Chapter Summaries

Wu Heng arranged to travel with Association headquarters to Netarei City to investigate the case, received a Blood Race promotion, and borrowed Janvito's Teleportation Spell Skill Book. After returning to the Zombie World, he learned that Korea's national Rescue Team would meet with them the next day.

• Wu Heng persuaded the headquarters team to depart for the Yeke Kingdom the next morning and arranged for Cavina's team to accompany him.
• A Blood Race woman delivered Lilith's message promoting Wu Heng to Sin Punisher and gave him an insignia and a Lin Bing Jade Talisman.
• Janvito warned Wu Heng that the Association expected answers about the killer and their intentions, then lent him a Teleportation Spell Skill Book in exchange for collector's-edition fountain pens.
• Wu Heng told Minnie he was leaving for Netarei City and asked her to invite Mackintosh and Philippa to dinner before he departed.
• Wu Heng traveled to the Zombie World, reunited Xiaoxiao with her mother, and learned from Qi Hancai that Korea's national Rescue Team would send representatives to meet them tomorrow.

Wu Heng prepared for his trip to Netarei City to investigate the local deacon’s murder, assigning responsibilities to his allies on Treasure Island. The Fifth Princess decided to follow the team, while Shanala warned Wu Heng that the killer might target him; the chapter ended with Wu Heng and Shanala heading to bed.

• Qi Hancai told Wu Heng that the Korean Rescue Team would meet with them, and he asked her to handle the talks.
• Qi Hancai reported that Sister Yahong had taken over a pharmaceutical factory and was preparing to restart production of common medicines.
• Wu Heng told the household that he would travel to Netarei City with the Association team, assigned duties to Andeviel, Mackintosh, Minnie, Robbie, and Annette, and confirmed that Philippa would accompany him.
• The Fifth Princess learned that Wu Heng would lead Treasure Island’s team to Netarei City and ordered her maid to pack so she could go too.
• Shanala cautioned Wu Heng that the killer might try to stop him from entering Netarei City, and Wu Heng promised to be careful.

Wu Heng led the Association delegation toward Netarei City aboard Treasure Island’s enormous fleet, while Shiraque investigated the disappearance of the Fifth Princess. The princess and her companion had secretly joined the voyage, and Wu Heng began studying a teleportation spell as the fleet continued onward.

• The Association representatives were stunned by Wu Heng’s giant battleship and fleet, then met him aboard his escort ship and agreed to depart for Netarei City.
• Wu Heng’s fleet sailed into the Emerald Sea, and he told the Association that they should wait until reaching the island before speculating about the killer.
• Shiraque learned that the Fifth Princess had disappeared from the Opera House and went to seek the prophet with clothing from the princess’s room.
• The disguised Fifth Princess and her companion worked in the ship’s galley and discussed following the Association team before returning with its ship.
• Wu Heng studied a Teleportation Spell Skill Book aboard his ship, while Granda began reading a Disease Ray book.

Wu Heng learned Teleportation Spell from the Skill Book and continued traveling with Philippa and the fleet. The next morning, Minnie reported that the Fifth Princess of the Yeke Kingdom and her waitress had gone missing, and Deacon Shiraque suspected they had slipped into the fleet.

• Wu Heng read the Skill Book, learned Teleportation Spell, and told Granda she could learn it by studying the book herself.
• Xiaoxiao and Beni reported that the fleet was safe, while Wu Heng and Philippa later discussed finding Millicent a larger tavern.
• The next morning, Minnie contacted Wu Heng by radio and relayed Deacon Shiraque's report that the Fifth Princess of the Yeke Kingdom and her waitress were missing and might be aboard the fleet.

Wu Heng had the Fifth Princess and her maid brought aboard after Granda found them hiding on an Association ship, and agreed to let them travel with him under his rules. As the fleet neared Netarei City, it encountered Yeke Kingdom naval ships carrying imprisoned women and children.

• Wu Heng asked Granda to search the Association ship, and she found the disguised Fifth Princess and her maid facing accusations of theft in the galley.
• Philippa recognized the Fifth Princess, recovered the maid’s watch, and brought the pair to Wu Heng.
• The Fifth Princess asked to help investigate in exchange for Wu Heng helping her reclaim her kingdom, but he only agreed to take her along if she followed his orders.
• Philippa took the Fifth Princess and her maid to bathe, and they marveled at the shower spraying water from the ceiling.
• After four days at sea, Wu Heng spotted three Yeke Kingdom Navy ships and sent Xiaoxiao and Beni to investigate.
• Xiaoxiao showed Wu Heng that the ships held women and children imprisoned in iron cages.

