Chapter Text
After Chu Yue managed to successfully shoo the other examinees and reserve invigilators away, she turned back towards the other invigilators.
"So..." She started gently, "Where do you want to start?"
Almost immediately, all the invigilators shot to their feet, and started talking, but their words came out as a bunch of gibberish and word vomit as they tried to talk over each other, and the volume that they were speaking at gradually got louder and louder.
"The System-"
"Why didn't you tell us-"
"If you're destroying the System-"
"Why didn't you-"
"How-... why-..."
Qin Jiu just deadpanned; this was getting nowhere.
These were all grown ass adults, right? Why were they acting like children trying to one-up each other?
Surprisingly, the only one who wasn't speaking up (besides the two great masters and Chu Yue) was Gao Qi.
His mouth was opening, closing, opening, closing... almost like he just couldn't get the words out of his mouth. His eyes constantly flickered between You Huo and Qin Jiu, as if he was trying to piece together all the puzzle pieces in his head, and yet, he was unable to say anything, despite how vocal and rambunctious he usually was when it came to You Huo.
Eventually, You Huo got fed up, and crossed his arms.
Upon seeing his movements, all the invigilators immediately clammed up, waiting for their leader to speak.
You Huo's golden eyes gleamed sternly as his gaze ran over every single invigilator, and some of them started fidgeting on the spot, slightly nervous.
They had only been in this strange realm, watching this viewing experience for barely a day... and somehow, they seemed to have forgotten that You Huo was literally the strongest person in the room despite being one of the youngest, and could easily tear through all of them like they were nothing...
Leaning back into the couch, You Huo lowered his gaze again, before saying, "D?"
Surprised that his code was being called, Gao Qi snapped to attention, "Yes?"
"You've been quiet." You Huo stated, his eyes flickering over to Gao Qi for a second, before going back to gazing at the ground, "Perhaps you have gathered your thoughts properly."
"I..." Gao Qi suddenly felt his mouth run dry, as Qin Jiu casually against the armrest of the couch, like he was watching some kind of television drama.
"I... don't understand." Gao Qi tried to piece his thoughts together on the fly, "You know we've been constantly advocating for getting rid of the System, and yet you didn't let us do anything... and now that we have found out that you were actually planning something..."
His mouth dried up, and Gao Qi looked away slightly.
Having You Huo on their side instead of with the System... it was something they've been constantly hoping for, but given how stoic and emotionless You Huo appeared to be, at times, it almost seemed like he was brainwashed by the System, forced to do its bidding, regardless of his own wishes.
This viewing experience allowed You Huo to express himself a bit more, but he was still rather closed off, if not for Qin Jiu's constant aggravation (thank goodness for that, not that they'd ever tell him that), and the invigilators couldn't help but be worried that You Huo would still side with the System after witnessing all the atrocities firsthand, like some twisted kind of stockholm syndrome.
Learning that he was against the System the entire time, and had been plotting to take down the System (presumably, that was what he was working with Qin Jiu and Chu Yue for; the timeline just seemed to line up) in secret...
"Why didn't you tell us?" Gao Qi asked weakly, "You know we would all support you..."
The invigilators, hardliner and moderate alike, all nodded vigorously.
Knowing that they were actively left in the dark...
You Huo's gaze flickered to the ground briefly, before he spoke up, "Would it have changed anything?"
"... Pardon?" Gao Qi blinked.
"Let's say I told you. Do you think the future would still pan out like that?"
All the invigilators were stunned by You Huo's words.
"If... if you told us..."
"..."
What could they do?
Whatever this plan was, it had clearly been so dangerous that even GIN had been injured to the point where he nearly died, You Huo had gotten kicked out despite failing, and Chu Yue had been demoted.
... If even they couldn't handle it... the invigilators couldn't help but feel a little useless.
"Are we... not good enough?" A hardliner squeaked.
"We could have helped too..."
Some of the other moderates and hardliners started speaking out, but Chu Yue quickly interrupted them.
"A, stop being such a blockhead." Chu Yue snorted, "You suck."
You Huo glared at her, but Chu Yue just sat down on the armrest, sticking her thumb in You Huo's direction, "We know that the plan is risky if we were to fail. If something bad was going to happen... well, you know how A likes to take on all the burdens for himself. He just didn't want you guys to be caught in the crossfire."
