Chapter Summaries

Shangguan Yuxin learned that Chu Han had secretly arranged for the Black Radiance Squad to protect her, while major bases sent delegations to Nandu Base. Chu Han confirmed Fan Hongxuan was alive in the research institute and planned to sneak inside that night, using the chaos surrounding his banquet appearance as cover.

• The Black Radiance Squad staged an attack on Shangguan Yuxin and escorted her safely, leaving her to thank Chu Han.
• Helicopters from numerous major bases arrived at Nandu Base, filling the helipad and guest accommodations.
• Meng Qiwei reported that Chu Yuntian had no trace in the research institute, but Fan Hongxuan was alive in its restricted core section.
• Chu Han decided to enter the research institute that night, and Meng Qiwei agreed to arrange a disguise and contact with his people inside.
• Meng Qiwei warned Chu Han that he was expected at a banquet attended by the visiting delegations, but Chu Han said the crowd would help him take advantage of the chaos.

Mercer met Zhang Dong at a roadside teahouse while traveling to Shangjing and learned that Shangjing had captured him for a Battle Power Ranking assessment. Mercer left with Zhang Dong, taking him along to Shangjing.

• Mercer confirmed to Zhang Dong that he was heading to Shangjing.
• Zhang Dong urged Mercer to go to Wolf Fang Base instead, praising Chu Han and inviting Mercer to travel with him.
• Zhang Dong explained that Shangjing’s forces had captured him and sedated him while he was on his way to Wolf Fang Base, then took him back for a Battle Power Ranking assessment.
• Mercer invited Zhang Dong to come to Shangjing with him and abducted him.

Envoys from China’s leading bases gathered at Nandu Base, where they challenged Chu Han for arriving late and without his general’s badge. The confrontation was poised to escalate when Chu Han asked Zhong Kai who he was.

• Nandu Base hosted a banquet for envoys from nearly all of China’s top hundred bases, while Chu Han’s seat beside Shangguan Rong remained empty.
• Zhong Kai criticized Chu Han for making the guests wait, and another lieutenant general urged the banquet to begin without him.
• Shangguan Rong agreed with the criticism, but Shangguan Yuxin warned him not to speak when Chu Han arrived.
• Chu Han entered in casual clothes without his General’s Badge, and the guests mocked him and questioned his right to attend.
• Zhong Kai blocked Chu Han from reaching his seat, demanded to know who he was, and then introduced himself as Jinyang Base’s Lieutenant General and General Zhong Kui’s son.

At Nandu Base, Zhong Kai used his lieutenant general rank and Jinyang Base’s influence to belittle Chu Han, but Chu Han turned his insult into a political threat against Nandu. The gathering’s hidden purpose was revealed: the base leaders had sent eligible young men to court Shangguan Yuxin.

• The crowd admired Zhong Kai after he revealed his status and his backing from Jinyang Base and his father, Zhong Kui.
• Chu Han remained calm, having already reviewed Meng Qiwei’s intelligence and recognized Zhong Kai as a target they had agreed to deal with.
• Zhong Kai said Chu Han was not qualified to sit with generals, and Chu Han accused him of humiliating Shangguan Yuxin and challenging Nandu Base.
• The people at the table panicked when they realized Shangguan Yuxin had no military rank, making Zhong Kai’s statement apply to her as well.
• Chu Han and the gathered leaders knew the visitors had come to Nandu Base to court Shangguan Yuxin and secure a marriage alliance.

Chu Han disrupted the marriage-alliance suitors by humiliating Zhong Kai and using his general's rank to put Shen Yunlou in his place. As the dinner grew lively, Zhong Kai regained his composure and appealed to his childhood connection with Shangguan Yuxin.

• Chu Han exposed Zhong Kai's arrogant remarks, damaging Zhong Kai's standing with Shangguan Rong and forcing him to retreat.
• Shen Yunlou introduced himself to Shangguan Yuxin and impressed Shangguan Rong with his tact and charm.
• Chu Han pinned on his General's Badge and made Shen Yunlou drink a toast while he drank casually, angering Shen Yunlou.
• Shangguan Rong showed his displeasure with Chu Han, prompting the other suitors to rush to impress him and Shangguan Yuxin.
• Zhong Kai approached Shangguan Rong and Shangguan Yuxin, saying he had liked Yuxin for a long time and asking whether she remembered their childhood together.

