Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 66: Surprise! The Sudden Appearance of the Attribute Panel
Chen Pingchuan’s bedroom was spacious and tidy. It contained a bed with white sheets, a bookshelf crammed with books, a standing wardrobe over two meters tall, and an empty study desk.

He took off his backpack, tossed it near the bedside table, and then threw himself backward, collapsing onto the soft mattress. The sensation was like sinking into a warm embrace, making him drowsy.

However, Chen Pingchuan had no intention of sleeping. He just stared blankly at a poster of some unknown person on the wall, lost in a daze.

Even though this still feels strange, aside from those childish high school classmates, this really seems like the life I’ve always yearned for.

Huh? The life *I* yearn for?

Chen Pingchuan didn’t know why strange images and absurdly funny phrases kept popping into his head.

It’s not important. I can’t figure it out anyway.

After a week of adjusting, Chen Pingchuan had mastered a new skill: if he couldn’t figure something out, he simply stopped thinking about it.

Then, his expression turned conflicted, and he muttered to himself, ”I gave all my money to my sister, so I only have two coins left for the bus. That means I’ll have to ask my parents for money tonight.”

For some reason, Chen Pingchuan just couldn’t bring himself to ask his current parents for money. It was as if his mouth was locked shut, so much so that he still hadn’t called them ”Mom” or ”Dad” even once, even though he was slowly starting to accept them.

”As the saying goes, even a hero is helpless without money. Why don’t you give me some cash?”

”Um... let’s say a thousand Federation Coins. That should be enough for a week’s worth of food.”

To Chen Pingchuan’s surprise, the moment he finished his offhand remark, the space above his head seemed to rip open.

THUD!

”Ah!”

A thick stack of Federation Coins smacked him squarely in the face. The touch was cold and unmistakably real.

This surprise ”attack” left the unprepared Chen Pingchuan completely stunned.

”Holy shit! Money really is falling from the sky!”

Chen Pingchuan shot upright, incredulous. It was just a casual remark, so how did it actually come true?

Am I really a god with the power to make wishes come true?

At that thought, Chen Pingchuan’s eyes widened. He craned his neck and stared intently at the ceiling.

”Give me ten gorgeous women!”

The room remained unchanged.

”Give me a sports car!”

The room still remained unchanged.

”Give me a suit of exoskeleton armor!”

”Give me a set of clothes!”

”Give me a gun!”

”Let me fly!”

”Let me turn invisible!”

”Make me a god right now!”

...

Chen Pingchuan felt a bit numb and began to doubt himself. Was everything that just happened an illusion? But the brand-new Federation Coins in his hand were a constant reminder that it was real.

Is my ability limited to making money? Can it not create anything else?

With this question in mind, Chen Pingchuan tried again.

”Give me ten thousand Federation Coins.”

THUD!

Ten stacks of cash fell from the space above his head.

”Damn, so I really can only make money. What a useless abil— Well, it’s not entirely useless. Actually, it’s pretty great.”

Something suddenly occurred to him, and he hurriedly wiped the look of disdain and disappointment from his face.

Although it wasn’t the kind of surprise he was hoping for, it was still plenty astonishing.

Money can solve a lot of problems. If only I had a portable device that could display my physical stats. Then I could control my strength output and avoid making a fool of myself in front of my classmates during the Martial Arts Exam.

Chen Pingchuan didn’t know why he was afraid of exposing his strength, but he had an innate intuition telling him that laying low was the only way to live a long life and continue to grow stronger.

”Let me think... forget the device. A young man should be a bit bolder.”

He recalled a sci-fi novel he’d seen on his bookshelf recently, *Crossing to Another World to Become a Demon God and Enslave a Myriad of Maidens.* The protagonist in that story had a cheat that let him check his own attributes.

Well then...

”Display physical fitness status...”

”Display physical status monitor...”

”Display body attribute values...”

...

”It couldn’t be as simple as ’Display Attribute Panel,’ could it?”

[Ding!]

[Host Panel has been opened.]

A bright blue screen abruptly appeared in Chen Pingchuan’s field of vision.