Some invigilators' mouths opened and closed like a goldfish.
He... cared about them? Invigilator A, famous for being stone cold and emotionless... actually just... wanted to protect them?
Sure, they had seen his protective antics while watching his future self tackle the exams, but they had assumed it was mostly because Yu Wen and Old Yu were literally blood related family, and without knowing his connection to the System, You Huo was just doing what anyone else would do, and was trying to keep his family safe.
You Huo also cared about them, and didn't want to get them involved in this in case they got hurt...
A few invigilators were so touched, they started crying.
"A!" Gao Qi wailed, leaping forwards to hug his friend. You Huo just blinked, completely caught off guard by this kind of over-reaction, as Gao Qi continued blabbering about something or another.
The other invigilators also wanted to do the same, but luckily, they still had their sanity intact, and they didn't wish to get themselves murdered by You Huo right after learning that he cared about them.
"Alright, alright, that's enough of this nonsense." Zhao Jiatong rolled her eyes, and finally pulled Gao Qi away; she seemed to have calmed down enough to return to her regular disposition of being Gao Qi's babysitter.
Chu Yue was snickering at Gao Qi's reaction, while You Huo merely neatened out his uniform after it had been crumpled by Gao Qi's surprise hug.
"I think we all understand the situation now, and we will not question your decision on this. However, I would like to emphasize that should you need extra support, we will all help you in whatever way we can." Zhao Jiatong turned towards You Huo.
You Huo nodded in understanding.
"There is also another concern I think we all have..." Zhao Jiatong continued, "But according to what we've seen... your plan didn't pan out exactly as you intended..."
You Huo, Qin Jiu, and Chu Yue all nodded, far too calmly for people who had just been told that their plan had failed, their memories had been wiped, and they were to suffer in silence for a whole three more years.
"It's not that we don't believe you. We know you don't do things like this unless you are fairly confident in your chances of success, especially considering how viciously the System learns and adapts..." Invigilator F stated, "But... knowing that you're going to fail..."
There was silence as You Huo lowered his head, and even Qin Jiu didn't make any nonsensical or quippy statements to break the silence.
Finally, You Huo spoke up, "Without knowing how the plan failed, there is no use in discussing this now."
...
While that statement might initially come across as being dismissive of them, the invigilators already knew how You Huo operated, and focused on the word "now". There will be a discussion in the future, just not at this point in time.
"Once we learn how the plan failed, appropriate measures will be taken to remove those factors that we hadn't considered. However..." You Huo looked up, "We will also have a back-up plan, in case the plan still fails, even with the countermeasures. Should the need arises... I hope that you will all work with me."
...
"Of course!"
"Anything for you, A!"
"Taking down the System? Count us all in!"
There was a series of cheers as the invigilators all looked at each other giddily. Being able to take part in taking down the System... It was like a dream coming true. Finally, being able to be free of System, being able to work with Invigilator A and Invigilator GIN and Invigilator Z without every single meeting erupting into hostile arguments and chaos...
You Huo glanced over at Chu Yue, who just shot him a grin. With the three of the occupied in the core, it was obvious that any back-up plans would have to be carried out by the others, who were either in the examination centers doing their invigilating duties, or just resting the invigilator's district.
It wasn't like You Huo didn't trust their skills either... but it was obvious that something about their plan had to be changed. Having more people he trusted help out... that didn't sound too bad either.
Now that Wen Yuan wasn't being hogged by the invigilators, the other examinees were finally able to have a taste of his cooking. And oh boy, this was probably the best tasting meal they've all had in forever.
If they weren't already hungry from watching Qin Jiu roast those octopi tentacles, they would probably have been drooling just at the smell of Wen Yuan's cooking, that heavenly aroma that could even make the greatest chefs in the world swoon...
They were probably overexaggerating, but no joke, Wen Yuan was seriously a great cook.
The other reserve invigilators had also been chased out of the room by Chu Yue and were acting like a bunch of sad, kicked puppies. Only 021 and 078 had endured enough suffering under the hands of future You Huo and Qin Jiu to easily shake it off, and went to sit with Shu Xue, 154 and Wen Yuan.
Wen Yuan was scooping another spoonful of noodles onto 154's plate.
"I can't eat that much. Stop!" 154 protested.
