Chapter Summaries

Ji Minghuan learned more about Rainbow Wing and Black Cocoon while spending time with the Brigade, then received a hacked app that tracked demons and Exorcists worldwide. He planned to use it with Ayase Origami and Oda Takikage to hunt demons and strengthen Xia Pingzhou before the auction.

• Ji Minghuan asked how the Brigade's previous No. 12 died, and Lan Duoduo named Rainbow Wing's Ajaya and Esther as two members Hacker had identified.
• The Brigade discussed Black Cocoon, whom the Leader wanted to recruit, and Lan Duoduo recalled that Blue Arc had forced her and Andrew to flee after their fight with Silver Devourer in Hong Kong.
• Bloodline left the Cafe, and Lan Duoduo sent Ji Minghuan upstairs to call Hacker down for dinner.
• Hacker told Ji Minghuan that the Leader had sent him a gift, then installed an app that revealed demon locations and Exorcists' movements around the world.
• Ji Minghuan thanked Hacker and planned to hunt demons with Ayase Origami and Oda Takikage to raise Xia Pingzhou's Heavenly Drive before the auction.

The bodyguards tested Mirror Guardian’s ability and agreed to hold the auction in a mirrored venue while using the real venue as bait for the White Crow Troupe. Black Cocoon stayed behind and tried to learn what they had discussed, but Blue Arc refused to tell him.

• Black Cocoon watched the bodyguards gather at the villa and exchanged messages with Blue Arc about Ke Zinan and the auction.
• Mirror Guardian created a portal into a copy of the villa, and the group entered the Mirror World while Black Cocoon stayed behind.
• Ke Qirui identified the plan to hold the real auction in a replicated venue and lure the White Crow Troupe to the real site.
• Blue Arc questioned what would happen if Mirror Guardian died, and Ke Qirui agreed the plan was safer for the guests despite the risk.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior agreed to split the Core Bodyguard Team between the real world and Mirror World and notify guests before the auction.
• Black Cocoon asked Blue Arc what the group had discussed, but Blue Arc demanded his real identity instead and ended the exchange.

Ji Minghuan took Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuoan to sushi, where he casually revealed that Su Zimai had claimed to be an Exorcist. Gu Qiye connected the revelation to Ke Qirui and his suspicions about Ke Zinan, while Gu Zhuoan reacted with ominous intensity.

• Gu Zhuoan asked to speak with Gu Qiye, but Gu Qiye put him off until they returned to China.
• Ji Minghuan invited Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuoan to sushi, and Gu Qiye realized Ji Minghuan's friend was probably Ke Qirui.
• At the restaurant, Ji Minghuan told them Su Zimai had said she was an Exorcist, leaving both men stunned.
• Gu Qiye recalled Black Cocoon's message about Ke Zinan and began suspecting that she was connected to the Exorcists.
• Ji Minghuan noticed Gu Zhuoan's trembling arm and crimson-glowing eyes and feared he was about to enter another phase.

At a sushi restaurant, Gu Qiye questioned Gu Wenyu about Su Zimai and the girl who had taken her, while Gu Zhuoan tried to reconnect with his son. Later, Xia Pingzhou found that a demon was located at a nearby Card Event, and Ayase Origami prepared to take him there on a Paper Dragon.

• Gu Zhuoan and Gu Qiye pressured Gu Wenyu for information about Su Zimai and the girl in the trench coat, and Gu Wenyu agreed to send Gu Qiye her contact details.
• Gu Qiye asked whether the girl had taken Su Zimai from China, and Gu Wenyu denied it while privately blaming Ke Qirui for the trouble.
• Gu Qiye told Gu Zhuoan he had given up on him, and he left after Gu Zhuoan promised to stand by him.
• On July 17, Xia Pingzhou checked the Skull app and found a demon at the location of a nearby Card Event.
• Ayase Origami asked Xia Pingzhou to call her Master, then summoned a giant Paper Dragon and invited him aboard.

Ji Minghuan and Ayase Origami flew to a Tokyo Card Event, where the Queen helped defeat two B-rank demons and Ji Minghuan evolved his chess pieces. They returned to the Cafe attic, where the two shared a quiet conversation before going to sleep.

