The Goblet ┃ Could four violations get him recruited as a colleague? I don't want to invigilate him anymore. (continued)

"Bro..." Yu Wen edged over to his side.

He followed You Huo's gaze. Over there were both the huddled old people and the battered sofa, with the three ever-present invigilators sitting on it.

The idiot whispered, "Why are you looking at the invigilators?"

Hearing that, You Huo looked away and down at him instead.

Yu Wen ducked his head and said sheepishly, "Never mind, never mind. Look wherever you want. I won't ask."

Although they had survived one collection and won another six hours, no one felt they had time to spare.

Everyone scrutinized the tableware like they were appraising treasures.

"Can we touch these plates?" the tattooed man muttered. "If I pick one up for a look, will that count as choosing a seat?"

"Better not touch them. Death-"

Before Old Yu could finish, You Huo picked up a goblet.

Old Yu: "-is impossible!"

The tattooed man rolled his eyes so hard they could have fallen out.

Everyone stared at You Huo in alarm and uncertainty. Only when they saw him standing there just fine, without being forcibly pressed into a chair, did they relax and pick up the tableware to examine it.

"How can you be so reckless?" Old Yu hurried over to ask You Huo. He was his nephew, after all. "What if picking up a glass counts too?!"

You Huo picked up a second glass. "It won't. I picked one up in the kitchen."

Old Yu: "..."

You sound pretty proud of yourself.

Old Yu was so angry with his nephew he could have coughed up blood, but he was too afraid to scold him, so all he could do was glare where You Huo couldn't see.

"Dad, move over."

Yu Wen reached past Old Yu for a silver spoon. Seeing nothing of note, he swapped it for a silver fork.

At first glance, these were all perfectly ordinary things. The plates were white porcelain, without so much as a pattern, and the silver spoons and forks were very plain too.

Only when he swapped the fork for a sauce dish did he finally notice that his brother wasn't touching anything else at all.

"Bro, why are you only looking at the glasses?" Yu Wen couldn't help asking.

"There's no need to look at anything else." You Huo put down the third glass and stopped looking, leaving the dining table directly.

"No need?" Yu Wen froze.

While he stood there stunned, the impatient tattooed man had already inspected more than half the table. He complained irritably, "There's nothing in this junk. What damn secret could it be hiding?!"

Another person said dejectedly, "The question just keeps getting more and more cryptic, and there isn't a single hint. How are we supposed to find it?"

You Huo crouched beside Hunter A's corpse and picked up a shard of glass to examine it.

As far as he was concerned, the question had already revealed plenty of clues.

Earlier in the kitchen, he had messed with Hunter A and discovered that the hunter cared a great deal about these goblets. And after Hunter A broke one, the question said, "Only 12 sets of tableware remain."

That meant that, as far as the question was concerned, the only effective item in a set of tableware was the glass goblet.

So the secret had to be hidden in the glasses.

Yu Wen stared blankly at the answer wall for a while, then suddenly slapped his thigh and sprang up. "Oh-Bro, I get it! Everything else is useless! Only the glasses count as tableware!"

Everyone stood there dumbfounded, holding plates, forks and spoons.

Yu Wen waved his arms to rally the others. "Stop looking at those. Just look at the glasses!"

He shot over, screeched to a halt beside Hunter A, and plopped down on the floor, waiting for praise. "Aren't I pretty smart?!"

You Huo gave a perfunctory grunt.

The excitement didn't last long, however.

Before long, everyone was dejected again.

They examined every glass, tried breathing on them, warming them in their hands and shaking them. They looked them over right side up and upside down, but found nothing unusual.

On the sofa.

922 cracked his knuckles and said, "I'm a little anxious, and a little hungry. Is invigilating the whole exam always this grueling?"

154 said, "Bear with it. It's still early. There are 36 hours left."

922 looked utterly despairing.

Qin Jiu rested his head on his hand, his gaze passing over the long table to settle on a corner.

There, You Huo had his back to them as he examined the broken goblet, his shoulder blades and back forming a pleasing curve.

He lowered his eyes and watched for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Have either of you seen him before?"

154 froze. "Who?"

922 was even more confused. "Huh?"

That reaction said it all.

Qin Jiu was silent for a moment, then said lazily, "No one. If you're really hungry, go make something to eat in the kitchen."

154 and 922 glanced at the kitchen and said with blank faces, "We're not hungry at all."

A few seconds later, 922 rubbed his hands and stood up. "Well... I'll go have a look around the kitchen."

154 was speechless. "...You can bring yourself to make food in a kitchen like that?"

922 said, "I'm just looking."

After he left, 154 watched the examinees for a while longer. Then, in a sudden flash of insight, he understood Qin Jiu's earlier question. He glanced at You Huo, then looked hesitantly at Qin Jiu.

After he had watched in silence for about a minute, their boss finally deigned to speak. "Am I dead? Why are you watching me like you're keeping vigil over my body?"

154: "..."

Qin Jiu glanced at him. "If you have something to say, say it."

154 considered his words, then said, "I just wanted to say... if we had met before, that Mr. Violate-Every-Rule-He-Can would probably recognize us."

Qin Jiu's gaze returned to You Huo.

A moment later, he gave a hum of acknowledgment.

154 was right. If they really had met before, this wouldn't be his reaction.

Surely not just anyone who came along would have a gap in his memory like Qin Jiu. What were the odds of that?

922 wandered around the kitchen twice, then ultimately decided to move elsewhere.

He returned to the sofa, knelt on the floor and opened a suitcase. He took out a grill, followed by a box of sliced beef. He had just opened the lid when he heard Yu Wen cry out beside the dining table, "Bro, don't do anything rash!!"

The three invigilators turned just in time to see You Huo pick up the base of the glass clutched in Hunter A's hand and casually knock it against the edge of the table.