Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei confronted Golf and the Divine Script Society delegation after one of them struck Claire, then tore off the left arm of the Rank B woman who had hit her. Golf tried to invoke the Society’s authority and confirm Qu Jianlei’s identity as Hongjingtian, but Qu Jianlei rejected his questions and Golf ended by announcing he had come to deliver a notice.

• Qu Jianlei went to the courtyard gate and demanded to know who had struck someone from his residence.
• Golf identified himself as a Supreme from the Divine Script Society and tried to discuss the incident, but Qu Jianlei demanded that the assailant identify herself.
• Qu Jianlei feinted at Golf, tore off the left arm of the Rank B Fire Attribute woman, and petrified it before warning her not to cause trouble at his door again.
• Golf challenged Qu Jianlei over his treatment of the woman and asked whether he was Hongjingtian, but Qu Jianlei refused to answer and told him to get to the point.
• Golf said he had come to deliver a notice on behalf of the Divine Script Society and again asked whether Qu Jianlei was Hongjingtian.

Qu Jianlei refused the Divine Script Society’s attempt to requisition him, and Rhine later shielded Birdsong Stream Manor while the Department of Anomalous Affairs hunted for Arc Light’s killer. After two quiet months, the team grew restless as the Skyhook Star Region remained in turmoil, and Qu Jianlei and Paranoid realized their companions did not know the Department was also an enemy.

• Qu Jianlei rejected Golf’s requisition order, and Paranoid warned Golf not to force his way into Birdsong Stream Manor.
• Rhine told Qu Jianlei that the Department of Anomalous Affairs suspected the Ran Bingluan Team of killing Supreme Arc Light, while Qu Jianlei realized Chiyang had concealed what happened.
• Rhine agreed to stop the requisition and protect Birdsong Stream Manor in exchange for Qu Jianlei’s standard Qi Gathering Array modification plan.
• Over the next two months, Paranoid finished adjusting to his body and Qu Jianlei made preliminary progress analyzing the Teleportation Array.
• The Department of Anomalous Affairs sent four more Supremes to hunt the suspects, and Rhine protected Birdsong Stream Manor as the Skyhook Star Region grew chaotic.
• Paranoid, Hua Xiezhi, and Blair urged the team to leave the manor or attack the Divine Script Society, while Qu Jianlei and Paranoid realized they did not know the Department of Anomalous Affairs was also their enemy.

Qu Jianlei’s group traveled from Transit Star to Tianrui Star while the Department of Anomalous Affairs tightened inspections and drove up private starship fares. They hid in an abandoned factory district, where a City Garrison inspection began as Qu Jianlei used an illusion technique.

• Qu Jianlei and the others inspected the 8384 Ship, then faced anti-smuggling and military checks at Transit Star before reaching Elf Home.
• Qu Jianlei paid for seven private starship tickets to Tianrui Star and told the group to wait for a safer chance to travel in two groups.
• After news of a starship battle in the Asteroid Belt drew some of the Department of Anomalous Affairs’ attention, the group split up and flew to Tianrui Star.
• Qu Jianlei’s group reunited on Tianrui Star, learned Paranoid had reached Celestial Hook Star illegally, and set up camp in an abandoned factory district.
• When the City Garrison inspected the district, Qu Jianlei used an illusion technique instead of showing his travel permit.

Qu Jianlei finished preparing his group to attack the Divine Script Society, while the rival Supremes gathered to celebrate Silver Bear’s newborn child. The banquet continued past midnight, where Silver Bear’s request for Bai Jinhan to make it rain offended him and was refused.

• Qu Jianlei built a Secret Camp beneath an abandoned factory and, after six days of preparation, announced that the group would attack the Divine Script Society.
• Bai Jinhan and Nelson refused to assist the Department of Anomalous Affairs, while Qingtian remained willing to help only when appropriate.
• Nelson sent Silver Bear a lavish gift for the birth of his fifth wife’s child, prompting Silver Bear to invite the Supremes to a celebratory banquet.
• Cold Face, Nelson, Bai Jinhan, and Qingtian attended Silver Bear’s banquet, while the two Supremes closest to the Divine Script Society stayed away.
• When the rain forecast failed to come true, Silver Bear asked Bai Jinhan to make it rain, but Bai Jinhan claimed he was unwell and refused.

