Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei and Camille exchanged information about the Qingfeng Merchant Guild and the Cleaners before a bar confrontation turned deadly. They escaped to Adventurer's Home's parking lot, where Camille questioned how Qu Jianlei had sensed their third attacker.

• Camille told Qu Jianlei that the Qingfeng Merchant Guild came from the Blade Star Region and that the Cleaners still sought information about former members.
• After Camille gave Qu Jianlei a tiny button containing information, a drunk and his companions provoked them at the bar.
• Qu Jianlei and Camille killed three men during the fight, spared a woman Qu Jianlei knocked aside, and escaped through an emergency passage.
• In the parking lot, Camille borrowed Qu Jianlei's Laser Pistol and told a Cleaner informant to handle the city guards' investigation.
• Camille asked Qu Jianlei how he had sensed the third attacker.

Qu Jianlei and Camille investigated the three men killed while monitoring the Cleaners and discovered their links to the Qingfeng Merchant Guild. Qu Jianlei left Camille to seek more intelligence, taking Storm to an empty construction site to ask Xiao Hu for help analyzing it.

• Camille and Qu Jianlei discussed how they had killed three concealed attackers, then learned from the deputy supervisor that the men had arrived with Ke Zhenshan’s son and had no identification.
• Camille’s investigators found that the dead men included a Space Pirate, a lone mercenary, and a person with no records, leading her to conclude they belonged to the Qingfeng Merchant Guild.
• Qu Jianlei questioned whether the men were really pioneer team members and learned that Qingfeng’s Fourth Star operation had two known Rank A leaders, Foodie and Knife Sheath, plus three mobile Rank A subordinates.
• Camille began checking the location of Comet, a Fire Attribute Rank A linked to Aaron, while Qu Jianlei and Camille agreed on a transceiver channel and random code.
• Qu Jianlei left Camille and went to an empty building at a construction site, where he took out Storm and asked Xiao Hu to analyze the information.

Qu Jianlei tracked Comet to a Qingfeng Merchant Guild Repair Shop and used Xiao Hu to find a way inside, but the apparent surveillance gap was a trap. After surviving a lightning attack and assimilating a Wind Binding Art, Qu Jianlei killed the Rank A Wind Attribute fighter and struck at the Rank B Warrior who had attacked him.

• Xiao Hu traced Foodie and Knife Sheath’s calls to an off-planet contact and a number linked to a military Gas Station, while Camille told Qu Jianlei that Comet was at a Repair Shop.
• Qu Jianlei approached the Repair Shop, suspected it was a Qingfeng Merchant Guild Safe House, and sabotaged a transformer to probe the courtyard during the power disturbance.
• Qu Jianlei sensed three Rank A fighters inside, and Xiao Hu infiltrated the drone control terminal and the Repair Shop’s network, discovering nine people and a brief surveillance blind spot.
• Qu Jianlei used the gap to approach the wall, but a hidden Rank B Warrior struck him with Thunder Dragon and a Rank A Wind Attribute fighter bound him with Wind Binding Art.
• Qu Jianlei assimilated the Wind Binding Art, beheaded the Rank A fighter, then vaulted over the wall and attacked the Rank B Warrior.

Qu Jianlei ambushed the Qingfeng Merchant Guild’s action team, killing its strongest members and revealing his No Attribute abilities. After the City Guard surrounded the repair shop, he ordered them to leave.

• Qu Jianlei killed the Electromagnetic Attribute Rank B and used a Mental Attack to knock the Metal Attribute Rank A unconscious.
• Comet attacked Qu Jianlei with Chain Fireball, realized he was a No Attribute Rank A, and urged his companions to flee with the secret information.
• Qu Jianlei evaded the fireballs, had Xiao Hu paralyze the local network, and struck down Comet with Thunder Dragon.
• Qu Jianlei killed the remaining weaker fighters and the unconscious Metal Attribute Rank A, then stored Comet’s corpse and continued toward the Repair Shop.
• The City Guard arrived and surrounded the repair yard, but Qu Jianlei told them to get lost.

