Chapter 2: Gold Draw, Keep Testing the Weak Spot!

He closed early, and Su Ze pulled down the shop’s shutter.

He switched off the unnecessary lights, refilled his mug with hot tea, returned behind the counter, and sat down again.

By now he more or less understood how to use the “simulator”…

Whether he could preserve his life after doomsday, or even do whatever he pleased, all depended on the simulator’s rewards.

Even so,…

The intel he had obtained in that very first simulation was far too scant.

Su Ze had only roughly discerned that this apocalypse was not the run-of-the-mill zombie outbreak.

But any further details remained unknown.

After all, his simulated self had survived only a few brief days.

Therefore he still had no idea which reward he ought to choose.

Of course, the reward from just now could definitely be ignored…

It was absolute garbage.

“If you refuse a reward, the cooldown is 10 minutes…”

“If you take one, the cooldown is 20 hours.”

Rubbing his chin, Su Ze did a quick bit of math.

At most, he could obtain eight simulation rewards before doomsday arrived.

But that scenario was far too ideal.

Realistically, if he got seven decent rewards he should already be content.

After all, the normal simulation cooldown could not be ignored either…

In any case, he first had to identify the apocalypse’s real menace before he could plan ahead.

He patiently waited out the simulator’s cooldown.

Soon.

The very second the cooldown ended, Su Ze started another simulation.

『Apocalypse simulation activated, loading…』

『You may choose one of the following three Talents as your innate Talent for this simulation!』

『Animal Ambassador (green): You can understand some canine vocalizations and command a few dogs to carry out your orders; their loyalty is no issue, as they are more reliable than your human companions.』

『Near-Max Poison Resistance (blue): Your body is strengthened; you are 100% immune to all viruses and bacteria known to humankind, highly likely to resist unknown ones, and have a small chance of becoming stronger because of them.』

『Built-in Canteen (white): Your survival ability improves; like a cactus, you almost never need water, but remember, it is only “almost”.』

The best Talent on offer was still only blue…

Yet judging by the description it seemed decent; outstanding poison resistance was probably indispensable in the apocalypse…

『Innate Talent ‘Near-Max Poison Resistance (blue)’ selected.』

『Simulation start…』

『Day 1: The sun no longer rose, a blood moon hung high, and although the authorities released news at once, the city still sank into panic; you hid in your high-rise single building and quietly watched events unfold…』

『Day 2: The temperature plummeted and panic intensified; you heard that someone died fighting over supplies and there were even more terrifying rumors, but you could not tell truth from fiction.』

『Day 3: The young married woman downstairs brought you supplies and tried to seek emotional comfort from you… You sternly refused, but after thinking it over you decided to test your weak spot and put your Poison Resistance Talent to the test.』

『You and her had intercourse.』

『Day 4: First the power went out, soon the water stopped, you inexplicably developed a fever and suffered intensely, and before losing consciousness you found your eyes blood-red.』

『Day 5: Your consciousness was fuzzy…』

『Day 6: Your consciousness was fuzzy… you died.』

So this Poison Resistance Talent… wasn’t that great either!

There was hardly any difference from the first simulation…

He just did not know whether his resistance had failed or that woman’s crotch was too toxic.

Or perhaps…

It was not a virus at all.

“No, the intel is still too little…”

While he was pondering, the simulation rewards appeared.

『Simulation Assessment: A brief struggle for survival, but commendable courage.』

『Please choose one reward from the following three options:』

『1. Near-Max Poison Resistance (blue)』

『2. Built-in Canteen (white)』

『3. Customized Baseball Bat』

He ignored this round of rewards altogether.

Su Ze tried to summarize what he had learned while patiently waiting through the 10-minute cooldown.

Not long after, Su Ze started a new simulation…

『Apocalypse simulation activated…』

『You may choose one of the following three Talents as your innate Talent for this simulation!』

『Incubus Bloodline (green): Your Charisma increases dramatically, but after the world’s upheaval you must wield it carefully because being too handsome invites envy.』

『Wilderness Expert (white): You can calmly eat disgusting food and use instinct to determine whether some foods are poisonous.』

『Athlete (white): Your overall athletic ability improves to a certain extent.』

Tsk…

Still three piles of crap.

Holding his nose, Su Ze once again picked the tallest dwarf.

『Innate Talent ‘Incubus Talent (green)’ selected.』

『Simulation start…』

『Day 1: The sun vanished; you hid in the high-rise single building and watched quietly.』

『Day 2: The temperature dropped sharply as though the world had entered an ice age; you scoured the net for information and countless horrifying stories surfaced, such as a haunted residential compound whose entire building died in their sleep last night, but you did not know if it was true.』

『Day 3: Panic spread and pedestrians were nowhere to be seen; not only your city but the whole world had ground to a halt; the married woman downstairs came to see you, and you drove her away with a harsh voice.』

『Day 4: Power and water were cut; pillars of fire shot up in more than one part of the city and the situation seemed completely out of control; countless people died inexplicably; the married woman downstairs found you again… you noticed her eyes were blood-red, as though she had lost her sanity.』

『You decisively shot her dead and dumped the body from the high-rise.』

“A gun?”

Tsk, looks like he had found a way to acquire weapons.

Moreover, his simulated self still chose to fight that seductive woman head-on instead of relocating to a new safe house because of her presence…

Such a choice was understandable.

After all, his knowledge of the apocalypse was still limited.

Rather than switching to a new safe house, it was better to address the known danger…

『Day 5: You were not the least bit worried about the consequences of killing and dumping a corpse, because such things were everywhere now; you continued to hide at home and watch.』

『Day 6: You heard that the military had suffered setbacks; a large number of red-eyed patients appeared in your neighborhood, shambling like the walking dead with nothing left in their heads but desire and violence…』

『Day 7: Your residence suddenly became everyone’s target; you were forced to kill more than 30 red-eyed patients and felt exhausted.』

『Day 8: You had a nightmare in which a strange keyword appeared… Contaminated Zone.』

『When you woke, you noticed your eyes were blood-red in the mirror; you decisively went out to seek a path to survival… you collapsed at the neighborhood gate, your mind hazy… you were attacked, and you died.』

『Simulation Assessment: A brief struggle for survival, but decisive actions.』

『Please choose one reward from the following three options:』

『1. Incubus Bloodline (green)』

『2. Wilderness Expert (white)』

『3. Athlete (white)』

Although he had lived two days longer than in the previous two simulations, the reward options still stank…

Su Ze ignored them outright.

While waiting for the cooldown, he tried to mull over the useful information from the last simulation.

“Red-eyed patients… could they be a different kind of zombie?”

“Even the army is struggling, so it must be more than that.”

“Contaminated Zone? What’s that… does it mean there are safe zones versus contaminated zones?”

With so little information, he still could not draw many accurate conclusions.

Only one thing was certain to Su Ze…

Stay away from the married woman, cherish your life.

『Apocalypse simulation activated…』

『You may choose one of the following three Talents as your innate Talent for this simulation!』

『Fallen Benefaction (gold): …』

Oh…

A gold one popped!

Su Ze straightened his back and stared intently…