Chapter Summaries

Yang De and the cruise ship defenders fought off a coordinated pirate assault as two C-ranks from Dawn joined the attack. The Psychologist immobilized Liu Nan while a knife-wielding attacker crept up behind her, but an unseen hand intervened at the last moment.

• He Ao, Ye Feng, and Orator avoided answering Yang De’s signal flare and took a circuitous route back to the ship.
• Yang De’s defenders fought pirates climbing onto the cruise ship while Liu Nan shot attackers from the upper deck.
• Yang De fired a Rocket Launcher at the approaching helicopter, forcing Hu Wen and the Psychologist to jump onto the deck.
• Hu Wen attacked Yang De while the Psychologist predicted his moves and used a chilling aura to hinder him and freeze Liu Nan.
• A burly man in a prison uniform landed on the deck and broke through the defenders as more pirates boarded.
• A small attacker raised his knife behind immobilized Liu Nan, but an unseen hand reached out and tapped his shoulder.

He Ao broke free of the psychologist’s phantom control and used his knowledge of Mind Reading to attack him. The psychologist gathered the phantoms into a huge sphere and sent it after He Ao, leaving their fight unresolved.

• He Ao killed the thin attacker, then used Mental Interference to free Liu Nan from a phantom that was stiffening her body.
• Underpants Superman and Ye Feng appeared and rescued two extraordinary beings, while He Ao stopped Hu Wen from killing Yang De.
• He Ao confronted the psychologist, bypassed his phantom defenses, and discovered that Mind Reading only worked within ten meters.
• He Ao exploited chaotic thoughts to frustrate the psychologist’s Mind Reading and wounded him twice.
• The psychologist gathered most of the surrounding phantoms into a huge sphere and sent it toward He Ao as He Ao charged beneath it with Corpse Flower solution in his mouth.

He Ao killed the psychologist and helped end the pirate attack, but Hu Wen escaped after feigning death. As the Research Institute’s support vessel approached, a radio transmission from the pirates arrived.

• He Ao used Mental Interference and the Puppet Crystal Ball to break through the psychologist’s phantom barrier, then killed him with the Bone Sword.
• The Puppet Crystal Ball absorbed the phantoms, and He Ao discovered that the Miracle Wand’s sacrifice requirement had advanced to 1/5.
• Yang De, Ye Feng, and the others defeated the remaining attackers, while the surviving pirates retreated; Orator reported that no one had died.
• Yang De promised He Ao a fifteen-thousand-point mission reward and ordered the crew to secure the Transcendent corpses, but He Ao noticed Hu Wen’s body had disappeared.
• Yang De explained that the Research Institute’s support would arrive soon, and He Ao warned Orator to eat before a crew member reported a radio transmission from the pirates.

He Ao took Nini to eat while Orator shared what she had learned about the pirate leader Balan and the pirates’ mother ships. As the cruise ship approached Danba Port, Ye Feng summoned He Ao and Nini to see Yang De.

• He Ao brought the hungry Nini to the dining hall and ordered her noodles.
• Orator told He Ao that the pirates’ mother ships held hostages, including those from Nini’s cruise ship, and described Balan’s rise to power.
• He Ao and Orator spotted more ships and learned that the cruise ship was approaching Danba Port in Norlai Republic waters.
• Ye Feng arrived and told He Ao that Yang De wanted to see him and Nini, so He Ao took Nini with him.

Yang De commissioned He Ao as the cruise ship’s Acting Captain while he led a team to rescue the kidnapped tourists, and used Nini’s blood to locate her parents. As He Ao watched an approaching Tiya Empire coal ship, he suspected another attack and ordered Ye Feng to check its broadcast information.

• He Ao accepted Yang De’s offer to guard the cruise ship for ten thousand points until Research Institute reinforcements arrived.
• Yang De used Nini’s blood and a Transcendent Item to locate the people most closely related to her, then left with External Affairs staff to pursue the kidnappers.
• Yang De put He Ao in charge of the ship and left Ye Feng as his assistant.
• He Ao reassured Nini, entertained her with transformations, and watched the surrounding ships draw nearer with Ye Feng.
• He Ao spotted a large coal ship flying the Tiya Empire’s flag and told Ye Feng to check its Automatic Identification System for anything unusual.

