B U G Arc
Exam God 13
“When they learned that NPC deaths were equivalent to another way of progressing in the game, Xin Lan and Wan Yan were no longer afraid.
With all sorts of strange creatures in this room, there was nothing to fear.
Wan Yan glanced at Xin Lan’s battle-worn maid outfit, not eager to let others see how Xin Lan looked at the moment.
She noticed the cloak hanging there, grabbed it in her hand, confirmed there was nothing strange about it, and draped it over Xin Lan.
Xin Lan raised her head and saw Wan Yan mutter, ‘The weather is cold.’
She found it somewhat amusing and was about to take it off when she noticed a change in Wan Yan’s expression, suddenly understanding the meaning behind Wan Yan’s actions.
Tsk, what a miser.
Now, of the three classmates they had seen earlier, only one remained, but Xin Lan and Wan Yan didn’t know where she had hidden, whether she was alive or dead.
The next hour and a half continued to be troublesome.
But now that they had grasped that killing NPCs was also a way to progress in the game, Xin Lan and Wan Yan no longer hesitated. If they were discovered, they would cooperate in eliminating them. In this way, they hoped to survive until the end.
“Congratulations on passing the exam! After a ten-minute break, proceed to the next examination room!”
Having successfully cleared the exam, the people in the white rest area no longer wore the same bewildered and fearful expressions as before. Most of them remained silent, either sitting alone or encouraging each other in pairs, speaking softly to one another.
Usually, being in the same rest area meant that they would likely be in the same examination room next. Xin Lan and Wan Yan didn’t mind, but that didn’t mean others didn’t care.
Even before Xin Lan and Wan Yan appeared, some had already taken a covert look.
In the rest area, they were still wearing their original clothes. Xin Lan had her hands tucked in the pockets of her cotton jacket, closing her eyes and waiting for the next round to begin, paying no attention to those curious glances.
The ten minutes felt both long and fleeting. After a dizzying moment, that peculiar voice resounded in their minds once again.
“The fourth round of the exam is about to begin. There are a total of five candidates in this round, so please prepare yourselves.”
“The exam begins.”
Xin Lan opened her eyes, finding herself on something soft and comfortable, with a large screen in front of her. It looked like a movie theater.
With a card in hand, she used the faint light from the screen to read the row of words on it.
[Finding the exit is the key to passing the exam.]
There were no specific qualifications, nor any necessary conditions.
The screen emitted a faint glow, and the speakers played background music.
A woman sat in front of a dressing table, dressed in red, her lips painted in crimson, and her jet-black hair flowing long and lustrous, cascading down.
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Her gaze was vacant, and suddenly, she lifted her head. The background music emphasized a strong beat, causing a sudden jolt in one’s heart.
She flashed a smile, and blood began to flow from her seven orifices.
Xin Lan sat calmly in the soft chair, for her, this level of horror movie was child’s play.
The people around her sat quietly, making no sound.
Xin Lan turned her head slightly, and Wan Yan’s exquisite and beautiful face appeared indifferent in the faint light.
Suddenly, a scream echoed in the theater. Xin Lan looked toward the source of the sound and then quickly turned her gaze back to the big screen.
The female ghost oozing blood from her seven orifices crawled out of the screen with a resentful expression, and she revealed a sinister smile.
Laughter filled the theater’s speakers, surrounding the entire space, as if coming from all directions, inescapable.
Several people stood up and rushed towards the exit, including Xin Lan and Wan Yan.
Someone reached the door, and a speaker suddenly dropped, hitting him on the head.
Blood splattered onto a girl nearby, and she let out a scream, covering her mouth in shock.
“What do we do now?”
The girl, her face pale with fear, suddenly widened her eyes and pointed behind Xin Lan, filled with terror.
The female ghost had already crawled close by, her lower body appearing as if it had been severed, bare and bloody.
Wherever she passed, there were bloody stains on the ground.
“Let’s get out of here! There’s no second speaker to drop on us anyway. Do you want to wait here to die?”
Someone pushed the girl aside and ran toward the door, and the others immediately followed suit.
“Are we going out?”
Wan Yan asked Xin Lan.
Xin Lan looked at Wan Yan and mentally called for Zero Nine.
No one answered.
The dragging sound echoed behind them, reaching out towards Xin Lan.
Before Xin Lan could react, Wan Yan moved even faster, stepping on the female ghost’s hand and allowing Xin Lan to retreat.
“I can handle this myself.”
“But I care about you, so I want to protect you.”
Xin Lan’s expression hardened at the words, and she grabbed Wan Yan’s neck, pinning her against the wall.
“Where is she?”
“What are you talking about? I’m Wan Yan.”
Wan Yan looked confused, gazing at Xin Lan with a puzzled expression.
“Where is she?”
“It’s me, Ah Lan.”
Xin Lan’s grip tightened, her gaze icy.
“I’ll ask again, no matter what you are, where is she?”
“It’s… it’s me.”
The person being choked turned red, speaking intermittently.
Xin Lan decisively twisted her neck, and her hand suddenly became empty.
The body that had fallen to the ground dispersed like a speck of light, and at the same time, Zero Nine’s voice echoed in Xin Lan’s mind.
【Finally reconnected. Host, are you okay?】
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Where was Wan Yan?
【The Commander is currently inside a movie theater. Just now, I suddenly lost connection with both of you. This BUG is indeed powerful.】
The system resided in the host’s neural domain, but just moments ago, even she had been blocked and lost connection.
