Chapter 148: College Entrance Exam (Gaokao)
The sound of a heavy object falling only rang out briefly. A moment later, a few faint rustling sounds could be heard, as if something were groping for movement.
Tang Xinjue listened quietly. The sound faded after a few steps, and silence fell once again outside. For a long time, there was no further movement.
Judging from the type of sound, it was most likely a "person," and one who was extremely cautious, having immediately hidden themselves upon arrival.
Having determined this, Tang Xinjue relaxed.
Ghosts wouldn't make that kind of sound, and NPCs wouldn't react that way. The possibility of a candidate was even greater—if this was a single-bedroom dungeon and they were a bit luckier, then the person outside right now could very well be... Guo Guo or Zhang You!
Zheng Wanqing was the first possibility to be ruled out. Her first instinct upon arriving here would undoubtedly be to attack. By now, battle would have erupted outside.
Thinking for a moment, Tang Xinjue stood up and walked to the door of the library, where she suddenly saw a sign affixed to the top of the doorframe: No Noise Allowed.
She pursed her lips slightly and opened the door slightly, letting the light pour in.
She didn't know if the room had any restrictions on entry; she couldn't leave rashly now, but she could lure the person in.
Whether it was Guo Guo's premonition of danger or Zhang You's judgment, they would choose the right direction.
Sure enough, within a moment, Tang Xinjue heard the subtle rustling of movement again.
The person seemed to be moving with some difficulty, limping and pausing periodically, sniffing around cautiously in the darkness like a small animal. Eventually, they inched closer to the data room, stopping at the door and quietly poking their head in...
Then the person behind the door reached out and covered their mouth with their hands.
"Ouch!"
Guo Guo struggled frantically, her eyes widening as she saw Tang Xinjue's face, and she paused. Then, her eyes rolled back, as if reflecting on something, she began to struggle again.
Tang Xinjue grabbed her with her arms, then turned Guo Guo's face toward the door and lifted it up, allowing her to clearly see the words on the doorframe.
—No Noise Allowed.
Guo Guo finally quieted down.
Two seconds later, she slowly rolled her eyes in disbelief, staring at Tang Xinjue, and began blinking frantically.
Tang Xinjue: ...I haven't learned Morse code.
She released her hand from her mouth. Guo Guo took two rapid breaths and stammered, "...Xinjue?"
Guo Guo reached out and pinched Tang Xinjue's cheek, still a little incredulous. She placed both hands on it, pinching out two glutinous rice balls.
"Jue Shen?! It's really you!!!"
The girl's eyes instantly filled with tears. Unable to speak loudly, she could only shake Tang Xinjue's arm and silently cry, "You're finally awake! Wooooo! You have no idea how horrible I just went through. I fell from the fifth floor... No, that's not important... I've taken the college entrance exam several times, and this dungeon is terrifying!"
Tang Xinjue listened patiently. After Guo Guo calmed down, she began to focus on the key points, gesturing with hand gestures to help, and finally finished recounting the events from Tang Xinjue's coma until now.
…
As her memory fragments revealed, after the blood-red eyeball was repelled, the dormitory league was quickly declared over.
The rankings were announced, and 606, unsurprisingly, took first place.
After being forced to watch a dazzling display of celebratory fireworks, the dormitory returned to its original state, as usual after escaping the dungeon. The injuries sustained by the four people were healed, but Tang Xinjue remained unconscious, and no matter what, she could not be awakened.
Fortunately, after the rankings were announced, the rewards were settled. The group had hoped to win prizes and points, and afterward, they planned to visit the Student Mall to search for items that could awaken Tang Xinjue. However, before the prizes were even settled, a sudden in-game notification abruptly interrupted all their plans.
"...The notice says the entrance exam dungeon is about to begin. We must prepare within ten minutes and enter the dungeon immediately."
Guo Guo was deeply impressed by this sentence, as it contained only that one sentence, refusing to include any further information about the dungeon, as if fearing they had truly completed their preparations.
The three were caught off guard and hurriedly bought a few useful items from the mall, such as amulets and health and mana potions... In the end, Zhang You, sensing something was amiss, bought a pair of powerful glasses-shaped communicators, fearing the dungeon would separate them in a disagreement.
At this point, Guo Guo sighed deeply. "We left you many notes explaining the situation, but we never expected this damn dungeon to not only separate us but also confiscate all our supernatural items!"
Why even tell them to prepare? Wouldn't it have been better to just tell them to be prepared?
The only thing that survived was probably Zhang You's communication glasses, but they were only working sporadically. It's still unknown whether they've successfully contacted the others.
Tang Xinjue paused for a moment. "I haven't received any messages."
It seems Zhang You has failed for now.
