24: Chapter 24 Will We Ever Meet Again?

Wang Dongxin and Li Haoxing exchanged a glance and pursed their lips in tacit understanding.

Wang Dongxin was the first to react, following Gu Changming's lead as he said, "It got away... That's really a pity."

Li Haoxing immediately nodded in agreement. "Yeah, such a shame. I thought..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Seeing through something without pointing it out and maintaining a necessary understanding was a skill every adult had to learn.

Gu Changming nodded, no longer dwelling on the topic.

He turned his head toward the messy clearing from before, his tone lightening slightly:

"Let's go. We can properly deal with those Steel-Maned Rabbits now without worrying about anything else disturbing us."

Wang Dongxin, Li Haoxing, and Ye Qing all nodded upon hearing this.

"Right, business first," Wang Dongxin agreed, turning around first.

The four of them said no more, heading back toward the clearing strewn with Steel-Maned Rabbit corpses along the path they had come.

Back at the clearing, Ye Qing and the others crouched down and began harvesting valuable materials from the Steel-Maned Rabbits.

This time, Gu Changming didn't just stand by; he also crouched down, drew his dagger, and efficiently cut away the hard manes and large incisors of the Steel-Maned Rabbits.

After packing all the loot, Wang Dongxin took out a map to orient himself, then led the group toward the extraction point.

Along the way, the atmosphere was heavy, filled only with the sound of footsteps and breathing.

Between Gu Changming and the others, there was like an invisible barrier.

It wasn't until they stepped out of the Secret Realm Portal, breathed the familiar air of Earth again, and heard the noisy voices of the camp that the oppressive atmosphere lightened.

Their group, especially the large Shadow Wolf corpse being carried by Wang Dongxin and Li Haoxing, immediately caught the attention of other teams outside.

"Look! It's a Shadow Wolf!"

"It's Old Wang's team! Impressive!"

"Holy crap, how many points must that be worth?"

Exclamations and discussions broke out all around. Many people, both familiar and strange, gathered around with envy on their faces.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Gu Changming lowered his profile, intending to slip away into the crowd unnoticed.

"Gu Changming."

Ye Qing's voice came from behind him.

Gu Changming stopped, turned around, and smiled. "What is it?"

Ye Qing stood before him, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something, but she changed her mind at the last second.

She pointed to the Shadow Wolf corpse being gawked at by the crowd and asked as naturally as possible, "Aren't you going to wait to sell the loot and split the points?"

Gu Changming glanced at the Shadow Wolf in the direction she pointed, then smiled, his tone slightly teasing:

"You guys killed that Shadow Wolf. I didn't help, so you keep the points."

Ye Qing smiled upon hearing this.

She knew Gu Changming was responding to what Wang Dongxin had said when he first saw that Gu hadn't joined the fight.

But at the same time, she knew he didn't mind and was just joking.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, as if the surrounding noise had been shut out.

Ye Qing looked at Gu Changming, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate casualness. "Will we meet again?"

Gu Changming smiled. "If we're both still alive, we should."

Ye Qing also smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.

She stood there, watching Gu Changming turn away decisively. His back soon merged into the flowing crowd, becoming increasingly blurred.

Not long after he left, Wang Dongxin and Li Haoxing walked over, standing on either side of Ye Qing.

"He's gone?" Wang Dongxin asked.

"Yeah," Ye Qing nodded.

For a while, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat subtly silent.

After seeing Gu Changming in action, they all knew that once they left the secret realm, he would leave their team.

Gu Changming and they were ultimately not the same kind of people.

His strength, along with his near-cold decisiveness, destined him for a path entirely different from theirs.

...

Hujiang City.

Inside a high-rise unit of an upscale residential complex.

All the lights in the room were on, illuminating every corner. Gu Changming sat on the sofa, his body sinking slightly into the soft cushions, his expression calm.

Toward the balcony, the Mimic Beast maintained the form of a crow, standing quietly on the railing. Its crimson eyes occasionally turned, scanning the residential area below.

That's right, Gu Changming had given it a new name: Mimic Beast.

Although "Primal Saliva" sounded very high-end, it was a bit too abstract, so Gu Changming gave it a new name that suited it better.

Gu Changming's hand rested naturally on the sofa. Between his fingers, four or five iron nails, about five centimeters long and sharpened to an extreme point, hovered in a way that defied gravity, swimming nimbly back and forth between his fingers like living things.

This was the Psychokinesis ability Gu Changming had previously exchanged with points. Otherwise, back in the secret realm, he wouldn't have been able to dash forward through the air to pull the Mimic Beast, which had transformed into a Storm Hawk, down to the ground.

What Gu Changming was doing now was familiarizing himself with this power. Whether it was Psychokinesis or other exchanged abilities, the level of power could be improved through constant practice.

Gu Changming had even heard news of people who didn't use points to exchange for skill upgrade paths, but instead relied solely on their own talent to improve their abilities.

While practicing, Gu Changming's gaze remained fixed on the clock hanging in the room.

The clock showed: slightly past 11:50.

By now, several days had passed since he left the secret realm.

Today was the day the second Assessment began.

Gu Changming continued to watch as the hands of the clock gradually approached 11:59.

Gu Changming stood up from the sofa. With a slight movement of his fingers, the hovering sharp iron nails swam and slid silently into his sleeve.

He walked toward the balcony.

The crow transformed from the Mimic Beast tilted its head slightly to look at him as he approached, making no sound.

Gu Changming walked to the edge of the balcony, his hands resting casually on the cold metal railing. He looked up, casting his gaze toward the seemingly calm sky.

Exactly 12:00.

In an instant, as if thick blood had been splashed by an invisible giant hand, the entire sky suddenly darkened, turning into an oppressive crimson.

Then, identical to the first Assessment, huge and cold white characters appeared out of thin air once again, stretching across the blood-colored sky.

[The Second Civilization Advancement Assessment begins now.]

Although he already knew the content of this Assessment and was mentally prepared, Gu Changming's heart still tightened when he saw it. He subconsciously held his breath, his eyes locked onto the sky.

Then, new words appeared.

[Second Assessment: Photophobia Period]

[Assessment Rules: ... ]