Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei escaped a Wasteland ambush, then unexpectedly caught the mugger who had been shooting at him. While searching the captured man, he found a small brown stone that seemed to alarm him.

• Qu Jianlei used a Smoke Grenade to retreat from a lone ambusher, who also fired smoke and fled through the dirt mounds.
• After hearing the ambusher approach his hiding place, Qu Jianlei aimed his Laser Pistol at him and captured him.
• The mugger admitted he had tried to rob Qu Jianlei and offered hidden goods to buy his life.
• Qu Jianlei disarmed and tied up the mugger, wounded his thigh, and searched his belongings.
• Qu Jianlei found a small brown stone in the mugger’s waist box, and the mugger turned deathly pale.

Qu Jianlei discovered that a half Mutated Beast Crystal could affect his mind and body, then avoided a risky Hunter team while gathering information about Black Fur Steel Bristle Rats. When he returned to the garbage dump to ask for the antidote, Morrison defended him against Collins's criticism.

• Qu Jianlei tortured the honest-looking man until he revealed that the reddish stone was half a Mutated Beast Crystal, then killed him when he asked for a quick death.
• Qu Jianlei felt the crystal stir something in his mind and dantian, returned to Luan Shi Camp, and found that it could increase brain activity and repair the body.
• Qu Jianlei bought information about Black Fur Steel Bristle Rats from a Hong Si Settlement caravan, then declined a three-man Hunter team's invitation to hunt a C-level Mutated Beast.
• The Hunters discussed Qu Jianlei taking weapons that Sister Na had lent to Third Master's subordinates, and the burly man admitted he had hoped to lure Qu Jianlei out of camp.
• Collins and his companions failed to learn the Pink Mecha's origins, while one of them discovered that mechas were not supposed to be pink.
• When Collins accused Qu Jianlei of slacking off, Morrison defended him, saying Collins had no right to criticize him.

Qu Jianlei avoided organizing the Survivors, secretly took only a little of the antidote, and left Hong Si Settlement with a motorcycle and supplies. He hid in an abandoned town, prepared traps for pursuers, and took more antidote when the Modified Potion’s side effects caused intense pain.

• At Hong Si Settlement, the guard distributed antidote and warned the Survivors that Captain Tu Zuo Fu would reduce the next supply if they found no information.
• Qu Jianlei secretly replaced his new medicine packet with the previous one, then traded weapons for a sturdy motorcycle as several groups watched him leave.
• Qu Jianlei bought fuel and wilderness supplies at a Transit Camp, collected his possessions from Luan Shi Camp, and rode to the abandoned town where the Fallen had once imprisoned him.
• Qu Jianlei concealed his motorcycle and set warning and lethal traps around the town before resting.
• Qu Jianlei woke in intense pain from the Modified Potion’s side effects, swallowed about a third of a packet of antidote, and looked toward a half Mutated Beast Crystal as the medicine took effect.

Qu Jianlei used the Mutated Beast Crystal to refine the Nameless Qi Refining Art, enduring severe pain and consuming most of his Nutrient Solution. After beginning cultivation, he decided to avoid Mr. Sai and the others and disappeared into the wilderness before the antidote gathering.

• Qu Jianlei chose to use half the Mutated Beast Crystal, survived a dangerous surge of energy, and endured several days of pain while refining the Nameless Qi Refining Art.
• Qu Jianlei completed his first deliberate cultivation cycle and saw the cartoon Butterfly Xiao Hu appear in his mind before making it vanish.
• Qu Jianlei cultivated for three more cycles, conserved the remaining crystal, and found that only seventeen tubes of Nutrient Solution remained.
• Qu Jianlei decided not to attend the next day's Apply for Antidote gathering or contact Mr. Sai and the others again.
• Qu Jianlei packed his belongings, left one concealed lethal trap behind, and rode his motorcycle into the wilderness at night.

Qu Jianlei hunted Sand Scorpions near Po Wei Camp, traded their venom sacs for supplies, and left before trouble caught up with him. Returning to the camp where Old Cripple had been, he learned Old Cripple was dead and began paying for information about his fate.

• Qu Jianlei killed a swarm of Sand Scorpions, used their meat to cultivate, and collected over four hundred venom sacs.
• Qu Jianlei forced Po Wei Camp’s general store owner to accept his price, traded the venom sacs for supplies and ammunition, then left his temporary camp.
• After wondering about the Mine, Qu Jianlei returned to the camp where Old Cripple had been and discovered the general store had a new owner.
• Qu Jianlei offered to buy Purple Flower Lichen and learned from a destitute woman that Old Cripple was dead.
• A man silenced the woman, then offered Qu Jianlei information about Old Cripple in exchange for half-price lichen.

After learning that Cripple had been killed by people from the Hong Character Main Settlement, Qu Jianlei left the camp and was pursued by Dong Ge’s gang. He used inner energy to run faster, then realized he could outrun the motorcycles and began considering a counterattack.

