The Past (2)

The time it takes for one to clean an examination centre can vary.

On one hand, it depended on whether the examinee is powerful enough. On the other hand, it depended on luck.

If they were allocated a simple exam centre, there was less trouble. If they were allocated a difficult one, even their lives could be lost.

The punishment time specified by the system was three days.

The old main had been watching over this place for a long time so he had also seen many things.

In general, when the three days are up, the examinees will still be nowhere in sight. The invigilator responsible would need to go down and pick them up for the punishment to be considered as complete.

But Qin Jiu was always an exception. He would always finish in advance.

Sometimes, it was half a day. Other times, it was a whole day.

The old man no longer remembered the specifics. He just remembered that there was one time where Qin Jiu overdid it...…

After Qin Jiu jumped out that day, the French windows were closed up again.

Torrential rain outside had not stopped. It continued to smack against the glass.

The old man looked outside the window, trying to recall events from long ago.

He had always wondered why he would be here watching over this place, but he couldn't remember.

Bored, he fiddled with the metal panel before him and casually flipped through the records.

There are several of these metal panels in the invigilator's district. They are installed at various punishment sites and the systems are all interconnected.

It didn't have any authoritative powers and was just used as a recording device.

Whether it's an invigilator or an examinee, anyone who had violated the rules before would be recorded here.

The people here weren't interested in reading past records, but the old man enjoyed it.

The names of the examinees were all unfamiliar, and he couldn't match the invigilators with their code names.

But he flipped through the records mainly so that he could feel a little more human.

This place here was too systematic and uniform. Even the people here were so systematic, they almost seemed lifeless.

It was only the moment when someone steps outside of the rule boundaries that there would be a trace of human vitality.

And so, in a place like this, someone like Qin Jiu was extremely eye-catching.

It didn't matter if you liked or hated him

In any case, you would always notice him, and remember him.

The old man flipped through for a while before soon rolling his head and dozing off.

After an unknown amount of time passed, he was once again startled awake by the thunder.

In a still confused and drowsy state, he heard knocking sounds.

Knock, knock, knock——–

Who?

The old man opened his eyes and subconsciously looked towards the elevator.

The elevator door was still closed. No one came.

Besides, who in the right mind would knock on an elevator door?

He yawned and got ready to continue sleeping.

The knocking sounded again.

Knock, knock, knock———-

The old man froze for a moment and suddenly realised that the sound was coming from the window...…

He quickly looked over. As he did that, he almost twisted those old bones of his.

Outside the window, the sky had become darker.

The torrential rain was still falling leaving behind water streaks on the windowpane. The lights from the city down below illuminated those water streaks which scattered light everywhere.

And amongst it, there was a blurry figure......

"......"

The old man clutched his chest and slowly inched closer.

The tiny platform outside the window could barely support someone.

That examinee called Qin Jiu looked like he had just arrived and was squatting there removing white bandages from his left hand.

The old man turned his head slightly and glanced at the time.

Since the time this person jumped off.......it hadn't even been six hours??

While he was still in his surprised state, the elevator suddenly opened with a "ding".

A young invigilator wearing the invigilator's uniform walked out.

He appeared to have just left a meeting as he was still wearing his special glasses. The dark brown lenses covered the upper half of his face.

The old man quickly glanced at him.

Even if only the lower half of his face was exposed, he could tell that he had the looks that could bring calamity.

"You're......here for the examinee?" The old man asked with hesitation.

The invigilator didn't answer very enthusiastically: "Just happened to pass by."

The old man who finally found his saviour immediately said: "You came just in time! Your examinee just came out."

He quickly pressed the control button.

The French window disappeared, and cold wind accompanied by rain droplets poured in.

Qin Jiu stood up straight. As he undid the bandage knot on his right hand with his teeth, he raised his eyes and looked into the room.

The moment he saw the invigilator, he was a little surprised but the next second it changed into a smile.

"I thought I would have to wait a while today. I didn't expect you to be so fast."

He then brushed his wet hair back and walked in while holding the bandages. He said to the old man: "Where can I throw this?"

The old's lips twitched and pointed next to his seat: "There's a bin over there."

