With this collective escape of more than a thousand people, even if the prison guards are completely drugged it was impossible for them not to notice it.
154 had warned them that the system would definitely enter an alert state the moment everyone leaves the exam and breaks into the Twin Tower.
The only difference between it and prison guards is that no matter how urgent the situation may be, the system would still follow the set protocols.
Sure enough, the systemâs cold, mechanic voice sounded from the exam centre:
ăAbnormality detected. No examinees found. Abnormality level A. Invigilators please address this immediately!ă
With all the invigilators standing in line along the platform outside the window, 922 double checked, âEveryone, have you all changed your phone network to line 1?â
Everyone waved their phones to indicate that they had already done so.
922 nodded at 154.
The next second, the systemâs voice sounded again.
ăLine busy. Unable to contact invigilators. Reattempting connection.ă
With this, the system would not be able to hold the invigilatorâs responsible for the exam going awry.
Generally speaking, the system would try to contact the invigilators three times and the entire process would take about half a minute.
If all three attempts fail, the system would adjust the risk level to S and transfer the authority to address the issue to other invigilators who would be directly transferred over from afar to sort it out.
As far as they knew, this typically follows the order of their ranking âââ With the head invigilator given priority. That used to be A in the past and now it is 001.
If this transfer fails as well, the systemâs alert state would once again go up another level such that it is now deemed as something that could pose a threat to the systemâs core and the systems core programs would step out to address it.
Once it reaches this stage, the situation is very serious.
It would close off the entire involved exam and directly destroy it. At the same time, the core and its related programs would temporarily go through some updates and changes.
In the past, this kind of adjustment would require the involvement of You Huo and Chu Yue because they are the systemâs learning targets. This was also the reason for their extremely high authority within the system.
After the failure of the ârebellionâ, invigilators were no longer allowed to be involved with this.
âAlthough invigilators cannot be involved, you should know that when a system is most vulnerable to loopholes, it will definitely undergo some self-adjustment.â 154 discussed this with You Huo and Qin Jiu, âThe moment the core does this, itâs defence would become a little more unstable. We can use this opportunity to get inside.â
Because the system would become âclosed offâ soon after that, the core would become its temporary place of refuge.
The true core isnât monitored because no one would monitor themselves. This was the same for the system.
Just like how a personâs eyes grow on their faces, itâs purpose is to look out, not look inside the body.
In the past, Chu Yue would usually be guarding this core. Here, she could say a few truthful words to You Huo without having to worry about being watched.
Now, there was no one there.
ăLine busy. Second attempt failed. Reattempting connection.ă
âFrom now until the system closes off the core, there is a total of three minutes.â 154 explained to the other invigilators, âIt is impossible to transfer everyone and there isnât enough time. Since weâre currently in the punishment area, you should find a relatively safe bugged examination centre thatâs connected to this place and take refuge there with the examinees.â
âWhat about you guys?â Someone asked.
âWeâre going to the core to try and interfere with the systemâs self-adjustment and open up a channel between the bugged examination centre and a rest stop. Weâll meet up there.â Qin Jiu said.
âRest stop?â Everyone was puzzled, âWhy are we going to the rest stop?â
âReplenishing supplies, reequipping weapons and pick up another good student card along the way.â You Huo pulled out his two remaining cards, âNeed to complete a set.â
âTeaming up?â Di Li who knew about their team circumstances instantly understood.
The other veteran invigilators were taken aback, âY-you guys are going toââââ
Qin Jiu: âWith the situation right now, whatâs the difference between this and all of us wanted as fugitives? Since itâs already like this, itâs better to just form a team and gamble a little.â
ăLine busy. Third attempt failed.ă
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ăJoint examination centre will be destroyed and completely sealed away.ă
ăCountdown of five seconds.ă
âThen weâll see you later.â Leaving this line behind, You Huo and the others had already boarded the elevator.
With the help of 154âs control, the elevator âwhooshedâ down.
Gao Qi stared at the elevator with wide eyes and pointed, âIs this going down? Isnât that just free-falling?â
âDonât talk nonsense and hurry over. We also donât have much time.â 021 went over to the large French window as she urged everyone to hurry.
ă3, 2, 1ââă
As soon as they reached the edge, there was a sound of explosions one after another.
âIt really did blow it up!â Someone exclaimed.
Both examinees and invigilators held their breaths as a hot rush of air and shockwave blew past. Some were even almost blown away.