• Ayase Origami carried Ji Minghuan above Tokyo on a Paper Dragon and brought him to a Shinto Shrine where the Night Yaksha Demon and Asura Demon awaited.
• Ayase Origami's Paper Dragon decapitated both demons, and Ji Minghuan's Queen finished them off, completing the Card Event and raising his kill progress to 14/18.
• Ji Minghuan sold the Event Card for a Skill Point and learned Chess Piece Evolution, turning all his chess pieces silver.
• To avoid being spotted flying back, Ji Minghuan and Ayase Origami rode on the Queen Statue to the Cafe attic.
• Ji Minghuan and Ayase Origami talked about their pasts and their first ordinary conversation before wishing each other goodnight.

Gu Wenyu’s concern prompted Gu Qiye to rest after years of carrying his family’s burdens, while Ji Minghuan learned he might finally be allowed outside the base. The Instructor also introduced Sun Changkong, a prisoner who held the Mythic-Grade Anecdote Fragment Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal Sun Wukong, and Ji Minghuan suspected his release might be connected to the Tokyo Underground Auction.

• Gu Wenyu sent Gu Qiye Ke Qirui’s number, and Gu Qiye called her to ask about Su Zimai, who reassured him she was safe and dismissed his worries about cults and danger.
• Su Zimai confronted Gu Wenyu over telling Gu Qiye about her supposed Exorcist status, and Gu Qiye asked her to remove him from her WeChat blacklist when she returned.
• Gu Wenyu told Gu Qiye to rest when he saw how exhausted his older brother looked, bringing back memories of Gu Qiye’s years of caring for his siblings and leaving Gu Qiye moved enough to go to sleep.
• The Instructor told Ji Minghuan that Sun Changkong possessed the Mythic-Grade Anecdote Fragment Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal Sun Wukong, and withheld details about the other Mythic-Grade holder.
• The Instructor said Ji Minghuan might be allowed to leave the base for low-difficulty tasks, and Ji Minghuan wondered whether Sodalitas Salvifica planned to take them to the Tokyo Underground Auction.

Ji Minghuan learned that Sodalitas Salvifica planned to take him and the other prisoners outside on a mission, while insisting he keep wearing a collar so they could study his ability. He reunited with Kong Youling, learned that she missed hearing his voice, and was caught hiding his tears when Filio arrived.

• The Instructor told Ji Minghuan that he would soon leave the Imprisonment Room for a mission and meet Sun Changkong, but refused to explain the assignment yet.
• Ji Minghuan challenged the Instructor about his collar and insisted on using the surname Ji, while the Instructor said they needed to understand his ability.
• Kong Youling joined Ji Minghuan, and he surprised her by signing to her after pretending to sleep and teasing her with her notebook.
• Kong Youling told Ji Minghuan that she regretted losing her superpower because it had let her hear his voice, and Ji Minghuan became emotional.
• Filio entered, and Ji Minghuan tried to hide that he had been crying by threatening to destroy the world if anyone revealed it.

Ji Minghuan met Li Qingping by the sea, where Li Qingping hinted that he faced a difficult choice, and Ji Minghuan urged him to do what he believed was right. After Li Qingping left, Black Cocoon confronted him about Gu Wenyu and offered help protecting the Second Prince, just as Gu Wenyu unexpectedly appeared.

• Ji Minghuan accepted Li Qingping's invitation and met him at the shore in Minato Ward.
• Li Qingping asked what to do when someone had to do something he hated, and Ji Minghuan advised him to follow his own wishes without regret.
• Black Cocoon confronted Li Qingping on the coastal highway and trapped him in an Eight-Prism cage after mentioning Gu Wenyu.
• Black Cocoon offered to help protect the Second Prince during the coming auction battle, but Li Qingping dismissed him and released him from the cage.
• Gu Wenyu arrived and saw Li Qingping beside the shrinking Eight-Prism as Black Cocoon's Restraint Bands spilled out, and the two men recognized each other.

Li Qingping feared losing Gu Wenyu after Gu witnessed him apparently kill Black Cocoon, but Black Cocoon re-formed, giving Li Qingping an excuse to flee with his friend. The two reached a brightly lit street, where Gu demanded to know what Li Qingping had been hiding and what the monster was.

