94: Chapter 94 You really don't know who the one who killed the Shadow Eater is?

[The sixth Civilization Advancement Assessment will officially begin in 21 days.]

Gu Changming withdrew his gaze, ignoring the Organizer's usual intimidation.

His body slowly descended, landing back in his original position.

As his feet touched the ground, his gaze shifted to the side.

The Mimic Beast's giant black cocoon stood there quietly, barely a dozen steps away from him.

The cocoon's height had shrunk again; it was now roughly the same height as him, and the patterns on the shell's surface had become clearer.

"Twenty-one days..."

Gu Changming repeated in a low voice, "It shouldn't be the case that the next Assessment starts and it still hasn't hatched."

...

Shouju Camp.

This was a human settlement built around a secret realm.

Looking down from above, it looked like a neat grey patch carved out by an invisible barrier.

After such a long period of adaptation and the overall increase in human strength, these settlements no longer looked like the temporary camps haphazardly built with wooden or steel plates at the beginning.

Instead, they had become orderly gathering areas with all the necessary infrastructure.

They vaguely resembled the scale of small towns where tens of thousands lived before the Assessments arrived.

In the camp's trading area.

At a fixed stall.

Gu Changming stood before the stall, reaching out to move several rows of differently colored potion bottles arranged on the tabletop by the stall owner.

As his fingers touched them, the names of these potions randomly appeared before him.

After confirming the quality was correct, Gu Changming looked up at the stall owner and pointed to the potions he had just inspected.

"How much for these?"

The stall owner was a man in his forties sitting on a small stool behind the stall. Seeing Gu Changming's inquiry, he stood up to speak.

"Two bottles of Hemostatic Coagulant will be two hundred and twenty points. The Mental Soothing Drops are a bit more expensive, one hundred and eighty per bottle..."

Gu Changming listened while opening his panel to compare the prices with the potions in the mall.

The price was very fair, with each bottle being ten or twenty points lower.

Once the other party finished quoting, Gu Changming simply transferred the points over.

At this stage, human civilization had already passed the early phase.

Indeed... Apothecaries had appeared, and various potions or items could be bought in the trading areas of these human settlements.

Further on, the system would only become more complete, the division of labor more detailed, and then various factions would rise...

After paying the points, the transaction was complete.

Gu Changming was about to put the potions away when he looked up and noticed the stall owner's gaze flickering toward the top of his head every now and then.

He also looked up, knowing exactly what the other person was looking at.

Then, Gu Changming reached out and took down the object he was carrying above his head using Psychokinesis.

It was the Mimic Beast's cocoon, though it had now shrunk to the size of a head.

Over the past few days, this Mimic Beast cocoon had been constantly changing; its volume continued to shrink while its energy became increasingly restrained and concentrated.

Gu Changming could clearly feel that the Mimic Beast inside was fully developed; it might break out of its shell in the next few days.

Because of this, he had specifically come to the 'Shouju' outpost.

This camp was built around a secret realm entrance. Once the Mimic Beast hatched, he could take it into the secret realm and use the extra-dimensional creatures inside to test its various abilities after evolution.

After taking down the Mimic Beast's cocoon, Gu Changming weighed it in his hand, then looked at the stall owner, suddenly smiled, and said, "Do you guys buy this here?"

The stall owner was stunned for a moment, looking surprised. "You want to sell it?"

"Picked it up on the road," Gu Changming shook the cocoon in his hand. "It looks quite special, but I don't know what it is, so I might as well sell it."

The stall owner's gaze was locked onto the black cocoon, his expression shifting. For some reason, he felt that this black egg gave him a peculiar feeling, as if it were a very important opportunity for him...

He pursed his lips and feigned deliberation. "How much do you want for it?"

Gu Changming seemed to think seriously for a moment before quoting a number. "Three hundred?"

"Three hundred?" The stall owner instinctively shook his head and began to bargain. "Too expensive! It's just a black egg... who knows what's inside, maybe it's been dead for a long time. One hundred and fifty, I'll take it, just consider it a gamble."

The corner of Gu Changming's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

"Oh," he responded, his tone flat. "Then forget it, I'm not selling."

After saying that, he naturally placed the black cocoon back above his head, picked up the potions, and turned to leave the stall.

This move left the stall owner dumbfounded. He leaned out from behind the stall, pressing against the table displaying his goods, and waved at Gu Changming's back.

"Hey! Don't go! We can talk! The price is negotiable!"

Wait, what?

Why aren't you bargaining? You damn guy!

Who doesn't bargain when buying things!

Gu Changming didn't stop, and the stall owner grew completely anxious.

"Fine! Three hundred it is! I'll buy it!"

"Don't, don't go, five hundred points! I can't go any higher!"

Gu Changming still didn't stop. He waved his hand casually with his back turned and soon blended into the bustling crowd of the market, disappearing from sight.

After Gu Changming's figure vanished, the stall owner sat back on his stool, looking dejected, and clicked his tongue in regret.

No, it was just a hundred or so points, why did I have to bargain with him?

Ah... that black egg definitely wasn't simple.

I missed out on a fortune. I'm in a terrible mood, I don't want to open the shop today...

...

Hujiang City.

The once prosperous city was now a vast, silent ruin.

However, amidst the sprawling grey wreckage stood a relatively intact silver-grey five-story building.

Although the Research Institute here had been destroyed once, it had now undergone emergency reinforcement and repair, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding desolate ruins.

Inside the Research Institute.

A soundproof door slid open, and Tang Ningfei walked out of the meeting room.

After nodding to the people in the meeting, she didn't rush to leave. Instead, she waited for the researchers and management personnel to depart before leaning against the wall, an imperceptible trace of fatigue flashing across her face.

The corridor was very quiet, with almost no other sound.

After about two or three minutes, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps came from the corner.

A figure turned the corner and walked toward her.

"There was a problem with the experiment and I had to repeat it, so I was delayed," Jiang Chen explained.

Tang Ningfei straightened up and nodded. "It's fine. The meeting just summarized what was said before and some points to note; there was nothing new."

The two naturally walked side by side down the corridor.

"The target is still the Shouju Camp side we confirmed earlier?" Jiang Chen continued to confirm.

"Yes." Tang Ningfei nodded. "Also, the higher-ups want us to discuss which of us will be the captain this time."

"Either way is fine." Jiang Chen shrugged, not caring much about such things.

Without stopping, they continued forward, but Jiang Chen's gaze was somewhat distant. After a moment, he spoke again:

"Let me ask you something."

"Hmm?" Tang Ningfei turned her head to look at him.

"It's about... the person who appeared in your previous recording, the one who killed the 'Shadow Devourer' alone. Do you really not know who he is?"