135: Chapter 135 What? Do we know each other?

The cup was lifted, and a small, dull grey ball rolled out.

"Congratulations..."

Before the other party could finish, Gu Changming had already reached out and picked up the small ball.

The small ball rapidly transformed in his palm, turning into a silvery, hard card.

The ticket was in hand.

Without a word, Gu Changming stood up and turned to leave.

Behind him, the withered figure froze on the wooden chair, only leaning back slowly and letting out a long, silent breath once the sound of Gu Changming's footsteps had faded.

This guy, why was the pressure he gave off so intense?

Does this level of power really match the intensity this civilization Assessment is supposed to have?

Gu Changming stepped out of the area shrouded in dim light, and the surrounding air rippled gently like water.

The scene of the abandoned residential area reappeared before his eyes.

Gu Changming casually tossed the card into his domain ring and, without stopping, walked straight toward the main gate of the residential area.

However, when he reached the gate, his footsteps couldn't help but pause for a moment.

But after only a split second, he resumed his pace and stepped out through the rusted, half-closed iron gate.

Outside, the scene remained the same.

There were only slanted streetlights, overgrown weeds, and the hazy outlines of buildings in the distance.

Gu Changming came to a halt in the middle of the empty road outside the gate and turned his head, his gaze sweeping along one side of the road.

There were only ordinary wild grass and broken bricks; when the wind blew, the tips of the grass bent over, revealing nothing.

His eyes flickered, and a very faint, almost imperceptible trace of melancholy flashed through them.

Then he turned back, lowered his eyes, and tapped the cracked asphalt road beneath his feet. When he looked up again, his face was expressionless.

No longer lingering, Gu Changming turned and left, choosing a different direction from the one he had come.

The wind continued to blow, swirling the dead leaves on the ground before they silently fell back down.

...

Three clay cups sat upside down on the table.

Then, the withered figure extended slender fingers, stacking them one by one and moving them to the edge of the table.

The movements were very slow, carrying an inexplicable sluggishness.

At that moment, another figure quietly emerged from the shadows behind him.

The newcomer was equally hunched and dim, with deep-set eye sockets as if carved from the same mold, carrying a lingering dampness.

"Is it over?" the other asked.

"Of course." The first figure stacked the last cup and smiled. "That fellow almost didn't pick it. In the end, I had to give him a little guidance."

As he spoke, he turned his head, the dim light in his deep-set eye sockets flickering slightly. "And on your side? The same?"

The other nodded. "The same. Those with potential have all been filtered out. The one I let through is also... not much of anything."

"That's good."

The first figure slowly stood up.

Then, the two stood side by side, looking toward the gate of the residential area.

Through the hazy glimmer, four figures could be seen gathered vaguely outside the rusted iron gate.

Their voices couldn't be heard clearly, but their body language suggested relaxation and pleasure; they were clearly discussing something with excitement.

After a brief silence.

Suddenly, the one who spoke first chuckled softly. The laughter was unpleasant, like wind blowing through hollow pipes.

"Tell me..." It tilted its head, its withered neck stretching at a weird angle. "When the four of them go to the Trial Ground together, which one should we... leave behind?"

The other person also looked over, raising a long, shriveled finger and pointing vaguely in the air, as if selecting merchandise.

"Leave the weakest one, obviously," it said as a matter of course, its tone carrying a hint of cruel mockery. "We can't exactly let other civilizations... gain more capable fighters, can we? If it ever becomes their turn to 'test' us in the future, wouldn't we be the ones at a disadvantage?"

"Heh heh..." The first figure also began to laugh. "True. Or how about... making the weakest one watch his companions get killed right in front of him? Is that a bit too cruel?"

"Let's add more drama. Make him think it was his own mistake that led to his companions' tragic deaths? How about that?"

"Heh heh..."

...

Looking past the desolate blocks, the view extended about thirty kilometers to the southeast.

There was a Stronghold where human adventurers gathered—Flowing Fire Camp.

It wasn't very large and was established based on a Secret Realm.

The Secret Realm here consistently produced several specific minerals and rare herbs, and occasionally low-level elemental crystal cores.

For D-rank and lower Ability Users and teams, this was a highly cost-effective resource point with controllable risks and stable returns.

It was just that this Secret Realm had been open for a long time and was about to close.

Thus, the flow of people was gradually decreasing, but before it closed completely, it remained a well-known human gathering Stronghold within a radius of hundreds of miles.

In the trading stall area on the outskirts of the camp.

Gu Changming stood there, his gaze involuntarily drifting deeper into the camp.

To be honest, he didn't know why he had come here either.

Without him around, the three of them might not even be here.

And this time, perhaps they would be better off without him joining. Wouldn't they?

He thought somewhat distractedly.

After a moment, Gu Changming took a deep breath and was about to leave.

But just then.

Suddenly, a hearty laugh came from nearby.

Gu Changming turned to look.

Three familiar figures were walking past him.

In the middle was a burly man wearing an old vest, his voice loud as he gestured while walking, making a clean-cut young man beside him laugh out loud. Walking half a step behind was another refined man wearing glasses, who also had a smile on his face as he listened to the conversation of the first two.

Gu Changming's eyes couldn't help but follow them, as if he were merging into their group, feeling the unspoken chemistry and the relaxed atmosphere flowing between them.

However, the moment they passed each other.

He was pulled away once more.

They chatted and laughed, their pace never faltering, naturally about to pass right in front of him.

No one looked aside, no one paused; the laughter and conversation so close at hand felt as if they were separated from him by a layer of glass.

On this side of the glass was his solitary silence.

On the other side of the glass was their world, a unified whole, vibrant, fresh, and vivid.

They were like a complete and self-sufficient Small World, while he was separated from them by a layer of transparent glass.

Gu Changming didn't dare to speak.

But his gaze following them made the young man notice something.

He paused, turned his head, and his gaze landed on Gu Changming.

Immediately, the smile on his face faded slightly, his brow furrowed imperceptibly, and his tone carried a hint of wariness:

"What? Do we know each other?"

Hearing this, the other two also stopped and turned around.

Their gazes all fell on Gu Changming, their eyes equally filled with confusion, not understanding why Gu Changming kept staring at them.