8: Chapter 8, Eighth Trigger of Hidden Rules

In the morning, around six or seven o'clock, Gu Changming woke up.

He rose stealthily, without making a single sound.

Even though the Assessment wouldn't end until twelve o'clock.

However, according to the memories of his past life...

At twelve o'clock, large crowds would gather on the streets outside.

As if celebrating the New Year, they would wait for the final Assessment time to end and then shout in the streets.

He didn't want to be noticed, so he decided to head out early and find a deserted place to stay. He would make his final attempt when the Assessment was nearly over.

He opened the door.

Just as he reached the hallway, he heard a faint sound of a door opening from upstairs.

The sound wasn't loud, but in this silent environment, it was very clear.

Is it that woman?

Gu Changming couldn't help but wonder.

Is she also going out to celebrate with those crowds?

Gu Changming walked toward the stairwell.

He wasn't in a hurry to go down, so he tilted his head and glanced upward.

A few seconds later, the faint sound of someone walking downstairs reached him.

Gu Changming subconsciously frowned; the footsteps sounded heavy and dull, unlike hers.

Then, Gu Changming picked up his pace, intending to head down.

Since it was a neighbor he didn't know, he had no intention of meeting them.

But before he could take two steps, the other person entered his line of sight.

Gu Changming paused, stole a glance, and then his already slight frown deepened.

It was that slovenly man he had run into when he went out yesterday.

Upon seeing Gu Changming, a smile appeared on Li Jianbin's face.

Last night, he had been out "hunting" all night and hadn't run into a single person.

So early this morning, his mood was extremely frustrated.

While he was at home just now, he heard the faint sound of a door opening outside. Regardless of whether he had misheard, he immediately opened his door and came down.

Sure enough, he hadn't misheard; someone really was going out.

And it was that high school student from yesterday.

Perfect, he'd delivered himself right to the door. I let him go yesterday, but I can't hesitate or be soft-hearted today!

Thinking this, a kind smile immediately appeared on his face, and he walked quickly toward Gu Changming, waving his hand as if giving a friendly greeting.

Gu Changming's brow furrowed, and he took half a step back, assuming a wary posture.

His impression of the man was already poor, and now that he was approaching like this, it was hard not to be on guard.

After closing a certain distance, the man's pace slowed down.

Seeing this, Gu Changming breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking he might be overthinking things.

However, in the next second, the man suddenly spoke.

"Hello there."

Gu Changming was stunned. In this situation, why are you speaking? Aren't you afraid of death?

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, the layer of hypocritical kindness on Li Jianbin's face instantly tore to shreds.

His eyes turned fierce, and like a predatory beast, he lunged his body violently toward Gu Changming.

The narrow hallway offered almost no room to maneuver.

Gu Changming didn't have time to think; acting almost entirely on instinct, he twisted his body sharply to the side to dodge.

Li Jianbin missed, lunging past him with a look of astonishment, not expecting Gu Changming to be able to dodge his surprise attack at such close range.

But due to his own momentum, Gu Changming's back hit the hallway wall with a "thud."

The force of the impact wasn't light, but the sound was muffled and not loud, likely not exceeding the prescribed sixty decibels.

Gu Changming made a quick judgment in his mind, but just then, a loud, crisp sound rang out beside him.

Clang!

Gu Changming's face changed abruptly, and he turned to look.

It was the bag full of Alarm Clocks he was carrying. Driven by the force of his twist, it had swung out and slammed solidly against the wall.

Although the sound didn't come from his own body, he was the one who caused it, and it had clearly exceeded sixty decibels.

The moment the sound rang out, Gu Changming made a split-second decision and violently hurled the bag of Alarm Clocks toward the ceiling above.

The plastic bag flew up and hit the hard concrete ceiling. Then, an even louder noise erupted as the bag tore open, and five or six metal Alarm Clocks clattered to the floor, creating a continuous series of impacts.

After the clatter, an even more massive booming sound followed.

Almost simultaneously, a succession of massive impacts followed one after another.

Invisible forces slammed savagely into the corridor, blasting craters into the concrete floor and exposing the rebar inside. Some spots were even smashed through, revealing the floor below.

Taking advantage of this moment, Gu Changming rolled away, pulling himself some distance back.

It was all over.

Gu Changming looked up at the other man, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

At this moment, Li Jianbin was also looking at Gu Changming with a face full of astonishment. How was it possible? How was he not dead?

Of course, he didn't have time to think now. If he wasn't dead, wouldn't trying again do the trick?

Thinking this, Li Jianbin lunged at Gu Changming again, his fist swinging toward Gu Changming's face.

Gu Changming wanted to counterattack, but just as he was about to move, his actions stalled.

No, that was already the eighth time.

Killing the man with his skills wasn't an issue, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't make the slightest sound in the process. If the man was going to die, he'd end up being buried with him...

By then, for the ninth time, he wasn't confident he could dodge it.

As the man lunged, Gu Changming could only hurriedly dodge and then run toward the stairwell behind the man.

He still needed to get a handy weapon to finish the man off quickly. Or find something to make the man make a sound himself, so the rules would take care of him.

Gu Changming turned and ran toward the hallway.

His gaze swept over the fire cabinet in the corner; behind the glass, the silhouette of a Fire Axe was clearly visible.

However, that glass cabinet made him abandon the option. The noise of breaking the glass would be too loud; he couldn't take the risk.

Li Jianbin lunged again with crude movements. Gu Changming sidestepped to avoid him, moving his feet lightly and always maintaining a distance.

He didn't dare make any large movements, fearing that he might accidentally make a sound and trigger that lethal ninth attack.

At the same time, Gu Changming's eyes were constantly searching, trying to find some large objects to throw. That way, once he had enough distance, he wouldn't have to worry too much.

But it was at this moment...

Faint footsteps came from the stairs above.

Gu Changming immediately looked up.

Su Wan was standing there, holding a Spatula in her hand, her face filled with confusion and surprise.

She clearly hadn't expected to see such a scene down here. She had just heard the massive noise coming from below while she was at home.

Remembering that Gu Changming seemed to live on this floor, she had come down to see what had happened.

Gu Changming's gaze landed on the Spatula, his eyes shifting slightly.

It wasn't as good as a Fire Axe, but it could still kill.

Li Jianbin also saw Su Wan. His eyes lit up, and a sinister grin twisted his lips.

A woman? Excellent. She should be much easier to deal with than this man.

He immediately changed targets and charged toward Su Wan.