Shangguan Yuxin exposed Zhong Kai’s insulting childhood remarks and rejected Shen Yunlou’s carefully presented courtship by declaring the qualities she wanted in a husband. Her conditions pointed toward Chu Han, leaving the suitors stunned and realizing they had been pursuing her in the wrong direction.

• Zhong Kai claimed he and Shangguan Yuxin had known each other since childhood, but Shangguan Yuxin recalled him insulting her and treating her as inferior.
• Shangguan Rong grew regretful over the hardships Shangguan Yuxin had endured, and Chu Han raised his glass in a sincere gesture of understanding.
• Shen Yunlou approached Shangguan Yuxin and asked her to give him a chance, but she dismissed his attempt to set aside his rank.
• Shangguan Yuxin declared that she would marry only a man with the highest combat strength, military rank, courage, and authority, then glanced playfully at Chu Han.

At a banquet, Shangguan Yuxin openly stated the qualities she wanted in a partner, drawing attention to Chu Han and leaving the two alone together. After reminiscing about their first meeting, Shangguan Yuxin confessed that she liked him most and kissed the corner of his mouth before fleeing.

• Shangguan Yuxin named her conditions for a partner, and the guests realized they seemed to describe Chu Han.
• Shangguan Rong ended the gathering, and the guests left Chu Han and Shangguan Yuxin alone.
• Chu Han walked Shangguan Yuxin home while thinking about his plan to infiltrate the research institute.
• Shangguan Yuxin asked Chu Han whether he regretted kidnapping her, and he said he did not.
• Shangguan Yuxin asked which of her, Bai Yun'er, and Shang Jiudi Chu Han liked most, then kissed the corner of his mouth and ran off after saying she liked him most.

Chu Han recruited Fan Jian to sell damaging information about the young generals to Shangguan Rong, hoping to give him grounds to reject marriage alliances. He ordered Fan Jian to deal with Huang Shuzhen before carrying out the plan.

• Fan Jian met Chu Han after receiving his signal and described the minor jobs he had taken at Nandu Base.
• Chu Han told Fan Jian to get information from Meng Qiwei about the young generals and sell it to Shangguan Rong.
• Chu Han explained that Shangguan Rong needed a reason to refuse marriage alliances while protecting his daughter from political entanglements.
• Fan Jian worried that Huang Shuzhen would recognize him from the city gate, so Chu Han ordered him to knock Huang Shuzhen out, drag him away, and strip him.

Chu Han infiltrated Nandu Base’s research institute by taking the place of a staff member during a shift change, with Meng Qiwei’s underground network helping him get inside. He reached the institute’s entrance with three mysterious coworkers, ready to enter.

• Chu Han went to the research personnel’s residence and changed into Chen Zhen’s clothes for the shift change.
• Chen Zhen revealed his loyalty to Chu Han and warned him to keep his head down, avoid the three suspicious coworkers, and follow the guards’ confusing route.
• Feng Lingmu escorted Chu Han to the research institute and privately praised him for his actions at the base gate.
• Chu Han followed behind the three coworkers, noticing that the man ahead of him was tall and bald, before Feng Lingmu led them to the institute’s entrance.
• The research institute’s doors opened onto a brightly lit passageway as Chu Han and the others arrived to take over the shift.

Chu Han infiltrated Nandu Base’s research institute disguised as a guard and unexpectedly discovered He Shang working there under a false name. He Shang revealed that the other guards were his own subordinates, giving Chu Han a chance to investigate the institute and ask about his father and Fan Hongxuan.

• Chu Han entered the research institute with three guards and reached the duty room by following their fingerprints through its secured doors.
• Chu Han recognized He Shang, who was using the name Guang Tou, and realized He Shang had not betrayed him but had somehow ended up at the institute.
• He Shang disciplined Xie Ding and Guang Tou for arguing, while Chu Han considered how to meet him privately without revealing himself.
• Chu Han lowered his mask to signal He Shang, but He Shang shouted that his boss had arrived and ordered Guang Tou to guard the entrance and Xie Ding to make tea.
• He Shang greeted Chu Han excitedly, and Chu Han realized all three guards were He Shang’s subordinates, giving him access to permitted areas and a chance to ask about his father and Fan Hongxuan.

