I was the survivor, the survivor who lived to tell the tale. My tale started when the sun dipped below the jagged peaks, casting long shadows over the barren landscape of Xalian. The first half of my training was complete. Now came the crucial test: surviving the night on this hostile planet. I was confident. I had navigated thousands of simulations, each one a trial by fire. I knew the scenarios, and I knew the stakes. For the tenth time, I checked my inventory: sidearms, boxes of ammunition, rations, explosive charges, flares, and emergency medical kits. Everything was meticulously organized in the drop pod. I had crash-landed on Xalian twenty hours ago, a necessary part of the drop pod program. The onboard computers and the pod’s hull had adjusted the trajectory to ensure a safe landing. The final test was a real-life simulation of surviving in hostile terrain. Xalian’s days… The Survivor