The ragtag army spoke with much fervor, but not everyone was easily fooled by their antics.
Xia Henao and Yu Longdu grew bored after watching the assembly point for a while. Yu Longdu asked Xia Henao, "How long do you think it'll take for something interesting to happen? Though I admit, it's more amusing than other places..."
Xia Henao scanned the examination hall's data. The students seemed to be behaving, at least for now, "developing peacefully" with no real trouble. He replied, "Everyone's being quiet, or perhaps just cowardly. I don't know why, but it seems like no one is paying attention to this area anymore."
Just then, a person approached from the west of the assembly point. They cupped a hand over their eyes, gazing at the entrance from afar, then frowned and walked over. "Excuse me, a few students, aren't there rules here? Where are they?"
Number Fourteen stepped forward. "You're late too. The rules have already been destroyed. We don't need to wait fifteen minutes anymore; we've already waited several fifteen-minute periods..."
The newcomer nodded, then turned and walked into the woods. Number Fourteen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "Excellent, another point scored."
He thought this, but the person wasn't cooperating. Not long after entering the woods, they reappeared, carrying something on their shoulder. Since it was getting dark, everyone assumed they were carrying a large hammer. Some wondered, "Where did this guy get such an imposing hammer?"
As the person drew closer, they realized it was a very crudely made notice board. It wasn't nailed together but joined with mortise and tenon joints and vines. The newcomer stuck the "Notice Board 2.0" into the ground and asked Xia Henao, "Boss Xia, can we post the rules now?"
Xia Henao sized up the speaker, then stood up to post the rules. While doing so, he subtly signaled Yu Longdu to pull up the newcomer's information. After he finished posting the rules, everyone flocked to see them. Xia Henao glanced at his tablet. "Yin Cai, I've noted you. This kid has quick wit. Did you see, A'du? Here comes the twist."
As he spoke, Yin Cai finished reading the rules and stepped aside. Xia Henao checked his watch. It had only been a few dozen seconds. He'd finished already? Even with the ability to read a thousand words at a glance, could he also have perfect recall? This was fascinating.
Xia Henao whispered to Yu Longdu, "A'du, does our alliance need anyone to manage the data archives? I think this kid would be suitable."
Yu Longdu, watching Yin Cai stand with his arms crossed, waiting for something, replied, "Mm, I thought so too. He's good material for this kind of work, but we'll have to wait until after the college entrance exams."
The two were murmuring quietly when trouble began brewing among the ragtag alliance. They had all been tricked by Number Fourteen into believing rules would no longer be posted, which led them to their current predicament. Now they realized it wasn't that rules wouldn't be posted; they had simply been foolish.
With that realization, they began to blame each other, tracing responsibility backward. The last unlucky soul blamed the second to last, who refused to take responsibility and badgered the third to last. They continued this chain, eventually reaching a consensus: since they couldn't punish the masses, they would pursue the instigator. Thus, all eyes turned to Number Fourteen.
However, Number Fourteen was rather cunning. He sensed trouble when Xia Henao stood up to post the rules. While everyone was distracted by the rules, he slipped away.
When the group finally realized Number Fourteen was gone, Yin Cai casually pointed in a direction. "That way. He ran off that way."
Yin Cai's initial thought was that by bringing them the rules, he deserved some assistance, even if not asking for repayment. But seeing everyone's furious faces, Yin Cai started to feel a bit uneasy.
When everyone else is acting like fools, and a smart person emerges to point out their foolishness, that smart person often becomes the target of their anger. Yin Cai firmly believed this, so to provide an outlet for their rage, he immediately betrayed the escaped Number Fourteen.
However, his pointing gesture yielded an unexpected result. Seeing Yin Cai point, the ragtag alliance unanimously decided to gang up on Yin Cai and go beat up Number Fourteen. Yin Cai, it seemed, had found a way forward. He had, on the spot, "gathered a team" and instantly become the strongest faction leader in the examination hall.
Watching the boisterous group head towards Number Fourteen, Yu Longdu asked Xia Henao, "What about them?"
Xia Henao shrugged. "How should I know? This is his own doing. But I'm more curious to see how his cunning will fare."
