Auditory Hallucination

Qin Jiu had once told 154 that if he saw invigilator A again and somehow recognised him, he would return the other party with some critical condition notices and then ask them to stay away; to stop starting trouble.

Those words were spoken truthfully, like it was natural for him to do that.

It had only been two years since.

Only two years...…

That invigilator A was now standing right in front of him.

He neither sent the other party to the ICU nor did he ask them to get lost.

The other party had instead invited him to tour the island together.

In a complicated mood, he considered refusing for a few seconds before eventually returning the other party with an "okay".

...

The descending dragon delivered ten slaps. Every slap was received by him.

You Huo handed the fire torch over.

Qin Jiu wordlessly received it.

He stood in place for two seconds before suddenly turning his head to the side and covering his face.

Noticing that he wasn't keeping up, You Huo stopped and asked: "What's wrong with you?"

Qin Jiu massaged his jaw: "Face hurts."

You Huo: "...…."

"Forget it, it's nothing." Qin Jiu added some more fire to his fire torch and followed: "Let's go."

The moment they reached the cave entrance, they were stopped by someone.

In addition to the two activists Di Li and Brother Li, there was also Chen Fei and Huang Rui who often filled the final place position.

"Why, not letting us go?" Qin Jiu asked.

Chen Fei shook his head: "No, we...we have a request."

"Speak."

You Huo didn't like to be stopped and didn't much patience. He coldly threw out a single word.

Chen Fei and Huang Rui glanced at each other. They then said cautiously: "Can we go too? We promise not to drag you down."

Qin Jiu: "What kind of request is this?"

"Uh...."

Chen Fei was a little embarrassed.

In comparison, Huang Rui was much more direct.

He scratched his head and said: "That was just one thing. Another request is....If. If there is time, can you teach us a little bit about dealing with the monster?"

After he was done, Huang Rui again explained: "Based on the current situation, it looks like the two of us are bound to be last. The sun's about to rise and we're getting closer and closer to the second night. I heard you two say earlier that the monster's legs were cut off and it had escaped but we're still afraid...…"

Chen Fei nodded and said: "Don't laugh at us. We are really scared. We have always been thinking about what we should do if the monster appears again tomorrow night."

You Huo's skill in freezing someone was sufficient, but he was lacking in his ability to comfort others.

He listened quietly for a while and suddenly nudged Qin Jiu.

Qin Jiu stared at his arm that was nudged before slowly speaking up to comfort the others: "There's no point worrying. There is an 80% chance of it coming back."

You Huo corrected: "90."

Chen Fei: "....."

With their slim hope crushed, the expressions of the two in last place were extremely pale.

"Then...….." Huang Rui swallowed several times. He did his best to calm himself down but he couldn't form a complete sentence.

He repeated the word 'then' several times as Qin Jiu finally turned his attention away from his elbow that was nudged and You Huo.

"What did you ask just now?" Qin Jiu for a moment couldn't remember.

Huang Rui: "...….."

"How we dealt with the monster, right?"

"Yes."

Qin Jiu shook the fire torch in his hand and said: "We relied on this."

You Huo: "?"

"Really?" Chen Fei and Huang Rui looked puzzled: "But.....did you bring along a fire torch when you disappeared? You didn't, right?"

Qin Jiu: "We didn't. He has a lighter."

"Lighter?" The two were doubtful: "That little flame worked?"

Qin Jiu: "I guess. Just burnt that thing's mouth."

You Huo: ?"

"Th-that monster was so easy to deal with?"

Chen Fei and Huang Rui looked at each other.

They felt that it sounded a little unreal....

No, not just a little. It was too unreal. To rely on a small lighter like that, you could deal with something so scary?

With just that monster's size, overturning a ship with its tentacles alone was not a problem. Just its eyes were about the size of half a human and it was also something that could stretch, shrink and change its shape as it pleased.

Just a small flame was enough?

Why are you trying to trick?

But when Qin Jiu spoke, he didn't appear to be joking. Instead, everything was said lazily.

