As the bell rang, the surroundings began to change at a visible pace.
The dozens of coarse ropes before Tong Yang's eyes vanished, and the bodies suspended mid-air crashed to the ground one after another. In the blink of an eye, the three invigilators on the podium disappeared, the mold stains on the walls faded, and the dried bloodstains in the corridor gradually dissolved into nothingness.
A cacophony of noise filled her ears. Outside the third-floor window, the maple leaves shimmered in pale green, while the words "Violators Die" scrawled on the blackboard slowly lost their color before her eyes.
Hurried footsteps and jubilant cheers erupted throughout the floor—they had just finished their two-day-long college entrance exams.
"Oh my god! What's happening?!"
A shocked cry rang out in the classroom. Tong Yang's vision blurred slightly, and she had to strain her eyes to make out the figure of a teacher wearing an invigilator's badge.
"What's going on? Everything was fine just a moment ago!"
"Call the police! Hurry!"
"There are ambulances at the school gate—get them here now!"
"Stop staring! Help them!"
...
More and more teachers and students noticed the anomaly in Examination Hall 1209—thirty-two examinees had collapsed lifelessly in an instant.
Tong Yang stared darkly at the motionless bodies on the floor. The crowd of teachers and students pressing in around her made the classroom feel suffocating, and a wave of dizziness washed over her.
So… she was the only one who had returned to the real world?
"Student, are you alright?"
An invigilator bent down, placing a hand on her shoulder with a concerned expression.
"Let's get you out first. The police and medics will handle this."
Half-dragged out of the classroom, Tong Yang turned back to look at the fallen examinees. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw them all open their eyes, staring at her in confusion.
"It's over… no pulse…"
"How could this happen?"
"Where are the teachers? Evacuate the students first!"
"Quick! Let the police and paramedics through!"
Jostled in the crowd, Tong Yang stood frozen for a long time.
Could things really end like this?
Could she just pretend nothing had happened and return to her normal life?
Was she willing to let herself be toyed with like this?
Suddenly, she grabbed a fellow student and said urgently, "There's cash in my backpack. If… if anything happens, give it to my brother. His name is Tong Le, Class 6, Grade 4, Experimental Primary School."
The student blinked in confusion. "What?"
Tong Yang didn’t answer. Instead, she pushed against the surging crowd and forced her way into the stairwell.
"Hey! Where are you going?!"
Tong Yang practically charged forward, rushing all the way to the fifth floor of the teaching building.
She still didn’t understand the reason behind the time loop, but she knew she could probably re-enter it. She had already completed the exams—her scores would surely meet the school’s requirements, and the money she left behind would be enough for Tong Le to live on until adulthood.
She valued her life, but she couldn’t accept failure like this. She had already achieved a perfect score. She had written every answer flawlessly, without a single mistake.
This ending was unacceptable!
Right and wrong didn’t matter anymore. If things ended like this, her entire life would be ruined!
Tong Yang reached the fifth floor and sprinted to the balcony at the end of the corridor—a dead zone between the teaching building and the perimeter wall where no one usually went.
Taking a deep breath, she ignored the shocked gasps around her, braced her hands on the railing, and without hesitation, leaped off.
Clearly, she couldn’t wait for the psychiatrist’s hypnosis anymore.
"AHHHHH—!!!"
"Someone jumped!!!"
Screams pierced her ears as the wind sliced against her face like blades. The force of gravity pulled her body into a rapid descent.
—So this was what it felt like to fall from a great height?
THUD.
—
THUD.
A loud crash echoed in the silent classroom as Tong Yang tumbled off her chair.
"Please remain quiet."
The familiar, icy voice spoke beside her. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel any pain.
She opened her eyes to see the familiar mold stains on the walls, the examinees around her with ropes coiled around their necks, staring at her with a mix of confusion and concern. The clock at the front of the room showed twelve minutes left until 5:30—she had truly gone back to ten minutes before their deaths!
"My apologies."
Her voice trembled with an indescribable emotion as she returned to her seat. On her exam paper, the last question in Biology was only half-answered, the latter part still untouched. There was still time!
Clutching her pen, Tong Yang felt a shiver run through her. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm, and meticulously wrote down the answers she remembered—each stroke neat, precise, and flawless.
Seven minutes remained until the end of the exam.
"Examinee No. 12, please submit your paper before the exam concludes. All other examinees, close your test booklets."
This time, Tong Yang didn’t need to double-check. She already knew she hadn’t made a single mistake.
"I’m done."
She said the same words as before.
The reactions around her were identical—everyone held their breath, their gazes locked onto her.
Tong Yang stood and walked to the podium, handing her exam to Invigilator A for review.
"Return to your seat."
"Physics—perfect score. No errors."
"Chemistry—perfect score. No errors."
"Biology—perfect score."
"No errors."
"First, congratulations to Examinee No. 12 for achieving a perfect score in the Science Comprehensive Exam."
"Second, congratulations to Examinee No. 12 and all examinees of Hall 1209 for successfully passing the Independent College Entrance Examination."
The ropes around the others' necks slackened. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they pulled the restraints away.
"W-We did it?"
"It’s really over?"
"Tong Yang… Tong Yang…"
"AHHHHH!!! WE WON!!!"
"We can go back!!!"
"This is amazing! It’s really over!"
"Please retrieve your exam paper."
Tong Yang walked back to the podium, took her exam, and returned to her seat.
"Congratulations to all. Once the bell rings, please take your belongings and leave the classroom."
Invigilator A stared at them with an expressionless face, as if the mockery and amusement from before had never existed.
Tong Yang finally understood—they could only act within the rules.
