121: Chapter 121 It's great to be a villain, you get to see all sorts of scenes.

It’s great being a villain; you get to see such interesting scenes.

Gu Changming felt that this trip hadn't been in vain.

As for the fellow who just ran away, he hadn't actually intended to deceive the Eclipse Clan member in front of him at first.

He had been keeping an eye on him.

At the moment he struck, he really had considered fighting to the death.

But upon seeing someone standing in his way, he chose the more rational and correct path.

How should he put it? It was simply wonderful.

...

Aila stood frozen in place. At this moment and in this spot, she was the only one left. The surroundings were as silent as a pre-funeral ritual.

In her peripheral vision, those translucent ghostly shadows "watched" her, making her entire body go cold.

By now, the momentum she had just unleashed, which had reached its peak, had completely dissipated.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came from her throat.

Her vision began to blur as warm liquid welled up in her eyes, uncontrollably overflowing from her four eyes.

The resentment of being betrayed burned in her chest like fire, accompanied by a cold fear that gripped her throat.

These two emotions intertwined, making it nearly impossible for her to control herself.

"Ugh..." A short, suppressed sob escaped her.

Her legs could no longer support her weight. Her knees buckled, and with a thud, she fell heavily onto the cold, hard stone floor.

Tears poured out like a bursting dam.

She lifted her head to look at the ghostly shadow a few steps away, her face drenched. She couldn't tell which emotion had caused the tears to flow.

Regret, anger, despair...

She regretted that, in such a cruel Assessment environment, she had actually believed someone so easily...

She hated even more that despite having helped and pulled Luo An along so many times, she ended up with this kind of outcome.

But these thoughts were only fleeting.

Now, none of that mattered anymore.

She knew she was going to die.

She lifted her head, looking through tear-blurred eyes as the Nether Soul Clan member gradually approached her.

Then, the other party's claw rose, hovered over her head, and descended, the massive sharp claw completely covering the crown of her head.

She could even feel the tips of the claws brushing through her hair, but at this moment, she couldn't muster even a hint of resistance in her heart...

She was going to die.

She could feel that in the next instant, her head would burst with a pop, just like her previous companions.

Her heart returned to a state of calm at this moment.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the mercy of death.

...

Aila closed her eyes tightly, her body stiff.

However, in the next second.

What came from above her head wasn't a bursting force, but a... nearly gentle touch.

The claw covering the crown of her head seemed to have only very lightly—almost what could be called "patted"—her head.

She was stunned.

Was it an illusion? Or a hallucination before death?

Before she could think further, the weight on her head suddenly vanished—the claw had been lifted.

Aila snapped her eyes open and looked over in disbelief.

The translucent ghostly silhouette stood right before her. He had no specific facial features, nor any fluctuations that could be called expressions.

Yet for some reason, Aila inexplicably felt... that he was smiling.

Then, the other party's claw descended again.

This time, it rested on her right shoulder.

The claw was ice-cold and heavy, causing her shoulder to sink under the weight.

Then, the back of that sharp claw—the relatively less sharp part—pressed against her cheek. With a moderate force, it gently turned her head, twisting it toward the side and back.

Her gaze was forced to turn, directed toward her rear.

The other party also bent down now, his misty upper body leaning forward slightly, almost level with her line of sight.

The claw on her shoulder didn't let go; instead, he raised a single sharp finger-claw and pointed in the direction she was looking—the direction in which Luo An had finally fled.

Aila was completely dazed.

Her mind went blank.

What... did this mean?

Was he going to let her go?

...

How interesting.

Gu Changming couldn't bring himself to kill her now.

That tearful appearance was so adorable.

If he let her go, and she encountered that Eclipse Clan member who had tricked her into staying before escaping himself after she returned, that scene would be so interesting.

Although by then, the Assessment might be over, and he might not necessarily see it.

But just imagining that scene made Gu Changming feel a bit gleeful.

He extended his sharp index claw, pointed it in that direction, and leaned in close to her ear.

Go on.

Congratulations on surviving; don't be so naive next time.

And then... go find that guy.

Go tell him: "To think you trusted him so much, yet he actually betrayed you."

Then, in that state of mind as if having gained a new life, kill him.

...

Aila looked at the pointing claw, her heart pounding wildly.

Then, tentatively, she scrambled to her feet, stumbling as she rose from the ground.

The other party just stood there quietly, his claws hanging by his side, showing no intention of stopping her.

She swallowed hard, her throat dry. She shuffled forward two more steps, her eyes fixed intently on his reaction.

Really... no move to strike?

She took a deep breath, finally confirming this unbelievable fact: he really seemed to intend to let her go.

The euphoria of surviving a disaster and the urge to flee instantly overwhelmed her.

She didn't have time to think; her body reacted before her mind, exerting a sudden force as she prepared to dash in the direction Gu Changming had pointed.

However, just as she accelerated.

Not far ahead, the air rippled with a blur, and another grayish-white translucent ghostly silhouette appeared without warning on her escape path.

Aila's sprinting momentum came to a jarring halt. Her face turned pale instantly, and she turned her head in panic to look at the Nether Soul Clan member behind her.

He also noticed the newly appeared Examiner, but after just a glance, he raised his claw and waved it casually toward her.

The meaning was clear: It’s fine, keep going.

Aila was stunned, looking at the ghostly shadow blocking her way, completely unable to grasp the situation.

But in the end, she gritted her teeth, steeled her heart, and charged straight toward the newly appeared ghostly shadow with her eyes closed!

The expected interception or attack did not come.

She brushed past the grayish-white phantom.

The sound of wind rushed past her ears, and the rugged stone path beneath her feet receded rapidly.

Only after sprinting nearly a hundred meters and ducking into a narrow alley did Aila dare to snap her head back and look toward the direction she had come from.

Now, the figures of the two Nether Soul Clan Examiners were huddled together, seemingly engaged in some silent communication.

Aila clutched her pounding chest, took one last look, and then increased her speed again, fleeing toward the distance and higher ground until she vanished.

...

"Zhou Qilin?" Hill said while stretching.

Gu Changming's eyes flickered, and he immediately turned his head. Hmm? Hadn't that guy been killed by him? Had he been resurrected in this Assessment space?

Oh... he forgot.

When he had greeted the others earlier, he had used that name.