Chapter Summaries

Ji Minghuan arrived in Tokyo with Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuoan while planning how to prove himself during the Troupe’s upcoming auction robbery. He helped Su Zimai avoid being discovered by her family, then met up with Ke Qirui as Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuoan headed to the hotel.

• Ke Qirui remembered that Black Cocoon resembled the black mummy in a newspaper photo and wondered if Xia Pingzhou had been referring to him.
• The Queen Colossus carried Ji Minghuan through Tokyo as he worried about the powerful figures involved in the upcoming auction robbery.
• Ji Minghuan decided he could make his Unit 2 look stronger by challenging Su Zimai at the auction.
• Su Zimai spotted Gu Qiye, Gu Zhuoan, and Gu Wenyu approaching with Ke Qirui and hid in a phone booth to message Gu Wenyu.
• Ji Minghuan persuaded Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuoan to go to the hotel without him, then walked over to meet Ke Qirui.

In Roppongi, Ji Minghuan reunited with Su Zimai and her teacher, Ke Qirui, and joined them for sushi. At the restaurant, a news report praised Blue Arc, prompting Su Zimai and Ke Qirui to argue about the hero and his fans while Ji Minghuan kept his secret identity to himself.

• Ji Minghuan found Su Zimai hiding in a phone booth, and Ke Qirui explained that she had brought her to Tokyo for work.
• Su Zimai invited Ji Minghuan to join her and Ke Qirui for sushi, and the three traded teasing remarks on their way to the restaurant.
• At Sukiyabashi Jiro, Ji Minghuan turned on the news and watched a report crediting Blue Arc with helping recover antiques stolen from the Tokyo Museum.
• Su Zimai criticized Blue Arc’s fans, and Ke Qirui recalled that Su Zimai had once stood up to classmates who bullied a girl for disliking him.
• Ke Qirui told Su Zimai that Blue Arc was not responsible for his fans’ behavior, while Ji Minghuan privately wondered what she would think if she learned he was Gu Qiye.

Ji Minghuan ate sushi with Su Zimai and Ke Qirui while they discussed Black Cocoon and Blue Arc. After Ji Minghuan left, Ke Qirui revealed that the Association had reported Blue Arc’s arrival in Japan, and Su Zimai began to suspect her second older brother was Blue Arc.

• Ji Minghuan listened as Su Zimai and Ke Qirui discussed the Black Cocoon shown on television, while he privately thought about their coming encounter.
• Ke Qirui praised the Black Cocoon’s appearance and said she wanted to meet him, while Su Zimai said she would rather spray or shoot him.
• Su Zimai, Ji Minghuan, and Ke Qirui shared an extravagant sushi meal, and Ji Minghuan left for the hotel after eating.
• Ke Qirui told Su Zimai that the Association had reported Blue Arc’s arrival in Japan and noted that Gu Qiye had arrived that same night.
• Su Zimai asked whether her Second Older Brother was Blue Arc, and Ke Qirui calmly nodded.

Ke Qirui explained why she suspected Gu Wenyu was the Esper Blue Arc, and Su Zimai recalled clues that made the possibility seem increasingly likely. The chapter left Su Zimai overwhelmed by the thought that her brother and perhaps Old Man had hidden dangerous secrets, while wondering if Gu Wenyu had kept quiet to protect her.

• Ke Qirui told Su Zimai that Gu Wenyu had seemed to use an electrical ability when they met in the park, leading her to suspect he was an Esper.
• Ke Qirui connected Gu Wenyu’s possible Esper identity to Blue Arc and explained why his age did not rule out the theory.
• Su Zimai remembered feeling an electric sensation when Gu Wenyu touched her and recalled Old Man gripping his wrist, which strengthened her suspicion.
• Su Zimai wondered whether Old Man was hiding an identity too and questioned why her family had kept secrets from her.
• Su Zimai reflected that Gu Wenyu might have concealed his dangerous work because he did not want her to get hurt.

Su Zimai and Ke Qirui planned to meet Su Zimai’s brother again and have Xu Sanyan follow him, hoping to confirm whether he was Blue Arc. Meanwhile, Ji Minghuan received Su Zimai’s invitation and, misunderstanding her message about Ke Qirui, told Ke Qirui that Gu Wenyu was gay.

• Ke Qirui prepared a Human-Face Mask and a Voice Changer for Su Zimai and planned to have Xu Sanyan tail Su Zimai’s brother after their next meeting.
• Su Zimai messaged Gu Wenyu to arrange a meeting in a couple of days.
• Ji Minghuan returned to the Roppongi Hotel and considered how to get Su Zimai and Ke Qirui to cooperate with his plans.
• Su Zimai told Gu Wenyu that Ke Qirui had fallen in love with him at first sight.
• Ji Minghuan mistook Su Zimai’s message for a lesbian marriage scheme and messaged Ke Qirui, “Teacher, I'm gay.”

