Chapter 255: Seventh Simulation Settlement

Although a worse outcome cannot be ruled out, Lin Ran believes the other party is likely someone who, like Weiniya and others, had some contact with Zhang Jie at some point in the past.

What Lin Ran finds hardest to accept is that someone with strength so close to hers has actually appeared.

This poses a tremendous threat to her position!

But now is not the time to talk about that; the priority is to find the other party and bring Zhang Jie back.

As for spatial migration, for a civilization like theirs that mainly relies on genetic technology, wanting to investigate is practically impossible.

"Should we go ask for help...."

"Weiniya.... Let's leave that white-haired demon aside for now; she might not be reliable."

"After that comes that short little guy...."

"She who owns a huge interstellar company.... should be somewhat reliable."

Although Lin Ran really doesn't want to ask them for help, Zhang Jie's matter cannot wait; she must investigate as quickly as possible.

Lin Ran furrowed her brows, secretly making up her mind.

"How much longer is this going to take?"

Zhang Jie's consciousness now hovers in a mysterious space, as if returning to the moment he first crashed.

A panel appears before him, with a progress bar slowly advancing.

Zhang Jie is almost speechless; he just finished a seven‑millennia‑long solitary vigil, and now you're telling him to wait.

"Please be patient...."

"Because your survival time in this simulation was excessively long, your brain can't bear it, so we are now compressing your memories."

Simply put, we delete most of Zhang Jie's boring experiences and compress the useful ones to bring them within a tolerable range.

The current Zhang Jie remembers this simulation's memories completely, with no loss, but the lengthy waiting period afterward feels like a long dream.

Fortunately the simulator has after‑sales service; otherwise, with his limited brain capacity, these memories would likely blow his mind to bits.

"I just don't know what's going on out there...."

Zhang Jie is now worried about Lin Ran, wondering how that clueless girl is doing....

And Yunxiao—will that little thing get stuck and die in a black hole?

But all this can only be discussed after he recovers; for now he can only stay here alone, waiting for the progress bar to finish.

"You may begin settling the rewards."

The simulator reminded him in time, and Zhang Jie then reacted.

"Will this work?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang Jie."

"That's great!"

Zhang Jie rubbed his hands, eager to try.

"Then let's settle it."

"Reward settlement complete!"

This time's achievements are only more, not less, compared to the last, leaving Zhang Jie dazzled.

Most importantly, the quality of this simulation's achievements is high! Just looking at it, there are three SSS‑rank achievements—simply exhilarating.

"The seventh simulation is complete, codename: Fire and Steel."

"Congratulations on obtaining the following achievements."

"(SSS) Limited Achievement 'Lone Watcher': Over seventy thousand years of solitary vigil, just to wait for one person; no one knows how you endured, your spirit is admirable, you are the most solitary watcher in the Star Sea (I will wait for your return until my life fades away)."

"(SSS) Limited Achievement 'Descension or Divine Descent?': As an inconspicuous test subject, you brilliantly fulfilled your mission, proving some things that can never be proven; yet the mysterious existence behind you, because of you, ended its fantastical life. (So is this a descension or a divine descent?)"

"(SSS) Limited Achievement 'Trial of Fire and Steel': Reborn in fire, I will temper the body of fire and steel, I will sound the battle song of fire and steel! (Rekindle!)"

"(S) Normal Achievement 'Ten‑Thousand‑Year Lifespan': As a 'fragile' machine, you survived fifty thousand years; calling you a machine old ancestor is not an overstatement (you proved to some entity that machines also have lifespans)."

"(S) Normal Achievement 'Across‑Time Pursuit': Can love really arise between humans and machines? She will cross time, she will cross space, she will cross everything, she will voice her feelings to you, she will pursue time.... until she finds you (she is merely a cluster of cells, and you are only a few code segments; nothing is impossible)."

"(A) Normal Achievement 'The Art of Mecha, the Aesthetics of Violence!': What is the art of mecha? The collision of steel, the ultimate violence aesthetics! Every battle is a visual feast; every clash is a collision of soul and steel! (So damn hot!!)"

"(A) Normal Achievement 'King of Code': You successfully brought back the two AI‑calamity queens to the right track, granting them the right to love and a lifetime of freedom (from the perspective of universal peace, your actions are indeed commendable)."

"(B) Normal Achievement 'Master of All Weapons': As a mecha, you have mastered every weapon you can use; you are truly a weapons master."

"Simulation rating: SSS"

"Oh, not bad."

Zhang Jie looked at this simulation's score with some surprise; he originally thought he'd at most get SS this time.

If one says an SSS rating reflects how exciting a life is, then if he had back then taken Yunxiao and directly blown up that mysterious existence, this rating could surely surpass SSS.

But now it seems that mysterious existence has already been blown away by Yunxiao....

It looks like Lin Ran's position is about to be threatened~

Zhang Jie thought so, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he began to savor his memories slowly.

Having a simulator is truly a fortunate thing.

It allows this insignificant little role in the universe to experience such a wondrous variety of lives; although it sometimes is indeed a pitfall, there's no denying that Zhang Jie has indeed reaped countless precious memories from it.

"I don't know... whether I'll be able to see Yunxiao again this time..."

However, the simulation's settlement isn't fully finished yet; after a moment of foolish joy, Zhang Jie rose again and chose to continue settling....

"In this simulation, you earned three SSS achievements (9000 points), one S achievement (500 points), two A achievements (400 points), and one B achievement (100 points)."

"You have gained points, nine months of lifespan, and one session of reinforced simulation psychological trauma counseling."

"Achievement reward settlement complete; next we proceed to rating settlement..."