Herrscher Core Rejection Symptoms Alleviated

He instinctively said, "Instructor Elysia, go easy on me."

"Mm-hmm, getting cozy with your instructor isn't allowed."

"Then... Miss Elysia, super cute and dazzling as a flying flower, may I beg you to go a little easier on me?"

Elysia smiled brightly at the praise. "Mm, you have good taste. You pass. Next, Kevin."

Chen Ran had long known that Elysia basically did things according to her mood.

But he had not expected praising Elysia to work this well.

Of course, that also had something to do with Chen Ran's personality.

Within the Flame-Chaser, everyone yearned to grow stronger. People like Chen Ran were actually in the minority.

When Elysia called Kevin's name, she was still smiling sweetly.

Yet after waiting for quite a while, she still did not hear Kevin praise her.

"Oh my, looks like you're a big boy who doesn't know how to please girls. Then, training begins."

In the Flame-Chaser's special training ground, Elysia and Kevin stood facing each other.

Kevin held a heavy machine gun, a weapon every recruit had to master. Before gaining a certain foundation, every soldier's weapon was a gun.

He swiftly loaded the ammunition and fired at Elysia, but to his surprise, Elysia was faster than the bullets.

There were no Fusion Warriors in the Flame-Chaser yet, but some people were so monstrously abnormal that they hardly seemed human.

Chen Ran instinctively used his biological knowledge to calculate the muscle density needed for that instant burst of power, then looked at Elysia's figure...

As expected, anime logic obeyed neither reason nor science.

Kevin lost, just as expected.

According to a certain pink elf, losing was only natural for someone like Kevin, who did not know how to please girls.

Still, Kevin earned everyone's respect despite losing, because the rest of First Squad had also been defeated by Elysia.

As for Chen Ran, who had escaped disaster, he was naturally treated as an oddity.

In any military organization, avoiding combat would inevitably invite contempt.

Chen Ran did not care. He was a self-interested person; if he could avoid getting beaten up, then he would avoid it.

What concerned him more was the system prompt.

Based on the system's calculation of your consciousness capacity, the next optimal simulation time is 1 day later.

Clearly, not only had his second simulation lasted longer than the first, but its cooldown was also shorter.

According to the system, once he adapted to the early simulation scenarios, his mental resilience would improve—in other words, he would get used to it.

Some things hurt terribly the first time, hurt less the second time, and then became addictive.

As for how long he could simulate once he adapted, that remained unknown.

But the system had also said that ordinary people should not expect to last too long. To simulate longer, he needed other powers to strengthen his mind.

For example, the Fusion Warrior experiment.

That was also why No. 666 had directly chosen the Flame-Chaser while on autopilot.

So, he only needed to endure for one day.

Still, fully immersing himself in simulations was not advisable. Chen Ran knew that he lived in the real world, not in some virtual scenario.

"As long as I obtain the highest reward and survive this era of civilization, I'll have ample simulation time during the long fifty thousand years from this era to the next."

He did not expect to defeat Finality in this era.

He had thought that way at first, but clearly, this anti-Honkai weapon known as the system had its limits. This era was still too much for him.

So, if he had a chance to defeat Finality, he would do it. If not, lying low was fine too.

As long as he did not set goals that took too long to achieve, life would not be so painful.

His mind immediately felt lighter.

Besides that, he found the material reward given by the system.

It was a developed photograph.

In the photograph, Wendy sat in a wheelchair, smiling softly.

Chen Ran stared at the photograph and could not help feeling dazed.

"It feels so real. Isn't this just toying with my feelings?"

At the same time, at the First Research Institute.

Mobius's capable assistant, Blanca, was currently reviewing biological research materials.

The Flame-Chaser's soldiers had reported that the strength-enhancing drug developed by Mobius had obvious side effects. After medical examinations, although these soldiers had become stronger, their cells were dividing more actively, which could increase the chance of cellular mutations.

Simply put, it could cause cancer.

Mobius's response to the Flame-Chaser's feedback was simple: this was the highest level current biotechnology could achieve, and she did not want to keep wasting time in a field she already knew so well. Power came at a price. That was fair.

To Mobius, compared to pure biology, the unknown door containing Honkai interested her more.

Mobius's outright refusal left the Flame-Chaser representatives embarrassed.

