Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yan Hai watched the soldiers undergo psychologically harrowing death simulations, then left them time to recover and spent over a month at home with Li Ruo Bai. When Er Dan detected the elusive Mechanical Octopus, Jiang Yan Hai decided to track it down himself.

• Zhang Qi and Pan Ye discussed the realistic death simulations with the members of Fire Phoenix and the Thunderbolt Commando Unit.
• A week later, the second batch of soldiers joined separate simulation training, and Jiang Yan Hai observed the soldiers grow steadier but more affected by witnessing their comrades die.
• Jiang Yan Hai left the training site and gave the soldiers a break to recover psychologically.
• Jiang Yan Hai spent over a month at home with Li Ruo Bai, largely setting aside his research and other work.
• Er Dan detected Target One, the self-replicating Mechanical Octopus, and Jiang Yan Hai decided to go after it for the possible Nanobot and Stargate ore data in its database.

Jiang Yan Hai left home for a mission in the Republic of Goa after telling Li Ruo Bai and arranging for her mother to keep her company. After reporting to the Old Commander, he boarded a Yun-50 bound for Africa to investigate a lead connected to the Stargate.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Li Ruo Bai he had to travel to the Republic of Goa, and she urged him to be careful before he left.
• Jiang Yan Hai called Li Ruo Bai's mother and asked her to visit Li Ruo Bai while he was away.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Hound to drive him to the nearest airport, then contacted the Old Commander and reported a lead from his Stargate tracking program.
• The Old Commander approved Jiang Yan Hai's mission and reminded him to stay safe and conceal his identity.
• Jiang Yan Hai boarded a Yun-50 bound for Africa, with enough fuel to reach the Republic of Goa directly.

Jiang Yan Hai traveled in disguise from the Republic of Goa through the Star Gate to the Caucasus Mountains for a secret mission. He arrived to find the region rapidly transformed into a developed industrial and security zone under Red Star’s influence.

• Jiang Yan Hai saw how Chinese construction projects had transformed the Republic of Goa’s cities and roads since his last visit.
• Jiang Yan Hai, disguised as an unfamiliar person, traveled alone to the industrial zone and met He Chen Guang, who had brought clothes and documents for the journey.
• Jiang Yan Hai changed clothes and quietly crossed the Star Gate with personnel transporting supplies, keeping the mission secret from nearly everyone in Red Cell.
• Jiang Yan Hai emerged in the Caucasus Mountains, where new buildings covered the former mining area and nearby villages were secured by Red Star and Kamalov’s personnel.
• The Sand Bear Federation’s divided military and weakened government allowed Red Star’s presence in the Caucasus Mountains to grow with little interference.

Jiang Yan Hai discovered that the Mechanical Octopus was on the heavily restricted Lingshan Island and sought Kamalov’s help getting there. The chapter ended with Kamalov reacting in alarm and asking why Jiang Yan Hai wanted to go.

• Jiang Yan Hai learned from Er Dan that the Mechanical Octopus was on Lingshan Island.
• Jiang Yan Hai considered the island’s military restrictions and the difficulty of reaching it unnoticed.
• Jiang Yan Hai contacted Kamalov and met him in a village near the city.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Kamalov if he could get him onto Lingshan Island.
• Kamalov reacted with alarm and asked Jiang Yan Hai why he wanted to go there.

Jiang Yan Hai arranged passage to an island through a port bar’s smuggling operation. He learned that the boat was carrying a stimulant in short supply among the island’s large military population.

• Jiang Yan Hai used a coded conversation with the bartender to establish his identity and was taken to a private room.
• A man introduced by Kamalov explained the risks, charged Jiang Yan Hai five hundred thousand dollars, and offered weapons, which Jiang Yan Hai declined.
• The man arranged for Jiang Yan Hai to join a supply run that night, and Jiang Yan Hai waited at the bar until evening.
• Jiang Yan Hai boarded a fishing boat and realized the operation smuggled supplies to the island.
• Jiang Yan Hai learned that the cargo included a stimulant prized by the island’s many stationed soldiers.

Jiang Yan Hai entered Lingshan Island hidden aboard a smuggling boat and learned that corrupt patrol officers helped smugglers reach the island. After refusing an offer to obtain an island ID, he headed into the city, relying on information he had gathered through Red Star's official channels.

