Chapter Summaries

After the Prophet fled into the jungle, Jiang Yan Hai reported that Sand Bear and Mipu had declared war and received full authority to negotiate with Red Star. He offered advanced technology in exchange for Star Gate ore research, hoping Red Star would help contain the war, and the chapter ended as he revealed a new missile-interception weapon.

• The Prophet activated super jump mode, leaped more than ten meters, and vanished into the jungle, leaving behind all his weapons except his bow.
• Jiang Yan Hai informed the homeland that Sand Bear and Mipu had declared war, proposed warning the neighboring country, and offered Red Star advanced technology in exchange for information on its Star Gate ore.
• The leader granted Jiang Yan Hai full authority to transfer technical data and agreed to prepare for the possibility of closing the Star Gates.
• Jiang Yan Hai contacted Mr. Bai and asked Red Star to use its influence to keep the war confined to Sand Bear and Mipu.
• Jiang Yan Hai offered Red Star an interception system with at least a ninety percent success rate against intercontinental ballistic missiles, then revealed it used electromagnetic technology rather than lasers.

Jiang Yan Hai and Mr. Bai negotiated cooperation, agreeing to exchange Stargate ore and missile interception technology while discussing ways to contain the war between Mipu and Shaxiong. They also agreed to pursue further technology deals and communication with both sides over Lingshan Island.

• Jiang Yan Hai explained that Red Star could help control the war, while Mr. Bai acknowledged that protecting their world served Red Star's interests.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked for more than one kilogram of Stargate ore and offered technical support for Stargate research in return.
• Mr. Bai agreed to provide the ore and requested ballistic missile interception technology, which Jiang Yan Hai accepted.
• Jiang Yan Hai offered controlled nuclear fusion technology as a possible future deal, surprising Mr. Bai.
• Jiang Yan Hai urged Mr. Bai to contact the leaders of Mipu and Shaxiong about Lingshan Island, and Mr. Bai arranged to send the ore through the Stargate.

Jiang Yan Hai watched the Mechanical Octopus approach Lingshan Island and waited for a chance to have Er Dan intrude into it. After the octopus paused offshore and headed back toward the deep sea, Jiang Yan Hai suspected it was probing them and saw it turn back toward shore.

• Jiang Yan Hai sent the negotiation recording home and ordered Er Dan to monitor Lingshan Island through satellites.
• Er Dan detected the Mechanical Octopus approaching, and Jiang Yan Hai prepared to force an intrusion when it came ashore.
• Jiang Yan Hai watched the octopus stop sixty or seventy meters from shore, but Er Dan said an intrusion at that distance had a low chance of success.
• The Mechanical Octopus remained motionless for about an hour, then headed toward the deep sea, and Jiang Yan Hai ordered Er Dan not to act.
• The Mechanical Octopus stopped about three kilometers from shore before turning back toward the island, leading Jiang Yan Hai to suspect it was probing them.

Jiang Yan Hai infiltrated the Mechanical Octopus after it climbed the cliff, gaining control of it and discovering its links to implanted chips around the world. He learned that the chips influenced terrorists and that destroying them would kill their hosts, while other mapped locations held supplies for producing more robots and chips.

• Jiang Yan Hai predicted where the Mechanical Octopus would climb the cliff and waited above it, testing the limits of its sensors.
• When the Mechanical Octopus reached the top, Jiang Yan Hai ordered Er Dan to infiltrate it, and Er Dan took control in under fifteen seconds.
• Er Dan detected seventy-seven other chips connected to the Mechanical Octopus and showed Jiang Yan Hai their locations across the world.
• Er Dan explained that the chips could not be reprogrammed, but destroying them would immediately kill their human hosts.
• Er Dan identified several remote locations as supply caches where terrorists had stored materials for making more miniature robots and chips.

Jiang Yan Hai considered whether to eliminate the terrorists backed by Mechanical Octopus, while weighing their usefulness to his group. After learning how Mechanical Octopus controlled Mipu’s satellites, he explored using it to infect its counterparts in another world and ordered Er Dan to investigate signal hosts on Lingshan Island.