• Qu Jianlei learned that Cripple had been killed by people from the Hong Character Main Settlement and decided not to ask about the Garbage Dump yet.
• Qu Jianlei replenished his trap supplies and left the camp, while an informer told Dong Ge’s gang that a stranger had asked about Cripple.
• Dong Ge led his men on two motorcycles to pursue Qu Jianlei, hoping to gain favor with a Main Settlement big shot, recruit him as cannon fodder, or take his equipment.
• Qu Jianlei heard the motorcycles behind him and used inner energy in his legs to double his speed toward his hidden motorcycle.
• Qu Jianlei grew hungry from using inner energy, reconsidered fleeing on the motorcycle, and realized he was fast enough to outrun the pursuers on foot.

Qu Jianlei ambushed the four riders pursuing him, using inner energy to sharpen his vision and a Gauss rifle to kill or disable them. He approached the wounded Dong Ge and demanded to know why they had followed him.

• Qu Jianlei hid his motorcycle, spotted two motorcycles pursuing him, and used inner energy to sharpen his vision before aiming at the riders.
• Dong Ge ordered Flower Arm and the others to approach and prepare to suppress Qu Jianlei, but Qu Jianlei shot Flower Arm's rider and then killed Flower Arm.
• Qu Jianlei shot Dong Ge in the shoulder, destroying his left arm and throwing him from the motorcycle.
• Dong Ge's rider tried to escape, but Qu Jianlei shot his left arm and then severed his right arm when he reached for his gun.
• Dong Ge surrendered and claimed the pursuit was a misunderstanding, and Qu Jianlei approached him and asked why he had been following him.

Qu Jianlei learned that the Main Settlement had massacred Scavengers while searching for something connected to Old Cripple, then killed Dong Ge and looted his group. After traveling to a larger survivor camp, he repaired and upgraded his motorcycle, traded away two motorcycles for supplies, and left without anyone daring to challenge him.

• Dong Ge told Qu Jianlei that the Main Settlement had killed Old Cripple and hundreds of Scavengers, apparently because they were searching for something.
• Qu Jianlei killed Dong Ge and the last rider, erased their tracks, and buried the bodies more than fifty kilometers away.
• Qu Jianlei traveled for seven days to a larger survivor camp and traded a Gauss Automatic Rifle and a long blade for food, water, and fuel.
• Qu Jianlei repaired and upgraded all three motorcycles, then traded two of them for Nutrient Solution, fuel, and ammunition.
• Qu Jianlei stayed at the camp for five days without trouble, then departed with a loaded cart as the general store owner and repair shop owner discussed his abilities.

Qu Jianlei recovered in the wilderness, then found a starving, poisoned child and gave him food and water. As Qu Jianlei prepared to leave, the child followed him and tried to convince him to take him along by claiming he knew the area well.

• Qu Jianlei reached Qi Refining Stage Level Two and improved his physical condition during nearly a month at a secluded camp.
• A low-level alarm woke Qu Jianlei, who spotted a small figure in the distance and went back to sleep.
• Qu Jianlei discovered the figure was a severely hungry child suffering from Purple Flower Lichen poisoning and gave him Nutrient Solution and salted water.
• The child woke, insisted he was neither mute nor a stutterer, and followed Qu Jianlei after he packed up to leave.
• Qu Jianlei refused to take the child along, but the child chased after him and shouted that he knew the area well.

Qu Jianlei took Hairless Freak along after the child offered information about Mutated Beast Crystals, then chose to head toward Hong Yi Settlement. After restocking supplies near Hong Liu Settlement, Qu Jianlei and Hairless Freak set off across the wilderness, still unsure of the route.

• Hairless Freak offered Qu Jianlei Mutated Beast Crystals, but admitted he had forgotten where he hid them and could not guide Qu Jianlei by landmarks.
• Qu Jianlei waited while Hairless Freak relieved himself, then asked the child to suggest a destination with better order.
• Hairless Freak recommended Hong Yi Settlement because its outskirts were relatively stable and it was closer to Mutated Beasts, and Qu Jianlei agreed to go there.
• Qu Jianlei learned the shopkeeper had no map beyond Hong Liu Settlement, declined to buy its expensive local map, and restocked fuel, Nutrient Solution, and water.
• As Qu Jianlei and Hairless Freak rode through the wilderness, Hairless Freak suggested asking Survivors for directions, and Qu Jianlei asked what to do if they refused.

Qu Jianlei and Hairless Freak traveled through the Wasteland, avoiding hostile Survivors until a swarm of sandworms chased them across rocky terrain. They escaped when the rocks finally halted the creatures’ pursuit.

