61: Chapter 61, Scene 2: Synchronized Mind Control Assembly

The second wave of pressure struck.

The invisible pressure surged again, heavier and more oppressive than before.

It hadn't lasted long before a dull thud echoed from the crowd.

Someone had collapsed.

Gu Changming glanced over; it was a tall, thin young man. He had fallen flat on his face against the pure white floor, his body twitching slightly.

Once the first person fell, several more thuds followed in quick succession.

Watching those who collapsed, Gu Changming's expression remained unchanged.

The Assessment had only just begun, and they already couldn't hold on.

Most of these were likely people who had chosen the wrong Assessment site. They might have exchanged points for potions or abilities to improve their physical fitness, and then joined the Mentalist Assessment without a second thought, completely ignoring whether they actually had the talent for it.

Without a foundation in Mental Power or talent in this area, it was impossible to endure.

After the second wave of pressure ended, the third wave followed almost immediately with no pause.

This time, Gu Changming felt a slight swelling sensation between his brows, as if a thin needle was gently pressing against it.

It still didn't feel oppressive to him, but its presence was very noticeable.

Simultaneously, more people collapsed onto the floor.

Some curled up clutching their heads, while others simply fainted.

A rough scan showed that the number had already exceeded double digits.

The pressure did not stop.

Wave after wave, like a rising tide, each more turbulent than the last.

Among those still standing, expressions began to turn distorted. Some bit their teeth so hard the veins on their foreheads bulged; others had bloodshot eyes, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

The constantly rising mental pressure also brought some mental strain to Gu Changming.

However, he felt fine; it didn't cause any actual impact, though his combat state would likely decline slightly if he had to fight under such pressure right now.

Time passed slowly.

Every second felt stretched out in the eyes of the others.

Finally.

"Ding."

A crisp notification sound rang in everyone's ears.

In an instant, all the figures lying on the ground flickered and then vanished.

Gu Changming took a rough look; this first entry-level Assessment had already filtered out fifty or sixty people.

Since they didn't even pass the opening Assessment, they could forget about rewards; they were treated the same as those who hadn't come at all.

The moment the Assessment ended, some who had barely held on to their limits suddenly seemed drained of strength. Their legs gave way, and they stumbled, supporting themselves on the ground with their hands while gasping for air.

Above the pure white space, light blue subtitles appeared once more:

[First Assessment Passed.]

[Reward points: 200]

Seeing these words, the eyes of the pale, panting crowd immediately lit up with joy.

This Assessment was indeed different from the last one; there was no danger, failing didn't result in a death penalty, and the rewards for passing seemed quite generous.

The subtitles didn't stay for long before changing:

[Please proceed to the next Assessment area.]

As these words appeared, a horizontal screen of light quietly unfolded on the white "wall" directly in front of the crowd.

It rippled slightly like water, glowing with a soft light blue hue, making it impossible to see what was on the other side.

With their previous experience, no one hesitated or felt fear this time; some were even excited... what would the reward for the next Assessment be?

After a brief look around, a stocky man took the lead and walked straight toward the light screen.

His figure blurred the moment it touched the light screen and then disappeared.

With someone leading the way, the others followed suit. One, two, five... figures vanished into the light screen one after another, and the number of people in the white space gradually decreased.

Gu Changming stood in place, watching quietly. He wasn't in a hurry; only when nearly half the people had left and the space was noticeably emptier did he start walking unhurriedly toward the light screen.

The next moment, his figure also entered the light screen, vanishing from the pure white space.

...

The light screen swept over his body like water, and after a brief sensation of weightlessness, Gu Changming stepped into another space.

It was still that endless expanse of pure white, but the layout was different.

Not far ahead, several light blue translucent pillars stood quietly, with scattered components placed on top of each pillar.

By the time he appeared, many people had already walked up to the pillars, looking down to examine the components.

Gu Changming scanned the area calmly and then walked toward the nearest unoccupied pillar.

Soon, the remaining figures emerged from the light screen and gathered in this area.

Everyone had picked a pillar for themselves.

At that moment, the familiar light blue subtitles lit up above the space:

[Second Assessment: Please control ten components simultaneously and complete their assembly.]