Yang De found the Free Sailors’ hostage ship and broke through its defenses, while He Ao discovered that the approaching Coal Ship was a disguised assault vessel. With communications jammed and the cruise liner under threat, He Ao steered a speedboat toward the Coal Ship through the storm.

• Yang De identified a Free Sailor mothership carrying hostages and boarded it alone, scattering the pirates guarding its deck.
• Yang De forced a pirate to lead him to the hostages, then reacted with anger when he saw them imprisoned below deck.
• He Ao watched the Coal Ship approach as the Research Institute’s support vessel neared, and Ye Feng confirmed that a speedboat was ready.
• The Coal Ship turned toward the cruise liner, jammed its communications, and revealed rows of helicopters beneath its rain canopy.
• He Ao sounded the alarm, launched the speedboat, and drove through the storm toward the Coal Ship.

He Ao confronted the pirates’ attack alone while the injured crew prepared to defend the cruise ship until Research Institute reinforcements arrived. After destroying an attacking helicopter, he prepared to capture the rest of the enemy force.

• Liu Nan offered to cover He Ao, while Ye Feng ordered everyone back to their defensive positions.
• Orator and Nini handed out candy to the defenders, lifting their spirits as they prepared to fight.
• He Ao realized the pirates had attacked while Yang De was lured away, relying on the belief that his replacement would be weak.
• A helicopter fired at He Ao as he approached the enemy force in a speedboat.
• He Ao activated his silver armor and used a Laser Cannon to destroy the helicopter.

He Ao revealed that Balan had used Hu Wen’s intelligence to launch a surprise attack on the Research Institute’s cruise ship, a possibility He Ao had anticipated and accepted as Acting Captain. After destroying the pirate helicopters, He Ao faced Balan and Hu Wen on the deck as the battle reached its decisive moment.

• He Ao deduced that Balan had learned the ship’s strength from Hu Wen, whom Balan had rescued after Hu Wen jumped into the sea.
• He Ao explained that he had accepted the Acting Captain role to demonstrate his strength and earn the Research Institute’s support in finding the lost Central Processor and the person hidden within Dawn.
• He Ao destroyed the attacking helicopters with his Laser Cannon and flew through the formation in his mecha.
• He Ao landed on the Coal Ship deck and confronted Balan and Hu Wen.
• Balan and Hu Wen vanished and reappeared on either side of He Ao, beginning their attack.

He Ao fought Balan and the pirates aboard the ship, using Adam 1 Type and the Bone Sword to overpower Balan. As the Mecha's batteries neared exhaustion, He Ao raised its output to 150% to finish the battle.

• He Ao blocked Balan and Hu Wen's attacks, knocked Balan back, and punched Hu Wen into a helicopter, leaving him unconscious.
• He Ao drew the Bone Sword and drove Balan into the bridge structure, but Balan's power sent the pirates into a frenzy and they attacked He Ao with guns and shells.
• He Ao chipped Balan's crescent blade and pinned him to the bridge structure with the Bone Sword, but Balan broke free and transformed himself with his power.
• Balan attacked He Ao with greater strength and speed but seemed to lose his reason, while the pirates gradually calmed down.
• When Adam 1 Type warned that its batteries were nearly depleted, He Ao raised all three batteries to maximum and increased the Mecha's output to 150%.

He Ao defeated Balan, took ownership of the Pirate Treasure Chest, and used the Miracle Wand to bring down Hu Wen’s helicopter before turning Hu Wen into his first C-rank puppet. He disguised Hu Wen’s escape and prepared to deal with the pirates while the Orator secretly boarded the cargo ship.

• He Ao pierced Balan’s heart after using telekinesis to take the detonator, then inherited the Pirate Treasure Chest and saw the Miracle Wand’s progress rise to 2/5.
• He Ao approached the pirates carrying Balan’s corpse, causing them to surrender and worship him as lightning lit the deck.
• Hu Wen fled in a helicopter, but He Ao struck it down with the Miracle Wand’s Thunder Flash and then controlled Hu Wen with the Puppet Crystal Ball.
• He Ao recovered fragments of Hu Wen’s memories, learned about his Bandit talent and two Transcendent Items, and realized the Five-Colored Ring’s charm had affected the pirates.
• He Ao arranged for Hu Wen to fake his escape and secretly treat his wounds while He Ao gathered the pirates; the Orator also climbed aboard the cargo ship.

