Chapter Summaries

Ji Minghuan explored the Esper Association website, learned more about the Superhuman Species and the ranking system, and considered recruiting his fake family to help him oppose the laboratory. He reviewed Gu Qiye and Ghost Bell’s files, then opened Black Cocoon’s newly added record to check its official sequence rating.

• Ji Minghuan learned that Su Zimai was an Exorcist and reflected on the possibility that the laboratory’s dead Restricted Superhuman was himself.
• Ji Minghuan read the Association’s Esper rankings and considered gathering his fake family and their allies to oppose the laboratory and Rainbow Wing.
• Ji Minghuan found Gu Qiye’s Blue Arc profile, which listed him as Quasi-Calamity Grade with Calamity Grade potential.
• Ji Minghuan checked Ghost Bell’s profile and saw that he was also Quasi-Calamity Grade, though the Association had not determined the full nature of his ability.
• Ji Minghuan found Black Cocoon’s new Wild Superhuman file and opened it to view its official sequence rating.

Ji Minghuan reflected on Black Cocoon’s low provisional rank and tried to conceal his recent activities from Gu Qiye. The family’s estranged father, Gu Zhuoan, returned home, leaving Ji Minghuan ready to investigate his abilities and hidden identity.

• Ji Minghuan checked Black Cocoon’s provisional Chief Grade classification and considered how much stronger the character could become.
• Gu Qiye asked Ji Minghuan whether he had stayed home and heard anything strange the previous night, while Su Zimai remarked that he seemed unusually talkative.
• As evening fell, Su Zimai answered the door and found their father, Gu Zhuoan, had returned after two years away.
• Su Zimai told Gu Qiye that Gu Zhuoan was back, while Gu Qiye kept cooking without responding.
• Ji Minghuan prepared to use Restraint Belt Detection on Gu Zhuoan to uncover his abilities and possible identity.

Ji Minghuan used the awkward family reunion to investigate Gu Zhuoan and discovered that his father was the supercriminal Ghost Bell. His quest then tasked him with forming a cooperative relationship with Ghost Bell.

• Gu Zhuoan returned home after two years away, and the family awkwardly gathered for dinner.
• Ji Minghuan broke the silence and learned that Su Zimai ranked fifth in her grade.
• Ji Minghuan tried to attach a Restraint Band to Gu Zhuoan, but Gu Zhuoan grabbed his wrist before the band touched his shoulder.
• Ji Minghuan's ability panel identified Gu Zhuoan as the Esper Ghost Bell, and Main Quest 2 updated with a goal to form a cooperative relationship with him.

Ji Minghuan realized Gu Zhuoan was Ghost Bell and that both father and son were seeking the Rainbow Wing member responsible for Gu Qiye’s mother’s death. A family argument drove Su Zimai from home, while Ji followed her and an anonymous message from Black Cocoon pushed Gu Qiye to question his father.

• Ji Minghuan recognized Gu Zhuoan as Ghost Bell and understood why he had targeted Rainbow Wing, while Gu Qiye had pursued the Association for the same purpose.
• Gu Zhuoan injured Ji Minghuan’s wrist, and Gu Qiye angrily confronted his father over his long absence and neglect of the family.
• Gu Zhuoan asked whether Gu Qiye had forgotten their mother, and Gu Qiye erupted over everything he had done to uncover the truth.
• Su Zimai announced she was leaving to stay with a classmate, then walked out; Ji Minghuan followed her after sending an anonymous text.
• Gu Qiye received a message asking whether he now suspected his father, and he replied by asking who the sender was.

Ji Minghuan, messaging Gu Qiye as Black Cocoon, secured a tentative cooperation with Blue Arc while keeping his identity hidden. After blocking Gu Qiye, Ji Minghuan learned that he had earned enough Split Points to begin creating a second Game Character.

• Ji Minghuan warned Gu Qiye not to investigate Black Cocoon and hinted that Gu Qiye's Old Man was hiding something.
• Gu Qiye asked whether Black Cocoon was his Old Man, but Ji Minghuan denied it was likely and heard Gu Qiye's reasons.
• Gu Qiye agreed to cooperate for now, though he still did not trust Black Cocoon.
• Ji Minghuan blocked Gu Qiye before he could send another message, and Gu Qiye began clearing dinner dishes.
• Ji Minghuan received the second-phase quest reward and saw that he had collected three Split Points, unlocking the option to create a second Game Character.