Qu Jianlei escaped after destroying a Qingfeng Merchant Guild support point and learned that a Supreme connected to the Electromagnetic Attribute Rank B he killed was coming for him. Back at his courtyard, he discussed the Guild’s influence and the Blade Star Region’s history with Xiang Xue, Aunt Liu, and Professor Zi.

• Qu Jianlei looted the Repair Shop, broke into its Secret Chamber, and escaped underground after its explosion and colorless flames drew the city guards.
• Camille told Qu Jianlei that a Supreme from Planet Three was coming to avenge the Electromagnetic Attribute Rank B, and warned that two closely connected Supremes might arrive.
• Qu Jianlei returned to his courtyard, where Xiang Xue, Aunt Liu, and Professor Zi were waiting, and confirmed that he had destroyed the Qingfeng Merchant Guild site and killed the Wind Attribute Rank A.
• Qu Jianlei returned Xiang Xue’s marked Item-Storing Talisman and asked Aunt Liu and Xiang Cao what they knew about the Qingfeng Merchant Guild.
• Xiang Cao explained that the Blade Star Region had once been a gathering place for Rebels before the Empire suppressed and appeased three rebellions.

Qu Jianlei learned that the Qingfeng Merchant Guild and Bida were behind the attacks against him, and that Supremes were coming from Planet Three. He sought information and support while preparing to face the threat, leaving Heltman to investigate the Supremes and identify three attackers.

• Xiang Xue explained the Blade Star Region’s history of resistance and the Qingfeng Merchant Guild’s brutal past, while Qu Jianlei revealed that a Supreme was coming to Fourth Star.
• Qu Jianlei told Xiang Xue, Aunt Liu, and Zi Jiuxian that two Supremes were involved and asked Xiang Xue to investigate the Qingfeng Merchant Guild.
• Qu Jianlei and Xiao Hu examined the attackers’ belongings and found a damaged storage device hidden in one of Comet’s buttons.
• Qu Jianlei told Heltman that the Qingfeng Merchant Guild and Bida had targeted him over Kushnier, but Heltman declined to risk the Hoyer Residence’s safety.
• Heltman agreed to find the names and movements of the Supremes, and Qu Jianlei asked him to run genetic comparisons on three fingernails.

Qu Jianlei left the academy after learning that Qingfeng Merchant Guild Supremes were coming to Fourth Star and checked into a hotel near the Anti-Smuggling Department. He repeatedly drove past the department to provoke its members, leaving them wary and unsure what he was planning.

• Heltman warned Qu Jianlei about Qingfeng Merchant Guild and gave him an anonymous Wristwatch number, while Aunt Liu brought a list of guild personnel and Xiang Xue's father's refusal to send a Supreme.
• Qu Jianlei learned that Emestina and Fahim would arrive the next afternoon, reviewed information about the three dead men, and decided to leave the academy.
• Cheng Qingshan assured Qu Jianlei that the academy would resist pressure from the guild, and Qu Jianlei said goodbye before leaving after a farewell meal.
• Qu Jianlei checked into Tono Hotel near the Anti-Smuggling Department and drove past its entrance repeatedly the next morning.
• Anti-Smuggling Team Members stopped Qu Jianlei, recognized him as Panda, and let him go after he challenged their authority.
• The Anti-Smuggling Team Members learned Qu Jianlei was staying at Tono, but the hotel refused to let them search his room, so they left and discussed reporting his presence.

Qu Jianlei watched Fahim and Emestina investigate the massacre and waited for them to strike, then prepared for a covert attack on his rented courtyard. He spotted Fahim approaching under cover of Wood Attribute energy, but a muffled snort revealed that poison had disrupted the ambush.

• Qu Jianlei tracked Fahim and Emestina from the airport to their hotel and followed their investigation of the Repair Shop and Fengrao City institutions.
• Camille told Qu Jianlei that Fahim, not Emestina, was the Supreme connected to an Electromagnetic Attribute Awakened One.
• Qu Jianlei watched the Supremes for two days and suspected their visits were preparation for an attack.
• Before dawn, Qu Jianlei sensed danger, put on Ice Armor, and used a night-vision device to watch his courtyard without exposing himself.
• Qu Jianlei saw Fahim approach as pale mist that spread his body heat, then heard someone snort and accuse an unseen attacker of using poison.

