Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei negotiated to exchange gold for Energy Blocks and arrange a purchase of Mutated Beast Crystals while asking about compensation for properties taken in Hong Wu Settlement. The manager said the compensation had already been claimed, leaving Qu Jianlei to decide what to do about the missing payment.

• Qu Jianlei agreed to buy a thousand Energy Blocks and asked the shop to arrange food, water, and a delivery escort while he shopped in the Settlement.
• The manager offered to broker a Mutated Beast Crystal deal, first estimating it would take two days before agreeing to seek an answer within a day.
• The manager said Qu Jianlei's property documents referred to land that had been requisitioned or redeveloped, and Qu Jianlei asked how the compensation had been calculated.
• Xiao Jing warned Qu Jianlei that requisition often meant forced seizure, while the manager reported the pair's unusual question to a middle-aged man, who told him to keep as much of their gold as possible.
• The manager told Qu Jianlei that five to eight Mutated Beast Crystals might be available and proposed concealing the gold transaction, which Qu Jianlei accepted.
• The manager said compensation had been paid but had already been claimed by other people.

Qu Jianlei negotiated for Mutated Beast Crystals and supplies in the Hong Wu Settlement, then fled with Xiao Jing when several groups pursued their loaded truck. He broke through the encirclement, but the pursuers kept closing in as he tried to escape.

• Qu Jianlei rejected the manager's initial crystal prices, negotiated a discount, traded gold for crystals, Energy Blocks, and Silver Cards, and spent more than six thousand Silver Coins on supplies.
• Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing loaded the goods onto their off-road light truck and drove out of the Hong Wu Settlement, drawing several pursuing groups.
• Qu Jianlei used his enhanced vision to evade the pursuers and break through their encirclement after driving more than thirty kilometers.
• Qu Jianlei ordered Xiao Jing to raise the truck's rear protective plate while pursuing vehicles fired machine guns at them.
• Madman's team argued with another pursuer about whether to attack Qu Jianlei for his Mutated Beast Crystals, while Qu Jianlei continued fleeing as the vehicles gained on him.

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing fled across the wasteland while Madman’s convoy pursued them, and Qu Jianlei repeatedly jumped from their truck to attack the hunters. By nightfall, the chase continued with twelve vehicles behind them, but a pursuer’s truck broke down, leaving the hunters unsure whether their vehicles could outlast Qu Jianlei’s newly modified one.

• Xiao Jing insisted on taking over the steering on flatter ground, and Qu Jianlei explained how to drive before jumping out to attack the pursuing vehicles.
• Qu Jianlei blew up an off-road vehicle by shooting its exposed fuel tank, shot a motorcycle rider and another driver, then sprinted back to his truck as the pursuers opened fire.
• Madman ordered his team to keep chasing and fire freely, while Qu Jianlei later jumped out again, broke through a vehicle’s bulletproof glass, and killed its driver.
• As night fell, Qu Jianlei shot out two searchlights and possibly wounded a Hunter before returning to the truck and taking Nutrient Solution.
• After nearly three hundred kilometers of pursuit, one of the hunters’ heavily armored trucks stalled, prompting the pursuers to worry their vehicles would fail before Qu Jianlei’s.

Qu Jianlei led the pursuing convoy into Three-Colored Marsh, where his chemical lure triggered a massive attack by venomous snakes. He escaped ahead while the nine pursuing vehicles became surrounded and slowed, then ordered his companions to fire on any pursuers who broke free.

• Qu Jianlei noticed that several pursuing vehicles had broken down, while Xiao Jing credited their escape so far to his own help.
• Qu Jianlei revealed that he was heading for Three-Colored Marsh to use its mutated snakes against the pursuers.
• The nine remaining vehicles followed Qu Jianlei into the marsh after discussing the danger and sharing Snake Repellent.
• Qu Jianlei scattered a mixture containing an Energy Block, Sulfur powder, and Pheromone, provoking countless venomous snakes to attack the pursuing vehicles.
• Iron Wire Snakes entangled vehicles, Winged Snakes appeared overhead, and the convoy became surrounded as it struggled to move.
• Qu Jianlei told his companions to use the Gauss Machine Gun on any pursuers who managed to break free.

