Chapter Summaries

Lu Xiaoran and the female pilots learned that the handsome newcomer was Jiang Yan Hai, callsign Haidongqing, and went to find him. At the anti-G training room, they saw him controlling the stick under 11 Gs, astonishing Lu Xiaoran and the watching pilots.

• Wu Yan showed Lu Xiaoran a photo of Jiang Yan Hai boarding a fighter with four kill markings, and the female pilots admired him.
• Lu Xiaoran led her team to the male soldiers’ dormitory to meet Jiang Yan Hai, but learned he had gone to overload training.
• Lu Xiaoran and the female pilots went to the anti-G training room, where the male pilots made way for them.
• Lu Xiaoran saw Jiang Yan Hai steadily control the stick under 11 Gs without passing out, a feat no one at the base had managed before.

Jiang Yan Hai stunned Lu Xiaoran and the other pilots by completing 11-G overload training without Anti-G Pants. Lu Xiaoran resolved to file a report and pursue her dream of becoming a fighter pilot as Jiang Yan Hai left for other duties.

• Jiang Yan Hai emerged from the training machine after enduring 11 Gs without Anti-G Pants and walked steadily, shocking Lu Xiaoran and the pilots.
• Lu Xiaoran asked Saker Falcon to teach her tactical maneuvers, but Jiang Yan Hai explained that his studies at National Defense University left him little time.
• Lu Xiaoran decided to file a report and became determined to prove herself as a fighter pilot.
• Jiang Yan Hai encouraged Lu Xiaoran, praised her courage, and left the group.

Jiang Yan Hai returned to campus to visit a materials research institute and received notice of Battle Command Confrontation Training. At the airbase, Lu Xiaoran submitted an application to transfer from the flight demonstration team to become a regular fighter pilot, though approval remained uncertain.

• Jiang Yan Hai left the airbase, while pilots there gossiped about whether Lu Xiaoran had taken an interest in him.
• Lu Xiaoran told Yi Dan she planned to apply to become a fighter pilot because she felt the battlefield suited her better.
• Lu Xiaoran presented her transfer application to her superior, and the colonel agreed to accept it but said approval was not up to him.
• Jiang Yan Hai returned to campus by helicopter and planned to visit a nearby materials research institute to test adjusted formulas.
• Jiang Yan Hai received a notice about Battle Command Confrontation Training and wondered how the simulated exercise would work.

Jiang Yan Hai arrived at the Materials Laboratory to take charge and prepare it for his research. He recruited the staff’s cooperation with generous bonuses while Er Dan secretly scanned their information and the laboratory’s security systems.

• Jiang Yan Hai left campus and was driven to the Materials Laboratory by a trusted contact arranged through Fan Tian Lei.
• Liu Hao welcomed Jiang Yan Hai and explained that Laboratory One and seven or eight researchers had been assigned to assist him.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Er Dan to scan the laboratory staff’s phone signals and identities and hack into the surveillance systems.
• Jiang Yan Hai introduced himself to the researchers as Jiang Xiao and told them to follow his instructions without compromise.
• Jiang Yan Hai promised the researchers bonuses of at least one million if they cooperated, and they agreed to give the work their full effort.

Jiang Yan Hai conducted an initial experiment at the laboratory, then drafted plans for an information warfare unit and a specialized logistics brigade. After Fan Tian Lei reviewed the proposals, he called Master Kang to arrange a meeting about the work ahead.

• Jiang Yan Hai began a trial experiment at the laboratory and found that the first results were poor.
• Jiang Yan Hai tasked his driver with gathering files on the laboratory staff and asked for information about information-related crimes across the country.
• Jiang Yan Hai wrote and sent Fan Tian Lei a proposal for an information warfare unit, then drafted a plan for a professional logistics brigade.
• Fan Tian Lei told Jiang Yan Hai that he would submit the information warfare proposal and asked him to ensure the unit maintained cybersecurity discipline.
• Fan Tian Lei finished reading Jiang Yan Hai's reports and called Master Kang to arrange a meeting the next day.

Jiang Yan Hai joined Pantheon and was invited to store his identity information in its secret database so the group could help him if he faced danger. After verifying the server, he began entering his information and considered including details about Jiang Ling.