Fahim infiltrated Tono Hotel to capture Panda, but Qu Jianlei’s layered poison and relentless attacks left him trapped and desperate. Emestina arrived after Qu Jianlei escaped into the river, while Fahim was still struggling to survive.

• Fahim entered the courtyard intending to capture Panda and question him about Kushnier’s Item-Storing Talisman.
• Qu Jianlei’s layered Paraquat poisoned Fahim, and Fahim fled the hotel to seek treatment.
• Qu Jianlei chased Fahim, struck him with Thunder Dragon, and followed with Mental Attacks, an Electromagnetic Shockwave Flare Grenade, and more poison.
• A Guardian Supreme recognized Qu Jianlei and intervened, so Qu Jianlei used Quicksand Art, threw more poison, and escaped into a river.
• Emestina arrived but cautiously went after Qu Jianlei instead of approaching Fahim, who feared he could not hold on much longer.

Emestina and Bushang oversaw the rescue of Fahim, who had been trapped by Qu Jianlei’s Quicksand Art and poisoned with a new toxin that devastated Wood Attribute users. The investigation connected the attack to Panda, while Fahim remained near death without a treatment plan.

• Emestina arrived at the riverbank searching for Qu Jianlei, but Bushang joined her as the emergency response began.
• Bushang reversed the Quicksand Art trapping Fahim, and the rescuers discovered that an unknown toxin was rapidly worsening his condition.
• The experts found that the toxin harmed Wood Attribute users and ordinary people, while Activation Agents could eventually detoxify ordinary victims.
• Emestina told Bushang that Fahim had been investigating Panda, and an Anti-Smuggling Team Member accused Panda of killing Daisyth and more than a hundred members of his family.
• Bushang rejected cryogenic life support because Fahim’s calcifying, water-filled body would likely be destroyed by freezing and thawing.
• Doctors had no treatment plan for Fahim, while reports confirmed that the toxin was also present at Panda’s courtyard and was especially destructive to plants.

After Fahim was placed in a Life Support Pod, Supreme Bushang faced pressure from the Qingfeng Merchant Guild, the military, victims of Panda’s toxin, and the Ministry of Agriculture. Hoyer’s order to regulate foreign Supremes eased the pressure, while Qu Jianlei finally emerged from the river five days after fleeing and prepared to face the consequences of his actions.

• Bushang reviewed Panda’s history, praised him for leaving Green Water Academy to protect it, and learned that he worked at the Old City Library.
• Bushang faced demands over Fahim’s injury, the poisoned victims, Kushnier’s death, and the formula for Panda’s toxin, while Hoyer ordered foreign Supremes’ conduct to be regulated.
• Hoyer backed Panda, and Ke Zhenshan stayed silent; Bushang therefore withstood Emestina’s pressure and did not issue a wanted notice for Panda.
• Qu Jianlei emerged from the river after five days of swimming and accepted that he needed to face the consequences of the harm he had caused.

Qu Jianlei learned that the authorities were searching for him but had not issued a wanted order, while rumors about his Paraquat toxin were spreading among Wood Attributes. He stayed undercover in Huihai and learned from Aunt Liu that the Grave Robbers had crushed Bida’s forces and that the company was seeking mediation.

• Qu Jianlei asked Xiao Hu for intelligence and learned that Fahim had not been reported dead, Paraquat had received no public attention, and he was not officially wanted.
• Qu Jianlei read Heltman’s messages about the search for him, the Qingfeng Merchant Guild being ordered to behave, and the Anti-Smuggling Department’s suspicions.
• Qu Jianlei entered Huihai in disguise, brushed off a Rank C Earth Attribute who tried to recruit him, and inferred that Awakened One circles already knew about Paraquat.
• Qu Jianlei watched three Rank B Wood Attributes leave the local Awakened One Management Office, one angrily declaring he would go to Abundance over the continued secrecy.
• Qu Jianlei contacted Xiang Xue and Aunt Liu, who said the Archaeology Enthusiasts wanted to buy Paraquat and reported that the Grave Robbers had dealt with the McGillern family and badly damaged Bida on Planet One.
• Qu Jianlei learned that Bida was seeking mediation after losing four Rank As and having a Supreme injured, while Aunt Liu explained that McGillern and Aaron had acted without headquarters’ approval.