Wu Heng stopped a suspicious Yeke Kingdom fleet and discovered it was transporting kidnapped women and children, with gang members posing as soldiers and claiming Netarei City officials had arranged the operation. The fleet reached Netarei City, where its navy refused to let the Association’s investigation team dock, leaving the city’s response uncertain.

• Wu Heng ordered the Yeke Kingdom ships to stop, then had the fleet boarded and their sailors arrested after the captain offered a bribe and resisted inspection.
• Association members found imprisoned women and children aboard the ships, and Wu Heng used Talk with Dead to learn the sailors belonged to the White Wings Gang and were taking the captives to Bejaya City.
• The corpses said Netarei City officials had arranged the transport and identified their gang leader as Patrice, while Wu Heng learned that fighting between the city’s forces and an outside army had caused recent chaos.
• Wu Heng told the Fifth Princess that her officials were suspected of trafficking people with gang members, and she sat in silence as the fleet continued toward Netarei City.
• When Wu Heng and the Association team arrived at Netarei City, its navy blocked the harbor and refused to let their ships dock despite being told the Association had come to investigate.

Wu Heng and the Association Headquarters team forced their way into Netarei City to investigate the missing local deacon and his teams. At the deacon’s residence, Wu Heng found signs that someone had recently removed belongings and challenged a guard captain who returned recovered money, asking how he knew the deacon would not come back.

• Wu Heng ordered the Association fleet to break through Netarei City’s harbor blockade, and Tapani warned commander Gnaeus that the harbor was under Association control.
• Lord Dasil ordered his forces not to clash with the Association, while Luciana questioned what he planned to do.
• Tapani assigned Wu Heng to investigate the missing deacon and teams, and Wu Heng searched the deacon’s file for possible informants.
• Wu Heng sent Kaitain to investigate three names at Town Hall, then led the remaining investigators to the deacon’s residence and found signs of recent entry and missing belongings.
• Wu Heng used the Tracking Pendant on the steward’s clothing and concluded the steward was probably dead, then questioned a guard captain who brought back money from the residence.

Wu Heng investigated the missing local deacon, but searches of the deacon’s residence, town records, and the cemetery produced no clear leads. As the investigators considered whether the deacon had simply left during the Civil War, Wu Heng pointed out how little evidence remained to establish what happened.

• Wu Heng questioned the guard captain, who admitted that his squad had recovered stolen valuables, divided some among themselves, and returned what they could; the Association took him in for questioning.
• Kaitain reported that none of the three names appeared in Town Hall’s property records or information files.
• Wu Heng asked the local Vice Deacon about the dead and led the investigators to the cemetery, where a corpse said the Lord’s Mansion had promised reinforcements during the Civil War.
• Priest confirmed to Elder Tapani that the captain’s account was true, and Wu Heng reported that searches of the residence and graves had yielded no leads.
• Wu Heng proposed gathering information from other Whisperers and observed that, without the Whisperer’s message, the deacon’s disappearance could have been mistaken for a departure during the Civil War.

Wu Heng investigated the City Lord and military presence in Netarei City while staying in contact with his people on Treasure Island and in the Zombie World. He learned that the Korean Rescue Team had offered satellite access, and Qi Hancai reported progress on ammunition production and a plan to test medicine production.

• Wu Heng and the others debated whether they had grounds to arrest Netarei City's City Lord, then postponed the discussion to eat.
• Wu Heng contacted Minnie, who reported that Treasure Island was stable, Deacon Shiraque had handled several problems, and Shanala planned a second auction.
• Granda reported that Netarei City's Level 16 City Lord had told officials to avoid clashing with the Association, while a Level 18 Adventurer served as the military's commander.
• Wu Heng visited the Zombie World, where Qi Hancai said the Korean Rescue Team had proposed satellite access, among other requests, and Wu Heng asked her to learn the leasing terms.
• Qi Hancai told Wu Heng that Gao Rong had begun trial production of artillery shells and that Li Yahong wanted Alchemy Skeletons to test making medicine in tablets or capsules.

Wu Heng continued investigating the missing steward in Netarei City, found no leads, and sent ghosts to watch the city lord and a military commander. The next day, he split the Association's investigators into teams and questioned the Fifth Princess about the city’s leaders while visiting the fleet.

• Wu Heng agreed with Qi Hancai’s idea to turn potions into tablets and asked the bases to gather information on local factories and industries.
• After returning to Netarei City, Wu Heng told Xiaoxiao, Granda, and Beni what he had learned, then sent Beni to watch the city lord and Granda to watch a military commander.
• Xiaoxiao told Wu Heng that she wanted him to be her father, and he reassured her that they would always be family.
• Wu Heng assigned the Association’s investigators to different leads and went to the harbor to speak with the fleet.
• Wu Heng told Philippa and the Fifth Princess that the missing steward was confirmed dead, then asked the Fifth Princess about city lord Dasil and commander Herson.