• Jiang Yan Hai logged into Pantheon’s chatroom and spoke with Zeus about joining the group.
• Zeus explained Pantheon’s evaluation periods and invited Jiang Yan Hai to store identity information for emergency rescues.
• Jiang Yan Hai accepted and received a one-time password and link to Pantheon’s secret server.
• Jiang Yan Hai used the Electronic Warfare Program to verify the server and began entering his information, considering whether to include Jiang Ling’s details.

Jiang Yan Hai joined the Pantheon under the codename Great Sage Equalling Heaven, while concealing his identity behind a fabricated profile. The Pantheon members voted to inspect his information, and Zeus opened the file Jiang Yan Hai had left on their server.

• Jiang Yan Hai deleted Jiang Ling's information and submitted a profile claiming he was a twenty-year-old Chinese near-ace pilot with four confirmed kills.
• Zeus welcomed Jiang Yan Hai to the Pantheon on a six-month probation and invited him to choose a codename.
• Jiang Yan Hai chose Great Sage Equalling Heaven, and Odin suggested calling him Sun.
• Jiang Yan Hai disconnected but secretly arranged to be alerted if anyone accessed his profile.
• Athena, Anubis, and Odin argued that the Pantheon needed to verify Ghost's identity, and the members voted to inspect his file.
• Zeus opened the profile Jiang Yan Hai had created and displayed it to the others.

After Pantheon members read Jiang Yan Hai’s planted profile, they debated whether he knew they had accessed it and recognized that he was demonstrating his capabilities. Jiang Yan Hai then searched Pantheon’s data for domestic hackers and narrowed thirty-two candidates down to nine potential recruits.

• Pantheon members read Jiang Yan Hai’s profile and his message that they owed him a favor, then Zeus revoked access to the file.
• Anubis, Odin, Athena, Gabriel, and Zeus discussed whether Jiang Yan Hai had planted the information to demonstrate his strength and whether they would admit to reading it.
• Jiang Yan Hai laughed, saying he had expected them to look, and had Er Dan search Pantheon’s records for hackers likely to be in China.
• Er Dan found thirty-two likely candidates, and Jiang Yan Hai filtered out people with legitimate jobs, families, and no criminal records, leaving nine.
• Jiang Yan Hai reviewed the nine candidates, including four prisoners, and considered recruiting them through forced reform.

Jiang Yan Hai arranged surveillance on nine potential recruits and went to meet Black Hawk, using a carefully prepared encounter at Red Star Kindergarten. The chapter ended with Black Hawk stunned when Jiang Yan Hai demonstrated that he knew a private detail about his daughter, Tiantian.

• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Er Dan to gather information about the nine people and decided to recruit the information-warfare expert known as Black Hawk.
• Jiang Yan Hai skipped class and traveled with Hound, asking him to monitor the nine people for any laboratory information leaks.
• Jiang Yan Hai directed Hound to buy a McDonald's kids' breakfast with several packets of ketchup before they reached Red Star Kindergarten.
• Black Hawk arrived carrying his daughter, Tiantian, and Jiang Yan Hai greeted them as an old friend.
• Jiang Yan Hai offered Tiantian her favorite ketchup, and Black Hawk stiffened because only he and his wife knew about her unusual fondness for it.

Jiang Yan Hai approached Tang Jian, a government information security official known online as Black Hawk, and tried to recruit him for the military. After revealing his credentials and unsettling Tang Jian with a speech about his unfulfilling routine, Jiang Yan Hai left him to consider the offer.

• Jiang Yan Hai gave Tang Jian's daughter breakfast and asked Tang Jian to talk with him privately.
• Jiang Yan Hai listed Tang Jian's personal history and threatened that his family could be in danger, but Tang Jian refused to betray his country.
• Jiang Yan Hai clarified that he wanted Tang Jian to transfer from the police force to the military and showed him his Officer's Certificate.
• Tang Jian remained suspicious and tried to leave, but Jiang Yan Hai questioned whether he felt alive in his repetitive daily routine.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Tang Jian to think about the offer, then asked Hound to arrange business cards because people did not believe them.

Jiang Yan Hai recruited Black Hawk by revealing his secret history and promising to disclose Bei Chen Xiang’s identity, while he pursued approval for a new logistics brigade. Fan Tian Lei and Master Kang began planning how to staff the brigade, including seeking experienced Air Force logistics specialists.

