Chapter 90: Romantic

The projection shifted in an instant: the barren, desolate waste transformed into a breathtaking, endless sea of blossoms.

"The moment rain falls, the buried seeds enter a desperate race against time to take root, sprout, and bloom. Yet a rainfall like this occurs only once every five to seven years."

Rin blinked gently. "Every seed spends its whole life waiting for that fleeting shower."

"They never follow a bloom cycle set by others. Even stranded in a lifeless land where even hope dries up, they never surrender—they simply bide their time in the dark folds of time, waiting for a spring that blooms solely for them."

"Bunny, if even a tiny seed can achieve this, so can you."

Bunny gazed at the vibrant, boundless flower field. Though such scenery no longer existed on Earth today, she understood the deeper meaning behind Rin’s words.

"Rin, whoever created you must have been a deeply romantic person."

Her eyes casually caught the red tear mole near the corner of Rin’s eye. She felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had seen it somewhere before—yet he was merely a virtual avatar.

Virtual appearances were infinitely customizable.

Perhaps she was overthinking it.

Bunny took the initiative to change into her combat uniform and stepped out of her room.

Liam was waiting outside alone. He guided her to the topmost level of the training sector—the Comprehensive Simulation Center.

Xander was already waiting there for her.

"Bunny, today is your comprehensive combat evaluation, and you are the sole examinee. Before we begin, you have ten minutes to select your weaponry and ammunition."

"The evaluation consists of several virtual stages. Your neural link will synchronize directly with the central network system. Sustaining a hit to a vital organ means immediate disqualification, and you need an overall score of 90 points to pass."

"Every course and training drill you’ve undergone over this period will be evaluated under distinct scoring metrics."

He gently patted her head. "Don’t be nervous, honey."

Unsurprisingly, Xander immediately caught a razor-sharp glare from Liam. But what of it? Strength was the ultimate argument.

Under their watchful eyes, Bunny entered the staging zone. The overhead lights automatically dimmed, leaving the room so silent she could hear only her own heartbeat.

"Combat simulation initiated..."

"Neural link loading..."

The titanium-alloy walls slowly slid back, revealing a massive display rack filled with an array of sleek black weapons.

Bunny lost no time arming herself: laser rifle, spare magazines, frag grenades, flashbangs, an infrared night-vision helmet...

After holstering twin double-barreled pistols along her thighs, Bunny picked up a submachine gun to finalize her loadout. The evaluation officially commenced.

A flash of blinding white light swept over her vision, and in the next moment, she found herself standing inside an abandoned department store.

Bunny stood at the center of a clothing store’s floor, surrounded by piles of naked plastic mannequins, her combat boots crunching softly over discarded protective film.

Several grotesque aberrations dripping foul-smelling saliva burst out from the fitting rooms. Bunny raised her weapon and opened fire, forced to retreat toward the exit due to the tight space.

She was currently on the third floor, with dozens more monsters swarming up the escalators from all directions. Hissing echoes resounded throughout the cavernous circular atrium.

With her path forward blocked, Bunny dispatched a few aberrations lunging straight at her face before nimbly vaulting over the guardrail.

Tossing a grenade into the horde, she sprang into the air and grabbed a suspended promotional streamer, swinging across the atrium from left to right like an agile primate.

Her body traced a sleek curve through the air as the pursuing monsters behind her plummeted into the central courtyard below, blown apart by the grenade’s detonation.

Landing cleanly on the ground floor, her boots clattered across a grand piano keyboard set in the main lobby, producing a cascading melody.

Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Si~

She dashed through the mall’s main entrance into an outdoor parking lot, where a lone off-road motorcycle was parked.

Shatter!

A violent crash exploded above her as two aberrations burst through a floor-to-ceiling glass panel, diving straight toward her.

Bunny executed a tight combat roll to dodge, shot both creatures dead, swung her leg over the motorcycle, and hit the ignition—only for the engine to stall because she shifted gears too fast.

With a fresh pack of monsters charging straight for her face, Bunny revved the throttle frantically:

"Holy crap, don’t stall on me now!"

Just as their lethal jaws were inches away from snapping at her backside, the off-road engine finally caught fire with a roar. Bunny rocketed forward like a launched skyrocket, leaving the horde choking on a dense cloud of exhaust.