• Hairless Freak recovered and volunteered to drive Qu Jianlei’s motorcycle and flatbed cart, helping them travel through the Wasteland.
• Several groups of Survivors eyed Hairless Freak with greed but kept their distance after seeing Qu Jianlei and his weapons.
• Hairless Freak suggested watching for Mutated Beasts, and Qu Jianlei agreed to look around when they reached a camp.
• Qu Jianlei noticed the ground shaking, and Hairless Freak recognized the approaching ridges as a swarm of sandworms and drove toward rocky terrain.
• As the sandworms closed in, Qu Jianlei jumped off the cart and ran ahead, while Hairless Freak struggled to control the lighter but bouncing motorcycle.
• The pair fled deeper into the rocks until a large stone marked the point where the sandworms stopped pursuing them.

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing escaped a Sandworm swarm, found their way into Hong Five Residential Area, and reached Sweetwater camp to restock and shelter. There, two armed men pressured Qu Jianlei into paying a fee, and he left the encounter wary of the camp’s opportunists.

• Qu Jianlei and the Hairless Freak fled the Sandworms, then continued traveling until they found a supply station in Hong Five Residential Area.
• After buying supplies and learning the way toward Hong Si Settlement, Qu Jianlei and the child headed for Sweetwater camp, where he adopted the name Black Sky and the child asked to be called Xiao Jing.
• Qu Jianlei dug a temporary shelter on the camp’s outskirts, but a thin man and a burly man confronted him and demanded to inspect his face covering.
• After confirming Qu Jianlei was not a wanted criminal, the men claimed he needed to pay a three-Silver-Horn layout fee to keep his shelter.
• Qu Jianlei paid Lao Mo the fee, and Lao Mo left with the burly man, mocking Qu Jianlei as a greenhorn.

Qu Jianlei settled into Sweetwater Camp, explored its shops and missions, and spent the day training before intervening when a boy beat Xiao Jing. After learning the boy had tried to rob them and belonged to the Iron Palm Gang, Qu Jianlei fed Xiao Jing and made clear that Lao Mo would not be sharing their meal.

• Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing slept in a shallow pit, then Qu Jianlei bought supplies, inspected a repair shop, and found missions for giant lizard glands and a Mechanical Arm.
• Qu Jianlei trained outside camp until dusk and returned to find a half-grown boy beating Xiao Jing.
• Qu Jianlei kicked the boy away, and Xiao Jing explained that the boy had tried to steal their supplies before attacking him.
• The boy fled while threatening them with the Iron Palm Gang, and Qu Jianlei questioned Lao Mo about the camp's rules against killing.
• Qu Jianlei cooked meat and noodles, gave Xiao Jing a large serving, and spat into the pot after Xiao Jing spat in his basin to deter Lao Mo from taking food.

Qu Jianlei rejected Lao Mo’s offer to settle the Iron Palm Gang dispute and later left Sweetwater Camp to investigate Luan Shi Camp. He found the camp destroyed and realized Mr. Sai might be hunting him for the Alloy Ring and his apparent resistance to the Gene Modification Agent, leaving him to consider fleeing for his life.

• Lao Mo demanded two Silver Horns to mediate the Iron Palm Gang matter, but Qu Jianlei refused and said he would handle it himself.
• Qu Jianlei stayed at Sweetwater Camp for several more days, then left Xiao Jing behind and rode toward Luan Shi Camp.
• Qu Jianlei approached Luan Shi Camp at night and found it wrecked, abandoned, and stripped of most supplies.
• Qu Jianlei discovered that the Alloy Ring and its Faraday Cage were missing from the place where he had buried them.
• Qu Jianlei concluded that Mr. Sai had destroyed Luan Shi Camp after his escape and would search for him because of the Pink Mecha information and his resistance to the Gene Modification Agent.

Qu Jianlei left Luan Shi Camp, returned to Sweetwater Camp, and decided to take Xiao Jing away to avoid Mr. Sai. After learning that Third Master's Secret Silver Plate could open a treasure chest in Hong Wu Settlement, they set out with their belongings, but a convoy armed with a machine gun began pursuing them.

• Qu Jianlei left Luan Shi Camp without taking anything and vowed to kill Mr. Sai for the deaths caused by the attack.
• Qu Jianlei returned to Sweetwater Camp and told Xiao Jing they would leave to gather supplies and hole up for the winter instead of going to Hong Yi.
• Xiao Jing explained that Third Master's Secret Silver Plate was a key to a treasure chest in Hong Wu Settlement, and Qu Jianlei bought a map of the Settlement.
• Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing packed their belongings onto a flatbed cart and left Sweetwater Camp the next morning.
• A convoy of motorcycles and an open-top truck caught up behind them, and Xiao Jing spotted someone setting up a machine gun.

Qu Jianlei intercepted the Iron Palm Gang's pursuit, using his guns and marksmanship to kill and disable several attackers. The masked Hunter ordered the survivors to flee, but Qu Jianlei continued firing as the remaining motorcycles scattered.

