For preview purposes only; final product may differ
Author: Mu Su Li
Translators: huayu, Wendy
Editor: 星星Nyani
The snowstorm had been raging on for four hours without any sign of stopping. In a remote mountain hut, hunting equipment hung on the walls, and a termite-ridden wooden table stood at the centre. A group of people of all walks of life sat around it, all Chinese except one.
The cold bit through the room. Everyone shivered, their faces etched with worry, yet no one started a fire. Their attention was fixed on the old radio crackling on the table.
“Attention. It is now 5:30 p.m. UTC+8. The exam will start in thirty minutes. All examinees, please proceed to the exam centre as soon as possible.”
The voice was raspy, tinged with the static unique to old-timey radios, casting a ghostly pall over the room.
This was not the first announcement. Three hours ago, it had blared “Welcome to Exam Centre 003712”, startling an elderly woman so badly that she fainted and had not yet recovered. In a foolish attempt to dismantle the radio, a man had yanked out the batteries and bolted outside in a trance-like state. Five minutes later, his body slid off the snow-laden roof.
After that, no one dared touch the radio.
“Attention, examinees yet to enter the exam centre, please do so immediately. Loitering outside the exam centre is discouraged.”
The radio repeated itself twice more, before falling dead silent.
After what seemed like an eternity, someone whispered, “It issued another announcement... How does it know there are people still outside?” No one responded, the air thick with unease.
Finally, the Tattoo Man at the end of the table broke the silence, speaking with impatience, “So, who’s still not in?” This guy, with his permed hair the colour of straw and arms adorned with indistinct animal tattoos, had an average build but an intimidating presence.
Someone beside him flinched. “Old Yu.”
“Old Yu? Who’s that?”
“The drunkard who puked as soon as he came in. The one who came with his son and nephew.”
The one who replied subtly jerked his chin toward the wall and gestured for silence, placing a finger against his lips.
Lying on an old sofa next to the wall was Old Yu’s nephew, lounging with ease. The young man, about twenty-seven, was strikingly tall and handsome. As he first entered the hut, hand on the doorframe, he blended seamlessly with the backdrop of pine trees and snow. However, his persistent scowl lent him an air of arrogance.
The sociable drunk, Old Yu, had mentioned his nephew’s name: You Huo.
“He just came back from abroad a few months ago and was visiting me in Harbin during the National Day break. I was supposed to drive him to the airport tomorrow morning… Ugh, it’s all my fault! I drank too much!”
Old Yu recounted how he got completely drunk at You Huo’s farewell dinner, staggering along the deserted streets late at night. In his inebriated state, he stumbled into a pile of joss paper on the sidewalk near a children’s hospital. Suddenly, the world whirled around him, and the next thing he knew, he, along with his son and nephew, found themselves in this weird place.
His dizziness had not subsided upon entering the hut, and he ended up vomiting on You Huo. The shock of the incident sobered him up instantly, and he had been sheepishly avoiding You Huo ever since.
The people who ended up here were all caught off guard and unprepared. By sheer luck, the foreigner, Mike, had an extra set of clothes in his backpack. After swapping his dirty outfit for a clean one, You Huo withdrew from the group and made his way to the sofa, remaining silent ever since, appearing to be asleep.
Beyond the arm covering his face, his right ear sported an earring that dazzled in the combined light of the indoor oil lamp and the outdoor snow, almost blindingly bright.
The sky should have been dark by now, yet the blanket of pristine snow created an illusion of daylight. The Pregnant Woman glanced anxiously at the kitchen clock. With everyone’s cell phones showing the wrong time, this was their only reliable way to track the hours. “It’s almost six o’clock, will Old Yu…?”
Bang bang bang!
Her question was cut off by loud rapping against the door. Startled, everyone looked toward the door only to see Old Yu clearing the snow from the door window and leaning his face against the glass, mouthing, “It’s us. Open up.”
Everyone let out a small sigh of relief. Thankfully, Old Yu and his son, Yu Wen, had returned before 6 p.m., unharmed. Covered in snow, they looked like walking snowmen.
“What did you find out there?” Everyone was anxious to know.
Old Yu, still shivering, rubbed his face vigorously and slapped the snow off from his son. Once he had warmed up slightly, he said, “I tried walking in every direction, but it was no use! No matter where we went, we ended up seeing this darn house again after ten minutes. There’s no way out!”
“Did you see anyone else? Any other houses?”
“Nothing,” Old Yu replied gloomily. “We’re all alone.”
A sense of despair settled over the room.
No cell service. No way to keep track of time. No way to orientate themselves. Nothing.
And then there was that radio, constantly nagging them about some exam.
Fuck that exam.
Moments after Old Yu had stepped in, the radio crackled to life, cutting through the silence. After spending a whole afternoon under its watch, everyone instinctively fell silent and turned towards it.
“Attention. All examinees have entered the exam centre. The exam rules are as follows.”
Hearing this, Old Yu and his son Yu Wen, the latest to join, both swallowed nervously.
“The exam must be completed within the allotted time.
“Once the exam has officially started, no latecomers will be allowed in. Examinees are not allowed to leave during the exam unless accompanied by an examiner in case of emergency.
“Except for open-note exams, cell phones and other communication devices are prohibited. Please ensure they are switched off.
“This exam is scored by a point-based grading scheme. Unless indicated otherwise, answers must be written on the designated answer card to be considered valid.”
After the announcement, the room fell silent, only to be quickly filled with a burst of conversation.
“Who are the examiners?”
“There are open-note exams?”
“Answer card? What’s that?”
“You guys are really taking this seriously? You’re all out of your minds.” The Tattoo Man toyed with a Swiss Army knife, seemingly plotting something.