It was as if he would answer casually any question he was asked but he didn't have any intention to elaborate.

But for some reason, it was very persuasive.

Perhaps it was because he didn't panic that he seemed reliable? Or perhaps it was because of his deep voice that gave them a sense of trustworthiness?

Chen Gai and Huang Rui felt complicated. The more they thought about it the more it seemed...…like it wasn't impossible?

"Really?" Chen Fei checked again.

Qin Jiu looked at him through half-lidded eyes with a look that said 'it's up to you whether or not you believe it's true'.

Chen Fei quickly shrank his neck back and answered himself: "It should be true."

You Huo: "?"

"If a small fire from the lighter was enough, then wouldn't it be easier for us if we each carried a fire torch?" Huang Rui who finished saying that felt that he had spoken too rashly and added: "I mean, that way it wouldn't be that scary."

Chen Fei then asked suspiciously: "But when the monster's mouth is closed, the lighter may still work for a while. Would a fire torch this big really not go out?"

Qin Jiu: "Then bring along two more knifes or some other form of sharp weapon. That would be enough."

The two bowed their head in thought again.

"If you have time, it would be better to use it to find a useful weapon." Qin Jiu said and glanced at You Huo before the two left one after another.

***

When Chen Fei, Di Li and the others rushed out with their fire torches, the two great masters had long disappeared.

"Are there any strange gates in this place? How did they disappear so quickly?" Di Li muttered.

"It's all our fault. We probably annoyed them with our questions." Huang Ruin was a little frustrated, "I knew we should have accompanied around the island first before asking."

"Don't worry about it." The good-tempered Brother Li again began to speak nonsense: "Those who are too outstanding all tend to have a bit of a lonely personality because they can't get along with others. Those two look like they're used to going around alone."

Di Li pouted: "That's not right. They're clearly going around in pairs."

Brother Li: "They just happened to get along."

Di Li was a little discouraged: "I think they just didn't want to take us along."

In any case, he was also the top ranked player here. To some extent, he was doing alright.

But with those two here, he couldn't keep up with their pace and conversely felt like he was just taken for a ride.

With that head of grey hair bowed down, Brother Li found it a little funny: "What's wrong Xiao Di classmate?"

Di Li said glumly: "I feel like I'm dragging them down. This is the first time in my life that I've felt like this."

"Actually, it's not you. How should I put it....What did we rely on to get points before this?" Brother Li asked.

"Bravery and tactics." Di Li who blew his own horn covered his face in embarrassment.

"I guess so." Brother Li said: "Think about it. What is bravery? After confirming the answer, deciding what you must decide?"

Di Li: "Yeah."

"Then what about tactics? It's for us to act carefully; not to be reckless. To plan everything one step at a time before reaching our final objective. Isn't that right?"

Di Li: "Yeah———-"

"Now think about what those two rely on to get points." Brother Li.

Di Li thought about it. He realised that of those two, one relied on acting wildly while the other relied on force.....

"Isn't it the complete opposite?" Brother Li asked. "It's along the lines of them earning points by failing while you do it following the normal procedures. Even if you wanted to drag them down, it's impossible because the starting points for both of you were different from the very beginning."

Di Li suddenly came to a realisation.

"Then what do we do?" Di Li asked.

Brother Li wanted to say that they should taken care of themselves well so as not to become a burden to the others.

But before he could speak, he heard Di Li suggest with epiphany: "We lose out minds too and join them?"

Brother Li: "Huh?"

***

You Huo had no knowledge of the conversation that took place at the entrance of the cave.

He just knew that with Qin Jiu's ramble earlier, those who wanted to follow weren't able to keep up. Perhaps they had formed another group and had gone in another direction.

There were only the two of them on this road.

The flames flickered past the frozen ice, giving the snow-white surface an orange-yellow tinge.

Their shadows wavered under the fire.

This island tour was different from what You Huo had envisioned. The atmosphere was a little strange.

