The System is Abstract, Luckily, So Am I

Chapter 174 : The Taste of Knowledge is Always Pleasant

"Don't be so mischievous next time. If someone really says you cheated one day, you'll learn your lesson."

Lin Li's head was tapped three times by Wang Ziyan using a paper baton rolled up from Lin Li's Chinese exam paper before he was allowed to leave.

Lin Li had read Journey to the West, so he understood. Teacher Yan probably meant that he wanted Lin Li to go to his room in the middle of the night to apologize, and only then would he truly forgive him.

I hope he's gentle with me tonight.

Speaking of which, was Brother Monkey really that smart? Lin Li felt that if Patriarch Subhuti had tapped him on the head three times in front of other students, his first reaction would be to lie down on the floor and call the police, saying, "You old geezer, how dare you physically punish a student? How dare you?"

No wonder Brother Monkey is Brother Monkey, and I'm just a handsome guy.

Putting his Chinese exam paper in his backpack, Lin Li headed to the cafeteria to eat.

Normally, classes wouldn't be over at this time, but when Lin Li arrived today, the main flow of people was walking out of the cafeteria after finishing their meals—everyone had already eaten.

He could only say that the Chinese exam truly commanded no respect. If you didn't hand it in early, you were doing a disservice to the subject.

Getting some food, Lin Li found an empty table and sat down to eat.

What he needed to do next was very simple.

The system required him to not tolerate a single grain of sand in his eyes. So, as long as he became blind, the problem would be perfectly solved.

Who says eliminating the person who causes the problem doesn't count as solving the problem?

Therefore, Lin Li decided that for the upcoming exams, he would arrive right on time or even a bit late. And once inside the exam room, he would focus entirely on his exam paper, absolutely not getting distracted or looking at anyone else. It would be best to hand in his paper a few minutes early too.

If I can't see anyone cheating, then the act of cheating doesn't exist.

And since his seat was against the wall, as long as he turned his body towards the wall, it would be very easy to keep everyone else out of his field of vision.

Perfect.

His plan was simply genius.

"Fuck, I don't know why that teacher this morning kept sitting right next to me. I couldn't pull out my cheat sheet at all, and I left half the ancient poetry blank. Wenxiu is going to scold me to death next week. I hope the teachers this afternoon aren't like that. I haven't memorized anything I was supposed to for Biology and Geography, I'm completely relying on my cheat sheets."

Sometimes, Lin Li really wanted to gouge his own ears out.

Like right now, when this voice reached his ears.

Lin Li looked up and saw Feng Kai and a few of his classmates walking toward the cafeteria entrance.

Feng Kai, I'll fuck your Feng!

Why the fuck is it you again?!

His plan had encountered a problem before it even began.

The system could distinguish whether he was practicing his martial arts with ultimate seriousness, so pretending he didn't hear it or trying to forget it was meaningless. Lin Li sighed. Change of plans.

Feng Kai had to be dealt with.

...

The first exam in the afternoon was Geography.

When Lin Li arrived at the exam room, it had actually already started for half a minute. The teacher was handing out the exam papers, and everyone else was already seated properly.

The invigilator was no longer Wang Ziyan. This time, it was someone Lin Li didn't recognize at all. This was normal; during monthly exams, the invigilators were changed every half day.

For major exams like midterms and finals, the invigilators were basically changed for every single subject.

Lin Li's provocation secret technique could only be used on teachers he was familiar with and who weren't too strict, like Xue Jian, Wang Ziyan, and Li Binbin.

—Xue Jian was strict, but Lin Li was pretty much used to being scolded by him, so one more time wouldn't hurt.

If he tried it on another teacher, it was very likely to turn into a self-destructing move, just like Wang Ziyan had warned.

Returning to his seat, Lin Li immediately started reading the questions and answering directly on the exam paper.

So easy.