• Jiang Yan Hai ordered the locations of the terrorists marked and considered whether to wipe them out, weighing their threat against the resources their conflicts made available.
• Er Dan reported that Mechanical Octopus had supplied Sand Bear with a device for controlling Mipu’s satellites and explained how it infiltrated them through networks and hidden hardware.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked whether Er Dan could use Mechanical Octopus’s signals to infect identical machines in the other world, and Er Dan confirmed that their unencrypted data transmissions could be infected.
• Er Dan explained that the Stargate blocked direct signal transmission, so Jiang Yan Hai proposed concealing data in replacement components installed in signal hosts.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Er Dan to infiltrate the signal hosts on Lingshan Island and inspect their configurations, then told it to hide nearby in the ocean.

Jiang Yan Hai waited near the Stargate while Er Dan identified terrorists and their cover identities, including Mipu General Sheffield. The Prophet returned with a backpack of Stargate-related ore, and Jiang Yan Hai discovered that both types inside were materials he needed.

• Jiang Yan Hai had Er Dan identify and track the terrorists, then memorized their identities as General Sheffield appeared on the list.
• Jiang Yan Hai learned that Red Star had delivered the requested goods near the Stargate but waited there for the Prophet instead of leaving.
• The Prophet returned the next afternoon carrying a backpack of ore he had retrieved.
• Jiang Yan Hai inspected the ore and found that both types were targets, with one type likely originating from the alien's location.

Jiang Yan Hai told the Prophet about the Mechanical Octopus and the tense situation between Sand Bear and Mipu, then proposed a way for them to communicate secretly. The Prophet agreed to return in forty-eight hours to replace two drives and showed Jiang Yan Hai that his armor could cloak them.

• Jiang Yan Hai told the Prophet that a Mechanical Octopus had appeared near the shore but had not seemed to detect him.
• Jiang Yan Hai briefed the Prophet on Red Star’s neutrality and the escalating tensions between Sand Bear and Mipu.
• The Prophet told Jiang Yan Hai that Red Star’s soldiers had separated the opposing troops near the Stargate, while all three countries remained on high alert.
• Jiang Yan Hai proposed replacing two drives in the countries’ shared communications mainframe so he and the Prophet could communicate undetected.
• The Prophet agreed to return in about forty-eight hours and demonstrated that his armor’s cloaking device could conceal the drives.

After making a deal with the Prophet, Jiang Yan Hai collected five types of Stargate ore and unlocked basic Stargate construction. He studied the basic Stargate’s limits and risks, then decided to keep the remaining ore and plan carefully before attempting construction.

• Jiang Yan Hai and the Prophet shook hands to confirm their cooperation, and the Prophet left.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Er Dan to convert 20 units of each ore, raising his Stargate special energy to 1,277 points.
• The Red Star Engine announced that collecting five types of Stargate ore unlocked basic Stargate blueprints, with 50 types needed for intermediate authorization and 500 for advanced authorization.
• Jiang Yan Hai learned that a basic Stargate required 300 units of ore, several powerful nearby plants, and substantial resources, while its destination and conditions were unpredictable.
• Jiang Yan Hai decided to keep his remaining Stargate ore and require future Stargate expeditions to recover at least their construction costs.

Jiang Yan Hai considered the country’s rapid technological progress and the military strength it would need before publicly building a basic Stargate. He proposed building the first Stargate in Great Qin and connecting it to that world’s moon to test for helium-3, while the country expanded education and development there.

• Jiang Yan Hai recognized that the country still needed time to absorb new technologies before it could activate a basic Stargate.
• Li Ruo Bai’s research institute and materials institutes were tasked with developing a supercomputer to upgrade the Pangu System into the nation’s technology-control intelligence.
• Jiang Yan Hai reasoned that the first basic Stargate could be built in Great Qin and connect to its moon, where a probe could check for helium-3.
• The country built schools across Great Qin and promoted education for its population of twenty million.
• The country continued developing Great Qin as the Red Mad Wolf threat remained, with the goal of eventually enlarging the Stargate for rail and road transport.

Jiang Yan Hai handed the Seer two special hard drives and withdrew from the Red Star world after completing his objectives. The Seer replaced the devices on both sides of the Stargate, establishing a channel that let Er Dan rapidly expand the destinations for transmitting information.

• Jiang Yan Hai retrieved the hard drives from the sea and gave them to the Seer, who shared his communication channel.
• Jiang Yan Hai told the Seer he had finished his objectives and would leave, while Er Dan prepared to assist with the hard-drive replacement.
• The Seer traveled to the Stargate base, and Er Dan simulated Jiang Yan Hai's voice and manipulated surveillance footage to help him replace the hard drives.
• Jiang Yan Hai withdrew underwater with the Mechanical Octopus, which carried him across the strait using its tentacles for propulsion.
• The Seer finished replacing the devices on both sides of the Stargate and departed for the other world, leaving Er Dan able to expand information-transmission destinations.

