Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Nine Pillars of Light, First Simulation Ends in Defeat
Hearing this, Teacher Zhou Qing couldn't help but twitch her eyelids twice.
She had expected things wouldn't be so simple. After all, this "Pang De," known as the "Star Artisan," was infamous within the Su Lin Province's design team for his obsession with creating overly complex simulated planets.
His greatest pleasure was crafting excruciatingly difficult model worlds to torment and challenge new university students claiming, of course, that it was all in the name of humbling young geniuses who might otherwise become too arrogant.
Teacher Zhou Qing recalled that the last freshman test designed by Pang De featured a planet called the "Forest of Mist." It seemed simple on the surface, but the students' creatures got completely lost in it.
Those who finally reached the end found most of their creatures had perished only to be informed that everything they had experienced was an illusory "mist trial" and that they had to restart from scratch. One student, terrified and exasperated, immediately surrendered on the spot, leaving Zhou Qing speechless.
"Alright, Teacher Zhou Qing, let's keep watching," Pang De said, letting out an eerie chuckle. "The best part is yet to come."
Meanwhile, Bai Ze had finally pieced things together.
These new bursts of energy were unmistakable. They were identical to the energy of the central nervous system core he had just destroyed!
"No way... Don't tell me there are nine more cores like this one," Bai Ze muttered, his expression blank with disbelief.
[Day Three, Noon: After destroying the central nervous system core, beams of light shot up from the centers of various surrounding cities, piercing through the clouds. You could sense that the energy in these beams was eerily similar to the core you just eliminated.]
[To make matters worse, the creatures that had fallen lifeless moments ago began reactivating, regaining consciousness, and resuming their assault on your army!]
The simulator's text updates left Bai Ze stunned. Creatures that had been neutralized were now returning to the fight.
This could only mean one thing: the central nervous system cores were still operational elsewhere!
"If those nine light beams each signify a core, then I have to destroy them all," Bai Ze said grimly, though his face had turned pale.
Even so, with his forces reduced to such meager numbers, could he even hope to pull it off?
[You issue a divine decree, informing your two remaining factions about the existence of multiple cores. You instruct the Meteorite Insect Clan to clear the path and prepare to break out of the encirclement to reunite with the Water Emperor Clan and the Roc Clan, who are holding their ground elsewhere.]
[Sacrificing a small group of Meteorite Insects to cover your retreat, your forces break through the center of Sky Pivot City and begin moving outward.]
[After an hour of marching, however, your exhausted creatures, deprived of supplies, begin to falter. Hoping to find some relief upon reuniting with your other forces, you instead discover a massacre: the Leviathan Clan and the Roc Clan have been completely wiped out.]
[The surrounding area begins to tremble. From the city walls and towering skyscrapers, waves of reinforcements pour forth mechanical octopods, mechanical beasts, tanks, and even mechanical dragons. The number of enemy forces swells to an overwhelming 10,000!]
[With your army now reduced to just 500, you realize this is a battle you cannot win. Nevertheless, you resolve to make one final push, at least to confirm whether those pillars of light truly mark the locations of additional central nervous system cores.]
[Using its black-hole-like devouring ability, Taotie clears a path while the remaining Meteorite Insects launch suicide attacks, carving a narrow opening through the enemy ranks.]
[At your command, Hyper Zetton unleashes its full power. Spreading its wings, it emits waves of high-temperature light that scorch the area, obliterating hundreds of mechanical creatures.]
[As the breakout continues, your Winged Tigers throw themselves into the fray, shielding Hyper Zetton from oncoming fire with their bodies. One after another, they fall, until only Hyper Zetton remains.]
[By burning its very life force, Hyper Zetton flies at incredible speed and, within an hour, reaches another city center marked by a pillar of light. Despite encountering fierce resistance, it confirms your suspicion: beneath each beam lies another central nervous system core.]
[Having completed its mission, Hyper Zetton expends the last of its strength and collapses before the core, entering eternal slumber.]
[Simulation Ends: All of your creatures have been defeated. The simulation has concluded.]
[System Evaluation: B+ Rating.]
Reading the evaluation, Bai Ze let out a long sigh.
A B+ rating wasn't bad. Given that the designer of this challenge was Pang De the Star Artisan, even reaching a B-rating was enough to qualify for the honors class at Tianzhou Academy.
However, in the broader context of the entire province, a B+ rating was merely middle-to-upper tier neither particularly impressive nor disappointing.
Ultimately, Bai Ze blamed himself. He had failed to bring enough resources to sustain his army, leaving his creatures perpetually exhausted and unable to fight at full strength.
The Meteorite Insect Clan, for example, had never been able to demonstrate their full potential, forcing him to rely on brute force throughout the simulation.
Still, Bai Ze found the simulator's feedback invaluable. The system had identified all the key errors he had made during this round, giving him clear guidance for improvement moving forward.
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