Ji Minghuan learned Soldier Training for Xia Pingzhou and questioned the Instructor about the laboratory, its children, and their abilities. The Instructor said Ji would meet Filio next, a demonborn with a Half-Demon Half-Human constitution.

• Ji Minghuan spent one Skill Point to learn Soldier Training, which equipped Xia Pingzhou’s soldiers with shields and unlocked the next Swarm skill.
• Ji Minghuan considered the strength of Calamity Grade individuals and wondered what powerful children were being held in the laboratory before falling asleep.
• The Instructor woke Ji Minghuan for questioning and explained the superhuman ranking system, while refusing to identify the organization behind the laboratory.
• The Instructor said Kong Youling was a rare Mental Superhuman with the potential to reach Quasi-Calamity Grade and claimed the laboratory protected its children and Ji Minghuan.
• The Instructor revealed that only two Restricted Superhumans had appeared, and that the previous one lived a hundred years ago.
• The Instructor told Ji Minghuan that he would meet Filio, a child born between a human and a demon.

Ji Minghuan learned that Filio had eaten his mother as a child and wondered whether he could trust the demon man, while the Instructor urged him to befriend the lonely boy. As the Instructor prepared to leave, he asked whether Ji Minghuan was curious about his birth parents, and Ji Minghuan demanded to know if they were still alive.

• The Instructor told Ji Minghuan that Filio was the first known demon man and that his missing demon father had mated with his human mother.
• The Instructor revealed that Filio had instinctively eaten his mother as a child, and Ji Minghuan worried that Filio might attack him.
• The Instructor explained that Filio remembered what he had done and had collapsed in horror, then urged Ji Minghuan to accept him as a friend.
• Ji Minghuan warned that he would press the laboratory's nuclear switch if Filio harmed Kong Youling and resolved to escape with her despite his doubts about Sodalitas Salvifica.
• As the Instructor left, he asked whether Ji Minghuan wanted to know how his birth parents were doing, and Ji Minghuan asked if they were still alive.

Ji Minghuan met the White Crow Troupe’s Number 2, Jack the Ripper, whose Heavenly Drive matched the knife from his memories, and his quest updated to require him to kill her. He also learned that Number 10, White Greedy Wolf, was a demon searching for his missing child, whom Ji Minghuan realized was Filio, the child he was due to meet at the laboratory.

• The Instructor told Ji Minghuan that his parents were alive, but Ji Minghuan decided Kong Youling was the only family he cared about.
• Ayase Origami called Ji Minghuan and summoned him to meet Numbers 10 and 2 at an abandoned building in Minato Ward.
• Ji Minghuan arrived and recognized Jack the Ripper’s knife as her Heavenly Drive, completing the first phase of his quest and receiving a new mission to kill her.
• Anluns introduced Jack the Ripper as the troupe’s Number 2 and White Greedy Wolf as Number 10, a demon searching for his lost child.
• Ji Minghuan connected White Greedy Wolf’s story to Filio and realized he would meet the demon’s child at the laboratory the next day.

Ji Minghuan joined the White Crow Troupe by handing his heart to Jack the Ripper as collateral, while learning how the troupe dealt with a former mole and Anluns's past. After returning to the hotel, he switched to Gu Wenyu and prepared to find Su Zimai to propose working together.

• Anluns told Ji Minghuan that White Greedy Wolf had connections to demons, and the troupe members bickered before Jack the Ripper demanded a heart as the price of joining.
• Jack the Ripper used her Heavenly Drive ability to remove Ji Minghuan's heart and keep it as collateral until the troupe decided he was not a mole.
• The troupe members described how they had killed and kept parts of a former mole, while Jack the Ripper explained that Anluns had joined after losing a gamble with the leader.
• Ji Minghuan asked about meeting the leader, learned he would arrive in a few days, and left the abandoned building for his hotel.
• Ji Minghuan switched his consciousness to Gu Wenyu and planned to find Su Zimai and establish cooperation, using Restraint Band to conceal himself.

Ji Minghuan trained Unit 1 in Tokyo and arranged to meet Li Qingping, who was accompanying the Anecdote Garden Box’s Second Prince. Later, Su Zimai and Ke Qirui searched for Ji Minghuan in Shiba Park but came upon a huge black cocoon hanging beneath a ginkgo tree.

• Ji Minghuan practiced controlling Unit 1 with a Restraint Band while brushing its teeth, then learned Li Qingping was in Tokyo with the Second Prince and agreed to meet them the next morning.
• Ji Minghuan decided to delay approaching the Second Prince through Black Cocoon until after the auction, wary of drawing trouble to himself.
• Ji Minghuan told Gu Qiye he was tired and would stay at the hotel, then prepared a voice recorder and planned to use Unit 2 for a negotiation.
• Su Zimai and Ke Qirui waited in Shiba Park, but Ji Minghuan ignored Su Zimai’s messages, so they decided to walk around instead.
• Ke Qirui spotted a huge, pitch-black cocoon hanging upside down beneath a ginkgo tree.

