Maybe he’d taken too many exams?
She lowered her gaze.
Truly… enviable.
“Lord Elai,” Zongzheng Ye paused, as if carefully choosing his words, “I’ve always been curious-how did you come up with the idea to stage such a…”
“Grand death?”
In the dim light of the Gates of Hell, Elai replied nonchalantly, “Too many people. Crowded.”
“But the exam was far too easy,” he shrugged, “so I added a bit of difficulty.”
ZhongZheng Ye smiled sincerely and praised, “Thank you for your generosity, Lord Elai. You’ve given them an early lesson in the harsh realities of society.”
“This slight upgrade directly propelled them from C+ to B-rank.”
Su Luan: “…..”
These people were truly wicked.
If she were one of those examinees, she’d be furious seeing the answers after getting out.
Thanks a lot, you old snake!
After all this, it turns out the greatest danger didn’t come from the Education Department, but these competitors?
However… she glanced at the now empty surroundings and had to admit this elite screening was effective.
It eliminated a large group at once, leaving the place much quieter.
She turned to see many examinees from the lower ranks, their spirits huddled in corners trembling.
Su Luan’s expression was complicated.
In a way, because they were “too weak,” they’d been completely untouched by the storm above.
Untroubled by misleading information, they’d solved the problems in ignorant peace.
But…
So what?
Once the battle royale began, most would perish instantly.
Different examinees had been destined for different deaths from the start.
Her cold gaze swept over faces still celebrating their passage, unable to hide their joy, before lowering her eyes.
Without the strength to protect oneself, what use was luck?
Just a different way to die.
“Ah,” ZhongZheng Ye suddenly laughed, “the gates of hell are closing.”
He leisurely scanned the area-Su Fu had ultimately failed to enter.
This was expected.
Now he could finally relax.
No comeback, not from the beginning to the end.
Truthfully, he thought, for a district-level examinee from the very bottom to come this far was impressive enough.
Pity, such a pity she had to oppose the ZhongZheng family.
So recklessly outstanding, so unaware of death’s proximity.
Not just him-Su Luan wanted her gone too.
The top student, yet from the poorest Cangwu Academy, without even a C-rank divine artifact.
But Su Fu?
Flaunting divine favor, obtaining a B-rank blessed artifact outright.
How could that not breed wariness?
As for Elai… ZhongZheng Ye glanced at the golden-haired youth nearby.
Despite his calm facade, no one feared unexpected variables more than him, and Su Fu’s rise was too rapid.
Did they think noble families fools?
To watch an outsider charge ahead unchecked?
Impossible.
He’d clearly noticed Liu Yingxue’s absence from Elai’s side.
Where had she gone?
No need to guess, likely stationed as the final barrier against Su Fu.
Three people, unspoken yet united in purpose:
Eliminate the anomaly.
That… excessively brilliant anomaly.
So he congratulated with a smile:
“Congratulations to all for advancing to Paper B.”
And… pleasant cooperation!
Just then, the Shen Yan AI announced:
[Detected examinees successfully entering Paper B venue]
[Current Paper B examinees: 45]
[Total surviving examinees: 220]
[Paper B examinees have triggered relevant rules]
[Battle Royale officially begins]
[Current survival time: 71:59:59]
The crowd: ……?
The examinees realized something was wrong.
Surviving examinees?
“220 surviving examinees? What… what does this mean?”
“This means the examinees from Paper A weren’t directly eliminated?!”
The crowd began to stir.
“No way…” someone muttered, “Could it be that when the Ghost Gate reopens tomorrow at midnight, they can still enter?”
“Holy shit!” one examinee suddenly realized, “So by rushing in first, we’re actually facing the battle royale ahead of them?!”
“This is absolutely insane!”
Another voice roared, “I barely survived Paper A, only to get hunted like dogs here, while those outside get to eat, drink and face the battle royale at their leisure?”
So they weren’t ahead of everyone after all.
