patted their head as a reward.
“Good job.”
