Xu Lingyin gazed intently at Chen Pingchuan's resolute face.

At first, her expression was cold, but after a moment, once she confirmed his determination, a charming smile bloomed on her face. She let out a light laugh. "You've got personality. I like it."

Xu Lingyin's red lips parted slightly as she continued in a soft voice, "Honestly, whether the woman beside you stays or goes makes no difference to me.

"After all, the only one on my mind right now is you.

"But since you insist so strongly, I'll grant your request as a little welcoming gift."

With that, her beautiful eyes shimmered. Acknowledging Chen Pingchuan's resolve, she gave a slight nod and ordered her guards, "Let the girl go."

Upon receiving Xu Lingyin's command, the guards quickly cleared a path wide enough for one person to pass.

Wei Xi, however, had already gone pale. Her lips trembled slightly, and her hands clutched Chen Pingchuan's arm so tightly that her fingertips turned white.

She had so much she wanted to say to him, to promise she would never abandon him, that even if she were captured, she would stay with him.

But Chen Pingchuan had already guessed her thoughts.

He gently caressed her raven-black hair, then leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "It's okay. Remember what I told you? Leave this place, quickly.

"Don't worry about how I'll get out of here. You know how we first met."

His warm breath brushed past her ear, causing her cheeks to flush. A captivating blush colored her previously pale face, and her heart churned with conflicted emotions.

Ultimately, she was no ordinary girl. Wei Xi knew that for her to leave now was the best possible outcome for Chen Pingchuan.

Besides, she harbored a secret she had never revealed to him.

Her people were different from ordinary humans. The women of her clan possessed an innate supernatural ability: their first act of intimacy would inevitably lead to conception.

I have to find a safe place, Wei Xi resolved silently, and give birth to our child.

Watching Wei Xi's figure recede into the distance, Chen Pingchuan let out a long sigh of relief. He was now back to being the uninhibited transmigrator.

Maybe this time, I'll turn this whole place upside down.

In truth, the treatment Chen Pingchuan received was far better than he had anticipated.

Ever since Xu Lingyin had handed him over to the butler, he hadn't seen the mayor's distinguished daughter again.

He was being held in the backyard of the mayor's villa in Hantan City.

Though he was a prisoner, the room he was kept in was a far cry from what he had imagined. It was lavish and splendid. Aside from not being able to move about freely, he had meals brought regularly by maids. It was a life many in his former world would have yearned for.

Of course, the room was surrounded by a large number of security personnel whose capabilities were unknown.

From what Chen Pingchuan could observe, the backyard was less a living area and more a facility for research and imprisonment. The only people who came and went were either researchers in white lab coats or prisoners of various types and abilities.

And he was now one of them.

A day passed quickly. Chen Pingchuan still hadn't been summoned by Xu Lingyin, but the Simulator's notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

[DING! Apocalypse Wasteland Simulator 4.0 is now online!]

[A brand-new version you've never experienced!]

[Apocalypse Wasteland Simulator 4.0 Update Contents:]

[1. Talent Extraction can now be aimed at a general direction by consuming a certain amount of Simulation Points.]

[2. The Talent Extraction level cap has been increased to Gold Shine.]

[3. Bug Fix: Fixed the bug where memories of future timelines from the simulation were automatically transferred to females close to the host.]

[4. Added Time Thief option: During instance simulations, by consuming a vast amount of Energy Points, the host can break the timeline to apply scenes from a future simulation to people or objects in the present.]

[5. System Compensation: Due to previous energy insufficiencies, multiple bugs could not be compensated for in real-time. A compensation upgrade is now available: The host can now consume Simulation Points to shorten the simulation cooldown time.]

Hearing the familiar system notification, the long-unseen azure light screen appeared before his eyes.

For some reason, the moment he saw it, he felt as if an eternity had passed—so long that he'd nearly forgotten what it felt like to run a simulation.

"HAHAHA!"

Chen Pingchuan's laughter echoed through the room, so loudly that even the other prisoners, who shared his fate, were taken aback by their new neighbor's apparent insanity.

Chen Pingchuan studied the new content from the Simulator, his mind racing.

The first point was easy enough to understand. He recalled that in the past, when he drew talents, the only thing he had any vague control over was the talent's color—and even that wasn't guaranteed. Things were much better now. By setting a general direction, he could quickly draw the type of ability he needed. This would not only prevent him from wasting simulation attempts but also provide him with the greatest possible advantage.

The second point was even more straightforward. A new talent cap of Gold Shine. If he managed to draw one of those, his power would surely skyrocket. The only question was how many Simulation Points it would cost to guarantee a Gold Shine talent.

Reading the third update notice, Chen Pingchuan gritted his teeth. He had long suspected something was wrong with the Simulator. It was the only explanation for why so many major powers and high-ranking women were suddenly paying attention to him. As it turned out, he was right. Having it fixed was good news, at least. In the future, he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally antagonizing women from a future he hadn't even lived yet.

The fifth update was also beneficial. The original week-long simulation cooldown could now be shortened by consuming Simulation Points. This gave him a massive advantage for avoiding risks in the future.

The only system upgrade that wasn't entirely clear was the fourth one.

Chen Pingchuan considered it. Does this mean that if I affect an enemy or any entity during a simulation, I can spend a massive amount of Simulation Points to make that effect real on the current timeline? In other words, if I kill an enemy in the simulation, I can spend Simulation Points to kill them in the real world from a distance, without any risk to myself. The only cost would be a certain number of Simulation Points.

This upgrade to the Simulator was unprecedented for Chen Pingchuan. It truly was a brand-new version he'd never experienced before. It left him wondering what could have possibly happened to him to make the Simulator so suddenly generous. Aside from deducting a significant amount of his energy at the very beginning, it had been surprisingly benevolent ever since.

Well, since I can't figure it out...

"Start simulation."

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