In response, Blanca had no choice but to say to Mobius:

"Doctor, one of our research funding requests still hasn't been approved."

And so, Blanca was assigned this task.

Even though, after the Flame-Chaser people left, Mobius said, "Blanca, don't keep wasting time on such trivial matters. How could I not know the current limits of biology?"

"Just write a few papers and submit them, then tell those people above that it can't be done."

Clearly, efficiency came first for Mobius.

But Blanca obviously did not think so.

"Doctor, please give me some time to review the materials, then let me decide, all right?"

Blanca did not fear Mobius. Rather than superior and subordinate, the two were more like old friends.

Mobius did not stop her.

So, Blanca began searching through the Flame-Chaser intranet and the Mu Continent intranet for relevant cutting-edge papers.

Then, she found an anonymously published paper that had long since sunk into obscurity.

Blanca clicked into it without much expectation.

Several minutes later, she solemnly said to Mobius, "Doctor, I want to request authorization to investigate the anonymous author of a paper."

"I want to introduce you to a talented person."

Chapter 9: Herrscher Core Rejection Symptoms Alleviated

As soon as the cooldown ended, Chen Ran eagerly entered the simulation scenario.

It was not because he liked simulations, but because reality was too cold.

After finishing his sparring session with Elysia, he still had to face all sorts of training. The training had made him want to die more than once.

Becoming a qualified soldier was far too difficult.

Right now, it was only basic physical training and firearms training. Next, he would have to learn about all kinds of vehicles. It could be said that once someone became a Flame-Chaser soldier, training never ended.

So AI autopilot was a wonderful invention.

"Hopefully, I can last longer this time."

When he entered the simulation scenario again, Chen Ran found that he and Wendy were still at the seaside.

Just like reloading a save file in a game, Wendy did not know what had happened to Chen Ran.

Chen Ran also reined in his emotions at the right moments, doing his best not to let her notice anything unusual.

The two did not go near the water. Instead, they wandered along the beach by the road. More tourists had begun arriving in this season, and naturally, they noticed Wendy in her wheelchair.

Some showed sympathy, while others were indifferent.

Wendy did not care about other people's gazes. She simply entertained herself, watching the crabs on the beach move from one hole to another.

The blazing summer sun made her body feel somewhat overheated. At that moment, she heard Chen Ran behind her seemingly applying something.

She turned and looked back, only to see that Chen Ran had somehow taken out a tube of sunscreen.

"Don't look at me like that. It's Aloe Vera Gel. The ultraviolet rays by the sea are too strong, so we need some sun protection." Chen Ran blinked. "Want me to put some on you?"

"Sure."

Wendy did not refuse.

Instead, Chen Ran hesitated.

Wendy was young, but her figure had already begun to develop, making him feel rather guilty.

He had always been glib and had a cheap mouth.

But still...

"What is it?" Wendy's eyes fell on Chen Ran's face. "Is there a problem?"

What she had actually meant was for him to give her the sunscreen so she could apply it herself.

"Ah, no, there's no problem."

Chen Ran squeezed the sunscreen into his palm, then slowly spread it across Wendy's face, applying it evenly.

The girl's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she instinctively wanted to tilt her head away.

But she restrained herself, then closed her eyes.

She barely noticed the coolness brought by the Aloe Vera Gel, because her cheeks were filled with the scorching warmth of his palm.

And after Wendy closed her eyes, she naturally did not see the temperature of Chen Ran's forehead rapidly rising.

What do I do? I actually did something like this?

She'll hate me, won't she? Despise me, won't she? Look down on me, won't she?

Officer, please listen to my excuse... no, explanation.

Wendy's face is really so smooth and tender, soft and fragrant~

For a moment, Chen Ran's thoughts drifted everywhere.

Until Wendy could no longer bear it. "Hey, how long have you been applying that?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry."

He hurriedly bowed in apology, all in one smooth motion.

Wendy was both annoyed and amused. Then she said helplessly, "Forget it, forget it. I won't hold it against you."

"Let's go back."

"Don't. We've already put on sunscreen." Chen Ran did not want to go back so quickly.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Can't I go back if I want to?"

Chen Ran had not considered at all the physical inconveniences faced by a disabled person.

Faced with Wendy's request, Chen Ran could only obediently comply.

After returning to the Oceanic Branch, Chen Ran first took Wendy for a physical examination.