Ran Bingluan’s team launched a Mental Strength attack during Silver Bear’s banquet, knocking Silver Bear and Cold Face unconscious and triggering a fight outside. Bai Jinhan and Nelson protected themselves and signaled that they would stay neutral as the attacker confronted Qingtian.

• Nelson and Cold Face urged Silver Bear to end the banquet, but Silver Bear dismissed the danger and taunted Ran Bingluan’s team.
• Bai Jinhan said he needed to leave, and Silver Bear tried to persuade him to stay after dispersing some alcohol fumes.
• A Mental Strength attack struck Silver Bear and Cold Face before Cold Face could use his protective mask.
• Qingtian rose and scattered powder that disrupted Mental Strength as fighting erupted inside and outside the banquet.
• An attacker warned Qingtian against intervening and told Bai Jinhan and Nelson to remain uninvolved.
• Bai Jinhan and Nelson formed elemental armor and pressed their hands to their chests to signal their neutrality.

Qu Jianlei killed Cold Face and Silver Bear after knocking out Qingtian, then tracked down and killed another Supreme who had provoked his side. The attacks left Tianrui Star’s government scrambling to respond as three Supremes had died.

• Qu Jianlei used a Mental Attack to knock Qingtian unconscious, then killed Cold Face and Silver Bear and searched their bodies for Item-Storing items.
• Bai Jinhan checked on Cold Face’s team while Nelson woke Qingtian, who soon issued an emergency alert and worried about the two Supremes still at the military guesthouse.
• After learning that a Supreme had left the military district and gone out without his Wristwatch, Qu Jianlei traveled to his location, knocked him out, killed him, and took two Item-Storing Talismans.
• The City Garrison found the Supreme’s body and recovered his shielded Wristwatch, while Qingtian and the others realized Qu Jianlei had attacked him soon after killing Silver Bear.
• The attacks left Tianrui Star’s government in a passive position, facing three dead Supremes and uncertainty about what to do next.

After the Ran Bingluan Team killed several Supremes on Tianrui Star, the Department of Anomalous Affairs tried to ground the planet and trap them. Attacks on Celestial Hook Star forced the Department to recall its reinforcements, leaving Tianrui’s authorities with no clear end to the blockade.

• The Tianrui Star authorities considered grounding the planet after the military’s Supreme refused to confront the Ran Bingluan Team, and the Department of Anomalous Affairs demanded that all travel be suspended.
• The authorities investigated some departing starships, while the Department of Anomalous Affairs dispatched reinforcements to Tianrui and prepared to search for the team.
• The Ran Bingluan Team attacked Driver and Prosperous Star on Celestial Hook Star, killing both with Mental Strength attacks.
• The Department of Anomalous Affairs canceled its Tianrui operation and recalled its reinforcements to protect other planets from further attacks.
• The Department urged Tianrui’s authorities to keep the planet grounded, but could not say when reinforcements or an end to the blockade would come.

Qu Jianlei tried to counter the indefinite flight suspension by turning public anger against the Department of Anomalous Affairs, but the Anti-Smuggling Department’s AI interfered. He infiltrated its weakened headquarters and prepared to launch a warship, leaving the consequences of his escape plan unresolved.

• The Tianrui and Starfield governments refused to set an end date for the flight suspension, while Qu Jianlei and Paranoid discussed their worsening escape prospects.
• Qu Jianlei told Xiao Hu to stir up public resentment over the suspension, and Xiao Hu’s posts fueled complaints about lost income, rising prices, and government censorship.
• The Anti-Smuggling Department activated an AI to remove posts and trace their source, but Xiao Hu evaded its pursuit.
• Qu Jianlei infiltrated the Anti-Smuggling Department’s Tianrui headquarters and found a recently maintained warship with little ammunition.
• Qu Jianlei took the warship’s unactivated Smart Terminal, prepared ammunition, and ordered Xiao Hu to maximize its power and force a takeoff.

