Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo and Xiao Yu recognized that the scandal rumors were meant to sow discord within their family and company, and Xiao Yu urged him not to give the plotters what they wanted. Meanwhile, the CIA’s Hand of Washington escalated its campaign against Ant Army Group, and Gou Wei was reported drowned in Thailand.

• Xiao Yu told Chen Mo she knew the scandal photos were fake and suspected someone was trying to turn her against Zhao Min and destabilize Ant Army Group.
• Xiao Yu assured Chen Mo that he should continue working with Zhao Min and said she would handle any concerns from their family.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu set aside their worries and played with Xiao Wushuang and Mo Nv as rumors about divorce and conflict spread online.
• At CIA headquarters, Mellon learned the agents had no reliable information about the effects of their rumor campaign and ordered them to increase the pressure.
• Three days later, reports said Gou Wei had drowned while swimming in Thailand.

After Gou Wei’s death was ruled an accidental drowning, Zhao Min prepared lawsuits against online rumor-spreaders while Chen Mo investigated who had orchestrated the scandal. Mo Nv identified the CIA as responsible, and Chen Mo decided to retaliate against the official he believed led the operation.

• Police announced that Gou Wei had died in an accidental drowning, but accusations against Chen Mo and the Ant Army Group continued to spread.
• Zhao Min rejected a public-relations response and ordered the legal team to prepare lawsuits against nearly a thousand people who had spread rumors and defamed the company.
• Chen Mo stayed at the aerospace center and had Mo Nv monitor people who might have been involved in the photos scandal.
• Mo Nv reported that the CIA had guided public opinion and contacted headquarters around Gou Wei’s death, identifying Mellon as the likely official in charge.
• Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to watch Mellon in Langley and decided to send the CIA a retaliatory “big gift.”

The CIA and Pentagon suffered a devastating cyberattack that destroyed their networked computers and disrupted Langley’s power, while Linna faced blame from the President. The attack was only a small part of Chen Mo’s revenge, which had not yet ended.

• Dennis discovered that an intruder had breached the CIA’s Intelligent Firewall and blacked out his computer.
• Mellon and his agents discussed exploiting Ant Army Group’s internal tensions and using a recording to turn the Huaxia authorities against it.
• A female agent reported that hackers had destroyed the computers at CIA headquarters, and Linna learned that the Pentagon had suffered the same attack.
• Langley’s power system was hacked, and Linna ordered her staff to find the culprit while concealing the damage from the public.
• The President berated Linna over the repeated breaches, while Chen Mo’s revenge continued beyond the attack.

After failing to identify the hacker who attacked the CIA and Pentagon, CIA leaders blamed Huaxia publicly and planned to frame the Ant Army Group to gain support for a response against it. Chen Mo learned Mellon would travel to Washington and began preparing to act against him.

• Dennis suggested that the Ant Army Group's Fire Ant Laboratory might have breached the CIA's Intelligent Firewall, though he knew of no motive for an attack.
• Linna ordered Dennis and Morrison to report that Huaxia hackers were responsible, then told Mellon to accompany her to Washington with a plan to deal with the Ant Army Group.
• Linna told Mellon that evidence did not matter and that they would pin the cyberattacks on the Ant Army Group to win support for dealing with it.
• Mo Nv told Chen Mo that Mellon was going to Washington the day after tomorrow, and Chen Mo asked her to confirm his route if he traveled by plane.

As rumors accusing Chen Mo of murder and treason spread, he and Zhao Min prepared for the public storm to end while Chen Mo secretly readied a mission. He left Xiao Yu at home and flew with Mo Nv toward Washington, where his target, Mellon, was due to arrive.

• Online recordings accused Chen Mo of hiring Gou Wei's murder and selling advanced technology overseas, while the police and official media stayed silent.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that the rumors were still escalating and that she had fired employees who stirred up dissent; Chen Mo said the storm would end soon and hinted at a spectacle that night.
• Chen Mo showed Zhao Min satellite designs and said Ant Army Group would deploy them after the Spaceplane's test flight.
• Chen Mo reassured the worried Xiao Yu, put on his combat suit, and departed with Mo Nv from the villa's underground laboratory.
• Chen Mo and Mo Nv activated stealth mode, crossed out of Huaxia airspace, and flew at Mach 5 toward Washington.