Qin Jiu went around the table to throw it, and even helped him press the control button along the way.

The French window once again closed, blocking the wind and rain outside.

"You might need to get someone to mop the floor." Qin Jiu glanced down at the wet footprints he had left behind.

Is this the time to talk about mopping the floor?

The old man internally thought.

Although he couldn't see the invigilator's eyes and eyebrows, the old man was certain that he must be frowning.

"You have completed the cleaning task?

"Yeah."

"So fast?" The invigilator asked suspiciously.

Qin Jiu smiled more deeply: "I know your intention is to question me but that tone really makes me a little...proud."

"......"

The invigilator's lips pursed into a straight line.

The old man couldn't help but cut in: "What now?"

This had not happened before.

As stipulated by the system, examinees will need to stay in the invigilator's district for three days. Originally, those three days would be the time the examinee spends cleaning the examination centre so there was no need to consider the issue of food and accommodation.

Now with Qin Jiu finishing in less than a day, how they were going to deal with the remaining two days had become an issue.....

"Any relevant regulations?" The old man asked.

The invigilator said: "No."

He paused and added another sentence: "None at the moment."

At the moment...…

The old man internally thought: If this happens two more times, the system should quietly go and update its rules.

For example, regardless of whether or not they would end up using it, they should first assign a place somewhere for them to stay to avoid something as unusual as this happening.

But that was for future cases.

Right now, that very unusual being was standing right before them....so they had to decide on what to do.

The invigilator was ruthless.

He looked around and said to the old man: "Give him a bed. I'll pick him up in two days."

Qin Jiu squinted his eyes.

The old man immediately refused: "No, that can't do."

"What's the problem?"

"No bed." The old man said: "Despite this place being so big, there's nothing here. It's only enough for me alone."

As he said that, Qin Jiu suddenly turned his head and sneezed.

The invigilator's lips were pursed even more firmly into a straight line.

Through the dark lenses, you could see his knitted brows.

He then said stiffly: "Follow me down."

Qin Jiu: "Huh?"

Invigilator: "....Follow me down. Don't make me say it a third time."

"Where are we going?" Qin Jiu started dragging his voice as he rambled on nonsensically: "I am now drenched from the rain and I've exhausted all my energy. If you deal with me irresponsibly, my life might be in danger."

The old man couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He suspected that the invigilator might have also rolled his eyes under those lenses.

The invigilator looked at Qin Jiu expressionlessly for a while before saying: "Go to my place. You won't die."

There was a trace of surprise on Qin Jiu's face.

Without waiting for the other party to answer, the invigilator had already turned around and moved to wait for the elevator.

Qin Jiu leaned against the metal panel. He stared at his back for a while before straightening himself up.

The elevator arrived with a "ding". The invigilator didn't wait for him and went straight in.

Qin Jiu waved at the old man and quickly strode over. Just as the doors were about to close, he stuck his hand in and walked in with a smile on his face.

......…

What happened after that, the old man could no longer remember clearly.

It seems that Qin Jiu really did stay at that invigilator's place for two days.

In order to meet the punishment objective and to avoid being too lax around the rule-violating Qin Jiu, the examination system had implemented some measures as last minute solutions. In a way, it was its way of tying up one of its loose ends——–

The invigilator had vacated a room out and the system changed it into a confinement room.

The specifications of it was exactly the same as a normal confinement room. It was practically a case of copy and paste.

For the remaining two days, Qin Jiu had spent it in that confinement room.

......

This last-minute solution was maintained for a while.

Was it for half a year, or a year?

In any case, if anyone completed their punishment ahead of time, they would continue solitary confinement punishment at the invigilator's place.

Later, the system suddenly changed it.

Perhaps it felt that it wasn't right, or perhaps it was because more examinees were completing their punishment ahead of time.

It is said that the system later established a place for examinees to stay and several more rules and regulations were added.

As for the events after that, the old man didn't know.

As he got older, his memory got worse. He no longer paid attention to the happenings outside.

He just remembered that at one point in time, the examinee Qin Jiu no longer appeared.

And there was also no more news of that invigilator....

KK has something to say:

He stayed at Invigilator A's place~