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing escaped the Three-Colored Marsh and found that Winter Hibernation had shut down the Garbage Dumps. They built a concealed shelter in one, sealed themselves inside against the cold, and ended the chapter with Xiao Jing asking whether Qu Jianlei had once lived in a Residential Area.

• Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing fled the Three-Colored Marsh, then traveled toward Hong Four and found the Garbage Dump deserted.
• Xiao Jing learned that the Garbage Dumps had closed early for Winter Hibernation, and Qu Jianlei chose a remote site with a nearby pond for shelter.
• Qu Jianlei spent more than a month digging and camouflaging a cave while Xiao Jing kept watch and fetched water.
• After the weather grew colder, they sealed the entrance, bathed, washed their clothes, and celebrated with a hotpot meal.
• Xiao Jing asked Qu Jianlei whether he had once lived in a Residential Area.

Qu Jianlei cultivated with a Rank B Crystal through a bottleneck, then used it to acquire the vague Taiji Essence. He left with a new body of Tai Chi knowledge to refine, while the crystal had shrunk by a third.

• Qu Jianlei spent days cultivating with a Rank B Crystal and teaching Xiao Jing the Eight Section Brocade and Five Animals Play, while Xiao Jing’s appetite grew.
• After reaching the third level of Qi Refining, Qu Jianlei stalled at a bottleneck and felt pain in his body and meridians.
• Qu Jianlei remembered that he had never learned Tai Chi, and the thought caused Xiao Hu to appear in his mind.
• Qu Jianlei held the Mutated Beast Crystal as Xiao Hu spun faster, enduring worsening head pain until the information Taiji Essence entered his mind.
• Qu Jianlei examined the unfamiliar, vague Tai Chi knowledge and saw that the Mutated Beast Crystal had shrunk by a third.

Qu Jianlei learned from Xiao Jing that garbage was transported to the Garbage Dump from outside and that valuable waste was taken elsewhere, then spent the winter absorbing a crystal and developing Tai Chi techniques. As Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing ventured out to expand their cramped room and collect water, Xiao Jing returned with a dying stranger and asked whether they should save him.

• Qu Jianlei questioned Xiao Jing about the Garbage Dump and learned that garbage arrived from outside while high-value materials were transported elsewhere.
• Qu Jianlei concluded that the Settlement monopolized information, then set the thought aside and worked on the air heat-exchange system.
• After six days, Qu Jianlei finished absorbing the pale crystal and organized his Tai Chi knowledge into Fist, Sword, and Thirteen Sabers techniques.
• Qu Jianlei began practicing Tai Chi Fist and Taiji Saber and proposed expanding their room and collecting more water.
• Qu Jianlei gave Xiao Jing a Super-frequency Oscillation Blade to cut ice, and Xiao Jing returned on the third day carrying a nearly dead stranger.

Xiao Jing and Qu Jianlei took in Cracked, a starving wilderness survivor, after Xiao Jing discovered he could drive and had extensive survival skills. Cracked settled into their winter shelter, and after Xiao Jing persistently questioned him, he revealed that his former team had betrayed him after becoming involved with Fallen over a woman.

• Xiao Jing brought a gaunt middle-aged man back to the shelter, and Qu Jianlei agreed to let him stay despite their limited supplies.
• The man offered his wilderness experience, driving, repairs, shooting, and knowledge of terrain and Mutated Beasts, and promised not to let Xiao Jing die.
• Xiao Jing removed the man's restraints and blindfold, then kept him at the shelter, where the man gave his name as Cracked.
• Cracked remained withdrawn and needed orders for basic tasks, while Xiao Jing eventually forced him to bathe and continued looking after him.
• Xiao Jing pressed Cracked to explain his past, and Cracked said his former team had betrayed him after getting involved with Fallen because of a woman.