The moment the subtitles appeared, Gu Changming didn't look at them much; instead, with a thought, he opened his own panel.

He could see the more detailed rules there.

[Mentalist Basic Assessment · Part Two]

[Content: Synchronous Psychokinetic Assembly]

[Description: After the Assessment begins, you must simultaneously control all ten specified components and assemble them into a structurally complete sphere. The assembly process must not be done in batches, and no physical contact with the components is allowed.]

[Hint: Hidden Joints and Magnetic Contact Points exist between components; you must perceive and deduce the correct assembly sequence yourself. If the assembly exceeds the time limit, it will be considered a failure, and you will be removed from the Assessment space.]

Well, it wasn't much different from the more detailed rules; its biggest use was just to pad the word count.

The light blue subtitles stayed in the air for about ten seconds before slowly dissipating.

Immediately after, a new countdown appeared directly in front of them.

[Time Limit: Eight Minutes]

[Begin Now.]

The moment the numbers started ticking, the atmosphere in the pure white space suddenly tightened.

Everyone scrambled into action, activating their Psychokinesis to try and control the metal components on top of the pillars before them.

For a moment, the faint sounds of components rubbing and colliding echoed everywhere.

Gu Changming was in no rush. After glancing at the countdown, he reached out his right hand and tapped lightly in the air with two fingers.

On the pillar in front of him, the ten metal components rose in response, hovering steadily in mid-air. They maintained their distance from each other, their trajectories clear without the slightest disorder.

This Assessment wasn't actually difficult; if one remained steady and calm, they could pass.

That was how he had passed in his previous life.

After getting all ten components into the air, Gu Changming didn't rush to assemble them. Instead, with a thought, he made them weave and dart nimbly in the air, tracing smooth silver arcs.

This near-showy display of control quickly attracted many eyes.

Several people struggling to maintain the balance of their components couldn't help but look over, their eyes filled with shock and envy.

Gu Changming glanced at them, and after confirming he had attracted enough attention, he prepared to begin the formal assembly steps.

Just then, from the direction of another pillar not far away, a crisp and pleasant "ding" suddenly sounded.

Everyone subconsciously looked toward the source of the sound.

They saw a young man in a gray tracksuit, in front of whom a perfectly round metal sphere was hovering quietly, its surface seamless.

Everyone then subconsciously glanced at the countdown.

Only 57 seconds had passed, not even a minute... someone had already finished?

...

I looked at the book reviews and saw that some people didn't quite like the "forced buying and selling" plot point.

So I'll explain. When I was writing it, I knew it would be controversial. I knew some people would say, "It's already good enough that he didn't kill him, and he still gave him points? What a Mary Sue, I'm dropping this." I also knew others would say, "Robbing someone's opportunity at knifepoint is disgusting; it's the first time I've seen a protagonist like this."

And indeed, both types of comments are there now, haha.

But what I want to talk about isn't that, but rather the framework of this book and the protagonist's personality. This isn't a typical post-apocalyptic novel. The protagonist's goal in returning from rebirth isn't just to make himself stronger—he was already strong enough having lived to the end in his previous life. His goal is to ensure that human civilization can survive.

Therefore, to avoid repeating the same mistakes, he will use any means necessary, because according to the development of the previous life, humanity had no chance of survival at all.

And those "any means necessary" include killing, seizing opportunities, and using every method to make himself stronger than in his previous life, and to make humanity stronger, all to fight for a sliver of hope for human civilization.

So, if Jiang Shu really hadn't planned on giving it up, Gu Changming really would have moved to kill him.

As for the five hundred points given after taking it (which he clearly didn't have to give), that is the core of Gu Changming's character. Some readers say he's kind, a babysitter, and so on—and that's also true.

Within his capabilities, he'll help Su Wan, go out of his way to pull Qin Lie along, and in the second Assessment, he traveled so far just to mess with that Hidden Rule.

And in this chapter, making a scene to show how to close the metal sphere is for the sake of having more humans who can advance to the next Assessment.

Everything is driven by his personality and his goals.

Personality: Kind? (Does he count?)

Purpose: Hoping his actions can let more humans survive, increasing the probability of passing the final promotion Assessment, and fighting for a chance for human civilization to be preserved.