Ke Qirui and Su Zimai encountered Black Cocoon in Shiba Park and discussed a possible alliance with the Chess Player. Ke Qirui suspected Black Cocoon was Gu Wenyu, leaving Su Zimai stunned by the possibility that he was her brother.

• Ke Qirui and Su Zimai found Black Cocoon hanging beneath a ginkgo tree, dressed in Restraint Bands and reading a book.
• Black Cocoon said the Chess Player wanted to work with them and offered to work with Su Zimai as well.
• Black Cocoon revealed that he knew Su Zimai's name, unsettling her.
• Ke Qirui told Su Zimai she believed her brother was Black Cocoon, then challenged him to remove his mask and identified him as Gu Wenyu.
• Black Cocoon denied knowing Gu Wenyu and redirected Ke Qirui's attention to Su Zimai, who was left stunned by the accusation.

Ke Qirui suspected Black Cocoon was Gu Wenyu, but Su Zimai’s phone call appeared to disprove her. Black Cocoon remained with them as they arranged to meet Gu Wenyu the next afternoon, while he privately enjoyed their confusion.

• Ke Qirui explained that Black Cocoon might be Gu Wenyu because few people knew both her and Su Zimai, and Gu Wenyu was in Tokyo.
• Su Zimai received a call from Gu Wenyu and, after Ke Qirui opened a Movie Demon screen to prevent eavesdropping, spoke with him privately.
• Su Zimai said Gu Wenyu would meet them the next afternoon and insisted she recognized his voice.
• Ke Qirui concluded she had misunderstood Black Cocoon, and Su Zimai felt relieved that her brother was not the Big Moth.
• Ji Minghuan, who was Black Cocoon, listened to their conclusion and silently enjoyed their confusion.

Ji Minghuan used recordings of Gu Wenyu’s voice to convince Su Zimai that her brother was not Big Moth, then met with Ke Qirui as Black Cocoon to discuss cooperating over Chess Player and the White Crow Troupe. Ke Qirui suspected Gu Wenyu was Blue Arc, and Black Cocoon confirmed her suspicion.

• Ji Minghuan recorded Gu Wenyu’s voice, then used the clips through Unit 2 to call Su Zimai and arrange a meeting for the following night.
• Su Zimai left Mime Street and told Ke Qirui that her brother was not Big Moth.
• Black Cocoon asked Ke Qirui to share information about Red Light, and she discussed Chess Player’s past and her hope that he would return to the Exorcists.
• Black Cocoon offered to share information about the White Crow Troupe as long as Chess Player was not endangered, and Ke Qirui agreed to cooperate if he answered a question.
• Ke Qirui accused Gu Wenyu of being Blue Arc, and Black Cocoon confirmed that her brother was Blue Arc.

Black Cocoon secured Su Zimai and Ke Qirui’s cooperation, then returned to Ji Minghuan and learned a new Concealment skill. The chapter left Ji Minghuan examining the newly unlocked Restraint Belt Avatar skill.

• Ke Qirui asked Black Cocoon how to contact him, and he said she could reach him through Gu Wenyu.
• Su Zimai agreed to cooperate with Black Cocoon, completing his quest and updating it to require keeping her and Ke Qirui alive during the auction operation.
• Black Cocoon left Shiba Park and traveled to Xia Pingzhou’s hotel, frightening another bystander along the way.
• Ji Minghuan reviewed Black Cocoon’s skill tree and learned Restraint Band Trap.
• Learning Restraint Band Trap unlocked Restraint Belt Avatar, whose effect caught Ji Minghuan’s attention.

Ji Minghuan learned Restraint Belt Avatar and tested how he could use it to deceive others and protect himself. After spending his only Skill Point, he created and dismissed an avatar, increased Black Cocoon’s Strength, and fell asleep while thinking about seeing Kong Youling and the demon child.

• Ji Minghuan read Restraint Belt Avatar’s description and considered using it to impersonate Gu Wenyu, Xia Pingzhou, and others.
• Ji Minghuan sold his Bird in a Cage Event Card for one Skill Point and learned Restraint Belt Avatar.
• Ji Minghuan summoned a humanoid made of Restraint Bands, changed its appearance to resemble a naked human, and tested its movements and weight.
• Ji Minghuan dismissed the avatar after learning it could last up to 12 hours and decided he could use it to negotiate with Old Man instead of risking Uncle Ghost Bell’s anger.
• Ji Minghuan raised Black Cocoon’s Strength from B Grade to B+ Grade, then went to sleep while thinking about Kong Youling and White Greedy Wolf’s demon child.