Qu Jianlei broke through to Qi Refining Stage Level Four while the three men weathered winter in their shelter, then led Xiao Jing and Cracked out toward the Hong San Settlement when spring arrived. As they entered the settlement’s territory, someone opened fire on their truck.

• Qu Jianlei reached Qi Refining Stage Level Four and practiced Tai Chi Fist and Tai Chi Thirteen Sabers, while Cracked criticized his saber technique and offered to teach Xiao Jing.
• After garbage blocked their shelter’s door and nearly buried its ventilation opening, Qu Jianlei, Xiao Jing, and Cracked dug a passage out and waited through winter.
• When sleet signaled spring, Qu Jianlei decided to leave, and the three widened their passage before driving out of the garbage dump.
• The group traveled toward the Hong San Settlement, with Qu Jianlei watching for danger from the truck bed and Cracked driving.
• After they entered Hong San Settlement territory, Cracked swerved as bullets flew over Qu Jianlei and gunfire sounded from ahead.

Qu Jianlei fought off three ambushers while Cracked drove the truck and Xiao Jing trusted him to handle the attack. Fifteen days later, they reached Hongyi Settlement, but Qu Jianlei refused to stay, leaving Cracked to decide whether to follow them.

• Qu Jianlei jumped from the truck, suppressed the ambushers’ fire, and killed all three attackers while Cracked drove the truck away from the fight.
• Qu Jianlei and Cracked buried the ambushers and discussed why poor travelers attacked passing vehicles, then continued their journey through further ambushes.
• Fifteen days later, the group arrived in Hongyi Settlement, where Xiao Jing looked forward to bathing.
• Qu Jianlei said Hongyi was no longer safe and offered resources to Xiao Jing and Cracked if they chose to stay.
• Xiao Jing decided to go with Qu Jianlei and told Cracked he was free, but Cracked asked where they were going.

Qu Jianlei, Xiao Jing, and Cracked settled outside Hong Yi Settlement while considering whether to cross the Endless Mountain Range. After a month of training and odd repair work, Qu Jianlei hit a cultivation bottleneck and decided to explore the mountains, leaving Xiao Jing behind to guard their home.

• Qu Jianlei questioned Cracked about the lands beyond the Endless Mountain Range, and Cracked suggested staying in Hong Yi through the cold season while gathering information and looking for a map or smugglers.
• Qu Jianlei took the name Fu Gui and Xiao Jing took the name Baitian as the three rented a courtyard outside Hong Yi Settlement.
• Cracked exchanged Silver Coins to fund his information gathering, while Qu Jianlei trained and earned money through mechanical repairs.
• After a month, Qu Jianlei reached the peak of Qi Refining Stage Level Four and decided to enter the mountains to seek wild beasts or Mutated Beasts.
• Xiao Jing insisted on joining Qu Jianlei, but Qu Jianlei refused and told him to stay behind and guard the house.

Qu Jianlei returned to Hong One after a dangerous seven-day hunt in the mountains, where he killed a Golden-striped Bear and a Three-tailed Lynx and advanced his cultivation through fierce battles. At the mountain’s foot, Meat Overlord tried to buy the lynx and threatened him when he refused.

• Cracked dropped Qu Jianlei off at the foot of the mountain, and Qu Jianlei entered the Endless Mountain Range with weapons and supplies.
• A Hunter tried to follow Qu Jianlei after locals bet on whether he was a capable lone wolf, but the man could not keep up with him.
• Qu Jianlei returned seven days later carrying parts of a Golden-striped Bear and a Three-tailed Lynx, and he sold information about where he had found them.
• Qu Jianlei recalled that he had killed both beasts himself, suffered a shoulder injury, and made progress in his cultivation through their life-and-death fights.
• A man with armed companions stopped Qu Jianlei and offered ten, then twelve, Silver Coins for the lynx; Qu Jianlei refused and recognized the group as Meat Overlord.