• Li Qingping recalled leaving the Whale Garden Box and becoming Gu Wenyu's close friend, fearing Gu would abandon him after witnessing the apparent killing.
• Black Cocoon re-formed from the Restraint Bands and complained that Li Qingping had crushed his sunglasses.
• Gu Wenyu mistook Black Cocoon for a ghost, and Li Qingping grabbed him and ran from the coastal highway.
• Li Qingping and Gu Wenyu reached a brightly lit street, where Gu collapsed beside a vending machine while Li Qingping pretended to pant.
• Gu Wenyu asked Li Qingping what he had been hiding and what the monster was.

Li Qingping told Gu Wenyu he planned to save an albino child in the Whale Garden Box, while Ji Minghuan guessed the child was the Third Prince and considered how to learn more. Meanwhile, Gu Zhuoan asked Amemiya Chiharu for information on the White Crow Troupe and agreed to act against them at the auction, though he refused to join the Bodyguard Team.

• Li Qingping warned Gu Wenyu not to ask about Black Cocoon, said he might transfer schools, and admitted he wanted to save a kind albino child from his cruel older brothers.
• Ji Minghuan inferred that Li Qingping meant to save the Third Prince from the First Prince and Second Prince, and resolved to find a Game Console body connected to the Whale Garden Box.
• Ji Minghuan reflected on Filio, Kong Youling, and the possibility that he might have to destroy Sodalitas Salvifica and protect the people around him.
• Gu Zhuoan met Amemiya Chiharu at an Underground Bar and requested a list of known White Crow Troupe members ahead of the auction.
• Gu Zhuoan agreed to act alone against the White Crow Troupe at the auction, where Blue Arc would also be on the Bodyguard Team.

Ji Minghuan learned that his mission to kill Jack the Ripper had a September 1 deadline, then assessed his chances and the White Crow Troupe’s likely response. As the troupe members gathered at the Cafe before the Tokyo auction, he learned the leader had ordered them to kill everyone there, and his card game with Ayase Origami and the Ripper ended in a tense truce.

• A mission prompt gave Ji Minghuan until September 1 to kill Jack the Ripper or Unit 2 would self-destruct.
• Ji Minghuan found Ayase Origami, the Ripper, Anluns, and Robert playing cards, and Oda Takikage told him that Origami and the Ripper were close.
• Ji Minghuan concluded that killing the Ripper would likely turn Origami against him, so he considered using clues about No. 1001 to gain the Bloodline’s support.
• The Ripper explained that she had no Contracted Demon and strengthened her body by killing, while Anluns said the leader had ordered the troupe to kill everyone at the Tokyo auction.
• Ayase Origami and Ji Minghuan clashed over their card play, and the Ripper threatened to make the loser forfeit an organ before the two apologized and continued playing.

Gu Qiye tracked down Su Zimai and Ke Qirui in Japan, confronted them for hiding their plans, and learned that Su Zimai wanted him to stop carrying the family’s burdens alone. Su Zimai left without him, and Gu Qiye asked Black Cocoon to protect her at the auction.

• Gu Qiye followed Ke Qirui and Su Zimai from their hotel to a barbecue restaurant and joined them at their table.
• Gu Qiye confronted Ke Qirui for lying about being in Hong Kong and bringing Su Zimai into a dangerous operation.
• Su Zimai admitted she had lied and told Gu Qiye that his constant self-sacrifice made her and their brother feel like burdens.
• Su Zimai refused to return home with Gu Qiye, said she would come back after summer vacation, and reminded him that their mother’s departure was not his fault.
• Gu Qiye let Su Zimai leave, then asked Black Cocoon to watch over her and get her out if danger arose.

Xia Pingzhou hunted three Flame Demons with Oda Takikage and the Queen Statue, completing the advancement of Unit 2’s Heavenly Drive, Chess, to its second stage. He gained the Castling skill, a Bishop chess piece, and a slot for a contracted Demon, then considered where to find one.

