Capítulo 8: Villain Simulator, Ch 8
"What are you angry about, shouldn't you be happy?" ShenHe said with a slightly sarcastic smile on her face. "It doesn't matter, as long as Yun is safe, I don't care about anything else."
"You're wrong," unexpectedly, Lucas shook his head and said, "I don't know what medicine you're taking, but you must stop."
ShenHe hesitated a little, "But..."
"No buts..." Lucas patted the table and said, "This is an order."
...
Meanwhile, outside the student council office.
"Why is it taking so long?" Pan Zhi, who had been "asked" to leave, stood in front of a mirror on the outer wall of the office, stroking his chin with a slight frown. "I wonder what they are doing in there?"
Pan Zhi was very jealous by nature. Although ShenHe had no interest in him, he believed that with his God's Eye and being one of the family's key training prospects, it was only a matter of time before he could win ShenHe's heart if he put in a little effort.
Despite his rational mind telling him that the age and status difference between ShenHe and Lucas made any romantic involvement impossible, watching the woman he was infatuated with alone with another man made him very uneasy.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it," Pan Zhi said, adjusting his hair in the mirror with a very confident smile. "No matter how you compare, I'm much better than that young lad. ShenHe... I know you love me, you're just shy to express it. Don't worry, one day I'll make you admit it!"
However, Pan Zhi had no idea that his self-talk was clearly heard by Lucas and ShenHe from behind the one-way glass.
"I say..." ShenHe, leaning on the one-way glass for support, blushed slightly. "Are all men this stupid?"
"Not all," Lucas, working hard behind her, replied. "But many men become quite foolish when dealing with women they like."
"Is... is that true?" ShenHe bit her lip. "But... I don't feel that you are being foolish at all. Does that mean... you don't like me?"
"Is what I'm doing not foolish enough?" Lucas said softly. "I've spent my whole life playing the role of a good child and a good student. If I wanted, I could graduate peacefully from this school, get a job everyone envies, find a beautiful wife of equal status, and have a few children. But to win you over, I had to take this huge risk. One wrong step, and my life would be ruined."
Lucas's words left ShenHe momentarily silent. She knew she was an attractive woman, her coldness and pride largely stemmed from self-awareness. However, a man with a promising future like Lucas, even if he didn't choose her, could easily win the hearts of many excellent girls who were gentler, better matched in family background, and younger.
For ordinary people, beauty often cannot withstand the ravages of time.
"Your life isn't ruined yet," Shen He said calmly. "But my life has already been ruined by you. I hate you."
"You can hate me," Lucas smiled, "but make sure to finish that sentence."
"I hate you," ShenHe hesitated for a moment, "My Master"
[Activated: Mischievous Shiba Inu Effect, Obtained C-level Loot Box X1]
...
An hour later.
"Isn't this taking too long?"
As time passed, Pan Zhi's mood worsened. Whatever they were discussing, it should have been finished by now!
Could it be that...
They were really doing something unspeakable in there?
"Ugh..."
At that moment, a strange sound suddenly came from the office. Without a doubt, it was ShenHe's voice!
Pan Zhi felt a wave of nervousness and hurried to the door, trying to open it. However, the door was somehow locked and he couldn't push it open no matter how hard he tried.
Locked?
Why lock it?
If they were just talking, why would they need to lock the door?
"Open the door!" Pan Zhi pounded on the door angrily. "What are you doing in there?"
However, the door remained firmly shut.
In his anger, Pan Zhi took two steps back. The hydro element of his Vision emitted a blue light, and a water ball the size of a soccer ball formed in his hand. Just as he was about to use the water ball to break down the door, he heard a creak. The door opened slowly, and Lucas poked his head out with a smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting... What are you doing?"
"Nothing..." Pan Zhi dispersed the water ball, frowning. "But what were you doing in there, and why lock the door?"
"Oh, you misunderstood. The door locks automatically and only I can open it," Lucas lied with a straight face, "After all, I hate being interrupted while working."
"Hmph!" Pan Zhi pushed Lucas aside and entered the office, seeing Shen He sitting in her original position without any sign of anything unusual. He then asked, "You... you're fine?"