• Jiang Yan Hai hid in a modified fishing boat's cargo container and monitored its surroundings with his data analysis program.
• A Sand Bear Federation officer ordered the boat to follow a warship, and Jiang Yan Hai realized the officer was helping the smugglers escort him toward Lingshan Island.
• Patrol boats from Red Star and Mipu questioned the boat and let it continue before it reached the island's shore.
• The smuggler offered Jiang Yan Hai a return trip at triple the price and warned him that he needed a Lingshan Island ID, but Jiang Yan Hai refused the offer of one.
• Jiang Yan Hai walked into the city, already knowing about its curfew, strict military law enforcement, and sparse surveillance cameras.

Jiang Yan Hai bought military food in Lingshan Island’s city, then Er Dan detected a micro-robot signal like the one in Zakayev’s brain. Jiang Yan Hai tracked it to a guarded military base, where the target was likely a soldier from one of the three countries.

• Jiang Yan Hai entered the city and bought a backpack full of military food and supplies.
• Er Dan told Jiang Yan Hai that it had detected a micro-robot signal identical to the one in Zakayev’s brain.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Er Dan to lead him toward the signal, hoping to identify a possible terrorist threat.
• Jiang Yan Hai traced the signal to a military base guarded by soldiers and displaying the flags of three countries.

Jiang Yan Hai investigated Er Dan’s report of a Mechanical Octopus near the island’s Stargate and learned he could not cross other Stargates until he obtained five types of ore. He reached a cliff overlooking the suspected sea area and prepared to wait for the machine to appear.

• Jiang Yan Hai left the base and ordered Er Dan to track the Mechanical Octopus so he could confirm its identity.
• Jiang Yan Hai considered how the threat could disrupt the island and the Stargate, then asked Er Dan whether he could cross other Stargates; Er Dan said he needed five types of Stargate ore first.
• Jiang Yan Hai traveled through the forest for about three hours to reach the target area near a cliff above a sea cave.
• Er Dan identified the Mechanical Octopus as somewhere in the surrounding sea, and Jiang Yan Hai decided to watch for it rather than risk letting it escape.
• Jiang Yan Hai camouflaged an observation position and prepared to wait, relying on his supplies and Er Dan’s access to local signals.

Jiang Yan Hai reflected on why technological strength was essential for protecting humanity and negotiating with other civilizations. He argued that unity and compromise had to be secured through strength, not concessions.

• Jiang Yan Hai continued designing nuclear-powered aircraft for peaceful development because existing combat aircraft already provided a sufficient advantage.
• Jiang Yan Hai considered the strategic value of space resources and argued that international agreements could not protect them without strength.
• Jiang Yan Hai recalled that Earth's technological parity or superiority had given his group confidence to contact civilizations beyond the Stargate.
• Jiang Yan Hai compared the Song and Ming dynasties to argue that weakness and compromise could lead to ruin.
• Jiang Yan Hai cited Songtsen Gampo's threat to ally with Western Regions states as the reason the Tang Dynasty granted him a princess.

Jiang Yan Hai worked on spacecraft and spaceplane designs while considering the systems needed for sustained interplanetary travel. He focused on miniaturizing Controlled Nuclear Fusion to power advanced ion propulsion, though a practical fusion core would still need to be very large.

• Jiang Yan Hai simulated spaceplane designs in the Illusion Simulation Program while waiting for the Mechanical Octopus to appear.
• He weighed the trade-offs between rapid rocket acceleration and sustained thrust when designing craft for travel between Earth and space.
• He considered how arc-heated ion thrusters could use electricity to heat and accelerate gas for propulsion.
• Jiang Yan Hai explored using Controlled Nuclear Fusion's extreme heat to improve ion propulsion and worked on reasonably miniaturizing fusion systems.
• He concluded that a fusion core could not yet be robot-sized but might be feasible at a scale as large as an An-225.

Jiang Yan Hai designed speculative aircraft and spacecraft while waiting for the Mechanical Octopus near the bay. On the fourth evening, Er Dan detected an armed stranger approaching, and Jiang Yan Hai was stunned when he finally saw the man.

