[On this journey, you saw breakfast shops, Chinese restaurants, Western restaurants, dessert shops, bakeries, and specialty snack shops...]
[You have to admit, ever since ice cream awakened your taste buds, your stomach has been sending you constant signals. You are hungry.]
[You found a ramen shop that was about to close. Despite the owner's strong objections, you barged in domineeringly.]
[You casually twisted the metal stool blocking your path into a knot. Then, you reached into your pocket and pulled out a wad of Federation Coins.]
[Although you don't know if the currency used in the City of No Night is the same as in the Outer City, you guess it must be, based on the Federation Coins sent as monthly tribute to the Inner City District.]
[The shop owner, an old man in his sixties, was moved by your 'approachable' demeanor. He promised that after decades of making noodles, he would pull his best, most chewy batch just for you.]
[Looking at the old man's earnest expression, you resisted the urge to beat him to death.]
[You devoured thirty bowls of ramen and gave a nod to the old man's craftsmanship.]
[Just as you were about to leave the ramen shop, you noticed a little girl had suddenly appeared across the table from you.]
[The little girl looked to be around eleven or twelve years old, dressed in a black-and-white lace maid outfit, complete with a white bow and a maid's headband.]
[You weren't captivated by her outfit; instead, your heart was seized by fear.]
[Because you entered this ramen shop alone, and during your entire meal, you never heard the sound of anyone else coming in.]
[You panicked!]
"Huh, who is this little girl?" Chen Pingchuan muttered to himself, feeling the scene was somehow familiar. He flipped through the notes on his desk. He made a habit of briefly recording each simulation to prevent himself from forgetting. Sure enough, on the last page of his notebook, he found the description of the Violent Lolita.
"Lolita, lace and ruffles, bows, short skirts, knee-high socks, flat shoes."
"Could these two be the same person?"
Chen Pingchuan wasn't sure. Since this was all just text, he couldn't see her appearance and could only hope the simulation would provide more clues.
[You pretended not to see her and were about to get up and leave, but the little girl suddenly questioned you.]
[She asked who you were, where you came from, and where you were going.]
[Seeing how young she was, you tried to deceive her with lies.]
[You failed. She broke one of your arms.]
[She threatened that if you didn't answer her questions, she would break all five of your limbs.]
???
Several question marks flashed through Chen Pingchuan's mind. Just four short sentences, but they hit him with the force of a mountain. Was this little lolita's presence really that overpowering? My simulated self is supposed to be fearless, yet he cowered before this girl? Or could it be that the ones you absolutely can't provoke in the City of No Night aren't the Genetic Warriors, but the lolita tribe?
With these questions swirling, Chen Pingchuan continued to watch the simulation.
[Having never suffered such humiliation, you became instantly furious. Disregarding the power gap between you, you cursed her as a brainless idiot.]
[The little girl put on a cute expression and said she couldn't understand what you were saying.]
[Since crude insults didn't work, you switched to a more... 'civilized' style of verbal assault.]
["Listen here, little girl. Your cerebellum is underdeveloped, and your cerebrum is completely undeveloped."]
["You seem pretty fierce. Why don't you come to my house and guard the gate?"]
["What brand of plastic bag are you, to be so full of yourself?"]
["You've got way too much time on your hands, you little salty bastard."]
["Don't think I'm just saying this to your face. If you can't hear me, I'll be happy to carve it on your tombstone."]
["When humanity was evolving, were you hiding somewhere?"]
["Oh, that's right. My mistake. I treated you like a person again."]
[...]
[After that torrential downpour of insults, not only was the owner hiding behind the counter left speechless, but even the little girl sitting across from you had lost her previous composure.]
[She shot to her feet, her chest heaving and her face flushed red as she roared at you, "Quick Gunner Mourning Tiger, you die today!"]
Chen Pingchuan now understood why she had attacked him on sight—it was all the title's fault. His simulated self was suffering for someone else's reputation.
[Looking at the little girl, who was now beside herself with rage, your own anger subsided slightly, quickly replaced by a sense of dread.]
[Just now, you hadn't been the slightest bit careless, yet your opponent tore off your left arm with lightning speed. It seemed you were doomed this time.]
[The enraged little girl vanished again. A sharp pain shot through your right arm, and you became an armless hero.]
[The little girl held your severed right arm in one hand, her eyes bloodshot as she stared you down, ready to attack again.]
[BANG! The glass door of the ramen shop shattered as a red-eyed monster in a brown coat and a metal mask burst in.]
[That's right, it was your great treasure, Black Demon No. 1.]
[In fact, a year ago, after you had infused Black Demon No. 1 with a large amount of basic genetic serums, your great treasure's strength had already far surpassed your own.]
[Seeing the unusually dressed Black Demon No. 1, the little girl couldn't gauge its strength and instinctively took two steps back.]
[You saw this, scrambled excitedly behind your great treasure, and yelled, "Get her!"]
[A minute later, all the clothes on Black Demon No. 1 had been torn away. Its taut, muscular lines showcased unparalleled power, though the coarse, charcoal-black skin ruined its aesthetic appeal.]
[The little girl got a clear look at Black Demon No. 1 and realized something was off. Unlike ordinary Black Demons, this one was obviously not some mindless, failed specimen. Though still bloodthirsty and murderous, it could control its own actions with its brain.]
[The little girl's face darkened. In a gloomy tone, she said several things that left you baffled.]
["Are you from the Blood Beast Ban? You're breaking our agreement. It was decided that the Outer City would be your testing ground. How dare you violate our pact? Aren't you afraid of the Bright Legion's retaliation?"]
"Blood Beast Ban? Bright Legion? What kind of prick came up with these names? They sound terrifying just by name alone." Chen Pingchuan couldn't help but mock the newly revealed factions. But beneath the mockery, he felt a growing sense of helplessness. As he'd suspected, the red rain wasn't a natural disaster at all.
Xia Qingxue knew. The little girl in the simulation knew. The powers that be in the City of No Night surely knew as well. Only the people struggling to survive in the Outer City remained in the dark. They would die without ever understanding that their lives were nothing more than a transaction, an experiment conducted by the elites.
SNAP!
The black carbon pen in Chen Pingchuan's hand snapped in two.
He thought of his kind and beautiful landlady; the honest and diligent fatty, Guo Yihang; the hardworking uncle from the breakfast shop downstairs; and even Li Dafu, who had the air of a minor villain, appeared in his mind.
"I won't allow it. I absolutely will not allow it."
Chen Pingchuan found another pen and furiously scribbled a question in his notebook: "What should I do?"
RING! RING! RING!
Suddenly, the rapid ringing of his communicator startled Chen Pingchuan from his deep thoughts.