Chapter Summaries

The examinees earned eleven points for their previous answer, but the system deducted two points for Yu Wen’s paper presentation before revealing a new optics question. When Baldy became trapped in his chair, You Huo investigated the scraping sound and the group discovered numbers being carved into every seat.

• The system awarded eleven points for the previous answer, including a bonus for keeping everyone alive, then deducted two points for Yu Wen’s paper presentation.
• The answer wall presented a new question asking the examinees to find a special set of tableware using optics without damaging it.
• Baldy cried for help after he found himself unable to leave his chair, and You Huo went to investigate the scraping sound behind it.
• You Huo and the examinees saw the number twelve being scraped into Baldy’s chair, and then watched as numbers one through twelve appeared on every seat.
• Yu Wen suggested that refraction could help them find the special tableware, and Yu Yao began explaining refraction to the others while You Huo thought.

You Huo focused on the goblets, reasoning that they were the only tableware that mattered, while the others struggled to discover their secret. The chapter ended with him striking a broken goblet against the table as Yu Wen and the invigilators watched.

• You Huo picked up several goblets, then left the tableware inspection after deciding the other items were irrelevant.
• You Huo examined a shard from Hunter A’s broken goblet and concluded that the question’s clue pointed to the glasses.
• Yu Wen realized that only the goblets counted as tableware and urged everyone to inspect them, but they found nothing unusual.
• Qin Jiu asked whether anyone had seen You Huo before, and 154 noted that You Huo would likely recognize the invigilators if they had met.
• You Huo picked up the goblet base from Hunter A’s hand and knocked it against the table edge as Yu Wen shouted at him to stop.

You Huo avoided a fourth violation by pointing out that the broken glass was not among the twelve sets of tableware, then uncovered a clue hidden inside its base. The examinees identified it as Simon the Zealot from The Last Supper and began connecting the painting to the hunter’s cabin.

• You Huo argued that the broken glass did not count as damaged tableware because the question specified only twelve sets, and the answer wall displayed no violation.
• Yu Wen found a hidden object inside the glass base after You Huo broke it open.
• Mike read the tiny inscription aloud: “Simon the Zealot.”
• Zhou Jin identified Simon the Zealot as one of the twelve disciples in Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
• Yu Yao and Yu Wen recognized Judas as another disciple, prompting the examinees to connect the painting’s twelve figures with the supper and the cabin.

You Huo found wine that revealed the names hidden in the goblets, and the group identified Judas in goblet number eleven. Zhou Jin began writing the answer on the wall, but someone grabbed his wrist before he could finish.

• Yu Wen realized the goblets’ hidden names could be revealed by refraction, though he could not remember how to do it.
• You Huo found the last locked room, retrieved a bottle of wine, and poured it into the goblets.
• The names of the disciples appeared as the group added wine, revealing Judas in goblet number eleven.
• Zhou Jin took the knife and carved the first “1” on the answer wall.
• A figure rushed in and grabbed Zhou Jin’s wrist as he began carving the second “1”.

You Huo corrected the answer to the Last Supper question, ending the examination early and earning two draws. Qin Jiu revealed the reward deck, including black cards that could immediately reform the examination system.

• You Huo corrected Zhou Jin’s answer from 11 to 12, and the radio declared the examination successfully concluded.
• The answer wall revealed that Hunter A’s accidental death had prevented two questions from appearing and calculated the group’s score as 19 points, finishing 35 hours ahead of the average time.
• The answer wall awarded You Huo two draws, and Qin Jiu appeared with a deck of reward cards.
• You Huo asked what the black cards meant, and Qin Jiu explained that each one represented an examination-system reform taking effect that day.

You Huo drew a commendation and an invigilator’s favor instead of the Guaranteed Admission Card, while the punishment transformed the bald man into the new Hunter A. A sudden snowstorm transported the group out of the cabin, leaving them on a mountain path where they began walking in silence.

• Qin Jiu explained that the Guaranteed Admission Card let its holder pass all exams and return home, then had You Huo draw two cards.
• You Huo drew a top-of-the-class commendation and an Invigilator’s Help card, which granted one request from an invigilator during the next exam.
• The answer wall announced that the guest who sat in the cursed seat would become the new Hunter A.
• The bald man transformed into a figure resembling Hunter A and lunged at the others.
• A burst of snow swept the group away from the cabin, and they found themselves beside a path down the mountain.

After leaving Cockcrow Mountain, You Huo and the others found an examinee rest stop disguised as an inn. The boss explained that their stays were limited by the system, and You Huo learned he had seven days before automatic checkout.

• You Huo led the group down the mountain road through snow and mist toward a cluster of buildings.
• The group entered an inn advertising lodging, heating, and food, where the receptionist called for the boss.
• The boss revealed the inn was an examinee rest stop and said examinees could not choose how long to stay.
• The tattooed man threatened to leave, but the boss challenged him with her cleaver, and he hesitated at the door.
• You Huo gave his name, and Xiao Hu found that he had seven days of rest beginning at 3:12 p.m.

