Chapter Summaries

Chao Hui tried to keep the sect's members safe and reach Lieutenant Kander after wartime restrictions began, while searching for a way to contact Tai Yu. As he headed toward North 37th District, the alarm at his former residence went off and then fell silent.

• Shi Hong told Chao Hui that Tai Yu might have gone to East 55th District for a consultation job and was no longer answering calls.
• Chao Hui chose to disperse the sect's members rather than gather them, then left his residence for the civil defense facilities.
• Chao Hui evaded conscription at an AI checkpoint because his old body arts certification had been canceled.
• Chao Hui bribed a junior officer with a fragment of Origin Mother and learned that an acquaintance in the General Staff First Division was stationed in North 37th District.
• Chao Hui set out to find Lieutenant Kander, hoping to arrange a meeting with Tai Yu and possibly gather the sect's members.
• The Secret Mine Field alarm at Chao Hui's former residence sounded and quickly went silent.

Chao Hui fled toward East 21st District to find Shi Hong, but discovered Half-Face hiding in the civil defense works. A strange mist engulfed Chao Hui and Shi Hong, pulling them through a wall and into an unknown space.

• Chao Hui assumed the Han Guang Mercenaries had exposed him, abandoned his route to North 37th District, and headed for East 21st District.
• Chao Hui reached East 21st District and searched the crowded civil defense works for Shi Hong.
• Chao Hui spotted Half-Face apparently asleep in a passageway and decided to leave before confronting him.
• Shi Hong approached Chao Hui, but Chao Hui recognized that something was wrong when Shi Hong’s expression twisted in terror.
• Mist spread from Half-Face as strange threads tugged at Chao Hui, Shi Hong, and Half-Face, drawing Chao Hui and Shi Hong through the wall.

Yi Ya and Tu Qian pursued Chao Hui through the civil defense area, but his aura vanished, and Priest Farul reported that Chao Hui and Shi Hong had disappeared. They discovered people sleeping deeply in a passageway, prompting Farul to order it sealed off so their mental states could be assessed.

• Farul told Yi Ya that Bai Jiao had been resurrected through forbidden means and that Chao Hui and Shi Hong were both missing in East 21st District.
• Yi Ya and Tu Qian found that Chao Hui's aura had vanished, and Yi Ya updated Farul with their location and observations.
• Yi Ya and Tu Qian discussed the sudden disappearance and agreed to continue investigating while Farul handled the Secret Mine Cult.
• Yi Ya noticed people sleeping deeply in the passageway, and Tu Qian examined the group as she contacted Farul.
• Farul agreed to use the Sky Abyss Spirit Network to assess the sleepers and ordered both ends of the passageway sealed.

Clumsy Spider’s Web and Tai Yu were caught in the bizarre Corpse Jungle’s erosion until a crimson radiance forced the Jungle to conceal itself. Tai Yu woke from a nightmare during a meteorite impact, and Lieutenant Man Yin ordered the Garrison Regiment back to duty.

• The bizarre Corpse Jungle’s power consumed Half-Face, Chao Hui, and Shi Hong, leaving Clumsy Spider’s Web dependent on Tai Yu and Bai Jiao’s combined entity.
• Tai Yu’s blurred existence resisted complete absorption, while strange probing forces stirred within the Corpse Jungle.
• A disturbance sent crimson light through the Jungle, causing its haze to thicken and conceal Clumsy Spider’s Web and Tai Yu.
• Tai Yu woke from a nightmare as an impact shook the civil-defense fortifications and roused the Garrison Regiment.
• Lieutenant Man Yin announced that a meteorite had fallen, threatened to freeze a recruit’s professional rating, and ordered everyone to check equipment and return to their posts.

Tai Yu comforted Jia Xi Lian Die, who was anxious about being separated from his family, and helped him repair a soldier’s Exoskeleton after a confrontation. The chapter left Jia Xi impressed by Tai Yu’s skill in Intelligent Machine Maintenance.