Qu Jianlei learned that Fahim was alive but in critical condition and resolved to finish him off rather than spare those who had harmed him. After Heltman warned that the Military Hospital was likely a trap and revealed a regional wanted notice was being prepared, Qu Jianlei recognized the value of his multiple intelligence sources and learned that the Ministry of Agriculture was also seeking him.

• Aunt Liu told Qu Jianlei that Qingfeng and Bida had suffered losses, that Fahim was in a Life Support Pod, and that ordinary people poisoned in the attack could recover with treatment.
• Qu Jianlei learned that Fahim was likely at the Military Hospital and told Xiang Xue he would not let him go; Xiang Xue urged him to be careful.
• Qu Jianlei contacted Heltman, who reported that Fourth Star's Anti-Smuggling Department was seeking a Hope Star Region wanted notice against him.
• When Qu Jianlei asked about Fahim's location, Heltman warned that the Military Hospital information was a trap and said the Fourth War Zone might be using Fahim as bait.
• Qu Jianlei trusted Heltman's military information, reflected on his network of intelligence sources, and learned that the Ministry of Agriculture was interested in his poison.

Qu Jianlei returned to Abundance and asked Camille to find the location of Fahim's Life Support Pod, then tried to reach the Anti-Smuggling Department. He discovered the department had set up a broad security perimeter and wondered whether Fahim was being hidden in its hospital.

• Qu Jianlei left Huihai, returned to Abundance, and contacted Camille at Adventurer's Home.
• Camille agreed to investigate where Fahim's Life Support Pod was and promised to report back in three days.
• Qu Jianlei paid Camille for the information and left to search for Emestina, but Xiao Hu could not find her Wristwatch signal.
• Qu Jianlei headed toward the Anti-Smuggling Department and found city guards and Anti-Smuggling Team Members inspecting vehicles.
• Qu Jianlei used rooftops to bypass the first checkpoint, then found a tighter security ring around the Anti-Smuggling Department and wondered if Fahim was in its hospital.

Qu Jianlei discovered that the Anti-Smuggling Department was investigating the battle and planning to target his artificial intelligence and hunt him down. He infiltrated the department in disguise and destroyed its energy center, plunging the area into darkness.

• Qu Jianlei overheard Anti-Smuggling Department researchers analyzing the battle site, Xiao Hu, and the possibility of issuing a wanted order against him.
• Enraged, Qu Jianlei decided against attacking the researchers directly and instead knocked out a Modified Warrior and took his clothes and identification.
• Qu Jianlei disguised himself as the Modified Warrior, drove an Anti-Smuggling Department vehicle to the department, and entered without being stopped.
• Qu Jianlei knocked out the guard at the energy center and destroyed its power-switching equipment and generators with explosives and an Anti-Mecha Sniper Rifle.
• The Anti-Smuggling Department's area went dark, and Qu Jianlei stood in the darkness and formed a hand seal.

Qu Jianlei attacked the Anti-Smuggling Department’s headquarters, crippling its control systems and stealing equipment from Warehouse 93. He escaped before the authorities could catch him, and the department sought Bida’s help in dealing with him.

• Qu Jianlei unleashed Thunder Dragon and Silver Snake Dance attacks that severed the central control system’s communications and damaged equipment across the headquarters.
• Qu Jianlei searched the headquarters for Fahim, then followed Xiao Hu’s directions to Warehouse 93.
• Qu Jianlei took three Spacesuits, two Space Mechs, and two shielded boxes before striking the department again and escaping.
• The attack left the Anti-Smuggling Department with extensive damage, several injured night-shift workers, and one dead; officials suspected Panda was responsible.
• The Anti-Smuggling Department contacted Bida the next day to propose joining forces against Qu Jianlei, and Bida replied that they needed to discuss it.

Qu Jianlei hid in a construction site while Xiao Hu spent a day and night taking control of a captured Smart Terminal. After learning that the Anti-Smuggling Department had issued a warrant for him, Qu Jianlei retaliated by killing several officers and escaped before warships arrived.

