156: Chapter 156 The Seventh Civilization Advancement Assessment Has Ended…

Gu Changming was just teasing him.

In truth, he had recognized the man long ago. He hadn't at first, but the man's behavior quickly sparked the connection in his mind.

That move just now was merely to let the other party experience the "thrill" of a roller coaster ride.

The feeling must have been quite something.

He wondered if the man would leave him a positive review once he reached the afterlife.

...

After Gu Changming left, Zhao Chenghan stood frozen for two seconds before fear completely enveloped him.

He jerked his head up, eyes bloodshot, his gaze scanning everyone around him with frantic desperation.

Immediately after, his sanity snapped. Forgetting that they were still in the five-minute preparation period, he tried to rush forward to transfer the curse to someone else.

However, just as he moved, Fang Shouzheng, who was standing nearby, raised his hand and gave a crisp snap of his fingers.

Swish!

Six transparent, shimmering barriers instantly closed in around Zhao Chenghan, pinning him firmly in place.

Trapped in the cramped, transparent cage, Zhao Chenghan pounded his fists frantically, desperate roars squeezing out of his throat as he became even more crazed and distorted.

Fang Shouzheng frowned and waved his hand.

The Enforcement Team members reacted quickly, hurrying forward to carefully drag away the barrier along with the still struggling and roaring Zhao Chenghan inside.

Once the commotion died down, Fang Shouzheng turned to Su Wan and Lin Jianqiu.

"You mentioned me to him?"

He had thought that Su Wan didn't intend to mention the matter he'd discussed with her to the other party.

"Of course!" Lin Jianqiu answered first with a giggle. "If we hadn't said anything, how would he have known your great name?"

Su Wan gave her another helpless roll of the eyes, not biting on the comment.

Her gaze shifted, landing on the youth deep in the alley who had witnessed everything from start to finish and was currently huddled in the shadows.

Fang Shouzheng also noticed Li Yangze and asked, "How should we handle this one?"

Su Wan thought for a moment and walked toward Li Yangze.

When she was two or three meters away, she put on the most kind-hearted smile she could muster and extended her hand.

"Hello, I'm Su Wan. Want to come? Join my Battle Group."

Her reasoning was simple: though the boy looked cowardly, he was someone Gu Changming had stepped in to save. It was no big deal for her Battle Group to support one more person who was temporarily useless.

However, as Li Yangze looked at her extended hand, there wasn't the slightest hint of joy or gratitude on his face.

He wiped hard at the wet tear tracks and bloodstains on his face, his eyes swirling with extremely complex emotions—fear, humiliation, and a stubbornness born of suppressed resentment.

He reached out and slapped her hand away.

Then, like a small beast, he pushed past Su Wan, Fang Shouzheng, and the others, charging out of the narrow alley that had brought him both misfortune and a new life.

Once again, he plunged headlong into the chaotic and cruel world outside.

Watching his 'fleeing' figure, Su Wan's expression was one of bewilderment.

"It seems our methods have deeply hurt him," Fang Shouzheng said, a trace of heaviness entering his tone.

"Yeah," Su Wan nodded, walking toward the mouth of the alley.

"What now?" Su Wan asked again. "Are we still going to continue with the plan?"

What Gu Changming had said earlier had indeed struck a chord with her.

If they carried out their plan, the only ones who would be harmed were the weak, ordinary people at the bottom.

The thugs and bullies wouldn't actually suffer much harm.

Fang Shouzheng followed Su Wan out of the alley. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly: "We'll send people to supervise and ensure things are somewhat fair."

The two fell silent again.

They naturally knew that such a measure only treated the symptoms and not the root cause.

But this was all they could do; other methods wouldn't be any better.

"That's all we can do then," Su Wan replied.

Indeed, this was the only way to mitigate things.

It wasn't as if they could actually do what the supplementary rules suggested and have the curse pass among their own people, was it?

The essence of any organization was to huddle together and then oppress others.

If she were to tell her subordinates not to pass the curse out, but to find four or five people to pass it among themselves until the Assessment ended...

Forget waiting for the Assessment to end; the camp would probably mutiny within half a day.

Why should the subordinates of bosses in other districts be allowed to find a 'villain' to pass the curse to when they get it?

But when we get the curse, you want us to pass it among ourselves and gamble with our lives?

I suspect you don't care about us subordinates at all. Are outsiders more important than those of us risking our lives for you?

Fine, you're so noble! You're so kind! I'm done following you!

So... Su Wan knew this was an act of desperation.

If someone in her Battle Group got the curse, it had to be passed out to let someone else be the scapegoat. This was her duty as the Battle Group leader.

All these "bosses" needed to pass the curses within their organizations to the outside.

Therefore, this plan could not be stopped.

And those scapegoats had to be "villains" who bullied others—whether they truly were or not, they had to be labeled as such.

Because that would allow the consciences of the team members to suffer slightly less torment.

Oh~ the guy who died because I passed the curse to him turned out to be a scumbag; good riddance!

Thinking of this...

Su Wan suddenly understood the origin of the Assessment's name: The Maliciously Cursed.

Whether they were true villains or innocent, weak people who died wrongly, they all died under the malice of those stronger than them...

But why hadn't Gu Changming mentioned this before?

Perhaps he knew that this kind of human malice and darkness was unavoidable no matter what.

Su Wan walked out of the alley.

The unobstructed daylight from outside suddenly shone down, white and glaring, somewhat dazzling.

She raised her hand, slightly shielding her forehead, and squinted as she looked toward the sky.

The sun hung high, its light fierce.

It really was blinding.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned her head and looked back.

Behind her was that deep, narrow alley.

The mouth of the alley was like a clear dividing line.

When the white light reached the alley entrance, it was as if it were blocked by an invisible wall, unable to shine inside at all.

...

The three-day Assessment passed quickly.

For some unknown reason, the number of deaths in the Xinhuo Stronghold was much lower than in other Strongholds.

On the roof of a tiled attic in the East District of the Xinhuo Stronghold.

Gu Changming held a mass of constantly writhing grayish-black mist in his hand.

Without even looking, he stuffed it into the Ring Space on his hand.

The eternal furnace's "appetite" had already reached its limit on the first day.

Now that the eternal furnace was running at full capacity, adding more fuel would just be a waste, so Gu Changming threw these extra "curses" into the Ring Space to serve as reserve fuel for the future.

【The Seventh Civilization Advancement Assessment: The Maliciously Cursed, has ended.】

【Assessment reward settlement in progress...】

【You have obtained points: 1,000.】

Gu Changming directly ignored these thousand points; they were more of a subsidy for those weaklings who had barely survived being maliciously "cursed."

With a slight thought, Gu Changming called up his personal status panel.

His gaze went straight down, landing on the Spirit attribute column.

【Spirit: ...】