Chapter 40: Keeping an Eye Out

June 17th.

Early in the morning, accompanied by her mother, Qiao Sang arrived at Mingpei Junior High School.

The distribution of the High School Entrance Examination (Zhongkao) venues was organized by district; candidates from every school in the district were randomly assigned to various testing centers.

Qiao Sang had been assigned to Class 17 of Mingpei Junior High School.

"Did you bring your admission ticket?"

"I brought it."

"Did you bring your pens and everything else?"

"I brought them."

"During the exam, do the questions you know first. Save the ones you don't know for the end, understood?"

"Understood."

"Go on in. Mom will come to pick you up when you're finished," her mother said softly.

This was the first time her mother had been this gentle since the "Sharp-Toothed Bear" incident, and Qiao Sang found it a bit unsettling.

"Mom..."

Her mother spoke even more tenderly, "What is it?"

"It's not time yet; I can't go in," Qiao Sang said helplessly.

If she could, she hoped to break this habit of arriving more than half a day early wherever she went.

Mother: "..."

...

A single classroom was not just proctored by two teachers, but also by two pets.

Qiao Sang sat quietly in Row 5, Seat 6.

A purple-blue rodent-type pet was using its antennae to touch each candidate's body one by one. Its blue antennae grew from between its forehead, about seven or eight centimeters long, shaped like antennas.

As a "slacker" student who had recently shown slight improvement, Qiao Sang had already identified this pet as a Purple Tile Rat.

The Purple Tile Rat was an Electric-type pet.

It could determine whether there were any electronic devices nearby through the antennae on its forehead.

The Purple Tile Rat touched them one by one. When it reached the candidate in Row 3, Seat 3, its antennae suddenly discharged a burst of purple electricity.

"Ah!"

The candidate in Row 3, Seat 3 let out an uncontrolled cry, and the pen in his right hand seemed to slip, rolling onto the desk.

The current was very low; the candidate only felt a momentary numbness in his hand and suffered no other effects.

"Wa, wa!"

The Purple Tile Rat pointed at the candidate in Row 3, Seat 3 and cried out.

"Take it out," the female teacher, who had been sitting on the podium, stood up and walked over to the Purple Tile Rat.

The candidate's face turned pale, and his lips were tightly pursed in silence.

"I will say it again: take it out," the teacher repeated.

Under the gaze of those around them and the pressure of the teacher's eyes, the candidate pulled back his hair and produced an electronic device the size of a button battery.

This kind of product was nothing unusual; it could transmit information via consciousness over a relatively long distance to tell the user which option to pick for multiple-choice questions, though it was useless for fill-in-the-blanks or essay questions.

This was because only Psychic-type pets were capable of such transmission.

This meant he had another accomplice who possessed a Psychic-type pet and could see the exam paper.

Of course, that accomplice could not be the candidate himself.

"Your grade for this subject is disqualified," the teacher said mercilessly, having confiscated the device, and she took away the exam paper from his desk.

After the candidate broke down and walked away in tears, the teacher raised her voice and said, "If you have any electronic devices, take them out now. Do not rely on luck. If the Purple Tile Rat discovers you, your results will be voided."

No one spoke.

Fortunately, as the Purple Tile Rat continued its rounds, no further anomalies occurred.

The other pet, which looked like an eyeball, split into five or six pieces as the students began writing, floating in different directions around them.

This pet was called a Monitor Eye. The images seen by its split bodies could be shared directly with the main body.

It monitored the movements in the exam hall from every angle without blind spots.

It was an essential pet for proctoring; its presence could be seen not only in the Zhongkao but also in the Gaokao (National College Entrance Exam) every year.

However, the Monitor Eyes used for the Gaokao were more powerful, capable of splitting into at least ten pieces.

Qiao Sang was focusing intently on her exam when a Monitor Eye suddenly drifted close to her writing hand.

Qiao Sang's hand involuntarily twitched.

