Chapter Summaries

Fang Cheng drove off a disturbing presence during meditation, then went to investigate a distress signal from the He family’s apartment. He confronted the monster attacking He Jin and his niece, ending the chapter by calling it out to face him.

• Fang Cheng’s meditation was disrupted by visions of the dead, and he shouted until the apparitions vanished.
• Zhou Xiumei called Fang Cheng after hearing someone moving in her living room, and he searched her home with a gun.
• Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei heard a coded knocking signal from He Yao’s apartment below, so Fang Cheng went to investigate.
• He Jin hid with his niece as a monster that resembled his dead brother broke into their bedroom and approached their wardrobe.
• Fang Cheng called out to the monster, saying, “You want to eat meat? Come find me.”

Fang Cheng fought He Yao after his neighbor became a monstrous, flesh-hungry creature, then pursued him into North Point Old District. Just as Fang Cheng prepared to end He Yao’s suffering, a different entity spoke through his body and claimed He Yao belonged to it.

• He Jin hid with his niece as Fang Cheng drove the monster through a window and fought it in the street.
• Fang Cheng seized He Yao’s barbed tongue and swung him into the ground until the tongue snapped, but He Yao escaped.
• Fang Cheng followed He Yao to North Point Old District, where He Yao’s hunger overwhelmed him and he attacked Fang Cheng.
• Fang Cheng battered He Yao into an alley wall and prepared to deliver a final blow.
• He Yao suddenly spoke in an unfamiliar, ancient-sounding voice, and Fang Cheng realized the speaker was not He Yao.
• The entity told Fang Cheng that He Yao belonged to it.

Fang Cheng learned that the creature who possessed He Yao was a Ghoul Leader and sought answers from the Smiling Devil. The Smiling Devil explained the kinds of monsters and their origins, then told Fang Cheng that he seemed to belong to the same kind as him: a Killer Demon.

• A Ghoul Leader possessing He Yao tried to recruit Fang Cheng, but Fang Cheng refused and demanded to know his identity.
• The Ghoul Leader abandoned He Yao's body, leaving behind a pile of bones, and Fang Cheng marked the remains with He Yao's name before leaving.
• Fang Cheng returned to Zhou Xiumei's home, kept watch while she rested, and used the contact incantation to meet the Smiling Devil.
• The Smiling Devil denied attacking Fang Cheng, then identified the mysterious being as a Ghoul Leader and explained that ghouls were one of five types of monsters with Extraordinary Power.
• The Smiling Devil explained that monsters had existed alongside ordinary humans throughout history, described ghouls' abilities and weakness to sunlight, and said Fang Cheng was likely a Killer Demon like him.

Fang Cheng reflected on the origins of Awakened abilities and found comfort in Zhou Xiumei’s quiet affection before falling asleep. The next morning, he trained in the rain, mastered handstand push-ups, and gained the special effect Air Walking.

• Fang Cheng considered how bloodline Awakening created both Aristocratic Scions and monsters, and wondered how Lin Chuqiao and Pan Wendi saw him.
• Zhou Xiumei covered Fang Cheng with a blanket and tenderly touched his face, then hurried back to her bedroom when she thought he was waking.
• Fang Cheng secretly opened his eyes, felt warmth from Zhou Xiumei’s gesture, and soon fell asleep.
• Fang Cheng went to the rooftop in the rain and completed his morning training before attempting weighted handstand push-ups.
• Fang Cheng advanced to Master Level in Handstand Push-Ups and received the special effect Air Walking, which increased his Balance Ability and Airtime by 100%.

Fang Cheng tested the Air Walking enhancement and discovered he could remain airborne for over three seconds in a standing jump and glide across his ceiling for about five seconds. After planning how to improve his lightness skills, he agreed to share breakfast with Zhou Xiumei.

• Fang Cheng practiced Qi Gong, replenished his energy, and inspected the Air Walking enhancement from his Master Level Handstand Push-Ups skill.
• Fang Cheng timed a standing jump at 3.07 seconds of airtime and considered how skill effects and body positioning extended his suspension.
• Fang Cheng used a running leap, a tucked somersault, and adjustments to his center of gravity to slide along the ceiling before landing by the wardrobe.
• Fang Cheng considered training more balance-focused skills to extend his airtime and checked the progress of several skills nearing their next levels.
• Zhou Xiumei knocked on Fang Cheng's door, invited him to breakfast, and hurried home to serve soup after he accepted.

Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei shared breakfast before Zhou Yongnian explained that a string of similar killings had drawn the City Police Department and the Special Search Team to the sealed Sleeve Building. Fang Cheng hid evidence of his unusual strength and belongings, but as he cooked lunch with Zhou Xiumei, he overheard investigators mention a man wearing a white mask.

• Zhou Xiumei prepared breakfast for Fang Cheng, and Zhou Yongnian returned home and explained that the building's murder was one of four similar cases in the city.
• Zhou Yongnian warned Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei to stay inside while police and the Special Search Team investigated the sealed building.
• Fang Cheng returned home, hid his unusual equipment and other belongings at Zhou Xiumei's apartment, and concealed the broken door before officers questioned them.
• Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei gave matching accounts to the visiting officers, who left without searching Fang Cheng's home.
• Fang Cheng helped Zhou Xiumei cook lunch and overheard investigators mention a man wearing a white mask.

Fang Cheng adjusted his training during the police lockdown, studying to improve Speed Reading while practicing Tai Chi in his apartment. By imagining a fight with the Experimental Subject, he comprehended Tai Chi’s principles and unlocked the Neutralizing Force special effect.

• Fang Cheng noticed a possible observer across the street and decided to avoid conspicuous physical training while the police watched the sealed building.
• Fang Cheng practiced Speed Reading with World History and Criminal Psychology, raising the skill’s experience to 210/250 and memorizing both books.
• Fang Cheng practiced the 24-Form Ma Family Tai Chi and reflected on using softness, stillness, and an unhurried mindset to overcome force.
• Fang Cheng activated Focus and faced the Experimental Subject in an imagined fight, redirecting its attacks and countering with its own momentum.
• Fang Cheng reached Expert Level in Tai Chi and received the Neutralizing Force skill special effect.

Cheng Le Yi and Lin Xu Hao monitored the residential building for the Special Search Team while investigating the death of He Yao, and Cheng Le Yi saw Fang Cheng exercising across the street. Fang Cheng realized the team was watching him, concealed his strength, and prepared for the building-wide disinfection and health checks as he hoped the lockdown would end.

• Cheng Le Yi and Lin Xu Hao discussed their overnight surveillance and learned that DNA testing had confirmed He Yao’s remains, suggesting his killer was not an ordinary ghoul.
• Cheng Le Yi spotted Fang Cheng exercising and privately decided he seemed too disciplined and attractive to be the monster they sought.
• Fang Cheng noticed a glint from Cheng Le Yi’s telescope and concluded that a Special Search Team agent was watching the building, though he thought he was not their only target.
• Fang Cheng practiced a restrained exercise routine to maintain his cover while reviewing the Neutralizing Force ability he had gained after Tai Chi reached Expert Level.
• Fang Cheng heard police announce that the epidemic prevention department would disinfect the building and offer free physical examinations.

Fang Cheng passed the quarantine health checks by controlling his body and using his martial arts to let a needle draw blood, then noticed that the medical supplies came from Ren'an Hospital. As the building remained sealed, he formed a vague plan, and later handed Zhou Xiumei a ring of keys without explaining what they were for.

• Residents of the Sleeve Building lined up for examinations while Cheng Le Yi and another Special Search Team specialist watched them for possible monsters.
• Fang Cheng controlled his vital signs and cooperated with the examination, but his tough skin bent several blood-draw needles before he used his True Qi to let one pierce his vein.
• Fang Cheng noticed the Ren'an Hospital name on the doctor's badge and equipment box, then continued observing the people and area around the building as a plan took shape.
• That evening, Fang Cheng watched a kung fu movie and gave Wen Xin a handheld game console while Zhou Xiumei served homemade milk tea.
• After Wen Hui Yi took Wen Xin home, Fang Cheng stopped Zhou Xiumei and handed her a ring of keys.

Fang Cheng sneaked out of the Sleeve Building and infiltrated Ren'an Hospital to replace the blood sample taken during his physical examination. He reached the thirteenth floor of the Rehabilitation Center and overheard medical staff discussing a suspicious blood sample.

• Fang Cheng arranged for Zhou Xiumei to sit in his room after midnight so his absence would go unnoticed.
• Fang Cheng used a disturbance outside the Sleeve Building to evade surveillance and travel to Ren'an Hospital.
• Fang Cheng covered two security cameras with mud and jumped over the hospital's high, alarmed wall.
• Fang Cheng observed the guards and patrols around the Rehabilitation Center, then climbed the building's exterior toward a room where medical staff were working.
• Fang Cheng reached the thirteenth floor and heard someone ask Senior Apprentice Zheng to examine a blood sample that seemed abnormal.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Cheng infiltrates the blood testing lab to retrieve his and Wen Xin's blood samples.
• He discovers Professor Zheng, a lab worker, secretly taking blood samples and assaulting a female colleague.
• Fang Cheng follows Zheng, intending to retrieve the stolen samples and eliminate him.

