Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 33: Work Hard! The Not-So-Serious Alchemist
[You live alone in a pitch-black basement.]

[You do not need to worry about food, as there is a large stockpile here, including compressed biscuits, rice, pasta, dried goods, canned food, and dehydrated vegetables and fruits.]

[For drinking water, besides a purification device, there is also a large supply of unopened bottled water. The only fly in the ointment is the energy supply.]

[You can only rely on faint candlelight to study the piles of genetic research data.]

[By the time the red rain arrived, you still hadn’t fully grasped this knowledge and had developed mild vision problems.]

[Of course, you did not come away empty-handed.]

[Through this period of diligent effort, you have learned the manufacturing process for Gene Potions and the required materials. One of the most important raw materials is, surprisingly, the Energy Crystal.]

[As a high-grade energy source, Energy Crystals are widely used in high-tech fields, such as spacecraft, aircraft, laser weapons, electromagnetic weapons, exoskeletons, and large-scale Mechanical Battle Armor.]

[Beyond that, the primary use for Energy Crystals is as a crucial raw material for crafting ordinary Gene Potions.]

[Gene Potions can be used to repair human genetic defects, transforming people into more powerful Genetic Warriors. This has led to a scarcity of Energy Crystals.]

[Among the piles of data, you also discovered some information about Genetic Warriors.]

[Genetic Warriors are divided into three stages. The first stage involves consuming basic Gene Potions until one’s physical fitness reaches its current peak. This stage is categorized into levels one, two, and three.]

[The second stage, upon reaching the pinnacle of physical fitness, is also known as the peak of a Tier Three Genetic Warrior.]

[Genetic Warriors at this level can choose their future evolutionary path based on their innate talents, becoming either a Genetic Enhancer or a Genetic Empowerer.]

[Genetic Enhancers follow the traditional route of advancement, continuing to strengthen their physical attributes with high-level Gene Potions.]

[Genetic Empowerers, on the other hand, emerge when the body reaches its absolute limit. They undergo a transformation from a quantitative to a qualitative change, which triggers a mutation in their Spiritual Power. This grants some of them extraordinary supernatural abilities, such as hydrokinesis, pyrokinesis, enhanced speed, and immense strength.]

”Hmm?” Seeing this, Chen Pingchuan pursed his lips, intrigued by the simulation’s information. ”The previous simulations mentioned these two types of people but never went into detail. Why is there such a detailed description this time?”

Chen Pingchuan was curious about the large amount of information the system provided. The system’s abnormality definitely has a reason. He guessed it was most likely due to divinity. After all, the God of Misfortune is also a god, right? The system is so powerful, it would make sense if it had intercepted a trace of the God of Misfortune’s divinity.

”Whatever. It’s to my advantage in the end. I’m finally not completely in the dark anymore.”

[After the red rain, you began to cautiously appear in the outer city. Due to the extreme weather, a large portion of the surveillance equipment was damaged, and various factions, like the city hall and security forces, had shifted their focus to the natural disaster.]

[You disguised yourself and carefully purchased supplies. You never bought a large amount at once, instead making purchases from multiple stores. In this way, over half a month, you acquired enough experimental materials—except for Energy Crystals.]

[Due to environmental and time constraints, your path of parasitism has been quite rocky this time. To date, your number of parasites remains zero.]

[Without the support of a parasitic force, you find it difficult to unleash the full power of your talents on a large scale.]

[After a full day of observation, you failed to find any opportunities. If you were to act rashly, you fear your true identity would be quickly exposed by the enemy.]

[You’re in a gloomy mood as you drive your second-hand cargo van back to the dilapidated cement plant.]

[Without Energy Crystals and with incomplete experimental equipment, you have no choice but to start by studying the formulation methods for a few basic potions.]

[You selected what appeared to be relatively simple potions to research: Satiation Potions, Beauty and Anti-Aging Potions, and Emotion-Contagion Potions.]

[The ingredients for the Satiation Potion are quite common. Aside from a few chemical catalysts, the primary material is food, of which you happen to have a large stockpile.]

[On the first day, you were full of energy and bursting with curiosity, as if you had opened the door to a dazzling new world.]

[On the second day, you felt somewhat deflated. Despite meticulously following the procedures recorded in the research materials, you still failed to successfully brew a single potion.]

[You were indignant. How could someone as magnificent as you be stumped by mere mortal wisdom? You continued to experiment day and night.]

[Aside from eating, drinking, and sleeping, you devoted all your energy to potion brewing.]

[Another week passed. In a fit of humiliated rage, you hurled the glass vial in your hand against the wall, cursing that the damned lab environment was the true culprit impeding your success.]

[Unwilling to accept defeat, you opened the basement passageway to the outside world. Having not been out for a breather in ages, your eyes stung from the piercingly bright light.]

[Even so, you were joyful, feeling that you were just one step away from success.]

[Another week went by. You sealed the passage to the outside world again, deciding the light from outside wasn’t ideal either—it was too bright and not conducive to concentration.]

[A month later, you were driven mad by constant failure.]

”Hahaha... I’m going to die laughing.”

Seeing his simulated self thwarted once again, Chen Pingchuan laughed until his sides hurt. In theory, seeing his simulated counterpart suffer setbacks should have made him nervous and worried. But reality was the complete opposite.

Chen Pingchuan realized that the simulated version of himself and his real self were not the same person—or more accurately, they didn’t have the same personality. His real self was more like a living, breathing person. It sounded redundant to say it, but it was an exceptionally fitting description. In contrast, his simulated self was clearly a psychopath who often regarded himself as a god, always looking down on the masses with an air of superiority. That in itself wouldn’t be a problem, but his abilities didn’t allow for such arrogance. He was clearly cannon fodder with a combat power of five... no, a combat power of ten! Yet he insisted on putting on an air of ’I’m the best, you’re all trash,’ a stance his actual abilities couldn’t support. If it weren’t for the last simulation where he obtained a purple-grade talent and eventually grew into the giant King of Black Magic, Chen Pingchuan had yet to see him accomplish any impressive feats.

[You felt fate mocking you. Defiantly, you redoubled your efforts, no longer confining yourself to traditional research methods and beginning to innovate.]

[Three days later, you successfully developed your first custom potion—a mutated Satiation Potion.]

[Gazing at the nameless, purpose-unknown green liquid before you, you marveled at your own genius. Truly, you were an incarnation of a Divine Spirit; with just a little effort, you were peerless.]

[A sudden voice echoed from above your head.]

[Little fella, I finally found you. So this is where you’ve been hiding!]