• Qu Jianlei left Xiao Jing and the Hairless Freak to keep moving, then jumped off the cart to confront the pursuers.
• Qu Jianlei shot the truck's machine-gunner and a motorcycle rider with his Laser Rifle, then damaged the truck's windshield with his Gauss Machine Gun.
• The masked Hunter recognized Qu Jianlei as a sharpshooter and urged the pursuers to zigzag while she prepared her Laser Rifle.
• Qu Jianlei laid down suppressing fire and sprinted away through the dust, making the pursuers suspect he was setting an ambush.
• Qu Jianlei shot the truck driver, sending the truck spinning, and the masked Hunter ordered the sidecar tricycle to flee.
• Qu Jianlei shot another motorcycle rider as the remaining pursuers scattered, while someone called out to Hua Xiezhi for fleeing.

Qu Jianlei and Hua Xiezhi joined forces to defeat a pursuing group of Fallen, then negotiated over the spoils and why she had been chasing him. Qu Jianlei took Hua Xiezhi hostage while they went to inspect the Fallen’s truck, where they found dismembered corpses.

• Qu Jianlei killed the remaining members of the Iron Palm Gang’s pursuit, then searched their weapons, vehicles, and supplies with Hairless Freak.
• Qu Jianlei discovered that the truck’s fuel tank was leaking, but another group arrived while he was patching it.
• Hua Xiezhi’s sidecar motorcycle led a group of Fallen past Qu Jianlei’s truck, and Qu Jianlei and Hua Xiezhi ambushed and killed the pursuers.
• Hua Xiezhi explained that the Iron Palm Gang was moving into Sweetwater Camp and had targeted Qu Jianlei to establish its authority.
• Qu Jianlei agreed to let Hua Xiezhi’s group keep some spoils if they dealt with Two Snakes, then tied Hua Xiezhi’s hands and took her as a hostage.
• Qu Jianlei and the others inspected the Fallen’s truck and found three dismembered corpses in its bed.

Qu Jianlei negotiated a trade with Hua Xiezhi’s group, exchanging the Fallen corpses and a damaged truck for repairs, supplies, and other goods. After they set off together, he stopped to bury the eleven corpses from his own vehicle, leaving Hua Xiezhi wary of what else he might have planned.

• Qu Jianlei refused to keep the damaged large truck and agreed to trade it and seven Fallen corpses with Hua Xiezhi’s group for vehicle repairs, supplies, and Hong Five Silver Coins.
• Hua Xiezhi warned her companions to honor the deal, and Qu Jianlei agreed to sell two of the three motorcycles while keeping one as a spare.
• The group cleared the battlefield and drove away, with Qu Jianlei following Hua Xiezhi’s large truck in his open-top truck.
• After traveling more than fifty kilometers, Qu Jianlei stopped at a shallow pit and said he would bury the eleven corpses in his vehicle.
• Hua Xiezhi watched Qu Jianlei dig and suspected he had another move prepared, but she chose not to resist and hoped the trade would succeed.

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing traded repaired vehicles and supplies before taking a detour to enter Hong Wu Settlement. The guards let them in after a tense inspection, but Qu Jianlei worried that trouble awaited them.

• Qu Jianlei buried the eleven corpses with his companions, then set out with Hua Xiezhi and the others the next morning.
• At a supply station, Qu Jianlei arranged for vehicles to be repaired and gave Xiao Jing a short dagger.
• The rider returned with grain, water, ammunition, Energy Blocks, and other goods, and Qu Jianlei drove away with the repaired Open-Top Light Truck.
• Hua Xiezhi told her companions to claim they had killed the Fallen themselves and to keep quiet about Qu Jianlei and his group.
• Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing took a wide detour to Hong Wu Settlement, where Xiao Jing used a silver badge and his Peace Knot-wrapped dagger to challenge the guards' demands.
• The guards inspected Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing, found no wanted criminals, and allowed them into the city; Qu Jianlei suspected things might not go smoothly.

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing explored the Settlement, learned its market prices, and reached a guarded warehouse to retrieve a decades-old treasure chest. They found gold bars, property deeds, and a patterned black ring, and the supervisor offered to buy the gold.

• Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing mapped the Settlement, checked market prices, and spent the night sleeping rough before returning to the markets at dawn.
• Qu Jianlei asked for directions to the Rich District, and the two used Xiao Jing's Secret Silver Plate to gain access to the Energy Block shop that stored the treasure chest.
• The supervisor verified that the silver plate had not expired and led them through guarded courtyards to the warehouse.
• Qu Jianlei opened the cabinet and found two layers of gold bars, property deeds, land titles, and a black ring with intricate patterns.
• Qu Jianlei asked the supervisor for a bag to carry the gold, and the supervisor offered to buy it at a fair price.