146: Chapter 146 Malice?

[Hidden Rule: curses can be stacked on the same person.]

His eyes flickered imperceptibly.

This was something he truly hadn't known in his previous life.

However... whether this Hidden Rule existed or not didn't actually make much of a difference.

The reality of this Assessment was to force humans into internal strife while weeding out individuals who were weak or lacked sufficient vigilance.

curse stacking... was nothing more than concentrating more malice onto a single person.

The blood-red color and pale-white characters in the sky lasted for nearly half a minute before slowly fading away, and the sky returned to its previous state.

Almost simultaneously, the atmosphere of the four-person team nearby grew visibly tense.

"What kind of damn rule is this..." a short, stout man in the team spoke up. "It transfers upon contact; one slip-up and you're caught."

The other three also complained incessantly, trying to alleviate the mounting pressure within them.

"And the time doesn't even reset. If you get touched and only have a dozen or so seconds left, you won't even know how to pass it on to the next person."

"Isn't there a five-minute preparation period?"

"What can you even do in five minutes?"

"Hey... what if we find a few people and keep touching each other to transfer it within those five minutes? If we survive for three days, would that count as passing?"

Their conversation was intermittent, but the voices soon grew faint.

The four of them simultaneously turned their gazes toward Gu Changming, who was still standing in place, motionless.

At this moment, Gu Changming was slightly tilting his head, his gaze fixed on a spot not far away—a spot that was clearly empty ground.

The moment they saw his behavior, the bodies of the four people tensed up almost instantly.

As he looked at the Blurry Figure appearing in his field of vision, Gu Changming's brow quirked slightly.

Had he been chosen again?

Such good luck?

"Um... what's wrong? Are you okay?" the woman with a ponytail asked tentatively, a hint of ill-concealed nervousness in her voice.

Hearing her, Gu Changming slowly withdrew his gaze from the void and turned toward them.

Then, he put on a calm, yet relatively gentle smile.

"I'm fine," Gu Changming replied flatly, his voice betraying nothing unusual.

"Oh... right, okay." The four of them nodded almost simultaneously, their movements stiffly synchronized.

At the same time, though they didn't move their feet, their bodies unconsciously leaned back, away from Gu Changming.

They had seen Gu Changming's actions clearly just now.

That posture of staring sideways at empty space—wasn't it exactly like the reaction to seeing a 'Blurry Figure' described in the Rule Supplement?

The atmosphere began to turn sour.

Although he had just saved their lives... they had also witnessed Gu Changming's strength within the Secret Realm.

But at this moment, a subtle vibe quietly emerged.

Oppression, fear, yet also a concern for appearances, making them hesitant to explicitly state they wanted to leave...

The silence lasted for about four or five seconds before the Woman with a ponytail spoke again:

"Uh... didn't you say you had something to do earlier? Since you're busy, then we... won't disturb you any further?"

"We're truly grateful to you for saving us. If there's an opportunity in the future..."

Before she could finish, Gu Changming looked over, that same gentle smile still on his face.

"Oh, it's nothing urgent. I've thought it over, and I can still join you for a meal."

But as soon as these words came out, the expressions of the four people opposite him instantly froze.

What little composure and politeness they were struggling to maintain shattered completely.

The woman's lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

"Uh..." The woman's voice finally squeezed out. "Maybe next time... We, we still need to hurry and process the materials we got from the Secret Realm."

As she spoke, she and her companions retreated backward extremely slowly and in unison.

They were terrified that Gu Changming might suddenly lean forward and make physical contact with them.

The next second.

Gu Changming indeed moved; he took a half-step forward, his posture natural as if he just wanted to close the distance to talk.

"It's fine," he continued to smile, his voice calm. "I can wait for you to finish processing them."

"No!" the Woman with a ponytail almost screamed. Then, along with her three teammates, she turned around and bolted toward the Small Camp like a startled herd of deer, no longer caring about appearances.

Of course, she didn't forget to shout:

"Next time... definitely next time!"

Gu Changming stood in place and did not give chase.

Watching the four figures flee in panic until they shrank into black dots, a trace of genuine amusement appeared on Gu Changming's face.

This is actually quite fun... one little scare and they all ran off.

But soon, that hint of a smile was tinged with an indescribable, faint bitterness.

Sigh.

Human emotions are truly complex and fragile.

One moment it can be heartfelt gratitude; the next, in the face of fear concerning one's own survival, it can become so... pragmatic.

Gu Changming withdrew his gaze and looked at the name of the Assessment on the panel.

"The One Cursed by Malice? What malice? Malice from one's own kind?"

Gu Changming shook his head and turned back, his gaze landing precisely on the 'empty' spot from before.

Within the field of vision only he could see.

The Blurry Figure had moved a bit closer to his position compared to a moment ago.

Gu Changming stared at the indistinct shadow for a few seconds.

Then, he moved, walking toward it.

He didn't walk around it; instead, he walked straight toward it, making it his target.

As he advanced, the figure in his vision didn't move in sync like a shadow, but remained where it was.

The rules restricted the cursed person from stalling by moving away, but... approaching voluntarily was permitted.

Of course, under the clear and direct gaze of the shadow of death, most people's instinctive reaction would be to stay as far away as possible, not to get closer.

The distance was constantly shortening.

When he reached the twenty-meter range.

An invisible, intangible, yet exceptionally clear 'presence' began to press down.

Oppression, coldness, despair, resentment... various indescribable dark auras seeped through in wisps.

It wasn't enough to shake his spirit, but it was like the smell of mold permeating a damp cave.

That was the aura emitted by the 'curse' itself—one that caused instinctive repulsion.

However, Gu Changming's expression didn't change at all as he walked to a position less than half a meter away from the 'Blurry Figure.'

At such a close distance, the outline of the Blurry Figure became slightly clearer, but it was still impossible to discern any details; it remained a rough humanoid frame.

After taking a few more looks, Gu Changming raised his hand, fingers naturally spread, and reached straight forward, proactively grabbing toward the head of the Blurry Figure.