Everyone staggered back slightly because of this. When they returned to the edge, the examination centre had disappeared, and the scene below had changed.
ăContacting Invigilatorâs District.ă
Just as 154 had said, the system had moved onto the next stage after destroying the examination centre.
Unsurprisingly, this method of contact had also been disrupted by 154 but it didnât mean that it would stop the old man who watches over this punishment floor from returning. That small glitch wouldnât keep him away for long.
âWeâre now changing exam centres. Hurry!â
âQuick! Letâs hurry!â
A few seconds later, the invigilator in charge of the switch shouted, âOkay! Iâve found a relatively easy one!â
âItâs okay if itâs a little troublesome. With so many invigilatorâs here, how could we not be able to fix a small bug in an exam centre? Are we only for show?â
âYeah, we are after all the first-generation invigilators.â
After saying this, they all laughed.
âGet readyâââ-â 021 said.
The examinees were still confused, âHow to enter? Climbing down the same way we came from?â
021 shook her head, âClimbing is too slow.â
Examinee: âThen how?â
Good question.
021 took off her sunglasses, âThis is something I learnt from two certain individuals. Iâll give you a demonstration. Watch carefullyââ-â
She took a deep breath and then jumped out the window without any hesitation.
Everyone: ââŠâŠâŠâ
Gao Qi scratched his cheeks, âItâs a pity this young lady didnât join 001âs team back then. This character of hers really suits it.â
Zhao Jiatong rolled her eyes and proceeded to kick him off. She soon jumped off after him.
A moment later, the scene there had become rather shockingâââ
A thousand people jumped off at the same time.
***
âOne-minute left.â 154 frowned and seemed a little anxious.
The elevator going to the systemâs core had not been used in a long time and it had taken 154 a lot of effort to successfully activate it.
They were now standing inside the elevator. Its exceedingly fast speed made everyoneâs heart feel heavy.
âWhen you get out of the elevator, you will see a corridor and three doors.â 154 quickly explained, âThe first one on the left is the special punishment sector. Boss Chu knows about it.â
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Chu Yue nodded.
âThe structure there is simple and suitable for hiding. Weâll hide out in there first and wait for the system to close its core off.â 154 said âThe second door leads to a place similar to a garbage collection side. To the system they are garbage, but to us it is very important.â
Because the key to recovering their memories was there.
âIâve long wanted to come here but every time I mentioned it, someone would say that Iâm crazy.â Qin Jiu joked.
Chu Yue: âI said it.â
154 joined in with his cold expression, âYouâre indeed crazy. Theyâre not wrong.â
Qin Jiu raised a brow.
154 added, âThis place is the systemâs sensitive area. All actions must be specially authorised. Itâs something like a key and this key is the main problem for us. If I was given a month, I can assure you that I can gain access but there isnât much time right now, so the probability of succeeding is only 30%. I know that you guys will want to try even if itâs only 30% but let me say this firstâââ
He glanced at Qin Jiu and You Huo: âThere is a 70% chance that we will fail. This place is the systemâs core and the system will respond immediately if anything was to happen. There is a very high chance that it will employ a destruction program to clean itself up and if it is the case we will need to get out of here as fast as we can. Even if weâre 0.1 second too slow, we will die tragically; the kind where not even bone or flesh is left behind.â
âOkay.â You Huo agreed to it.
Qin Jiu also nodded.
154 said, âAs for the third door, that leads to a part of the systemâs main control centre. I will try to open a channel to a rest stop for those examinees as soon as I can.â
You Huo and Qin Jiuâs memories had been affected and they did not have a good understanding of the systemâs core. Chu Yue also hadnât been here for several years, so she wasnât clear on the changes that it had undergone during her absence. To be on the safer side, 154 took on the leader role.
ăJoint examination centre risk level changed to SSS.ă
ăCore self-adjustment is about to start.ă
ăCore soon to be closed off.ă
ăEmergency program to be activated for five seconds. Cleaning the core.ă
154 held his breath. The elevator suddenly changed into a slow crawl.
Everyoneâs momentum was disrupted by this sudden change and some couldnât help but feel nervous. Even Chu Yueâs breathing had turned heavy.
ă5, 4, 3ââă
Red lights scanned across all corners of the place. Even the dust in the air let out some static sounds, like it was being zapped by electricity.