After defeating Balan, He Ao learned why the pirates regarded him as Nora’s avatar and accepted an honorary deputy minister position from Yang De without fixed duties. He exploited the Pirate Treasure Chest’s rules to store several items, then entered a new life simulation as Wilderness Wanderers Ronald.

• The Orator explained that Alano’s pirates believed He Ao was Nora’s true avatar after he killed Balan, while the pirates confirmed that Balan had kept his valuables at his lair.
• The Research Institute rescued the hostages, and He Ao returned Nini to her parents as the cleanup ended at dawn.
• He Ao told the Orator that prejudice had kept Hu Wen and the psychologist from working with Balan, and he suspected the Tiya Empire had backed the pirate’s attack.
• Yang De offered He Ao an honorary deputy minister position with flexible duties, and He Ao accepted; Yang De also gave him a letter inviting him to visit Alano’s Coastline Defense Force leader.
• He Ao discovered that Retrieve from Afar could bypass the Pirate Treasure Chest’s restrictions, then stored the Arbitration Scale, Puppet Crystal Ball, Bone Sword, and silver suitcase inside it.
• The countdown reached zero, and the game matched He Ao with the character Wilderness Wanderers Ronald.

Ronald grew up in a wilderness camp, became a hunter and transcendent, and watched his father struggle to protect their people from mutated beasts. At age 22, as pressure on the camp increased, Ronald was chosen to enter Dawn City with his father to sell pelts directly.

• Ronald grew up in a trading camp between Dawn City and Kaya City, where his father led the camp and the Old Man taught him.
• After a mutated beast attack, Ronald watched his father advance to C-rank and later earned the chance to become a transcendent through his hunting achievements.
• Ronald became a Rage Warrior and then a Fighter, leading hunter squads and fighting to defend the camp from mutated beasts.
• The Old Man warned Ronald that people could be more dangerous than mutated beasts, while Ronald's aging father continued fighting to protect the camp.
• As more wanderers arrived and defensive pressure grew, Ronald's father decided to sell pelts directly in Dawn City, and Ronald was chosen to go with the first group.

He Ao, living through Ronald's memories, faced the C-Rank Bitter Ape after his traps failed to lure other prey for the Hunter advancement ritual. The Bitter Ape smashed his cover and struck at him, leaving the fight unresolved.

• He Ao hid behind a giant stone, struggling to breathe with a severe claw wound.
• He Ao recognized the pursuing creature as the Bitter Ape and recalled how its strength increased with pain and injury.
• He Ao activated Hyperthymesia and gripped the curved blade Ronald's father had left him.
• The Bitter Ape smashed the giant stone and swung its palm at He Ao.

He Ao used his combat model and a trap to make the bitter ape kill itself, though the final blow left him gravely injured. He drank the red liquid as the Hunter promotion ritual requirement appeared.

• He Ao studied the bitter ape’s attacks and regeneration while evading it and gradually worsening his own injuries.
• He Ao learned how damage to different parts of the bitter ape’s body affected its strength, speed, and recovery.
• The bitter ape struck He Ao into the streambank, then fell into a concealed pit and suffered deep leg wounds from Spider-type Exotic Beast limbs.
• He Ao anchored himself to a Metal Platform and timed a curved-blade strike so the bitter ape’s charge severed its own head against the blade.
• The impact shattered He Ao’s leg bones and disabled his right hand, so he drank the flame-red liquid from a silver test tube.
• The Hunter promotion ritual requirements appeared: kill more than five D-Rank extraordinary lifeforms in one day or one C-Rank extraordinary lifeform.

He Ao endured the transformation caused by the C-rank Hunter potion, learning to guide its power while hearing a strange murmur. After using the Hunter ability Lure to kill a tiger, he carried a corpse to the youths’ riverside camp and began climbing over its wooden wall.

