[In one year, you slaughtered every Black Demon that gestated a mysterious black stone within its body.]
[You were no longer satisfied with the natural production rate of the mysterious black stones and began to intervene in a beast-like fashion.]
[You gathered all your Black Demon dependents and issued a single command: devour your own kind.]
[One week later, you indeed sensed the aura of a mysterious black stone on a parasitic Black Demon.]
[The experiment was a success. You began a comprehensive breeding program involving parasitism, subjugation, and slaughter.]
[Adhering to a principle of sustainable consumption, you not only hunted wild Black Demons daily but also consumed one parasitic Black Demon that had produced a mysterious black stone.]
[Furthermore, you would treat yourself to an extra meal every few days.]
[As time went on, the number of your parasitic Black Demons rapidly decreased, while the population of non-parasitic Black Demons plummeted.]
[Two years passed. The City of No Night and its outer districts had become a complete dead zone.]
[You squatted idly atop the Heaven-Supporting Tower in the City of No Night. Even from hundreds of meters away, you could still clearly see every corner of the city below.]
[Lifting your head to the moonless, starry sky, you recalled your feral existence over the past three years.]
[Be they Genetic Enhancers or Empowered Geneticists, the number of Genetic Warriors who had died by your hand was in the thousands.]
[Unfortunately, ever since you annihilated a hundred-strong Genetic Warrior strike team three months ago, no new humans had come to disturb you.]
So being inhuman isn't so bad after all! Chen Pingchuan mused, staring blankly at the information in the simulator.
Ever since he was reborn in the body of a Black Demon, it felt like he had activated a true cheat code. His power was soaring at an incomprehensible speed.
The reasoning behind this conclusion was simple.
After all, my simulated self killed thousands of Genetic Warriors. They wouldn't have just lined up to be slaughtered. They must have been fully prepared before they made their move. You can doubt the character of those in power, but you can't doubt their intelligence. For my simulated self to repeatedly turn the tables on humanity's hunters, the growth of my strength must have far exceeded their expectations.
Chen Pingchuan felt his throat go dry. He glanced at the cup shattered in the trash can, then at Black Demon Number One, which was feigning sleep after having eaten its fill.
"Once you're all grown up, I'll be able to ride your coattails," he muttered. "A man flexing his dog's might... what a thought."
After he spoke, the more Chen Pingchuan looked at Black Demon Number One, the more he liked what he saw. Even the deep furrows in his brow smoothed out considerably.
[You observed from atop the Heaven-Supporting Tower for three whole days, finally coming to the frustrating conclusion that the City of No Night and the outer districts were truly empty.]
[On your first day of starvation, you tried to eat everything that even remotely resembled food, only to discover that none of it was edible.]
[You remembered the rotten meat you ate years ago and headed to the food processing plant.]
[Good news: you didn't have to eat rotten meat. Bad news: the reason you didn't have to eat it was your discovery that, aside from the mysterious black stones, you had completely lost interest in everything else.]
[You decided to leave Spring City and find a new habitat.]
[Before you could leave, you noticed a second sun appear in the sky.]
[This didn't surprise you; after all, this was a world without a moon.]
[However, things were not as simple as you thought. The "sun" was getting closer and closer.]
[BOOM! The sun exploded!]
[A massive shockwave surged toward you like an unstoppable tidal wave. You hurriedly turned to flee, but your once-proud speed was no match for the pursuing blast.]
[You were slammed into a wall. Your body was subjected to an irresistible force, followed immediately by a wave of heat so intense it surpassed the limits of your flesh.]
[Your body was consumed by a destructive fire. Your once-pitch-black skin turned red as it peeled away in sheets, while red blood blisters constantly formed and ruptured across its surface.]
[As your blood boiled away, your muscles were torn apart by the terrifying energy, exposing chilling white bone. Your internal organs were not spared either.]
[Fortunately, as you crashed into the wall, you also managed to duck into the building. The structure shielded you from the worst of the blast. Though your body took a severe hit, you survived.]
"That wasn't the sun exploding! They dropped a goddamn nuke on me!"
Cold sweat dripped down Chen Pingchuan's forehead. He had never imagined such a scenario. They hadn't even used such a destructive weapon when the Black Demons were ravaging the city.
But to kill his simulated self, they actually launched one.
Should I be laughing or crying?
Of course, from another perspective, his simulated self was indeed a bit overpowered. Even a nuclear weapon couldn't eliminate him, albeit with the help of the terrain. But there was no denying that his superior physical constitution was the key prerequisite for his survival.
Chen Pingchuan was eager to see if being hit by a nuclear weapon would finally end the simulation. He refocused his attention.
[The already damaged buildings were reduced to complete rubble. You gained a new understanding of existence: sometimes, living is more painful than dying.]
[In the first week after the nuclear blast, your spirit held on, and your body maintained its most basic functions to stay alive.]
[Starting from the second week, everything changed. Your organs, skin, muscles, and blood began to regenerate. Feeling gradually returned to your body.]
[You estimated that you would be able to walk upright again in less than a month.]
[The physical trauma dulled your desires and your ferocity. You were like an injured beast, silently licking your wounds.]
[You felt a pang of boredom. Peeking through the cracks in the wall, you saw a scene of apocalyptic destruction, one that held its own unique, morbid beauty.]
[Small chunks of black ash drifted through the air. A haze of yellow dust hung in suspension, dyeing the environment a sepia hue. Even the once-persistent chirping of insects had fallen silent. It was as if space itself had been frozen in time.]
[The stinging pain on your skin, the acrid smell of burning, and the maddening itch of your healing wounds tormented you endlessly.]
[The itch, as if tens of thousands of ants were crawling all over your wounds, was a fate worse than death.]
[You wanted to die, but you were powerless to do so.]
[The Goddess of Luck smiled upon you once more. A human exploration team in hazmat suits appeared in front of the building where you had taken refuge.]
[They used a scanner to pinpoint your location.]
[You thought they would eliminate you, this scourge, the first chance they got.]
[You were wrong. Instead of eliminating you, they brought over a giant metal cage.]
No way...
Is this it?
The mighty King of Black Magic who ruled the City of No Night... Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Even though he was simulating his own future, Chen Pingchuan couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.
To be honest, from the moment he transformed into a Black Demon, he had stopped holding any expectations for the simulation's results. Chen Pingchuan clearly remembered that the inheritance of body status mentioned in the rewards specifically referred to his human body's state. This precondition completely blocked his path to cheating.
No matter how ridiculously powerful the King of Black Magic became, he wouldn't inherit a single bit of it. No expectations meant no disappointments.
Just as Chen Pingchuan was about to see which faction this new, unknown force belonged to, his simulated self's next audacious maneuver nearly made his jaw drop.