• Jia Xi Lian Die apologized to Tai Yu for bringing him out and explained that he was worried about his wife and child, who were stranded elsewhere.
• An angry soldier accused Jia Xi of neglecting an Exoskeleton repair and charged at him, so Tai Yu stepped in to stop the fight.
• Tai Yu dismantled and reassembled the damaged Exoskeleton with Jia Xi’s help, resolving the conflict and restoring the armor.
• Tai Yu reassured Jia Xi that his family was likely safe and that the Garrison Regiment could help them if trouble arose.
• Jia Xi regained his composure and praised Tai Yu’s Intelligent Machine Maintenance skills.

Tai Yu used Jia Xi’s trust and a proposed armor modification to win Warrant Officer Man Yin’s interest. Man Yin received orders to redeploy to South Sector 34, while the Clumsy Spider secretly began weaving both men into its web.

• Tai Yu and Jia Xi bonded over exoskeletons and equipment designs, easing Jia Xi’s anxiety about his wife and child.
• Man Yin arrived, and Jia Xi presented him with a serviced External Attachment Armored Bracer while Tai Yu helped install it.
• Tai Yu suggested adding Screen components and Energy Magazines, and Man Yin became interested in testing the setup.
• Jia Xi backed Tai Yu’s proposal, and Man Yin agreed to let them install the modification while warning Tai Yu he would answer for any failure.
• The Clumsy Spider began secretly binding Man Yin and Jia Xi into its web, and Man Yin received orders to redeploy to South Sector 34 under Officer Barrod.

Lieutenant Man Yin’s maintenance team was ordered to reinforce South Sector 34, but the death of Senior Officer Bavide left him responsible for a disorganized mass of Garrison Regiment soldiers. Tai Yu helped steady the troops, and Man Yin received a private call from him as he struggled to take command.

• Man Yin assigned Tai Yu and Jia Xi to the maintenance team and ordered them to prepare vehicles and spare parts for combat.
• East 31 Defense Point’s troops traveled toward South Sector 34, where they learned that Senior Officer Bavide and the local commander were dead.
• A crowd of retreating Garrison Regiment soldiers surrounded Man Yin, who was ordered to lead them into South Sector 34 and reinforce the Chimei Street defensive line.
• Tai Yu reassured the soldiers by explaining that the Regular Army and Red Silicon Guard were likely holding the perimeter, then urged them to listen to Man Yin’s orders.
• Man Yin realized he had to command more than a hundred soldiers, noticed Tai Yu’s call request on the Internal Channel, and received a slight bump from him.

Lieutenant Man Yin learned that Stone Souls were advancing and reorganized the Garrison Regiment to face them. He appointed Dimon to lead a Vanguard Squad and ordered the troops to prepare vehicles and equipment for reconnaissance.

• Tai Yu urged Lieutenant Man Yin to review intelligence, and Man Yin discovered that Stone Souls were confirmed in the combat zone.
• Man Yin’s soldiers discussed the threat, while one soldier argued that they should reach the surface and use the Permanent Fortifications.
• Tai Yu challenged the outspoken soldier to lead the troops himself, and Man Yin appointed Dimon as Vanguard Squad leader.
• Man Yin ordered Tai Yu and Jia Xi to prepare unmanned equipment and asked Ku Yu to operate mental remote-sensing equipment.
• Man Yin ordered the soldiers to form up according to their combat and technical qualifications.

Lieutenant Man Yin managed the Chimei Street defense while worrying that Colonel Qu Gui would soon take command and claim the credit. Tai Yu warned him that the feared Stone Soul had not appeared, as Ku Yu prepared to use the upgraded Sky Abyss Spirit Network to scout farther ahead.

• Lieutenant Man Yin issued orders across the defensive line and reflected on his gains and the impending arrival of Colonel Qu Gui.
• Man Yin learned that Tai Yu was helping Ku Yu repair equipment at the Maintenance Point.
• Man Yin interrupted Ku Yu's questions about Tai Yu's skills and reminded him that the battlefield was no place for curiosity.
• Man Yin pressed Tai Yu about the Energy Magazines, but Tai Yu reported that the Extraterritorial Species had pulled back from their line.
• Tai Yu warned Man Yin that the Stone Soul had still not appeared, and said Ku Yu planned to use the upgraded Sky Abyss Spirit Network to scout deeper into the frontline engagement zone.

