The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

"Level 2 Trial Participant, Combat Strength Assessment... 21 points." Li Shichu mentally read the number displayed on the device, a slight smile playing on his lips. "With that gun, it's barely over 30 points. In our guild, this level is just average for a regular member. The only thing to watch out for is the weapon."

Then he aimed the instrument at Su Mu.

Su Mu felt something sweep over his body. It wasn't a gaze, nor a murderous aura, but a more subtle feeling, as if he were being "read" by something.

His skin tightened slightly, and an instinctive sense of alertness rose from the base of his spine... Someone was probing him.

He looked up at the instrument in Li Shichu's hand.

Just one glance.

A burst of white light suddenly flashed from Li Shichu's glasses, as if someone had lit a flashbang in front of him.

He screamed, covered his eyes with both hands, and the instrument fell from his hands, crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.

"Ah...! My eyes!" Li Shichu squatted on the ground, covering his face tightly with his hands, tears streaming through his fingers. His four teammates were startled by this sudden turn of events. Some went to help him up, some drew their weapons and aimed them at Su Mu, and some instinctively took two steps back.

"Captain! What's wrong?!"

"He...he didn't do anything!"

Li Shichu's teammates were in complete chaos. Su Mu stood motionless, his spear hanging at his side, watching Li Shichu squatting on the ground with a blank expression.

A few seconds later, Li Shichu's vision slowly returned. He blinked; his eyes were red and swollen, as if they had been smoked. He looked up at Su Mu, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"You...you..." His voice trembled slightly.

He had no idea what had just happened. He had used that detector dozens of times without ever malfunctioning. When detecting others, the other person would at most feel a slight discomfort, but no one had ever been able to "retaliate."

Just now... he clearly felt a strong white light erupt from Su Mu's body, which directly pierced through the lens of the detector and burned his eyes.

Is it his talent? Or does he have some kind of special equipment?

Li Shichu dared not think any further. He struggled to his feet, took two steps back, and stood with his teammates. He glanced at the detector on the ground... the lens was shattered, the outer casing was cracked, and the internal parts were scattered all over the ground. This equipment, which had been acquired at great cost, was now useless.

But he dared not pursue the matter.

Although he couldn't detect Su Mu's exact level, he at least figured out two things: First, these two people were level two trial participants... at least the woman was level two, and the man was probably around the same level.

Secondly, the man possesses some kind of counter-detection capability or equipment, and he is not someone to be trifled with.

In addition, that woman had a gun.

Li Shichu gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Let's go," he said in a low voice, turning and walking towards the cave.

"Captain, are we just leaving like this?" a teammate asked unwillingly.

"I said let's go!" Li Shichu's voice rose a few octaves, without turning around.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, then followed Li Shichu back into the underground cave. A rustling sound came from the small, one-meter-square pit, then gradually fell silent... They dug their way out underground.

Su Mu looked at the hole in the ground, lost in thought.

Digging tunnels. This must be some kind of talent or professional skill. The ability to quickly dig a tunnel under concrete is extremely useful in the apocalypse... it can be used for reconnaissance, retreat, raids, and transportation.

He crouched down, picked up the fragments of the detector that Li Shichu had left behind, and examined them. The lens was broken, and the outer casing was cracked, but the internal parts were still relatively intact. He couldn't recognize the material of these things... it wasn't plastic, it wasn't metal, but a translucent, resin-like substance that felt warm to the touch.

Did this drop from a monster? Or can someone make it?

Su Mu put the fragments into his backpack. This was the first time he had ever seen something like this; he would keep them for later study.

This also reminded him of something... the variety of equipment in this world was far greater than he had imagined. Detection-level items, forced contract items, the talent for burrowing... He had previously thought he was ahead of everyone else, but now it seemed that other cables and other forces were also developing rapidly in different ways.

He stood up and continued walking forward.

Lin Xiaohe followed, keeping her distance, but a little closer than before... about seven or eight meters. She glanced at the hole in the ground, then at Su Mu, her lips moved, but she ultimately didn't ask anything.

Su Mu did not offer an explanation.

As he walked, he mentally reviewed what had just happened.

The Salvation Guild. Over six hundred members. Forced contracts. This was a completely different organizational model from the Talented Individuals Guild he had encountered before. The Talented Individuals Guild only accepted talented individuals, following an elite route, and looked down on ordinary people.

Zhou Zhenguo's approach was to follow the mass line, encouraging ordinary people to band together for mutual support, without much coercion. But this Salvation Guild was different... They bound people to contracts, forced them to hand over supplies, and exploited their members through a system of institutionalized means.

Such an organization can be extremely dangerous if it grows large.

Su Mu recalled Li Shichu's attitude earlier. At first, he was arrogant and thought the two of them were nothing special.

After detecting that Lin Xiaohe was at level two, his attitude softened slightly, but he still felt he could handle her. It wasn't until the detector backfired and his eyes were burned that he began to fear and decisively retreated.

This person isn't stupid. He knows when to advance and when to retreat.

A not-so-stupid person, serving as a squad leader in an organization of six hundred people... the leader of that organization is probably more troublesome than him.

However, this is none of his business.

Su Mu banished these thoughts from his mind and quickened his pace.

......

After walking for about ten more minutes, the scenery ahead suddenly opened up.

The streets converge here into a huge square, the ground paved with gray tiles, with a tall monument in the center bearing the four large characters "Anhan Square".

The square is flanked by shopping malls and office buildings, their glass curtain walls gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Su Mu stopped in his tracks, and his regional perception ability automatically activated in his mind.

[Ash City - Anhan Square Area]

Monster Level: Lv1-Lv10

[Estimated Quantity: Moderate]

[Danger Level: High]