Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yu and Zhao Min began neutral-buoyancy training under Chen Mo while foreign agents plotted to steal the Island Nation’s newly developed Artificial Intelligence. The espionage plans stalled when Russian agents suspected another group was targeting the research base.

• Chen Mo joined Xiao Yu and Zhao Min at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and prepared to train them in weightlessness simulation.
• William Haggerty received Washington’s order to obtain the Island Nation’s Artificial Intelligence program and tasked Samurai with finding a way past its five-key security system.
• Bass met with Longze Xue, a Russian agent who had copied Yamamoto Saki’s key and reported progress in luring Cang Jie and Ono Zhi.
• Longze Xue told Bass that a beautiful female researcher had recently grown close to Yamamoto Saki, raising suspicions that another group was targeting the base.
• Bass ordered Longze Xue to investigate the researcher and pause their plan until they knew who else was involved.

Chen Mo obtained engineering robot and Helium-3 extraction designs for the Lunar Base project, then reviewed survey data showing that the lunar tunnels met construction requirements. Mo Nv expressed her wish to become human, and Chen Mo told her he would work toward giving her human emotions and feelings.

• Wushuang asked Xiao Yu when she and Zhao Min would return, and Xiao Yu comforted her and promised Chen Mo would take her to space when she grew up.
• Chen Mo accessed the Sci-Tech Library and obtained blueprints for engineering robots and equipment to extract Helium-3.
• Mo Nv asked Chen Mo whether she looked good and whether he wanted her to become human; she said she did, and he promised to work toward giving her complete human emotions and feelings.
• Mo Nv displayed survey data showing that the lunar tunnel system stretched 139 kilometers, with a 53-kilometer main tunnel reaching 274 meters deep.
• Chen Mo decided to begin construction in the tunnels near the entrance and told Mo Nv to monitor Island Nation's Artificial Intelligence and copy its code if it connected to the internet.

Murakami Shisui tested whether Amaterasu could hack several computer systems, discovering that it quickly breached three but failed against the Ant Army Group’s Termite System. He ordered the experiment stopped, but Yamamoto Saki challenged his authority and threatened to report him to the higher-ups, leaving the laboratory at a standoff.

• Ono Zhi asked Murakami Shisui whether Amaterasu could optimize a Tokamak Device, but Shisui said they needed authorization and the classified fusion materials before they could try.
• Yamamoto Saki persuaded Murakami Shisui to test Amaterasu’s ability to hack computers on an isolated local network.
• Amaterasu obtained data from the Windows, Linux, and Mac systems within seconds, alarming Shisui and the research team.
• Amaterasu failed to breach the Termite System, which locked its data after detecting the attack.
• Murakami Shisui ordered the experiment terminated and the results kept secret, but Yamamoto Saki refused and threatened to report him to the higher-ups.

William, Bass, and Chen Mo each monitored the growing disagreement between Murakami Shisui and Yamamoto Saki over Amaterasu. The prime minister's residence decided to copy a version of Amaterasu for Controlled Nuclear Fusion research, and Murakami Shisui chose to let Yamamoto lead the team.

• William ordered his intelligence personnel to investigate why Murakami Shisui and Yamamoto Saki had left the laboratory in bad moods.
• Bass told Longze Xue to watch the woman approaching Yamamoto Saki and investigate the researchers' disagreement.
• Chen Mo instructed Mo Nv to keep monitoring the researchers and copy Amaterasu's core program if they connected it to the internet.
• Murakami Shisui warned Sato Ryuichi and Mai Ao that Amaterasu could endanger the internet, while Yamamoto Saki argued it was controlled and could help crack Huaxia's Termite System.
• Mai Ao told Murakami Shisui that the prime minister had ordered a copy of Amaterasu to assist Controlled Nuclear Fusion research and asked whether he or Yamamoto would lead the team.
• Murakami Shisui chose to let Yamamoto Saki lead the team to assist Controlled Nuclear Fusion research.

William learned that Yamamoto Saki's group might leave the base and ordered Samurai to find a way to seize Artificial Intelligence, while Bass prepared an operation to take Amaterasu. Chen Mo agreed to help Zhang Jianfeng send an astronaut and biological experiment module to the moon, as he continued preparing a lunar base and Helium-3 extraction.

• William told Samurai to use any means necessary to obtain Artificial Intelligence if Yamamoto Saki's group left the base.
• Bass briefed twelve Alpha Special Forces members on their mission to seize Amaterasu, while undercover agents prepared to support them.
• Xiao Yu and Zhao Min continued vestibular training despite Chen Mo's offer to let them quit, saying they wanted to see the universe with him.
• Zhang Jianfeng gave Chen Mo lunar soil and rocks from the Aitken Basin and asked about the Goddess landing on the moon.
• Chen Mo told Zhang Jianfeng he planned to build a lunar base near Wisdom Sea and agreed to transport an astronaut and biological experiment module.