Linna and Mellon traveled to Washington to report on efforts against Ant Army Group, while Chen Mo raced across the United States in his stealth armored suit to intercept them. He reached the skies south of Washington and checked their location.

• Linna told Mellon to exaggerate the threat posed by Ant Army Group to gain White House support, and Mellon said their plans and report were ready.
• Chen Mo chose to fly at Mach 5 despite the sonic booms, reasoning that subsonic flight would make him miss Linna and the others.
• The sonic booms over Los Angeles and cities along Chen Mo's route alarmed residents and military officials, but air-defense radar detected no unidentified aircraft.
• John Youngho ordered an investigation and contacted the Pentagon as fighters failed to catch up with the unknown object.
• Chen Mo reached the skies south of Washington and asked Mo Nv to locate Linna and the others.

Chen Mo hijacked Linna and Mellon's private jet to seize the plan against him, then killed Mellon and Linna. He left the plane under Mo Nv's control, with the surviving passengers still aboard.

• Mellon woke from a nightmare about Chen Mo and discussed the plan against him with Linna aboard their flight to Washington.
• Chen Mo intercepted the plane, cut open a window, sent mechanical spiders to open the cabin door, and ordered Mo Nv to steer it toward the Atlantic Ocean.
• Chen Mo entered the cabin, killed several security personnel, and took Mellon's briefcase despite the passengers' attempts to negotiate.
• Chen Mo found the plan against him in the briefcase, recognized that Mellon had guessed his identity, and killed him.
• Chen Mo crushed Linna's hidden recording devices and killed her after she threatened him and pleaded for her life.

After hijacking a CIA aircraft and killing its occupants, Chen Mo destroyed the plane’s black boxes and staged a mountain crash before returning to Bin Hai City. The crash exposed the deaths of CIA Director Linna and other senior officials, prompting worldwide speculation while Chen Mo slept beside Xiao Yu, who still knew nothing about his actions.

• At Richmond Tower, Oscar Munoz learned that Flight A4864 had vanished from radar, and the tower reported the aircraft missing.
• After Mo Nv informed him that the US Air Force had scrambled fighter jets, Chen Mo abandoned his plan to sink the plane in the Atlantic and ordered it crashed into a mountain.
• Chen Mo destroyed the black boxes, took Linna’s assistant and the co-pilot’s bodies to frame two missing people, and flew away as the plane exploded against a mountain ridge.
• Chen Mo returned to his villa in Bin Hai City, where Mo Nv told him that Xiao Yu had threatened to make him kneel on the keyboard for hiding things from her.
• Oscar learned that the crashed aircraft belonged to the CIA and that its passengers included Director Linna and senior officials, leaving him expecting investigators to target his company.
• News outlets reported that twenty-three people had died and two were missing, and the deaths of Linna and other CIA officials triggered worldwide speculation.

Chen Mo told Xiao Yu that he had killed the CIA officials behind the attacks on their family, and she supported him despite her fear. At the company, he showed Zhao Min the plot against them and planned to expose it while keeping his involvement secret.

• Xiao Yu saw news that a plane carrying senior CIA officials had crashed and realized Chen Mo had gone out to do something dangerous.
• Chen Mo admitted to Xiao Yu that he had killed the people responsible for the attacks, and she reassured him that she would support him.
• Zhao Min confronted Chen Mo at the company, and he confirmed that he had caused the crash and obtained the CIA's complete plan against them.
• Chen Mo explained that he had created signs of defection to direct suspicion toward two missing people and intended to expose the plan to clear Zhao Min's name.
• Zhao Min warned Chen Mo to keep his involvement secret, then said she would prepare to settle the score over the online smears.

Wiki Website published a genuine CIA document revealing that “Washington's Hand” had orchestrated the smear campaign against Ant Army Group. With public opinion turning in their favor, Zhao Min prepared lawsuits against those involved and ended the chapter reviewing a long list of targets.

• Hrafnsson verified an anonymous document and ordered Wiki Website to publish it.
• Wiki Website revealed that “Washington's Hand” had spread rumors about Chen Mo, Zhao Min, and He Xiaoyu and planned to take control of Ant Army Group.
• The American government demanded the document's removal and announced an investigation, while the revelations triggered worldwide uproar.
• Huaxia media reported on the document, and online attacks against Chen Mo disappeared as people learned the truth.
• Li Huai told Zhao Min that the company was ready to sue hundreds of internet users, media figures, companies, troll farms, and platforms.
• Zhao Min took the lawsuit files and said the targets were “plump enough.”

