……

Brian Baker and 154 went to the long corridor first.

"All this blood needs to be cleaned up." 154 pointed at the messy bloodstains on the floor, then walked to the door of the solitary cell holding the bald man and started unlocking it.

"Were you guys examinees before?" Brian Baker suddenly asked.

154 was taken aback, then nodded, "Yeah, several years ago."

"How did you become proctors?"

154 considered for a moment and said, "Passed the exam smoothly, with excellent results."

Brian Baker frowned. "What exactly is this exam?"

154 glanced at him and replied vaguely, "A kind of... special screening mechanism, I guess. Exams are always like that."

Brian Baker said sarcastically, "Screening for what? Top scorers with guts?"

As he spoke, that feeling of being watched returned.

Brian Baker glanced up at the ceiling. It was still a plain white ceiling, no holes, nothing peeking down at him.

"What kind of people get brought here?" He ignored the feeling and continued asking.

154 thought for a moment and said, "Extremely dangerous people."

Brian Baker showed no expression.

154 remembered that room full of the old, weak, sick, disabled, and pregnant, and added, "...Maybe that's not quite accurate."

Brian Baker: "So what is this, a supernatural event?"

154 shook his head. "Not a supernatural event, it's—"

Beep.

That sound again.

Brian Baker turned to look, thinking that annoying proctor 001 had followed them.

He saw no one behind him, then realized the sound came from 154.

154 touched his finger.

He was wearing a plain band ring on his index finger, and a warning red light faintly glowed from under the ring. Seeing the red light, he immediately shut his mouth.

"What's that?" Brian Baker asked. "That 001 earlier had one too."

"Violation alert." 154 turned the ring to block the light.

"You guys have rules and restrictions too?"

"Of course! Tons of them!" 922's voice came.

He was carrying an aluminum bucket, stepping over the bloodstains as he walked over. "No talking about dangerous topics, no abusing authority to bully examinees, no helping examinees cheat, no inappropriate relationships between proctors and examinees—"

Brian Baker: "…"

"Oh, of course, that last one is basically impossible," 922 said. "If we don't end up fighting, that's already good. If we do fight, proctors are forbidden from illegally killing examinees... and so on."

"What about examinees killing proctors?" Brian Baker asked.

922: "…"

"So, what happens if you break the rules?"

154's face went pale.

Even the relatively easygoing 922 fell silent for two seconds, then forced a laugh and said, "Don't ask, it's really scary. I haven't experienced it yet, and I don't want to in the future."

"So stop asking dangerous questions. Isn't it better if we all get along?" 922 put the aluminum bucket in front of Brian Baker. "Just pass the exam properly, focus on staying alive and getting out, and you'll find out some things naturally."

……

154 stopped talking and removed the lock from the solitary cell.

As soon as the door opened, a strong scent hit them.

Inside, besides blood, there were some residues stuck to the floor and walls.

Brian Baker looked disgusted. "...Do you guys usually clean these solitary cells?"

"Of course not by hand," 922 said, pinching his nose. "Otherwise, how would that be different from punishing us?"

"It's gross, yeah, but cleaning is still better than solitary confinement."

Brian Baker looked at him coldly.

922 said awkwardly, "Uh... for you, it's still better than being stuck in a room with our boss, right?"

With that, he dragged 154 away in a hurry.

The corridor returned to silence.

……

Actually cleaning was out of the question.

Brian Baker leaned against the door, swept a cold gaze around, then filled the aluminum bucket with water and dumped it straight into the room.

The water washed away the bloodstains, and the things stuck to the floor and walls were rinsed, turning pale.

Brian Baker squatted down. There was a piece right in front of his feet. Looking closely, it seemed like bone fragments, with a clump of long black hair tangled around it.

What kind of horror movies did that bald guy have in his head?

Suppressing his nausea, Brian Baker entered the room with a cold face.

……

He gave the whole room a rough cleaning, filling the bucket with bloody water and debris.

At the top of the pile of hair, a piece of skin—who knows where it came from—was suddenly tangled in it. The skin was pale from being soaked in water, looking almost fake.

There was a particularly conspicuous tattoo on it, a small and simple bellflower design.

……

Three hours later, 922 set out again, bringing Brian Baker back to the exam room.

James Carter stretched his muscles, planning to find 154 for some food. But when he opened the office door, he found a bucket of bloody flesh and debris respectfully placed at his door, with a piece of paper torn off in a hurry beside it. The handwriting was a bit thin and long, and it read:

For you, no need to thank me.

154's voice came: "Boss, I'm planning to grill some beef. Do you want anything?"

James Carter: "...I won't be hungry at all today."

154: "???"

He came around the corner with oven mitts, stared at the bloody bucket for three seconds, and said, "I think I'll never be hungry again in this life."