Ji Minghuan decided to delay creating another Game Character until he learned more about the Superhuman Species, then went to Guyimai Park to check on Su Zimai. There, he met Su Zimai’s friend Ke Qirui, and his Restraint Belt Detection activated when he touched her hand.

• Ji Minghuan closed the prompt panel and decided to ask Instructor about Anecdote Envoys and Exorcists before creating his next Game Character.
• Ji Minghuan found Su Zimai alone on a swing at Guyimai Park, and the two talked about her not wanting to go home.
• Su Zimai told Ji Minghuan that a friend was coming to meet her and asked him to keep their closeness secret from her family.
• Ke Qirui arrived, introduced herself as Su Zimai’s friend, and shook Ji Minghuan’s hand.
• Ji Minghuan’s Restraint Belt Detection activated when his hand touched Ke Qirui’s.

Ji Minghuan left Su Zimai with Ke Qirui after sensing that the exorcist was unusually powerful, but he still did not learn what role his sister held among the exorcists. Ke Qirui suspected Ji Minghuan had a hidden ability and chose not to tell Su Zimai, then took her away for the summer.

• Ji Minghuan exchanged phone numbers with Ke Qirui, told her to look after Su Zimai, and left the park.
• Ji Minghuan checked his quests and realized he still needed to investigate Su Zimai’s identity, but decided following her would be too dangerous.
• Ke Qirui wondered whether Ji Minghuan had secretly used an Esper ability and chose not to reveal her suspicion to Su Zimai.
• Su Zimai agreed to spend summer vacation with Ke Qirui, who planned to take her to Tokyo by Train Demon.

Ji Minghuan returned home, improved Black Cocoon’s attributes, and learned a new Restraint Band skill. He planned to confront the old director in a few days, as the trial promotion approached.

• Ji Minghuan remembered sharing donuts with Kong Youling at the Welfare Home as he walked home.
• Ji Minghuan told Gu Qiye that Su Zimai was staying out until summer vacation ended and mentioned Ke Qirui’s contact information.
• Ji Minghuan used the Restraint Band to observe Gu Zhuoan looking at an old photograph of his wife, Su Ying.
• Ji Minghuan spent two attribute points to raise Black Cocoon’s Strength and Speed, then learned Restraint Band Truth.
• Ji Minghuan vowed to confront the old director in a few days and demand a satisfying answer.

Ji Minghuan unlocked an invisibility skill and slipped out at night to test whether he could form cooperative relationships with Harmless Grade Espers. He arrived at Broly Bookstore, where the owner discovered a huge black cocoon hanging above him.

• Ji Minghuan spent his Skill Point to learn Restraint Band Color Change, which made him invisible, and unlocked the Restraint Band Trap skill.
• Ji Minghuan used his cultivation mission’s Attribute Point to raise his Strength from C+ to C++ Grade.
• Ji Minghuan left a note on his bedroom door, disguised himself, and checked the Esper Association website for nearby Harmless Grade Espers.
• Ji Minghuan chose the bookstore owner, the Harmless Grade Esper codenamed Photo Finder, and used his invisible Restraint Band to sneak out of his house.
• At Broly Bookstore, Photo Finder noticed Ji Minghuan hanging upside down from the ceiling inside a huge black cocoon.

Black Cocoon visited Boss’s bookstore and proposed a secret partnership, though the Character Development System did not recognize the Harmless Grade Esper as a qualifying collaborator. Back home, Ji Minghuan activated Complete Split Mode and went to sleep while waiting for the trial recommendation to go live.

• Black Cocoon asked Boss to use his photo-finding ability on a crude drawing, but Boss explained that he could not locate people.
• Black Cocoon paid Boss a dollar to keep the drawing, then proposed exchanging help finding lost items for bookstore promotion and private-detective services; Boss agreed to cooperate secretly.
• Black Cocoon borrowed The Tatami Galaxy and vanished from the bookstore, leaving Boss to close up.
• At home, the Restraint Band changed Ji Minghuan into pajamas, and Ji Minghuan realized that cooperating with Boss had not advanced his system progress.
• Ji Minghuan activated Complete Split Mode, which would let his consciousness control the Game Character continuously after an hour, then checked his role-playing deviation and fell asleep.