After settling into the examinee rest stop, the group went to a nearby general store, where Old Yu tried to connect with the shopkeeper, Zhao, as a fellow townsman. Zhao rebuffed him and warned that people could die at any time.

• By the next day, the examinees had adjusted to life at the rest stop.
• The group noticed a general store called Cangmai across from the rest stop, and Old Yu explained what the sign meant.
• Old Yu discovered that shopkeeper Zhao came from his hometown and struck up a conversation with him.
• Zhao rejected Old Yu's attempt to bond over their shared hometown and cautioned him not to get close to people who might die the next day.

The group filled shopping carts at Zhao’s store before learning that purchases cost points from their exam admission tickets. You Huo bought clothes, a backpack, cigarettes, and a lighter, leaving with the group’s lowest score.

• The group searched the store for supplies, while You Huo chose clothes and a black backpack.
• Zhao revealed that the store accepted exam points instead of money, charging different amounts for everyday goods, food, medicine, and weapons.
• The group backed away from the checkout after realizing their packed carts could push their scores into the negative.
• You Huo took his cart to the counter and bought clothes, a backpack, cigarettes, and a lighter for three points.
• You Huo returned to his room with a score of 15, the lowest in the group.

After completing the first subject, You Huo and the others faced four exam routes, but You Huo could see only the foreign language option and a mysterious proctor waiting at every entrance. He led the group into the foreign language fog just before the choice deadline closed.

• Chu Yue checked out the examinees and sent them toward an intersection before the rest stop went dark.
• The group found the injured tattooed man, who had been stranded at the intersection for two days.
• A loudspeaker announced that four subjects remained and gave the examinees 30 seconds to choose their next exam.
• You Huo saw every route as foreign language and spotted a proctor beneath an umbrella at each entrance, though Yu Wen saw no one.
• You Huo chose the foreign language route, and the group rushed into its fog as the deadline expired.

You Huo reunited with Qin Jiu before a foreign-language exam, where he learned that the examinees had been split among different rooms and that his group would include two strangers. The chapter ended with Chen Bin explaining that examinees needed a score of sixty to pass.

• Qin Jiu explained that You Huo had no choice over his next exam subject and teased him about meeting again.
• Yu Wen, Old Yu, Yu Yao, and Mike emerged from the fog and joined You Huo and Qin Jiu.
• Chen Bin and Liang Yuanhao arrived as the only new examinees, while Zhou Jin and the others were assigned to different exam rooms.
• Chen Bin introduced himself and Liang Yuanhao, then said he had barely survived his first two exams and had low scores.
• You Huo asked Chen Bin what score was needed to pass, and Chen Bin answered that the passing score was sixty.

The group boarded a bus for a ten-day foreign-language exam, only to learn the language was Romani, crushing their hopes of relying on Mike and You Huo. As You Huo pretended to sleep, Qin Jiu woke him and asked him to move his backpack so Qin Jiu could sit beside him.

• Chen Bin explained that the five exam scores added up to 100 points and that they needed more than 60 to pass, while Liang Yuanhao worried about his low score.
• Yu Wen reassured the group that Mike and You Huo could help with the foreign-language exam.
• You Huo spotted an intercity bus stop, and the group boarded a shabby minibus that emerged from the fog.
• The broadcast announced that the ten-day exam subject was foreign language and the language was Romani, leaving the group dismayed.
• You Huo pretended to sleep until Qin Jiu tugged his earbud cord and asked him to make room by moving his backpack.

You Huo and Qin Jiu rode together in the cramped minibus as it carried the examinees through a dangerous mountain route toward a border area. The vehicle stopped beside a dirt road, and Yu Wen woke You Huo to get off.

• Qin Jiu took the only available seat beside You Huo and joked about the examinees and their assigned subject.
• The minibus left the snowy scenery and traveled along a narrow mountain road, bouncing over rough ground.
• The driver ignored a landslide warning and drove the minibus through the blocked section.
• Old Yu noticed a road sign indicating they were near a border, and Yu Wen worried that they might cross into another country.
• The minibus plunged into woods, emerged beside a dirt road, and Yu Wen woke You Huo to get off.

You Huo and the other candidates arrived at a remote village called Chasu, where the driver left them with the village chief. As the chief led them through the village, You Huo noticed that every house seemed unoccupied, despite the chief’s claim that some were still inhabited.

• You Huo woke and discovered that Qin Jiu was no longer beside him on the bus.
• The candidates got off the bus, found a boundary marker carved with the name “kalo phuv,” and learned that the driver had gone to fetch a local guide.
• The driver returned with a man in a fur hat, warned the candidates not to enter the woods, and left them with him.
• The man explained that they had come to see Black Granny, an old woman who had settled in the area with the Russians during the war years and was blamed for making the village abnormal.
• The village chief led the candidates into Chasu Village and said it had eighteen households, though Yu Wen pointed out that there were more houses than that.
• You Huo said the houses the chief claimed were occupied all seemed empty because the village was too quiet.