Zhao Min announced that the Ant Army Group would pursue legal action against those who spread rumors and attacked the company, its leadership, and their families. The company prepared lawsuits against more than a thousand defendants and refused to settle, drawing national attention to the case.

• Zhao Min held a press conference with Li Huai and said the truth about the rumors concerning her had already come out.
• Zhao Min announced that the Ant Army Group had collected evidence and would sue people who defamed and personally attacked them, while reporting rumor-mongering to the police.
• Zhao Min revealed that the initial lawsuits named 857 internet users, 83 self-media personalities, 9 media companies, 4 paid-comment companies, and 3 platforms.
• Zhao Min said the real number of defendants was much higher, that the company had hired 52 law firms and 156 lawyers, and that it would not accept settlements.
• The press conference spread widely, and the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate voiced close attention to the Ant Army Group's rights protection case.

Ant Army Group’s mass lawsuits against online smear campaigners silenced much of the abuse and renewed the company’s image, while Chen Mo continued working at the aerospace center. The chapter ended with Chen Mo seeing the completed spaceplane in a hangar.

• Yang Liang received a court summons from Ant Army Group, and his message triggered panic and departures in the paid-poster group.
• More smear campaigners, self-media operators, and companies received summonses, while defendants posted apologies, complaints, and defiant reactions online.
• Ant Army Group’s lawsuits drew national attention, helped spur calls for real-name registration and internet legislation, and caused online attacks and paid smear jobs to dwindle.
• A month later, the campaign had faded from public attention, but it had strengthened Ant Army Group’s reputation and employee cohesion.
• Chen Mo continued his research as the CIA’s investigation stalled and the Washington’s Hand scandal lost public attention.
• Chen Mo stood in the Flying Ant Aerospace Center hangar and looked down at the completed spaceplane.

Chen Mo and Zhao Min inspected the completed Spaceplane, named Divine Maiden, and discussed its design and commercial plans. Chen Mo sought approval for a test flight, while Li Chengzhi and Yao Yi began preparing to assist.

• Chen Mo and Zhao Min examined the completed Spaceplane, which Chen Mo named Divine Maiden.
• Chen Mo explained the Divine Maiden’s compartments and capacity, while Zhao Min outlined plans to profit from space tourism and other services.
• Chen Mo contacted Li Chengzhi to arrange military and air traffic control approval for a test flight.
• Li Chengzhi told Liu Jianjun that Chen Mo’s Spaceplane was ready to fly and that he would go to Bin Hai City.
• Zhao Min informed Yao Yi about the upcoming test flight, and Yao Yi asked to watch it once approval was granted.

Li Chengzhi brought a delegation of leading aerospace experts to inspect Chen Mo’s Flying Ant Aerospace Center and its spaceplane. They were stunned by the facility’s automated production technology and ended the visit face-to-face with the enormous aircraft under construction.

• Li Chengzhi introduced Chen Mo to the delegation of researchers and engineers at the aerospace center.
• Chen Mo showed the experts the hangar, where automated production lines and robots left them astonished.
• Lin Xi examined an ultra-precision component, recognized its advanced machining, and accepted it as a souvenir from Chen Mo.
• The experts discovered cutting-edge technology from their own fields throughout the hangar and gradually grew accustomed to the surprises.
• Chen Mo brought the delegation into the assembly workshop, where they were amazed by the spaceplane frame under construction.

Chen Mo revealed his Spaceplane and its Ion Engine to a group of experts, then showed them the completed Goddess aircraft. The experts discovered its potential as a strategic bomber and lunar lander, and Chen Mo led them toward the control cabin to explain its energy source.

• The experts marveled at the Spaceplane under construction, and Chen Mo identified it as his design powered by an Ion Engine.
• Chen Mo promised to provide Ion Engine test data and videos to an engine design engineer.
• Chen Mo led the experts to the hangar, where they saw the completed Goddess and examined its exterior and engine.
• Chen Mo opened the aircraft's underside hatch, and the experts entered the cabin to inspect its layout.
• Yang Wei said the aircraft could be modified into a sixth-generation strategic bomber, while Chen Mo estimated its maximum takeoff weight at around 230 tons.
• Chen Mo told Zhang Jianfeng that the aircraft could technically land on the moon, then led the experts toward the control cabin after an engine expert asked about its energy source.

