Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 8: Ecstasy! Picking Up Money in a Sack
The moment the simulation text announced the impending red rain, Chen Pingchuan’s groggy mind snapped to attention. Whether I can confirm my suspicions all depends on this run.

[Three days later, the red rain arrived as expected.]

[On the first day of the storm, you adeptly donned a black raincoat and boots. You possessed an inexplicable familiarity with the Purple Bird Gang’s territory and, under the cover of night, transformed into the Rainy Night Butcher, slaughtering your way through their base.]

[You acquired eight vials of Gene Enhancement Potion, over 800,000 Federation Coins, and various pieces of gold and silver jewelry...]

[Your expression was cold as red rainwater slid off the edge of your hood.]

[As a veteran, you had reached a state of being unmoved by worldly gains or personal setbacks.]

[You returned to your dilapidated rental in the Outer District to sort through your gains. You consumed all eight vials of Gene Enhancement Potion in one go, feeling like an overinflated balloon that would burst with the slightest touch.]

[After a whole night of turmoil, you finally managed to tame this power, significantly enhancing your physical condition.]

A small smirk touched Chen Pingchuan’s lips as he exhaled. His speculation was confirmed.

The reason he hadn’t chosen the Gene Enhancement Potion option when the last simulation ended was precisely this: as long as the real-world timeline hadn’t reached the day of the cataclysm, he could endlessly farm the Purple Bird Gang instance under the cover of the red rain.

That’s right. Chen Pingchuan already considered the Purple Bird Gang, the top power in the Outer District, his personal pantry. He would freeload off them in every single simulation.

As anyone who’s lived long enough knows, freeloading for a bit is great, but freeloading forever is even better.

Chen Pingchuan suppressed his excitement and continued the simulation.

[On the second day of the storm, still unsatisfied after wiping out the Purple Bird Gang, you considered yourself the nemesis of crime and set your sights on Wang Mazi’s Second-hand Repair Shop.]

[Through some mysterious instinct, you were also intimately familiar with the layout of this second looting location.]

[Because you were carrying a black wooden case on your back, the guards on duty laughed hysterically when you burst in, mocking your attire and calling you a fool.]

[You were enraged, determined to make these punks taste your power.]

[You faced fierce resistance. Several burly men, whose physical conditions far surpassed ordinary people, surrounded and attacked you.]

[Looking at the sneering, hulking figures, you merely said, ”Trash with a power level of only five. Time to send you back to be reforged.”]

[After a fierce bout of hand-to-hand combat, you beat the burly men until they coughed up blood, the smiles wiped clean from their faces.]

[They stopped their reckless attacks and instead pulled out the firearms tucked into their waistbands.]

[While mocking them for fighting dirty, you feigned composure, frantically calculating whether your current physical state could withstand gunfire.]

[You verified your theory. Unstrapping the wooden case, you drew out the collection of blades, spears, and swords stored within, letting them experience the lethality of cold weapons from another world with their very lives.]

[You successfully looted Wang Mazi’s Second-hand Repair Shop.]

[You obtained 34 Energy Crystals (White), 33 vials of Gene Enhancement Potion, over 3,100,000 Federation Coins, and various weapons...]

[You mentally patted yourself on the back for your wisdom. The burlap sack you’d prepared beforehand finally came in handy. You plundered the shop, leaving five large words on the wall: Rainy Night Pig Butcher.]

Chen Pingchuan got out of bed and, with a light leap, took down a small metal box from the top of the wardrobe. Then, he picked up a chipped porcelain teapot from the wooden table.

Steaming water flowed from the thermos.

Violets—plants similar to the tea leaves of his past life—had been Chen Pingchuan’s most valuable possession before he acquired the simulator.

He inhaled the fresh fragrance released by the heated leaves and sighed in admiration. My simulated self is damn brave!

[Once the deed was done, you departed without a trace, your glory and name hidden. This time, instead of returning to the rental house, you leisurely drove your newly purchased second-hand pickup truck to the cement factory.]

[Inside the cement factory, Guo Yihang and Liu Yaofei were already waiting anxiously at the entrance. Your last-minute whim had delayed you by a full day. Seeing their expressions, you were moved, but your demeanor remained impassive.]

[You informed them that more severe weather was coming in the next few days, instructing them not to be careless and to use only the provisions previously stored on-site for all their needs.]

[The two were a bit puzzled by your words but nodded in agreement.]

[Just as you predicted, scorching heat and severe cold followed one another in the days to come.]

[The two looked at you with growing admiration!]

[Waiting for the cataclysmic changes was a bit dull, and the environment inside the cement factory left you with no desire to cultivate.]

[You invented a game called ”Poker” and frequently abused your superior grasp of the rules to trounce your underlings.]

[A few days later, you discovered Liu Yaofei could use algorithms to counter you. You sighed deeply.]

[Looks like my days of crushing noobs are over.]

[Citing the end of the disaster as an excuse, you claimed there was no more time to waste and forcibly ended the card games.]

[Half a month later, refugees began to arrive.]

[From the refugees, you learned two things.]

[First, on the third day of the red rain, before it even stopped, City Hall issued an emergency notice. A group of thieves of unknown origin had looted several key locations in the Outer District. A huge bounty of 100,000 Federation Coins was offered to anyone who could provide clues.]

[Second, due to massive crop failures and the widespread death of livestock, prices had soared. By the time these people fled the Outer District in search of a way to survive, the Federation Coin had long since been replaced by the more valuable gold.]

[Based on this situation, you immediately announced that Guo Yihang was promoted to Chief of Security for the cement factory, instructing him to select and train able-bodied men to maintain order.]

[Your number-two underling, Liu Yaofei, was deeply envious of the bond between you and Guo Yihang. Experiencing the authority of a leader for the first time, you awakened a stunning talent for delegating. You entrusted him with managing the daily life, schedules, and other trivial matters of the factory’s personnel.]

[Liu Yaofei, who had never felt valued before, now saw you as his god and swore to repay you in his own way.]

[While everyone else thought you had grand ambitions, you alone knew the truth. This is all just a test, anyway.]

[A few days before entering seclusion, you ordered Liu Yaofei to collect the now-worthless Federation Coins—cash only. Those with large amounts could trade them for food.]

[During your seclusion, you acquired a massive amount of cash.]

[One month later, the cement factory had been transformed into a small settlement. Various shops, including a small market, were beginning to take shape, and people came and went in a constant stream.]

[This scene of prosperity did not fool you, because the matter you had previously warned them about was now coming to a head.]

[You were not wrong. Several sick individuals had indeed appeared within the settlement. Guo Yihang strictly followed your instructions, isolating them one by one.]

[The reason your seclusion was interrupted now was that the first patient among those detained had completed a full-body mutation.]

[Pitch-black skin, razor-sharp claws, bone-white teeth, crimson eyes, a forked tongue...]

[The Black Demon. It has appeared!]