Forty minutes later, Tong Yang and the remaining few examinees all passed the test at the same time.
With a loud “boom,” the lights on the playground suddenly turned on. The sudden brightness made Tong Yang squint her eyes uncomfortably. After a few seconds, she adjusted to the light and looked around. The entire playground was empty, except for her and one other examinee.
The other examinee, upon making eye contact with Tong Yang, burst into tears: “I was so scared! What were those things?!”
Tong Yang didn’t respond. She made a gesture to the other person, signaling them to leave the playground together.
As they walked to the teaching building, they bumped into the other examinees. After hours of torment, everyone looked pale and utterly exhausted. After all, the final stage of the exam had them surrounded by those eerie, unexplainable entities. Yet, as soon as they passed the test and the lights came on, all those things disappeared without a trace.
Sun Ye, who was trailing behind the group in a daze, spotted Tong Yang. His eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Standing on the steps, Tong Yang gazed thoughtfully at the teacher’s office building. When she turned back and saw Sun Ye’s pitiful expression, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It was so terrifying…”
“So how did you manage to pass?”
With a tearful expression, Sun Ye replied, “I don’t know. By the end, the once-empty classroom was suddenly full of people.”
“Did you get a good look at them?”
Sun Ye shook his head violently, “I didn’t dare! I couldn’t even lift my head!”
Tong Yang gave him a disdainful look, sizing him up from head to toe. After all the life-and-death experiences he had been through, how could he still be so timid?
Tong Yang walked with the group toward the cafeteria, but suddenly she stopped. She pulled out her spiked club and tossed her backpack to Sun Ye.
“Tong-jie?” Sun Ye asked, confused.
“You guys go ahead,” Tong Yang said, “Keep my stuff safe. If anything’s missing, you owe me ten times the value.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Tong Yang turned and walked toward the teaching building, leaving only her back and the words, “The broadcasting room.”
“What?”
“What are you going to do in the broadcasting room alone?”
Tong Yang didn’t answer, and the others looked at each other in confusion. But they were all too exhausted and afraid of any new trouble, so they headed back to the cafeteria together.
In their eyes, Tong Yang was extremely capable, unafraid of strange occurrences, and even on her own, nothing could harm her.
Twenty minutes later, Tong Yang returned to the cafeteria.
She found a small gap at the bottom of the rolling door, likely left unlocked after the others had entered. She crouched down, pulled the door open, and walked into the pitch-black cafeteria. On the floor, surrounded by tables and chairs, lay a group of people, bundled up and fast asleep. After a night filled with walking and emotional exhaustion, they were all too tired and had fallen asleep.
Without thinking much of it, Tong Yang closed the rolling door behind her, plunging the room back into darkness.
She made her way toward her original spot, but suddenly she heard soft counting in the darkness.
“One, two, three…”
Suddenly, dozens of phone flashlights lit up from the circle. Tong Yang instinctively raised her arm to shield her eyes.
“What are you guys doing…”
“Tong Yang, happy 17th birthday!”
Tong Yang was stunned for a moment, lowering her arm in confusion and looking at the group.
They had all turned on their phone flashlights, lighting up the cafeteria. Chu Shiyu stood there holding two stacked hamburgers with a blue candle stuck on top. The candle flickered, casting a soft glow on her face.
“Sorry,” Chu Shiyu said, smiling shyly. “When your ID card fell out yesterday, I accidentally saw your birthday. I didn’t realize it was June 8th, what a coincidence.”
“Tong Yang, I can’t believe you’re only 17.”
“Yeah, most of us are 18 already.”
“Even though the situation isn’t ideal, we’ve all been through a lot together. Happy birthday!”
Tong Yang stared at them silently, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
Birthday? For her, it wasn’t exactly a day of joy, though she did value her life and where she came from.
Although Tong Le had celebrated her birthday with her in recent years, Tong Yang herself never really remembered it. She had a good memory, but deliberately chose to forget it.