Qu Jianlei recovered from repeated hunting injuries, reached Qi Refining Fifth Level, and learned of a damaged transport mech for sale, but refused to buy it without inspecting it. He turned instead to designing a Flight Backpack and went back into the mountains to hunt for the money and materials he needed.

• Qu Jianlei offered half his Mutated Beast meat to learn how to identify Mutated Crystals, but the roadblockers refused and he left with the meat.
• Qu Jianlei processed his hunt into meat floss, warned Cracked that his map was wrong, and later broke through to Qi Refining Fifth Level while recovering from another hunting injury.
• Cracked told Qu Jianlei about a damaged transport mech offered for eight thousand Silver Coins, but Qu Jianlei refused the deal because the sellers would not allow an inspection.
• Xiao Jing questioned Cracked about possibly setting Qu Jianlei up, and Cracked denied it.
• Qu Jianlei used Xiao Hu to retrieve Flight Backpack designs, spent nearly twenty days refining a design, and then entered the mountains to hunt for money and materials.

Qu Jianlei hunted Mutated Beasts, sold most of his haul, and continued developing a Flight Backpack while earning more Silver Coins. He returned from another hunt to learn from Xiao Jing that a potential buyer could inspect the mecha after paying a deposit.

• Qu Jianlei killed thirty Weasel Foxes and took a Big Horn Deer, then sold the foxes and most of the deer to Meat Overlord for six hundred Silver Coins.
• Qu Jianlei bought materials and began researching a Flight Backpack as news of his hunting success spread through the Hong Yi Settlement.
• A man negotiated with Cracked over a mecha inspection, and they agreed on a fifty-Silver-Coin deposit with a partial refund possible if the deal failed.
• Qu Jianlei tested the Flight Backpack's power system, then went into the mountains and returned with two porcupines, including one mutated animal, despite suffering several wounds.
• Qu Jianlei refused to sell the porcupine meat to Meat Overlord, and Xiao Jing told him that the mecha buyer could pay a deposit to inspect it.

Qu Jianlei considered buying a damaged mech to improve his chances of crossing the Endless Mountain Range, but he and the sellers initially failed to agree on a price. After Cracked arranged a gold exchange and renegotiated, Qu Jianlei still refused to trade away their modified truck, unaware that Hua Xiezhi and the others were heading toward Hong Yi Settlement.

• Xiao Jing explained that the mech sellers had approached again after Qu Jianlei stopped negotiating, and Qu Jianlei decided the risk was worth taking.
• Qu Jianlei inspected the mech outside the Settlement and discovered its Drive Unit was damaged, then walked away when the sellers demanded too much.
• Qu Jianlei and the sellers discussed payment, but they could not agree on a price or on how much gold should be worth.
• Cracked found an exchange for Qu Jianlei's gold at one Silver Coin per gram, and Qu Jianlei received two thousand Silver Coin banknotes.
• Cracked negotiated a lower mech price that included the Open-Top Light Truck and ammunition, but Qu Jianlei refused to trade the truck.
• Hua Xiezhi and the other two followed a convoy heading to Hong Yi Settlement.

Hua Xiezhi and her companions were forced to help search for Silly Qu, while Qu Jianlei bought a damaged Transport Mech and spent seven days adapting his Flight Backpack drive to it. Back at the courtyard, he prepared to leave Hong Yi and learned from Cracked that a smuggling route across the mountains might exist, though getting details would cost a hundred Silver Coins.

• Hua Xiezhi and the Rider discussed being forced to search camps for Silly Qu as their truck approached a wilderness camp.
• Qu Jianlei completed a deal for a damaged mech, moved it with Cracked into an abandoned underground warehouse, and used a Mutated Crystal to adapt his drive design.
• Qu Jianlei spent seven days repairing and improving the mech's drive system while Cracked delivered materials.
• Qu Jianlei returned to the courtyard, learned that only eighty-seven Silver Coins remained, and said he would hunt before preparing to leave.
• Cracked told Qu Jianlei that a smuggling route might cross the mountains and asked for a hundred Silver Coins to learn more about it.

