Chapter 13: (2)Survival Test
Alexandre became alert as screaming filled the night. He glanced around and quickly noticed a naked man bleeding in the moonlight.
"Please help me!" the man wailed. "He stripped me and took everything! All my money and my water, too!"
A huge black shadow suddenly loomed behind the shouting man and lashed out, dealing a heavy strike to the victim's head. "Shut up, faggot!" the man growled. Based on his size, he seemed to weigh about a hundred kilos. "Stay on the ground, where you belong. Here, only the strongest are allowed to survive."
Most candidates simply stared at the scene in horror. Many looked away, either ashamed at the pathetic scene or wanting to avoid drawing the predator's attention toward them.
But none of them were surprised. This was the harsh reality of the Hunter admission exam. Most had read the official guide to preparing for the exam, which had clearly explained that they'd need psychological resilience and moral callousness to survive. The guide has said that candidates would be confronted with "situations unknown to civilian life" and that they would be confronted with "certain situations of great injustice." The candidates would simply have to ignore these situations if they wanted to survive and pass the various tests.
Many candidates had believed themselves to be cold-hearted and professional enough that this wouldn't be a problem. It was another thing altogether to see the brutal injustice occur in front of their eyes.
But to intervene would mean reducing their chances of completing the exam. So despite this difficult scene, most candidates simply tried to ignore what was happening and hope that they didn't become victims themselves.
But, of course, the first attack wasn't the only one. A cluster of screams were ringing out all across the zone: shouts of pain, begging for mercy, men calling for their mothers.
They lasted all throughout the wintry night.