The village chief warned You Huo and the others that villagers stayed indoors at night because of Black Granny, whose work involved the dead. He brought them to her house, but since she would not open the door until 7:30, he offered to take them to their lodging first.

• The village chief warned the group not to go outside at night or open the door, and explained that villagers hid indoors because they feared Black Granny.
• Yu Wen noticed villagers peeking from their windows as the group passed through the village.
• The village chief described Black Granny’s work with the dead, including gathering a girl’s body from the river.
• The village chief led the group across the frozen river to Black Granny’s stone house, where Qin Jiu gave the time as 6:55.
• Qin Jiu tried to claim he had used You Huo’s Invigilator’s Help card, but You Huo argued that telling them the time did not count as extra help.
• The village chief said Black Granny would not open her door before 7:30 and offered to take the group to their lodging.

You Huo and Qin Jiu struggled with the Examination System’s warning against candidates and invigilators sharing rooms, while the system began the listening comprehension exam. They settled on You Huo taking the room and Qin Jiu sleeping on the sofa, leaving the other candidates to their original arrangements.

• The village chief assigned the newcomers to four cramped rooms, and You Huo and Qin Jiu ended up sharing one.
• The Examination System announced the listening comprehension exam and ordered candidates and invigilators to reassign rooms because inappropriate relationships were forbidden.
• You Huo questioned the crow about who operated the system, while Qin Jiu warned him not to ask confidential questions.
• Qin Jiu tried proposing other room arrangements, but the crow rejected them and continued requiring him to invigilate.
• Qin Jiu offered to sleep on the sofa, and the crow accepted the arrangement with You Huo taking the room.

You Huo interrupted Black Granny’s listening test by gagging her, then used his phone to prepare to record her second attempt. The group still had to answer the questions before the next morning or risk an examinee being placed in a coffin.

• The village chief warned the group that visitors had to draw a card and must not anger Black Granny.
• Old Yu drew a card depicting Death, and Black Granny’s door displayed three questions about her name, family, and household.
• Black Granny began speaking in gibberish, and the door announced that the passage would be played a second time.
• You Huo stuffed cloth into Black Granny’s mouth and paused the test, prompting Qin Jiu to point out that he had broken no stated rule.
• You Huo took out his phone, removed the cloth, and told Black Granny to continue so he could record her.

You Huo and the other examinees entered Black Granny’s house, where she locked them in and ordered them to finish sewing yarn dolls before an hourglass ran out. As the others began sewing, You Huo spotted and picked up an old, dusty doll on a lower shelf.

• The examinees recorded Black Granny on their phones, and she singled out You Huo before leading them into her house.
• Black Granny locked the examinees inside, and they remembered the unanswered question about how many people were in her house.
• Black Granny gave the examinees unfinished yarn dolls and an hourglass, apparently requiring them to finish the dolls before time ran out.
• While the others began sewing, You Huo watched Black Granny disappear into the woods and noticed a dusty, crooked doll on the shelf.
• You Huo picked up the old doll and examined its crude, mismatched limbs.

You Huo suspected the dolls were strange because their finished limbs had different colors from the gray fabric in the basket, so he told the others not to sew them. When Black Granny returned, Liang Yuanhao and Chen Bin had disobeyed and were left with partly sewn dolls.

• You Huo recognized a bellflower tattoo on a doll's leg and asked Qin Jiu if it matched something from the solitary confinement room.
• Yu Wen threaded Old Yu's needle, and Yu Yao admitted she was afraid to sew a doll.
• You Huo noticed that the finished dolls' limbs were different colors from the gray fabric in the basket and warned everyone not to sew.
• Yu Wen and the others put their dolls down, but Liang Yuanhao chose to sew, and Chen Bin eventually followed Black Granny's instructions too.
• The hourglass ran out before Liang Yuanhao could attach more than two legs or Chen Bin could finish attaching one arm, and Black Granny entered the cottage.

After Black Granny dismissed the group, they tried to translate her words but discovered their apps did not support Romani. You Huo refused Qin Jiu’s offer to use the Help Card, and the chapter ended with Black Granny’s recording playing again.

• Black Granny collected the unfinished dolls, smiled, and sent the group out of her cabin.
• Yu Wen tried to translate Black Granny’s recorded words, but his offline app lacked Romani and the others’ apps could not translate it either.
• The group explained the Reward Card to Chen Bin, who realized that You Huo was the formidable person on the team.
• Chen Bin quietly asked Liang Yuanhao whether he regretted going against You Huo’s choice, and Liang Yuanhao said he did not.
• Qin Jiu offered to use the Help Card, but You Huo refused and replayed Black Granny’s recording.