Character Developments

• Fang Cheng demonstrates his stealth, agility, and strategic thinking in infiltrating the lab and following Zheng.
• Professor Zheng is revealed to be dishonest and violent, willing to harm colleagues to achieve his goals.

Significant Themes

• The theme of deception and betrayal is reinforced with Zheng's actions.
• The importance of trust and loyalty is highlighted, as Zheng's actions violate these values.

Character Interactions

• Fang Cheng interacts with Professor Zheng indirectly, following him without Zheng's knowledge.
• Zheng interacts violently with the female doctor on duty, assaulting her to cover his tracks.

Professor Zheng supplied fresh blood to a bound patient, who broke free, transformed, and named himself Jiang Chen before turning Zheng and the soldiers into victims and allies. As the Rehabilitation Center descended into chaos, Fang Cheng searched for Zheng and heard an apparently bulletproof monster nearby.

• Professor Zheng brought five tubes of awakened blood to the patient in Ward 513, who promised to resurrect Zheng's wife and grant him a longer life.
• After Zheng injected the blood, the patient tore apart his restraints, regained strength, turned Zheng into an Undead, and killed two soldiers with bone-spike wings.
• The patient named himself Jiang Chen, ordered Zheng to open the other cages, and unleashed a roar that triggered a riot throughout the Rehabilitation Center.
• The Defense Center sounded the alarm and summoned patrols and the Special Search Team as soldiers fought the escaped monsters.
• Fang Cheng entered the chaos to find Professor Zheng, then heard a monster laugh that bullets could not kill.

Jiang Chen led the ghouls in attacking the soldiers while Fang Cheng concealed himself and waited for a chance to strike. Fang Cheng’s ambush killed Professor Zheng, as Jiang Chen turned to attack him.

• The ghouls poured out of their cells and attacked the soldiers, but two Special Search Team Officers helped the squad fight them back.
• The white-haired officer identified Jiang Chen as the Ghoul Leader and charged him with the burly officer, while Jiang Chen ordered Professor Zheng to free the other ghouls.
• Professor Zheng used his ability to direct the ghouls and urged them to kill the soldiers who opposed Jiang Chen’s plans.
• Fang Cheng emerged from hiding and used Neutralizing Force to evade the ghouls’ attacks as he prepared his Qilin Arm.
• Fang Cheng punched through the ghouls and struck Professor Zheng in the forehead, while Jiang Chen redirected his bone spikes toward Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng killed Professor Zheng, recovered his and Wen Xin’s Blood Collection Tubes, and drew Jiang Chen into a battle while posing as a Special Search Team officer. After Jiang Chen’s devastating attack and transformation, Fang Cheng led the two injured Specialists toward an exit as the army surrounded the Rehabilitation Center.

• Fang Cheng killed Professor Zheng with a punch and took the Blood Collection Tubes bearing his and Wen Xin’s names.
• Fang Cheng ordered the white-haired man and the Shield-Wielding Man to help fight Jiang Chen, then survived Jiang Chen’s barrage of Bone Shard Fragments with Evergreen Resilience.
• Jiang Chen recalled the bloodied bone fragments, absorbed the victims’ blood, and grew stronger as military reinforcements approached.
• Fang Cheng urged the two Specialists to evacuate and protected them from Jiang Chen’s bone-spur attacks before fleeing with them toward the stairwell.
• The army surrounded the Rehabilitation Center while Jiang Chen pursued Fang Cheng and the two Specialists.

Colonel Deng’s forces surrounded the Rehabilitation Center and opened fire when Fang Cheng led Jiang Chen outside, but the monster withstood bullets, artillery, and a missile. A second missile strike sent Jiang Chen crashing into a building, leaving him motionless amid scattered bones.

• Colonel Deng received a broken radio report that monsters had overwhelmed soldiers inside the Rehabilitation Center and ordered his forces to prepare a cautious assault.
• The white-haired man and the Shield-Wielding Man escaped the building, and Fang Cheng followed while drawing the pursuing monster outside.
• Colonel Deng ordered his soldiers to concentrate fire on Jiang Chen, but the monster shielded himself from bullets with bone spikes.
• The soldiers fired artillery and a missile, cracking Jiang Chen’s bone shield, while he mocked their weapons.
• Jiang Chen leaped away, but two more missiles struck him and hurled him into a building, where his bones scattered across the ground.