“Thank you.” Tong Yang looked up, sincerely expressing her gratitude.
“Ah, too bad we don’t have a real cake, just this burger in a plastic bag,” someone joked.
“Hurry and blow out the candle and make a wish!”
“How about wishing we all pass the exams safely?”
“Shut up! That’s your wish, not Tong-jie’s!”
Tong Yang put down her spiked club, clasped her hands together, and made a wish while staring at the flickering candle. Then, she blew it out.
“Happy birthday!!!”
Since the “cake” was too small, only Tong Yang could enjoy it.
“Tong-jie, you’re so young, I can’t believe you’re only 17!”
Tong Yang took a bite of the hamburger and said, “I skipped a grade in middle school.”
“What the heck?”
“As expected from a genius, even after skipping a grade, your scores are still so high.”
Tong Yang frowned and corrected, “It’s not that my scores are high after skipping a grade. It’s because my scores were so high that I skipped a grade.”
“Hahaha, Tong-jie’s logic is impeccable!”
“Seriously though, Tong-jie, aren’t you scared at all?”
Tong Yang thought for a moment and said, “At first, I was a little scared. Later, I just got angry. Now, as long as I finish the exam and stay alive, I’m fine.”
“Honestly, during the day, Tong-jie, you were so cool!”
“Yeah, you’re good-looking, smart, not only excellent in school but also a pro at making money. Man, comparing myself to you makes me feel useless!”
“Do you think we’ve become battle-hardened brothers after going through all this?”
“Of course! We should make a group chat so we can reminisce later!”
Tong Yang reminded them, “If we make it out alive, let’s keep all of this a secret. Don’t tell anyone else, or we might drag innocent people into this.”
“That’s fair.”
“So, are we all friends now? Tong-jie, will you give us some exam tips tomorrow?”
This time, Tong Yang didn’t respond sarcastically. She shook her head and said, “This is the college entrance exam, and I personally don’t like cheating.”
“Yeah, good point. It’s the college entrance exam after all.”
“What are you even thinking? Cheating is a terrible idea. If you get caught, you’ll be disqualified on the spot.”
Tong Yang added, “Even though you celebrated my birthday with me, you still have to pay me.”
“Pfft!”
“Don’t worry! We’ve got the money.”
Ignoring their teasing, Tong Yang planned to finish her hamburger and rest.
Chu Shiyu, moving slowly and awkwardly, approached Tong Yang. “Tong Yang, I’m sorry for bullying you before.”
“Bullying?” Tong Yang looked up, confused. “You bullied me?”
“Yeah, I was always picking on you…”
Tong Yang: “?”
“I thought you knew I was poor and were trying to help me out without hurting my pride.”
“Otherwise, who’s dumb enough to bully me while giving me money at the same time? Honestly, half of my little brother’s allowance comes from you.”
Chu Shiyu: “…”
“Anyway, I won’t do it anymore!” Chu Shiyu said, embarrassed.
“Ah…” Tong Yang made a regretful expression.
Chu Shiyu pouted, gave her an annoyed look, and stormed off.
Just as Tong Yang lowered her head to continue eating, another person approached.
“Tong Yang…”
Wang Xinyuan, the most severely injured in the class, walked up to her hesitantly.
“Thanks for helping me earlier today… and, uh, sorry about everything.”
Tong Yang raised her eyes to look at him. “You guys holding a confession session or something? I didn’t help you for free—I charged you.”
“I know. I’ll make sure to pay you when we get back.”
“Alright.” Tong Yang nodded, accepting his apology.
Not long after, everyone had fallen asleep, sprawled out in various positions.
A few hours later, they slowly woke up, and after washing up, it was close to 8:30—just thirty minutes until the exam.
When they opened the rolling door, golden sunlight flooded the ground. Though there were still bloodstains on the floor, they didn’t seem as glaring as they had the day before.