Mai Ao oversaw the separate transport of Amaterasu’s program and control key, but rival forces attacked the escort convoys on the Kyoto Expressway. As the CIA tried to recover a safe from a downed helicopter, White Bear’s team prepared to strike.

• Mai Ao supervised the copying and separate locking of Amaterasu’s program and control key into two safes.
• Samurai tracked the military convoy carrying one safe and ordered Team One to attack when Team Two’s target reached the planned area.
• Matsuda Takeshi spotted a masked attacker aiming a rocket launcher at his vehicle, and explosions and gunfire erupted across the highway.
• Bass ordered his disguised team to wait for the fighting to weaken their opponents, then sent bomb-carrying drones and armed riders toward the battlefield.
• White Bear’s team reached the CIA helicopter recovering a safe and aimed smart rockets at it.

An Bei, the CIA, and the Island Nation’s researchers reacted to the theft of Amaterasu, while Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to watch for the AI online. The Island Nation blamed Russia, setting off diplomatic expulsions and sanctions as a larger conflict began to brew.

• An Bei learned that Amaterasu’s program and encryption keys had been stolen, ordered ports and customs sealed, and instructed Kishida Honoo to call the incident a terrorist attack.
• Ono Zhi and Murakami Shisui realized the theft had triggered suspicions of a traitor among the AI team and its base.
• William learned that the CIA operation had failed and suspected Russia had taken Amaterasu, while Chen Mo told Mo Nv to monitor the internet and copy the AI if it connected.
• The Island Nation blamed Russian agents for the attack and expelled Russia’s ambassador, prompting Russia to deny involvement and expel the Island Nation’s ambassador.
• The Island Nation sought UN sanctions against Russia, but the agreement failed; the United States then announced its own sanctions and urged its allies to join.

Russia copied Amaterasu from the Island Nation and renamed the Artificial Intelligence Yekaterina, while Tom secured approval to pressure the Island Nation into surrendering its AI team. The chapter ended with Washington preparing to support Tom’s plan, which could bring the conflict with the Island Nation into the open.

• Russia's researchers successfully copied Amaterasu's files and confirmed that the Artificial Intelligence ran.
• Luoqiji Siqi said the team needed to modify and test Amaterasu before using it, and Lieov ordered the hard drive and key kept inside the laboratory.
• Russia's president named the Artificial Intelligence Yekaterina.
• Tom proposed staging a cybervirus crisis and blaming the Island Nation to force it to hand over Murakami Shisui's team.
• Nick consulted the president, who approved Tom's plan and instructed him to submit its details one week before it began.

At Island Nation’s Strategic Technology Research Institute, Yamamoto Saki’s team connected Amaterasu to the internet to test its cyber-intrusion abilities, while Chen Mo and Mo Nv copied the AI and disrupted its program. The chapter left Tom and CIA hackers beginning an authorized cyberattack on selected Island Nation cities to create a pretext for demanding Amaterasu.

• Yamamoto Saki’s team connected Amaterasu to the internet and tested its ability to invade computers.
• Chen Mo learned of the test, and Mo Nv copied Amaterasu’s code and judged its intelligence and intrusion abilities weak.
• Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to destroy the program Amaterasu was testing.
• Yamamoto Saki’s team detected abnormal data, found Amaterasu’s program damaged, and restored a copy from their database.
• Tom ordered CIA hackers to attack selected Island Nation cities as part of a plan to pressure the country for Amaterasu.

After an Intelligent Virus struck thirteen American cities, the CIA revealed that its investigation blamed an Island Nation research team rather than Russia. The chapter left the Island Nation’s reporters denouncing the findings as a frame-up and storming out.

• A virus attack caused widespread outages in thirteen American cities, and public opinion quickly accused Russia.
• Tom delayed releasing the CIA’s findings until the controversy had attracted global attention.
• Vasilisa attended the CIA press conference, worried that the investigation would intensify hostility toward Russia.
• Tom announced that the attacks came from the Island Nation and linked them to the team that developed the Satan Virus.
• Tom presented evidence tying the attacks to the team’s base and demanded that Island Nation officials hand its researchers over for trial.
• Island Nation reporters rejected the accusation as a frame-up and left the press conference.

An Bei and the Island Nation faced American demands to surrender the Satan team and its “virus program,” which was actually Amaterasu and its Artificial Intelligence developers. After the United States threatened sanctions that sent the Island Nation’s economy into crisis, An Bei negotiated a settlement that handed over the program while leaving the team under Island Nation monitoring.