Instead… they’d plunged headfirst into the most dangerous trap?
The group collectively broke down, “Shen Yan!”
“You! Say that again!”
[Current survival time: 71:58:36]
Shen Yan reminded them the time had shortened by another two minutes.
The crowd: “…You’re unbelievable!”
Human hearts are treacherous, heavens!
Even your system is treacherous!
At that moment, the scene before the examinees began to violently distort.
The originally gloomy stone path cracked open as a chilling wind howled through, carrying countless wails of vengeful spirits.
The surrounding wraiths began to coalesce, forming grotesque ghostly faces that emitted blood-curdling laughter.
Panic spread because-
“The battle royale has begun!”
Unlike most people’s panic, Elai coldly scanned the surroundings.
These panicked examinees were nothing but ignorant ants in his eyes.
The advantage still lay with those who arrived first, because the battle royale would undoubtedly grow more intense later, with increasingly brutal pursuers.
This current period was actually their adaptation time, so the priority now was discovering the battle royale’s patterns essential knowledge for survival later.
He glanced back at the Ghost Gate.
Those still in Paper A might seem safe from the battle royale, but on the contrary-the later they entered, the more ferocious it would be.
They’d likely face the most violent onslaught immediately upon entry, a catastrophic start.
They’d die even faster!
Without another glance at the others, he immediately headed toward his target direction.
Meanwhile, Zongzheng Ye had activated his [Fourth Perspective].
The world he saw was completely different; he could trace all the vengeful spirits’ movement patterns, and… several obvious safe zones.
“This way.” He signaled to Su Luan with his eyes.
Moving in perfect sync, the two swiftly avoided the panicking examinees and reached the first safe zone.
Su Luan frowned at the chaotic scene:
“There’s no absolute dead end in battle royale. The key is how to escape-we must find the survival patterns.”
“So this is our advantage for entering early,” Zongzheng Ye clearly understood this point.
He wasn’t worried about Su Fu still being in Paper A—the later examinees entered, the greater pressure they’d face.
In fact, if she somehow made it in, they’d likely have already mastered some patterns by then.
Then Su Fu would face not only the battle royale at its peak, but also their most “sincere concern.”
Of course, it would be better if she never entered Paper B-after 72 hours when the battle royale ended, any examinees remaining in Paper A would be directly eliminated.
In short, the advantage is theirs!!
***
Chang’an City, Vermilion Bird Street.
“Not going?!”
Lin Mingxi was completely taken aback upon hearing this.
The Bihua Path was a VIP passage!
Taking this route would ensure they’d gain some respect from the ghosts once they reached the underworld.
Wouldn’t that guarantee a smooth pass for Volume B?
“Boss, are you serious?” Lin Mingxi couldn’t help but scrutinize Su Fu’s expression, afraid she might be joking.
“Most examinees have probably entered by now. If we don’t go now, won’t we fall behind?”
His reasoning was simple if they arrived late, those sneaky veterans would surely exploit their first-mover advantage to cause trouble!
Once they’d mapped out the terrain, entering later would only set them up for traps!
Jiang Qingyu wasn’t entirely convinced either.
After careful consideration, she spoke up, “Is there something left undone in Chang’an? DS?”
It shouldn’t be the case.
The case was solved, their misdirection seen through, the entrance found, and the tasks for Volume A completed.
She said cautiously, “Is there really any reason worth staying?”
Su Fu smiled.
“Have you forgotten? We promised Chief Wei Feng of the Dali Temple and Captain Zhang of the Imperial Guards to solve the case!”
She looked at them with earnest gravity.
“Look at you two-one a constable from the Dali Temple, the other…”
She glanced at Jiang Qingyu and hesitated, “Uh… a talented song.and dance courtesan. Don’t you feel heartbroken seeing so many murders happening in Chang’an?”
Her tone grew increasingly impassioned:
“Don’t you want to rid the people of this scourge and restore peace and prosperity to Chang’an?!”