Chen Mo showed the visiting experts the Spaceplane’s energy system and explained how its new element crystals powered the Ion Engine. The experts left stunned, and Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to prepare for a test flight.

• Chen Mo opened the Energy Battery platform and revealed eight crystals that powered the aircraft.
• Chen Mo explained that the crystals stored energy and released controllable High-Energy Beta Particles under intense light.
• Chen Mo described how a reactor made from a new material converted Beta Particles and heat into electricity.
• The experts toured the Spaceplane and concluded that its technologies were beyond their knowledge.
• Chen Mo told Mo Nv to prepare the Spaceplane for a test flight.

Chen Mo began the Goddess’s test flight, and the aircraft demonstrated vertical takeoff and landing before climbing to the top of the mesosphere. Intelligence agencies around the world observed its capabilities, and Chen Mo ended the successful first flight by ordering it to return.

• Chen Mo chose robots to operate the Goddess, and Zhao Min and Yao Yi arrived as it emerged from the hangar.
• Satellite intelligence teams in the United States, Island, and Russia spotted the enormous aircraft and reported its appearance to their governments.
• Chen Mo ordered a vertical takeoff, and the Goddess rose three meters before successfully completing vertical takeoff and landing tests.
• The Goddess climbed through the atmosphere as experts monitored its systems and foreign intelligence agencies watched its progress.
• The aircraft reached 80,000 meters with its systems functioning normally, confirming its capability as a spaceplane.
• Chen Mo ended the test flight and ordered the Goddess to return.

Chen Mo began the Goddess’s first test flight, and the aircraft successfully demonstrated vertical takeoff and landing before climbing to the top of the mesosphere. The flight proved the Goddess could operate as a Spaceplane, and Chen Mo ordered it to return.

• Chen Mo led Zhao Min, Yao Yi, and the experts to the command center as the Goddess emerged from its hangar.
• Jerisden, Wayne, and intelligence agencies in several countries spotted the aircraft by satellite and scrambled to identify it.
• Chen Mo ordered the Goddess to test vertical takeoff and landing, and it hovered successfully before rising to one hundred meters.
• Chen Mo began the high-altitude flight test, and the Goddess climbed through the stratosphere and into the mesosphere while its systems reported normal readings.
• The Goddess reached eighty thousand meters, and Chen Mo ordered it to return.

After the Shennv returned intact from its first test flight, Chen Mo discussed the next flight and the aircraft’s technology with Li Chengzhi. Li Chengzhi planned to report Chen Mo’s 24-billion-per-aircraft price to the higher-ups.

• Chen Mo ordered the test flight to return and said the Shennv would need to reach the Thermosphere and Exosphere before the test counted as a success.
• Experts and staff inspected the intact Shennv, while Chen Mo received the flight data from a robot and handed it to Mo Nv.
• Li Chengzhi asked how long the aircraft’s battery could keep it flying, and Chen Mo said about a month.
• Li Chengzhi asked what substance modified the battery crystals, and Chen Mo revealed it was indium, Element 49.
• Li Chengzhi asked whether the Shennv was for sale, and Chen Mo agreed to sell it for 24 billion per aircraft.
• Li Chengzhi said he would report the price to the higher-ups, and Chen Mo invited the experts to eat.

After foreign media exposed test flights of Chen Mo’s mysterious aircraft, he agreed to reveal details in an interview with Feng Qingrui. He disclosed that the aircraft was a spaceplane and that Flying Ant Aerospace Center planned space tourism and commercial launch services.

• Foreign reports and online photos of the aircraft at Flying Ant Aerospace Center drew public attention and prompted reporters to seek information.
• Chen Mo and Zhao Min suspected the leak was meant to provoke a response, then decided to release information about the aircraft and promote the aerospace center’s plans.
• Feng Qingrui interviewed Chen Mo about rumors, online abuse, and his work during the controversy; Chen Mo said he had been developing the aircraft in the laboratory.
• Chen Mo revealed that the aircraft had entered test flights and was designed as a spaceplane for future space exploration.
• Chen Mo announced plans for Flying Ant Aerospace Center to offer space tourism, commercial satellite launches, and other space-related services.
• After Feng Qingrui left to process the interview, Chen Mo asked Mo Nv to arrange another media interview.