Chapter 33: Simulated Battle—The Pack Versus the Corrupt Wolves

After slitting open the belly of the putrid wolf, Zhang Ran once again approached it cautiously from behind. With a swift movement of his military dagger, he severed its throat. Although this putrid wolf was already gravely wounded, Zhang Ran had learned from his previous experience just how resilient and cunning mutant beasts could be. Therefore, he did not opt for a frontal assault; instead, he attacked from behind, where the wolf could not reach him.

"Chip, return to the preparation space and restore my physical state."

With a calm command, the scene before Zhang Ran vanished abruptly. A flash of silver light swept past him, and his body reappeared in the small room from before. At the same time, his state was reset, and he was once again in peak condition.

This was the advantage of the chip’s virtual combat space: as long as Zhang Ran had sufficient mental energy, he could continuously engage in simulated battles, training his combat prowess and steadily enhancing his fighting strength. Moreover, the chip’s simulation was incredibly lifelike—fatigue, injuries, even death could be vividly replicated, allowing him to immerse himself in every scenario and engrain the lessons deeply.

Yet, no matter what kind of injuries Zhang Ran suffered within the virtual space, or even if he died, his real body would remain completely unaffected. This was the greatest merit of the simulation: it allowed Zhang Ran to experience life-and-death battles repeatedly, growing stronger through extreme challenges.

Of course, if there was a flaw in the chip’s combat simulation, it was that slaying mutant beasts in the simulation yielded no evolutionary energy. After all, these beasts were only virtual; how could they possibly generate real evolutionary energy for Zhang Ran?

"Fighting a single ordinary putrid wolf is no longer a challenge for me. In that case, let me try facing two at once! Chip, continue the simulation!"

After briefly reflecting on his previous battle, Zhang Ran issued another command.

As his mind moved, the space before him shifted from the small preparation room to a grassy field overgrown with wild weeds. This time, however, two putrid wolves stood before him instead of one.

"Begin the trial."

With a thought, the two wolves across from Zhang Ran were instantly activated. One charged at him from the front, while the other attempted to flank him from behind.

"Good! Come at me!"

Seeing the wolves attacking from both directions, Zhang Ran remained unfazed. With a sweep of his Level-2 alloy dagger, he struck the wolf in front, sending it flying. At the same moment, he bent low, dodging the pounce of the wolf behind him.

Both wolves were momentarily stunned—the first from being struck, the second from missing its target and crashing heavily to the ground. Seizing this opportunity, Zhang Ran surged forward, his dagger slashing across the belly of the first wolf.

A cold arc flashed through the air as his blade carved a long gash into the wolf’s abdomen, blood pouring out freely.

Before he could deliver the killing blow, the other wolf recovered from its daze and lunged at his back with savage ferocity.

His dagger was still embedded in the first wolf’s belly, making it too late to parry the attack. Yet Zhang Ran remained composed; he wrenched his weapon free and rolled hard across the ground, narrowly evading the second wolf’s assault. With a nimble spring, he leapt to his feet and charged at his new opponent.

The first wolf, though not dead from the abdominal wound, had lost most of its fighting strength. The battle reverted to a one-on-one.

In just three swift strikes, Zhang Ran dispatched the second wolf with practiced skill. He then returned to the gravely wounded first wolf, finished it off, and returned to the preparation space.

"Facing two putrid wolves is well within my abilities—and I still have energy to spare! It seems I should be able to handle three wolves with attributes at 2.2 points. Let’s give it a try!"

With another command, the preparation space shifted again, and three putrid wolves appeared before him, their greedy green eyes fixed on him.

"Begin the trial!"

At Zhang Ran’s signal, the three wolves sprang into action almost simultaneously, leaping at him. Zhang Ran’s figure flickered as he maneuvered among them.

Compared to the previous battles, this time Zhang Ran found himself pressed for options. The pressure from three wolves was far more than just one and a half times that of two; even someone as experienced as Zhang Ran could hardly deal with them easily.

He tangled with the trio for nearly twenty rounds, finally crippling one wolf and leaving it unable to fight, though he paid for it with a gash on his arm. Now, facing the remaining two wolves, his injury prevented him from handling them as deftly as before.

Fifteen rounds later, he finally slew all three wolves. By then, in addition to the wound on his arm, Zhang Ran had sustained several more serious injuries. His combat strength had dropped noticeably; even a single wolf with 2.2 points in strength, constitution, and agility would be hard for him to defeat at this point.

"It seems that fighting three putrid wolves at once is more or less my limit. If faced with four, even if I fought with all my might, I could perhaps kill one or two, but the rest would surely finish me off."

Back in the preparation space, his wounds vanished instantly. Reflecting on the battle, Zhang Ran coolly assessed his situation.

"Of course, if I don't confront four putrid wolves head-on but choose to escape instead, I should be able to get away. The chip’s simulation environment is too limited now for such an exercise. Besides, I still have wolf-repellent powder and the AM41 at my disposal. Even if I do encounter multiple wolves, my life shouldn’t be in much danger."

"However, if I want to train my combat skills and sharpen my reflexes at the brink of death, facing four wolves is the ideal challenge! Chip, begin the simulation!"

As he silently weighed his options, Zhang Ran issued the command. Instantly, his surroundings shifted once more into a wild, grassy plain, and this time, four putrid wolves stood before him.