Ark Simulator, don't I have no physical form?

"Not entirely." Su Rui quickly analyzed the console data. "These are all failures. The truly complete prototype is..."

A loud bang interrupted him. The explosion-proof glass of the main laboratory suddenly shattered, and a three-meter-tall black figure slowly rose to its feet.

The gelatinous substance condensed and took shape at a speed visible to the naked eye, its surface constantly changing color and texture.

"Fire!"

Bullets rained down, but what was chilling was that the bullets were deflected by a suddenly formed armor plate before they even hit the surface.

"It's evolving its physical defense!" Suri calmly prompted. "Switch to a magical weapon... okay, I mean, Originium Bomb."

Frostflower immediately threw an Originium grenade. The monster let out a piercing shriek, and an insulating layer quickly formed on its body.

"Damn it!" The tank reloaded with a new magazine. "Doesn't this thing have any weaknesses?"

"Wait... its core will flash for 0.5 seconds after each evolution!"

Ash immediately grasped the key: "Evolution interval?"

"That's right, it needs to restructure its energy structure! This is the opportunity!"

A daring plan took shape in Ash's mind. She quickly signaled, "Flash Shield, prepare flashbangs! Tank, I'll count to three and then fire at full power!"

As blinding white light filled the laboratory, the monster instinctively evolved a light-shielding membrane. In that brief moment, Ash's armor-piercing bullet precisely struck the unreinforced core.

"It works!" Shuanghua exclaimed.

But the joy of victory was short-lived, as the monster suddenly split into dozens of smaller individuals, surging forward like a tide.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. The split entities surrounded them from all sides, each rapidly evolving different defense mechanisms.

"Defend back-to-back!" Ash commanded. The squad immediately formed a circular defensive formation.

"Listen! Your firepower seems a bit insufficient," Suri's voice was exceptionally clear: "However, this splitting state will consume a great deal of its energy. If it can hold out for five minutes... these creatures will wither and die on their own."

The tank's machine guns spat fire: "Easier said than done!"

Frostflower's traps kept exploding, but the evolution of the split entities was accelerating. One split entity even grew a fibrous layer resembling a bulletproof vest.

"Ammunition is running low!" Flash Shield reported.

Ash's mind raced. Suddenly, she noticed the fire suppression system on the wall: "Suri, can you activate the lab's fire suppression system?"

"Okay! But water is bad for them..." Suri suddenly understood Ash's intention. "Oh... I see."

Three seconds later, the sprinkler system activated, instantly enveloping the laboratory in a mist. At the same time, Shuanghua dropped the last electric shock trap into the water.

"Everyone retreat!"

High-voltage current is conducted through water mist, causing all the splitting bodies to convulse violently simultaneously. They attempt to evolve insulating properties, but the conductivity of water makes the process extremely slow.

"Now!" Ash gave the order, and the squad concentrated their firepower on the nearest split. A chain reaction began to occur—each split destroyed caused the remaining individuals to need to redistribute their energy.

"It can't hold on any longer, the core is being exposed!" Suri marked the target in Ash's vision.

Without hesitation, Ash fired the last high-explosive shell into the writhing, purplish-black mass.

Amidst the deafening explosion, the laboratory began to collapse.

"Evacuate!" Ash shouted. The squad rushed towards the exit, followed by Levi's hysterical scream: "You've ruined my life's work!"

"Never mind him!" Suri urged. "The building structure is about to collapse completely! He's dead."

As everyone rushed out of the laboratory, the entire building collapsed behind them with a deafening roar. In the distance, Rhodes Island's aircraft were rapidly approaching.

"Looks like we've made too much noise," the tank said, panting heavily.

Ash examined the data chip he'd brought from the lab: "Suri, can you analyze this?"

"Give me some time...I want to...rest..."

Ash then noticed that Suri's voice was much weaker than usual: "What's wrong?"

"I stayed up late playing games last night and was a bit sleepy, so I sent it to you later..." Su Rui's voice was broken: "Don't worry... you'll be fine after a good night's sleep..."

