Recaps

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.

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.