• Jiang Yan Hai gave Black Hawk a phone number and invited him to join, but Black Hawk questioned the absurd-looking number after Jiang Yan Hai drove away.
• Hound reported that approval had been granted to obtain nationwide information-crime records, and Jiang Yan Hai told him to return to school and arrange business cards.
• Master Kang reviewed Jiang Yan Hai’s proposal to create a logistics-only Logistics 9th Rapid Reaction Brigade that would conceal Dark Blade within its establishment.
• Fan Tian Lei and Master Kang discussed recruiting logistics commanders and decided to seek specialists from the Air Force through Commander He.

Master Kang and Fan Tian Lei secured approval for Jiang Yan Hai’s Information Warfare Unit proposal, while the chief warned them they would be responsible if anything went wrong. Master Kang updated Jiang Yan Hai on the base’s construction and urged him to focus on his personal life, leaving preparations for the unit and its logistics brigade underway.

• Master Kang told Fan Tian Lei to print the report and fetch liquor while he prepared the materials to present their proposal to the Old Commander.
• The chief told Master Kang that Jiang Yan Hai’s report had been approved in principle, holding Master Kang and Fan Tian Lei responsible for its success and encouraging them to give Jiang Yan Hai and his partner more time to date.
• Master Kang called Jiang Yan Hai and confirmed that his document for establishing the Information Warfare Unit had been approved.
• Master Kang described the planned underground base, including its power supply, satellite equipment, supercomputer cooling, radar links, runway, and expected nine-month construction timeline.
• Jiang Yan Hai approved the arrangements and said the logistics brigade should prioritize professional personnel who could adapt to modern logistics.
• Master Kang told Jiang Yan Hai to pay more attention to his personal life, and Jiang Yan Hai promised to complete that mission too.

Jiang Yan Hai prepared to recruit skilled hackers for the Information Warfare Unit and reviewed two possible candidates in the capital. He chose to approach Shao Xiao Jia first, whose talent and patriotism stood alongside a record of reckless online conduct.

• Jiang Yan Hai decided to begin forming the Information Warfare Unit and waited for Black Hawk to choose whether to join.
• Jiang Yan Hai took leave, asked Er Dan to gather information on two potential recruits, and chose to seek out the twenty-four-year-old first.
• Jiang Yan Hai reviewed Shao Xiao Jia's record of hacking companies and foreign government websites and spreading unverified rumors.
• Jiang Yan Hai learned that Shao Xiao Jia had strong internet imagination, had attracted interest from overseas organizations, and remained a pure patriot despite his many problems.

Jiang Yan Hai tracked down Shao Xiao Jia and provoked him by insulting celebrity Liu Piaopiao, hoping to draw out the hacker’s weakness. Shao Xiao Jia confronted him at the internet cafe, and their argument continued as Jiang Yan Hai challenged him to leave.

• Jiang Yan Hai used his authorized access to locate Shao Xiao Jia and went to the Second Night Internet Cafe.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Hound instructions to handle several tasks before entering the internet cafe with a Strategic Deception Bureau business card.
• Jiang Yan Hai sat beside Shao Xiao Jia and posted insults about Liu Piaopiao on a celebrity fan forum.
• Jiang Yan Hai loudly mocked Liu Piaopiao and her fans, prompting Shao Xiao Jia to stop him and defend her.
• Jiang Yan Hai refused to stop insulting Liu Piaopiao and challenged Shao Xiao Jia to switch computers.

Jiang Yan Hai bet Shao Xiao Jia that he could win a solo squad match in PUBG, and used the training ground to study the game before starting. Shao Xiao Jia selected the Miramar map, while Jiang Yan Hai recognized that the choice would make survival harder.

• Jiang Yan Hai challenged Shao Xiao Jia to bet on whether Liu Piaopiao’s photos were unedited, and they instead agreed that the loser would listen to the winner.
• Shao Xiao Jia explained PUBG’s rules and set Jiang Yan Hai the challenge of winning a solo squad match for a chicken dinner.
• Jiang Yan Hai studied the game’s controls, then used Er Dan to measure weapon and movement data in the training ground.
• Shao Xiao Jia chose the Miramar map, claiming its size would help Jiang Yan Hai hide and survive.
• Jiang Yan Hai realized Miramar’s open desert terrain offered little cover and suspected Shao Xiao Jia was trying to sabotage him.