Jiang Yan Hai and Er Dan helped the Prophet uncover and destroy hundreds of hidden alien devices, strengthening their alliance. Back in Great Qin, Jiang Yan Hai began assembling scientists to research Stargate technology using newly acquired blueprints.

• Er Dan used the Mechanical Octopus to infect and control alien devices, discovering hundreds of them near the Stargate.
• Er Dan, using the codename Sea Lion, warned the Prophet, who destroyed the devices and became more confident in their cooperation with Jiang Yan Hai.
• Jiang Yan Hai brought Red Star Republic Stargate ore home and had Er Dan absorb its energy, revealing optimized basic Stargate blueprints.
• Jiang Yan Hai returned to Great Qin with Li Ruo Bai, left Dark Blade to Fan Tian Lei and Kang Lei, and applied for domestic research into Stargate technology.
• Jiang Yan Hai assembled scientists to study the Stargate's spatial technologies, including advanced detection methods for Stargate ore.

Jiang Yan Hai learned that foods from Great Qin and other worlds could extend human lifespans, and considered how longer lives might help humanity overcome the growing burden of learning advanced science. The chapter left him reflecting on how little time people had in their most creative years as civilization’s knowledge expanded.

• Jiang Yan Hai learned that reconnaissance satellites could detect most Stargate ore and that his technical team was organizing Stargate technology into teaching materials.
• Li Ruo Bai explained that her team had shifted from silicon chips to graphene CPUs and that four Pangu supercomputer bases were planned.
• Li Ruo Bai told Jiang Yan Hai that research teams had found foods in Great Qin and the Song Dynasty that could improve health and extend lifespan.
• Li Ruo Bai reported that models predicted average lifespans of about ninety-five years for Great Qin’s people with modern medicine, and about 105 to 110 years if people ate foods from multiple worlds.
• Jiang Yan Hai considered how longer lifespans could address the years people spent mastering existing knowledge before reaching their most creative ages.

Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai discussed testing foods on refugees in the Song Dynasty and the prospects for human advancement as lifespans increased. Jiang Yan Hai’s team also continued developing Star Gate technology, while facing a choice between second- and third-generation fusion reactors for their first basic Star Gate.

• Jiang Yan Hai asked Li Ruo Bai whether tests of the foods had begun, and she said preliminary trials were underway among refugees in the Song Dynasty with a very low estimated risk.
• Li Ruo Bai explained that preliminary testing would last two years in the Song Dynasty, followed by a five-year stage in Great Qin while the first stage continued.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai noted that their Star Gate research was progressing, and his team had simulated manufacturing all components, though some materials still needed improvement.
• Jiang Yan Hai’s team debated whether to power its first basic Star Gate with a second-generation tritium-deuterium reactor or wait for a third-generation helium-3 reactor after lunar exploration.

Jiang Yan Hai and the others oversaw a lunar mission to determine whether the Great Qin world's moon contained helium-3 and valuable minerals. After the lander returned, the survey results led them to decide to build a second-generation Controlled Nuclear Fusion reactor.

• The first reusable lunar lander was completed at Tianhuo Satellite Launch Center, and the Long March 20 was chosen to carry out the mission.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the others watched the rocket launch, which headed directly for the moon.
• The lander completed its lunar mission and returned safely with samples for analysis.
• The survey found abundant helium-3 and rare minerals on the moon of the Great Qin world.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the others decided to proceed with constructing a second-generation Controlled Nuclear Fusion reactor.

Jiang Yan Hai revised the Primary Stargate’s power plan, deciding to use three second-generation Controlled Nuclear Fusion plants rather than extract helium-3 from lunar soil. Construction accelerated across the Great Qin and Song Dynasty worlds, while the story left the Great Qin Empire expanding its control through railway lines and gradual absorption.

• Jiang Yan Hai calculated that lunar soil extraction was too costly and slow, and chose second-generation reactors to make helium-3 extraction from seawater easier.
• Great Qin began building four nuclear power plants and preparing the Primary Stargate site, mobilizing 200,000 workers and aiming to finish construction in about six months.
• Jiang Yan Hai and his colleagues focused on mastering the Primary Stargate’s construction processes so they could begin building it once the plants were complete.
• The Song Dynasty side mobilized more than 1.5 million soldiers and civilians to occupy its northern regions and extend railways across the continent and into the Americas.
• Great Qin planned to consolidate its expanding territory and eventually absorb the populous Song Dynasty world through gradual, nonviolent means.

