Summary

Beyond this, Zhao Cheng did not see a single plant.

At the same time, Zhao Cheng saw many vehicle wrecks along the road. These vehicles had not been involved in a terrorist attack, nor were they stuck in a traffic jam.

The quantity was also off!

If the people of this city had all evacuated, there shouldn't have been so many vehicle wrecks left behind.

The city before him gave Zhao Cheng the feeling of an unfinished game—the city modeling had been completed, but the developers hadn't gotten around to adding the NPCs yet.

It was as if the people of this city had all vanished or died at the exact same moment in a very short span of time.

It wasn't just people, but all life; that was why there were no plants here, no birds in the sky, and not even a single insect.

On the street, Zhao Cheng kept his eyes on all four directions and his ears alert, his thoughts racing.

He had been walking along a very regular route; there was no secret to it, he simply chose to stick to the main roads.

As for those narrow paths and alleys, Zhao Cheng had no intention of exploring them for the time being.

Facts had proven that human courage had its limits, and besides, he was trying to expand his search area to increase the probability of triggering a "plot."

As for wandering through streets and alleys for a detailed search, that was a task for another time.

Just like that, as he walked, Zhao Cheng's vision suddenly went black. His consciousness jolted, the scene shifted instantly, and he appeared directly in his bedroom.

With the change of scene, Zhao Cheng felt a heavy, obscure sensation; even his thoughts felt sluggish, unable to turn.

"???"

In the bedroom, illuminated by the faint light from outside the window, Zhao Cheng looked at his palms, his mind filled with questions.

What kind of monster was that strong? It killed me instantly, and I didn't even feel any pain.

Zhao Cheng thought to himself.

As for the sluggishness of his thoughts, Zhao Cheng didn't mind. This wasn't a side effect of dying in the simulation, but simply because the gap between his swordsmanship talent in reality and in the simulation was too vast, leading to this situation.

In the simulation, his inspiration, comprehension, creativity, and mental acuity regarding swordsmanship were all in an explosive state. Any problem in the way of the sword was understood the moment he thought about it, far exceeding his reality by more than tenfold.

Now that he had suddenly shifted back, it was perfectly normal to feel such a disparity.

Zhao Cheng could perceive that his comprehension of swordsmanship had not regressed in the slightest. On a mental level, his swordsmanship was still at the mastery level; it would just take a little time to translate that to his physical body.

The changes in the skill column on his Panel confirmed this.

Skill: 17th Basic Swordsmanship 6th Revised Edition lv7 (lv8) (590/600) (Wind Severing Tier 1) (Converting 30%)

On the mental level, it came with a 30% conversion rate, while the remaining 70% was tied to his body. He was currently in a state where his brain knew it, but his body did not.

Even so, that was still far beyond knowing nothing at all.

Next simulation, my swordsmanship will reach lv8.

As this thought flashed by, Zhao Cheng shifted his attention from the skill column to the Log that was constantly refreshing.

Simulation Summary

Cang Calendar, year 277, 2322 AD, you descended into a strange world.

You shouted toward the strange world, "Your savior has arrived."

"???"

"Don't talk nonsense, I didn't."

Zhao Cheng's face darkened at this point.

"Also, wait, 2322?"

"I knew it!"

"Damn that 'late 20th-century nuclear war'—the dungeon description provided by the Panel didn't have a single lie, it's just that several hundred years have already passed."

"Cang Calendar... so, the chaotic era was already ended by the previous generation's protagonist, right?"

Zhao Cheng went straight to the key point.

Combining this with the scenes in the simulation, Zhao Cheng guessed that, perhaps, maybe, there were no warlords left for him to cut down, and there wouldn't be any sword-slashing bullets or sword-cleaving missiles either.

As for collecting beautiful girl companions, that was even more absurd.

It seemed the previous generation's protagonist had already finished all of that.

The "game" left for him had even changed its genre, shifting from a warlord-era musou-style game to a supernatural exploration game.

Thinking of this, Zhao Cheng only wanted to say that he didn't envy that bastard "protagonist" of the previous generation at all. If he was so capable, let's swap places.

Log:

The earth cheers for you, the firmament crowns you!

The world is welcoming the arrival of the savior.

"Did it?!"

Zhao Cheng recalled, but had no impression of it.

He only remembered that after he arrived, it was pitch black, making him almost think he had gone blind.

As for the cheers and the coronation, he hadn't seen a thing.

"Wait, it seems there actually was something."

Zhao Cheng scrolled back through the Panel Log and immediately spotted the key information.

Log:

Spacetime beacon selection in progress...

Hyper-Dimensional Body deployment in progress...

Trait Module extraction in progress...

Please select three Trait Modules to equip:

He hadn't paid much attention before, but looking at it now, he had been deployed with the Hyper-Dimensional Body first, and the Trait Modules were extracted afterward.

Since the Panel followed this specific order, there was clearly a deeper reason behind it.

The so-called "the earth cheers for you, the firmament crowns you" was manifested on the Panel as that ten-consecutive draw.

And if one carefully considered the Panel's principle of equivalent exchange, all of this followed a traceable logic.

This wasn't some freebie for a novice; it was still equivalent exchange.

The world invites me to "play a game," and not only does it waive the entry fee, but it even pays me a labor fee in return. I really am making money while standing tall.

This thought crossed Zhao Cheng's mind, and at the same time, he was one hundred percent certain that the game's difficulty was absolutely off the charts.

What kind of "game" would pay people to play it?!

Zhao Cheng continued to read down.

Log:

In the first hour, you suddenly felt how foolish your former self was, unable to master such simple swordsmanship. While pondering why you were so stupid before, you found yourself unable to tolerate those error-ridden sword techniques. With an emotional explosion, you attempted to correct the swordsmanship.

You began to correct the swordsmanship, and you entered a state of enlightenment!

Your swordsmanship proficiency increased rapidly!

Your 17th Basic Swordsmanship 6th Revised Edition increased from lv4 to lv7.

Your vitality consumption was immense, and you felt incomparably exhausted; your life essence drained away rapidly, yet you remained completely unaware.

In the second hour, you used a Full Recovery Potion, restoring 80% of your vitality. You practiced swordsmanship in the darkness, proficiency +3.

In the third hour, the Blood Moon appeared. You began to explore, discovering the dilapidated Moyun Plaza and the damaged Great Person Statue (it seems to be someone who made an indelible contribution to this world).

You began to explore this world.

You discovered the Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion. The damaged patterns at the entrance seemed to record some profound martial path, and at the same time, you sensed a faint ripple within the pavilion.

You discovered the Longteng Building, which seemed to hold something unusual.

You discovered the Zhengshang Office Building, which seemed to hold something unusual.

You discovered Moyun University, where terror seemed to be hidden.

Affected by the Blood Moon, your life essence drained away rapidly, yet you remained completely unaware.

In the fourth hour, you died. Cause of death: exhaustion of life essence.

Simulation Settlement: In this simulation, your dungeon exploration rate was extremely low, Simulation Point +1.