[Name: Chen Pingchuan]

[Occupation: Student, Laborer, Weapon Master]

[Age: 20]

[Strength: 4.2 / 16.8 (Sealed)] (Talent active. 1 point = average adult male.)

[Agility: 1.9 / 7.6 (Sealed)]

[Spirit: 2.1 / 8.4 (Sealed)]

[Constitution: 2.05 / 8.2 (Sealed)]

[Skills: None]

[Title: Gunslinger - Sang Biao (Green) | Removed due to excessive negative effects. Compensation reward sealed.]

[Talents: Double Strength (Green), Diligence Rewards (Green), Parasitism (Purple), 24k Titanium Alloy Dog Eyes (Yellow), Friend of Women (White, upgradable)]

[Remaining Simulation Points: 744]

[Remaining Simulation Attempts: Sealed]

[Simulation Method: Upgrading...]

”Woohoo!”

”Time to fly!”

”I knew it! I’m a god!”

”Hahaha...”

Suddenly, a sweet yet terrifying loli voice came from outside his room, cutting through his manic laughter.

”Chen Pingchuan, are you insane? It’s the middle of the day! Keep it down, you’re ruining my beauty sleep.”

Chen Pingchuan’s smile froze, but he wasn’t annoyed. After all, he was having a great day. It was just that this attribute panel had a lot of information. He needed to study it carefully to figure it all out.

***

Meanwhile, in Room 501 of Building 9 in the Happy Life District, a middle-aged man in his thirties was speaking to a plump woman more than ten years his senior. He had a gaunt, dark-skinned face and a hooked nose, giving him an unapproachable look.

”Ma’am, I’d like to ask you something.”

”You’re here to rent, so just rent. Why are you snooping around? I may be famous for knowing everything that happens within a ten-kilometer radius, but why should I tell you anything?” The Landlady raised her chin, pouted, and rubbed her thumb and forefinger together, practically begging for a slap.

The thin-faced man understood her gesture immediately. He fought to suppress the rage in his heart as he pulled two hundred Federation Coins from his pocket and reluctantly stuffed them into her fleshy hand.

In response, the Landlady, far from being appeased, stood on her tiptoes, her gaze haughty as she looked down her nose at him, not even deigning to give him a proper look.

This scene made the man’s dark face flush a deep, angry red. One hand, clenched into a trembling fist behind his back, betrayed his fury. With the other, he pulled out another small wad of bills from his pocket—apparently all the cash he had.

”Here.”

Feeling the thickness of the cash, the Landlady still wasn’t satisfied, but seeing the man’s pauper-like appearance, she reluctantly played along.

”Speak. There’s nothing in this ten-mile radius that I don’t know. But I’ll say this upfront: I know the deal with people like you, coming here to take refuge. Am I right? Why else would any decent person come here? But listen, don’t cause me any trouble, or I’ll call my son.”

”Do you know who my son is?”

The thin-faced man felt a surge of anger rush to his head, threatening to erupt at any moment. He desperately wanted to slug the chattering old woman.

The Landlady, ignoring the man’s dark expression, answered her own question. ”My son was the strongest graduate of the Level 58 class...”

Her words made the thin-faced man’s clenched fist relax slightly.

Noticing the shift in his attitude, the Landlady chuckled. ”One of the top one hundred graduates! Don’t you underestimate that. It’s an achievement most people could never manage in their entire lives. People like you, for instance.”

”Most importantly, he’s now serving in a combat team in the City of No Night! Anyone who doesn’t have the sense to stay out of my way, I’ll just call my son,” she declared, miming a machine gun with her hands. ”He’ll mow you down! RAT-A-TAT-TAT...”

The thin-faced man realized the woman before him was an incredible bullshitter, so he decided to play along. ”Of course, of course. I’m not that kind of person. It’s just that my family had some... unforeseen circumstances, so I had to—”

”Alright, that’s enough. I’m not interested,” the Landlady interrupted rudely. ”Just tell me what you want to ask.”

The thin-faced man had never felt so thoroughly looked down upon in his life. Still, he forced down his temper and asked carefully, ”Is there a man named Chen Pingchuan around here?”

The Landlady’s expression changed. She scrutinized the thin-faced man from head to toe, leaving him completely bewildered, before she finally spoke.