"What could possibly be wrong with me?" ShenHe replied calmly, "We were just discussing some plans to help Yun out of trouble."
"It took a bit too long," Pan Zhi said suspiciously. "And I think I heard some strange sounds earlier."
Pan Zhi's words made a look of surprise flash across ShenHe's face, but it quickly disappeared. She just gave a cold laugh and said, "How long I talk to others is none of your business."
"I..." ShenHe's words immediately made Pan Zhi's face change color. He muttered, "I... I was just a little worried about you both..."
"Worried about what?" ShenHe asked calmly, showing no change in expression. "Are you afraid that I, along with this little guy, will do something inappropriate in this office?"
"I..." Pan Zhi, whose thoughts had been exposed, quickly shook his head. "No... I would never think like that!"
"Hmph, even if I did do something like that, it's none of your business." ShenHe stood up and said coldly, "I only ask that you stay far away from me."
After finishing her sentence, ShenHe left without looking back, leaving Pan Zhi standing alone in the room.
Pan Zhi's face was a grim sight. He turned to look at Lucas, gritting his teeth. "I told you to stay away from ShenHe, didn't I?"
"Of course," Lucas said nonchalantly. "But this time, it was Ms. ShenHe who came to see me. You should know by now, we're both just trying to ensure Chongyun is okay. By the way, speaking of that, your fiancée..."
"What about my fiancée?" Pan Zhi asked coldly.
Lucas licked his fingers and smiled. "She's very... slippery."
"You're asking for it!"
Pan Zhi lost control and, in a fit of rage, swung his fist directly at Lucas's face.
[Villain Simulator Defense Mechanism Activated]
Pan Zhi's strength far surpassed that of Lucas, so his punch sent him flying, but surprisingly, Lucas didn't feel any pain.
This was thanks to the system. The "Immersive Mode" could be turned on or off at any time, meaning that even if Pan Zhi's punch had killed Lucas, his real body wouldn't feel a thing in Immersive Mode.
Blood trickled from Lucas's nose. He wiped it off casually, snapped his fingers, and said, "Security."
At that moment, three burly men in uniforms entered the room. Seeing Lucas, the student council president, with blood on his face, they immediately asked in unison,
"What happened?" x3
The synchronization in their voices almost made Lucas feel like transforming on the spot.
"This man broke into the school and assaulted me," Lucas said calmly. "Take him to the administrative office. For a crime like this, he should be detained for at least three months."
"You... you set me up!" Pan Zhi suddenly realized. Lucas had provoked him on purpose to make him act out, only to have him arrested.
"Mind your words," Lucas dusted off his clothes and replied indifferently. "This was an open strategy, nothing underhanded. Any complaints? Save them for your lawyer. A-Da, A-Er, A-San, take him away."
"Yes!" The three security guards nodded in sync again. They surrounded Pan Zhi and repeated in unison, "Please come with us."
"Hmph!" Pan Zhi scoffed, "Do you three think you're enough to stop me?"
As a highly regarded disciple of his sect, Pan Zhi was confident in his strength. He didn't even consider these ordinary school guards a threat. A layer of water element energy surrounded his body, and three water spheres shot toward the guards in an instant.
However, the guards were surprisingly fast, easily dodging the water spheres. Before Pan Zhi could react, two of the guards had already pinned his shoulders, and the third punched him squarely in the chest.
Pan Zhi felt a tremendous force hit his chest, and his body flew backward.
This time, he flew even higher and farther than when he punched Lucas, his body tracing a graceful arc in the air before crashing to the ground with a thud.
*Cough!* Pan Zhi spat out a mouthful of blood, his brow furrowed. "Who... who are you people?"
Pan Zhi's strength ranked at the fifth level, the "Genshin" level, out of seven tiers, meaning he should have been able to easily overpower ordinary people.
"We are..." The three guards struck a pose like something out of an old movie, then said in perfect unison, "Five-star students from the Tianheng Mountain Professional Security Academy!"
"These three were personally assigned by Lady Tianquan to protect the academy," Lucas waved dismissively. "Now, take him away."
Power levels alone don't always determine the outcome. A highly skilled ordinary person could still hold their own against someone with a Vision.