• He Ao endured the Hunter potion’s burning effects and discovered that its energy created a new structure in his body, while also strengthening his soul.
• He Ao guided the potion’s energy through martial arts routes, increasing its efficiency but making the pain more intense and prolonged.
• He Ao heard a subjective murmur during the transformation and wondered whether it came from the same source as Super Memory’s Background Noise.
• He Ao attached Lure to a pebble, drew a white-browed tiger into a trap, and killed it.
• He Ao picked up the Bitter Ape’s corpse and walked toward a riverside camp of injured youths.
• He Ao threw a huge corpse over the camp’s wooden wall, then gripped the wall and began climbing over.

He Ao returned to the camp with the Bitter Ape’s corpse, revealing that he had killed the beast that had terrorized the wanderers. After arranging a celebration, he admitted he was exhausted and settled down to sleep, leaving the camp to watch for danger.

• He Ao displayed the Bitter Ape’s corpse, and the camp cheered as the wanderers recognized their enemy was dead.
• He Ao carried the corpse around the camp, then removed the Bitter Ape’s heart and stored it in a silver Mithril Box.
• He Ao asked Wade about the camp’s supplies and ordered the wild deer brought in for a celebration.
• He Ao announced a feast, and the wanderers began preparing food and singing around the bonfires.
• Penny offered He Ao a roasted chicken leg and worried when he said he would sleep, but he assured her he was fine and asked her to wake him if danger came.

After recovering from his wounds and confirming his strength had increased, He Ao heard the squad captains debate where the camp should go next. He chose to lead the survivors into Dawn City.

• He Ao woke in his tent, removed his bloodied clothes, and speared fish in the river as Penny greeted him.
• He Ao checked his attributes and saw that his Physical Fitness had reached 543 after advancing.
• Wade brought He Ao the squad captains, who gathered to decide where the survivors should go after fleeing the bitter ape.
• The captains argued over whether to return to their planned camp, travel to a backup site, or wait, and Wade broke up their fight.
• He Ao looked toward Dawn City and told the group to enter the city.

He Ao decided to take the camp’s Wilderness Wanderers into Dawn City and traveled there with Penny to investigate the obstacles they might face. At the city gate, their Smart Bracelets connected to the network and prompted them to complete an entry application form.

• After the camp accepted He Ao’s decision to enter Dawn City, he chose Penny to accompany him and told Wade to lead everyone to the city if the camp faced serious danger.
• He Ao set traps around the camp, packed his gear, and left with Penny for Dawn City.
• On the journey, Penny asked He Ao questions about city life, and the two reached Dawn City’s outskirts safely after nightfall.
• He Ao led Penny to the pedestrian entrance, where she marveled at the immense city wall.
• Penny’s Smart Bracelet connected to Dawn City’s network, and a prompt appeared asking them to fill out the Dawn City Entry Application Form.

He Ao and Penny completed Dawn City’s entry procedures, passed the security and biological checks, and received visas as Wilderness Wanderers. They entered the city without difficulty, and He Ao suggested that getting in had never been the hard part.

• He Ao guided Penny through the entry form, selecting travel as their purpose and stating they had no relatives or spouse in the city.
• He Ao and Penny passed the checkpoint’s weapons detector and gave blood and skin samples for analysis.
• York, a Wilderness Hunter and private detective, offered He Ao his card and services while they waited for their results.
• After their observation period ended without further inspection, He Ao and Penny received visa documents at Window 7.
• He Ao led Penny out of the entry hall into Dawn City, where she realized they had already entered the city.

He Ao and Penny arrived in Dawn City, where He Ao watched mayor-elect Christos defend his political platform on television before seeking work at an employment agency. The agency rejected them because they were Wilderness Wanderers, leaving their effort to survive in the city at an early obstacle.

• He Ao took Penny to a luxury hotel and settled them into two rooms using the camp’s funds.
• He Ao watched Christos turn a hostile interview into a defense of his plans to curb conglomerates and protect workers.
• The next morning, He Ao took Penny to an employment agency to find out how difficult it was for Wilderness Wanderers to get jobs.
• The agency employee recognized their status and told He Ao that it had no jobs suitable for Wilderness Wanderers.