( 29 )

There was strong tension at the front desk.

The others looked at the kitchen knife lodged in the front desk. It wasn't a good idea to leave and it also wasn't a good idea to stay. Only You Huo reported his name without a change in his expression.

Xiao Hu tapped on the keyboard and said: "Found it. You can stay here a total of seven days. From this moment——-"

He turned to look at the clock on the wall: "From 3:12pm. You can check out at 3:12pm seven days later. This is your room card."

You Huo received his room card.

The room number was written on the front. You Huo was staying at 404.

The boss glanced at it and added: "Oh that's right. Here we don't avoid any numbers so if you are assigned numbers like 404, 414....It's all life so don't take it too personally. Afterall, even if you don't stay in a room with the number 4, it doesn't mean you won't die, right?"2

Those words of hers comforted everyone there until their faces turned green.

You Huo didn't look up. He turned the card over.

The first line on the back wrote:

Examinee's Rest Stop. Manager: Chu Yue

Below that was something that looked like an examination ticket:

Name: You Huo

Ticket Number: 860451-10062231-000A

Completed subjects: Physics

Total points: 19

Boss Chu Yue finally revealed a surprised look: "You got 19 points in one subject. Amazing!"

You Huo coldly looked up.

Chu Yue: "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just praising you. Praising that you have a face that brings calamity3. You have a good name!"

You Huo: "...…."

She didn't wait for You Huo to speak and proceeded to return to back into the house while laughing loudly.

Xiao Hu thought for a moment and told You Huo his rehearsed lines: "Hot water is available, and heating is in place. For those who have just entered, don't rush to heat up your hands and burrow in your blankets. In a moment, I will bring you a bucket of snow and alcohol. You should warm up the exposed arms and lefts first before entering. The meals will be served at 7am, 11am and 5pm. The dining room is on the first floor around that corner. The meal time will go for two hours and it will be stopped at 9am, 1pm and 7pm. The chef has a bad temper, so he won't serve you before or after that."

You Huo heard this and nodded: "Anything to eat?"

Xiao Hu: "...…..won't serve you…."

You Huo looked at him.

He looked at You Huo.

Two seconds later, Xiao Hu turned his head and shouted: Boss! The guests want to eat!"

Boss Chu claims to be a superficial person and would do things while taking into consideration other people's appearances.

Fortunately, there was You Huo amongst this group of examinees.

And so, they didn't wait long after warming up and they all sat in the dining room eating the dumplings made personally by Boss Chu herself.

Yu Wen shouted saying that he wasn't hungry, but he ate like crazy.

With hot food filling their stomachs, their tense mood finally relaxed.

Everyone started to feel a little drowsy and they leaned against each other in daze.

Chu Yue said: "This group of examinees' is very interesting."

You Huo looked at her.

On a snowy day like this, Chu Yue was holding onto a glass of cold beer. She took a sip and explained: "The group that checked in yesterday morning only had three people. Oh———–"

She pointed at the roof: "Except for meals, they basically don't come out at all. They don't even come out for all the meals and would just eat a few mouthfuls. Sometimes they would just sit there in daze or cry."

"Three people? What exam did they take? How many people were there when they went in?" Yu Wen asked.

"The same as you." Chu Yue answered as a matter of factly: "Recently all the people staying here at my place have taken the same exam."

Yu Wen: ".....Same exam? The hunter one? Only three people left?"

Chu Yue said: "Three people is actually a little few. But at most it's usually five or six people. That's the norm."

"How many groups have you received?" Yu Wen recalled the bald man turning into the hunter and rubbed the goosebumps that formed: "Doesn't that mean that there are lots of hunters?"

Chu Yue said: "Of course not. When I said the same exam, I meant the same exam centre. You can only go in after they're done."

She lowered her voice and said secretively: "Did you know? In some exam centres, you can still find some traces left by previous examinees. Last time I heard someone picked up a finger bone and there was also another person who picked up a ring."

"You can try looking for it."

Humans are very resilient creatures.

The next day, everyone had adapted to their life living in the examinee's rest stop.

Although it was not a town, when compared to the hunter's cabin, it was much better.

There was food to eat, they could sleep at ease, they wouldn't die by going out and there weren't any chickens chasing after you reminding you to submit your answers.

Opposite the rest stop was a house that was three storeys high. It hung heavy plastic curtains that had turned yellow with age and is no longer transparent. Only a faint circle of incandescent light could be seen emanating from within.

There was a wooden sign displayed outside. The word "Warehouse" was written.

"What's a warehouse?" The twin girls asked in unison.

Old Yu was very patient with children. He explained: "It's like a grocery store. It sells everything. You haven't seen it before?"

Not only the girls, many others also shook their heads. They said: "Where we come from, we don't call it that."

"Is that so?" Old Yu muttered.

He was rather crafty so when he followed everyone in, he immediately tried to chat with the owner. After exchanging a few words, he found out that the owner was from the same town.

The owner of the warehouse was surnamed Zhao. He was a very unfriendly fellow townsman.

"Big brother. I'll call you big brother now." Old Yu said this passionately.

The owner Zhao Ding was at most fourty years old and is definitely younger than Old Yu. He had a strong build and a straight back, yet he shamelessly acknowledged this "big brother" nickname. Holding his cigarette, he said monotonously: "Up to you."