"Yes!" The guards swiftly lifted the weakened Pan Zhi and dragged him out of the office.
"Exit Immersive Mode."
[Immersive Mode Exited!]
"Phew..." Lucas let out a long breath.
Honestly, it was a strange feeling.
When in Immersive Mode, Lucas felt as if he was fully immersed in the simulator, becoming a different person—cunning, sinister, and cold-blooded, completely different from his real self.
But he didn't feel any sense of conflict. It wasn't as if the system was controlling his actions; rather, he had intended to act that way all along.
What was more troubling, though, was that Lucas found himself somewhat enjoying playing the villain.
Could it be... that deep down, he was actually an evil person?
[Admit it, the simulator is influencing you.]
"No... I'm not!" Lucas quickly refuted. "Reality and simulated life are different!"
[Let's see how long you can stick to that.]
That's right!
This was just a game.
Like many games, there are paths for good and evil.
As long as I can distinguish between reality and the game, I won't be affected!
Since time effectively stops while using the Life Simulator, even in Sensory Mode, it felt like Lucas had already spent considerable time with ShenHe.
Thankfully, all sensations in the Life Simulator were virtual, so the punch from Pan Zhi hadn't left any lasting marks on Lucas in reality.
[Why are you stopping?]
"Can't I take a break?"
[Or are you not up for it?]
"I'm more than up for it!" Lucas retorted, frustrated. "But if I stay in Immersive Mode for too long, time passes too slowly."
While using the Life Simulator, time in the real world remained still, but within the simulation, time flowed normally.
In other words, using Immersive Mode, Lucas could live an entire lifetime while not even a second passed in reality.
Moreover, in text mode, he could observe everything from a third-person perspective. However, in Immersive Mode, he had to experience everything firsthand, especially when playing the villain. It felt... odd.
Of course, there were certain key moments when he still preferred to participate himself.
After all, being a good person and growing up don't always have to be mutually exclusive events.
[16th year, 8th day: You visited ShenHe to report the progress of the peace agreements, and the two of you had a work-related conversation in her room.]
[Effect of "Mischievous Shiba Inu" triggered, received C-rank loot box X1]
[16th year, 13th day: You and ShenHe visited the second victim's home to seek an apology. With your subtle direction, you successfully obtained the second agreement. You then entered the bathroom with ShenHe.]
[Effect of "Mischievous Shiba Inu" triggered, received C-rank loot box X1]
[16th year, 18th day: You and ShenHe visited the third victim at the hospital and successfully obtained the third agreement. You then handed a nurse's outfit to Shen He.]
[Effect of "Mischievous Shiba Inu" triggered, received C-rank loot box X1]
[16th year, 21st day: You heard Chongyun had been released from his confinement, so you decided to pay him a visit...]
"Pause." Lucas said suddenly, as he read that line of text. "Enter Immersive Mode."
[You wouldn't go after Chongyun, would you?]
"No!" Lucas groaned. "I just want to see him and have a chat."
Ironically, though Lucas had approached Chongyun with a plan in this Life Simulator, Chongyun had become his most trusted friend.
This innocent, kind-hearted boy still didn't realize that his violent outburst had everything to do with Lucas's manipulation.
[Entering Immersive Mode]
A familiar sensation washed over him, and the scene before Lucas transformed into a clean, tidy room with simple furnishings. A large calligraphy of the word "Dao" hung on the wall.
"Lucas!"
A pair of pale hands suddenly waved in front of him, revealing a boy with a doll-like face and short, ice-blue hair sitting across from Lucas, smiling. "What are you daydreaming about?"
No need for introductions—this was Chongyun.
Compared to his appearance in the game, he looked even younger now, his clear eyes seemingly able to see straight through to someone's soul.
"N-Nothing," Lucas quickly shook his head. "How have you been lately?"
"Not much, just a little confinement," Chongyun said, scratching his head with a bit of frustration. "It's all my fault for not being able to control myself... How embarrassing."
"It's not your fault," Lucas shook his head and said, "It's the fault of those bad students. It's also my fault. I didn't manage them well. As the president of the student union, I can't escape the blame."
These words are not hypocritical words of Lucas.
In fact, he was really guilty about what happened to Chongyun.
---
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