Shuanghua suddenly pointed to the sky: "Someone is about to disembark from the aircraft."

Ash looked up and saw a hooded figure rappelling down a rope. When the person looked up, Ash saw a face that bore a striking resemblance to Suri.

"Doctor..." she murmured.

Ash stood by the window of her Rhodes Island dormitory, the last rays of the setting sun casting long, thin shadows on the floor through the glass. She had just finished talking to the Doctor, and the words "Suri hasn't materialized yet?" still echoed in her ears.

"Ashes?" Su Rui's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with hesitation.

Ash didn't answer, but simply raised her hand, looking at the almost forgotten progress bar in the corner of her vision—[100%] . This number had remained unchanged for a whole week, yet she still hadn't clicked on it.

"Why don't you speak?" Ash suddenly spoke, his voice lower than usual.

"What did you say?" Suri's feigned ignorance was all too obvious.

"The matter of materialization." Ash turned and walked to the bedside, glancing at the notification in the corner of his vision:

Ash's vision clearly displayed: [Physicalization preparation complete, ready to be activated at any time].

A brief silence fell over the room. Ash could feel Suri curling up deep within her consciousness, like a child who had done something wrong.

"I just think that it's actually quite nice not to have a physical form."

"You were prepared all along." This is not a question.

"Yes," Su Rui honestly admitted, "from the day the physicalization progress reached 100%."

Ash took a deep breath and suddenly tapped the activation interface in his field of vision. A blue holographic projection immediately unfolded in the center of the room, displaying a detailed materialization process.

"Now," she said briefly.

"Now? Now?" Su Rui's voice suddenly rose: "Wait, I haven't explained yet—"

Ash has already pressed the confirm button.

In an instant, countless particles of light drifted out from her temples, converging into a vortex in the center of the room. Ash felt a strange sense of detachment, as if something important was being gently peeled away from the depths of her consciousness.

The light particles gathered more and more, gradually outlining a human figure. A slender figure, slightly messy black hair, and those familiar, surprised eyes.

As the last glimmer of light faded, Suri—the real, flesh-and-blood Suri—staggered forward a step.

"Really, you should have let me finish." He looked down at his hands, his voice no longer the electronic voice that reverberated in his mind, but a real, slightly trembling boy's voice, "I have no clothes to wear right now."

Ash didn't give him a chance to finish speaking. She stepped forward and pulled the beautiful young man with black hair and black eyes into her arms tightly.

Suri's body stiffened, then slowly relaxed. He could feel Ash's heartbeat through his uniform, abnormally fast.

"Ashes..." he whispered, but didn't know what to say.

Ash tightened her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. Suri carried the unique scent of sunlight and electronic devices, a warm and reassuring aroma.

The progress bar in the corner of my vision had disappeared. In its place was the real warmth of my embrace.

Volume 10, Page 593: Shooting Training

The metal gates of Rhodes Island's training grounds opened precisely at six in the morning, and Ash was the first to step onto the field, as usual. But today was different; a sleepy-eyed, black-haired boy followed behind her.

"It's too early..." Suri rubbed his eyes, his voice heavy with sleepiness. He was wearing a Rhodes Island training uniform that was clearly a size too big, with the cuffs rolled up several times to reveal his slender wrists.

Ash expertly adjusted the shooting equipment, saying without turning his head, "Standard training time."

"But it's a holiday now..." Su Rui yawned, leaning against the weapon rack like a lazy black cat. Sunlight streamed through the high window, bathing him in a golden glow.

Ash paused for a moment. She knew, of course, that it was a day off, but ever since Su Rui materialized, she had subconsciously wanted to keep him by her side. This thought felt foreign to her.

"boom!"

The first bullet hit the bullseye precisely, the gunshot ringing out loudly in the empty training ground. Su Rui was jolted awake, completely snapping out of her daze.

"Hey!" He glared angrily at Ash, his dark eyes flashing with displeasure.

Ash's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as she continued loading bullets. This was a mischievous little gesture she would never have made before.

However, the sound of gunfire during shooting training is unavoidable, so Suri couldn't find fault with it.

