The system’s shock was clear to Shen Qingqiu and her team, leaving Chen Kaijie and the others a bit bewildered. They had never known that arbitration could be requested in the game.
For the first time, Shen Qingqiu’s expression showed signs of tension, but it was fleeting.
She quickly composed herself and cut off Xiao Muyu’s words, scoffing, “A game system that decides the life and death of thousands should have judges in every instance. If there’s a blatant rule violation, shouldn’t there be an appeal process?
“Judging by your surprise, it seems there really is a way to appeal. If we weren’t smart, you’d have tricked us. The game instructions never mention arbitration, probably because you’re afraid of being reported for your violations.”
Xiao Muyu listened to Shen Qingqiu, her expression calm and composed.
“Stating the rules in advance has always been a principle of this game. Although some previous instances were outrageous, they were transparent and fair.
“But this time, while averaging the scores and dropping the highest and lowest ones isn’t inherently wrong, you didn’t explain this beforehand. Instead, you announced it after my score was revealed, clearly intending to hinder our progress.
“In such a vast world, rules are necessary. I doubt the system can act arbitrarily. I don’t believe there’s no arbitration.”
Her tone was natural and her reasoning solid, making the request for arbitration seem like a bold speculation.
The system was silent for a moment before mechanically stating, “Arbitration exists. Instance 004, Death Squad Seven, Xiao Muyu’s team requests arbitration!”
This surprised not only Chen Kaijie and the others but also Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu. They hadn’t expected arbitration to be allowed.
However, just as hope began to rise, it was quickly dashed.
“Arbitration request denied. The Skynet system has committed no violations. The system retains the right to explain this exam. This scoring method does not contradict logic or undermine fairness.”
This was the first time they heard a voice like this since entering the instance. Unlike the usual mechanical voice, this one sounded almost human, like a mix of a real person’s voice and artificial intelligence.
Su Jin and the others found the voice familiar, as if they had heard it somewhere before. But it hadn’t appeared in any previous system announcements, leaving Su Jin puzzled.
Shen Qingqiu was equally surprised, her expression becoming complicated. The others thought she was reacting to the failed arbitration, but only Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu knew the real reason.
However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. With arbitration failing, their only hope rested on Shen Qingqiu’s score.
Apart from Shen Qingqiu, the others stared intently at the screen displaying her name. The fourth question’s score was 3 points!
Shen Qingqiu had only written a solution and formulas for the Lorentz force and acceleration.
This result left Chen Kaijie and the others restless. Su Jin tried to stay calm, but her fingers trembled slightly.
Zuo Tiantian was deeply regretful, muttering, “I used to tutor students. I only graduated high school two years ago, and yesterday the physics teacher even went over some similar problems. I shouldn’t have done this poorly.”
Chen Kaijie was full of despair, “I didn’t help at all. It’s my fault we’re dragging down Team Leader Xiao and the others.”
The three were already in despair. It was clear that Shen Qingqiu wasn’t skilled at solving these problems. If she scored only 3 points on the fourth question, how could she possibly get 9 points on the last one?
Despite the situation, no one blamed Shen Qingqiu. Her combat abilities were well-recognized, and her contributions to the team were on par with Xiao Muyu’s.
This instance was too specialized. With the team separated from their two aces and unable to contribute much, Su Jin, Chen Kaijie, and Zuo Tiantian felt it was their fault, filled with shame and distress.
Shen Qingqiu glanced at the three people without showing any emotion, her lips curling slightly as she smiled and said, “A bit stupid, but not bad; at least you know how to self-reflect.”
Her smile turned cold and disdainful. “But to think you could take us down with mere wordplay—how naive. Who told you that a school bully must be a bad student?”
Her tone was so domineering and powerful that Su Jin felt a glimmer of hope and quickly looked up.
At that moment, the final question’s score was revealed: Shen Qingqiu had scored 12 points, a perfect score!
“Ah!” Zuo Tiantian was the first to scream, then covered her mouth, crying.
Chen Kaijie looked again in disbelief, then jumped up.
A man in his thirties, too excited to form coherent words, could only shout, “Ah! Ah!”
Su Jin’s tears welled up. She looked at the calm Shen Qingqiu and the smiling Xiao Muyu and laughed through her tears.
The final question’s 12 points meant Shen Qingqiu’s total score was 33 points.
Even with Xiao Muyu’s 43 points removed, their average score exceeded 27.
“Removing the lowest and highest scores, Xiao Muyu’s team’s final score is 28 points! Pass! Congratulations to players Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, Su Jin, Zuo Tiantian, and Chen Kaijie for passing this round! You have earned a response card!”
The system announced decisively, as if Xiao Muyu’s team’s narrow escape didn’t affect it at all, merely fulfilling its duty as a third-party enforcer.
Shen Qingqiu’s smile faded. She looked up, and the next moment, the five of them appeared in a room.
The room was charred and barren, the true scene of Room 409 where Lin Xue had been burned. Everything had been cleared away, leaving only soot and scorch marks.
Strangely, the doors on all four sides of the room were open.
“Attention, the maze will close in three minutes.” The alarm started blaring, and the lights outside the doors began flashing.
Xiao Muyu found a response card in her hand. The card was divided by two red lines into four square regions, with a red dot at the intersection.
“Did you notice the ceiling during the exam?” Xiao Muyu asked quickly.
Su Jin nodded. “I saw it. The grid in the exam room corresponds to the maze rooms. We are now at the center, and the exit is where each of us sat during the exam.”
Chen Kaijie froze for a moment, then understood. “The magnetic field on the ceiling must correspond to our locations. I remember seeing a magnetic field half inside, half outside.”
