10: Chapter 10 Assessment Completed: S-Rank Rating

After dealing with the opponent, Gu Changming finally looked up toward Su Wan.

She was leaning against the wall, her face pale and her eyes wide, staring at him in astonishment.

The moment their eyes met, she looked away quickly as if she had been burned, appearing somewhat afraid and not daring to meet his gaze.

Gu Changming walked toward her, naturally stepping around the pile of mangled flesh without giving it a second glance.

Just as he reached Su Wan, before he could do anything, she hurriedly handed over her phone.

A line of text was on the screen:

【What happened?】

She had only come over to look because she heard a commotion downstairs.

She had no idea what had happened or why Gu Changming had ended up fighting the other person.

Gu Changming shook his head and took the phone. Having no intention of explaining, his fingers tapped on the screen a few times:

【Bad luck, ran into a lunatic. Are you okay?】

Su Wan supported herself against the wall and slowly straightened up. She tried moving a bit; although her brow was still slightly furrowed from abdominal pain, she seemed to be fine.

She took the phone back and looked down to type:

【I'm fine. It's just... a strange prompt just popped up in front of my eyes.】

Gu Changming knew exactly what prompt he had seen.

After taking the phone, he showed just the right amount of confusion and typed a response:

【The Self-Saver? I saw it too when I was attacked just now.】

He didn't want to reveal too much, such as the fact that he had known about this hidden rule for a long time, so pretending to have just discovered it was the safest bet.

Su Wan nodded quickly and typed another question:

【What is that?】

Gu Changming shook his head, his expression equally puzzled:

【I'm the same as you, I'm not sure either.】

Seeing his puzzled expression, Su Wan believed him.

But soon, she followed up with:

【Then what does "Sound Pressure Coverage" mean?】

Looking at her curious eyes, Gu Changming tilted his head slightly, putting on an air of contemplation.

After a moment, he took the phone and slowly typed a few lines:

【I guess it might be triggered by using a louder sound to cover up when we make a noise. That's the method I used just now to save our lives.】

He spoke vaguely on purpose, making it sound like a guess he wasn't quite sure of himself.

Su Wan looked at the screen and nodded thoughtfully.

Gu Changming held the phone and continued typing:

【Go home quickly and lock the door. We don't want any more lunatics outside.】

Su Wan looked at the words on the screen and nodded as she took the phone, a flash of lingering fear crossing her face.

She didn't stay any longer. After nodding to Gu Changming to express her thanks, she held onto the stair railing and carefully walked upstairs.

Gu Changming stood in place, and only after her back had disappeared did he set off toward home.

When he killed the opponent just now, he had also secured his S-rank rating.

So naturally, there was no need to go back out and try anything else.

Next, he just had to stay home and wait for the final few hours to pass for the Assessment to end.

This accident could be considered a stroke of good luck for him.

Otherwise, if he had tried outside, he might have been stuck at the eighth attempt.

...

Gu Changming walked back home and opened his door.

At the same time, Su Wan upstairs also opened her own door.

Then, the doors closed.

Gu Changming walked inside.

Su Wan, however, remained standing outside her door.

She looked down at her phone screen, which still showed the final conversation with Gu Changming.

Sound Pressure Coverage... Self-Saver...

She leaned against the door, listening to her racing heartbeat.

It was terrifyingly quiet outside.

After a moment, she straightened up and walked toward the stairs.

The mess downstairs was still scattered there: shattered concrete, twisted rebar, and that pile of darkening flesh.

Su Wan furrowed her brows, a look of obvious disgust on her face as she instinctively looked away.

But she didn't stop.

She continued walking down, her steps light yet steady.

The world... might really have changed.

She couldn't help but think whether this was an opportunity she might never have again.

She had to do something.

She couldn't just hide at home like this.

...

The house was silent.

Gu Changming sat quietly on the sofa, looking at the translucent panel in front of him.

The countdown on it was decreasing bit by bit.

Three.

Two.

One.

He counted down in his heart.

The number hit zero.

A second or two later, a massive sound suddenly erupted outside. Cheers and screams mixed together like a boiling pot.

Gu Changming didn't go to look. His gaze remained fixed on the panel.

A new notification window popped up.

【Congratulations on passing the first Assessment "Silent Day" with an "S-Rank: Lucky One" evaluation.】

【points obtained: 1000.】

【Title obtained: Lucky One. Effect: Slightly increases luck when equipped.】

His gaze lingered on the "Lucky One" title for a moment.

Increase luck?

Without needing to think, Gu Changming immediately clicked to equip it. While luck seemed ethereal, in an Assessment like this, even a tiny bit of good fortune could decide life or death.

Next, his eyes fell on that number.

One thousand points.

A rare smile appeared on Gu Changming's face.

One thousand points. In his previous life, he had hidden at home for three whole days and only received the lowest Survivor evaluation and one hundred points.

And now, it had increased tenfold.

The early-game advantage was even greater than he had anticipated.

Before he could think further, another cold notification sounded in his mind.

【Mall module has been opened. You may use points to exchange for items.】

Gu Changming's eyes flickered; this was also one of the standard features.

The most common use for the points they earned in Assessments was to buy things they needed in the Mall.

The items inside were all-encompassing; basically, anything one wanted would be there.

This was the main reason they could continue to survive later on after human society had almost completely collapsed.

With a thought, Gu Changming opened the 【Mall】 page.

The translucent blue panel flickered slightly, and the originally simple personal information was replaced by a dazzling list of commodities.

At the very top and most prominent was the 【Basic Supplies Pack】.

The icon showed a simple cardboard box containing some food and water. Below it was a note: Can satisfy the basic survival needs of one adult human for one week.

Price: 1 point.

Gu Changming didn't pay it much mind and continued looking down.

These Basic Supplies Packs would indeed be important later, but for now, the human world hadn't completely collapsed yet. Food and water were not in short supply at this stage.

【High-Efficiency Hemostatic Spray】: Rapidly coagulates blood, significantly effective for light to moderate cuts and lacerations. Price: 5 points.

【Stamina Supplement (Small)】: Relieves mild fatigue and boosts spirit within ten minutes. Price: 3 points.

【Multi-functional Survival Knife】: Forged from high-strength alloy, includes basic functions like a flint and a compass. Price: 3 points.

There were many types of commodities, ranging from basic survival supplies to special items that surpassed current technological levels.

The further down he went, the more peculiar the items became, and the higher the prices rose.

【Basic Body Strengthening Agent (Type I)】: Can slightly improve the user's physical fitness, permanent effect. Price: 100 points.

When he saw this, Gu Changming's eyes flashed. In his previous life, the item he chose to buy seemed to have been this one.

As for the effect, it was well worth the price.

It could directly elevate an ordinary person's physical fitness to the level of a professional athlete.