“What else are we supposed to do?” The Pregnant Woman’s eyes were puffy from crying. “Have you forgotten about …” She whispered, pointing towards the roof.
The memory of the body made Tattoo Man visibly tense. He froze for a moment, then seemed to resign himself to the situation. “Hey, kiddo,” he called out, waving his knife.
Yu Wen, confused, looked around before pointing to himself. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. Come over here.” Tattoo Man patted the seat next to him. “Sit.”
“I’m not a f-…” Yu Wen glanced at his older cousin for help only to see him still sprawled on the tattered sofa, so he bit back his curse. “I’m eighteen, you know.”
Tattoo Man didn’t look much older than twenty-six himself. What right did he have to call anyone else a “kiddo”?
“It doesn’t matter what I call you!” Tattoo Man was growing impatient. “Just sit here, I need to ask you something. Are you a student?”
“I guess?”
Tattoo Man furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you know how to take exams?”
“Of course!” Old Yu said instinctively. “He grew up taking exams!”
“Shut up, Dad!” Yu Wen snapped, his tone always harsh towards his father. After rebuking him, he turned to find a roomful of hopeful eyes fixed on him.
Rendered speechless for a moment, Yu Wen chose his words. “I took the college entrance exam in June, then spent three months just having fun... I can’t really remember much about taking exams now.”
The Pregnant Woman had been panicking all afternoon, yet she found a way to smile at Yu Wen. “You’re still ahead of us. It’s only been three months for you. For the rest of us, it’s been years. We’ve forgotten everything.”
“Excuse me, don’t you guys watch movies or read books?” Yu Wen couldn’t help but feel the absurdity of the situation, momentarily forgetting his fear. “Do you seriously think these ‘exams’ in a supernatural scenario are like actual ones? ‘Exam’ is probably just a metaphor for something else!”
“For what, then?”
Yu Wen rolled his eyes. “How am I supposed to know? But in horror movies, people are too busy dying to take fricking math and science exams. What, you think the Ministry of Education set this up?”
He continued to mock the situation with a taunting “Hah.”
This “hah” was loud enough to jolt his cousin You Huo, who had been out cold on the sofa, abruptly awake.
Yu Wen turned to see You Huo sitting up, his half-open eyes scanning the room, then dropping his head to massage his neck. His long legs splayed out until they touched the old wooden floor, making the sofa look even more shabby.
Just as he lowered his hand and lifted his head, the clock on the wall began to chime ominously. It struck six o’clock.
The radio hissed to life again:
“Attention. The time is now 6 p.m. UTC +8. The exam is starting.
“This is a kind reminder: once the exam begins, no latecomers will be allowed in. Leaving during the exam will result in dire consequences.
“Any examinee caught breaking the rules, cheating, or engaging in fraudulent activities will be expelled from the exam centre.
“For all other exam guidelines, please follow the specific instructions given in your test questions.”
The radio paused for a couple of seconds after issuing these warnings.
“Duration: 48 hours.”
“Subject: Physics.”
“The exam and answer cards are now being distributed. We wish everyone the best of luck.”
With that, the radio fell silent again.
Yu Wen was speechless. Damn, shouldn’t the exam and answer card be given out before the instructions?!
“The wall!” Suddenly, the Pregnant Woman gasped, pointing at the wall above the furnace. It had been blank except for some knife marks, but now, some text had appeared:
“Question: A group of travellers came to a snowy mountain…”
“Requirements: The answer cards will be collected every six hours. If no points are scored within these six hours, one person will be disqualified and removed from the exam centre.”
Below these two lines was a blank space emulating the answer section on a real exam.
What kind of problem was this? Was that even a legitimate question?
This so-called “exam” was baffling. No one had any idea how to proceed. How could they possibly score points in just six hours? Even with six hundred hours, it seemed unlikely anything would change.
Suddenly, a chilling gust swept through the room, carrying snowflakes that made everyone shiver. They turned to see You Huo by the window, which he had partially opened.
“What are you doing?” Tattoo Man roared.
One of You Huo’s hands was in his pants pocket, the other reaching outside. He paused and looked back with a casual, almost mocking gaze.
That infuriated Tattoo Man even more. “Why did you open the window without asking? Are you ready to deal with the consequences?”
“Shut up.” You Huo replied coldly. Ignoring the man, he turned back and extended his left hand outside.
Old Yu nudged his son, whispering, “Ask him what he’s doing.” For some reason, Old Yu always seemed to tip-toe around his nephew.
“Hey, You Huo,” Yu Wen called out, “what are you doing?”
You Huo pulled his hand back in, showing it as his answer. “Just checking what happens if I leave the exam centre.”
Everyone gasped in shock as they saw blood trickling down You Huo’s fingers, pooling in his palm, stark against his pale skin.
Nonchalantly, he wiped his hand, picked a rusty tin can from the windowsill, and tossed it outside. They watched the can disintegrate into dust and blend into the falling snow.
Re-reading the question and requirements on the wall, everyone’s eyes widened with fear.
You Huo closed the window, and he scanned the group. His eyes settled on Yu Wen, the only one who had any recent experience with exams. However, You Huo knew his younger cousin all too well.
Yu Wen’s high school years were anything but academic. He was more known for dating around, getting into scuffles, using the Internet without permission, and being frequently reprimanded by teachers in front of the entire school. His schedule was always full, but not with studying. He also went through a phase of what some call “middle-school syndrome,” and he was not quite over it yet.
Physics? You Huo would consult a monkey over Yu Wen for that.
As for the rest of them…
Some old bags of bones, some weak and sickly, plus a pregnant lady and a thug—a recipe for disaster if there ever was one.
Of course, the first question would be a killer.