• An Bei learned that the White House demanded the Satan team and its “virus program,” and he refused to surrender the specialists while offering compensation.
• The CIA blamed the Island Nation for the network attacks, prompting international outrage and calls for sanctions.
• The White House threatened to cut off resource exports to the Island Nation unless it handed over the team and program within a week.
• An Bei led a delegation to Washington after the threat caused the Island Nation’s stock market to collapse and the yen to plunge.
• After five days of negotiations, An Bei agreed to hand over the “virus program,” monitor the Satan team, and pay nearly five billion US Dollars in compensation, while the United States canceled its sanctions.

After the Goddess carried Chen Mo, Xiao Yu, and Zhao Min into space, they admired Earth and discussed whether alien civilizations existed and how they might treat humanity. Far away, a meteor strike destroyed a Red Tail spacecraft, sending debris toward Orion and Earth.

• America and the Island Nation eased their dispute, while Russia remained in a subdued confrontation with the Island Nation.
• Chen Mo gave Xiao Yu and Zhao Min radiation-prevention medicine before the three boarded the Goddess and departed.
• A Red Tail spacecraft entered the Milky Way, awakened its crew after detecting a meteor stream, and exploded when a meteor struck its damaged hull.
• Xiao Yu and Zhao Min gazed at Earth from the Goddess as Chen Mo explained the Fermi Paradox through his deep-sea bacteria analogy.
• Chen Mo discussed how alien civilizations might discover or threaten humanity, while wreckage from the Red Tail ship continued toward Orion.

After a three-day space vacation with Xiao Yu and Zhao Min, Chen Mo visited the completed expansion of the Flying Ant Aerospace Center. He mapped its new hangar and ordered equipment moved in to begin manufacturing a space vessel.

• Chen Mo, Xiao Yu, and Zhao Min took photos and observed the stars during their three-day trip aboard the Goddess.
• Luo Nan showed Chen Mo the newly completed aerospace base and its enormous second hangar, built with help from the Ant Army Group's robots and technology.
• Chen Mo entered the empty hangar and used drones to create a complete holographic model of its structure.
• Chen Mo ordered spacecraft components, manufacturing equipment, and Intelligent Robots brought to Hangar No. 2 to prepare for space vessel production.

Chen Mo prepared robots and equipment for a manned landing on the Moon’s far side, where he planned to build a Lunar Base in an ancient lava tunnel. He recruited Zhang Jianfeng’s Lunar Exploration Project Team, and Flying Ant Aerospace Center publicly announced the joint mission, scheduled for ten days later.

• Chen Mo inspected the lunar equipment, including robots for construction, tunnel expansion, and Helium-3 extraction, and planned to send it to the Moon aboard the Shennv and Sky Ant.
• Chen Mo told Zhang Jianfeng that the Moon landing was set for ten days later, and Zhang Jianfeng brought his team and the ecological experiment module to Flying Ant Aerospace Center.
• Chen Mo introduced astronauts Yang Yunsheng and Cai Kang and showed the team data on a far-side lava tunnel he had selected as the first Lunar Base site.
• Chen Mo explained that the mission would prepare the tunnel for construction and use a robot to extract Helium-3 from lunar soil.
• Li Ruoxi and Zhang Jianfeng announced Flying Ant Aerospace Center’s joint plan for a manned landing on the far side of the Moon and revealed plans for a Lunar Base, lunar travel, and lunar resource development.

Huaxia’s lunar plans heightened global fears that Ant Army Group would monopolize fusion fuel and technology, prompting other nations to seek new research breakthroughs. At Flying Ant Aerospace Center, Yang Yunsheng and Cai Kang launched aboard Shennv for the far side of the Moon, with Sky Ant following.

• Fortune reported that Ant Army Group’s lunar resource plans could make the company one of the world’s largest economies and give Chen Mo immeasurable wealth.
• At Sandia National Laboratories, Mike Cuneo reviewed the limits of American fusion experiments and agreed to join a new elite team at Area 51.
• At the Kurchatov Institute, Yevgeny Velikhov agreed to test Jelina’s assistance in Russian fusion research, while Yamamoto Saki attended a similar meeting about Amaterasu in the Island Nation.
• Nations pursuing fusion research grew anxious that Huaxia would gain lasting control of the technology and lunar Helium-3 resources.
• Yang Yunsheng and Cai Kang boarded Shennv for the lunar landing, and Sky Ant launched ten minutes later.