The main highway offered broad visibility, though creatures continuously spilled out from adjoining side streets and buildings, swelling the ranks of the relentless pursuit force.

Bunny began showing off her riding chops—heh, bet you didn’t expect that! Long before going into cryo-sleep, she had already earned her motorcycle license.

With a tight drift around a sharp turn, she successfully shook off the vanguard of aberrations and blasted straight into the next stage of the evaluation.

However, a massive pileup of rusted, abandoned vehicles blocking the main thoroughfare eventually forced her to ditch the bike and proceed on foot.

The sky rapidly darkened above as heavy rain clouds gathered, letting down a cold, steady drizzle.

Meanwhile, a live high-definition feed of Bunny’s test was broadcasting directly onto the primary command console in the control room.

The Sentinels stood and leaned around the central hub in complete silence, watching her every move.

Illai tilted his head, remarking with genuine curiosity, "Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

Rain crossed his arms, casting him a subtle, knowing grin. "Perhaps there are still plenty of secrets about her we have yet to uncover."

Bunny slipped into a narrow, winding alleyway. Darkness had completely swallowed the sky, prompting her to snap down her infrared night-vision visor.

A jagged streak of lightning split the night. In that brief, blinding flash, a tall figure clad in a full-length black leather trench coat and a specter mask materialized at the end of the alley.

A curved short blade glinted in each of his hands.

Bunny opened fire instantly, raining bullets toward him. Yet even as rounds perforated his silhouette, the shadow phantom sped up rather than slowing down, closing the distance like a ghost.

Ditching her empty firearm, she unholstered her electromagnetic combat knife to engage him in hand-to-hand combat.

A heavy blow jolted through her guard, numbing her entire shoulder. Bunny threw up her forearm to deflect the next strike and delivered a sharp kick aimed directly at his knee.

The masked operative countered with a swift hip throw, slamming her hard onto the muddy asphalt. The impact almost knocked out two of her front teeth.

A sharp blade sliced across her upper arm, stinging as blood welled. Metallic clangs echoed through the tight corridor as their weapons clashed repeatedly.

Parrying another slash, they traded dozens of high-speed passes in the tight space. The opponent’s fighting style was erratic, razor-sharp, and mercilessly lethal—gradually pushing Bunny onto the defensive.

The second her knife was forced from her grip, the phantom’s blade whipped toward her throat with lethal precision. Yet right at the critical threshold, his wrist hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Bunny seized the opening instantly, kicking his weapon aside and launching a counter-strike.

Before her hit could land, the phantom vanished into thin air—replaced by a surging, black tide of aberrations pouring into the alleyway from behind.

Bunny grabbed her primary rifle and laid down a desperate wall of suppression fire.

Are you freaking kidding me—it’s a dead end?!

Muzzle flashes strobed frantically against the alley walls, but the sheer volume of monsters was overwhelming. Just as the swarm threatened to crush her, an extraction helicopter roared overhead, hovering directly above the gap.

Snapping her harness onto the lowered winch cable, Bunny was hoisted into the air, escaping the death trap and transitioning straight into the final trial.

She was dropped into a massive, sprawling hive.

Bunny navigated through a maze of sticky webs and cavernous burrows, searching for the core Prime Aberration.

Deep within the subterranean tunnels, the faint, trembling sobs of a young girl echoed out.

Tracking the sound into a damp, cavernous chamber, Bunny discovered a little girl covered in dried blood and wearing tattered clothes. She appeared to be civilian bait brought in by the hive as reserve rations.

Curled into a ball on the cold stone floor, the child wept endlessly, calling out for her mother.

Assuming hostage rescue was an integral objective of the evaluation, Bunny immediately rushed over and scooped her up.

"Bunny... do you know where my mommy is?" the girl whimpered, trembling in terror.

Bunny offered a gentle, reassuring voice: "Don’t be scared, sweetheart. I’m taking you out of here."

Carrying the girl through the labyrinth, Bunny fought through waves of worker aberrations, cleaving a path through the hive until they finally broke out into the open air.

Setting the child down safely at the cave entrance, she prepared to torch the entire nest to the ground.