Ji Minghuan learned that the authorities suspected he might be an Anecdote Envoy or an Exorcist, and the Instructor began explaining the two groups. The chapter ended as the Instructor started telling him about Anecdote Envoys.

• Ji Minghuan activated Complete Split Mode and saw through both his own and Gu Wenyu’s perspectives before sending Gu Wenyu back to sleep.
• The Instructor visited Ji Minghuan and said the military officer would no longer come to see him.
• The Instructor said Ji Minghuan would be allowed to interact with the other imprisoned children, whom the authorities knew well.
• The Instructor explained that his people suspected Ji Minghuan was an Anecdote Envoy or an Exorcist, though they had found no evidence of either in him.
• Ji Minghuan chose to hear about Anecdote Envoys first, then interrupted the Instructor’s storybook-like introduction and asked him to speak normally.

Instructor explained how Anecdote Envoys found and used Anecdote Fragments, then told Ji Minghuan that an unnamed group was trying to discover how to control his dangerous ability so they could release him. Ji Minghuan learned enough to boost his Anecdote Envoy worldview progress and asked Instructor to explain Exorcists.

• Instructor explained that Anecdote Envoys used Anecdote Codices to locate secret realms and gain power from Anecdote Fragments of different grades.
• Ji Minghuan questioned how powerful the fragments were, and Instructor described the threat posed by Mythic-Grade and Epoch-Grade Anecdotes.
• Instructor told Ji Minghuan that his ability could kill thousands unless they found a way to control it, but refused to reveal which organization he represented.
• Ji Minghuan's Anecdote Envoy worldview progress rose from 1% to 30%, and he decided he wanted to create an Anecdote Envoy character.
• Ji Minghuan asked Instructor what Exorcists were.

Ji Minghuan began creating a second Game Character after learning about the other Superhuman Species. The first two identity records failed to suit his plans, but the third was announced as a Rare Character.

• An announcement summoned the Instructor to meet Urushihara Ruri, ending Ji Minghuan’s discussion about the Superhuman Species.
• Ji Minghuan used three Split Points to begin creating a second Game Character while Complete Split Mode was active.
• Ji Minghuan guessed the dice roll correctly and earned an additional Character File selection.
• Ji Minghuan rejected Ozawa Nana’s record because she was a Superhuman and her background was complicated.
• Ji Minghuan rejected Al Pacino’s record because his attributes were low and his growth routes seemed limited.
• Ji Minghuan saw that the third Character File had a chessboard-like design, and the System announced a Rare Character.

Ji Minghuan selected the Rare Character Xia Pingzhou and chose the Wild Hunt growth path. He arrived in Tokyo, where his quests sent him to seek admission to the White Crow Troupe, find Jack the Ripper, and investigate his former teammate Red Light.

• Ji Minghuan discovered that the third character file belonged to Xia Pingzhou, a Rare Character and Exorcist with an SS-rank Chess Heavenly Drive.
• He weighed the risks of Xia Pingzhou's revenge-driven background and selected him as his second Game Character.
• Ji Minghuan chose the Wild Hunt growth path, and the system began generating Xia Pingzhou in Tokyo.
• Ji Minghuan awoke near Tokyo Tower and inspected his new appearance in an Izakaya's glass wall.
• The system displayed quests to pass the White Crow Troupe's admission test, locate Jack the Ripper, and find clues about Red Light.

Ji Minghuan loaded Xia Pingzhou’s memories and learned about his family’s murder, his Heavenly Drive, and his return to the Exorcist path. After reaching Tokyo to meet the White Crow Troupe, he inspected Xia Pingzhou’s Skill Tree and recognized its summoner potential.

• Ji Minghuan received Xia Pingzhou’s memories, including the discovery of his family’s bodies and his determination to find Jack the Ripper.
• Ji Minghuan recalled how Xia Pingzhou awakened a chess-themed Heavenly Drive and was recruited by the Exorcist Association.
• Ji Minghuan learned that Xia Pingzhou had left the Association, returned to ordinary life, and later joined the White Crow Troupe investigation after his family was killed.
• Ji Minghuan opened Xia Pingzhou’s Skill Tree and saw abilities for recruiting soldiers, evolving chess pieces, and gaining demon-related pieces.
• Ji Minghuan identified Xia Pingzhou’s skill system as a summoner build.

