58: Chapter 58 You kill, I bury the body

Hearing the other person's words, Gu Changming looked down at his chest; there were indeed a few dark red bloodstains on his clothes, and even some tiny red spots on his neck.

However, he didn't react much, simply wiping them away casually and saying, "It's fine. It's not mine, I must have gotten it on me by accident."

Seeing this, Qin Lie was no longer worried.

Gu Changming put away the nightwalker gloves and prepared to leave.

"I'm off."

After walking a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Qin Lie.

"By the way," Gu Changming reminded him, "don't take too many orders. Those famous Blacksmiths only take a fixed number of orders each month. This way, you can build your reputation and earn more."

Gu Changming wasn't lying; in the future, people would come to those famous Blacksmiths and beg them to forge items.

With Qin Lie's skill and attitude, if he didn't change direction and continued to hone his craft here, he would definitely become a great Blacksmith.

Qin Lie was stunned for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Gu Changming said no more, turned around, and left, heading away from the camp.

After Gu Changming left, Qin Lie also turned to head back to the camp.

He had just taken two steps when his nose suddenly twitched.

A faint, subtle scent of rust wafted over.

"Huh?" Qin Lie frowned in confusion and stopped.

He turned around and looked in the direction Gu Changming had just come from.

That smell seemed to become clearer.

Qin Lie hesitated for a moment.

Finally, driven by curiosity, he walked over there.

Qin Lie went deeper and pushed aside the bushes in front of him.

In the next second, his whole body froze in place, his eyes widening suddenly.

Ten people lay scattered across the clearing in the forest.

Some had large holes in their chests with blood pooling on the ground; some had their bodies twisted at strange angles with eyes bulging; others had their arms and legs neatly severed.

Blood was splattered everywhere—on leaves, trunks, and the mud... dark red patches connected one after another.

The strong smell of blood hit his nose, making Qin Lie's stomach churn.

Qin Lie's gaze swept across the mess and soon fixed on a corpse nearby.

Zhang Zhenhai... he was currently lying on his back, eyes still open, his face frozen in an expression of terror and disbelief.

Qin Lie's throat moved as his gaze shifted to the side. Among the other corpses, he also recognized several members of Zhang Zhenhai's team.

He stared blankly for a while and continued to observe.

Soon, he noticed a detail.

There was an extremely thin and deep cut on each of their necks.

The wounds had precisely severed vital points, killing them almost instantly.

The technique was clean and efficient, and the cuts looked very familiar.

Seeing this, Qin Lie couldn't help but remember that Gu Changming had just walked out from here, and the tiny bloodstains on him.

Also... the trait of night erosion: killing enemies can permanently increase its sharpness...

Suddenly, Qin Lie perked up.

He turned to look in the direction Gu Changming had left.

At this moment, his heart was filled with shock and bewilderment.

This somewhat overturned the image of the man in his heart.

Before, he thought the other man was just a simple good person, perhaps a bit strong... he never expected him to have such an extremely ruthless side.

The man's kind attitude toward him formed an extreme contrast with the scene of a river of blood before him.

Qin Lie was stunned for a long time before coming to his senses, murmuring, "There must be ten people here... yet he only got a little blood on his clothes."

Saying that, he immediately took action, starting with Zhang Zhenhai.

He forcefully dragged the corpse deeper into the bushes to a place where the soil was relatively loose and began to laboriously dig a hole with the short knife he carried.

He wasn't in a hurry to go back anyway, so he might as well help bury the bodies.

Otherwise, if someone found them and reported it, turning Gu Changming into a wanted man, that would be bad.

...

Minghai City.

Outside an old residential area.

Gu Changming had returned to the location of his home.

The reason he came back was because of the upcoming third Assessment; this time, the Assessment would be divided into zones, so he didn't know the contents of the Assessment in other locations.

Of course, that wasn't the most important thing; what mattered was...

His rise had also begun with the rewards he obtained from this Assessment.

He hadn't performed very well last time, so he would give himself another chance.

Outside the residential area, the convenience store where he had previously smashed the glass with a brick still had its door wide open.

Gu Changming guessed that the owner must be truly dead.

After stopping to take a look outside, he stepped inside.

Inside the store, the shelves were knocked over and more than half empty, with packaging bags and broken glass scattered on the floor.

Gu Changming walked to the hardware tools section, his gaze sweeping over it, and he made a slight hooking motion with his hand.

Several heavy boxes of iron nails rose from the shelves, wobbling as they flew to his side and suspended in mid-air.

Gu Changming didn't put them in his pockets, instead letting the boxes of nails orbit him like satellites before turning and walking out of the convenience store.

Then, Gu Changming walked toward the building where he lived.

Entering the hallway, he glanced at the elevator; the display screen was pitch black, having long since lost power.

He turned to the stairwell and began to walk up.

Soon, he reached his floor.

The scene in the hallway was much the same as when he left; several holes had been broken into the floor, exposing blackened steel bars and a corner of the room below, with rubble and dust scattered everywhere.

When he reached the middle of the hallway, Gu Changming paused.

He looked up.

What was the name of that woman who asked him for food?

There was no movement from above now.

Could she have died during the second Assessment?

The thought flashed through his mind.

Gu Changming didn't think more about it, withdrew his gaze, and continued toward his front door.

The key turned, and the door opened.

The house was the same as when he left, with no changes.

He closed the door behind him, casually placed the floating boxes of nails on the table, and then sat on the sofa.

After a short rest, Gu Changming opened his eyes.

Leaning back on the sofa, with a slight thought, the translucent Mall interface appeared before his eyes.

He swiped casually, browsing through it.

[Psychokinesis (Primary)]: Can move small-mass objects with thought. Price: 200 points.

[Beast Instinct]: Slightly improves the sense of danger. Price: 150 points.

[Healing Spell (Basic)]: Can treat minor injuries. Price: 180 points.

Gu Changming had a clear goal, and his finger continued to swipe down in the air.

The interface scrolled quickly, finally stopping at the [Special Enhancement] category.

His gaze fell on one of the items:

[primary mental strength enhancement potion]: Can slightly increase Mental Power. Price: 300 points.

While staring at the description, Gu Changming extended his right hand, palm up.

On the table, the cardboard packaging of a box of iron nails made a soft "shhh" sound and split open on its own.

Five long, thin iron nails rose from the box, hovering steadily an inch above his palm.

...

Su Wan: I heard you're telling everyone outside that I'm dead?

Asking for good reviews again, specifically the five-star kind. Thank you, thank you, thank you.