“Candidates… zz… please… zz… make your way… zz… to the exam hall…”
The broadcast crackled with static, interrupted by loud bursts of interference.
“Is the broadcast glitching? That’s kinda funny.”
“What’s up with it? The signal’s terrible.”
As Tong Yang walked at the back of the group, biting into a piece of bread, she said calmly, “I smashed the broadcasting room last night.”
Everyone: “…”
Wow, this girl’s got guts to act so brazenly in someone else’s territory.
Arriving at exam room 1209, they set their things down and returned to their seats.
The atmosphere inside the exam room was vastly different from the day before. Gone was the fear and anger—now, there was only calm.
Before long, three invigilators entered the classroom one after another.
“The third exam subject is English. The duration is two hours. During the exam, please remain silent and avoid looking around or talking.”
“Students in the first row, please come forward to collect your exam papers and scratch paper.”
Once the papers were handed out, two invigilators stood in their usual spots in the corners of the room, while Invigilator A stood at the podium. “You may begin.”
Everyone looked up in surprise. That’s it? No other conditions? No mention of anything other than the written exam?
Tong Yang furrowed her brows. The lack of additional conditions made her feel uneasy. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it—finishing the exam successfully was the priority.
As time ticked by, nothing unusual happened. The invigilators stood in place, making no moves at all. The quiet was almost unnerving.
Tong Yang had already finished checking her paper and sat in her seat, pondering why everything had become so calm.
The news articles shared in the gossip group said that they had all died in a terrorist attack on June 7th. Could it be that because they had survived June 7th, they had changed their future and were no longer in danger?
But if they had successfully overcome the crisis, why hadn’t they returned to the real world? Why were they still stuck in this strange place, taking exams?
Before Tong Yang could come up with an answer, the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam.
“Pens down.”
Everyone looked at Invigilator A, waiting to hear what he would say next.
After everything that had happened, no matter how shocking his words were, they wouldn’t be surprised anymore.
Invigilator A’s cold gaze swept across the room before he spoke, “Gather your belongings and prepare to leave the exam hall.”
“The final exam will take place from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM. Please arrive at the exam hall at least twenty minutes early.”
“Now, please leave the exam hall in an orderly fashion.”
As they stepped out of the empty teaching building onto the overgrown grounds, the students in front whispered to each other, while Tong Yang walked with her head down, lost in thought.
The sudden calm left everyone feeling a bit disoriented.
“It’s strange that there wasn’t any other part to the exam.”
“Yeah, I’m not used to it.”
“Do you think last night’s test was the final one? Maybe we won’t face any more danger?”
“That’d be great! If we can finish the science exam this afternoon, we can go home!”
“Wow, I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll never forget this experience for the rest of my life!”
“We can finally relax during lunch!”
Some of the more optimistic students were practically jumping for joy, but there were still some who remained worried.
“Don’t get too excited just yet. I have a feeling it’s not over.”
“If we pass the Independent College Entrance Exam, we should be able to return to the real world.”
“Let’s be cautious for now.”
“Tong Yang, what do you think?”
Someone suddenly turned the conversation toward Tong Yang.
After a moment of thought, Tong Yang said, “Since there are no other exams for now, relax and do what you need to do. But don’t let your guard down—be prepared for danger at any time.”
“Alright! Let’s not overthink it for now. Let’s grab something to eat.”
“Yeah, the exam doesn’t start until 3:00 PM. We can still take a nap.”
They returned to the cafeteria, locking the door behind them just to be safe.
After a short nap, Tong Yang woke up and pulled out her materials to review for the science exam.
She was confident in her physics and chemistry knowledge, so reviewing wouldn’t make much of a difference. However, she occasionally made mistakes in biology, especially when answering descriptive questions. She always liked to add her own opinions, which weren’t included in the textbook.
