Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator-Chapter 306 - 301: The Fake

"Oh, not bad!" Lu Jiaojiao's replica had clearly anticipated the move, easily dodging her attack. "Did you think you could ambush me like that? Too naive!" The mocking tone made Lu Jiaojiao's expression darken. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

In the third enclosed space, Lilia also encountered a replica of herself. The copy looked at her with cold indifference. "Lilia, you're always so indecisive. You'll never achieve anything great. You, take revenge on the organization and regain control? You're daydreaming."

The words struck a nerve, and Lilia retorted, "I'm not! I've been trying to change!"

Her replica merely laughed mockingly. "Trying? Your efforts are a joke. Look at you, still so weak." As she spoke, a formless, colorless longsword of Telekinesis materialized in the replica's hand, and she lunged at Lilia. Lilia hastily used her own Telekinesis to simulate her sword and block the attack. Unseen shockwaves echoed through the space.

Lilia's telekinetic power was strong, which meant her replica's was even stronger. Fortunately, her situation was much better than the other two's. The use of Telekinesis was relatively straightforward and didn't require much technical skill, which was the only reason Lilia could hold on.

In contrast to the predicament of his three subordinates, Chen Pingchuan was far more composed within his own designated space.

An identical replica stood before Chen Pingchuan, its eyes filled with contempt. "Surprised? You've run into someone exactly like you. I can do everything you can—and even things you can't. How will you win? If you want to live, kneel and beg for mercy now. I might just spare your life."

Chen Pingchuan frowned, his expression stern. "Something's not right about you."

The replica sneered. "What are you talking about? Are you scared?"

However, Chen Pingchuan's expression remained unfazed. "I'm saying something is wrong with you. Based on how these scenarios usually play out in stories, you should be able to copy my memories. But look at you. You're clearly just an empty shell with my appearance."

Hearing this, the replica flew into a rage, evidently because the real Chen Pingchuan had hit a sore spot.

"Enough nonsense! You're courting death!" the replica roared. It wielded a long blade imbued with immense power, slashing down at Chen Pingchuan like a bolt of lightning. The wind from the blade howled, threatening to tear the very space apart. With clear eyes and a light tap of his foot, Chen Pingchuan's body drifted backward like a phantom. The replica's attack struck the ground, instantly gouging a deep crack and kicking up a cloud of white vapor.

While dodging the attacks, Chen Pingchuan analyzed the situation. Its strength is weak, and its speed is only slightly faster than mine. It's clearly missing the boost from my special talent.

The replica, however, paid no mind to this and continued its maniacal assault. Each slash was vicious but lacked fluidity. Its blade technique was sharp and its speed extreme, the glinting steel weaving an impenetrable net that enveloped Chen Pingchuan. He moved nimbly within this net of blades, relying on his keen perception and superb movement technique to narrowly evade one attack after another. After all, their agility was comparable, and since Chen Pingchuan was unarmed, the replica clearly had the advantage.

When it saw its attacks were ineffective, the replica began to taunt, "Is running all you can do?"

After exchanging blows for half a minute, Chen Pingchuan had fully gauged his opponent's capabilities. Faced with such a direct assault, he decided not to humor it any longer. He simply summoned the long blade he had previously confiscated into his hand from his personal storage space.

"Then let's see how many of my slashes you can take!" Chen Pingchuan declared, swinging the long blade in his hand. "Take this!" he roared, his fierce strike tearing through the air toward the replica.

The replica, clearly unaware that it had failed to perfectly copy its original's strength attribute, met the attack head-on. Their blades crashed together, sending a shower of sparks into the air as the crisp ring of steel on steel echoed through the strange space.

BANG!

The replica was sent flying dozens of meters by the immense force. The webbing of its right hand was torn open by the powerful impact.

"AHHH! Impossible! How do you have so much power?" the replica cried out in pain, its eyes filled with shock and indignation. It couldn't believe that this opponent, who looked identical to itself, was hiding such tremendous strength.

"I knew it. A fake is just a fake," Chen Pingchuan stated coldly. "And trash belongs in the trash." With that, he took a swift step and charged again.

The replica ignored the injury to its arm and scrambled to its feet, rushing toward Chen Pingchuan with equal speed. A look of grim resolve filled its eyes; it clearly intended to go for broke in a fight to the death. "Don't you dare underestimate me!" it shrieked.

Chen Pingchuan merely snorted, completely unafraid.

As the replica closed in, Chen Pingchuan didn't dodge or evade, meeting the attack head-on. He gripped his long blade with both hands, channeled all his strength, and brought it down fiercely toward the replica's chest. This strike, containing double the replica's power, seemed capable of cleaving the world in two. The replica knew its strength was inferior and tried its best to dodge. However, a battle is ultimately a contest of raw power; skill only matters when strength is equal. Chen Pingchuan, who had never practiced any blade techniques, was still able to overpower the replica with sheer force, completely breaking the rules of the mirrored space.

After dozens of exchanges, Chen Pingchuan easily severed the replica's arm with his long blade before plunging it deep into its chest. "You..." The replica's eyes widened in disbelief as its body slowly collapsed, dissolving into a puff of smoke that vanished into the air.

Chen Pingchuan put away his long blade and looked around. Sure enough, with his victory, the barrier that had confined him vanished. He could now see Lilia and the other two, who were still trapped within their own spaces. They weren't faring well. Unlike him, their replicas were perfect 1:1 copies, leaving them with no technical advantages. It seemed that not only was victory unlikely for them, but their very survival was questionable if things dragged on.

Just as Chen Pingchuan was about to help them, a grand and authoritative voice echoed through the space. "Young man, are you the one who has disturbed my rest? State your purpose at once. Otherwise, I doubt you wish to experience the consequences of a god's wrath."

Hearing the voice, Chen Pingchuan froze for a moment. But in the next second, he yelled toward the sky, "Enough with the act! If you have the guts to put on a show, why don't you have the guts to show yourself?"

Faced with Chen Pingchuan's brazen provocation, the entire space once again fell silent.