Entry

When the announcement ended, silence fell over the hall.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

But soon, He Zheng's booming voice broke the silence at just the right moment.

"Haha! A reminder this early? Is the system that eager to hand us points?"

He Zheng forced a laugh and waved a hand, signaling Zhang Tie and the others not to be so tense.

Then he turned to An Ke with an eager look:

"So, An Ke, what were you going to say?"

An Ke paused briefly. Once she realized what He Zheng was doing, her opinion of him actually rose a little.

"Oh, there's also this."

Taking out a bag of gemstones, An Ke gave it a couple of shakes, then opened the backpack behind her:

"Of the points Ye Lin gave me, I spent a few on stats and used the rest to buy some essentials."

"Gemstones are cheaper than gold in the system, and they're fairly widely accepted. Once we enter the exam, we can use them to trade with the locals in the scenario."

"There's also a fire starter good for a thousand uses, a universal key, a miniature camera, water purification tablets... All the odds and ends are here. They're cheap, but without them, a lot of situations could become a real hassle."

He Zheng froze.

Earlier, he had felt that An Ke's arrival threatened his standing as a "veteran."

But now, he looked like a raw recruit next to her.

Glancing over the backpack, Ye Lin was a little surprised too.

She was very thorough. While he had been researching equipment, An Ke had already prepared all these essentials.

"Very good. Thanks."

After a moment's thought, Ye Lin simply spent three points on a handgun that could replenish its own ammunition and handed it to her.

He liked dealing with smart people.

An Ke hadn't bought these things just for the next exam. She was also telling him that she hadn't spent all ten points on strengthening herself.

She couldn't use the "hair tie" a second time.

That being the case, he didn't mind giving An Ke a means of protecting herself.

"This gun generates twenty-four rounds an hour. With a magazine, it'll just about do."

"Actually, you don't need to worry so much."

An Ke took the handgun with a strange expression. She understood what Ye Lin was implying, but she didn't believe it at all.

From what she knew of Ye Lin, if she ever posed a "threat" to him, he would absolutely strike first. They might appear to be cooperating, but he was more wary of her than anyone else.

Time passed quickly. For the final five minutes, everyone waited quietly in the hall for the exam to begin.

He Zheng carefully wiped down his axe, glancing up at the countdown now and then. An Ke kept her head lowered, writing and sketching in a notebook as though working something out.

Zhang Tie nervously tightened the supplies strapped to his body, terrified of leaving anything behind. In a corner, Huang Liang, who had exchanged points for a sniper rifle, silently checked his ammunition.

Ever since his conversation with Ye Lin, he had kept to himself. Apart from asking An Ke once about exchanging points, he had seemed like a different person, quiet and withdrawn.

Even Ye Lin was a little surprised by that.

He had thought Huang Liang would approach the others. But perhaps Huang Liang had realized that without permission, even gathering enough points would be useless. Over those three days, he hadn't mentioned the matter to anyone.

"Ye Lin, this exam's all on the three of us. Fuck, I hope we don't get surrounded by zombies the moment we go in."

He Zheng took a deep breath and swept his gaze over everyone. With three minutes left, even he was feeling nervous.

But just as he was about to tell Zhang Tie to leave behind a couple of bags of food, his heart jolted. Only then did he notice that someone seemed to be missing.

"Hu Jia!? Where's Hu Jia!?"

Everyone turned at his shout. At some point, Hu Jia had vanished from Zhang Tie's side.

Seeing everyone looking his way, Zhang Tie froze for a moment. Then, as though remembering something, he hurriedly spoke:

"Uh, He Zheng, Hu Jia... I think Hu Jia went back to his room! He said he hadn't slept all night, so..."

"Then hurry up and get him! If he doesn't come out in time, the system will count it as refusing the exam! We'll be punished too! Fuck, what the hell is that brat doing!"

He Zheng was so furious he laughed. He had just begun to think a little better of Hu Jia, only for Hu Jia to dare hold them up over something like this.

Zhang Tie rushed over and hammered on Hu Jia's door.

Looking as though he might have only just woken up, Hu Jia opened the door in a panic, apologizing over and over.

Zhang Tie was urging him to rejoin the others, but the next moment, he caught sight of the things inside Hu Jia's room and froze.

"Hu Jia... You!?"

Hu Jia's expression changed. Realizing that Zhang Tie had seen those things, he grabbed him and pleaded desperately.

"Zhang Tie! Please, please don't tell anyone! I promise nothing will happen!"

"What are you two still dawdling for!?"

He Zheng was shocked and furious. Even Ye Lin couldn't help looking over with a frown.

There was only one minute left before the exam began, and the system had already started its sixty-second countdown.

"Coming!!"

Zhang Tie gritted his teeth, grabbed Hu Jia, and hurried back with him.

He didn't know why Hu Jia had done this, but remembering what he had seen, he could only think that Hu Jia had gone mad!

"Teleportation will begin in ten seconds. All examinees, please prepare!"

Red light flared. Watching the rapidly spinning teleportation vortex, none of them could spare another thought. They could only wait for the final countdown!

Bzzzt.

Ten seconds passed in a flash. The instant the countdown reached zero, all six vanished together.