Qu Jianlei hijacked an Anti-Smuggling Warship and fled into space, using Xiao Hu to evade planetary defenses and a much larger military pursuit. As the pursuing Attack Ships began to run low on supplies, Qu Jianlei ordered Xiao Hu to release Decoy Bullets and prepare a single counterattack.

• Qu Jianlei used the distraction caused by his public opinion campaign to seize an Anti-Smuggling Warship and launch it before the department could react.
• The Anti-Smuggling Department notified the authorities and military, but they delayed opening fire until they could confirm the hijacking; the warship escaped the ground defenses with Xiao Hu's help.
• More than ten Attack Ships and several larger warships pursued Qu Jianlei, repeatedly striking the shield while trying to capture his crew alive.
• Qu Jianlei held his fire despite the pursuit, while the military grew complacent and several Attack Ships returned to resupply.
• After four or five Attack Ships nearly exhausted their Energy Blocks, Qu Jianlei ordered Xiao Hu to accelerate and release Decoy Bullets, aiming to hit at least four Attack Ships in one surprise attack.

Xiao Hu’s Anti-Smuggling Warship counterattacked the pursuing military fleet, destroying Attack Ships and forcing the Battalion-level Warship to reconsider its pursuit as its Energy Blocks dwindled. When the military tried to cover its retreat with an attack, Qu Jianlei authorized Xiao Hu to secretly use data intrusion to destroy two more Attack Ships.

• Xiao Hu ambushed five Attack Ships, disabled three, destroyed two, and caused the fifth to explode after most of its crew escaped.
• The military changed tactics and pursued the Anti-Smuggling Warship for five days, but its Battalion-level Warship began running short of Energy Blocks.
• As the military prepared to attack and withdraw, Xiao Hu recognized the maneuver, and Qu Jianlei told it to destroy two Attack Ships without revealing its data intrusion.
• The seven Assault Type Attack Ships attacked from a safer distance while Xiao Hu dodged and unleashed a wide assortment of weapons.

Qu Jianlei’s Customs Enforcement Ship escaped the military after he used Energy Blocks, Tracer Bullets, and Electromagnetic Interference Bombs to damage pursuing ships. While Bentley’s group waited out Tianrui Star’s no-fly restriction, a separate attack on a Department of Anomalous Affairs Supreme intensified the agency’s suspicions and left it increasingly isolated.

• Xiao Hu mixed Tracer Bullets and Electromagnetic Interference Bombs into the barrage, damaging two more attack ships, and the Battalion-level Warship ordered the attackers to withdraw and end the operation.
• Military personnel detected unusual data on the damaged ships, but Qu Jianlei escaped pursuit and breathed a sigh of relief.
• Bentley, Claire, Xiao Qin, Hua Xiezhi, and Xiang Xue waited in the wilderness while worrying about Qu Jianlei, and a mysterious passerby briefly appeared before vanishing.
• After twenty days, Tianrui Star lifted its no-fly restriction, allowing Bentley’s group to leave.
• An unidentified Rank A attacker used an amplified Mental Attack to severely injure a Department of Anomalous Affairs Supreme on Tianbing Star, then died while claiming to serve Lord Ran.
• The Department of Anomalous Affairs tightened security across the Skyhook Star Region, while the military distanced itself by attributing its losses to an exercise.

After Tianrui reopened, Bentley and four companions left the planet and reached Blue Elf Star, then took the 8384 Ship into the Asteroid Belt to retrieve Qu Jianlei. They encountered two armed vessels, and the chapter ended with the military garrison falling silent after Bentley showed them his military pass and demanded to know what had happened.

• Tianrui reopened to navigation, and Bentley's group left after inspectors tried to search their private starship; Xiang Xue, Bentley, and another A-rank drove the inspectors away.
• Bentley’s group spent around ten days on Blue Elf Star before boarding the 8384 Ship and setting course for the Asteroid Belt.
• When a military warship and an Armed Merchant Ship approached, Bentley ordered Claire to fire warning shots, and the other vessels recognized the 8384 Ship as the one that had attacked an Anti-Smuggling Warship.
• The military warship ordered the 8384 Ship to stop for inspection, but Xiang Xue told them to get lost and Bentley projected his military pass.
• The military garrison stopped responding after seeing the pass, and Bentley demanded to know what had happened.