Silently packing her things, she asked, "Can I leave early?"
"You may."
Tong Yang strode out of the classroom, grabbed her backpack from the shelf, stuffed everything inside, and slung it over her shoulder. Then, without hesitation, she snatched a weapon from the shelf—a sharp blade stained with blood—and marched back into the classroom.
"Examinee No. 12, please leave the examination hall—"
Before he could finish, Tong Yang swung the blade, plunging it deep into his body before kicking him to the ground.
Invigilator A didn’t resist. Without pause, Tong Yang yanked the weapon free and slashed down again, her movements ruthless and precise.
Proctors B and C hurried over from the back of the classroom, mechanically repeating, "Candidate number twelve, please leave the examination hall."
Tong Yang clenched her teeth, spun around, and delivered a swift kick. Without hesitation, she followed up with a slash of her blade, her movements sharp and ruthless, kicking away anyone who lunged at her. Her eyes burned with fury, as if she were unleashing long-suppressed rage.
The crowd watched in shock as blood stained the lectern crimson. Tong Yang was drenched in it—her clothes, her face, her entire body soaked in red. Yet her expression remained eerily calm, her gaze icy and menacing, her actions brutal.
"Tong Yang…" Chu Shiyu, standing closest to the lectern, had flecks of blood splattered across her face. She could see clearly that even after the proctors on the ground had stopped moving, Tong Yang continued her frenzied assault, as though driven by pure vengeance.
"Enough… enough…" Chu Shiyu murmured, her face pale. Instinctively, she stepped forward to stop Tong Yang, who seemed lost to madness. But just then, a suffocating pressure seized her throat. Her eyes widened in shock as her hands flew to her neck. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed from her seat.
"Aah!!"
"Ugh—!"
"Hel—"
A wave of unfamiliar, despairing terror swept through the entire examination hall. In an instant, every candidate in Room 1209 jerked upright, clutching their throats, legs flailing as if searching for solid ground.
After a desperate struggle, they gasped for air like fish out of water, their faces still twisted in agony and despair. As their vision cleared, they stared around in dazed horror.
"What… what just happened?"
"I—I remember us all being strangled…"
"Me too! It felt like hands were crushing my throat!"
"Didn’t we fail? Why…?"
"Was it a dream?"
"No, it wasn’t a dream!"
"It was too real to be a dream!"
Sun Ye, still gripping his neck, shook his head slowly. "No… we really died just now."
"But why?"
"Why did we succeed this time?"
"We failed… we should’ve failed…"
His gaze, blurred behind his glasses, finally settled on Tong Yang, who stood atop the lectern.
Tong Yang wiped the blood from her eyes with her sleeve and turned to face the group. "Because I went back ten minutes and saved you."
"Wh-what?"
"Tong Yang… what are you talking about?"
"Went back ten minutes? How?"
"Haven’t we seen stranger things?" she countered, catching her breath.
"But…"
"But this is just too unbelievable!"
"What’s even happening to us…?"
She tossed her weapon aside, wiped the blood from her face, and resumed her usual composed demeanor. "That’s the truth. Since I saved you, you’ll keep my secret. Otherwise, I’ll deny everything, and you’ll be the ones ending up in a mental hospital."
The group fell silent.
"So… we can go back to the real world now?"
Tong Yang glanced at the clock. "In about thirty seconds."
"Wait! I still don’t get the time loop thing—"
"Save your questions for dinner tonight," she cut in. "Oh, and you’re all treating me."
The group stared.
Was this really the time to discuss dinner plans while covered in blood?
"Anyway, we made it!"
"Thank you, Tong Yang!"
"That was terrifying! If it weren’t for you, we’d all be dead thanks to those bastards!"
"Hey, someone should write a horror novel about this. It’d sell like crazy!"
"If anyone does, remember to split the profits!"
"Tong Yang told us not to talk about it, but honestly, no one would believe us anyway."
"Yeah…"
"Damn it! Being strangled was the worst!"
"Those scumbags! I’m going back to stab them a few more times!"
As the bell signaling the end of the exam rang, Tong Yang looked down at the mutilated corpses on the floor and smirked, mouthing slowly:
"See… you… again?"
—If you can even come back to life.
"Text me tonight."
She waved dismissively, shoved her hands into her pockets, and strode out of the classroom as if nothing had happened.
In the hallway, traces of the unreal world began fading away—including the blood on Tong Yang’s clothes.
By the time the bell stopped, faint outlines of other people appeared around her, signaling her imminent return to reality.
She paid no mind and walked straight toward the school gates.
After crossing the campus and descending the long staircase, she spotted the half-open gates, police officers on duty, and parents anxiously waiting for their children.
"A student’s coming out!"
"Whose kid is that? She looks exhausted."
"Well, exams are draining!"
"Parents, hurry up and take your kid out to celebrate!"
"What’s mine still doing inside? Others are already out!"
Tong Yang stepped past the gates and scanned the crowd. For the first time, the noisy chaos felt comforting—even if none of it was meant for her.
"Where are her parents?"
"Seriously? No one came to pick her up on such an important day?"
"Poor thing, she looks pale. She should rest."
"What kind of parents don’t show up? The kid just finished exams!"
"Whose child is this?!"
Then—
"She’s mine! Mine!"
A bright, childish voice cut through the chatter.
"Make way! Let me through!"
Tong Yang turned in surprise. A small, fair-skinned boy was struggling to squeeze past a wall of adults, his backpack still stuck behind him, his face flushed with effort.
"Sis! Sis! Help me!"
When he spotted her, he waved frantically.
Tong Yang burst out laughing—she didn’t even know why.