Zuo Tiantian nodded. They weren’t foolish. The exam room resembled a maze so closely that they had all considered the magnetic field’s significance.
Although the exam was tense, they hadn’t forgotten the ultimate goal was to escape the maze. But it was all too rushed for her to see clearly.
“But there are only four particles. What about Miss Shen?” Zuo Tiantian asked quickly.
Shen Qingqiu stopped them from talking. “I am the center. This is both the starting point and the endpoint. Muyu, get them out; don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.”
Xiao Muyu looked at her, bit her lip, and decisively turned her gaze to the outside lights. “To follow the trajectory and reach the exit, both direction and speed are crucial. If the speed isn’t right, you might deviate from the path. If you reach the edge, you might disappear. Are you sure you want to follow my instructions?”
Chen Kaijie and the others nodded without hesitation.
“Do you see the alarm light?”
“Yes.”
“As humans, without reference points, you can’t control your speed like a machine. You need a timer. That red light is it.
“I noticed that in my area, the dot flashes four times for each successful move out.”
Su Jin panicked. “I didn’t notice that.”
“Me neither,” Zuo Tiantian added, feeling a chill.
Xiao Muyu remained calm. “It’s fine. I checked. They are the same. Follow my instructions: four flashes per crossing, got it?”
“Got it!” They had no time to delve into details; they only had two minutes left!
The three stood at the door, looking forward. Chen Kaijie said quietly, “See you later.” His earlier tension and panic were gone. He had to succeed.
“See you.”
Four voices responded.
The next second, the three rushed out. The alarm light flashed rhythmically, but timing was hard, with less than a second per flash.
After four flashes, the three crossed the first junction successfully. Xiao Muyu’s tense heart slightly relaxed, but she remained vigilant.
Shen Qingqiu looked at her and smiled. “Why aren’t you leaving?”
Xiao Muyu stayed silent, just watching her.
Shen Qingqiu’s gaze softened, her usually cold eyes now filled with undeniable tenderness.
“Time is running out. You have to go,” she said.
Xiao Muyu swallowed, her voice hoarse. “I’m not confident. They didn’t have time to look at the prompts properly. I’m too far away. I don’t know the exact speed.”
But she had no choice. She had to give the most reasonable instructions and hide any doubts from the others.
With 25 horizontal and 25 vertical junctions, and the light flashing so quickly, four times per junction, there was no room for error.
If they faltered or hesitated, they would fail the maze.
As the one who initiated the exam, Shen Qingqiu was at the center, with no way out.
Unless all four people leave, Shen Qingqiu may never leave here.
Xiao Muyu had no choice; she couldn’t accept the slightest error. Even if it meant deceiving Chen Kaijie and the others, she had to speak with absolute certainty, making them believe without a doubt.
Shen Qingqiu laughed, “I know.”
Xiao Muyu’s composed and calm facade showed a crack, increasingly apparent, yet she forcefully suppressed it.
She looked at Shen Qingqiu and said softly, “If you don’t make it out, I won’t pass either.”
Shen Qingqiu’s smile froze, and she stared at Xiao Muyu, then averted her gaze, chuckling lightly, “Nonsense. Have you forgotten? If I hadn’t insisted on teaming up with you, you wouldn’t have agreed. Why do you need me to follow now? Didn’t you suspect I had bad intentions?”
Xiao Muyu didn’t respond, merely repeating Shen Qingqiu’s words, “There’s no time.”
After speaking, she turned to leave, making it clear she didn’t want to hear more from Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t hold back and grabbed her, pulling her back so they were almost touching.
She stared intently at Xiao Muyu, her expression complicated, “As long as you’re alive, you can see me, understand? Whether I can leave or not, you must go, got it?”
Xiao Muyu gave her a deep look, then suddenly raised her hand to hold the back of Shen Qingqiu’s head, tilting her head to kiss her directly.
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened at the warm, soft sensation on her lips, a touch both unfamiliar and familiar, captivating and frustrating, causing her mind and body to freeze.
Just as her mind was about to clear, something warm and slick gently brushed between her teeth, carrying a sweet scent that made her completely surrender.
Shen Qingqiu’s eyelashes fluttered, and she closed her eyes. But before she could find the culprit that teased her, it flitted away like a butterfly.
“This is what you owe me. I’m just taking a bit more this time. Next time, you can ask me to return it.”
Xiao Muyu brushed her lips, speaking as she backed away, then turned and rushed out through the last door.
Bang! After she left, the four doors simultaneously shut, extinguishing all the light.
The next moment, the scorching flames in the room reignited, roasting everything inside.
Standing amid the raging firelight, Shen Qingqiu touched her lips and murmured, “You took too much. I’ll definitely ask you to return it.”
Author’s note: Finally kissed. This chapter marks a small turning point in their relationship and introduces more of the larger backdrop, revealing a lot.
Yesterday was exhausting. The first time using a writing room, staring at an unreachable word count, finally writing from 7 PM to over 10 PM, and still dissatisfied. My arms and neck were sore, feeling very frustrated.
There are many good aspects. Constantly complaining is annoying with too much negativity. Complaining to you doesn’t solve problems and affects the experience.
Moreover, I should have been mentally prepared when I started writing. Thank you, everyone.
I’ll write slowly. Although this book can’t reach a million words, I will thoroughly complete the settings and background. I resent its shortcomings and doubt its quality, but my love is genuine, or I wouldn’t swim against the current.
![You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1sMqC2JNjIep8Ov.jpg "You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]")
