90: Chapter 90 No, no, it's right, it's right.

Light dawned on the horizon, staining the skyline a grayish-white.

The pickup truck stopped at the edge of the wilderness. The engine had long since died, leaving only the sound of the wind in the surroundings.

Gu Changming leaned back in the truck bed against the metal wall, his gaze heavy.

Hiss...

Maybe I shouldn't have left last night.

Back then, although the "favors" were constant, if I had braced myself for a few hits and paid a small price, I probably could have taken that guy out.

Now that he's escaped, who knows when I'll run into him again.

Gu Changming exhaled softly, withdrew his gaze, and looked at the giant black cocoon beside him.

Forget it.

At this moment, Gu Changming could only comfort himself.

Better to keep a close eye on this thing first. Regardless, my original goal was to stack the Prize Pool as much as possible while ensuring the safety of the Mimic Beast cocoon.

Just as he was thinking this, hurried footsteps sounded from the distance.

Gu Changming propped himself up on the edge of the truck bed, stood up, and looked toward the sound.

The newcomer was Liu Yang, carrying a rusted gasoline canister, running back from the direction of a half-collapsed gas station.

His pace was fast, almost stumbling as he rushed over, his face still etched with lingering panic.

Clearly, he had been badly shaken by yesterday's events.

When Liu Yang reached the truck, Gu Changming spoke slowly:

"Are there any other gangs nearby?"

In the corner of his vision, the red numbers that only he could see had now risen to [121].

Liu Yang inserted the canister into the fuel tank opening, bracing it with his body, and panted for a few breaths before saying:

"What gangs are left... there were only two nearby. Now they're both gone."

"I don't know what kind of hell this Assessment is... people are dying like they're being mowed down. They're all just dead for no reason." He wiped the sweat from his face, his voice carrying a sense of lingering fear.

Listening to his complaints, Gu Changming withdrew his gaze.

No one left?

Then where would he stack his Prize Pool? Was he supposed to just wait for the arrival of gifts?

He was just pondering this when—

"Swoosh!"

A sharp whistling sound tore through the air without warning, rapidly approaching from the front-side!

Gu Changming reacted almost the instant the sound rang out. Raising his right hand, his Psychokinesis wrapped around the giant black cocoon like an invisible hand. Simultaneously, he kicked off the ground, leaping backward with the cocoon!

Boom!!!

A loud explosion erupted.

The pickup truck they had just been at was instantly pierced through the center by a flash of silvery-white light! Metal tore, glass shattered, and the entire vehicle jolted violently, tilting to the side.

Immediately after, sparks flew.

The leaking gasoline ignited, and a tongue of fire roared upward, spreading rapidly along the oil trail, rushing straight for Liu Yang who was still standing by the truck!

However, after experiencing so many "favors," his reaction this time was lightning-fast. Almost the same second the flames flared up, his hands grabbed the oil-stained jacket he was wearing and yanked it down and away with a fierce throw!

Then he flopped miserably to the ground, rolling several times to narrowly escape the licking flames.

Gu Changming landed several meters away, placing the giant cocoon steadily by his side.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping toward the direction the attack had come from.

Seeing the opponent, the corners of Gu Changming's mouth slowly curled up.

Zhou Qilin.

He actually came looking for me.

Yesterday in the factory, he had chosen to temporarily avoid him because he was wary of those endless chain "gifts."

Without those multiple debuffs, he didn't have many reservations.

Moreover, he was just regretting letting the other party escape.

Now this was perfect; it saved him the trouble of searching.

Zhou Qilin was also straightforward. After coming to a halt, he didn't say a word, simply raising his right hand and making a phantom swipe in Gu Changming's direction.

"Swoosh!"

The silvery-white Telekinetic Shuttle shot through the air again, aimed straight for Gu Changming's face!

Gu Changming showed no reaction, raising his hand at the same time.

Another silver light shot out from his side, meeting the incoming Telekinetic Shuttle head-on!

Clang!

The two silver lights collided fiercely in mid-air, producing a crisp metallic clashing sound.

However, the moment they collided, Gu Changming's expression changed slightly.

In his perception, the sharp tip of his Telekinetic Shuttle had happened to strike the smooth, rounded arc of the opponent's shuttle's side!

Sure enough, in the next instant, the force was immediately deflected, sliding to one side.

The opponent's Telekinetic Shuttle, however, used this deflected force to eerily trace an arc in the air, bypassing the frontal interception. At an extremely tricky angle, it suddenly accelerated, shooting toward his abdomen!

Gu Changming's reaction was extremely fast. His core muscles exerted force, and his body twisted to the side and back like it was snapping!

"Ssh!"

The Telekinetic Shuttle grazed past his waist, leaving a thin line of blood and cutting a hole in his clothes.

Almost simultaneously.

The string of red numbers in the corner of his vision silently ticked up once:

[129]

It went up by eight points.

Gu Changming steadied himself and glanced down at the wound on his waist.

Then he looked up at Zhou Qilin not far away, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

It really was just as he had guessed before.

Examinees who triggered the Hidden Rule and obtained a safe time limit were no longer part of this Assessment. Their attacks on examinees could be treated by the Assessment as continuous "gifts" to the examinee.

Gu Changming blinked. In that case, it seemed he didn't need to go looking for other gangs anymore.

...

Zhou Qilin's gaze darkened. Without any visible movement, the silver shuttle spun in the air and attacked again as a streak of light!

Gu Changming didn't choose to counter-attack this time. With a thought, his own Telekinetic Shuttle was suddenly withdrawn, moving like a nimble silver fish to precisely parry and deflect every thrust.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sounds of collision were short and dense.

At the same time, the surrounding "gifts" did not cease.

In the gaps between Zhou Qilin's attacks, accidents would strike from time to time.

A slip of the foot, gravel inexplicably swept into the battle by air currents, steel bars falling from high above...

Of course, with every narrow-escape dodge, the red numbers continuously ticked upward:

[129] → [135] → [142]

However, Zhou Qilin's brow gradually furrowed.

His attack had lasted for about three minutes.

His Telekinetic Shuttle was extremely fast and its angles were tricky, yet the opponent hadn't sustained any injuries. In fact... he seemed to be handling it with ease.

Something's not right.

His gaze darkened, and his offensive involuntarily slowed for a moment.

But it was also in this moment.

Gu Changming's parrying motion seemed half a beat slow, and a very brief stumble appeared in his center of gravity.

A flaw!

A sharp light flashed in Zhou Qilin's eyes. Almost instinctively, he drove the Telekinetic Shuttle. The silver light, like a venomous snake's tongue, pierced straight for the shoulder Gu Changming had exposed due to his sluggish movement!

Puchi!

The Telekinetic Shuttle accurately pierced into flesh, penetrating the shoulder blade and bringing out a spray of blood!

Gu Changming let out a muffled groan. His body was carried backward by the force, and he stumbled a few steps before barely steadying himself.

He clutched his shoulder with his left hand, blood gushing from between his fingers, instantly staining half of his shirt red.

Zhou Qilin withdrew the Telekinetic Shuttle, letting it hover by his side, its tip still dripping blood.

Looking at the pale-faced Gu Changming and that continuously bleeding shoulder, a slight curve slowly formed at the corner of his mouth.

This is how it should be.