Tong Yang opened her notes and found a particularly challenging biology question. She wrote down her answer on a piece of paper. During a period of intense study, she had trained herself to write neatly and without any errors or corrections.
Time passed quietly in this calm atmosphere.
At 2:30 PM, the broadcast bell rang, reminding everyone it was time to head to the exam hall.
Perhaps because of how peaceful the English exam had been, everyone woke up from their naps in a much better mood.
“As long as we finish the science exam, we can go home. I’m so excited.”
“And the broadcast didn’t sound at all during lunch. Maybe it really is safe now!”
“Wow, everything that happened yesterday feels like a dream.”
“If I told my parents, they’d never believe me.”
“I wonder what our parents think we’ve been doing these past two days. I hope they don’t notice anything strange.”
“What should we eat tonight?”
“I want hot pot. Let’s go out and have a meal after the exam! What do you guys think?”
“Sounds good! But isn’t there a class reunion tonight?”
“So what?”
They eagerly discussed what to eat that evening, even arguing over it as if it were really going to happen.
During this time, Tong Yang remained silent, an unsettling feeling gnawing at her. It just didn’t seem that simple.
“Hey, why don’t we get a big cake tonight and celebrate Tong-jie’s birthday properly?”
“Great idea! I know a place that makes amazing cakes!”
“Tong-jie, do you have plans tonight? Let’s grab dinner together!”
Not wanting to spoil the cheerful atmosphere, Tong Yang thought for a moment before saying, “I’m free tonight, but I’ll have to bring my little brother. He’s coming home for break today.”
“No problem!”
Laughing and chatting, they reached the teaching building on the south side. The desolate surroundings seemed a bit less grim thanks to the lighthearted conversation.
“Whoever gets to the exam hall last is a dog!”
Someone shouted, and the boys at the front immediately sprinted toward the building.
“Hey! Who wants to play such a childish game?”
“Too late! Don’t run if you’re not playing!”
“I’m not going to be a dog. You guys can fight over it!”
Before Tong Yang could react, most of the students had already run ahead.
“Tong Yang, come on! Let Sun Ye be last—he sleeps like a pig and couldn’t wake up no matter how hard we tried!”
Chu Shiyu and another girl hooked their arms through Tong Yang’s, practically dragging her toward the building.
Panting behind them, Sun Ye called out, “Wait for me!”
They rushed up to the third floor, and as they reached the corner, they found all the students who had run ahead gathered at the door of exam room 1209, blocking the entrance and not daring to go inside.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you going in?”
Seeing the scene, Tong Yang immediately realized the danger hadn’t passed after all.
“What the hell is this?!”
Finally, it dawned on the group, and they started cursing. “Damn it! I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy!”
“Haha, just as I expected.”
“So… are we still having hot pot tonight?”
“Of course! Why not?”
Tong Yang squeezed through the crowd to take a look. Inside the 1209 exam room, thick, sturdy ropes hung above each seat. Each rope had a loop, just big enough for a head, and the ropes extended through the third-floor ceiling, seemingly connected to the fourth floor.
“Are they really going to make us hang ourselves?”
“Thirty-three people hanging themselves… Just the thought of it is terrifying.”
“I hope this doesn’t mess with our hot pot plans.”
“Is hot pot seriously all you can think about right now?”
“Pretty much. I’m also craving two bottles of ice-cold cola and a good night’s sleep.”
They gathered their exam materials, placed their backpacks on the racks by the door, and, still chatting casually, walked into the classroom, taking their seats.
Standing at her desk, Tong Yang looked up at the ropes hanging from the ceiling. There was a small hole, just big enough for the ropes to move up and down.
Though they all tried to keep things light with jokes, it was clear from the tension in their eyes that everyone was on edge. The humor was just a way to mask their nerves and calm each other down.
“Please be quiet.”
The three invigilators entered the classroom, and the chatter died down.
Invigilator A stood at the podium, a stiff smile on his pale face. “Congratulations to all of you for reaching the final exam of the Independent College Entrance Exam—the science exam.”