Lin Mingxi: “…”
Jiang Qingyu: “…”
Seriously, why the act in front of us?
Jiang Qingyu massaged her temples in exasperation.
“Be honest. It’s just us here—just say what you really want.”
“Exactly!” Lin Mingxi chimed in.
“Boss, just admit it’s for the pile of treasures from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. That’s a reason I’d believe more.”
Su Fu: “…”
Damn it!
Was she really the kind of person who cared about money?
Wasn’t she the upright and brave Su Fu?
“It really is about solving the case!”
“Trust me on this.”
However, Su Fu then pivoted, “Even if these people become ghosts, their crimes cannot be concealed.”
“I will expose their sins to the public and make them scorned by all!”
Silence spread.
But Lin Mingxi seemed to recall something.
“Wait, Boss, are you planning to whip ahem,” He quickly corrected himself, “You mean to reveal the truth to the people that they’re the murderers?”
“…Come to think of it, in certain mythologies like Greek lore, even as ghosts, the guilty must face judgment.”
“So,” his eyes suddenly lit up, “I get it! Boss, you want to expose their crimes so they can’t rest in peace even as ghosts?!”
Jiang Qingyu added, “Since Volume B is a ghostly battle royale, the ones hunting them must be figures from the underworld.”
“If they’re sinful ghosts, they’ll definitely receive ‘special attention,’ right?”
The two exchanged glances, both seeing astonishment in each other’s eyes.
Minds blown-it all made perfect sense!
Why rush into Volume B?
Rather than entering the underworld…
Rather than scheming against these people later, it’s better to convict them while they’re still alive directly increasing the difficulty for these sneaky bastards by piling on debuffs like crazy!
This move… is absolutely brilliant!
The best part is, they’re completely helpless, stuck in the underworld with no way to interfere.
They won’t even know what hit them before the difficulty spikes to maximum.
A kind of “server-wide manhunt,” if you will?
Lin Mingxi was genuinely impressed, giving a thumbs-up:
“Boss, your thinking is next-level!”
Is this how academic elites approach problems?
Such strategic brilliance!
He said, “From a design perspective, I think this is completely feasible.”
Jiang Qingyu silently raised her thumb too, adding, “Exactly. The system already gave us hints.”
“Exam A and B are strongly linked-that’s evident from how we entered B.”
“Examinees becoming executed murderers is itself a form of moral judgment. And B’s ‘battle royale’ format…”
“I suspect the so-called ‘hunt’ refers to pursuit by the underworld.”
“Possibly even enhanced, enraged versions of their victims’ ghosts hunting them down!”
Just imagining those wicked examinees getting special attention from the underworld made her lips curl uncontrollably.
“A case this massive, with so many innocent dead-how could the underworld not prioritize it? Give them some… special treatment?”
Utterly satisfying!
She could barely suppress her grin.
But Su Fu waved dismissively.
“Too small.”
“What?” Both Lin Mingxi and Jiang Qingyu froze.
“Your vision’s too narrow.”
“Think bigger!”
“Why rely on others?”
She turned away gracefully, her voice drifting through the mist-part explanation, part something else entirely.
With a sigh, she murmured, “In this golden age of Chang’an, I shall claim my rightful place.”
Faced with two paths, she chose neither.
Rather than being a hunted examinee or borrowing others’ strength to dominate, she would become the rules themselves crushing them through sheer superiority.
She would take the third path: power.
Solving bizarre cases, rising through ranks, earning imperial honors, receiving posthumous titles.
A title personally bestowed by the mortal emperor, with merits extending into the afterlife.
In life: Chang’an’s Imperial Astrologer.
In death: a gilded statue in the City God’s temple.
My dear examinees, did you truly think I’d stop being an official just because we’re in the underworld?
Tsk tsk, how I look forward to you seeing my crimson robes replaced by underworld embroidery, my seal overlaid with hell’s edicts—
Your fates, in life and beyond…
All shall be judged by me!