Is there still no way to detect?
【No, there isn’t.】
Zero Nine replied, sounding frustrated. Apart from their mutual connection, none of her other functions could be used.
That’s why she couldn’t currently determine whether the host and the Commander were in the same space, invisible to each other due to some magnetic field, or in two entirely separate spaces.
Xin Lan rubbed her wrist and replied, “It’s alright.”
As long as we can stay in contact.
From the moment she entered, Xin Lan had sensed that something was off about Wan Yan, but she couldn’t put that unease into words; it was just a feeling.
Xin Lan had always trusted her instincts.
When she locked eyes with Wan Yan, her suspicions grew even stronger.
Looking at the Wan Yan impostor, whose true nature remained a mystery, Xin Lan felt no emotional connection whatsoever, despite their identical appearance. The vibes they emitted were distinctly different.
And adding to that, the words she said…
Wan Yan, someone who could always keep things to herself, would never have blurted out that sentence so suddenly if this situation hadn’t unfolded. Who knows how long she would have kept it hidden.
Besides, Wan Yan had always been aware of her abilities and capabilities, even understanding her personality well enough to say such words.
If she’s not here, then so be it.
Xin Lan moved her neck slightly, ready to unleash her ruthless side without hesitation.
During the previous monster feast, her approach had still been quite elegant.
It wasn’t intentional concealment; it was more of an unexplained reluctance to be excessively bloody in front of Wan Yan.
She looked at the female ghost not far away, severed at the waist, and advanced with graceful steps.
The nearby female ghost suddenly had a bad premonition. She saw Xin Lan approaching and even had the urge to crawl back.
But as a ghost, she couldn’t afford to be timid, so she bravely went forward.
Xin Lan grabbed her long hair, provoking her, and when she pounced to bite, Xin Lan threw her to the ground.
Xin Lan swiftly twisted the female ghost’s neck, and with a forceful tug, the ghost’s head rolled to the ground, dying once again.
Xin Lan clapped her hands and walked toward the door with an expressionless face.
Learning that Wan Yan was in the same scene as herself didn’t improve her mood.
What’s going on with this BUG? It was bad enough to be separated this time, but to also create a fake one to deceive people was unexpected.
As soon as she entered this scene, Wan Yan realized that the Xin Lan sitting beside her was not the real deal.
Wan Yan had chased after Xin Lan through several worlds, and in each world, Xin Lan had a different appearance. But that didn’t matter to Wan Yan; appearances were just superficial.
Wan Yan didn’t act immediately; instead, she observed and engaged in conversation, discovering that this might be a simulated data imitation, possibly even a mirror image.
Not a real person. Even with an identical appearance, the cold and calculating Commander remained unmoved. She simply eliminated the impostor, and then established contact with Zero Nine.
Deep down, she had a slight bit of anxiety. What if the little tiger couldn’t recognize her?
That’s just a case of “out of sight, out of mind,” she thought, something that made her feel like shutting down.
When Zero Nine mentioned that they could establish contact with Xin Lan’s side, Wan Yan happily dispatched the female ghost next to her.
Great.
She knew the little tiger would definitely recognize her.
But they still existed in different spatial dimensions, and passing this exam might bring them back together, or it might not.
If they couldn’t, she would have to accelerate and destroy this BUG.
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Xin Lan tore apart the half-bodied female ghost, exited the screening room, and found herself in a straight corridor, surrounded by other screening rooms. At the end of the corridor was a large door.
Xin Lan checked the other screening rooms but found no one, only ghosts.
These ghosts crawled out from various places with eerie smiles, contorting themselves into twisted postures as they lunged at Xin Lan, and then whimpered as they ran back.
They were just meant to be scary; there was no need for such violence.
After clearing out all the screening rooms, Xin Lan straightened her clothes and leaned against the wall. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, silently cascading down behind her, resembling a painting from a distance.
If it weren’t for the gruesome remains of ghosts nearby, the scene would have been more harmonious.
Xin Lan walked towards the exit indicated, turned down the corridor, and arrived at the door.
The cinema’s main entrance was tightly shut, shrouded in darkness, giving off an eerie vibe.
On the projection screen, movie scenes continued to play, but now accompanied by the mournful voices of ghosts.
There was no one at the ticket booth or the concession stand selling cola and popcorn. Everything was eerily silent, with the only sources of light being the projection screen and the film schedule board hanging on the wall.
The main entrance was blocked, and it didn’t seem like an exit.
Xin Lan tried pushing it, and her fingertips touched something cold and sticky.
She frowned, examining the bloodstains on her hand, and then noticed a sign indicating the emergency exit.
She walked in the direction indicated, and the echoing sound of her footsteps filled the spacious lobby.
【Host, the Commander said the main door is locked. I responded to her, and you’ve already left the main door and are heading towards the emergency exit.】
Hmm.
The movie posters on the walls had changed appearance, with bloody handprints pressed against them, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Xin Lan paid no attention and continued walking.
Where the emergency exit was located, there was some light.
It seemed like this was the exit.
The light cast her shadow, stretching it out and leaving long traces behind her.
Zero Nine, tell Wan Yan, in one minute, we’ll leave from here together.
【Host, the Commander wanted me to tell you…】
This were almost said simultaneously.
【In one minute, we’ll leave together.】
Zero Nine’s voice gradually weakened, affected by a double blow.
This world was just too exhausting.
They are ‘bagai pinang dibelah dua’, soulmate fr