The simulation was coming apart beautifully.

The sky peeled back in ribbons of light and corrupted data, shedding its illusion like skin. What once resembled a mountain range now trembled like glass on the verge of shattering. The code was unstable. The environment had begun to stutter and loop.

And yet, they remained.

Ruan Mei stood still amid the chaos, robes gently swaying in the windless air, her expression unbothered, even serene. The world around her collapsed like a dying opera’s final act.. and she was its conductor.

“Still standing...” she murmured to herself, a glimmer of admiration touching her tone.

“Your resilience is... quite beyond expectation.”

She turned her gaze to meet yours, watching as you steadied yourself against the trembling landscape, eyes wary, breath uneven. Fear was present, confusion as well... but there was no collapse. No surrender.

Remarkable.

She approached with her signature poise, long sleeves trailing like silk through corrupted air.

“Do you wish to exit the simulation? Or.. will you allow me to further test your capabilities?”