After the military killed the Ghoul Leader, Fang Cheng escaped the hospital unnoticed, but Gao Jin identified the white-masked figure as the dangerous killer demon codenamed White Owl and suspected the Ghoul Leader might still be alive. At Old Factory Street, Cheng Le Yi watched a building until an unidentified figure slipped through a ninth-floor window.

• Colonel Deng ordered the soldiers to confirm the Ghoul Leader’s death and clear the Rehabilitation Center, while Xu Fei and Chen Lei said a masked officer had rescued them.
• Fang Cheng saw the Female Doctor being evacuated, changed his clothes and appearance, and left the area before the helicopters could spot him.
• Gao Jin questioned Xu Fei and Chen Lei, identified the masked man as White Owl, and described the mask’s violent history and possible supernatural inheritance.
• Gao Jin examined the Ghoul Leader’s skeleton and said the creature might not be dead yet.
• Cheng Le Yi monitored Old Factory Street, then an unidentified figure climbed the building and slipped through a half-open ninth-floor window.

After returning home from the ghoul incident, Fang Cheng hid his involvement, worried about the dangers surrounding Ren'an Hospital, and resolved to grow stronger. The next morning, Zhou Xiumei woke to find him home and preparing breakfast, while his cooking earned him more experience.

• Fang Cheng returned home at night and found Zhou Xiumei asleep at his desk after she had stayed up to cover for him.
• Fang Cheng carried Zhou Xiumei to bed, then reviewed the night's battle and gained experience in several combat and exercise skills.
• Fang Cheng decided to urge his mother to leave Ren'an Hospital after his maternal grandfather was discharged, and he worried that Jiang Chen might share a connection with the evil ghost that had possessed He Yao.
• Fang Cheng decided not to enter the Spiritual Space while the Special Search Team might be watching, then eventually fell asleep after resolving to become stronger.
• Zhou Xiumei woke the next morning, discovered Fang Cheng making breakfast, and went home to wash after realizing her drool had dampened his pillow.
• Fang Cheng finished cooking breakfast and gained 8 EXP in Cooking.

After the building’s quarantine ended, Fang Cheng resumed intense training and advanced Speed Reading to Master Level, gaining the Memory Palace special effect. He began meditating to restore his spirit before testing the new ability.

• Fang Cheng confirmed the Special Search Team and patrol officers had left the area after the quarantine was lifted.
• Fang Cheng completed his home workout, saw that his maternal grandfather had left the ICU, and planned to visit him later that day.
• Fang Cheng practiced Speed Reading with a dictionary until he overexerted his spirit and received a warning.
• Fang Cheng advanced Speed Reading to Lv2 Master Level and gained the Memory Palace special effect.
• Fang Cheng recalled the dictionary’s pages in perfect detail, then sat down to meditate before trying the new ability.

Fang Cheng used Speed Reading and Meditation to build a vivid Memory Palace in the Spiritual Space between his conscious awareness and Subconscious Mind. He completed its prototype before exhaustion forced him to stop, leaving him with a private mental space that could be expanded later.

• Fang Cheng scanned and memorized his home with Speed Reading, but stopped after about ten seconds when the effort caused severe mental strain.
• Fang Cheng entered the Spiritual Space and used Meditation and his Spirituality Fire to create a stable area amid the black mist.
• Fang Cheng recreated a National Dictionary as the trigger for his Memory Palace, then used it to link memories and reconstruct his desk and bedroom.
• Fang Cheng spread Red Pine Wood Floor across the space to shut out the darkness and completed a lifelike prototype of his home.
• Fang Cheng received Speed Reading and Meditation experience for building the prototype, then decided to postpone expanding it because of his fatigue.

Fang Cheng tested the realistic Memory Palace he had built from memories of his bedroom, then visited his recovering maternal grandfather at the hospital. While lunching with his uncle Li Dingjian, he heard familiar voices in a news report about the Ren'an Hospital terror incident.

• Fang Cheng confirmed that he had returned to the real world after constructing a vivid Memory Palace and considered how it might be expanded, before setting the idea aside.
• Fang Cheng visited Li Zhenhua in the hospital, where relatives praised his changed appearance and pressed him about work and blind dates.
• Li Dingjian arrived and rescued Fang Cheng from the relatives, then took him to the hospital food plaza for lunch.
• Li Dingjian said his import-export business had earned him his first fortune and hinted that it involved risks, while insisting it was proper and temporary.
• Fang Cheng and Li Dingjian heard a news report about the Ren'an Hospital terror incident, and two familiar voices caught Fang Cheng's attention.