Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Simulated Existence

[You attach yourself to the roots of a young oak tree and continue your long life underground.]

[The years pass as silently as the soil. You cannot feel the passage of time, only perceiving the changing of seasons through the thickness of the sap from the tree’s roots.]

[Another two hundred years pass.]

[Your body has grown to the thickness of a baby’s arm. Your shell has taken on a deep amber color with a faint metallic sheen. You have gained the trait: Amber.]

[One day, the soil suddenly begins to shake.]

[You can feel heavy footsteps from above. With each one, the very earth trembles.]

[Your choices are:]

[1. Stay still and continue to feed on the tree roots.]

[2. Dig deeper to get away from the vibrations.]

[3. Move toward the vibrations to investigate the situation.]

Zhu Ge stared at the three options, his brow tightly furrowed.

’Vibrations? And rhythmic footsteps, too.’

He recalled the entities from his first simulation that had terrified the earth-cicada—the animal that could devour an entire oak tree in a single bite.

’Could it be that thing?’

’If it is, staying still probably means I’ll be eaten along with the tree.’

’Digging deeper might let me escape, but I can’t be sure about the animal’s ability to dig.’

’As for moving toward the vibrations...’

’That’s just asking to be killed.’

"Option two," Zhu Ge decided.

[You begin to dig desperately deeper.]

[Your forelegs dig furiously, breaking through hard-packed soil and passing through crevices in the rock.]

[The vibrations grow more and more intense. You can feel the massive entity drawing near.]

[Suddenly, everything falls silent.]

[You freeze, curled up deep in the earth, not daring to move.]

[A tearing sound comes from above—the deafening noise of the oak’s root system being ripped apart.]

[For three full days and nights, the vibrations come and go, sometimes distant, sometimes near.]

[On the fourth day, the vibrations finally disappear.]

[You cautiously move upward and discover that the young oak tree is gone, leaving only a huge pit and broken, severed roots.]

[You have lost the roots you depended on. You must find a new source of food before your energy runs out.]

[Your choices are:]

[1. Search the vicinity for the roots of other plants.]

[2. Continue deeper, searching for roots farther down.]

[3. Try to move upward and break through the surface.]

Zhu Ge took a deep breath.

’So that thing really did come. It actually ate an entire oak tree. Now I’ve lost my food source and have to make a choice.’

’If I search nearby, I might find something quickly, but I could also run into danger again.’

’Going deeper, there might be roots further down, but deeper also means darker, and there could be other unknown creatures.’

’As for breaking through the surface... I’ve only been underground for about seven hundred years, a hundred more than in the first simulation, but the dangers above ground are just as real.’

"Option one." Zhu Ge decided to try searching nearby first.

[You move slowly around the pit, searching for any remaining roots.]

[You find some small grass roots, but they have too few nutrients to sustain you.]

[You continue your search, gradually moving away from your original location.]

[On the tenth day, you finally find a new root system—the lateral root of an old elm tree. While not as rich as the oak’s, it is enough to keep you alive.]

[You attach yourself to it and continue your subterranean life. You have gained the trait: Tenacity.]

[Another three hundred years pass.]

[Your body has now grown to the thickness of an adult’s arm. Your shell has become hard as iron, its color turning a deep brown.]

[You sense that you have fully matured. An urge to break through the surface surges within you.]

[This is the instinct of an earth-cicada. At this stage, you must leave the underground, go to the surface, and complete your final molt to become an adult.]

[Your choices are:]

[1. Follow your instinct and break through the surface immediately.]

[2. Suppress your instinct and continue living underground.]

[3. Find a safe exit and slowly move upward.]

Zhu Ge fell into deep thought.

’Now I’m faced with the choice of breaking through the surface. The instinct is strong, but suppressing it might allow me to live longer. Or would it cause me to die because I can’t molt? Maybe I can keep growing underground? I need to think this through.’

’Also, option three, "Find a safe exit and slowly move upward," probably means carefully observing the conditions on the surface and choosing the right moment.’

Zhu Ge recalled the fate of his brothers and sisters who had broken through the surface in the first simulation—all of them had been eaten by natural predators.

’But that time, it was probably during the day, or they didn’t choose a good spot. If I can emerge at night or in a hidden location, I might have a chance.’

"Option three." Zhu Ge decided to act with caution.

[You suppress the instinct to emerge immediately and begin to move slowly and diagonally upward.]

[You move with extreme caution, stopping after every little advance to sense for vibrations and sounds in the soil.]

[It takes you three full years to move from a depth of over ten meters to just a foot below the surface.]

[From here, you can clearly sense the changes on the surface—the cycle of day and night, the falling rain, the movements of creatures.]

[You wait for the right moment.]

[Finally, on a silent night, you sense no large creatures moving on the surface, only the faint chirping of insects.]

[Your choices are:]

[1. Break through the surface immediately.]

[2. Keep waiting and observe for a few more nights.]

[3. Retreat deeper and give up this chance.]

Zhu Ge thought for a moment. ’Since I’ve already waited three years, it won’t hurt to observe for a few more days to be sure it’s safe.’

’Better safe than sorry.’

"Option two."

[You continue to wait, observing for seven nights.]

[You discover that in the latter half of each night, a type of small creature is active on the surface. They make squeaking sounds and seem to be foraging for food.]

[But in the hour before dawn, these creatures disappear, and the surface falls into a brief period of silence.]

[You decide to emerge in that hour before dawn.]

[Another night passes, and you sense the moment has arrived.]

[You begin to dig upward, quickly breaking through the final layer of soil.]

[You poke your head out and see the starry sky.]

[This is the first time you have ever seen the sky. The deep night canopy is dotted with countless points of light, and a cool night breeze blows across your antennae.]

[You quickly crawl out of the ground, find a branch on a nearby shrub, and begin your final molt.]

[The molting process is long and painful. You are unable to move, only able to let your old shell split open as your new body slowly unfurls.]

[During this process, you must remain absolutely still and hidden.]

[Your choices are:]

[1. Stay where you are to molt.]

[2. Climb to a higher branch.]

[3. Hide deep within the shrubbery.]

"Option three. Hide deep within the shrubbery."

[Using the last of your strength, you crawl into the densest part of the shrub.]

[You grip a thin twig tightly and begin to molt.]

[Time passes, second by second. A crack splits down your back, and your soft, new body slowly squeezes out.]

[Just as half of your body has emerged, a rustling sound reaches you.]

[You see a mouse-sized creature sniffing around outside the bush; it seems to have caught your scent.]

[You have been eaten.]

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