Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 3: Panic! The End is Coming
[You rushed to the cripple’s jail cell door, only to find that the cripple, who should have been standing on one leg, was crouching on both feet in a corner of the room.]

[Due to prolonged arrogance, you had become blind to others. You didn’t believe anyone in your territory could harm you, and certainly not this emaciated cripple who was always flattering you.]

[You entered the cell. The cripple was indeed the young man you recognized, but you noticed his condition was somewhat abnormal; his complexion was ashen, and his eyes were blood-red.]

[You wanted to report this to the warden but learned from the guards that the warden hadn’t visited the prison in three days.]

[At night, you were awakened by a rustling sound. You opened your eyes to find a pitch-black, humanoid creature before you. It had sharp claws, ghastly white teeth, scarlet eyes, and a forked tongue...]

[You were prepared for this. Although the creature looked terrifying, you recognized from the torn prison uniform on its body that it was your cellmate, the cripple. You exerted all your strength and successfully knocked it unconscious.]

[Its claws left a bloody gash on your right arm.]

[The commotion startled the sleeping inmates, who all crowded at the iron bars of their cells to watch.]

[Attracted by the noise, the guards came to investigate and found the creature lying on the ground. Shocked, they hurriedly transferred you to another cell.]

[The day after the attack, the prison suddenly became a hive of activity. A group of people in lab coats came and went, taking away not only the cripple who had turned into a monster but also a portion of the other inmates.]

[You were not among them.]

[With only half a month left until your release, you felt yourself growing increasingly weak and began to lose consciousness for brief periods. You suspected it was an infection from the wound.]

[As expected, you died that night. You were 20 years old!]

[This simulation has ended!]

[You may choose one of the following rewards for free. You can also consume Simulation Points to add more options.]

[Reward Options: Strength Doubled (Green) 20 points, α-Virus Antidote (small vial, single dose) 10 points, 0.1 increase to Strength attribute 2 points, 1,372 Federation Coins 1 point, Kung Fu (Showy Style) 1 point, Bamboo Flute 1 point, White Stockings 1 point...]

Chen Pingchuan stared at the cold text on the simulator, feeling both shocked and confused.

I’m going to die in a year?

And the α-Virus Antidote... without even having to think, he guessed it was the bottle of liquid Xia Qingxue had left for him. From this, he deduced that the red rain a year from now was an organized, premeditated event. That woman, Xia Qingxue, was no simple character.

Sitting at his desk, Chen Pingchuan wrote furiously, recording every key detail from the simulator in a notebook. The pen shook in his hand, but his mind raced without pause.

Since the first reward is free, the ’Strength Doubled’ talent is a must-pick. The α-Virus Antidote is a maybe... As for the ’Kung Fu (Showy Style)’ skill, who in their right mind would ever choose that?

”Select the Strength talent and Kung Fu (Showy Style).”

Chen Pingchuan made his choice quickly. He was curious how his life would unfold if he had never met Xia Qingxue.

His eyes glinted as he began muttering to himself, trying to lock in his intention.

This afternoon, I’m not going anywhere... wait, I’ll go anywhere... no, I am *not* going anywhere!

He started the second simulation.

”Enter simulation. Yes!”

[This simulation consumed 10 Simulation Points.]

[Remaining Simulation Points: 79]

[Remaining Simulations: 8]

[Simulation Begins]

[Host is already carrying the talent: Strength Doubled (Green)]

[Random talent selection in progress. Please choose the number of Simulation Points to invest: 0 points for a White talent, 10 points for a Green talent, 100 points for a Blue talent. All options have a chance to yield talents of a lower or higher grade.]

[You invested 10 Simulation Points. Selecting talent!]

[DING! Congratulations on obtaining the Green talent: Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence.]

[Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence]: Green Talent. A person with this talent can grow continuously as long as they work hard, quickly reaching their body’s physical limits!

The talent he received this time was somewhat unexpected. Chen Pingchuan could understand every word individually, but when put together, the meaning confused him. However, this wasn’t a major issue, so he continued the simulation.

[Having awakened your cheat ability, you were delighted and believed that from this day forward, you were a god.]

[After cleaning up and dressing smartly, you made a dashing entrance at the labor market. This time, you were extremely cautious. Despite spotting Xia Qingxue, you chose to observe her from the shadows.]

[You followed her to an apartment building and watched as she took a wad of cash from her bag to pay the movers.]

[For several days, you lingered near Xia Qingxue’s apartment and noticed she never once came downstairs.]

[A week later, she slipped out, agilely got into a taxi, and left the apartment.]

[Xia Qingxue was gone!]

[After waiting a month, you began to suspect she wouldn’t be coming back. There was nothing here for her to miss.]

[You didn’t remain idle while you waited. You had been training your body nonstop. Your strength had grown, and you felt like you could kill a bull with your bare hands.]

[You paid some of the nearby shopkeepers, pretending to be Xia Qingxue’s boyfriend. You told them you were having a lover’s quarrel and asked them to inform you the moment they had any news of her.]

[You found a martial arts dojo and spent all your savings to successfully become a disciple.]

[Half a month later, you became the master of the Zhen Nan Martial Arts Hall. You successfully attracted a group of students with your impressive-looking moves.]

[They had no idea that your success came not from flashy techniques but from your superhuman physical attributes and reaction speed, which allowed you to crush opponents far beyond your supposed skill level. All they saw was how cool you looked.]

[Three months later, you had successfully challenged and defeated every martial arts hall in the Spring City Outer District.]

[You gained immense fame in the Outer District. Because you defeated every challenger with such incredible speed, people respectfully called you The Fast Gun—The Madman!]

[Although you had made a name for yourself, you still had to give a cut to the Purple Bird Gang. After paying taxes to the Taxation Hall, your earnings shrank considerably. This stoked your fury. Just wait, you vowed to yourself, Once my skills are perfected, I will wash the Purple Bird Gang away in blood.]

[And so, you continued to train your body while secretly surveying and mapping out the layout of the Purple Bird Gang’s headquarters, planning your move.]

[Months later, the red rain arrived, right on schedule.]

[On the first night of the downpour, you used the storm for cover. Donning a black raincoat, you became a butcher in the rainy night as you massacred everyone in the Purple Bird Gang’s headquarters.]

[You obtained several vials of an unknown liquid, suspected to be a gene enhancer, along with over eight hundred thousand Federation Coins and various gold and silver jewelry.]

[You were ecstatic. Murder and arson really are the path to riches! This haul is insane!]

[Due to the chaos of the red rain, your ”heroic” act of wiping out the Purple Bird Gang wasn’t discovered by the Police Department until the third day. Their investigation turned up nothing; the rain had washed away all traces of what happened.]

[Three months after the red rain began, you started to exhibit symptoms of fever, uncontrollable rage, and bloodlust. You realized you were gradually losing control of your body.]

[In your sleep, you transformed into a black monster and went on endless killing sprees. You were immersed in this strange new pleasure, turning all of Spring City into your personal hunting ground.]

[Six months later, your consciousness completely vanished!]

[You died!]