A Perfect Score Was Easy If You Had Hands

Nearly an hour later, the bus reached its destination without a hitch. The two got off and headed for the beach.

They went to the changing room and changed into the swimsuits they'd brought.

Lin Zichen wore only a pair of swim trunks, baring his chiseled, muscular upper body.

Shen Qinghan, as always, was dressed modestly. She barely showed any thigh and felt too embarrassed to reveal much in public.

"There are fewer people over there. Let's go that way."

"Okay."

Shen Qinghan nodded and obediently followed Lin Zichen farther down the beach.

Soon, they entered the shallow-water area.

Lin Zichen first had Shen Qinghan test how long she could hold her breath underwater, to see if she could still manage more than ten minutes like last time.

The result stunned him. She held her breath underwater for a full twenty minutes.

"Xiao Chen, how long?"

"Twenty minutes and thirty-eight seconds."

"Ah, that long?"

Shen Qinghan's mouth fell open in surprise at her own performance.

Lin Zichen said to her, "Hanhan, you're such a strong swimmer. It might have something to do with how you've had trouble holding your pee since you were little. We'll have to look into that properly and try to figure out the reason as soon as possible."

"Mm, I think it's related to that too," Shen Qinghan said, her cheeks flushing faintly.

Lin Zichen was far too at ease about it. He'd brought up her trouble holding her pee as casually as if it were nothing, which left her feeling terribly embarrassed.

They'd grown up together and were close in their daily lives, but they were still a boy and a girl. Some overly private topics were bound to feel awkward.

Over the next while, Lin Zichen tested Shen Qinghan's various underwater abilities one after another.

As they tested her, he kept watching for any changes in her body.

Unfortunately, everything still seemed normal. Nothing unusual happened.

The only difference was that Shen Qinghan's underwater abilities were all better than last time.

It was strange. She hadn't practiced in the water at all since then, so how had her underwater abilities improved?

It made no sense. He'd have to observe and investigate more carefully...

As he thought about it, Lin Zichen looked at Shen Qinghan and said:

"Hanhan, come on. Let's dive down and explore the underwater world."

"Okay."

Shen Qinghan nodded.

Not long afterward, the two of them dove beneath the surface and wandered along the seabed, nearly ten meters underwater.

All the while, Lin Zichen kept an eye on Shen Qinghan's condition. She seemed a little uncomfortable when she first got into the water, but quickly adapted and moved freely through the underwater world nearly ten meters deep.

Her swimming ability was so ridiculously good that she hardly seemed like a land animal at all. She was more like an aquatic creature.

Maybe Xu Meng was right, and Shen Qinghan really was made of water...

Just as Lin Zichen was thinking this, Shen Qinghan, who had been looking perfectly at ease moments earlier, suddenly went pale. She frantically shook his arm, urgently signaling that she wanted to surface.

He didn't hesitate. He surfaced with Shen Qinghan at once, then quickly swam with her to shore.

"Did you hear that sound again?"

Once they were ashore, Lin Zichen immediately turned to ask Shen Qinghan.

Her face was a little pale as she said, "I heard that strange sound again. It was clearer and louder this time, like a woman was right by my ear, talking to me. It was terrifying."

"Could you make out what she was saying this time?" Lin Zichen asked.

Shen Qinghan shook her head. "I couldn't understand it. It didn't sound like any language commonly spoken in this world. It sounded like someone was chanting a spell, with an ancient, weathered quality to it."

"A spell?" Lin Zichen furrowed his brow, then asked, "Can you imitate that sound so I can hear it?"

"No. I don't think a person's vocal cords can make a sound like that." Shen Qinghan shook her head. Then she added, "Xiao Chen, let's go back. I don't want to stay here. I don't feel safe."

"Okay, let's go."

Seeing how badly shaken she was, Lin Zichen took her away from the beach without delay.

In the car.

Shen Qinghan thought back to the sound she'd heard in the sea, and a wave of lingering fear washed over her.

She looked at Lin Zichen with apprehension and pleaded, "Xiao Chen, can we stop going to the beach from now on? I don't want to train my swimming anymore..."

"Okay. We won't come back," Lin Zichen agreed without a second thought.