• Jiang Yan Hai worked on designs for aircraft and spacecraft powered by nuclear reactors in the Illusion Simulation Program.
• Er Dan confirmed that the Mechanical Octopus remained in the nearby bay, apparently waiting for an opportunity or for people it could control.
• Er Dan warned Jiang Yan Hai that an armed person with advanced firearms had entered the active warning range.
• Jiang Yan Hai concealed himself and watched as the stranger approached the bay and then moved toward his position.
• At roughly a hundred meters away, Jiang Yan Hai saw the stranger and reacted with disbelief.

Jiang Yan Hai confronted the Prophet, whose Nano-biochemical Armor enhanced his physical abilities and concealed him with optical camouflage. The Prophet tried to knock Jiang Yan Hai unconscious, but Jiang Yan Hai blocked his attacks and proved stronger than expected.

• Er Dan warned Jiang Yan Hai that the Prophet had exceptional physical attributes and armor capable of detecting him.
• Jiang Yan Hai waited near the bay as the Prophet used optical camouflage to approach, intending to capture him alive.
• After hearing a faint crunch, Jiang Yan Hai pretended to scan the area and let the Prophet move within two meters.
• The Prophet attacked Jiang Yan Hai from behind, but Jiang Yan Hai turned and blocked the strike.
• Jiang Yan Hai blocked the Prophet's follow-up punches and knocked him back, shocking the Prophet with his strength.

Jiang Yan Hai fought the Prophet, whose Bio-Nanite Armor made him difficult to injure, but used his warning system to track the cloaked man. After Jiang Yan Hai revealed that he knew the Prophet was seeking Mechanical Octopuses, the Prophet agreed to talk and approached him.

• The Prophet used optical camouflage and tried to evade Jiang Yan Hai, but Jiang Yan Hai tracked his movements and landed a powerful punch.
• Jiang Yan Hai called out the Prophet and suggested they talk, saying they had likely come to the jungle for the same purpose.
• Jiang Yan Hai told the Prophet he believed he was searching for Mechanical Octopuses, and the Prophet's reactions showed that the information had caught his interest.
• The Prophet deactivated his optical camouflage, walked toward Jiang Yan Hai, and asked what he wanted to discuss.

Jiang Yan Hai deduced that the Prophet was a local who had taken the original Prophet’s place after the first Stargate expedition went wrong. After they exchanged information about their worlds and the Mechanical Octopuses, they agreed to help each other.

• Jiang Yan Hai reasoned that the Prophet could not be the original because people from the Prophet’s world could not cross the Stargate.
• The Prophet admitted that he had been among the first soldiers to enter Lingshan Island and had taken the Prophet’s place after the original Prophet saved him and died.
• Jiang Yan Hai told the Prophet that he came from another world and explained how he had traced the Mechanical Octopuses to the bay.
• The Prophet asked Jiang Yan Hai for help, and Jiang Yan Hai agreed while asking for the Prophet’s help in return.

Jiang Yan Hai learned from the Prophet that forces from another world planned to attack the Stargate positions, and warned that the Prophet had misjudged the threat. He argued that the enemy’s limited Stargate capacity and troop strength made a direct assault unlikely, leaving the danger and the Prophet’s plans unresolved.

• The Prophet told Jiang Yan Hai that attackers were planning to strike the Stargate positions and that someone might cause trouble from behind, so he had returned to help.
• The Prophet explained that both worlds depended on the Stargate and on supplies sent from Jiang Yan Hai’s world.
• Jiang Yan Hai argued that the enemy’s forces were unlikely to breach the three countries’ positions because the Stargate on their side had limited transport capacity.
• The Prophet showed a brief emotional reaction when Jiang Yan Hai guessed that his world had a different, capacity-limited Stargate.
• Jiang Yan Hai reasoned that the Mechanical Octopuses’ advanced technology did not mean they had enough troops to threaten the Stargate positions.

Jiang Yan Hai explained that the aliens’ limited forces and vulnerable Stargate had allowed the Prophets to resist, and he correctly guessed that the aliens were building facilities to expand their military presence. The Prophet confirmed the enemy used manufactured biological troops, leaving Jiang Yan Hai to suspect the Arms Factories could create controlled soldiers by combining living bodies with machinery.