The chapter described railway expansion in the Song Dynasty and Great Qin, including the introduction of nuclear-powered locomotives, while China’s rapid technological rise reshaped global markets. It ended with China dominating the battery industry, though foreign companies still had time to catch up because domestic demand appeared to consume its production.

• Engineers introduced nuclear-powered locomotives to support the growing railway network, and broad-gauge tracks made their use practical.
• The Song Dynasty built railways faster than Great Qin because it had surrounding countries to connect, while Great Qin’s population remained concentrated.
• China’s Nuwa Alliance rapidly displaced Android and iOS phones across much of the world, and Chinese appliance makers expanded overseas.
• China introduced Graphene Batteries and two other batteries with comparable or better performance, leaving other countries unable to compete in the energy sector.
• Foreign companies saw a chance to catch up because China’s battery supply could not meet domestic demand, though governments suspected the batteries were being consumed elsewhere.

Jiang Yan Hai applied Stargate decomposition technology to plastic, enabling factories to recover useful materials and create a new source of wealth for China. Other countries suspected China had another Stargate supplying the Red Star Republic, but they had no way to stop it.

• Jiang Yan Hai adapted Stargate decomposition technology to break plastic down efficiently into its original materials.
• China built factories to process plastic, recover battery raw materials, and potentially charge other countries to dispose of their waste.
• Foreign governments observed China's rising industrial output and economic strength but could not explain where all its products went.
• Other countries guessed that China had another Stargate leading to the Red Star Republic and was supplying the Sand Bears and Mipu during their war.
• Foreign governments recognized that China had grown too powerful to challenge, while China and its neighbor had become unusually cooperative.

China’s rapid technological advances continued while Great Qin introduced color LCD televisions to nearly every household. Scorpion joined his neighbors to watch the television station’s first broadcast, which began with a test pattern.

• China’s visible advances in aircraft, submarines, missiles, and other technology left other countries unable to influence its rise.
• Great Qin distributed affordable color LCD televisions and household television signals to help its people understand the new world.
• Scorpion accepted that his former life was behind him and settled into his role as a worker in Great Qin.
• Yang Wen invited Scorpion to celebrate the television station’s opening at his home.
• Yang Wen turned on the television, and the group saw a colored test pattern appear.

Yang Wen and his wife watched Great Qin Central Television’s first News Broadcast, which covered the launch of a lunar exploration satellite. Inspired by the country’s progress, Scorpion decided he wanted to witness how far it would go and asked to meet the woman Yang Wen’s wife had introduced to him.

• Yang Wen and Scorpion discussed the television test signal and wondered what their children might learn in the future.
• Great Qin Central Television began its first News Broadcast and introduced the lunar exploration satellite launch.
• Yang Wen and his wife watched the Long March 20 rocket lift off, counting down and cheering as it rose.
• Scorpion felt moved by the nation’s efforts and decided he wanted to witness its future progress.
• Scorpion asked Yang Wen’s wife to arrange a meeting with the woman she had introduced, and Yang Wen happily encouraged him.

Scorpion reflected on the peace he had found in Great Qin, while Jiang Yan Hai and He Zhi Jun discussed his surveillance and medical monitoring. The chapter revealed that Scorpion was also part of a long-term study of Red Mad Wolf antibodies, which Great Qin considered strategically vital.

• Scorpion realized his trauma symptoms had eased after living in Great Qin, and he wondered how the country would respond to a world like his own.
• He Zhi Jun asked Jiang Yan Hai whether they should stop Scorpion from visiting a woman, but Jiang Yan Hai decided to let him go because he still had value.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered He Zhi Jun to keep Scorpion's monitoring chip updated and record every change in his body, while allowing a possible pregnancy to happen for research.
• Jiang Yan Hai told He Zhi Jun to provide medical insurance and twice-yearly physical examinations for everyone in the town.
• Jiang Yan Hai reviewed Scorpion's file, which documented a long-term experiment tracking Red Mad Wolf antibodies in his body.
• Jiang Yan Hai considered Red Mad Wolf antibodies strategically important because they could adapt to viruses, and Scorpion carried both the antibodies and a detection chip.