Jiang Yan Hai played a battle royale game for the first time and used calculations to defeat enemies with astonishing sniper accuracy. As the match continued, Shao Xiao Jia watched in disbelief as Jiang Yan Hai dominated without looting or relying on his rifle.

• Jiang Yan Hai parachuted away from other players, found weapons, and drove toward the safe zone by a route he judged less crowded.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the game's fixed values let him calculate shots, then headshot a motorcyclist with one M24 round.
• Jiang Yan Hai refused to loot the eliminated player's supplies and drove on, saying searching a battlefield corpse was dangerous.
• Jiang Yan Hai repeatedly landed one-shot headshots, even against moving enemies and without scoping, while Shao Xiao Jia watched in disbelief.

Jiang Yan Hai won a game with thirty-one kills and made Shao Xiao Jia swear to join the War Propaganda Bureau. After Shao Xiao Jia left the internet café, armed men abducted him, while Jiang Yan Hai set off with Hound to an arranged location.

• Jiang Yan Hai killed the last opponent and won the game with thirty-one kills, impressing Shao Xiao Jia.
• Jiang Yan Hai invoked their bet and had Shao Xiao Jia swear that he was voluntarily joining the War Propaganda Bureau and would not betray it.
• Jiang Yan Hai let Shao Xiao Jia leave the internet café, and two armed men seized him outside and forced him into a van.
• Jiang Yan Hai retrieved his remaining money, got into an SUV with Hound, and left for the prepared location.

Jiang Yan Hai brought Shao Xiao Jia to the Strategic Deception Bureau after claiming he had agreed to join, and Shao Xiao Jia realized he had been taken to a real military facility. The chapter left Shao Xiao Jia being led to an underground shooting range to test-fire pistols.

• Armed men transported Shao Xiao Jia for over an hour without telling him where they were taking him.
• Shao Xiao Jia saw the Strategic Deception Bureau sign and recognized Jiang Yan Hai, who appeared in combat gear with a rifle.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Shao Xiao Jia that he had joined the War Propaganda Bureau by agreeing and swearing an oath during their earlier conversation.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered the men to take the newcomer for training, and Shao Xiao Jia was led through an armory filled with weapons.
• Jiang Yan Hai instructed the men to give Shao Xiao Jia two pistols and take him to the underground shooting range.

Jiang Yan Hai took Shao Xiao Jia to a shooting range, where Shao Xiao Jia tried rifles, pistols, and a six-barreled machine gun. After Shao Xiao Jia asked why he had been chosen, Jiang Yan Hai revealed that he knew Shao Xiao Jia's hidden identities, Snake Emperor and Human King, leaving him shocked and afraid.

• Jiang Yan Hai gave Shao Xiao Jia a rifle and had an instructor correct his stance before he fired at a target.
• Shao Xiao Jia practiced shooting the rifle and a pistol, discovering how difficult they were to handle.
• Jiang Yan Hai led Shao Xiao Jia to a room of machine guns and let him fire a six-barreled gun until its ammunition ran out.
• Shao Xiao Jia said the experience was exhilarating, then asked Jiang Yan Hai why the organization had chosen him.
• Jiang Yan Hai called Shao Xiao Jia Snake Emperor and Human King, and Shao Xiao Jia froze in shock and fear.

Jiang Yan Hai pressured Shao Xiao Jia into joining the War Propaganda Bureau by revealing he knew about Shao Xiao Jia’s crimes and claiming they had been covered up. Shao Xiao Jia accepted the post, recommended his disciple Azeroth, and received a military uniform and an officer’s certificate naming him a second lieutenant.

• Jiang Yan Hai listed Shao Xiao Jia’s hacking and online offenses, warning that he could face about twenty years in prison but saying the bureau had protected him.
• Shao Xiao Jia agreed to join the War Propaganda Bureau and recommended his disciple, the hacker Azeroth, for recruitment.
• Jiang Yan Hai said Azeroth could be invited if he joined voluntarily, then took Shao Xiao Jia to collect his uniform and identification.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Shao Xiao Jia a genuine officer’s certificate naming him a second lieutenant assigned to the Logistics 9th Rapid Reaction Brigade.
• Jiang Yan Hai warned Shao Xiao Jia that future illegal acts would bring harsher punishment and a military court.