Ji Minghuan, posing as Xia Pingzhou, met the White Crow Troupe and was taken through a portal after Anluns’s Slot Machine obliterated the Underground Bar. The troupe brought him to an abandoned office building to test him against a demon, leaving him facing the creature as the others watched.

• Ji Minghuan entered the Underground Bar and met Ayase Origami, Anluns, and Robert, who introduced themselves as members of the White Crow Troupe.
• Anluns used his Slot Machine, which showed three Rocket Launchers, and its weapon fired into the bar as Robert opened a portal for the group to escape.
• Robert transported Ji Minghuan and the others to an abandoned office building in Tokyo’s Port District, where Anluns explained Robert’s portal ability.
• Anluns told Ji Minghuan that the troupe would judge him by how he fought a demon and might kill him if most of them were dissatisfied.
• A mass of shadow spread across the office floor, and an enormous demon began rising from it.

Ji Minghuan fought the Working Demon by materializing chess pieces from his Heavenly Drive and defeated it with the Queen. He received notice that killing the C-rank demon had updated the progress mission for the Wild Hunt Winter cultivation system.

• Ji Minghuan summoned his Heavenly Drive and materialized the King, whose power protected him from the Working Demon's attacks.
• Ji Minghuan materialized a Soldier to block the Working Demon as it tried to destroy the King.
• Ji Minghuan summoned a Cannon Chariot, which blasted the Working Demon with a shell and set it on fire.
• Ji Minghuan summoned the Queen, who cut off both of the Working Demon's heads and killed it.
• A Prompt Panel informed Ji Minghuan that the Wild Hunt Winter progress mission had been updated.

Ji Minghuan passed the White Crow Troupe’s admission test and joined as its No. 12 member. As the troupe prepared to leave, Ke Qirui and Su Zimai arrived, and the members decided to kill them.

• Ayase Origami, Anluns, and Robert voted to accept Ji Minghuan into the White Crow Troupe, and Ayase marked him with a crow tattoo numbered 12.
• Ji Minghuan completed Main Quest 1 and received a new mission to survive the troupe’s July 21 Tokyo Underground Auction heist.
• Ji Minghuan’s Wild Hunt Winter System advanced to a task requiring ten C-rank or higher demons or Superhuman Species, and he raised Xia Pingzhou’s Speed and Spirit attributes to B-rank.
• Ke Qirui and Su Zimai entered the office and exchanged glances with Ji Minghuan.
• Robert noted that the newcomers had seen them, and Anluns ordered the troupe to kill them.

Ji Minghuan helped the White Crow Troupe avoid fighting Ke Qirui and Su Zimai, then learned they were in Tokyo to protect the Underground Auction. Ke Qirui decided to report the Troupe’s presence and suggested asking Blue Arc for help.

• Ji Minghuan identified Ke Qirui as an Exorcist Association member and persuaded the White Crow Troupe not to attack her and Su Zimai.
• The Troupe left through a hidden passage, and Anluns told Ji Minghuan they planned to rob the Tokyo Underground Auction in a week.
• Ke Qirui recognized Ayase Origami and told Su Zimai that the White Crow Troupe had come to target the auction.
• Ke Qirui decided to report the encounter to the Association and proposed requesting aid from Blue Arc.

Ji Minghuan checked into a Tokyo hotel after meeting the White Crow Troupe and chose a skill for Xia Pingzhou’s Heavenly Drive. He planned to use his other body, Gu Wenyu, to investigate the Welfare Home while awaiting the auction operation.

• Ke Qirui told Su Zimai that Blue Arc would help guard the Tokyo Underground Auction, and she recognized the hoodie-wearing boy as a former Exorcist Association member with a chess Heavenly Drive.
• Ji Minghuan left the ramen shop, checked into a hotel, and considered using the White Crow Troupe to draw Rainbow Wing into Tokyo and obtain intelligence.
• Ji Minghuan spent one Skill Point to learn Recruit Soldiers, unlocking two Soldier Chess Pieces and the Soldier Training skill.
• Ji Minghuan reviewed his quests concerning the auction, Jack the Ripper, and Red Light, whose crimes were linked to the name Sodalitas Salvifica.
• Ji Minghuan shifted his consciousness into Gu Wenyu to investigate the Welfare Home and seek clues about the laboratory.