“I will now explain the rules for this exam.”
“First, this exam is only a written test and will last two and a half hours. Second, during the exam, you must remain silent and secure the rope above your head around your neck. Finally, you need to choose a representative. At the end of the exam, this representative’s test paper will be graded first, and their result will determine whether you live or die.”
The room erupted in chaos.
“Don’t worry. The written portion of the Independent College Entrance Exam will be ranked like any other exam.”
“Now, please choose a representative, and the exam will begin.”
“Wait! What do you mean the result will determine whether we live or die? Can you explain that?”
Invigilator A glanced at the examinee who spoke, not reprimanding him for speaking out of turn, and replied, “To put it simply, everyone except the representative will have to place the rope around their neck. If the representative’s test paper is flawless, then everyone will pass the exam. If there are fewer than thirty-two mistakes, the ropes will be randomly tightened until one of the examinees dies. The rest, including the representative, will pass.”
“If there are more than thirty-two mistakes, then for every mistake over the limit, one person will die. In that case, only the representative will pass.”
Upon hearing this, the students’ faces turned pale.
“Wait… you’ve got to be kidding, right? Why should we have to die?”
“Are you insane? We’re just innocent students! Why are you making us go through this?”
“This is crazy! Let us go home!”
As the students erupted in anger, Invigilator A remained calm. “You may choose to withdraw from the exam at any time. If you do, your exam qualification will be canceled.”
Canceling their qualification meant they would never pass the exam and would never return to their world, never see their family or friends again.
Tong Yang looked at the three invigilators standing at the podium, her eyes cold, her fingers tightening into a fist.
“You have five minutes to discuss and choose a representative, or you can forfeit the exam and leave the hall.”
“What do we do?”
“What else can we do? Do you want to stay in this place forever?”
“Who should we pick? Only the representative is guaranteed to pass, no matter the result…”
“I want to choose myself.”
“Me too, but what about everyone else?”
Chu Shiyu’s face was pale, her expression wooden. “We should choose someone whose score will be closest to perfect.”
“I agree. Even if it’s not a perfect score, as long as the mistakes are few, it’ll come down to luck on who gets picked.”
In this exam hall, it wasn’t hard to figure out who had the best chance of scoring near perfect on the science test. Everyone’s gaze shifted to Tong Yang, their eyes filled with hope.
“Tong Yang, what’s your lowest and highest score on the science exam?”
Tong Yang lowered her eyes, gripping her pen so tightly her skin turned white. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she replied, “This semester, my lowest score was 294, and my highest was 300.”
“That means at most, six of us might die. And if all six points are from the same question, only one person will die, which would greatly reduce the risk!”
“If someone gets picked, it just means they had bad luck.”
“Does anyone have any objections?”
“If Tong-jie scores full marks, we’ll all pass!”
…
Whether it was out of trust in Tong Yang or desperation, everyone’s spirits seemed to lift.
“But wouldn’t this put too much pressure on Tong Yang?” Chu Shiyu asked, frowning, her expression troubled.
Sun Ye nodded. “Yeah, wouldn’t this be like throwing all the responsibility onto Tong-jie?”
Hearing this, the group’s excitement cooled.
While some had briefly considered nominating themselves as the representative, the idea of being responsible for others’ lives weighed heavily on them.
Even if they passed, knowing their classmates had died because of their choices—could they really return to their normal lives without guilt?
Perhaps those who weren’t chosen would be lucky, passing the exam and moving on, but what about the representative? Could they truly live with themselves knowing that others had died because of them?
Silence fell over the group as they began to question whether becoming the representative was really such a good idea.
Tong Yang slowly lifted her head, her expression as calm as ever.
Was there a better choice?
—No.
“If you’re not worried that I’ll intentionally make mistakes,” Tong Yang said with a smile, “then choose me.”
