138: Chapter 138 Who made him laugh so happily?

Gu Changming walked in front, while Sun Ye and his small team lagged a few steps behind, following him.

Once they had put some distance between them, Sun Ye jerked his chin toward Gu Changming's back and whispered to the other two:

"This boss is a bit strange."

Chen Shanshui also nodded, turning to look at Cheng Yubai beside him, and asked in a similarly lowered voice:

"Teacher Cheng, is he your student?"

Cheng Yubai had been a teacher at a school before the Civilization Assessment arrived, and the other person didn't look very old. It was possible the two of them actually knew each other.

Cheng Yubai looked up at Gu Changming's back, then shook his head.

"No. I'm not so far gone that I wouldn't recognize a student I taught myself."

After he finished speaking, his gaze also fell on the other man's back.

But it really is strange, Cheng Yubai couldn't help but think.

When facing them, the other man always gave off a feeling of wanting to say something but hesitating.

And yet, he didn't say anything at all.

...

Trial Ground backstage space.

Several giant screens hung in mid-air, reflecting real-time scenes from various trial areas.

The light and shadows on the screens flickered, illuminating two equally thin and hunched faces below.

Baron sat on a low chair, unconsciously stacking, separating, and restacking several clay cups in his hands.

However, his gaze wasn't on the clay cups in front of him, but drifted toward one of the screens, landing on Gu Changming.

Looking at the other's figure, for some reason, his heart suddenly felt a chill.

"What are we playing in the next round?"

Standing to the side with his arms crossed, Roger turned his head and asked.

"Hmm..."

Baron paused, his head feeling a bit irritable at the moment.

"Hmm?" Roger noticed something and looked over in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"Hiss... I can't put my finger on it." Baron took a sharp breath, "I just have a strange, bad premonition..."

As he spoke, his gaze couldn't help but fall on Gu Changming again.

These candidates who could enter the Trial Ground were all carefully selected by them; they all had average strength and could be manipulated at will.

But this guy, back then, had forcefully snatched that one ticket right in front of his face...

Seeing Baron like this, a muffled "Heh heh" chuckle came from Roger's throat.

"What are you afraid of?" He tilted his head, his tone full of confidence, "The final stage is guarded by the two of us, what could possibly go wrong?"

Seeing that Baron didn't speak, Roger leaned in a bit closer, saying with his usual condescending ease:

"Relax, even if our strength is suppressed to the same level as theirs, our original strength was A-rank. In terms of experience and methods, how could they compare to us? We won't fail." Roger paused, then added: "How long have we been in the 'Proxy Assessment' business?"

Hearing this, Baron nodded.

True.

I must be overthinking it.

...

"What are we playing in the next round?" Roger leaned casually against the console and asked nonchalantly.

Baron's toes touched the ground, the front legs of his chair slightly tilted up as he maintained a dangerous balance, a relaxed smile on his face.

"How about... a 'reminder'?" he said slowly.

"Hmm?" Roger turned around.

Baron's grin widened as he looked at the Trial Takers on the screen.

"The kind we've played before." His voice lowered, tinged with playfulness, "Before they enter the final Assessment, pop up a notification telling them... the next Assessment will be exceptionally dangerous. If they quit now, they can still get a decent reward..."

Roger understood immediately, a muffled laugh rolling in his throat as he picked up the thought:

"They've already made it this far, how could they possibly give up?"

"Exactly." Baron relaxed his toes, and the chair legs hit the floor with a "clack."

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the screen with eyes that looked like they were watching struggling ants in a cage.

"So, just as they agree to go to the next stage... we kill one of them."

"With a companion dying before their eyes because of their own choice, they will surely regret their decision for the rest of their lives."

"Heh heh." Roger chuckled low, "I like your suggestion."

Immediately after, their gaze turned back to the screen in front of them.

Roger reached out a long, withered finger and first pointed at the screen showing Gu Changming's group.

"What about this group?" he asked, "Which one should we take out first?"

Baron looked over, his gaze first landing on Gu Changming, then moving away to land on the burly figure who was grinning and gesturing about something.

"Let's go with this one." Baron reached out and pointed at Chen Shanshui, "He's quite optimistic."

Roger looked over, his withered lips slowly curling upward, "Fine, who told him to smile so happily?"

...

"This round was pretty easy," Chen Shanshui said, propping his axe on the ground, "There were just a lot of monsters, but their strength was far worse than those six iron lumps from just now."

Sun Ye was still nearby checking the fallen monster corpses and didn't have time to respond.

But both Gu Changming and Cheng Yubai nodded, not letting his words fall flat.

"It seems the difficulty of this trial shouldn't be too high." Cheng Yubai pushed up his glasses, relaxing slightly.

"Xiao Gu, you've hit the jackpot. Remember to treat us to a good meal when we get out." Chen Shanshui said with a chuckle. Before his voice even faded, he caught a glimpse of his upper body, exposed after his clothes burst during the battle, showing well-defined muscle lines.

In the next second, his muscles took control of his brain. He turned sideways, struck a 'Son of Zeus' muscle-showing pose, and then shouted at Gu Changming.

"Xiao Gu, Xiao Gu, look quick, am I handsome?"

Before Gu Changming could speak, Sun Ye's voice drifted over from the side:

"That's from taking potion."

This wasn't actually wrong; among these ability users, who hadn't downed a few bottles of potion to boost their physical attributes?

"Nonsense!" Chen Shanshui didn't care at all, continuing to flex his muscles, "These muscles of mine were all built through hard work, the ceiling of natural bodybuilding, don't you understand?"

Just as he finished speaking.

In front of the four of them, the air trembled slightly.

A translucent light-blue notification box popped up without warning, floating before them:

[The next stage is the final trial. The danger coefficient is extremely high.]

[If you choose to withdraw now, you can still receive the corresponding rewards.]

Seeing this sudden notification box, the three of them turned their gazes toward Gu Changming in unison.

"Xiao Gu, do you want to continue?" Chen Shanshui asked.

Looking at his smiling expression, Gu Changming also knew he was just asking casually.

"Of course." Gu Changming also followed with a smile.

"Hey." Chen Shanshui waved his hand, putting on an expression of "disdain," "Your voice is too small, I didn't even hear it. We're about to achieve victory, we should have an aura of moving forward with unstoppable momentum, you know?"

"Let's do it again!" Chen Shanshui straightened his body, putting on a serious and earnest look.

Gu Changming looked at him, the curve of his lips also lifting.

"Okay!"

Seeing the two of them, Cheng Yubai and the just-returned Sun Ye exchanged a glance, their expressions a bit helpless, but since the two were their teammates, they could only let them mess around.

"Do you want to continue? Xiao Gu!" Chen Shanshui raised his clenched fist.

"Yes!" Gu Changming shouted along.

"No." Chen Shanshui corrected him, "It's not 'yes', it's 'charge'!"

"Understood!" Gu Changming nodded again.

The way these two were acting made Cheng Yubai unable to resist a small laugh as he shook his head.

Sun Ye looked at these two who had suddenly become hot-blooded, and the corners of his mouth also curled almost imperceptibly.

Then, after getting ready, the two of them jumped up from the ground almost simultaneously, their clenched fists swinging upward with force.

"Charge!!!"