Saying this, Xia Henao called out to the staff present, "Everyone, stay alert. There should be some exciting drama unfolding soon."
The staff members were essentially the invigilator teachers from the various examination areas. These teachers were also from different schools, so some recognized Yin Cai, while others recognized Number Fourteen.
The teachers who knew Yin Cai felt a sense of pride, while those who knew Number Fourteen had mixed feelings.
Although Yin Cai had indicated the direction of Number Fourteen's escape, he hadn't anticipated that Number Fourteen wasn't just running away. He had found a hiding spot in the darkness and watched as a crowd, led by Yin Cai, swarmed towards him. Realizing what was happening, he took off running, initiating a scene of wolves chasing a rabbit.
As Number Fourteen ran, he schemed, "Fine, you want to form a team? So you have numbers. You have numbers, but Zhou Qitian's people are also not few."
Number Fourteen, or rather, Zhou Qitian, commanded his Pokémon to launch constant attacks behind him as he fled, aiming to create trouble for his pursuers and facilitate his next plan.
The pursuing alliance, seeing that Zhou Qitian not only refused to surrender but dared to fight back, unleashed their own Pokémon. Any long-range skills were directed backward in a barrage of attacks, with the intent of utterly annihilating Zhou Qitian.
However, the strength of numbers is built upon having a large population and organized training, a special buff that could not be achieved by a newly formed pursuit group. Their barrage of attacks, though colorful and dazzling, was ultimately useless. Zhou Qitian continued to run. Seeing this, Yin Cai immediately called for a new operational plan. The dozen or so people split into two groups: one continued the pursuit, while the other dispersed to find those they had deceived, aiming to create the illusion that Zhou Qitian was a heinous villain who had swindled countless people, thus leveraging the collective power of the examinees against him.
As for whether Zhou Qitian would realize this, they could simply change their attack pattern from wolves chasing a rabbit to sheepdogs herding a flock, keeping him under pressure.
The pursuers began contacting other "like-minded individuals." Zhou Qitian, running ahead, finally spotted some easily duped trainers nearby. He abruptly stopped and veered towards them.
Lu Fei, an unwitting passerby NPC caught between these two groups, saw Zhou Qitian as a pitiable victim being pursued and persecuted by a group behind him. If Xia Henao were present, he would have certainly applauded Zhou Qitian's excellent performance.
Question: In an examination, what is the correct choice when encountering a victim of unknown origin?
Answer 1: Mind your own business and stay out of it. This approach generally avoids trouble but might lead to disadvantages in a high-freedom examination like this.
Answer 2: See injustice and offer help. This approach is equivalent to actively seeking death, attracting the examiner's attention, but one might be killed if their strength is insufficient.
Lu Fei was someone who believed his strength was extraordinary, so he stepped forward to help. However, the pursuing group ignored him, their sole target being Zhou Qitian running ahead. Who did Lu Fei think he was?
Without acknowledging Lu Fei, they continued their pursuit. Lu Fei felt he had suffered ten thousand points of humiliation. He then joined Zhou Qitian's side, but not in combat. Instead, he began to roam the area, recruiting students who were also willing to "uphold justice."
Zhou Qitian, seeing Lu Fei leave, paid him no mind, as if he had been blind. He continued to run. Lu Fei, meanwhile, was skillfully manipulating people: "Brothers, I just saw a group bullying someone over there. Unfortunately, I was too weak to rescue them..."
Lu Fei seemed to be an actor, and his performance was tearful and moving. He managed to persuade several people to join the fray. As the two groups ran through the forest, various rumors about bonus points began to circulate. Regardless of the version, they all subtly pointed towards the increasingly "grand" pursuit taking place.
The scene in the forest was clearly visible to Xia Henao and his team at the assembly point. Yu Longdu stroked his chin. "Good. Although it might be troublesome for a while, it will be much easier once this wave passes."
A staff member nearby chimed in, "Yes, but how will you score them in the end?"
Xia Henao pointed to several special spots on the screen. "Although the situation over there is chaotic now, there are only a few 'chess players.' One is pursuing in alliance, another is resisting in conjunction, and one is waiting to profit..."
As he spoke, Xia Henao moved his finger, laboriously pointing to the last spot. "This fool might be trying to conquer them all alone..."