Chapter Summaries

After Ant Army Company’s retaliation ended the protests, laid-off miner Liu Qingguo found work restoring abandoned mining areas. At an ITER meeting, Li Jian rejected demands to share China’s successful Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology, and the dispute began to strain the world order.

• Three days after Tang Baiming’s death, Cao Jiangmin confessed to bribing workers and inciting protests, and the demonstrations outside Ant Army Company ended.
• Liu Qingguo learned he had been laid off from the coal mine and worried about finding work to support his family.
• Manager Tong offered Liu Qingguo a job restoring vegetation in abandoned mining areas, and Liu accepted.
• At an ITER meeting in France, Li Jian refused foreign demands to share China’s Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology and walked out after representatives threatened a technology blockade.
• China’s Foreign Ministry stated that the Star Ring Research Institute had developed the technology without outside assistance and was not part of the ITER framework.
• As news of the fusion breakthrough spread, smaller countries avoided taking sides while the established global order began to crack.

As Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology threatened existing economic and political power, nations weighed how to respond while the global contest intensified. Dong Quan received orders to obtain the technology and began considering Chen Mo’s family as a way to reach him.

• The Arab King asked Mohammed whether Arab Kingdom should cut off oil supplies at the Westerners’ request, and Mohammed argued against it and urged economic diversification.
• The Arab King decided Arab Kingdom would wait and see, while OPEC and other parties stayed silent or pursued ways to respond to the Energy Revolution.
• Dong Quan read his superiors’ order to obtain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology as quickly as possible.
• Dong Quan reviewed his failed attempts to infiltrate Ant Army Company and concluded that kidnapping Chen Mo was currently impossible.
• Dong Quan studied photographs of Chen Mo meeting Zhang Xinxin and considered Chen Mo’s family his remaining weakness.

Zhang Xinxin went to Dihao Fang for her roommate Liu Yan Yi’s boyfriend Dong Quan’s birthday, while Xiao Yu arranged discreet protection for her. Chen Mo continued his Soil Oxygen Grass research and, after hearing about the outing, wondered if the invitation concealed ulterior motives.

• Liu Yan Yi invited Zhang Xinxin and her roommates to Dong Quan’s birthday karaoke gathering at Dihao Fang, and Zhang Xinxin accepted.
• Xiao Yu told Black Hawk to have two bodyguards follow Zhang Xinxin discreetly and pick her up that night.
• Liu Yan Yi gave Dong Quan a birthday gift, and Dong Quan said he had not invited business friends because they were away.
• Chen Mo used a successful drought-resistance gene transfer to advance his Soil Oxygen Grass research and placed the culture media in an incubator.
• Chen Mo learned that Zhang Xinxin had gone to Dihao Fang and suspected Dong Quan might have ulterior motives, while Xiao Yu told him she had arranged protection.

Chen Mo realized Zhang Xinxin had been targeted, identified Dong Quan as a suspected operative, and rushed to pursue him after Dong Quan kidnapped her. Dong Quan demanded Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology and Artificial Intelligence Technology in exchange for Xinxin and drove toward an abandoned factory.

• Dong Quan signaled his accomplices while Zhang Xinxin and her friends sang in a private room.
• Chen Mo grew suspicious of Dong Quan, then learned that Wu Qiang and Cheng Chuanyu had been attacked at Dihao Fang.
• Chen Mo identified Dong Quan as a University of London graduate who had applied to Ant Army Company and ordered his team to pursue the kidnappers.
• Wu Qiang reported that Cheng Chuanyu had been shot and Dong Quan had kidnapped Zhang Xinxin; Chen Mo armed his team with protective equipment and headed toward the northern outskirts.
• Dong Quan called Chen Mo and demanded Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology and Artificial Intelligence Technology within two hours, then drove toward an abandoned old factory.

Chen Mo arrived at the factory where Dong Quan held Xin Xin hostage and demanded Artificial Intelligence Technology. After the police failed to find a safe way to intervene, Chen Mo insisted on entering, and Zhuang Yan gave him protective gear.

• Chen Mo learned from Zhuang Yan that Xin Xin was trapped with an armed criminal amid Homemade Bombs, while Wu Qiang had been shot and taken to the hospital.
• Dong Quan called and demanded that Chen Mo bring Artificial Intelligence Technology into the factory, threatening to injure Xin Xin if anyone else came in.
• Chen Mo insisted on going inside despite Zhuang Yan, Wang Hai, and Zhu He trying to stop him.
• Chen Mo called Yao Yi and demanded permission to enter, and Yao Yi said he would find a way.
• Zhuang Yan received a call from the city bureau, then handed Chen Mo a bulletproof vest and helmet; Chen Mo put on a headset and said he was not that weak.