The eyeball, with its spiral-patterned pupil, constantly shifted its angle, staring at the exam paper one moment and her face the next.

After watching for five seconds without finding anything unusual, the Monitor Eye left.

Qiao Sang felt that this exam tested not only knowledge but also extreme psychological resilience.

Who wouldn't be startled when an eyeball-shaped pet suddenly pops up to stare at them while they are trying to answer questions seriously?!

It practically choked back any sudden lines of thought she had!

Fortunately, after experiencing two days in this exam environment, Qiao Sang had become numb. Even if two Monitor Eyes appeared simultaneously on her left and right, she could finish her exam calmly.

June 19th.

The final day of the Zhongkao academic exams.

After finishing her last subject, Qiao Sang went home and fell into a deep sleep, burying her head under the covers.

Her mental state had been under constant tension during this period; once the exams were over and everything was finished, she just wanted to sleep well.

To her surprise, she slept until 7:02 PM.

By the time Qiao Sang woke up, her head felt much clearer; she had never experienced this effect after waking up from sleep before.

Qiao Sang sat up in bed and looked out the window.

The sky outside was pitch black, but it appeared slightly bright under the moonlight and the city lights.

The lights in her room were off, and through the gap in the door, she could see that the living room lights were also off. Everything was quiet, and Fire-Tooth Dog was not nearby.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of loneliness, Qiao Sang stood up and looked down from the window at the residential complex below.

At this moment, there were many people downstairs: children playing, adults in pairs, and elderly people enjoying the cool air.

Yet, Qiao Sang recognized three figures at the edge of the crowd at a glance.

It was her mother, Fire-Tooth Dog, and Fat House Pigeon.

After watching them quietly for three minutes, Qiao Sang felt hungry...

She remembered that she had made plans to eat with Fang Sisi and the others before going to sleep.

Downstairs in the complex.

"Ya!"

Fire-Tooth Dog spotted Qiao Sang immediately, let out a happy cry, and lunged into her arms.

Fire-Tooth Dog was still wearing its 15kg weighted ring; Qiao Sang's hands felt a sudden weight, but she caught it steadily.

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit," Qiao Sang said.

"Okay," her mother nodded.

Qiao Sang had already told her mother before sleeping that she was going out to eat with Fang Sisi, so her mother didn't ask anything further.

...

Twenty minutes later.

Qiao Sang arrived at the agreed-upon hotpot restaurant, carrying Fire-Tooth Dog.

"Holy crap!"

"Fire-Tooth Dog!"

Two exclamations rang out from Table 27.

Besides Fang Sisi, Lyu Siya was also part of the group Qiao Sang had made plans with.

The agreed time was seven o'clock. Although they were over half an hour late, Fang Sisi and the others forgot to question her because their attention was entirely focused on Fire-Tooth Dog.

"You actually contracted a Fire-Tooth Dog!" Lyu Siya said in shock.

"Qiao Sang, that's not fair! You only show it to us now that you have a Fire-Tooth Dog," Fang Sisi said.

She looked at the seemingly well-behaved Fire-Tooth Dog, wanting to pet it but not daring to.

This was her first time being so close to a Fire-type pet...

While eating sliced meat, Qiao Sang asked, "It seems Siya knew I had awakened a long time ago?"

A normal person, encountering a classmate who hadn't awakened yet but was holding a Fire-Tooth Dog, would likely ask how they were holding a Fire-Tooth Dog, rather than saying, "You actually contracted a Fire-Tooth Dog."

Fang Sisi instantly fell silent.

Lyu Siya, however, glanced at Fang Sisi and immediately betrayed her: "Fang Sisi told me two weeks ago."

As expected...

Qiao Sang wasn't surprised; she should have realized it sooner.

When it came to the matter of the head teacher's hair, Fang Sisi had told an entire circle of people. Expecting her to keep a secret was like expecting a Fire-Tooth Dog to climb a tree.

(End of Chapter)