Bentley and the 8384 Ship’s crew were approached by representatives of rival camps seeking their neutrality in the Asteroid Belt conflict, but Bentley refused to commit. After reuniting with Qu Jianlei at the Abandoned Mining Planet, the group celebrated their safe return and considered expanding their cramped cavern.

• Bentley learned that the military was trying to contain a brewing conflict between two major camps in the Asteroid Belt, then led the 8384 Ship away from the warship.
• Representatives of four groups approached the 8384 Ship and offered a Bystander Fee in exchange for its neutrality, but Bentley declined to make a commitment.
• Bentley and the others took a long detour before reaching the Abandoned Mining Planet, where Qu Jianlei had already returned and was modifying a second Anti-Smuggling Warship.
• After the reunited crew celebrated their safe return, Qu Jianlei asked whether they should expand the cavern to make room for their four starships.

Qu Jianlei brought 3344 Ship along with 8384 Ship to Lan Yun Market, where Claire handled the team's trades and negotiations. When Titan Group asked the Hongjingtian Team for help in an impending battle, Claire suggested they might take selective jobs and ended by proposing a card-drawing game.

• Qu Jianlei rejected expanding the Stone Chamber and learned that people were seeking the 8384 Ship's support, so he planned to stop at Lan Yun Market after the modifications were finished.
• After another twenty days, Qu Jianlei took both 8384 Ship and the stealth-capable 3344 Ship to Lan Yun Market as a precaution.
• Nearly a year later, Claire completed more than a dozen transactions at Lan Yun Market, including arranging the delivery of a weapons system.
• Five representatives from Titan Group, including two A-rankers, approached Claire and asked the Hongjingtian Team to help in a battle.
• Claire told Titan Group that the team had not chosen a side but might selectively accept jobs, then asked whether they had played a card-drawing game.

Qu Jianlei decided the Hongjingtian Team could not stay invisible as conflict approached, so Claire sold tiered protection cards to forces seeking to avoid the war. On the ninth day, Sail Consortium Supreme Gotel arrived to buy a Revenge Card, drawing Qu Jianlei into a public meeting with him.

• Qu Jianlei concluded that the Hongjingtian Team needed to make its stance known, and he and his companions devised cards offering different levels of protection and retaliation.
• Claire explained the cards to Titan Group, whose representative said the group needed time to decide whether to buy them.
• Claire sold another force Obscurity, Friend, and Protection Cards, and its members publicized the deal, prompting other forces to make purchases.
• The Friend Card sold best, while no one bought a Revenge Card during the first eight days.
• On the ninth day, Gotel arrived and asked Claire to sell him a Revenge Card, prompting Qu Jianlei to come out and meet him.
• Gotel said he would rely on Qu Jianlei to avenge him if he lost, knowing the Hongjingtian Team had at least two Supremes.

Qu Jianlei refused Sheriff’s request to help the Anti-Smuggling Department against Ran Bingluan, while learning that powerful reinforcements from the Department of Anomalous Affairs and the Divine Script Society were on their way. After finding Paranoid on Tianrui, Qu Jianlei warned him that the planet was unsafe, and Paranoid asked whether the group had anywhere else to go.

• Qu Jianlei agreed that Gotel’s one Revenge Card would correspond to one starship, then sold him three cards while making clear the Hongjingtian Team would stay out of the factional struggle.
• The 8384 Ship left Lan Yun Market, and an All-Stars Consortium merchant fleet later visited and asked about the Hongjingtian Team.
• At the Transit Star, Sheriff asked Qu Jianlei to help deal with Ran Bingluan, but Qu Jianlei refused and learned that the Department of Anomalous Affairs had powerful reinforcements coming.
• Sheriff warned that the reinforcements might forcibly requisition the Hongjingtian Team, but Qu Jianlei said he was eager to see how formidable someone Above Supreme was.
• After Xiao Hu discovered that Paranoid had gone to Tianrui Star, the 8384 Ship traveled there and found him repairing a long-abandoned property.
• Qu Jianlei urged Paranoid to leave Tianrui because the reinforcements were approaching, and Paranoid asked whether the group had somewhere else to go.