• After losing his money at cards, Xia Pingzhou went to the attic roof and checked Unit 2’s Heavenly Drive progress, which stood at 80%.
• When the Exorcist Association detected nearby Demons, Ayase Origami won back Xia Pingzhou’s money and sent Oda Takikage to accompany him.
• Oda Takikage took Xia Pingzhou through the shadows to a mall, where three Flame Demons were burning a clothing store.
• Xia Pingzhou summoned the Queen Statue and Silver Soldiers; the Soldiers used fire extinguishers while Oda Takikage held the Demons in place, and the Queen Statue destroyed them.
• The kills completed the Wild Hunt Winter count to 17/18 and advanced Unit 2’s Chess Heavenly Drive to its second stage, granting Castling, a Bishop, and a slot for one contracted Demon.

Ji Minghuan returned to the Cafe after helping Oda Takikage extinguish a fire, then reviewed Unit 2’s new chess abilities and prepared for the auction. As Unit 1, he warned Ke Qirui about the White Crow Troupe’s escape specialist, hacker, and powerful members, leaving her to strengthen the auction’s security before the operation began.

• Ji Minghuan decided to postpone seeking a Contracted Demon, then returned to the Cafe with Oda Takikage after the Silver Soldiers put out the fire.
• Oda Takikage reminded Ji Minghuan that the Troupe members would gather on July 20th and the auction operation would begin at midnight.
• Ji Minghuan reviewed Unit 2’s Castling skill and Bishop Chess Piece, which could heal and temporarily boost an ally’s attributes.
• As Unit 1, Ji Minghuan asked Ke Qirui about the White Crow Troupe Leader and learned that a member who had approached her was later killed by Rainbow Wing.
• Ji Minghuan warned Ke Qirui about the Troupe member who could open escape doors, their hacker, and their estimated six Quasi-Calamity Grade ability users.
• Ke Qirui agreed to strengthen inspections and keep the Core Bodyguard Team’s coordination offline, while Ji Minghuan wished her luck before going to sleep.

The White Crow Troupe’s leader arrived in Tokyo and ordered the members to assemble on July 20, while Xia Pingzhou monitored a security meeting about the coming auction. Ke Qirui warned Black Cocoon that Xia could still leave the Troupe before the Bodyguard Team’s planned assault.

• Oda Takikage told Xia Pingzhou and Ayase Origami that the leader had arrived and ordered all Troupe members to meet in Shinjuku at eight on the evening of July 20.
• Gu Wenyu followed Su Zimai and Ke Qirui to a meeting where Ke shared intelligence about a Troupe member who could open doors, and the Japanese team outlined its auction security plans.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior announced that the auction would be held in the Mirror World, while Blue Arc left the meeting in silence.
• Ke Qirui met Black Cocoon in Shiba Park and asked whether Troupe members had infiltrated the Bodyguard Team; he said only the leader might have done so.
• Ke Qirui told Black Cocoon to warn Xia Pingzhou that the Bodyguard Team intended to destroy the Troupe and that the auction guest who was a monster could kill many of them, leaving Xia one last chance to defect.

As the Tokyo Underground Auction approached, Xia Pingzhou joined the White Crow Troupe while Black Cocoon infiltrated the venue using a Restraint Belt Avatar. He discovered Li Qingping and the Second Prince inside and kept searching for the dangerous mysterious guest.

• On July 20, Xia Pingzhou arrived at the White Crow Troupe's Ruins gathering, where Anluns told him he was the last to arrive and Ayase Origami invited him to play gomoku.
• Black Cocoon emerged from a cocoon beneath a traffic light, subdued driver Rukawa Yamato and Fujimoto, stole Rukawa Yamato's superpower, and drove toward Amemiya Building.
• Black Cocoon sent a Restraint Belt Avatar disguised as Fujimoto through the security checks and into the Mirror World auction hall, where Blue Arc and Mirror Guardian were on guard.
• Black Cocoon spotted Li Qingping and the Second Prince of the Whale Garden entering the auction hall and wondered where the other mysterious guest was hiding.
• Black Cocoon asked Ke Qirui what the dangerous mysterious guest looked like, but Ke Qirui warned him not to investigate.

With the Underground Auction about to begin, Black Cocoon identified the sleeping Zhou Jiuya in the Mirror World and learned that the White Crow Troupe’s Captain was likely hidden among the bodyguards. Xia Pingzhou deduced that the Captain had recruited Ayase Origami at the previous auction, then warned Blue Arc and Ke Qirui just before the auction began.