Shen Qinghan had heard that strange sound both times she'd gone into the sea, which made him uneasy too.

He thought it would be better not to go to the beach anymore. If she needed to train her swimming, they could practice in a clean, private pool.

As for the eerie woman's voice Shen Qinghan had heard in the sea, they could wait until they were stronger before investigating it properly and figuring out what was going on.

Time flew by.

Before they knew it, more than a month had passed.

At Shanhai High School, in Class 1 Grade 1.

Cai Yuanfei, the Mechanical Modification Course teacher, walked in with a stack of test papers and addressed the class:

"In the blink of an eye, it's already October, and we've been in school for over a month. We've covered quite a lot during that time, so it's about time we tested what you've learned."

"I've set up rewards for this exam. First place gets 888 yuan, second place gets 666 yuan, and third place gets 333 yuan."

"It's not a lot of money, just an incentive. But I hope you'll take this seriously and see how much you've learned over the past month or so. Don't treat it like it doesn't matter."

After saying this, Cai Yuanfei handed the papers to the students in the front row and had them pass them back.

"That's awesome! They're giving out cash just for a little class quiz?"

He Yu, sitting below, was astonished.

Hearing this, Li Chuxin asked in confusion, "Don't the high schools in Nanguan do that?"

He Yu shook his head. "I've never heard of it."

Li Chuxin explained, "At a school like Shanhai High School, the school gives the teachers a certain amount of funding every month to use for rewards during regular tests and assessments."

"Whoa, that's great!" He Yu was surprised, then couldn't help complaining, "Nanguan City calls itself a major education hub, but its student benefits aren't even as good as Shanhai City's. What a joke!"

Lin Zichen, sitting nearby, was surprised too.

There was a cash prize?

And first place got 888 yuan?

That was a pretty generous reward—enough to buy nearly half a jin of Violent Roc meat.

"Everyone, quiet down. Stop chatting and get started once you have your papers."

Seeing the students all discussing the prize money and making a racket, Cai Yuanfei spoke up to get the class under control.

The classroom soon quieted down, and everyone bent over their papers.

The test was somewhat difficult, with many questions testing obscure details.

Most of the students furrowed their brows as they worked.

Lin Zichen tried a few questions and felt they were fine—pretty easy, really. He could tell the answers at a glance and barely had to think.

The only question that took any thought was the final part of the last written-response problem.

Even then, it only took him an extra half a minute.

Getting a perfect score was easy if you had hands.

That 888 yuan for first place was practically already in his pocket.

A little over an hour later.

The exam ended.

Cai Yuanfei came over to collect the test papers and took them back to the office to mark them, hoping to finish before lunch break.

As soon as he left, the whole classroom erupted into groans.

"Damn, why was it so hard? It even asked for the wavelength of a Laser Cannon's energy wave. How was I supposed to remember that? And what's the point of memorizing it anyway?"

"Exactly. The questions were way too hard and obscure."

"That last written-response problem was ridiculous. It asked about the relationship between the Anti-Reaction Airflow Device and atmospheric pressure, then made us calculate the exact values for each one. With all those decimal points, how the hell were we supposed to work it out?"

"Ugh, I was hoping to get ninety, but now I'll be lucky to scrape a passing sixty."

"..."

While everyone else complained that the test was too hard, Wang Shujie got up and walked over to Lu Gang with a smile. "That test was definitely a bit tough. How do you think you did?"

"I can get a 95. I only couldn't do the final part of the last question." After saying this, Lu Gang asked Wang Shujie, "What about you?"

Wang Shujie smiled. "Same here. I only couldn't do the last part. I'm guessing I'll get a 95 too."

Hearing the two of them estimate that they'd get 95, quite a few students nearby silently cursed them for being so inconsiderate.

The test was so hard, and they'd still scored that high? How was anyone else supposed to live?

Meanwhile, Shen Qinghan was complaining to Lin Zichen too. "Xiao Chen, this test was too hard. I might not even pass."

"It's okay. It was hard for everyone, not just you. As long as you score above average, you'll be fine," Lin Zichen comforted her gently.

Shen Qinghan thought about it and realized he had a point. The worry on her face eased, and she broke into a sweet smile.

"That's true. I've always been pretty good at written exams. I'm sure I'll score above average."