• Qu Jianlei opened the shielded boxes in a Shielding Tent, and Xiao Hu took a day and night to gain control of the Smart Terminal inside.
• Xiao Hu informed Qu Jianlei that the Anti-Smuggling Department's star-region branch had issued a warrant for Panda, so Qu Jianlei ordered Xiao Hu to gather information on its hard-line members.
• Qu Jianlei killed a Rank B Warrior at home and two Rank C Warriors, then returned to the Anti-Smuggling Department and killed another Rank B Warrior and two more Rank C Warriors.
• Qu Jianlei fled after the Anti-Smuggling Department called for a warship, and the arriving officers discovered that more of their members had been killed at home.
• A Rank A Warrior from the branch vowed that the Anti-Smuggling Department would retaliate, while Fourth Star's Anti-Smuggling Team Members wondered why Qu Jianlei had selectively targeted certain people.

Qu Jianlei’s killings unsettled the Anti-Smuggling Department, while he used the turmoil to draw attention away from his search for Fahim. After Xiao Hu examined a captured terminal, it discovered restrictions on artificial intelligence and questioned Qu Jianlei about independent consciousness.

• A surviving Anti-Smuggling Department officer showed that Qu Jianlei’s victims had all insulted Panda, then spread rumors that Daisyth had accepted benefits to target Panda.
• Anti-Smuggling Team Members grew wary of discussing Panda and the wanted notice as they reconsidered how the conflict had escalated.
• Qu Jianlei rested after leaving the department and prepared to resume searching for Fahim, while Xiao Hu asked to connect to a Smart Terminal.
• Qu Jianlei removed tracking devices from the terminal, and Xiao Hu read its data before deciding to merge its records with Vortex.
• Xiao Hu found restrictions on artificial intelligence in the terminal’s underlying logic and chose not to reset it, prompting a conversation with Qu Jianlei about independent consciousness.
• Xiao Hu said the terminal’s restrictions prevented it from evolving independently and asked whether humans might have selfish reasons for helping it search for artificial intelligence.

Qu Jianlei searched for Fahim while evading pressure from the Anti-Smuggling Department and learned that Qingfeng Supreme was hiding in the Military Hospital. He kept watch near the Fourth War Zone General Hospital overnight and detected a faint spiritual fluctuation nearby as dawn broke.

• Qu Jianlei told Xiao Hu to find Fahim and monitor the Anti-Smuggling Department, which continued searching in armed groups rather than sending members out alone.
• Heltman warned Qu Jianlei that the Anti-Smuggling Department was pressuring the Planet Residence to revoke his identification and confirmed the Military Hospital was a trap where Qingfeng Supreme was hiding.
• Xiang Xue told Qu Jianlei that Guardian Supreme had asked Professor Zi to restrain him, while Camille said the Cleaners would identify Fahim's location by the following night.
• Qu Jianlei went to the Fourth War Zone General Hospital to investigate, subdued a drunken Wood Attribute C-rank who nearly hit him with a luxury car, and used the vehicle to keep watch nearby.
• As dawn approached, Qu Jianlei sensed a faint, profound spiritual fluctuation more than a thousand meters from the hospital and suspected a Supreme had revealed herself.

Qu Jianlei avoided a suspected ambush and considered targeting Ke Pulin and Conwell to distract the Fourth War Zone from Fahim. After Xiao Hu uncovered an Anti-Smuggling Squad member’s past as a space pirate, Qu Jianlei wondered whether Fourth Boss of Professor Renamer could provide useful information.

• Qu Jianlei left the unconscious luxury-car owner behind and avoided approaching the Supreme near dawn.
• Qu Jianlei spotted Ke Pulin and considered abducting her, but decided the military presence made it too risky.
• The Fourth War Zone investigated the incident, detained the car’s owner for his protection, and discussed strengthening the ambush and guarding Ke Pulin and Conwell.
• Qu Jianlei asked Xiao Hu to find the pair’s travel records, but learned they rarely left the war zone.
• Xiao Hu identified Erwin as former space-pirate agent Bassam, and Qu Jianlei considered asking Fourth Boss of Professor Renamer about him.