Ruan Xing turned around and saw black threads emerging from the mouth of the middle-aged woman.

At first, it was just a few strands, but soon, they multiplied and surged outward. The hair writhed like seaweed, spilling from her mouth, nostrils, eyes, and ears.

The couple resumed their eerie tiptoe posture. Under the light, Ruan Xing noticed that some of the black threads were gleaming.

Hair.

The hair was actually controlling their movements.

"Xiao Yue, are you trying to drive your parents to death?"

"Xiao Yue, we just told you to eat. How's that harming you?"

Under the control of the hair, the middle-aged couple moved quickly. Grease dripped from their mouths as they wailed and shouted.

But Ruan Xing was even faster.

He stepped back and fired two shots in a row.

Bang! Bang! But instead of being taken down like he expected, the couple just wailed in pain, "Xiao Yue! How could you do this to us?!"

Their faces were deathly pale, yet their lips were blood-red. Hair floated from their heads and faces, merging into one giant, pitch-black mass, like a massive chunk of seaweed. Deep-fried seaweed. The oil in their hair dripped onto their clothes, leaving dark, greasy stains.

In the next instant, the hair swept toward Ruan Xing.

He dodged easily and even had time to ask, "Where did you get your haircut?"

At that point, the couple seemed to have completely lost the ability to speak. The hair was now the main body, continuously attacking Ruan Xing. The dangling human bodies were swinging along with it, like flowerpots used to grow the hair. Their toes dragged across the ground, leaving behind greasy streaks.

Since they clearly had no intention of answering, Ruan Xing stopped asking.

Fwoosh! A tiny flame flicked from his fingertips and shot toward the black hair. In an instant, it ignited both of them. Their greasy hair and clothes became perfect fuel.

The fierce flames spread along the thick strands of hair, burning straight into their eye sockets, nostrils, and mouths. The couple let out horrific screams. Their skin began to shrivel as everything inside was scorched clean.

Even after their bodies were burned away, the fire didn't immediately go out. Instead, it followed those controlling strands and spread outward.

Ruan Xing thought he heard screams nearby.

Fu Gui: [If your hair is too oily, it can be used not only for cooking but also as a fuel~]

Ruan Xing nodded: [All the more reason to wash your hair regularly.]

Meanwhile, Ming Rui had gotten into the exam through the recommendation letter. Thanks to Fu Zhi's name, even the examiners treated him with extra politeness. The privilege made him envious, but it also left a bitter feeling in his heart.

"Hey! Ming Rui, what are you thinking about?" the boy next to him called out.

Ming Rui shook his head, clearing out the jumbled thoughts.

"Nothing much. Still no sign of an exit?" he asked the boy who was assigned as his partner for the practical exam.

Apparently, after a previous candidate accidentally wandered into a hidden polluted zone, the exam format had been revised. It changed from an individual scoring format to a team-based one, meaning candidates now had to cooperate instead of fighting alone.

It was a bit unfamiliar for Ming Rui, but he adapted well to changes.

Still, as he stared at the endlessly spiraling staircase ahead, doubts started creeping in.

"Is this really just a normal exam? Could it be some hidden polluted zone?"

His teammate was startled. "Don't say that! With your luck, there's no way you would get dragged into that!"

Ming Rui smiled and felt a bit relieved. That's right. His little sister even wished him good luck before the exam. It probably wouldn't be that bad.

"Alright, let's go."

As luck would have it, after just two turns, Ming Rui found the exit. The two of them left the staircase through a safe passage and went up a few floors.

Coincidentally, another team was already there.

In front of them crouched a pitch-black figure, spider-like in form, but with a human head and limbs. It had no facial features, just a mouth. Its limbs were long and bony, covered in bluish skin, and lying on the ground. A long tail also extended from its back.

But when Ming Rui looked closely, he noticed that it wasn't a tail. It was the creature's exposed spine. From the hips down, it had nothing. Completely bare.

This had to be the pollutant they found.

Upon seeing each other, both teams forced polite smiles. In an exam setting, everyone was a competitor. Monsters were limited. Taking one down meant fewer for others, and losing one point could drop your rank significantly. No one wanted to back down.

Ming Rui said, "We'll get going first."

The other team breathed a sigh of relief. "There are lots of pollutants in this building. Hope you find yours soon too."

Just as Ming Rui turned to leave, something suddenly changed.

The spider-like creature in front of the other team suddenly opened its mouth, far wider than its own body, and tried to swallow the two people.

One of them raised his hands, creating an invisible air wall around the monster, pressing it in from all sides. But the situation changed too fast. A long black tongue shot out from the shadowy creature, pierced through the air wall, and struck the boy's throat. Blood gushed out, and after a couple of choking sounds, he went silent.

The girl next to him screamed. 

Bang! Bang! 

Two gunshots were fired, but they were useless. The creature swallowed the bullets and even let out a burp. Then, its huge mouth opened again, firing a black tongue that instantly split into countless strands of black hair, wrapping around the girl and swallowing her whole.

Everything happened in a flash. Before Ming Rui could react, the two were already dead.

Strangely enough, a full-grown person was able to fit into the monster's human-sized mouth. And after swallowing them, the monster's torso remained unchanged. Its ribs were still visible, as if the victims had vanished into another dimension.

The monster scratched its head with one arm and muttered, "Hair… hair~"

His teammate cursed and dragged Ming Rui. "We can't beat it. Run!"

This exam is ridiculous. How is anyone supposed to pass this?!

The two boys ran back toward the elevator shaft. To their horror, the monster began climbing the wall. It moved freakishly fast and reached them in no time, snarling at their faces.

"Hair! Hair!"

It was obsessed with hair, yet it had none on its own head.

His teammate shouted, "Even if you eat us, it won't help you grow any!"