Wu Heng learned that a burly level 18 pugilist had replaced the former city commander and uncovered how the reinforcements took control of Netarei City. After finding a trail at the Whisperer’s residence, he confirmed that the missing woman was still alive.

• Wu Heng questioned the Fifth Princess about the city commander, then returned to shore and visited the armor shop proprietress in disguise.
• The proprietress told Wu Heng that mercenary-like reinforcements had driven back the enemy and described their burly, bearded leader, matching the current commander.
• The proprietress asked Wu Heng to take her and the other women away, and he agreed to notify them before leaving.
• At the Association, Wu Heng learned that Dean Janvito had identified the Whisperer’s residence from Town Hall records.
• Wu Heng used the Tracking Pendant on a woman’s garment, and its ghostly soul form pointed in a direction, showing that she was alive.

Wu Heng and the Association Members found Flora, the wife of the murdered Whisperer, and brought her back to the Association with a Serpent Emblem Conglomerate note. Her account left Wu Heng uncertain, so he and Elder Tapani set out to investigate the Conglomerate.

• Wu Heng followed the pendant to a house in the residential area and identified a woman as the lead they sought.
• The woman agreed to accompany Wu Heng’s group, and he left silver coins to compensate the residents for the broken door.
• At the Association, the woman introduced herself as Flora and said she was the Whisperer’s wife, then produced a note hidden in her clothing.
• Flora said her husband had told her to hide and wait for Association Headquarters, but she offered no further clear information and began crying when questioned.
• After Flora was taken to a dormitory, Wu Heng said he would investigate the local Serpent Emblem Conglomerate, and Elder Tapani joined him.

Wu Heng and Tapani recovered a letter identifying the Twin Dragon Gang leader as the killer of the executive, then confronted Lord Dasil to arrest him. Dasil’s commander revealed that the leader had died in battle with the Rebels, and the Association demanded that his surviving subordinates be brought in.

• The Fifth Princess and Philippa argued over whether Lord Dasil was responsible for the executive’s murder and made a bet about the investigation.
• Wu Heng’s group entered the Serpent Emblem Conglomerate and retrieved a letter describing the executive’s murder and naming the Twin Dragon Gang leader as the killer.
• After reading the letter, Tapani led the Association members and Skeleton Soldiers to the Lord’s Mansion to demand the suspect.
• Lord Dasil agreed to cooperate, but arriving soldiers surrounded the Association as Tapani accused him of waiting for reinforcements.
• Dasil’s commander said the Twin Dragon Gang leader had died fighting the Rebels over a week earlier, so Dasil ordered him to find the gang’s surviving members.

Wu Heng and the Association investigated the Twin Dragon Gang’s ties to the murder of an Association executive, learning that its members had once been pirates and its leader was a powerful fighter. The team believed they had a workable explanation for the case and planned to compile their evidence, though the gang leader’s death left the investigation unresolved.

• Wu Heng questioned Lord Dasil about the Twin Dragon Gang’s conscription and learned its leader had been appointed a captain before dying half a month earlier.
• The commander brought three Twin Dragon Gang members to the Association for questioning.
• Wu Heng questioned Virut, who confirmed the gang had once been the Sea Dragon Pirate Group and suggested its Level 14 leader might have killed the executive.
• Wu Heng and the investigators compared their findings and agreed the former pirates’ leader was a plausible culprit, then planned to compile the clues for headquarters.

Wu Heng’s group accepted the gang leader as the deacon’s killer and prepared to leave the city, but a corpse’s testimony led the Association to investigate the White Wings Gang leader. Xiaoxiao found him meeting the elderly receptionist from the Serpent Emblem Conglomerate, raising new suspicions just as the Association prepared to act.

• Wu Heng told Philippa and the Fifth Princess that the Association had closed the deacon’s murder case around a former pirate, and he ordered the fleet to prepare to return to Treasure Island.
• Cavina reported that the Lord had asked about the arrests and offered to host a banquet, while Granda and Beni found no evidence of wrongdoing by the President Commander or at the Lord’s Mansion.
• Wu Heng questioned a dead White Wings Gang member, who identified the gang leader as a level 13 transportation dispatcher living in the city’s northern dispatch hall.
• Tapani ordered Wu Heng’s ghosts to locate the White Wings Gang leader so the Association could arrest him, while Janvito told Wu Heng that the Whisperer’s wife had left the city.
• Xiaoxiao found the White Wings Gang leader meeting an elderly receptionist from the Serpent Emblem Conglomerate, whom Wu Heng recognized as the man connected to the Brocade Box receipt.

