CHAPTER 102: CHAPTER 99: SIMULATION! REAL COMBAT MISSION DRILL

"Have you realized you’re in a simulated state?"

Chen Pingchuan looked at the words on the simulator, his face a mask of amazement. He clearly recognized that with the return of his ’anger’ trait, even the simulated version of himself was growing more intelligent.

For Chen Pingchuan, restoring his physical body in the real world was currently the most important thing. Only when reality and the simulation were in sync could he perfectly replicate his actions in the simulation and receive the corresponding rewards. Otherwise, the disparity in strength could easily lead to him lacking the necessary ability, causing an unfortunate mishap where the results changed unexpectedly.

For example, if I escaped the City of No Night now, even if I managed to board a Holy Spirit Sect aircraft, would my current strength be enough to successfully ambush the crew? The answer is obvious. I’d probably be pinned to the ground and beaten to a pulp.

Thinking of this, Chen Pingchuan focused his attention on the information displayed on the simulator.

[You found the little girl hiding at the front desk again and pulled out one hundred thousand Federation Coins from your backpack. Moved by your casual generosity, she said you could take anything except her and her treasures.]

[You then took out four hundred thousand Federation Coins. The little girl’s expression changed, and she said you could take anything here except her *big* treasure.]

[Faced with the little girl’s stubbornness, you smiled faintly and took out another five hundred thousand Federation Coins. Blinded by the immense wealth before her, the little girl said she could leave with you.]

[You did not agree to the little girl’s unreasonable request. Under her astonished gaze, you turned to examine the martial arts manuals in the dojo.]

[Your hands were a blur. In just one day, you skimmed through all the manuals so eagerly sought by the people of old. You compiled a few techniques for yourself and named them Basic Body-Strengthening Arts.]

[Late at night, you returned to your temporary residence, somewhat fatigued. A full day of high-intensity mental work had left you mentally exhausted. The atmosphere at home was eerie; your fake parents and fake sister were all looking at you with strange expressions.]

[You were mentally prepared for their reactions, but you received an unexpected answer. They told you that your homeroom teacher, Fang Yuxin, had discovered your astonishing talent and wanted to give you one-on-one guidance.]

[Your fake sister Belia, confused by your confident and proud demeanor, indicated that she wanted to talk to you. You agreed; after all, you couldn’t beat her right now and saw no reason to make trouble for yourself.]

"That can’t be me. How could I be so despicable as to not even spare a little girl?" Chen Pingchuan immediately denied the simulation’s actions.

Then, as if he’d thought of something, he stroked the stubble on his chin. A boy’s hair really grows thick during puberty, he mused, before murmuring to himself, "No, her real age must be older than mine. Otherwise, she couldn’t possibly have the strength of a Seventh-level Grandmaster and hold the position of City Lord."

Chen Pingchuan had some understanding of how Genetic Warriors developed. Before the age of twenty, they generally focused on natural growth to build a solid foundation. As the saying goes, a tall building rises from the ground; the stronger the foundation, the faster one’s later upgrades. But even with the fastest possible advancement of one level per year, assuming a baseline of Level 2, Belia had to be at least twenty-six years old.

She’s five years older than me. They say a woman three years older is a golden treasure. What does that make a woman five years older? Pfft, pfft, what am I even thinking?

Chen Pingchuan began to suspect that his ’desire’ trait hadn’t been sealed at all but was merely hiding deep within his soul. Otherwise, why would his inner lecher occasionally stir?

After analyzing everything, Chen Pingchuan felt this simulation was going a bit too smoothly. He’d forgotten that it’s best not to tempt fate.

[You entered Belia’s room and brazenly occupied her bed, feeling its softness. Seeing the embarrassed and angry look on Belia’s face, your perverse sense of fun was satisfied. Akin to a human teasing an ant, you’ve come to enjoy toying with mortals.]

[Belia told you not to get too close to other girls—not even your homeroom teacher—because they all harbored ill intentions toward you. Glancing at the 5/10 progress on your ’Friend to Women’ trait, you smiled as if everything was under control.]

[The next day, you repeated the previous day’s routine, but this time you didn’t skip school. You realized that to gain more knowledge, you needed to raise your citizenship level.]

[However, without having a showdown with Belia, the only way to raise your citizenship level was by completing citizen tasks. Coincidentally, after the recent diagnostic test, the school organized a practical training exercise.]

[You were fortunate enough to be grouped with the Frost Goddess, Ye Luo. This pairing was decided entirely by your test scores; the school’s policy was that the top-ranked student had to help the bottom-ranked student improve.]

[Your classmates’ gazes shifted as they looked at you. They assumed you had known the system beforehand and intentionally bombed the test to get closer to the campus goddess. They were astonished by your cunning. Even the perpetually cold-faced Ye Luo looked at you with an ’I-knew-it’ expression, seemingly unsurprised by your capabilities.]

[The six-person team—consisting of you, Ye Luo, Feng Jiaqi, Liu Haofeng, and his two lackeys—was disjointed from the start, leading to a serious disagreement over which task to select. Expand task details?]

"Expand!"

Chen Pingchuan felt as though everything had returned to square one. The simulation’s information had reverted to a clickable menu. It was, without a doubt, a regression through time.

[Task 1: Collect Supplies. Teams can work together to explore unfamiliar territories in the outer district occupied by Black Demons, find useful items, and bring them back. The amount of honor points awarded is determined by the value of the items brought back, and the points will be distributed equally among all members. Time limit: Two weeks.]

[Task 2: Clear the Outer District. Team members must independently explore the outer district and successfully hunt ten Black Demons. Reward: 100 honor points per person. Time limit: One week.]

[Task 3: Rescue Survivors. Team members may act alone or in a group to bring back any uninfected people from the outer district. Reward: 500 honor points per person. Time limit: Two months.]

...

[Task 12: Clear the Energy Crystal Mine. Led by a fifth-level instructor, the team will travel to the Energy Crystal mine outside the outer district and assist miners with their work. Team members are only required to guard the miners as they work. Reward: 10 honor points per person. Time limit: One month.]

"Collapse!"

Chen Pingchuan didn’t bother reading the rest of the tasks. It wasn’t necessary. The moment he saw Task 12, he was absolutely certain which one his simulated self would choose.

That’s an Energy Crystal mine! If I can find its exact location, I won’t have to worry about simulation points for a long time. No... if the mine’s deposits are large enough, it would be like a great roc catching the wind, soaring ninety-thousand miles in a single flight!

"Woohoo!"

"Takeoff!"

In an instant, Chen Pingchuan felt his headache disappear. He was no longer tired or sore; his entire body surged with energy. He felt as if he’d taken a potent calcium supplement; even the dark night sky outside seemed to brighten.

Unfortunately, things rarely go as planned.