Qu Jianlei and Paranoid went to Tianfeng Star to investigate the Mystic Mansion, but found Supremes waiting to ambush Qu Jianlei, so they headed for the Blade Star Region instead. As the 3344 Ship approached Cybertron Star, the military demanded an inspection, and both sides held their ground outside the planet.

• Qu Jianlei and Paranoid decided to visit Tianfeng Star and see whether they could disrupt the Celestial Hook Mystic Mansion.
• A Laifaier Family starship arrived in the Tianrui system searching for the people responsible for destroying the family, unaware that Qu Jianlei had just passed them.
• Qu Jianlei and Paranoid found six Supremes guarding the Mystic Mansion entrance and concluded the group was waiting to ambush Qu Jianlei, so they left Tianfeng Star.
• The 3344 Ship traveled to the Blade Star Region, where Qu Jianlei set his sights on Cybertron Mineral Star before targeting the Qingfeng Merchant Guild.
• A military warship intercepted the 3344 Ship and demanded an inspection, but Qu Jianlei refused and moved the ship away from Cybertron Star.
• The 3344 Ship waited nearby while the military warship continued patrolling and watching it.

Qu Jianlei’s group captured a Qingfeng Merchant Guild starship in the Blade Star Region and took its imperial spaceworthiness certificate. They reached the Hope Star Region aboard the captured vessel, where inspectors questioned them about their connection to the guild.

• 3344 followed a Qingfeng Merchant Guild starship, but it jumped away before they could catch it.
• After waiting more than ten days, Qu Jianlei ordered 3344 to attack another Qingfeng Merchant Guild ship, and Big Head Butterfly took control of its systems.
• Bentley, Hua Xiezhi, and the others boarded the disabled ship and defeated its crew, while Xiao Hu seized control of their Space Mechs.
• Qu Jianlei repaired the captured ship, made it the group’s primary vessel, and led the fleet on a ten-day jump to the Hope Star Region.
• Inspectors questioned the group at Planet One’s starport, and Xiang Xue released Rank A Coercive Pressure when one asked about their connection to the Qingfeng Merchant Guild.

After spending eight days on Hope Star, Qu Jianlei took a group to Second Star to target the Divine Script Society and seek Old Lady Jia’s advice. She warned that the Society had hidden forces, while Paranoid revealed he had reached Above Supreme and learned that Old Lady Jia had once failed to make the same breakthrough.

• Qu Jianlei finished preparing fake identities and gathered information about the Divine Script Society’s Supremes and its search for Panda.
• Qu Jianlei left Xiao Qin and Claire on Hope Star and traveled to Second Star with Paranoid, Hua Xiezhi, Bentley, and Xiang Xue.
• Hua Xiezhi brought Old Lady Jia to meet Qu Jianlei, who gave her a black crystal and asked about the Divine Script Society.
• Old Lady Jia warned Qu Jianlei that the Society had a Family Supreme and a Hunting Squad in addition to its publicly known Supremes.
• Paranoid argued with Old Lady Jia, disclosed that he was Above Supreme, and learned that she had failed a breakthrough attempt of her own.

Paranoid discussed advancement to Above Supreme with Old Lady Jia, revealing that he had not fully succeeded and arguing that Outer Refinement was superior to Inner Refinement. Qu Jianlei refused to explain his own principles, but Paranoid’s unusual cultivation method led Old Lady Jia to suspect he was the Rising Sun.

• Paranoid admitted to Old Lady Jia that his advancement was incomplete and that his mind and body were out of sync.
• Old Lady Jia said she had chosen Inner Refinement, and Paranoid declared that she had chosen the wrong path because Inner Refinement was inferior.
• Old Lady Jia challenged Paranoid by pointing out that his own mind and body were out of sync, so Paranoid asked Qu Jianlei to weigh in.
• Qu Jianlei declined to support either school and cited information barriers when Paranoid pressed him to share his principles.
• Old Lady Jia asked whether Paranoid had advanced through pure Outer Refinement, and he said he used Outer Refinement with Reverse Spirit Refinement as a secondary path.
• Old Lady Jia reacted to Paranoid’s cultivation method by suspecting he was the Rising Sun.