Su Rui pursed his lips and pulled out a repeating shotgun from his system space. This custom-made weapon was specially crafted for him by the engineering department; it was entirely silver-white with tiny star patterns engraved on the barrel.

Suri is already familiar with Talulah's gift, but she still needs to get used to the Engineering Department's.

"Since we're here, why don't we have a competition?" Once he regained his senses, Su Rui skillfully checked the condition of the firearms, his movements so fluid that he didn't seem like a novice.

Ash raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure?"

"What, afraid of losing to me?" Su Rui tilted his head, revealing a provocative smile.

After ten rounds of shooting, Ash stared at the score sheet on the electronic target, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

[Ashes: 98 rings]

[Su Rui: 100 rings]

"That doesn't make sense." She put down her rifle and turned to Suri, who was humming a little tune while fixing her equipment. "You only touched a gun for the first time yesterday."

Of course, it wasn't the first day, but since Ash said so, Suri didn't explain.

Suri blinked: "Maybe this is talent?" He deliberately imitated Ash's usual indifferent tone, but couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes.

Ash approached the target, carefully examining the bullet holes. The ten holes almost overlapped, forming a perfect circle. Even she would find it difficult to maintain such precision every time.

"Again," Ash said curtly, returning to his firing position.

Suri smiled and followed, "I'll play along to the end."

In the second round, Ash was completely focused. She adjusted her breathing, slowed her heartbeat, and concentrated all her attention on the crosshair.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Bullets left the barrel one after another, the recoil transmitted through the buttstock to her shoulder—this familiar sensation brought her peace of mind. After the last bullet was fired, she immediately looked at the display screen:

[Ashes: 99 rings]

[Su Rui: 100 rings]

Ash still lost; Suri's bullet impact points were more concentrated than hers.

"Not bad." Su Rui leaned closer, her hair brushing against her cheek, carrying a faint scent of shampoo. "Finally getting serious?"

Ash did not answer, but his heart inexplicably quickened.

However, it's normal for Ash to lose. No matter how hard they try, they can't compete with the precision of a machine.

"Wow, they're starting special training so early?"

Flash Shield's voice came from the doorway. He walked into the training ground with Chariot and Frostflower, and they all smiled knowingly when they saw Ash and Suri's combination.

"Our little genius has broken the record again?" Chariot walked over and patted Su Rui on the shoulder. Ever since Su Rui materialized, the Ashes' squad members have all developed a fondness for this gentle and polite young man.

Suri smiled sheepishly, "I was just lucky."

"Luck?" Shuanghua raised an eyebrow in surprise after examining the target paper. "The bullet impact distribution is so good, I'd believe it if you said it was fired by a machine."

Ash coughed lightly, interrupting his teammates' praise: "Let's begin regular training."

"Yes, yes, yes." Flash Shield winked mischievously. "But could Suri give me some pointers today? My pistol shooting is always just a little bit off."

Before Ash could respond, the other team members joined in the jeering:

"I need it too!"

"Teacher Su Rui, I'd like to ask for your guidance."

Surrounded by others, Suri looked at Ash with some helplessness. Ash pursed his lips and suddenly pressed a button on the control panel.

With a "click," the training ground switched to advanced mode, and more than a dozen moving targets popped out from different directions at the same time.

"Those who want to learn, first keep up with this pace," Ash said coldly, while deftly changing to a new magazine.

Everyone reluctantly dispersed and began training, except for Suri, who couldn't help but smile. He knew Ash all too well—this was clearly jealousy.

During lunch break, all the other team members went to the cafeteria, leaving only Ash and Suri on the training ground.

"Are you angry?" Suri leaned against Ash, gently tugging at Ash's clothes.

Ash, who was wiping the gun barrel, paused upon hearing this: "No."

"It's obvious." Suri leaned closer. "You always purse your lips like this when you're unhappy."

Ash looked up and met Suri's face, which was inches away from his. The sunlight reflected in his eyes, like melted dark chocolate, warm and sweet.

"...They're too noisy," Ash finally whispered.