Chapter Summaries

Kent visited Sheriff Stuart to return his dead wife’s ring and ask for help investigating the supernatural threat in Big Valley Town. After Kent showed Stuart a ghostly figure through his camera, Stuart revealed the town’s first major murder case, the Big Valley Town Family Massacre.

• Kent arrived at the police station and persuaded an officer that he had arranged to meet the Sheriff about the groundwater system.
• Kent gave Sheriff Stuart his wife’s ring and told him that she and their unborn child had died in a basement, while Stuart admitted he feared the demons haunting Big Valley Town.
• Kent showed Stuart that the camera could reveal a ghost, frightening him into reconsidering whether the supernatural threat could be confronted.
• Kent explained that a woman’s repeated calls for help and a circus advertisement had led him to Big Valley Town, then asked Stuart for leads.
• Sheriff Stuart identified Flying Angel “Satan,” founder of Qile Circus, and described the deaths of her family as the town’s first major murder case.

Kent investigated the old Satean murder and learned that the case files had been destroyed, then used a mysterious phone call to reach Kate through Aunt Kane’s clock. Kate deduced that Satean’s ghost was protecting Linda, and Kent found Linda in Xivi City, where a message began appearing on her discarded hamburger wrapper.

• The Sheriff told Kent that Flying Angel, whose real name was Satean, had been murdered with her family by animal trainer Jinges, but Kent suspected the case had been framed and that Bohr’s family had benefited.
• The Sheriff explained that an unknown intruder had burned the police station’s records room, and Kent gave him the camera so he could communicate with his deceased wife.
• Kent answered the nightly call and asked Flying Angel for help; the call ended after its keypad lit up with a phone number.
• Kent dialed the number, and the call reached Kate through the clock in Aunt Kane’s house; Kate concluded that Satean’s ghost was protecting Linda and sent Kent to find her.
• Kent met Linda walking toward Xivi City after she had driven off the road, then saw writing appear on her discarded hamburger wrapper.

Kent pieced together how Old Bohr had altered the spirit world and suspected he was hiding as a powerful local, so he tracked down likely candidates. He chose Marlos as his final suspect and began confronting him at gunpoint.

• Kent learned from Satean that the Bohr family practiced black magic, factory wastewater had caused the townspeople to mutate, and Old Bohr had escaped after changing the spirit world's rules.
• After drinking Linda's bottled water, Kent reasoned that Old Bohr might have threatened the Sheriff by taking the form of a local city councilor.
• Kent used a sugar-daddy agency to obtain information on powerful people in Xivi City, then visited them under the guise of seeking protection.
• Kent narrowed his suspects to Marlos and told Linda to wait in his apartment while he went to investigate.
• Kent borrowed the Sheriff's gun and confronted a man at his door, ordering him inside at gunpoint.

Kent confronted Marlos, whom he suspected was Old Bohr, and taunted him until Marlos revealed why he had abandoned the spiritual world he created. Marlos defended his plan to shelter people from modern society, while Kent argued that rural poverty and exploitation were no better than city life.

• Kent threatened Marlos with a police gun but held back because he lacked evidence and needed Old Bohr to reveal himself.
• Kent guessed that Old Bohr had fled his spiritual world because its restrictive rules made it unbearable, then mocked him for abandoning his supposed Heaven.
• Marlos lost his composure when Kent mocked the Boulder Family's crimes and the spiritual world they had built.
• Marlos argued that he had created a safe small-town life to protect poor people from the suffering and exploitation of modern society.
• Kent countered that rural people were also exploited, citing how companies and industry groups profited from Kansas farmers.

Kent fought Old Bohr's evil spirit through gunfire, attacking souls, and black magic tools, but the battle left him gravely wounded. As Old Bohr declared victory, Flying Angel 'Saturn' struck the evil spirit through the heart with a fish spear.

• Kent denounced Bohr's hypocrisy, and Bohr's evil spirit attacked him with black Qi.
• A shadow emerged from Kent's arm and bit the black Qi, while the ghosts clinging to Old Bohr tried to devour him.
• Kent ran to the cellar, found black magic tools, and used them to drive the evil spirit back.
• The evil spirit tried to possess Kent, who stabbed himself with a bone knife to force it out before striking Marlos's body.
• As Kent collapsed and Old Bohr claimed victory, Flying Angel 'Saturn' leaped in and drove a fish spear into the evil spirit's heart.

Kent and the others trapped Old Bohr and Derby in the spiritual-world town, where the town’s reset would keep them imprisoned under the rules they had created. The survivors learned that some spirits could not return to their bodies, while Pursuer returned to the real world and Agent hinted at his next target.

