Chapter 204: Survival of the fittest

Third question: what gets dirtier the more you wash it?

Su Mian: "Water."

The moment Su Mian spoke, she felt someone approaching her.

She knew it was Wang Yan, she immediately jumped onto the table and fled to a higher spot; the water splashed loudly, and that person drew even closer to her.

Fourth question: what is the English word for rabbit?

"rubbish, rubbish!!!"

Ruan Ruan felt something moving in the water, frightened to the point her mind went blank, thinking it might be that word, she blurted it out immediately.

"Answer incorrect, water level rise speed increased."

Upon hearing that, Wang Yan immediately stopped and shouted in that direction, "That ** is garbage! Have you ever read a book?!"

Fifth question: what organic compound is most abundant in human body cells?

Wang Yan's ears twitched, her expression changed slightly; over there, Ruan Ruan shouted anxiously, "Protein, hurry up and speak!"

Wang Yan gritted her teeth and shouted a sentence very softly.

"Protein."

Su Mian seized the opportunity, kicked Wang Yan over from above with a sudden kick.

Wang Yan widened her eyes, truly not expecting Su Mian to be that fast; she choked on a mouthful of water, her back hitting the chair.

The impact forced water into her ears, buzzing; her gaze shifted, she silently cursed "damn it," then quickly tilted her head to pat her own ears.

Sixth question: what are the Earth's internal layers, from outside to inside, in order?

"Crust, mantle, core."

"Answer correct."

Su Mian took advantage of her ear problem to answer quickly, thus avoiding disaster once again.

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her foot and dragged her underwater; the water level had already reached mid-thigh.

The bone-chilling cold made her gasp; that tiny sound was caught, and Wang Yan's hand shot out like a poisonous snake, viciously stabbing at Su Mian.

Su Mian's movement was hindered by the water, she was stabbed in the arm; she gasped in pain, and physiological tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

Before she could feel the pain, she quickly changed tactics and kicked upward; the blade grazed her arm, making a cut but not penetrating, then Su Mian kicked her away, and she fell into the water.

Wang Yan's eyes flashed with a murderous glint, a hint of gloom passing through their depths.

Echo location had always been her pride, allowing her to construct a mental image from any sound made and determine the position of limbs.

But now the water noise was too loud, she misjudged, intending to stab the heart but hitting the arm instead.

Seventh question: can a pair of action and reaction forces cancel each other out?

"No, no!"

Ruan Ruan shouted loudly, Su Mian covered her arm, the sensation of blood flow unusually distinct.

But she had already adapted to this; she closed her eyes, unsure if it was the body's stress response, becoming extremely sensitive to any movement or sound around her.

Water sounds, breathing sounds, panting sounds, gradually amplified beside her ears.

She knew this was the ability given to her at the snake hour before, but now this ability erupted with unprecedented potential, and adding that she had once played the role of an anatomist, she knew organ structures like the back of her hand.

"Mouth…… breathing."

"Downward, the undulating water sound was the chest rising and falling—that was the position of the heart."

Since Wang Yan's attempt this way had failed, she needed to prepare for a counterattack.

Eighth question: what is the essential characteristic of oxidation-reduction?

Wang Yan obviously felt it too, choosing to stay silent, she couldn't let Su Mian discover her position; Ruan Ruan, seeing no response, stood up anxiously and shouted.

"Electron transfer! Electron transfer! Wang Yan, class monitor, I beg you to say something!"

The water level hadn't reached the waist, yet movement was already extremely difficult.

Su Mian leapt down from above; Wang Yan blocked with her left hand, gripping the knife-wielding wrist, the knife in her hand extended from the water and thrust straight forward.

"Answer timed out, water level rise speed increased."

The distance between them grew ever closer; Wang Yan's hand closed around Su Mian's throat, Su Mian lifted her leg to press that hand against the wall, the knife in her hand turned its edge, soon to stab Su Mian's thigh.

Ninth question: in an environment of extreme resource scarcity, what is the key to population survival?

Su Mian increased the force, gritted her teeth, forcing her to release the dagger due to pain.

That hand trembled, still struggling; Su Mian gripped the knife handle with both hands and viciously stabbed toward the heart's position.

In an instant, water splashed everywhere.

Ding———

The dagger slid onto the tabletop, emitting a piercing sound; Su Mian stood up, water dripping from her hair tips and collar, yet she felt no chill at all.

On her face was water or blood, she could no longer tell.

"Survival of the fittest."

Thus, the tide receded, all sounds fell silent.

"Congratulations, passenger, you have completed this carriage's assessment; please go to the front of the car tomorrow to vote."

"No, it's not…… it's not over yet, could you be……?"

Ruan Ruan shrank in the corner, growing ever more fearful, watching Su Mian look at her coldly; she almost knelt down.

Su Mian said nothing, silently placed the knife gently on the ground, turned and went to the washstand.

Actually she felt it; when she stabbed the knife into Wang Yan's chest, someone had gripped her hand, helping her exert force so that her strength could deliver a fatal blow.

Was it Zhou Ye?

Perhaps.

Why did she suddenly lose sight of him again? Perhaps because Su Mian no longer believed.

She also didn't dare to believe it.

When the Dean first came, she didn't believe it, so he had no entity.

Later… she seemed to have fallen into some kind of trap, half true and false, both illusory and real.

She missed him so much that she thought he had really come; later, with Wen Ci Sheng and Gai Yin, she truly believed he had returned at the si hour.

But Gai Yin's story last night also made her realize.

Su Mian wiped clean the bloodstains on her face, her mind utterly clear.

It's all fantasy, just her fantasies.

Even if there is a trace of reality, it's only because her consciousness still lingers; only by leaving this place can she truly survive.

Only by reaching the cockpit can she know the whole truth.

Vote? She doesn't think so; perhaps tomorrow there will still be a bloody storm waiting for her.

That night Su Mian ran a high fever, slept very restlessly, and soon dreamed of her childhood self, completing the kindergarten teacher's assignment with a face full of resentment.

"Su Mian little friend, look, everyone is doing handicrafts; if you don't do it, no one will play with you."

At that time Su Mian only felt awful; in the cold winter, no matter how thickly she dressed, she felt no warmth, her hand holding the colored pen grew ever colder, so every little animal she drew was ugly.

The scene shifted; she had grown up, but could not move her limbs.

The harsh sunlight gradually turned cold, becoming the operating light; the adults wearing green masks scraped across her chest, she just watched silently, feeling no hint of fear.

Afterwards, she fell from the sky onto a small path; the surrounding crowd gathered toward her, yet brushed past her.