Chu Han discovered that He Shang was a core Mensa member and asked him about Chu Han’s parents. He Shang confirmed that Chu Yuntian and Yuan Xiye were both Mensa members, leaving Chu Han with a startling revelation about his family.

• Chu Han reunited with He Shang in Nandu, where He Shang introduced his companions Xie Ding and Guang Tou.
• Chu Han recognized Xie Ding as an ergonomics expert and realized he could be valuable to Wolf Fang Base.
• Chu Han asked He Shang whether he belonged to Mensa, and He Shang confirmed he was one of the China branch’s ten core members.
• Chu Han asked He Shang about Chu Yuntian, and He Shang revealed that Chu Han’s father ranked tenth among the branch’s core members.
• He Shang added that Chu Han’s mother, Yuan Xiye, was also a Mensa member and ranked eleventh in the branch.

Chu Han learned that his parents, Chu Yuntian and Yuan Xiye, were highly ranked in Mensa, and that He Shang secretly ranked first in Chinese Mensa. After searching the institute’s monitored rooms for information about Fan Hongxuan, Chu Han prepared to break into its inaccessible core.

• Chu Han confirmed that Chu Yuntian was his father and Yuan Xiye was his mother, startling He Shang, Xie Ding, and Guang Tou.
• He Shang revealed that he had hidden his identity in Mensa’s records behind an intelligence test, which even he could not pass.
• Chu Han explained that Yuan Xiye was recovering at Wolf Fang Base and asked He Shang whether he knew Fan Hongxuan, but He Shang did not recognize the name.
• Chu Han concluded that the information he wanted was deeper inside the research institute, beyond the rooms visible on the monitors.
• Chu Han told He Shang to get ready, then rushed toward the door leading into the institute’s core.

He Shang connected the research institute’s surveillance system and revealed that he led the Red Hacker Alliance, while Chu Han reached a fingerprint-locked entrance to the core area. He Shang finished preparing to handle the door and asked Chu Han for five minutes to explain the operation.

• After Chu Han left, He Shang rewired the surveillance system and connected the rooms so he could communicate with Chu Han through their speakers.
• He Shang revealed that he was president of the Red Hacker Alliance and had led an attack on the USA White House’s network, impressing Xie Ding and Guang Tou.
• Chu Han reached a fingerprint-lock door that led to the research institute’s core area, and He Shang finished programming the system.
• He Shang asked Chu Han for five minutes to explain how to operate the door, and Chu Han agreed to let him show off.

Chu Han entered the underground core of the Nandu Base research department despite He Shang’s warning that the door could only remain under outside control for an hour. Finding a suspicious smell of human blood, Chu Han began searching the rooms with Wang Cai for evidence of human experiments.

• He Shang opened the restricted door remotely and warned Chu Han that he had one hour to return and must avoid triggering alarms.
• Chu Han entered the underground research department alone while He Shang, Guang Tou, and Xie Ding watched from the control room.
• Chu Han descended to a circular corridor lined with doors and detected the smell of blood.
• Chu Han found the first room clean and empty, then told Wang Cai to search the rooms on the right while he searched the left and to store any documents in Dimensional Space.

Chu Han searched the research institute for clues about his father and discovered a concealed underground tunnel after smashing through a central wall. He climbed down toward the source of the blood stench, suspecting his father might be below, while He Shang and the others reacted to the noise upstairs.

• Chu Han and Wang Cai searched more than a hundred rooms but noticed that every office faced outward around a sealed central wall.
• Chu Han smashed through the wall and destroyed a hidden alarm, revealing a deep underground tunnel.
• Chu Han concluded that the tunnel had been built in secret behind Shangguan Rong’s back because the alarm was not connected to the guards outside.
• Chu Han put Wang Cai in his pocket, took out a hooked rope, and climbed down toward the bloody smell, wondering if his father was there.
• He Shang and the others in the monitoring room heard a tremor and something break underground, and He Shang feared Chu Han had caused trouble.

Chu Han descended into a hidden prison beneath the research institute and recognized its design from the prison in Yin Yang Valley. At the bottom, he found a bloodied prisoner, whose identity remained unknown as the chapter ended.

