In a simulated life scenario, how do you defy fate and change your destiny every time?

Chapter 35 Pigeon Cage, Strange Photograph

the other side.

Lu Yuan had already left the rooftop.

His figure moved swiftly through the night like a hawk, arriving at a cluster of low-rent housing with practiced ease.

It's called a house.

In fact, in order to improve the utilization rate of building area, the room size is about the same as a pigeon coop.

The smallest single room is no more than two square meters.

There's barely enough room for a single bed, and at night you have to curl up, unable to stretch your legs.

Therefore, these single rooms are jokingly referred to by ordinary people as coffin rooms.

But thankfully it's free.

Any orphan under the age of 18 can apply for free.

If a single adult wants to rent a single room like this.

The rent alone costs five thousand yuan a month!
Another type of room.

It is a one-bedroom apartment with a living room, only ten square meters in size.

There is no air conditioning, no water heater, and no washing machine.

The kitchen, toilet, and bathroom are all shared.

The family was crammed into the small room like sardines in a can.

That's it.

The monthly rent is around ten thousand yuan!

And it's only available to families with children!
Even single people aren't eligible to rent it!

Moreover, according to imperial law...

If you are a family with multiple children, you can also get a partial rent reduction.

For families with three or more children, not only is there no charge, but they also receive an additional housing subsidy.

and so.

In the low-rent housing.

You can often see a peculiar sight.

Families facing greater hardship are often the most eager to have children.

Because if even one child can become a Simulator, it can change the fate of the entire family!
Looking at the familiar surroundings and everything.

A hint of reminiscence appeared in Lu Yuan's eyes.

Eight years ago, he fled from Linhai City to this place and finally found a place to settle down.

Even though it's just a small coffin room, it's better than wandering around aimlessly.

Due to a shortage of manpower in the Public Security Bureau.

This low-rent housing complex has a population of over 5,000, but no Sims are stationed there.

Ordinary people can only cover themselves with thick blankets, curl up in bed, and grit their teeth to endure the encroachment and torment of darkness.

Only when patrol officers from the Public Security Bureau pass by.

Only then can they feel a moment of warmth.

But when Lu Yuan arrived.

Many people noticed something was wrong.

It seems much warmer tonight than usual?
Lu Yuan climbed the stairs to the fifth floor and then walked towards the innermost room on the left.

Standing at the door of the house.

He took out the key.

He skillfully unlocked the door.

"Squeak!"

The door opened.

Not loud.

But in the silent darkness, it sounded particularly jarring.

In this bizarre and chaotic apocalypse.

Ordinary people don't dare to sleep too soundly; they are usually in a semi-conscious state.

As soon as a sound was heard.

The residents of that floor immediately woke up and quietly pulled out kitchen knives or weapons from under their beds.

They only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Lu Yuan's familiar figure through the crack in the window.

Simultaneously.

Some quick-witted people immediately thought of something.

After nightfall.

Only simulators can move freely at night.

Lu Yuan returned late at night, yet he remained unaffected by the darkness.

this means.

He has successfully completed The Sims and become a full-fledged Sim!
The thought of this possibility made everyone's heart skip a beat!
then.

One by one, candlelight began to illuminate the scene.

Because the outer city is not protected by the Spirit Rail Array, many infrastructure facilities cannot be used at night.

Only expensive, specially made candles can illuminate the darkness.

"I haven't seen you for a few days, and Xiao Yuan has grown more and more handsome. No wonder my daughter keeps thinking about you."

"Xiao Feng, come over here and say hello to your brother Lu Yuan." A middle-aged man held up a candle and frantically winked at his daughter.

But he, who was determined to raise his daughter to be a social butterfly, completely forgot about this.

three years ago.

His daughter was locked in the house for three days and not allowed to go out after only exchanging a few words with Lu Yuan.

"Ah Yuan, you're back so late? Are you hungry? How about Aunt Wang cooks you a midnight snack?"

"Please don't take it to heart if Aunt Wang did something wrong in the past."

A middle-aged woman with a fierce face stood at the door and said nervously.

Lu Yuan glanced at her calmly.

Last year during the Spring Festival.

I was walking past their house on my way home from school when I accidentally smelled the aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen.

She caught me and scolded me for almost half a month.

But she was still that same fierce and shrewish woman.

Now, however, she wore an awkward, ingratiating smile and warmly invited Lu Yuan to her home for dinner.

If it were the old Lu Yuan.

Perhaps there will be a scene where the Dragon King returns, showing off and getting slapped in the face.

But now.

Having decades of experience in simulations, he had long since lost that kind of lowbrow interest.

These neighbors are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong, and who are arrogant at first but obsequious at second.

The best approach is to ignore it.

Lu Yuan opened the door.

In a dimly lit, cramped room.

There was only a bed, and no other furniture.

Lu Yuan squatted down.

He took an iron box out from under the bed.

Inside were more than two thousand banknotes, some certificates and awards, and a yellowed photograph.

In the yellowed photo.

More than thirty children stood in front of an old-fashioned building, their faces beaming with smiles.

Five large characters are engraved on the building's plaque.

Shuguang Welfare Home.

But the moment Lu Yuan came into contact with the photo...

The entire photo seemed to be set on fire, suddenly bursting into flames and billowing out thick black smoke.

What was originally an ordinary photo now feels like a red-hot branding iron when held in your hand.

Lu Yuan's hand trembled, and he subconsciously threw the photo on the ground.

However, although the flames looked terrifying, they actually did not cause any damage to anything around them.

After a few seconds.

Everything is back to normal.

When Lu Yuan looked at the photo again, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

A chill rose from his tailbone and shot straight to the top of his head.

In the photo, there is only himself.

The faces of all the children slowly disappeared, leaving only a group of eerie faceless people!
"What exactly is going on?"

Why did their faces disappear?

Lu Yuan stared at the photo, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He traveled to this world eight years ago.

and.

For some reason, he has very little memory of anything before the age of ten.

Amidst a jumble of fragmented memories.

He only vaguely remembered that one day, the Dawn Welfare Home was suddenly engulfed in a fire.

Flames shot up into the sky and thick smoke billowed.

As people scattered and fled.

The kind and amiable old dean suddenly shoved this photo into his hand.

And tell him.

This photo is important.

No matter what happens, you must keep this photo with you.

The other person's tone was so serious, and their gaze so resolute, as if they were entrusting him with a weighty responsibility to save the world.

It remains a vivid memory for Lu Yuan to this day.

And so many years have passed.

Whether fleeing or moving, Lu Yuan always carried this photo with him.

He returned to his old low-rent housing right after finishing the simulation, and that was precisely the reason.

What Lu Yuan did not expect was...

This seemingly ordinary group photo has unexpectedly led to this astonishing turn of events!

(End of this chapter)