But if this looping exams continue, even if they can't find a breakthrough, they'll surely be able to connect through the recovery of their abilities and items... As long as they survive until then, it would be a last resort.
But before that, she was more concerned with another question:
"Entrance exam?"
Tang Xinjue had long been curious about the nature of this dungeon.
While dungeons are known for their unforgiving nature, this one seemed particularly outrageous: candidates were thrown into the dungeon while unconscious, unable to find dungeon information or quests, and cut off from contact with their roommates... Guo Guo's arrival provided the answers to these questions.
This was an assessment dungeon.
"What does an assessment dungeon mean?"
Guo Guo already had an idea, and Tang Xinjue's reaction only confirmed her suspicion: "Could it be..."
Tang Xinjue nodded: "Yes.
"This dungeon is our upgrade exam from third-tier universities to second-tier universities."
This game, called "Dormitory Survival," divides candidates into different levels: third-tier universities, second-tier universities, first-tier universities, top-tier universities, and so on... Everyone starts at a third-tier university.
"The rules state that dormitories must undergo an assessment to advance to a first-tier university. When the game determines a dormitory's overall level exceeds its current level, the assessment begins immediately."
Tang Xinjue recalled the rules and applied them to the circumstances of this dungeon.
The game determined they could level up right after the dorm league ended, which was why a dungeon suddenly appeared halfway through the rewards distribution, throwing everyone in.
"So that's what the rulebook said..." Guo Guo felt guilty; she hadn't even remembered it.
The simple exchange of information was halfway through, and it was Tang Xinjue's turn to explain the situation. Guo Guo quickly raised her bright eyes and saw Tang Xinjue pull a sheaf of papers from her pocket.
"?"
Looking closely, Guo Guo was horrified. "Isn't this my admission ticket? How did it get here with you?"
She immediately fumbled for the admission ticket on her body, pulled it out, and compared it. It looked like it had been printed out.
Tang Xinjue smiled and said, "Such a perfect timing, I don't have to look for you. I also want to see who the second person is."
What second person? Guo Guo was still completely bewildered when she witnessed Tang Xinjue tearing up the admission ticket and exposing the fake one.
Guo Guo: “???”
Guo Guo: “!!!”
A million alpacas lingered on her lips, their voices whistling inwardly, finally condensing into one sentence: “This isn’t my admission ticket?”
So she was nearly vomiting from studying, all while taking the exam for someone else!
“Not only that,” Tang Xinjue said, revealing a subtle smile as she tore the real photo from the fake admission ticket.
“It seems the person who chose you to take the exam for them is someone we already know.”
On the admission ticket, a familiar head, framed within the photo, stared hopelessly at the camera.
[The number you dialed has no signal. Please try again later…]
[The number you dialed has no answer. Please try again later…]
In the corridor, Zhang You sprinted while rapidly tapping on her camera frame, only to receive a single reply: “Failure.”
The clamor of pursuit grew closer behind her. She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and swiped her camera frame firmly.
[Do you want to initiate the destruction process? This item will be scrapped after destruction. Please confirm carefully.
[Destruction process initiated.]
"Stop!"
Zhang You stopped and turned.
A tall, young woman approached with a fierce air, her strikingly dyed hair swaying behind her head. "Why were you running?"
Zhang You said calmly, "I was scared when you chased me, and of course I ran."
The woman snorted coldly, "Candidate Zhang You, right? We suspect you of cheating on the college entrance examination. I urge you to cooperate quietly. Don't try to escape a second time. You don't want to know the consequences."
With that, she waved her hand and sternly said, "Search her!"
Zhang You looked at her calmly through her glasses. "Teacher Lan, this is the 2019 college entrance examination in a modern society ruled by law. I urge you to remain calm. After all, the exam will continue soon."
Invigilator Lan sneered, yanking off Zhang You's glasses and throwing them to the invigilator beside her. "Check these glasses carefully for me. You still want to cheat when taking the test? We'll have to clear you of suspicion first."
As soon as she finished speaking, the invigilator said sternly, "No illegal items were found, so cheating is ruled out."
Invigilator Lan: "..."
Suspiciously, she snatched the glasses away and inspected them again. Finding nothing wrong, she returned them angrily: "If they're not for cheating, then why do you keep touching them?"
Zhang You's face showed no emotion: "They're of poor quality and uncomfortable. If you're kind enough, you could get me new glasses. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
"Hmph, don't let me catch you again. I might not be so easygoing next time." Invigilator Lan folded her arms and watched Zhang You go away with a sinister look. She was almost out of sight when she suddenly shuddered:
"Wait? How do you know my name is... my last name is Lan*?"
*The Lan 蓝 that means blue
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(T/N) Happy belated new year! I hope 2026 has been kind to everyone :)
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