Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess
Chapter 213: VR Simulation (3)

Chapter 213: VR Simulation (3)

It was a blue flame.

Azure, steady, flickering.

She reached out instinctively, and her bracer went dark for a heartbeat.

Then it blazed.

<<[Trait Evolved: Azure Specter.]>>

A rush of heat filled her limbs, but it didn’t hurt. Her fingers gleamed faintly with light. Her pupils, for a second, flickered silver.

"What the hell..." Yu Song stared. "Did you just?"

"I didn’t mean to."

<<[Player Gu Qingran has achieved High Resonance. Environmental integration: 43%. Trait development accelerated.]>>

"Oh hell no.." Mora said, jealous. "I flap around for ten minutes and get a flying squirrel upgrade. She breathes and becomes a jungle ghost. That’s not fair."

Qingran flexed her fingers. "It’s just a cosmetic change. Don’t worry."

But even she wasn’t convinced.

The group continued onward, more focused now. The environment responded to them, glowing brighter when they worked together, darkening when they bickered.

It wasn’t just a simulation. It was interactive ecology.

The Garden was listening and it was nice escape from their dreadful reality.

They crossed a bridge of woven roots that pulsed like veins and entered a fog-filled canyon.

A beast’s roar echoed ahead.

<<[Final Trial Approaching. The Heart Tree lies beyond. Proceed with caution.]>>

"Does it eat people?" one of the younger kids asked, grabbing Xu Tianming’s hand.

"No real danger, remember?" he said, then glanced nervously at Qingran. "...Right?"

<<[Correct. However, emotional projection levels are elevated. Reactions may feel real. Discomfort threshold may vary.]>>

Yu Song groaned. "Translation: It’s a therapy boss fight."

As they stepped into the clearing. The Heart Tree stood at the center.

Massive. Ancient and covered in bark that shimmered like obsidian and gold.

It’s roots coiled into the earth like a sleeping leviathan. At its base stood a beast, a towering chimera of feathers and stone, eyes closed, breathing deeply.

<<[Final Trial: The Guardian of the Heart. To proceed, you must show what you protect most and why.]>>

The beast opened its eyes.

And it looked straight at Qingran.

Everyone froze and waited to see what she was going to do.

Yu Song whispered "Does it... know?"

But Qingran stepped forward, eyes steady. "I don’t know if it’s real," she said softly, "but I’m not afraid of it."

She placed a hand over her chest. "I protect people. Even when they don’t deserve it and because there’s someone waiting for me, he’s the one I want to protect the most, so we can be together."

Her bracer glowed again.

<<[Trait Sync: 67%. Final resonance underway.]>>

The beast lowered its head.

And one by one, the others followed suit. Each child. Each teen. Mora, Meng Nian.

Yu Song, lips pressed into a line.

Xu Tianming, fists clenched.

They each gave their reasons. Some were selfish. Some were innocent. Some were still searching.

And the Heart Tree listened, like it could give them their heart desires.

Its bark began to shift. Petals bloomed along the roots. A pulse of light surged up its trunk like a heartbeat, and from the crown of the tree, a flower opened, it was colossal and radiant.

A single fruit dropped into Qingran’s hands.

It was smooth, gold-skinned, glowing faintly.

<<[Simulation Complete. Trial cleared.]>>

<<[Bonus Reward unlocked: Emotional Echoes saved. Memory imprint stored for all participants.]>>

The jungle dissolved in sparkles.

And when they returned to the real world, blinking, slightly breathless, but they were still smiling.

Even the kids who’d barely spoken before had lit up, chattering about transformations and trees and glitter-bugs.

"Same time tomorrow?" Mora joked, flopping down on a beanbag.

"No.." Qingran said, but she was smiling too.

Even now, she could feel it, the faint ember of that blue flame. Not just in her hands. In her heart.

[I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. I shall give you all reward. What to you say to a nice buffet?]

The words weren’t spoken aloud, but they rang through every head like warm chimes. A collective shiver passed through the room as the walls shimmered again, this time not into a jungle, but into a softly lit dining space.

Long tables extended from the ground, draped in white and pale green linens that somehow felt both elegant and playful. The air was fragrant with spices and warmth. The lighting adjusted to a mellow gold, like early evening in spring.

The kids gasped.

Even Mora stopped mid-lounge, eyes wide as dishes began to appear. First, there were the familiar western comforts, chicken tenders, curly fries, mac and cheese in cute little ramekins, an ice cream machine already swirling into motion.

But it didn’t stop there.

With a gentle flourish, the next wave arrived: real Chinese comfort food, appearing in plumes of gentle steam.

There were trays of mapo tofu, vibrant with chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns; braised pork belly with glossy skin and melt-in-your-mouth fat. Xiao long bao, their delicate folds quivering with hidden broth, sat in round bamboo baskets.

Tomato and egg stir-fry made its entrance beside platters of dry-fried green beans, glistening with garlic. There was a northern-style beef noodle soup station, bowls ready to be custom assembled with pickled mustard greens, chili oil, and scallions. Beside it, steamed buns in different shape, some shaped like pigs, some like peaches.

"Oh my god," Xu Tianming said under his breath. "They even got the dipping sauce ratios right."

Lotus leaf sticky rice sat in neatly wrapped triangles. Red bean pancakes, egg tarts, and mango pudding waited at the dessert station. There were even youtiao, crisp and golden, next to dispensers of hot soy milk, unsweetened, sweetened, and salty variants alike.

A quiet hush fell over the survivors.

Then.....

"I’m crying," whispered one of the younger girls, clutching her tray like it was sacred. "It smells like home."

<<[Emotional Echoes acknowledged. Comfort-based preferences rendered in full. Nutritional values preserved. No allergens detected.]>>

Yu Song sat down slowly, staring at his bowl of noodle soup. "This looks exactly like the one from that shop in my old neighborhood. The one that closed before the apocalypse..."

"It’s memory-based," Qingran said softly. "Lingquan remembers. That’s what Emotional Echoes means. It pulls what comfort looks like to you."

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