• Kent found Schiller waiting in the church’s spiritual world as Old Bohr returned to his backup point and was attacked by the rules he had created.
• Schiller explained how Saturn’s family had uncovered Old Bohr’s crimes and said the moonless-night reset would restore Old Bohr and Derby while trapping them in the town.
• Bruce and the others brought Derby to the church, where he too melted under the spiritual world’s rules before the reset restored both evil spirits and sealed them inside.
• Saturn told the group that their bodies had died and that they could not leave, while Pani’s body remained hidden and guarded.
• Pursuer returned to the real world, and Agent suggested that he was going back to his old trade to pursue people who deserved retribution.

Schiller and the other superheroes arranged a group vacation in Hawaii after their recent exhausting battles, and the families gathered at the airport to fly to Kauai. As the adults discussed travel preparations and the children’s needs, their peaceful trip was poised to begin.

• Kent and Bruce agreed to meet at Wayne Tower for a proper talk, while Peter invited Kate to dinner.
• Greed invited Agent and Pride on vacation, but both refused, and the group chat eagerly accepted Coulson’s Hawaii trip plan.
• The superheroes chose Kauai and split into family and younger-member groups, while Miles stayed behind to catch up on college classes.
• Schiller packed children’s beach toys and joined the families at the airport, where Little Morgan complained about Stark’s sunscreen preparations and demanded her umbrella.
• Stark flew off to retrieve Little Morgan’s umbrella, while Schiller spoke with Elektra about Little Jack’s schooling and possible discrimination.

Schiller and the others boarded a new antigravity aircraft bound for Hawaii, but a stabilizer began smoking shortly after takeoff. Franklin removed one damaged component, and then another stabilizer started smoking, leaving the plane's safety uncertain.

• Reed told Schiller that a portal test had sent him into the Batcave, where he escaped after the Batmen pinned him down.
• Shang-Chi reunited with Schiller and described supervising construction in Centaurus and working at Pikachu's tavern.
• Little Morgan studied the board game and advised Deadpool on his move before Stark gave her a pink umbrella for the trip.
• The group boarded a new aircraft after S.H.I.E.L.D. arranged an approved flight route, and the plane took off for Hawaii.
• Schiller spotted smoke from the right wing, and Franklin flew outside to remove a charred antigravity stabilizer component.
• Reed diagnosed a flawed circuit design, but another stabilizer began smoking as Deadpool asked how many failures the plane could withstand.

When two faulty passenger planes began falling apart, superheroes carried them, rescued their passengers, and made emergency landings in the Pacific. After learning the Russian company had built the planes poorly, they took everyone to an artificial island to wait for rescue, where Stark mused that it would make a nice vacation spot.

• Wanda and the other superheroes took turns carrying their damaged plane, but its panels and controls continued to fail.
• Jarvis received a distress call from another plane, and Polaris flew over to stabilize it while Billy and another boy went to help a third plane over the Atlantic.
• Steve ordered both Pacific planes to land on the ocean, where Iceman made an ice sheet for the passengers to evacuate onto.
• Stark and other scientists found that the planes were poorly designed and built, not sabotaged, and Jarvis warned that a tropical storm was approaching.
• Wanda and Iceman helped the passengers reach an artificial island to wait for rescue and preserve their insurance claims.
• Stark looked over the lush island and remarked that it would be a nice place to vacation.

Bruce and Selene learned the rules of Hero Strike while Peter and Pikachu stalled, and Gray Mist was matched against Overlord Batman. The chapter left Batman staring at Gray Mist in alarm as Greed warned that claiming to be a Player would only make him attack.

• Bruce landed in Antarctica, heard the tactical-grid rules, and used all five action points moving toward warmer ground with Selene’s guidance.
• Peter told Pikachu to stall the turn countdown with his rope-burning tactic, while they speculated about which opponents had joined the match.
• Gray Mist and Greed waited near an iceberg, and Greed identified their approaching opponent as Overlord Batman.
• Overlord Batman spotted Gray Mist hovering above a pile of clothes, and Gray Mist tried to explain that he was a Player.

Overlord Superman and Greed tested the combat system by having Overlord Batman fight Gray Mist, whose powerful attacks and Sanity-draining abilities came with a passive that made him vulnerable anywhere on the battlefield. The fight continued into a second round, where both sides realized they needed to explore before cold conditions worsened.