• Black Cocoon tested the sleeping Chinese Tunic Suit Youth with Restraint Bands, but a golden glow repelled them and confirmed he was likely the powerful person Ke Qirui had mentioned.
• Black Cocoon reviewed the defenses at both auction venues while Ke Qirui told Su Zimai that Zhou Jiuya was her old acquaintance and that rain could make his narcolepsy flare up.
• Jack the Ripper revealed that the Captain was both a superpowered person and an Exorcist, and Ayase Origami said she and Taki Kage had joined the Troupe on the day of the previous auction.
• Xia Pingzhou realized the Captain had used the previous auction to recruit Ayase Origami and had likely infiltrated the bodyguards using credentials from that event.
• Black Cocoon messaged Blue Arc and Ke Qirui that the Captain was hidden among their people and that the previous auction’s true target had been Ayase Origami.

The White Crow Troupe revealed its deception and attacked the Mirror World auction, where leader Urushi Haramichi exposed himself and set off explosive playing cards among the guests. The chapter ended with Robert opening a door between the auction venue and the abandoned building, allowing the troupe to enter.

• Hacker revealed that the Robert resting in the abandoned building was a kidnapped underground fighter, while the real Robert was with the leader inside the auction.
• Anluns shot and killed the fake Robert, and Hacker explained that the leader had staged the deception to expose a possible mole.
• At the auction, Robert killed the female host, revealed himself, and prepared to open a door while Blue Arc recognized Haihara Ritsu as the troupe leader.
• Urushi Haramichi revealed his true name and used the playing cards he had planted in the guests' pockets to trigger explosions across the auction venue.
• Li Qingping, the Second Prince, and Zhou Jiuya survived the explosions, while Robert opened a door from the auction to the abandoned building where the other troupe members waited.

The White Crow Troupe split up to attack both auction halls, and Bloodline slaughtered the bodyguards and the Japanese Underworld fighters who challenged her in the real auction hall. Ke Qirui gathered Xu Sanyan and Lin Zhengquan and prepared to face the approaching troupe members, while Su Zimai watched tensely.

• Robert opened a portal into the Mirror World, where the White Crow Troupe divided its members between the mirrored auction hall, the real auction hall, and the Fifth Floor corridor.
• Ke Qirui identified Haihara Ritsu as the Troupe Leader and returned to the real auction hall with Su Zimai, where Ayase Origami, Xia Pingzhou, Bloodline, and Lan Duoduo emerged through a wooden door.
• Ayase Origami blocked the bodyguards' gunfire with paper butterflies, then Bloodline killed the surviving guards, including Great Serpent, Green-Faced Ghost, and Red-Eyed Crocodile.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior and Fuyuyama Nobunaga attacked the troupe, but Ayase Origami's Paper Dragon killed Cherry Blossom Warrior and Bloodline's spear pierced Fuyuyama Nobunaga.
• Ke Qirui waited for Xu Sanyan and Lin Zhengquan to arrive, put her Lüsterk Hat on Su Zimai, and prepared to confront the four troupe members as Xia Pingzhou watched Su Zimai.

Black Cocoon raced through the storm toward Amemiya Building while Ke Qirui pulled Bloodline and Ayase Origami into the Mime World to fight them. In the real-world auction venue, Lan Duoduo, Xu Sanyan, and Lin Zhengquan clashed with the others as Xia Pingzhou confronted Su Zimai.

• Black Cocoon left the Maybach and swung through the rain toward Amemiya Building, trusting Ke Qirui and the others to handle the Mirror World.
• Ke Qirui sent Bloodline and Ayase Origami into the Mime World, where the Train Demon crushed Ayase Origami's Paper Dragon.
• Ke Qirui summoned the Train Demon and challenged Bloodline and Ayase Origami to fight beneath the black moon.
• Xu Sanyan and Lin Zhengquan attacked Lan Duoduo, who summoned the Deep Mountain Snowman and the Headless Horseman to defend herself.
• Su Zimai prepared to join the battle as a silver statue rushed toward her, while Xia Pingzhou confronted her with his chessboard ability.