Chapter 3: Ruthless and tight-lipped, I claim my first reward!

“Fallen Benefaction (gold): When someone dies near you, you gain 1 stack of restorative energy, including the removal of negative conditions; you can use it to heal yourself or others, and you can store up to 7 stacks.”

“Titan Bloodline (blue): Your Constitution improves across the board; killing a raging tiger bare-handed is no big deal for you.”

“Scarecrow (green): You can draw a little figure on paper to curse a target, giving them a chance to contract a disease once the ritual is complete.”

The golden Talent glowed brilliantly.

Su Ze could not tear his eyes away from it.

The other two Talents did not look completely useless either.

Yet they obviously paled beside the golden Talent.

He chose the golden Talent without a moment’s hesitation.

Before the simulation started, Su Ze tried to sketch out an apocalypse plan in his mind.

He also wanted to challenge that young married woman one more time.

“Innate Talent ‘Fallen Benefaction (gold)’ selected.”

“Simulation start…”

“Day 1: The apocalypse arrived on schedule; you hid in your high-rise single building and gathered information online, and you soon became certain that the sun had truly vanished and the sky over humankind had been swallowed by something mysterious.”

“Day 2: You kept collecting intel but gained little.”

“Day 3: The young married woman downstairs tried to trade supplies for intimacy… you beat her to death with a club.”

“That night you tried to use Fallen Benefaction to revive her, but you failed; you cannot resurrect someone who has been dead for long.”

“Day 4: While chaos erupted in the compound, you disposed of the corpse; by afternoon, power and water were cut.”

“Day 5: You tried to heal a red-eyed patient and succeeded, and the energy you spent was quickly replenished.”

You knew someone else must have died in a corner of the complex.

“Day 6: Large numbers of red-eyed patients appeared in the neighborhood; since they were sensitive to sound and light, you kept quiet.”

“Day 7: They found you; you dealt with them calmly and killed dozens of crazed patients.”

“Day 8: After resting, you went on the offensive, searching the area for uninfected people, and you killed many more dangerous red-eyed patients that day.”

“Day 9: You had a nightmare, and when you woke your stored Talent energy had dropped by one layer, but you were otherwise fine.”

That night you went on a killing spree.

“Day 10: You massacred wildly; no living beings remained in the compound, but your reserve ammunition was almost gone.”

Had he just slaughtered an entire residential complex?

Hmm…

With firearms in hand, taking down crazed patients who relied solely on brute force was not that surprising.

After all, he was familiar with guns, thanks to the experience of living two lifetimes.

Besides, compared with those maniacs, the real threat should still be that mysterious red-eye condition.

Fortunately, his golden Talent had done its job.

Even without his awareness, it still removed and cured negative conditions.

“As expected of a golden Talent; it’s way better than that poison resistance.”

Su Ze muttered softly in admiration.

“Day 11: You scouted the surroundings; other nearby neighborhoods also had red-eyed patients, but you chose to ignore them to avoid trouble.”

“Day 12: You noticed that many red-eyed patients outside the compound collapsed from exhaustion and died; you were glad you did not have to deal with the bodies, for those who died of the illness dissolved into dust on the wind within half a day.”

“Day 13: You had a nightmare; upon waking, 1 stack of healing energy was gone.”

“Day 14: You had a nightmare; upon waking, another stack was gone.”

“Day 15: After yet another nightmare you realized the compound was unsafe, and you learned that a community 4 km away was a Safe Zone.”

“Day 16: You headed for the Safe Zone and faced danger several times on the way; a mutant husky nearly chewed off your bumper, but you cut through a drainage ditch at speed and shook it off.”

“Day 17: You reached the new neighborhood, which had gathered many refugees; food was scarce but order was good, and you soon heard something astonishing…”

The people here called the zone’s managers “Awakeners.”

“Day 18: You adapted to the new environment and learned new terms… Safe Zone, Contaminated Zone, and Awakeners.”

Safe Zone, Contaminated Zone… and Awakeners…

With ample information, Su Ze could not help but ponder.

It seemed that the biggest survival threat in this apocalypse was something mysterious.

Calling it “the uncanny” might be appropriate.

“Day 19: Food grew scarcer, but Awakeners went out to forage; you watched them in action and their agility was almost unreal.”

“Day 20: New Awakeners emerged in your Safe Zone, and you learned that a Contaminated Zone forms because of a pollution source.”

“Day 21: The harsh conditions of the Safe Zone made you miss your old safe house terribly.”

“Day 22: You re-filled your healing energy to 7 stacks and heard a rumored method to become an Awakener, though you were unsure it was real…”

You decided to take the gamble, left the Safe Zone, and returned to your former compound.

“Day 23: You rested in the safe house all day; after falling asleep you had another nightmare, losing 1 stack of healing energy.”

“Day 24: You searched inside and outside the compound and seemed to find the pollution source; that night you indeed had no more nightmares.”

“Day 25: You worried over why you still had not awakened…”

“Day 26: In your sleep you found yourself in a strange space where terrifying hounds hunted you; you fought desperately…”

“You exhausted all 7 stacks of healing energy and died. ”

He had survived for 26 days… yet in the end he still died at the same old place.

Though none of the simulations had spelled out the compound’s name,

Su Ze could roughly guess where it was.

After all, only a handful of high-rise single buildings in the city suited an end-times safe house.

“I did my best…”

“Without that golden Talent, who knows how many times I would have died there…”

“Besides, I only went back in order to become an Awakener, so the death was not in vain; now the question is… what exactly is an Awakener?”

While thoughts raced through Su Ze’s mind, the simulator kept running.

“Simulation Assessment: The meaning of life lies not in its length but in its breadth.”

“Please choose one reward from the following three options:”

“1. A sheet of paper that records the process of becoming an Awakener”

“2. Scarecrow (green)”

“3. Fallen Benefaction (gold)”

Good… the reward list had not omitted the thing he wanted most.

Although option 1 did pique Su Ze’s curiosity, it still lagged far behind the golden Talent.

He still did not know the drop rate for golden Talents; what if it was low or his luck failed him later…

In short, missing one of the few golden Talents would be a huge loss.

“Ding!”

“You have chosen the simulation reward… Fallen Benefaction (gold)…”