Ji Minghuan spent time with Kong Youling in the Imprisonment Room, where they talked about shows and silently shared their longing to be together. Their visit was interrupted when a young man in a black patient gown appeared at the doorway.

• Ji Minghuan woke, washed up, and pretended to sleep before Kong Youling arrived.
• Kong Youling showed Ji Minghuan her notebook doodles and told him about the shows she had watched.
• Ji Minghuan and Kong Youling chatted about the shows, and he privately regretted the things he could not tell her about his life outside the laboratory.
• Kong Youling checked Ji Minghuan's forehead, and they admitted that seeing and watching things together made their confinement bearable.
• A young man in a black patient gown entered the Imprisonment Room with a numb, cold expression.

Ji Minghuan and Kong Youling met Filio, a lonely werewolf child newly brought to their room, and Ji Minghuan tried to draw him out while keeping Kong Youling behind him. Filio revealed that he believed his father hated him and regarded Instructor as his father, leaving Ji Minghuan hoping Filio’s real father would find him soon.

• Ji Minghuan approached Filio, teased him about his tail, and tried to establish himself as the boss, while Instructor joined their exchange over the broadcast.
• Filio rejected Ji Minghuan’s touch, and Kong Youling recognized that Ji Minghuan was acting up to draw attention away from her.
• At Kong Youling’s prompting, Ji Minghuan sat beside Filio and asked how he had reached their room; Filio described following broadcast instructions through a bright corridor.
• Ji Minghuan learned that Filio had been sent to the facility when he was young and asked about his family.
• Filio said he feared his father because he had eaten his mother, called himself a monster, and said Instructor was the only one who treated him like a human and was his father.

Ji Minghuan, Kong Youling, and Filio bonded during their meeting in the Imprisonment Room, while Ji Minghuan remained wary of the Instructor’s influence over Filio. After the meeting, Ji Minghuan decided to give the recorder pen to Old Man so Gu Zhuoan could prepare for the auction and protect Big Brother.

• Ji Minghuan reassured Filio about his father and shared that his own parents had abandoned him, while Kong Youling listened quietly.
• Filio praised the Instructor and told Ji Minghuan that the Instructor cared about him; the three children introduced themselves and became friends.
• Ji Minghuan defended Kong Youling when Filio pitied her, explaining that she was capable and that he had stopped attending school because the Welfare Home would not let her go.
• Ji Minghuan and Kong Youling touched Filio’s ears and tail until the lights went out and the Instructor sent the children back to sleep.
• Kong Youling briefly rested her head on Ji Minghuan’s shoulder before leaving with Filio and the researchers.
• Ji Minghuan decided to give the recorder pen to Old Man the next day so Gu Zhuoan could prepare for the auction and protect Big Brother.

Ji Minghuan prepared Chess Player for the upcoming auction, then learned that Ayase Origami wanted him to meet Numbers 4 and 9. After seeing Gu Zhuoan drunk and distressed, Ji Minghuan decided to tell him that Blue Arc was Gu Qiye, despite worrying about the consequences.

• Ji Minghuan learned that Black Cocoon and Chess Player's apparent corpses were managed personalities and chose to keep controlling them himself until the auction was over.
• Ji Minghuan raised Chess Player's Spirit attribute, learned Forge Rooks, and considered training cavalry to increase his units' combat power.
• Ayase Origami messaged Xia Pingzhou to meet Numbers 4 and 9 at an abandoned amusement park in western Minato Ward, and he agreed to go.
• Ji Minghuan spotted Gu Zhuoan returning from a night of drinking and realized that the airport incident had left him deeply distressed.
• Ji Minghuan decided to tell Gu Zhuoan that Blue Arc was Gu Qiye, then synchronized with Unit 1 and took the recording pen to find him.

Ji Minghuan used Black Cocoon and a Restraint Belt Avatar to follow Gu Zhuoan into an underground Tokyo bar and eavesdrop on his meeting. After Gu Zhuoan refused a bodyguard job and a date with the proprietress, the avatar delivered him a recorder and told him to listen to its contents.

• Ji Minghuan tracked Gu Zhuoan to an underground bar by following him with Black Cocoon.
• Black Cocoon incapacitated a Hawaiian-shirted man and created a Restraint Belt Avatar that looked like him.
• Ji Minghuan sent the avatar into the bar with a recorder concealed from the security scan.
• Gu Zhuoan told the proprietress he had left his Battle Suit with her, and she asked him to serve as a bodyguard for an upcoming Tokyo auction.
• Gu Zhuoan refused the job and the proprietress's invitation to date, then said his son had made a similar remark about him.
• The avatar gave Gu Zhuoan the recorder and told him he would learn who sent it by listening to it.