"You need to eat more. You're too skinny!" Wen Yuan retorted, grabbing another spoonful of vegetables, "Even Shu Xue eats more than you! You'll get blown over by a gust of wind!"
"I have a small stomach!" 154 weakly argued.
"Well, make your stomach bigger!"
"How the fuck do you expect me to do that!?" 154 looked little sick at the amount of food on his plate.
"By eating more!"
"Yahoo, mind if we sit here?" 078 asked, and Wen Yuan turned towards them, "Hi! That's no problem, go ahead!"
While Wen Yuan wasn't looking, 154 put the noodles back on Wen Yuan's plate.
Shu Xue and 078 snickered at their antics while 021 felt like pinching the bridge of her nose at this childishness. She would have done so... if she wasn't currently holding her plate of food.
Settling down across the table, 078 tucked into his meal heartily while 021 started eating in a slower pace.
"So... you guy's know each other?" Wen Yuan asked, taking a bite out of his noodles.
"No, not really." 078 wave his hand, "We didn't even know the other existed until this morning."
"Oh." Wen Yuan stopped to chew his food, You guys came over together so I thought you were already friends."
078 just shrugged, "I mean... you three just met, and you've gotten pretty close in a small amount of time too."
"Hmm... That's true." Wen Yuan nodded.
021 stopped eating and looked up to observe the others. 078 and Wen Yuan were getting along pretty well. Shu Xue was gentle and soft spoken, and usually didn't speak much unless she was talked to directly. As for 154, who just sat silently to the side... it seemed like he was really only comfortable around Wen Yuan.
She had seen others trying to talk to Shu Xue, wanting to apologize for being rude, as well as Chu Yue dragging her new friend around, but 154... she hadn't seen him talk to anyone when Wen Yuan wasn't with him... but to be fair, he was always hanging around with Wen Yuan.
154 was definitely an oddity. He was the only one out of every single person here that didn't exactly "exist", and required the borrowing of his future form...
...
021 shook her head. Forget it. She didn't want to think about things like this. You Huo, Chu Yue, and Qin Jiu had already interacted with him before, and if they thought he was alright, then so be it; she trusted the intuition of her bosses.
Tapping her spoon against 154's plate to get his attention, she watched as 154 turned to her in surprise, having been watching and listening to 078 and Wen Yuan's discussion about various kinds of food.
"Hmm?" 154 tilted his head slightly, "Yes, Miss?"
021 snorted. How cute.
She wasn't sure why... but while 154 seemed rather mature and knowledgeable at times, such as about the System, and about the various other topics she heard him talking about... and yet, at other times, it felt like he was a little kid, trying to emulate what adults did.
"What do you think about this viewing experience?" She asked.
154 groaned, "Don't remind me... this is going to be a nightmare..."
"How so?"
"Well... Boss and Invigilator A are stuck together..."
021 and 154 both blanched as he said it out loud.
Having heard their conversation, 078 and Wen Yuan had stopped to listen... and similarly turned pale.
Shu Xue couldn't help but try to stifle the giggles at their tired expressions.
"Since you're trying to help Invigilator A out... and we're already following Boss..." 154 sighed in exhaustion. Wen Yuan let out a groan as he rested his head against the table, having lost his appetite, "What are the chances they're going to come looking for supper?"
"Very likely." 078 looked equally sick.
"They roasted the rabbit for fun... for fun..." 154 murmured.
021 sighed.
Oh well, they were just going to have to suffer through their future selves bad decisions...
A knock on the door rang out, and everyone fell into silence, immediately turning their heads in the direction of the door.
Chu Yue skipped over to open the door, and 154 meekly peeked his head in, seemingly scared of the presence of so many invigilators.
"Invigilator Z, Wen Yuan was-"
154 immediately stopped, stunned as Chu Yue tapped his nose with her finger lightly.
154: "?"
"What did I say about calling me Invigilator Z?" Chu Yue teased cheekily, and 154 immediately turned red, balking.
He was okay with calling her Chu-jie in private, or in front of You Huo, Qin Jiu, Shu Xue, and Wen Yuan, who already knew what was going on... but in front of the other invigilators?
"Surely that isn't appropriate, not with everyone else-"
Chu Yue smiled sweetly, "154?"
She was smiling, but her tone made it clear that she fully expected to be obeyed.