• Xie Ding, Guang Tou, and He Shang reacted to the noise from below and wondered why no alarm had sounded.
• Chu Han descended into the dark shaft and followed a fresh scent of blood to a hidden wall mechanism.
• Chu Han triggered the mechanism, opened a passage, and entered it with Wang Cai.
• Chu Han recognized the prison as a copy of the one in Yin Yang Valley and concluded that a living person was imprisoned there.
• Chu Han reached the bottom and shone his flashlight on the prisoner, who began breathing rapidly and coughed up blood.

Chu Han found Fan Hongxuan imprisoned and brutally tortured in the research institute, freed him, and learned that Mensa members were being gathered there. Fan Hongxuan told him that Chu Han’s father was not at the institute but was a core Mensa member whose whereabouts were unknown.

• Chu Han discovered Fan Hongxuan bound in a blade-filled torture cell and tore apart the restraints to free him.
• Chu Han gave Fan Hongxuan water, food, and medicine while Fan Hongxuan recovered enough to speak.
• Chu Han told Fan Hongxuan that he was now a Tier 5 lieutenant general and that Fang Rong and Deng Weibo were dead.
• Fan Hongxuan explained that the research institute had gathered surviving Mensa members in China and that Mensa membership had become a shackle.
• Chu Han asked whether his father was at the institute, and Fan Hongxuan said his whereabouts were unknown but that he was not there.
• Fan Hongxuan revealed that Chu Han’s father was a core Mensa member.

Chu Han learned that Fan Hongxuan had been imprisoned for opposing human experiments and discovered that a core Mensa member was held deeper in the facility. He sent Fan Hongxuan to escape and evacuate his people while he prepared to descend further and investigate the institute.

• Fan Hongxuan told Chu Han that many ordinary Mensa members had been harmed and revealed that a core Mensa member was imprisoned below.
• Chu Han questioned Fan Hongxuan about his imprisonment and learned that he had sabotaged a human experiment and worked on biology research.
• Fan Hongxuan explained that the institute’s researchers and prisoners had been moved, while he and the core Mensa member were left behind after an unknown event.
• Chu Han suspected the facility connected to a hidden passage outside the base and believed the core Mensa member could explain its purpose.
• Chu Han hired Fan Hongxuan to work at his base’s research institute and ordered him to escape, warn the others to leave, and hide in the Refugee district.

Chu Han sent Fan Hongxuan out of the laboratory with Wang Cai while he continued deeper inside, as the others prepared to open the door at the deadline. Wang Cai and Fan Hongxuan made it out, but Guang Tou realized the person he saw was not Chu Han just as He Shang opened the door.

• Chu Han ordered Wang Cai to carry Fan Hongxuan to the Refugees' district, then descended farther into the laboratory.
• Wang Cai carried Fan Hongxuan toward the exit while He Shang, Xie Ding, and Guang Tou watched the deadline approach.
• He Shang told Guang Tou to guard the door and promised to open it at the last moment if Chu Han did not return.
• Guang Tou spotted Wang Cai carrying the blood-covered Fan Hongxuan and warned He Shang not to open the door.
• He Shang opened the door, and Wang Cai charged through with Fan Hongxuan on its back.

Fan Hongxuan emerged from the sealed door with Wang Cai, leaving He Shang and the others to fear that Chu Han was trapped inside. Fan Hongxuan told them Chu Han was safe and ordered them to leave for the Refugees district, while Wang Cai backed him up with a written message from Chu Han.

• The surveillance system failed just as Guang Tou reported that a stranger had come out instead of Chu Han, prompting He Shang and Xie Ding to grab weapons and rush over.
• Wang Cai collapsed outside the door after carrying the badly injured Fan Hongxuan, and Guang Tou threatened Fan Hongxuan while demanding to know where Chu Han was.
• He Shang and Xie Ding prepared to break down the door, but Wang Cai blocked them and Fan Hongxuan announced that Chu Han was safe.
• Fan Hongxuan identified himself as Chu Han's college roommate and explained that Chu Han had ordered them to leave immediately and wait for him in the Refugees district.
• When Guang Tou doubted Fan Hongxuan, Wang Cai held up a sheet of paper declaring that following him out was Chu Han's order.