Yang Yunsheng and Cai Kang landed on the far side of the Moon aboard Shennü and stepped onto its surface, making history for Huaxia. The Lunar Exploration Project Team celebrated the success, and Zhang Jianfeng prepared to announce the news to the people back home.

• Shennü entered lunar orbit and received permission to land at its target coordinates on the far side of the Moon.
• Yang Yunsheng and Cai Kang waited aboard Shennü as it landed successfully, then waited for Sky Ant to arrive.
• Sky Ant landed nearby, and robots carried equipment toward the crater where Chen Mo had discovered a tunnel.
• Yang Yunsheng and Cai Kang checked their spacesuits, left Shennü, and planted a red flag on the lunar surface.
• Zhang Jianfeng and the Lunar Exploration Project Team celebrated the landing as Chen Mo applauded.
• Zhang Jianfeng thanked Academician Chen and said it was time to tell the people back home the good news.

Yang Yunshan and Cai Kang completed their five-day lunar mission, collecting samples and Helium-3 as Ant Army Group’s robots began work on the Moon. After the astronauts returned safely, Chen Mo announced that the Goddess had brought back 100 grams of lunar Helium-3, revealing that Ant Army Group’s collection technology was ready for expansion.

• Yang Yunshan and Cai Kang watched robots unload the ecological experiment module and learned that Ant Army Group had sent Helium-3 extraction machines to the Moon.
• Yang Yunshan asked Goddess to collect 300 kilograms of rock and soil from the lava tunnels for research.
• News of Huaxia’s successful landing on the far side of the Moon swept across the world, and the astronauts returned safely after five days.
• Mo Nv handed Chen Mo a refrigerated container of Helium-3 brought back by the Goddess.
• Chen Mo announced at a press conference that Ant Army Group had collected 100 grams of Helium-3 and planned large-scale lunar extraction.

After Chen Mo announced that Ant Army Group had harvested Helium-3 on the moon, the breakthrough shook global energy markets and triggered international pressure and failed efforts to constrain the company. Over five months, major powers withdrew from a joint fusion project and revealed competing breakthroughs, leaving the global order in turmoil.

• Chen Mo announced the successful lunar Helium-3 harvest, sending coal markets into a collapse and making him, Xiao Yu, Zhao Min, and Mo Nv prominent figures on global power lists.
• Huaxia and Ant Army Group rejected international demands to share lunar platforms and permit investigations, while efforts to suspend Ant Army Group's lunar program failed.
• Ant Army Group made four lunar farside landings to deliver Helium-3 equipment and construction materials as its base and Flying Ant Aerospace's Space Hotel advanced.
• Russia and Island Nation withdrew from the Seven Directions Group's fusion research agreement, and Eva announced the United States' withdrawal after taking office.
• Russia, the United States, and Island Nation each announced major fusion breakthroughs, revealing that they had left the agreement to pursue technology they would not share.

Chen Mo completed the Fairy Maiden, a giant spacecraft twice the size of the Divine Maiden, and oversaw its successful test flight to 400 kilometers above Earth. The Fairy Maiden returned safely, and Chen Mo entered the Sci-Tech Library to see whether the project had completed a new technology.

• Chen Mo unveiled the Fairy Maiden, which had cost over 80 billion to build, and ordered its first test flight.
• Mo Nv confirmed the Fairy Maiden's systems were ready as intelligence agencies around the world spotted the giant aircraft on satellite imagery.
• Chen Mo ordered the Fairy Maiden to take off, and it hovered twenty meters above the airfield before climbing into the sky.
• The Fairy Maiden reached 400 kilometers while its systems remained stable, then Chen Mo ordered it to return.
• The Fairy Maiden landed safely, and Chen Mo realized its completion meant a new technology had been completed.
• Chen Mo told Mo Nv to wake him if anything urgent happened, then entered the Sci-Tech Library.

Chen Mo chose quantum computers and quantum communication as his next research project, seeking to expand Mo Nv’s capabilities and secure the Ant Army Group’s networks. After studying the foundational theories, he left the Sci-Tech Library with Mo Nv and planned to continue the research the next day.

• Chen Mo saw that the Sci-Tech Ball’s golden light had grown after the Lunar Base and Fairy Maiden projects, and decided to begin a new research project.
• Chen Mo concluded that the Ant Army Group needed stronger computing power and an information-secure network as other nations advanced their Artificial Intelligence and fusion research.
• Chen Mo selected quantum computers and quantum chips, studied their theories and design principles, and considered their computing, communication-security, and potential Artificial Intelligence applications.
• After digesting the quantum theories for three hours, Chen Mo woke on the sofa and asked Mo Nv how long he had slept.
• Chen Mo told Mo Nv they would go home and continue researching the next day.