Chen Mo entered Dong Quan’s bomb-filled hideout and offered himself as a hostage in exchange for his sister’s release. Zhang Xinxin escaped, while Chen Mo remained under Dong Quan’s gun and began moving toward the computer to decrypt the files.

• Dong Quan threatened Chen Mo with homemade bombs and demanded the encrypted technical files.
• Chen Mo surrendered his earpiece, bulletproof vest, and belongings, then presented the hard drive containing the files.
• Chen Mo insisted Dong Quan release Zhang Xinxin first and offered to stay as his hostage.
• Dong Quan ordered Zhang Xinxin freed and warned her not to resist.
• Zhang Xinxin left the factory, and Chen Mo agreed to decrypt the files as he approached the computer.

Chen Mo escaped after triggering an explosion that killed Dong Quan, while Ant Army Group’s announcements on nuclear fusion, city development, and entertainment projects sent shockwaves through global markets and geopolitics. The chapter ended with world powers organizing a rival fusion research effort and Ant Army Group continuing to disrupt the international order.

• Chen Mo copied the files for Dong Quan, then used the robotic egg to distract him and ran for the door.
• Dong Quan tried to shoot Chen Mo and evade the robotic egg, but the explosion engulfed him.
• Zhao Min and Yang Mingzhe announced that construction had begun on two controlled nuclear fusion power stations, rattling global markets.
• The United States and Russia invited seven other parties to Geneva, where the nine parties agreed to invest 25 billion US dollars in high-temperature plasma research.
• Bin Hai authorities and Ant Army announced a counterespionage operation, the City of Science and Technology plan, and a partnership to build a holographic park.

Chen Mo welcomed his daughter, Chen Wushuang, nicknamed Little Cuttlefish, while Xiao Yu recovered at home. As Zhao Min discussed the global upheaval caused by controlled nuclear fusion, Chen Mo reviewed his stalled Soil Oxygen Grass experiment and said his next plan was to expand.

• Chen Mo rushed to the hospital and waited anxiously until a nurse announced Xiao Yu had safely given birth to a girl.
• Chen Mo held his newborn daughter, then learned Xiao Yu had named her Wushuang and nicknamed her Little Cuttlefish.
• After Xiao Yu stabilized, Chen Mo took her home, where the family and Zhao Min gathered around the baby.
• Chen Mo reviewed data from his experiment to grow Soil Oxygen Grass in harsh conditions, but the seeds had not yet shown signs of sprouting.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that the controlled nuclear fusion announcement had intensified global economic change, then asked what he planned to do next.
• Chen Mo answered that he planned to expand.

Chen Mo confirmed that Soil Oxygen Grass seedlings had sprouted and moved to accelerate their growth while preparing to test whether they could purify soil and reproduce. He then told Ant Army Group’s executives to expand the company into a business empire, leaving them one week to submit profitable proposals.

• Chen Mo saw three Soil Oxygen Grass seedlings survive in Cultivation Room No. 7 and ordered growth hormone, a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, and sufficient water to speed their maturation.
• Chen Mo and Zhao Min joined Ant Army Group’s core managers for an emergency holographic meeting.
• Chen Mo announced that Ant Army Group would accelerate its expansion to strengthen its reach and influence across its various businesses.
• Chen Mo instructed the executives to submit feasible, profitable expansion proposals to Zhao Min within one week.
• Zhao Min said the group aimed to build an unprecedented business empire on a strong foundation.

Ant Army Group accelerated its expansion across cinemas, stores, autonomous driving, and theme parks, prompting Disney to view Ant Paradise as a major threat and consider pursuing cooperation. The Rothschild Family and other partners responded by moving quickly to support Ant Army’s plans.

• Li Lingfeng ordered negotiations with cinema chains and a rapid Holographic Cinema rollout, while Julie directed plans for 150 experience stores and investment assessments.
• Lin Shu proposed acquiring automobile plants, beginning a fourth round of Autonomous Driving road tests, and submitting a development report.
• Li Danni ordered Li Ruoxi to prepare Ant Paradise’s second-phase expansion plan within a week.
• At Disney, Bob Iger and his executives discussed Ant Paradise’s threat and concluded that cooperation and access to holographic technology could be preferable to direct competition.
• Alexander approved the Rothschild Family’s support for Starfish Company’s medical-device acquisitions and Ant Paradise’s European site evaluations.