• Overlord Superman persuaded Overlord Batman to initiate combat with Gray Mist, and the players examined Gray Mist’s cards and passive abilities.
• Overlord Superman used Batman’s skills to reveal Gray Mist’s passive, while Greed tested Gray Mist’s three-stage Symbiote Strong Strike against Overlord Batman.
• Overlord Batman dodged Gray Mist’s final strike, and Greed noticed that Batman’s Seen Through effect made Gray Mist vulnerable to both physical and Sanity damage.
• Greed used Factor Infiltration to steal Batman’s Belt card, causing Overlord Batman to lose health when Overlord Superman used it again.
• Neither side could replenish health, Sanity, or action points in the next round, and Greed noticed that the battlefield’s Cold condition would become Hypothermia in two rounds.

Greed, Bruce, and the other players explored a monster-filled game map, finding loot and clues while learning how combat and visibility worked. Dense fog brought new dangers, and the chapter left Stark and Steve heading toward a house to search for armor parts.

• Greed led Gray Mist away from a losing fight, where Gray Mist found an abandoned cabin, defeated two ghouls without taking damage, and collected supplies and a jacket.
• Bruce fought Facehuggers, avoided a cellar trap, and found a Researcher's Note that led him and Selene to suspect they were at a research station connected to The Thing.
• Dense fog reduced the players' visibility, and Pikachu and Peter defeated three monsters before encountering Natasha and retreating from her poison attack.
• Natasha wanted to chase Pikachu and Peter, but Bucky persuaded her to explore the map and gather supplies instead.
• Stark shivered in the cold as Steve explained that their resistances had been weakened, and they headed toward a house to search for armor parts.

Stark and Steve survived a Snowfield wolf attack with a powerful card-and-weapon combination, while Greed and Gray Mist prepared for combat and the Players searched for supplies. When the fog cleared, a spacecraft in a huge crater drew everyone toward it, and Natasha confronted Gray Mist and Greed.

• Stark and Steve found supplies in a hunter's lodge, then faced three Snowfield wolves outside.
• Steve used cards to summon an airdrop and an infinite money vault, letting Stark unlock an electromagnetic cannon and defeat the wolves.
• Greed equipped Gray Mist with a durable Turtle Shell Set and then chose a necklace he believed would help them win.
• Peter and Pikachu gathered supplies, while the Players spent three turns searching and fighting monsters before the fog cleared.
• Selene spotted a huge building, and the Players headed toward it; Greed and Gray Mist found a spacecraft in a crater.
• Natasha arrived and challenged Gray Mist and Greed, bringing them to the brink of battle.

Greed and Gray Mist used a Thornmail-like necklace to reflect damage across the combat zone, forcing Pikachu out of the battle when his health hit zero. Peter then fought Natasha with Spider-Man’s rapid skill chain, leaving her in trouble until Bucky helped her retreat.

• Greed’s reflected-damage equipment caused Natasha and Gray Mist to lose health, and it continued draining Natasha’s health even after she healed and cleared her statuses.
• Pikachu entered the combat zone and began losing health from Gray Mist’s reflected damage; his Volt Attack brought Gray Mist’s health to zero and reduced Pikachu’s health to zero as well, forcing Pikachu out of the fight.
• Peter and Natasha realized that attacks in Gray Mist’s range could trigger the reflection, but they stayed in the combat zone and began fighting each other.
• Peter used Spider-Man’s skills to repeatedly hit Natasha, chaining attacks whenever a skill landed.
• Bucky used High-Speed Retreat to help Natasha escape Peter’s skill chain, and Peter noticed that his own health had nearly run out.

Gray Mist and Greed secured a Spaceship Hatch Pass by exploiting reflected damage, while Bruce won another pass in a chaotic battle. The remaining contestants split up to gather supplies, leaving Peter and Overlord Batman facing off.

• Peter and Natasha fled Gray Mist after their attacks left them near death, and Stark was quickly driven off when he charged Gray Mist.
• Overlord Batman deduced that Gray Mist had defeated the others and avoided fighting him, while Gray Mist won the battle and received a Spaceship Hatch Pass.
• Greed warned Gray Mist that the bloodstained pass suggested dangerous monsters inside the spaceship and urged him to let others weaken them first.
• Bruce joined a chaotic melee, used his area attacks to outdamage everyone, and won a second Spaceship Hatch Pass.
• Natasha's group withdrew to search unlooted areas, and Stark also retreated, leaving Peter and Overlord Batman as the last fighters in the arena.

Overlord Batman and Overlord Superman defeated Peter and Pikachu, while Gray Mist, Greed, Bruce, and Selene entered the spaceship to explore it. Inside, Bruce and Selene triggered a battle with two powerful robots, and Bruce dragged Overlord Superman into the fight as the chapter ended.

