Chapter 9 Field Simulation_1

"Undying Cockroach: Minor injuries can heal on their own within ten seconds (I never realized I had a special constitution until one day I cut off a portion of my finger while chopping vegetables)."

The only blue quality Talent was of a supportive type.

"This Talent isn't bad either,"

Wang Ran was somewhat hesitant.

He had only two blank Talent slots and among "Super Long Reflex Arc", "Cultivation Master", and "Undying Cockroach", he could only keep two.

If only he could have a few more Talent slots.

"Are there any other milestone tasks?"

[Current milestone task: Save one hundred people, helping them survive in the apocalypse for at least ten days.]

A hundred survivors?

Wang Ran frowned, wondering where he would rescue a hundred people from; he couldn't even save Lin Ying who was right with him.

[If you achieve the second milestone,]

[you will not only gain two blank Talent slots and a legendary quality Talent, but the Portable Warehouse feature will also become available to you.]

Wang Ran paused for a second.

Is the Portable Warehouse similar to a dimensional pocket?

[The initial volume of the warehouse is one hundred cubic meters.]

[You can store and retrieve items at any time.]

Wang Ran's eyes lit up, thinking that having a Portable Warehouse would make his actions much more convenient in the apocalypse.

He needs to achieve the second milestone as soon as possible.

But where to start?

The only living people he knew of were the military personnel organizing the rescue mission, who were likely all killed after their attack on the strange flower.

If he could convince the military to abandon the idea of attacking the strange flower,

maybe he could achieve the second milestone.

But would the military believe him?

Wang Ran's gaze flickered, believing that if he could display extraordinary feats, such as splitting steel bars with his bare hands or physically enduring a missile strike, the military might consider his suggestions.

Perhaps he could achieve the second milestone in the next simulation.

[Please select the Talents you need.]

Wang Ran returned to his senses.

To convince the military, he had to choose the Talent for fooling people, "Cultivation Master"; the rest was choosing between "Super Long Reflex Arc" and "Undying Cockroach".

"I want 'Cultivation Master' and... 'Undying Cockroach'."

Wang Ran finally gave up "Super Long Reflex Arc".

Because he could train his tolerance for pain through self-healing, but he could not acquire the ability to self-heal through tolerating pain.

Plus, "Super Long Reflex Arc" wasn't painless,

it's just that it didn't hurt when being hit,

once the beating was over, the concentrated outburst might be worse than death.

He now had a total of eight Talents,

they were gold quality "Deity Descending" and "Time-Space Transposition One", blue quality "Black Night Magic One" and "Undying Cockroach", green quality "Me Too", "Disguise", and "Cultivation Master", along with the white quality "Unwilling to Die With Aggrieve".

"Space-Time Replacement is about to be upgraded."

The condition to upgrade Space-Time Replacement was to achieve ten achievements, and he had already accomplished nine. If all went well, one more simulation should do it.

"Start simulation."

"Set the starting point near the northern military camp."

Wang Ran decided to put Lin Ying aside for the time being,

to first achieve the second milestone and enhance his strength, and then go back to the basement to take Lin Ying with him once he became stronger.

[Simulation failure]

[The starting point is too far from your actual location.]

Wang Ran paused.

It seemed he had to be near the military camp to start the simulation.

"Where is the military camp again?"

Wang Ran checked Gaode Maps and found that he needed to take the subway and then a bus, which would take over two hours.

"That's quite far."

Wang Ran glanced at the time on his phone,

it was just a few minutes before eleven in the morning, and he would probably arrive after one in the afternoon if he left now.

He muttered to himself, "I'll skip lunch, move quickly, and hopefully, I can make it back for the cafeteria's dinner."

Saying that, he promptly started running.

Drip

Suddenly a drop of water fell from the ceiling of the corridor, landing right where Wang Ran had been standing.

...

"Pioneer Road, this is your stop, passengers disembarking please exit from the back door."

Wang Ran got off the bus.

The military camp was across the street, and the faces of the standing guards were clearly visible; he was close enough now.

Wang Ran was somewhat expectant,

This was the first time he had simulated outside of the basement.

[Start Simulation]

[On the first day, you stand outside the military camp waiting for the apocalypse to descend]

[Suddenly the ground shakes vehemently]

[A deep chasm opens beneath your feet]

[You leap with all your might and fortunately escape from danger]

Wang Ran's expression turns grave.

Compared to the uneventful basement, this place presents extreme danger from the start—luckily his agility points are high enough; otherwise, it would've been game over from the beginning.

[Many monsters emerge from the chasm]

Wang Ran's eyes widen in shock.

The first batch of monsters actually burrowed out from underground—have they always lived beneath the feet of humans?

What drove them to the surface?

[You pull up a roadside willow tree to use as a weapon and shield]

[The monsters shoot spikes at you]

[You dodge most of the spikes, but one pierces through your arm. The pain distracts you, leaving you unable to parry the monsters' assault.]

[You are chased down the street]

Wang Ran's heart races.

Just how many monsters have surged out of the chasm that they could chase him, with his double-A-rated strength and speed? He couldn't possibly fail to survive even a single day, only to be killed by a random spray of spikes... could he?

[Thanks to "Undying Cockroach," you recover from your injuries]

[You swing the willow tree, battling the monsters]

Wang Ran breathes a sigh of relief.

It seems he has the situation under control in the simulator.

[Sporadic gunfire echoes from the military camp]

[The gunfire quickly becomes more intense]

The army has responded,

Wang Ran immediately relaxes, trusting the military to clear out the nearby monsters. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the capacity to initiate the rescue operation ten days later.

He's almost safe.

[You kill some of the monsters besieging you]

[At dusk, soldiers tasked with establishing a fire support point here find you]

[The soldiers provide you with covering fire]

[You enter the military camp]

Wang Ran finally feels assured.

It was a narrow escape,

but he not only managed to navigate the perils of the apocalypse, he also made contact with the military.

[The military camp is riddled with horrific cracks]

[You see numerous bodies of monsters and humans. The surviving soldiers are clearing the battlefield amidst a tense atmosphere]

[In the eyes of these soldiers, you see bewilderment]

Wang Ran sighs.

His empathetic abilities are strong; he deeply feels for these soldiers and their plight.

Earthquakes, monsters, assaults...

The apocalypse was entirely unexpected,

and they could only watch helplessly as the comrades with whom they spent their days fell in pools of blood. After they fought valiantly and repelled the monsters, they found themselves cut off from the outside world.

No one knew what was to come.

[The soldiers who rescued you are intrigued by you. They ask how you managed to wield the willow tree like a "Golden Cudgel," and how you dodged the monsters' spikes]

["Brother, do you know martial arts?" they inquire]

[You claim to be a "Cultivation Master"]

[They believe you]

This Cultivation Master is not like the others.

[You request to see the camp leader]

Wang Ran becomes alert.

His purpose for being here is to persuade the army to cancel the rescue mission, which would otherwise lead to the annihilation of the entire force.

If he could convince the leadership to accept his advice, he stands a great chance of reaching his second milestone.

[The soldiers ask you to register detailed information]

[You complete the information registration]

[You're arranged to rest in the barracks]

[You learn that the bed assigned to you belonged to a valiant soldier]

[He has sacrificed himself]

[Right on the route you passed by upon your arrival]