B+ Rating

In the rented apartment, on the single bed.

Zhou Ming opened his eyes, sat for a while, and after clearing the excess memories from his mind, opened the Game Panel.

Mission Map: "Lord's Dispute"

Game Status: Ended

Assets: 268301 (You owned 6 castles, 32 private manors, 482 workshops and shops, thousands of servants, and millions in gold, silver, and treasures)

Status: 279 (You controlled the fate of hundreds of thousands in a kingdom. Your every action drew attention *500)

Reputation: 589620 (You were welcomed by the people and beloved by soldiers, cursed and reviled by your enemies, and earned titles such as "Thief Protector," "Conspirator," and "Invincible Military God")

Partner: 1 (You had a wonderful marriage, but your premature death left her to grow old alone +120 Achievement Points)

Descendants: 8 (You left behind a somewhat sparse bloodline, but your outstanding descendants would ensure your family crest endured *10)

Lifespan: 46 (Your lifespan exceeded that of 62% of people. You did not die in the prime of life, yet Heaven still did not grant you many years)

Achievements Earned: 997667

Game Rating: B+ (You rose from the bottom, endured countless hardships, and struggled with all your strength. You abandoned your conscience and stopped at nothing, yet you also forged a dynasty and laid a solid foundation. You were an indelible legend, as well as a dazzling meteor streaking across the sky)

Highest Achievement: 997667 (Reach 1000000 Achievement Points to unlock the next stage)

Total Achievement Points: 998201

"B+ rating, 997,000 Achievement Points... I was only a little over 2,000 points away from an A rating!"

Zhou Ming scratched his head in frustration. Whether it was gaming, exams, competitions, or anything else, this was the situation he feared most—always falling just a tiny bit short of the goal he had hoped to reach.

"If only I could've lived two more years in that game. I died at forty-six... If only I'd held back that time and hadn't been so impulsive..."

Zhou Ming recalled many things that had happened during that game, every choice he had made at each critical turning point. In particular, he often thought about that sparring match at the Training Ground. If he had endured just a little longer that time, would there have been a turning point? Could he have found a way to escape that disaster without puncturing his right lung?

He made all kinds of assumptions and asked the system, but even it could not determine what events, with what probabilities, his different choices at that moment might have led to—or whether there could have been a better outcome.

But...

Whether he had died on the spot or been lucky enough to survive, that mutual-kill sword strike had ultimately taken more than ten years off his life and had a huge negative impact on the game character's condition in the later stages.

"Before the strong, no matter what choices the weak make, all that awaits them is an unknown fate! In the next game, no matter what, I have to become strong! Strong enough to control my own fate and the fate of others!"

Zhou Ming finally understood. Only the strong could control fate, rather than be controlled by it.

What a painful realization.

Actually, before entering this game, Zhou Ming had considered buying a character card like Son of Landlord's Butler or Lord Steward's Son from the system store. The exchange requirement was not particularly high—just 5,000 Achievement Points. At most, he would only need to run the "Zhang Ergou" instance twice.

Back then, he had simply been too impatient to wait another five or six days. He had thought the default character assigned by the system could not possibly be that miserable, but he had not expected to be so thoroughly screwed over by the system.

The system seemed quite innocent as it explained, "The default characters provided by the system generally reflect the living conditions of more than 80% of the population on the game map. Assigning the host a farmer character merely gives the host a common starting point. This also accords with the theory of probability for soul reincarnation."

"Does that mean I don't have to use the default game character? Is there a random reincarnation mode?" Zhou Ming's eyes lit up as he asked.

"Well, if the host chooses random reincarnation, you will need to purchase a Random Character Card."

A Random Character Card?

Zhou Ming hurried to the system store and looked through it. Sure enough, in an inconspicuous corner, he found a Random Character Card. After using it, there was a chance of reincarnating as any game character.

But it cost 100,000 Achievement Points...

"System, come out. I promise I won't beat you to death."

Instead of buying this useless piece of junk, he might as well buy the Baron's Eldest Son character card for the same 100,000 Achievement Points. It guaranteed a good birth, which was infinitely better than gambling blindly on this pathetic Random Character Card.

Still, despite all the regrets and unwillingness he had been left with, Zhou Ming had gained quite a lot from this run of "Lord's Dispute." The more than 997,000 Achievement Points alone were more than he could earn from grinding "Zhang Ergou" for an entire year. With so many Achievement Points in hand, whether he exchanged them for character cards or bought some Skills cards, he could greatly lower the game's difficulty. Clearing the next run directly should not be much of a problem.

He knew the next game would be much easier, but for some reason, Zhou Ming also felt a sense of loss in his heart.

Or perhaps he had vaguely come to a realization.

"A person's birth really does determine many things. It's like the plants that grow in barren soil and fertile soil. Those born into higher circumstances are like fruit trees in rich earth, easily growing lush and flourishing; those born into lower circumstances are like weeds in barren land, easily buried and forgotten in the wilderness..."

"But..."

"Can it really be generalized like that? Can all those born at the bottom simply be dismissed and condemned outright?"

Zhou Ming shook his head. If that were truly the case, then the vast majority of people living at the bottom would have no need to hold dreams or hopes. They would only need to wait for charity from those above them.

But reality was often not like that. Whenever an era underwent turbulent changes, those extraordinary figures who led the currents of their times and achieved countless great feats often had very humble beginnings. Some had even come directly from the bottom.

Take several of the founding great men of this world. Most had been born to farmers or small landowners. Without any cheats, how had they managed to accomplish earth-shaking feats that countless nobles of imperial blood could never achieve?

Zhou Ming did not dare compare himself to such great men. He was not even worthy of one of their fingers. He was simply an ordinary person.

But...

Great men always possessed many extraordinary qualities worth learning from and drawing upon. He did not dare claim that he could accomplish in the various instances of The Sims what only great men could accomplish. That was unlikely, and there was no basis for comparison.

But rather than abandon his conscience and morality and stop at nothing to achieve his goals, he still hoped that, while holding to certain bottom lines, he could preserve whatever small measure of kindness might still remain within him.

He did not want this game to turn him into a complete villain.

"Once I clear the 'Lord's Dispute' instance, I'll go to the library and read some books. Maybe one day in the future, I'll play Ryan again and create a different ending..."

Perhaps by then, Ryan should have become a Ryan loaded with every possible cheat?