154 gave up.
"Chu-jie..." He muttered, turning even more embarrassed as the other invigilators' eyes widened in surprise.
"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Chu Yue cackled, draping an arm around the younger's shoulders, eliciting a squeak from 154.
154 looked at his boss helplessly.
Qin Jiu looked back, and waved.
"What's taking so long, 154?" 078's voice could be heard, and the reserve invigilator popped out from behind the door, "Oh... okay..."
"What's the issue? I don't think the two of you would be so bold to come over." Chu Yue grinned, while 154 just stood there limply, completely defeated by his technically-older sister.
"Oh... uh... We heard the notification for the 30 minutes remaining of the break... we were just wondering if you wanted to eat? Wen Yuan had started cooking again-"
078 was cut off as the other invigilators piped up.
"What!?"
"Already!?"
"There's thirty minutes left!?"
"I'm starving!"
078 hopped to the side as some of the invigilators rushed out, given the green light by You Huo, as Chu Yue and Qin Jiu just cackled at the chaos. Only Gao Qi and Zhao Jiatong remained, who were much closer to the two Head Invigilators than the others.
154 was still stuck in Chu Yue's grasp helplessly, and 078 just looked over them in confusion.
"What happened here?"
"Don't ask." 154 replied weakly.
Zhao Jiatong turned towards You Huo, and nodded.
You Huo nodded back. He was going to keep his word.
This time, it won't just be him, Qin Jiu and Chu Yue taking down the System. They'll be having the support of the other invigilators as well.
But before they could make any changes to the plan... they first had to make sure they knew what went wrong in the first place. Everyone knew that You Huo wasn't the type to act on anything without being certain that he would succeed, and it wasn't like he was careless either, and had missed out on any important details by oversight.
There had to be some kind of factor that shouldn't be there; something that had a 0% chance of happening... and yet, had happened anyways.
You Huo wondered if it really was the thing in his eye, or something else. After all, even the System didn't have the authority to reactivate it...
But the System had cut off its humanity, and that had become 154, a program who was so humanlike that he managed to fool the System itself. The hardliners and moderates were all getting along well. He had been kicked out of the System, GIN had become the new Head Invigilator, and Chu Yue had been demoted to a mere rest stop owner.
At this point... anything could be possible.
"Come on, Big Invigilator." Qin Jiu grabbed his arm, and yanked him to his feet, "Let's get some food before the others hog all the food."
Chu Yue snorted, "As if. Wen Yuan would definitely set some food aside for you two."
Also hooking an arm around 078, Chu Yue dragged the reserve invigilator and the future invigilator out, "Come on, let's go grab some food!"
"I'm already full-"
"You're too skinny! I can probably lift you up easily. The wind would blow you away!"
"That's exactly what Wen Yuan said..."
Qin Jiu and You Huo just watched as Chu Yue left with the two invigilators, before they turned towards each other.
"Don't worry about them so much. They're strong powerful military personnel too." Qin Jiu smiled at him gently, without a hint of his usual mischievousness.
Qin Jiu had always been good at reading whatever was on You Huo's mind...
Reaching out, Qin Jiu gently wrapped his arms around You Huo. He wasn't sure why, since it wasn't like they were lovers or anything (as much as Qin Jiu would love for that to be the case), but it just felt... right.
"Everything will be fine." Qin Jiu whispered, "We'll make sure this plan succeeds."
You Huo must have felt the same too... for he didn't push Qin Jiu away. Instead, he froze, as if he wasn't sure whether to melt into the embrace or to get away from GIN.
This was neither the time nor the place to be developing such feelings... but You Huo was already exhausted from the constant fighting between the hardliners and moderates from before this viewing experience had even started, and all the patches and bug fixes he had to deal with on while constantly working on the self-correcting program behind the System's back..
All the revelations about the failure of their plan, their mutual System-induced amnesia, 154 somehow finding his way to working under Qin Jiu, the cut-throat examinations that have been taking lives after lives as if it were merely harvesting crops, the enlistment of 021 in the plan... all of it was even more draining.
Eventually, his shoulders relaxed, and Invigilator A rested his forehead against Qin Jiu's shoulder.
A rare moment of weakness, reserved for Qin Jiu's eyes, and Qin Jiu's eyes alone.