But for someone who never usually paid attention to the atmosphere to think this...…that in itself was very strange.

He held the fire torch in one hand and his other hand was tucked in his pocket. You Huo's eyes swept across the reef.

As someone who was accustomed to the cold, he actually felt that this road was too quiet. There was only the sound of ice crunching under their feet. He walked ahead while Qin Jiu walked half a step behind him.

You Huo listened for a while before suddenly asking: "Wy did you lie to them just now?"

"To let them toughen up a little." Qin Jiu said, "For them to be able to survive until the third round, they shouldn't be completely useless. They're probably just a little scared. By letting them believe that a lighter was enough to help them escape and getting them to prepare adequately, perhaps they will be successful."

You Huo said: "It is also possible that they won't be successful."

After saying that, for a long time he didn't hear a response.

When he turned his head to look back, he saw Qin Jiu again looking at him. His eyes reflected the flames from the fire torch.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Qin Jiu retracted his gaze. He continued to look at the road ahead. After a moment, he said: "I've noticed that you sometimes like to carry heavy burdens and would even do that without saying anything."

You Huo wasn't very happy with his way of describing things. He gave a quiet snort.

"If it is an examination centre with 100 people, I suspect you would be too busy to worry about anything else." Qin Jiu said.

"Is the pot calling the kettle black?" You Huo glanced at him: "And you do less than me? Were you not involved with all the things I've done?"

Qin Jiu let out a sound of affirmation but didn't say anything.

After a few seconds, he suddenly added: "The motive is different."

You Huo: "How is it different?"

"You take the initiative." When Qin Jiu spoke, a cloud of white fog formed before his face: "As for me...I just recalled for a moment; most of the time I was dragged into it."

Bullshit.

You Huo didn't know where that bastard logic of his came from and couldn't help but say: "Are you the one with amnesia or am I the one with it?"

"I really did lose my memory before." Qin Jiu continued without any hesitation.

As soon as he said that, he paused and added: "As for you, I'm not sure."

You Huo was rendered speechless by him. A snort was emitted from his nose and soon everything turned silent again.

Qin Jiu's gaze fell onto You Huo's shadow. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

He was waiting for an answer.

Just as he thought he wasn't going to get a response, You Huo suddenly said: "I'm really similar to you."

Qin Jiu's eyebrow raised. He looked back up at him.

The flames painted a warm outline on his side profile, making him look slightly gentler than usual. It aided in hiding some of his cold and arrogant demeanour.

You Huo said: "There are a few years that I no longer remember."

".....What do you mean by not remembering?"

"Literally." You Huo said.

"Then when you said that you were in the military academy for how many years, were you fooling me?"

Invigilator 001 probed a little further.

"That I still remember, but my impression of it isn't very deep." You Huo said. "I have forgotten everything after that."

"Why?"

"Accidental injury during training."

That was the reason he was told when he woke up. He himself had also believed that for many years so it couldn't be considered as lying.

You Huo internally thought this.

Qin Jiu softly let out an 'oh'.

It was only at this moment that he realised that he felt relieved.

You Huo still didn't know that he was invigilator A. Something like this actually made him.....a little thankful.

As for what he was thankful about, he didn't know. In any case, Mr. 001 pushed the phone in his pocket deeper inside.

***

The ice field was once again quiet.

They both walked on carrying different thoughts in their minds.

"Wait...….."

Suddenly, a soft whisper could be heard.

You Huo's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He turned and asked Qin Jiu: "What?"

Qin Jiu was also surprised. He almost pulled the phone out of his pocket: "Huh? I didn't speak. Another auditory hallucination?"

As soon as he said that, he realised that this time it wasn't You Huo's imagination.

Because he heard it too.

Several faint whispers were carried over by the wind. It was both vague and faint, as if there was something obscuring it.

It should be what Shu Xue was describing.

The two instantly stopped. They swept their fire torches around.

After listening for a while, they came to a realisation. That sound didn't come with the wind. In fact, it came from below their feet...