Seeing Bai Wan’s face filled with dread, Luo Yimeng glanced at the absolute disaster he’d made of the previous test site and couldn’t help but mutter: “You? Scared?”

Clearly, this man had a very strange understanding of the word.

But Bai Wan replied with perfect seriousness, “I’m serious, Big Sis. When I was little, I was super timid. I always thought ghosts would crawl out of the screen during horror movies…”

Luo Yimeng gave him a helpless look. “Horror movies are all fake. Just your imagination running wild.”

She hadn’t expected that this top-tier newcomer, who’d cleared an unsolvable dungeon with outrageous power—still had the innocence of a child.

Then again, that wasn’t a bad thing. People lost their innocence as they grew up, eventually becoming dull, jaded versions of themselves.

Afraid of ghosts crawling out of the TV?…Honestly, kind of adorable.

She hadn’t watched a horror movie in years. Maybe she’d go with her boyfriend this weekend.

“Alright, let’s head to the next testing area,” she said.

She led Bai Wan into a larger room—it looked more like a plaza and at its center was a massive swimming pool.

Zhao Jie explained: “This is a man-made river created by HQ. There’s a Drowned Ghost inside. We went to great lengths to catch it. Don’t worry, it’s under our control.”

Luo Yimeng added, pulling a notebook from her pocket. “Your task is to complete the questions in this notebook while evading the Drowned Ghost’s pursuit. They’re just elementary and middle school math problems—nothing too hard.”

Bai Wan nodded as he accepted the notebook.

Elementary and middle school is fine. 

But high school? That knowledge had long since been returned to the teachers…

…Literally

The moment he graduated, it was like all the equations vanished from his brain… and ended up in his homeroom teacher’s head instead. That poor man thought he was being mind-hacked by aliens and took months of sick leave.

“Alright, I’m ready,” Bai Wan said cheerfully.

He remembered his dad once told him: in tests like these, first impressions matter. So Bai Wan made sure to act polite and respectful, hoping to rack up some soft points.

Looking back at his performance in the first round, he figured he hadn’t done too badly. Luo Yimeng probably thought well of him… right?

“Great. Countdown starts now!”

Luo Yimeng hit the timer. Ten seconds later, the test began.

…

Bai Wan flipped open the notebook and read the first question:

[A passenger bus and a cargo truck set off from cities A and B respectively, heading toward each other. The bus travels at 60 km/h, the truck at 80 km/h. They meet 30 km away from the midpoint. What’s the total distance between cities A and B?]

Ah, the good ol’ distance problem.

He grabbed the HQ-provided scratch paper and began calculating.

Meanwhile, the water began to stir.

Splash! A long-haired female ghost rose from the river, her gaze locking viciously onto the test taker at the shore.

This year’s “Employee of the Year” award… depended on today!

The Drowned Ghost was fired up with determination.

Bai Wan noticed the ripple in the water and casually tossed his Misfortune bug skill toward it. A small glowing prank-imp—visible only to him, zipped toward the Drowned Ghost and smacked into her body. 

Bai Wan’d originally planned to test this skill on Liu Tong, but since there was a ghost available, she’d do for now.

That done, he turned his attention fully back to the math problem.

Luo Yimeng raised her notebook, ready to assess.

Some people were quick-witted in everyday situations, but when faced with a crisis, their minds would falter, leading them to make poor decisions. That was why this stage wasn’t designed to just test a Para-Hunter’s ability to deal with paranormal entities—it also assessed their judgment and decision-making in critical moments.

She and Zhao Jie watched closely.

Whsoooo…

The Drowned Ghost launched forward, slicing through the water like a torpedo.

Hiss—hiss—A wave of chilling paranormal energy burst out around her as she prepared to lunge at Bai Wan and drag him under.

But just before she could leap onto shore, her foot— somehow got tangled in underwater weeds.

Suddenly—

SPLUTTER

“Cough! Cough! Pffft—!”

She choked. Water had rushed into her nose.

Face turning pale, she stopped swimming and floated to the surface in a violent coughing fit.

Luo Yimeng: “…”

Zhao Jie: “…”

Luo Yimeng twitched at the corner of her mouth.

What the hell are you doing?!

You’re the Drowned Ghost! Why the hell are you choking on water?!

Things got even worse. Her foot was properly tangled in the weeds now. No matter how she pulled, she couldn’t get free.

Then, yanking too hard, she suddenly broke free—only to tumble backward with all her momentum.

SPLOOSH!

Unprepared, she plunged under the surface again. More choking. More flailing. Bubbles poured out of her mouth as she thrashed like someone drowning for real.

Luo Yimeng’s eyes went wide. Watching the ghost struggle, she suddenly felt like she didn’t know reality anymore.

You’re screwing with me, right…?

Is this ghost rebelling? Had she forgotten she’s a Drowned Ghost?!

Then came the montage. Every time she surfaced — some mishap. A leg cramp. Tangled weeds. Sudden spasms. 

At this point, she looked like a comedic performance artist re-enacting “100 Ways to Drown in a River.”

Luo Yimeng and Zhao Jie were losing it—completely. Especially since Bai Wan remained unbothered, calmly scribbling away.

The test was meant to evaluate critical thinking under pressure. Instead, it had turned into a tragicomedy.

Luo Yimeng wanted to cry.

And then, as if to twist the knife, she saw Bai Wan pause at one question and begin to verify the math.

You bastard…This isn’t a real math exam!!!

Everyone else always rushed through the problems—and this was the first time a test subject had stopped to write out full equations.

Is he gonna apply to Harvard University or something?!

Luo Yimeng stared down at her scoring notebook again.

What the hell is she supposed to write?

“Test subject Bai Wan: strong mathematical foundations. Based on center analysis, shows clear potential to enter top-tier universities.”

This isn’t a college entrance exam!!!

Meanwhile, Bai Wan had reached the final question:

[A tank has an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. The inlet fills the tank in 15 hours; the outlet drains it in 24. If the inlet runs alone for 2 hours before both pipes run together, how much longer will it take to fill the tank?]

Bai Wan sighed.

Not this dumbass question again.

What kind of lunatic designs a water system where you’re pouring in and draining water at the same time?

He began mentally cursing the designer of this tank system…

But as he pondered this absurd scenario, something strange happened in an unnoticed corner of the river.

A dark hole slowly opened in the wall…

And from inside it, a massive pipe began to emerge.

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