Chen Mo manually pollinated the maturing Soil Oxygen Grass and reviewed expansion proposals with Zhao Min. He agreed to work with Disney to enter the American cinema market while refusing to supply projectors for its theme parks.

• Chen Mo manually pollinated the Soil Oxygen Grass after Mo Nv said she could not confirm whether pollination had succeeded.
• Zhao Min presented expansion proposals, and Chen Mo approved plans involving holographic parks, cinemas, autonomous vehicles, and a possible high-end electric vehicle brand.
• Chen Mo asked Mo Nv to assess the investment plans, and she completed the report in seconds.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that Disney CEO Eiger wanted holographic projectors for movie production and cinema renovations.
• Chen Mo agreed to rent Disney large projectors for filming and sell medium projectors for cinemas, but refused to supply equipment for theme parks.

The Ant Army Group expanded rapidly through new U.S. sales, holographic film partnerships, and major projects worldwide while Chen Mo completed the Soil Oxygen Grass seeds. He then unlocked War Robot technology and began planning a body for Mo Nv.

• The United States lifted restrictions on some Ant Army Group holographic products, and the group announced a New York headquarters and a partnership with Disney to develop Holographic Movies.
• Cinema chains in Huaxia and Europe agreed to become holographic cinemas, while Zhang Fengyun said the first Holographic Movie was nearing completion and other directors prepared projects with Ant Paradise support.
• Zhao Min launched major expansion projects, including Ant Paradise locations, a high-end electric sedan division, pharmaceutical investments, and two new Holographic Phone production lines.
• Chen Mo found that the fourth batch of Soil Oxygen Grass seeds had matured successfully and entered the Military Industry book in the Sci-Tech Library.
• Chen Mo acquired War Robot technology and asked Mo Nv if she wanted a body of her own.
• Mo Nv agreed and asked whether she could design her body; Chen Mo told her to choose its appearance while he specified new materials, battery technology, and weapons.

Chen Mo was embarrassed when Mo Nv showed him a nude body modeled first after Xiao Yu and then Zhao Min, before Zhao Min arrived and caught them. After handing Zhao Min seeds for a genetically edited plant, he told her the company could prepare to enter the military industry sector.

• Xiao Yu told Chen Mo she wanted to do charity work in his name, and he supported her while suggesting she use her own name.
• Mo Nv showed Chen Mo her completed body design, which first resembled Xiao Yu and then Zhao Min, leaving him mortified when Zhao Min arrived and saw it.
• Zhao Min teased Chen Mo about the projection, then accepted a bottle of Soil Oxygen Grass seeds for a research team to evaluate.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min that the company could begin preparing to enter the military industry sector.

Chen Mo approved Mo Nv’s new adult appearance and began designing her robot body, while Lirik received a treatment for a mutated virus called Death God at a secret laboratory in Angola. Lirik revealed that his group planned to profit from a coming worldwide virus panic, not merely cause terror.

• Mo Nv presented a new appearance modeled mainly on her original facial data and combined with Xiao Yu’s and Zhao Min’s, and Chen Mo accepted it.
• Mo Nv chose to call Chen Mo “Mo Ge,” and the two began designing her body layout for a War Robot.
• Lirik arrived at a guarded villa off Angola and visited the laboratory where Doliweizi had developed a treatment for the mutated virus.
• Doliweizi questioned Lirik about the virus, and Lirik explained that it had originated after a war before being deliberately mutated and named Death God.
• Lirik told Doliweizi that his group intended to exploit the coming global panic to make money as well as spread terror.

People in Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, and London suddenly collapsed with dizziness and nausea before red rashes appeared on their bodies. Doctors identified a previously unknown virus in several patients and warned that it might spread without direct contact, prompting hospitals and health authorities to take urgent precautions.

• Viede collapsed at a Paris hospital after a doctor found no illness in his preliminary examination.
• Iijima Shin collapsed at a Tokyo airport, where red spots were beginning to appear on his skin.
• Hall collapsed at work, and his colleagues noticed red blotches spreading across his arm.
• Howard ordered a Berlin ward isolated after a patient developed red spots and pustules.
• Roche confirmed that four London patients carried a new virus and ordered isolation measures and a public infectious-disease warning as similar cases emerged worldwide.