If a living person just happened to break in at this moment, they would probably be permanently removed from the face of this earth just like those dust particles.
ă2, 1.ă
The moment the countdown ended; the red light disappeared. The elevator door just happened to open at this moment.
âHurry! Get in the first door!â 154 urged.
ăInitiating second cleaning.ă
Everyone seemed to have entered through that door at the very last second. A trace of the red light leaked through the crack in the door, coming into contact with Qin Jiuâs elbow. The moment it came into contact, a small piece of fabric there disappeared in an instant.
You Huo grabbed onto him.
âIâm fine. Didnât get hurt.â Qin Jiu unhurriedly rolled his damaged sleeve up a few times.
The two were still okay but the faces of the others had turned pale.
Very soon, the system sounded again.
ăThird round of cleaning is over. Core is closed off. Self-adjustment program initiated. Estimated time is 48 minutes and 12 seconds.ă
143 said, âAfter this, cleaning will be initiated once every ten seconds. We have to keep an eye on the time.â
922 noticed an important issue, âWait. If the cleaning outside is initiated every ten seconds, whatâs going to happen if we fail the task and have to rush out quickly as possible and the two timing just happens to coincideâŠâŠ..â
âThen weâre over.â Chu Yue said, âThatâs why I said that entering the middle room is crazy!â
âDonât worry.â Qin Jiu and You Huo glanced at each other, âYou can just wait here. The two of us will go over.â
154 let out a long sigh. He carefully pressed a lock, âIâll work hard.â
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When he was done saying this, the door opened with a beep.
The next moment, You Huo and Qin Jiu had already rushed out.
The people in the room didnât dare breath. Only when they heard the click of the door closing next door did they slightly return to their senses.
âIâŠ.â Yu Wen swallowed nervously, âIf this happens a few more times, I think I may get a heart attack!â
While they were waiting anxiously, You Huo, Qin Jiu and 154 had already entered through the second door.
The structure inside was very complicated. Countless transparent tubes twisted and turned before finally connecting to an electric pole and there were various machinery and control panels scattered around.
Just the sight of this place made Qin Jiu stop in place.
According to his knowledge, this place should have only been seen by You Huo and Chu Yue. When he became 001, the authority to enter a place like this had already been removed.
But this place gave him a sense of familiarity, as if he had taken great risk in the past to sneak in here before.
âI have seen these before.â
Qin Jiu murmured.
154 whoâs mind was still concentrating on figuring out how he should remove the restrictions without alerting the system was only able to react a few seconds later.
âYouâve seen it?â 154 was stunned.
Soon after that, he realised that they were in trouble!
This moment of distraction had only lasted for two seconds but the authorisation check had already started.
154âs expression changed. Just as he was about to say âget out and try againâ, he saw that the red scanning light had already scanned over before stopping by the side of You Huoâs face.
The next moment, a line of words appeared on the screen:
Authorisation key detected. Verification passed. Orders can now be revoked.
The room fell into a long period of silence. The three of then hadnât expect something like this and were stunned in place.
After a long time, You Huo reached to touch the side of his face. He furrowed his brows and muttered, âAuthorisation key?â
Immediately afterwards, his fingers came into contact with his earlobe. Something sharply pointed slowly warmed up under the red light.
It was the ear stud he had always been wearing.
***
On a particular day a long time ago, Invigilator A suddenly gained something new on his earlobe. It was something that didnât match with his typical personality.
Qin Jiu asked him: Why are you suddenly wearing an earring?
He said: No reason. Just had a dream last night.
It was a very strange dream. In there were two Qin Jiuâs of two different identities and two of himself also with two different identities. After waking up, the only thing he could remember was the large blazing fire and the look Qin Jiu gave him as he sat on the table.
Qin Jiu had said: The place you stood was too dark, I couldnât see you clearly.
And so, he found something bright and pinned it to his safety zone. With this, no matter where he is, he would be seen by the other party.
âŠâŠâŠ.
Then it was another day from a long time ago. Under the veil of smoke, Qin Jiu had quietly replaced it with a key that he had taken some risk to get.
If they were to unfortunately fail, something like this would eventually come in handy.
Once this key is activated, his memory would be restored.
In it was his past, his beliefs, and his love.
All of that made up a complete Qin Jiu.
My dear, if I left myself by your ear, would you be able to hear me?
May we meet again in a world where the smoke is gone.
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