For a subject like Chinese, the feeling before and after putting in effort wasn't very obvious. But for the Geography exam, Lin Li breezed through the multiple-choice questions smoothly, and he could be certain his answers were correct. After all, the key points were firmly memorized in his brain.

It was a wondrous experience he had never had in an exam before.

C, C, C, C.

Four C's in a row? If it were in the past, Lin Li would have already started going back and carefully reviewing these four questions, doubting if he had gotten one wrong. But now, confidence was at its peak.

Even if the King of Heaven came down, it's still four C's in a row!

With this slight sense of joy, Lin Li quickly finished the exam paper.

He didn't turn toward the wall as he had planned during lunch, but instead turned toward the aisle.

After all, he still needed to keep an eye on Feng Kai.

Lin Li suddenly stopped writing because Feng Kai made a move.

He saw Feng Kai look up, confirm that the invigilator was sitting at the podium idly playing with a ballpoint pen, take a deep breath, reach into his pocket, and pull out a folded piece of paper.

Simultaneously, Lin Li also reached into his pocket and manifested the "Flask of Hidden Passions."

Inside was a full flask of fear and terror that Lin Li had specifically gone out for half an hour during lunch to collect at a movie theater, spending thirty-five bucks.

Go.

Feng Kai was just about to check his cheat sheet when he suddenly felt an extreme sense of terror.

When in fear, the brain either goes completely blank or is flooded with all sorts of anxious thoughts. Feng Kai currently belonged to the latter.

Cheating is too dangerous! If I get caught, my life might be over! I might even die!

Many exaggerated, irrational thoughts began to swirl in Feng Kai's mind.

His palms began to sweat almost instantly.

I absolutely cannot be caught. The evidence must be destroyed.

Yes!

That's what I have to do.

So, when Feng Kai tossed the cheat sheet into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it, Lin Li looked somewhat dumbfounded.

This was a development he had never anticipated.

Lin Li's original plan wasn't like this. He just intended to make Feng Kai feel afraid every time he took out the cheat sheet.

There's a famous psychological experiment called Pavlov's Dog.

Before the dog secreted saliva to eat food, a red light would turn on and a bell would ring. After a period of time, whenever the bell rang or the red light turned on, Pavlov would start delivering food.

Lin Li planned to start from here, making Feng Kai completely PTSD about taking out cheat sheets.

Maybe I didn't control the dosage well? Did I send too much fear at once, making him this terrified?

Lin Li checked the "Flask of Hidden Passions." Sure enough, he still couldn't control the output volume very precisely. He had just outputted nearly half of it.

Since you ate it, Feng Kai, I'll give you credit for that.

Lin Li continued writing his exam paper, not letting his guard down too much. After all, he didn't know exactly how many cheat sheets Feng Kai had prepared.

Meanwhile, on Feng Kai's side.

It took him a full twenty minutes to barely suppress this nameless fear and terror, and for his body to stop trembling.

Wasting twenty minutes on this during an exam—his life was over.

Feng Kai, who had just been sweating profusely, wiped his sweat, and normal thinking regained the high ground.

Fuck, when did I become such a coward?

This teacher doesn't care at all. How could I possibly get caught? I was completely worrying over nothing, scaring myself.

Whatever, I'll keep cheating.

Feng Kai, who reached into his pocket and found it empty, fell silent.

Where did my cheat sheet go?

Because he had been too terrified, Feng Kai had forgotten what he just did. Now, his memories gradually became clear.

Did I... eat something twenty minutes ago?

...

"Blegh—"

"Blegh—"

"Student, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Although the afternoon invigilator wasn't very attentive during the exam, he was indeed a good teacher who cared about his students. Hearing Feng Kai continuously dry-heaving, he stepped down from the podium and asked with concern.

Feng Kai: "..."

"I'm fine, Teacher. My stomach is just a little uncomfortable," Feng Kai forced a smile and said.

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"I might be better suited for the psychological counseling room."

Invigilator: "?"

(End of Chapter)