VFV spread rapidly across the world, prompting escalating public-health restrictions and global panic. After Reaper Scythe claimed responsibility for releasing the virus, governments launched countermeasures and the WHO assembled an international team to develop treatments and a vaccine.

• News reports tracked VFV cases spreading across dozens of cities, prompting travel restrictions, quarantines, and work and school closures.
• The WHO raised its infectious-disease alert to Level 6 as infections rose and international events were canceled.
• Glaxo Company announced that it had developed a VFV testing reagent.
• Reaper Scythe released a video admitting it had deliberately spread VFV in Europe and North America as retaliation for war.
• Governments designated Reaper Scythe a terrorist organization, issued wanted notices, and launched emergency programs to develop countermeasures.
• The WHO assembled a seventy-two-member Angel Team, joined by pharmaceutical companies, to develop VFV drugs and a vaccine.

Luo Di became the first reported VFV patient to die as the virus spread across the world without an effective treatment. After the WHO identified two major outbreak sites, Chen Mo learned Zhao Min had attended one of them and decided to get checked alongside her.

• Luo Di died in isolation at Victoria Hospital after his condition worsened from the VFV Virus.
• Roche learned that Patient No. 25 in Zone C had died, and news of the first VFV deaths intensified public panic.
• The World Health Organization identified a New York economic forum and a Paris concert as outbreak sources, reporting dozens of initial infections and hundreds of secondary cases.
• Xiao Yu told Chen Mo that Zhao Min might have attended the economic forum, prompting him to call her.
• Zhao Min said she had no symptoms but planned to get tested and close the company campus for three days, and Chen Mo decided to go over as well.

After Zhao Min was quarantined as a suspected VFV case, Xiao Yu took over company decisions while Chen Mo searched the Sci-Tech Library for antiviral research. As the outbreak spread worldwide with no recoveries, Chen Mo joined the national research team to help find a cure.

• Chen Mo learned that Zhao Min had VFV-related antibodies and a positive virus test, while his other close contacts tested negative.
• Zhao Min joked with Chen Mo during a holographic call, and he promised to hug her after she left quarantine.
• Xiao Yu arranged for Xiao Wushuang to stay with her parents and volunteered to manage the company while Zhao Min was quarantined.
• Chen Mo searched the Sci-Tech Library, selected viral activity-reducing agents, and studied books on virology and vaccine development.
• Wu Bing and other experts reviewed the worsening global VFV outbreak, which had caused thirty-seven deaths and no recoveries.
• Shi Hongtu announced that Chen Mo had joined the national VFV research team, and Chen Mo entered the meeting room.

As the VFV epidemic spread worldwide, tests confirmed that Zhao Min carried the virus despite having no symptoms, and that Lan Xi had also been infected. Chen Mo decided to request Zhao Min's transfer to the capital's quarantine zone, hoping its facilities would provide her the best care and her unusual case might help the research team.

• The WHO identified the New York economic forum and the Paris concert as major sources of the VFV Virus, while infections and travel restrictions spread across the world.
• Li Yufang told Zhao Min that tests had found active VFV in her blood, though her antibodies kept the virus's quantity and activity unusually low.
• Li Yufang reported that Lan Xi's viral quantity had risen quickly and that Zhao Min likely infected her during their recent contact.
• Wu Bing learned that Chen Mo had joined the research team because Zhao Min was a suspected case, and Chen Mo confirmed it.
• Chen Mo proposed transferring Zhao Min to the capital's quarantine zone so the team could monitor her unusual infection and provide better care.
• Wu Bing advised Chen Mo to ask Team Leader Shi for approval, and Chen Mo left to speak with him.

Chen Mo visited Zhao Min in isolation and realized that the Potential Elixir might explain why her VFV Virus infection was unusually slow. He planned to test the elixir as a treatment for Zhao Min and Lan Xi, while refusing to use it on a large scale.

• Chen Mo visited Zhao Min in isolation and told her he had joined the expert team researching a specific treatment for the VFV Virus.
• Chen Mo questioned Zhao Min about her health and learned that she had not taken medicine but had remained healthy since receiving the Potential Elixir.
• Chen Mo realized the Potential Elixir might have strengthened Zhao Min's immunity and slowed the virus's metabolism.
• Chen Mo told Wu Bing he wanted to test the Potential Elixir as a treatment, and Wu Bing warned that large-scale use could expose a strategic secret.
• Chen Mo said he only intended to cure Zhao Min and Lan Xi, adding that others had nothing to do with him.