• Jiang Yan Hai argued that the aliens’ ability to send forces through their Stargate was limited by its capacity, energy demands, and vulnerability.
• The Prophet confirmed that his predecessor had destroyed the enemy’s primary Stargate before sacrificing himself, giving the defenders a chance to resist.
• The Prophet agreed that the aliens might be building Arms Factories, and Jiang Yan Hai guessed they could produce soldiers or robots.
• The Prophet described two alien combat types, including intelligent individual troops whose armor was integrated with their bodies.
• Jiang Yan Hai suggested the factories used bio-manufacturing to create controlled biological soldiers, and the Prophet reacted with surprise at his accurate guess.

Jiang Yan Hai learned that an alien Arms Factory was producing modified soldiers and wolf-like mechanical creatures, while the Prophet’s resistance was struggling to locate it. He offered cooperation and targeted countermeasures in exchange for Stargate ore, and the Prophet agreed to provide it.

• The Prophet described the alien Arms Factory’s modified soldier units and fast, self-destructing mechanical creatures, which contained biological flesh with genes similar to Earth wolves.
• The Prophet explained that the resistance could not locate the Arms Factory because its satellites had been destroyed or cleared, and that the aliens controlled over thirty percent of the world’s land.
• Jiang Yan Hai warned that war between Mipu and Shaxiong could soon disrupt support for the Prophet’s resistance, and proposed cooperating to keep Red Star above the conflict.
• Jiang Yan Hai offered advanced equipment and said he could use a captured Mechanical Octopus to develop signal trackers and targeted interference devices.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked for a few kilograms of Stargate ore, and the Prophet agreed to provide it.

Jiang Yan Hai met with the Prophet to discuss obtaining materials from the other side, then accepted a powerful sniper rifle and learned how the Prophet had smuggled weapons through the Star Gate. The meeting ended when Er Dan warned Jiang Yan Hai that an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile had been launched.

• The Prophet agreed to bring Jiang Yan Hai some materials, though he could not promise how much.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the two worlds had unusual differences in minerals, plants, and animals, and the Prophet agreed to provide whatever he could.
• The Prophet left and returned with three weapons, then handed Jiang Yan Hai a sniper rifle capable of electromagnetic acceleration.
• The Prophet said the rifle weighed about seventeen kilograms, had a 4,500-meter effective range, and came with only thirty rounds.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked how the Prophet had brought weapons through the Star Gate, and the Prophet explained that he hid them among inspected cargo.
• Er Dan warned Jiang Yan Hai that it had detected an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch, and Jiang Yan Hai asked where it was.

Jiang Yan Hai and the Prophet learned that the Sand Bear Federation had declared war on Mipu and launched three likely nuclear missiles toward Newton Port. Satellite footage revealed that the warheads detonated in high orbit to disable Mipu’s military, missile-defense, and positioning satellites, leaving the next stage of the attack uncertain.

• Er Dan reported that the Sand Bear Federation had declared war on Mipu, launched three likely nuclear missiles, and dispatched strategic transport aircraft.
• Jiang Yan Hai told the Prophet that the two nations had officially gone to war, alarming him with the risk of global destruction.
• Jiang Yan Hai opened satellite feeds on his laptop and saw three flaming trails approaching Mipu’s east coast.
• Jiang Yan Hai identified the bright explosions as high-orbit nuclear detonations rather than ground strikes on Newton Port.
• Jiang Yan Hai concluded that the detonations targeted Mipu’s military, missile-defense, and positioning satellites, and likely served as a deterrent before a larger offensive.

The Prophet learned that Sand Bear and Mipu had gone to war and feared the conflict would draw in other countries and endanger both worlds. He left to warn the resistance and asked Jiang Yan Hai to keep Red Star and other nations out of the fighting.

• Sand Bear launched a surprise attack on Mipu, disabling its satellites and sending airborne troops to seize the capital and Newton while advancing through Maple Leaf Country.
• Maple Leaf Country stayed neutral and allowed Sand Bear's forces to cross its territory because it could not resist them.
• The Prophet said he needed to warn the resistance and protest through official channels, since their planned large-scale operations had to stop.
• The Prophet asked Jiang Yan Hai to help keep Red Star steady and prevent it and other countries from joining the war.
• Jiang Yan Hai agreed to contact Red Star's representative, and the Prophet left him the weapons and the Mechanical Octopus.