Qu Jianlei learned that crossing the mountains was possible but dangerous, then continued hunting while preparing to leave. He encountered Hua Xiezhi, who said the Main Settlement was searching for him and a very important person, and asked how his companion was doing.

• Qu Jianlei paid Cracked for information and learned that a smuggling group might cross the mountains in a month, but Cracked had withheld the news that Hong's influence barely reached the Zhou-Character Settlement.
• Cracked admitted he had hidden the information to protect Xiao Jing, and Xiao Jing warned him that Qu Jianlei disliked being kept in the dark.
• Qu Jianlei continued maintaining his equipment and hunting, but after several days he gained little from killing two C-class Mutated Spotted Wolverines and a nest of Ironhide Rabbits.
• While scouting, Qu Jianlei spotted Hua Xiezhi and concealed himself before ordering her to stop.
• Hua Xiezhi told Qu Jianlei that a big shot from the Main Settlement had forced her to find him because they sought a very important person and Qu Jianlei.
• Qu Jianlei denied being important and asked Hua Xiezhi how his companion was doing.

Hua Xiezhi told Qu Jianlei that Hunter Wind had been killed and Xiao Jing had been captured after the Main Settlement tracked them to Hong One. Qu Jianlei learned that a search party was hunting him, and Hua Xiezhi offered to join him in crossing the Endless Mountain Range.

• Hua Xiezhi told Qu Jianlei that Hunter Wind was dead and Xiao Jing had lost an arm and might not have survived.
• Hua Xiezhi explained that the Main Settlement had identified Qu Jianlei through his gold trade and modified truck, then sent searchers after him.
• Hua Xiezhi revealed that she had found Qu Jianlei's fight with Wolverine and helped erase its traces before joining the mountain search.
• Qu Jianlei asked about Xiao Jing, and Hua Xiezhi urged him to kill the powerful people or flee; Qu Jianlei said he was not yet ready to fight them.
• Hua Xiezhi offered to help Qu Jianlei cross the Endless Mountain Range, and he asked her why she wanted to leave Hong Character Settlement.
• Qu Jianlei asked Hua Xiezhi whether there was any news about Silly Qu.

Qu Jianlei avoided the searchers by hiding deep in the Endless Mountain Range for nearly two months, then slipped out through an unguarded stretch of steep slopes. He returned to the abandoned warehouse and found his mech untouched.

• Hua Xiezhi warned Qu Jianlei that searchers had gathered Night Vision Binoculars to watch the mountain exits, but he refused to travel with her and paid her for the warning.
• Qu Jianlei headed deeper into the mountains at night, fought snakes and Mutated Mountain Giant Lizards, and spent more than twenty days hiding and cultivating.
• Qu Jianlei began his return as the weather turned colder, reached the Safe Zone after eight more days, and buried the Mutated Beast meat he had carried out.
• Qu Jianlei spotted suspicious people still searching and escaped the mountains through a steep, unguarded route, avoiding hidden alarms and traps.
• Qu Jianlei reached the abandoned warehouse after midnight and found that his mech and buried markers had not been disturbed.

Qu Jianlei tested his mech, then roamed Hongyi Settlement to investigate the face-covering ban and the Main Settlement’s operations. He recognized Mr. Sai’s armored vehicle near their camp but left without learning where Mr. Sai was.

• Qu Jianlei checked the mech and its Electromagnetic Cannon, then wrestled with his desire to take revenge for Cracked and Xiao Jing.
• Qu Jianlei killed a motorcyclist who challenged his face covering, buried the body, and spent the day killing two more groups that demanded his identity.
• A team invited Qu Jianlei to help catch Black Sky for a thousand Silver Coins, but he refused.
• Qu Jianlei learned the Main Settlement’s camp stood on the road toward the mountains and observed its operations center from afar.
• Qu Jianlei recognized Mr. Sai’s armored vehicle near the operations center, then returned that night to watch the Command Center from three kilometers away.