• Peter used feints and a combo to push Overlord Batman into danger, but Overlord Superman activated Batman's Redemption and Ten Thousand Arrows, killing Peter and securing the victory after Pikachu fled.
• Gray Mist, Greed, Bruce, and Selene entered the spaceship and discovered it was a vast, brightly lit maze of rooms and corridors.
• Gray Mist received a blindness countdown from the glare as a whirlwind attack shot past him in the corridor.
• Bruce triggered two towering robot enemies, and Selene switched to Dark Child form and knocked them back, but Bruce's basic attack barely damaged them.
• Bruce ran back toward Overlord Superman and attacked to pull him into the battle, and Overlord Superman struck a robot before realizing they needed to run.

Bruce, Overlord Superman, Gray Mist, and Greed fought two powerful robots in the research station, struggling to survive their attacks. Gray Mist’s medical-themed deck weakened one robot with mental abnormalities, then Greed’s settlement skill killed it and reduced its attributes, leaving Overlord Superman wary of Greed.

• Gray Mist joined Bruce and Overlord Superman as they fled from two robots, and they agreed to split the enemies and fight together.
• Bruce drew one robot away and defended with his Angel-form shield while Overlord Superman took a heavy punch from the other; Gray Mist lured it with ranged attacks but was badly hurt by its skills.
• Overlord Superman used Light of Justice to strengthen himself and slow both robots, while Bruce built energy and damaged his opponent in Chaos form.
• Gray Mist’s health ran out, so Greed took his place and used Psychotherapy to stack Mental Abnormalities on Overlord Superman’s robot until it began missing attacks.
• Greed used Mind First Aid to gain Medical Ethics, then activated Consultation Fee Settlement, killing the robot and reducing its attributes until it shrank to toy size.

Greed, Overlord Batman, and Bruce explored the spaceship, fought its guards, and found equipment that could shape their strategies. When Schiller triggered the ship’s launch, the others rushed to jump off before it carried them out of the competition area.

• Overlord Batman explained that Greed’s powerful attack came from channeling a skill against monsters that could not interrupt him, and Greed continued exploring alone.
• Greed discovered and killed a nearly invisible spider, then defeated robot guards and found an electromagnetic gun and a Cape Cleaner for Gray Mist to consider.
• Overlord Superman found the Skateboard of the Explorer, whose dodge bonuses and extra Action Points gave Overlord Batman a potential strategy against Gray Mist’s thorns armor.
• Bruce defeated robots and found a Treasure Bag that Selene suspected was her exclusive equipment, which could improve the success rate of checks.
• The spaceship began taking off, and Bruce, Overlord Superman, and Schiller jumped down; Bruce leapt from the ship and a white light flashed across the snow.

The author answered readers’ questions about Gotham’s “kill line” by explaining that its Slums were inspired by childhood experiences in Chicago. The chapter ended with a warning against bringing children to the United States and a reflection that reality could be more illogical than fiction.

• The author said readers had doubted Gotham’s depiction and explained that it drew on personal experiences in Chicago.
• The author recalled that a nearby place called a clinic openly sold injectable drugs as medicine, and that residents and police accepted it as legitimate.
• The author described learning that neighbors depended on increasingly strong painkillers because of chronic health problems and limited access to treatment.
• The author recounted neighbors mistaking their quick recovery from a tooth infection for the effect of stronger painkillers, while their own painkillers could not treat the infection.
• The author remembered the wealthy, festive neighborhood’s contrast with its residents’ reliance on the clinic and said the experience had affected their mental stability.
• The author advised parents against taking children to the United States and concluded that real life did not have to follow logic.

Greed and Gray Mist searched the spaceship for useful items, then Greed used the spiders and the console to activate the ship’s hidden safe mode and restart its engines. He escaped as the spaceship took off, realizing that a summoned sun had supplied its energy.

• Greed and Gray Mist searched several rooms but found no useful items, so Greed headed for the spaceship’s main control room.
• Greed found a report pointing to a confined creature in Room 12, then decided to try starting the spaceship instead of releasing it.
• Greed provoked the console’s spiders and used their electrical attacks to power up the control panel.
• Greed inferred how the alien keyboard worked, tested key combinations, and entered the spaceship’s safe mode.
• Greed selected the option to restart the engines, took off in the spaceship, and jumped out before it climbed too high.
• Greed explained that a summoned sun had charged the ship’s light-powered energy reserves.