Wu Heng and the Association uncovered signs that the investigation into the Emerald Sea human trafficking case had been manipulated, then arrested the White Wings Gang Leader and a supposed Serpent Emblem Conglomerate man. As Wu Heng interrogated the gang leader, his ghost spotted a band of Level Light Pillars approaching from the distance.

• Wu Heng told Tapani and Janvito that his ghost had seen the White Wings Gang Leader meeting with the old man from the Serpent Emblem Conglomerate, raising doubts about the investigation.
• Wu Heng argued that the old man's identity was likely false and that someone had fabricated clues to make the Association close the case quickly.
• Tapani approved Wu Heng's plan to arrest the White Wings Gang Leader and the old man, and the Association stormed the dispatch hall and took both men into custody.
• Wu Heng interrogated the White Wings Gang Leader, who denied involvement, and ordered a skeleton to cut off one of his fingers when the priest identified his answer as a lie.
• Wu Heng's ghost returned with a shared vision of dense Level Light Pillars approaching, and Wu Heng reacted with alarm.

Wu Heng uncovered that President Commander Luciana had orchestrated the Association investigation, including the local deacon’s murder, while troops prepared to attack the Association team. At the port, Philippa’s group was ambushed, and she ordered them to prepare for battle and to lock up the Fifth Princess and the waitress.

• Wu Heng learned through the White Wings Gang Leader’s corpse that Minister of Internal Affairs Morris was behind transporting women and children to Bejaya City, and that the operation might be religiously motivated.
• Wu Heng interrogated the old man and discovered that President Commander Luciana had ordered him to disguise himself, that the Lord’s Mansion knew about the Association affair, and that Luciana had arranged the local deacon’s murder.
• A ranger reported that at least five thousand city troops were advancing, so Tapani led the group toward the port to escape by ship.
• Wu Heng radioed Philippa to prepare to receive them and leave, but she did not answer.
• At the port, a soldier tried to stab Philippa, and his companions attacked as more troops emerged and warships moved to surround the ship.
• Philippa ordered her group to prepare for battle and to lock up the Fifth Princess and the waitress.

Philippa and Wu Heng’s forces fought the Yeke Kingdom army at the harbor and in the city, while Wu Heng identified the city lord directing the attack and led a strike team toward his hideout. The chapter ended as Wu Heng’s group broke into the guarded courtyard.

• Philippa ordered her skeletons to fire on the Yeke Kingdom army, driving its troops back from the harbor and destroying its ballistae.
• Wu Heng and the Association group fought through poisonous smoke and a kingdom ambush, while Tapani engaged the level 18 President Commander.
• Wu Heng learned that Dasil was directing the battle from a guarded building and teleported there with Cassius and Kranmu.
• After the ghosts scouted the building, Wu Heng led the skeletons toward its entrance and snapped the hidden sentries’ necks.
• Cassius kicked open the courtyard gate, where heavily armored soldiers turned to face Wu Heng’s group.

Wu Heng stormed the city lord’s building, killed Dasil, and took his corpse while battles continued across the city. His arrival was noticed by the boxer fighting Elder Tapani, while holy light at the Association destroyed some of Wu Heng’s undead.

• Wu Heng’s skeletons and machine guns wiped out the Heavy Infantry in the courtyard, and he used an autocannon to demolish the building.
• Wu Heng ordered his skeletons to kill the wounded survivors after Xiaoxiao located Dasil inside.
• Dasil tried to teleport away, but Wu Heng interrupted him and refused his offer to surrender; Cassius killed him, and the skeletons carried off his body.
• Wu Heng raised more skeletons and headed outside as Elder Tapani fought the boxer, who noticed smoke rising from the Central District.
• Janvito defended the Association against the army’s arrows, while a priest’s holy light healed the wounded and turned some of Wu Heng’s undead to ash.

Wu Heng returned with the dead city lord and reinforcements, breaking the attack on the Association and helping rescue its wounded. With the city left leaderless, the group debated how to maintain order and Philippa suggested using the kingdom’s Fifth Princess.

• Janvito prepared to teleport away with Sim and Moehr as the army attacked, but Wu Heng returned on a Flying Carpet and announced that City Lord Dasil was dead.
• Wu Heng showed the soldiers Dasil’s corpse, while Skeleton Flying Dragons and an army of skeletons arrived and caused the soldiers to flee or surrender.
• Wu Heng resurrected several dead Association members, raised the battlefield corpses as skeletons, and joined Janvito in searching for the level 18 professional.
• Tapani returned after seeing the boxer flee the city, and Janvito learned that Wu Heng had brought a large force of skeletons aboard the fleet.
• Wu Heng and the others discussed how to keep the leaderless city from falling into chaos, and Philippa suggested that the kingdom’s Fifth Princess could stabilize its officials.