A screech rang out near their ears. The monster's spit nearly hit Ming Rui in the face. His teammate screamed and pulled out the machine gun from his back. 

Rat-a-tat-tat! Gunfire exploded.

Even at close range, few bullets landed. Only one grazed the monster's scalp. It was like the guy was using his gun to outline the monster's body with bullets.

Fine. They would just use it as cover fire.

While the teammate was shooting, Ming Rui reached into the air and pulled out a grenade.

The monster was still pinned down. Ming Rui dodged under it, yanked open the stairwell door, and dragged his teammate over.

"Down!"

He slammed the door shut, pulled the grenade pin, and tossed it back.

Boom!

The explosion blasted the door off its hinges, causing Ming Rui and his teammate to tumble down the stairwell like rolling marbles.

Coughing hard, Ming Rui's eyes stung from the dust cloud, and he couldn't see a thing.

Then he heard the sound of wind whistling and that terrifying screech again.

The monster survived.

Ming Rui panicked. If this were an open battlefield like with the sandworm before, he might have a chance to dodge. But in a narrow place like this, it didn't matter how fast or agile he was. There was nowhere to run.

His teammate lay unconscious beside him, probably hit his head. Ming Rui, however, was fully awake.

The wind got louder, and something was about to strike. Ming Rui narrowed his eyes and raised his hand in a grabbing motion. Just as the black tip of something appeared, the wind suddenly stopped.

Then came the monster's agonized scream, thrashing violently as if in extreme pain.

Its body drew closer, right under Ming Rui's nose, struggling and writhing like its life was being sucked away. Black mist rose from its bluish skin, and its already skinny body shriveled further until it was nothing but skin and bones.

After a few more twitches, the monster went still.

Ming Rui lowered his hand, stunned. Just one move, and it had taken down a monster like that. So strong.

As the dust cleared, he saw a figure appear. Dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans while holding a plastic bag.

"This thing is disgusting," the young man muttered, as if talking to someone.

A black crow swooped down and landed on his shoulder, cawing twice. The harsh voice was a sharp contrast to the man's vibe, yet it was oddly fitting.

When the dust settled, Ming Rui finally got a clear look at his face.

Waterfall-like black hair, perfect features, and even the casual outfit looked expensive on him. He was absurdly good-looking.

But what caught Ming Rui's attention the most… was his eye color.

"Th-thank you!"

Ming Rui stammered. He never even stuttered in front of Fu Zhi. How strange.

Ruan Xing was surprised. What a coincidence. He had just been wondering which unlucky examinee had stumbled into a polluted zone again, and it turned out to be someone he knew.

Ruan Xing: [So the little sister has innate good luck, but the brother always ends up in danger?]

Fu Gui: [Or maybe… he got unlucky because he ran into you?]

Ruan Xing instantly denied it: [Impossible.]

Fu Gui: "Tsk."

Ruan Xing glanced at the unconscious boy. "That's your teammate?"

Ming Rui nodded. "Yes. We are part of the same group, taking the exam together."

Ruan Xing: [I feel sorry for his teammate.]

Fu Gui: Show some self-awareness!

"Can you stand?" Ruan Xing crouched down but made no effort to offer a hand.

Ming Rui didn't mind, and he propped himself up using the wall. Pain surged through him, especially in his lower back. It felt like it was going to snap.

The young man seemed to notice his discomfort. He rummaged through the plastic bag and pulled out a vial. "Drink this. You'll feel better. Give some to your teammate too."

Ming Rui's heart raced as he took the green potion from him.

One sip, and his eyes widened. "A healing potion?"

Ruan Xing looked at him with bright eyes. "You recognize it?"

Ming Rui hesitated. He wanted to ask where the young man got the potion, but didn't dare.

"No… I mean, I've only heard about it before. Just some rumors about a magical potion."

But his face clearly said otherwise.

Ruan Xing, who planned to leave after rescuing them, changed his mind and leaned in closer with a playful smile. "Well, since we're already in a polluted zone, no one from the Investigation Corps is going to check how we pass the exam."

Ten minutes later—

"That's pretty much all I know."

Ming Rui carried his teammate and explained things to Ruan Xing.

This neighborhood used to have a lot of residents, but about twenty years ago, a mass pollution incident occurred. After that, barely anyone lived here. The Quarantine Center cleaned it out once, then released some controllable pollutants as part of the exam setting. But as for the original pollution incident, Ming Rui wasn't too sure.

This area was way bigger than the Happiness Cinema zone that Ruan Xing dealt with.

"The problem is, we do not know how many candidates got dragged into this. If it is too many…" Ming Rui gulped. "A lot of people might die in this exam."

Ruan Xing glanced at him. Compared to before, Ming Rui didn't change much. He still wore his pilot cap that barely showed his hair, but now, he had a warier look in his eyes when dealing with strangers.

"Whatever the case, we should go check things out first, right?"

The long-haired young man spoke calmly, and for some reason, Ming Rui felt reassured. He had no idea how strong this guy really was, but he had to be incredibly powerful.

Ruan Xing stood up, and Ming Rui quickly followed behind.

Meanwhile, back at the Quarantine Center office—

"How is the exam going?" someone from the Investigation Corps asked in the monitoring room.

The proctor waved it off. "Relax. We've prepared way more this time than the previous one. All the candidates even have insurance…"

"Sir, the cameras went black," a staff member reported.

The proctor replied, "Maybe the equipment is low quality…"

"Sir, the wristband readings are spiking off the charts," another staff member added.

Cold sweat ran down the main examiner's back. This… felt all too familiar.

"Sir, we're detecting a pollution zone fluctuation!"

The proctor's face turned pale.

Not again?!?

 

 

Proctor: My hair is balding.