Man Yin decided to overlook Ku Yu’s independent plan so he could benefit if it succeeded, while the chapter revealed how the “Corpse Jungle” and “Clumsy Spider” were connected to efforts to seize the fallen Lord of Illusory Nightmares’ authority. It left Ronan’s future dealings with the Initial Awakening Society—and the society’s likely discovery of Tai Yu—as inevitable.

• Man Yin realized that Ku Yu, Dimon, and Tai Yu each had their own ambitions and chose to let Ku Yu act without officially knowing about his plan.
• The “mist of thoughts” surrounding “Clumsy Spider” merged with the Corpse Jungle and became part of the local reality beneath the Abyss Zone’s Veil.
• The chapter revealed that ambitious actors had built the Corpse Jungle as a container for the Lord of Illusory Nightmares’ authority, which they mistook for the Dream God Abomination’s power.
• A distant ambitious man pursued the same authority with a “Tattered Divine Cloak,” while an “Imprecise Divine Kingdom” structure began to manifest in Earth Spacetime.
• The narration identified Ronan and the Initial Awakening Society as inevitable future adversaries because Ronan might pursue Nightmare Transformation and the society continued researching the Dream God Abomination.
• The Initial Awakening Society was expected to find Tai Yu, the sole survivor along the Half-Face line, if its intelligence channels remained open.

Ronan planned to use the First Awareness Society’s pursuit of Tai Yu to learn more about Awakened Ones and test the limits of Tai Yu’s unusual nature. Meanwhile, Ku Yu urged Tai Yu to find a way to launch another reconnaissance wave toward the Other Side, despite the cost and logistical obstacles.

• Ronan decided that the First Awareness Society’s actions could reveal how Awakened Ones were created and how they drew out the power of false dreams.
• Ronan weighed the danger to Clumsy Spider and resolved to accelerate its progress toward Star Ring City while exploring Tai Yu’s potential as a shell person.
• Tai Yu watched Star Ring City and wondered whether similar systems of social hierarchy arose from Genetic Species’ flaws or some other cause.
• Ku Yu told Tai Yu that the first scout equipment had gone offline and proposed replacing it with miniature or stealth equipment to gather more information on the Other Side.
• Tai Yu objected that a second reconnaissance wave would be difficult to fund, but Ku Yu said he believed Tai Yu could find a way and offered him collaborative credit on a future report.

Tai Yu and Ku Yu arranged a temporary auxiliary attendant position and developed an indirect plan to recover unmanned reconnaissance equipment. As Tai Yu explained the system-based reasoning behind the plan, Ku Yu asked how they would carry it out.

• Ku Yu offered Tai Yu a temporary auxiliary attendant status requiring only a Basic Knowledge Exam, and Tai Yu accepted after saying he believed in the Lord of Dawn.
• Ku Yu warned that the command handover was near and Tai Yu might otherwise be sent to a Frontline Maintenance Point or the battlefield.
• Jia Xi brought spare parts, and Tai Yu began assembling equipment to recall nearby unmanned reconnaissance equipment and limit losses.
• Tai Yu discussed how the coming transfer might affect Jia Xi and argued that the group needed to work together.
• Tai Yu suggested Ku Yu had become disconnected from the Sky Abyss Spirit Network and said their indirect plan drew on systematization principles from both that network and the Xuan Crystal Array.
• Ku Yu moved closer and asked Tai Yu how they would carry out the plan.

Tai Yu had Ku Yu use the Sky Abyss Spirit Network to organize reconnaissance as the team mapped enemy activity. Ku Yu sensed the Great Will and detected an enemy presence underground, just as a Fatigue Bee Swarm and Magnetic Pulse Beetles appeared near their observation post.

• Tai Yu deployed mechanical flying insects and guided Ku Yu in using the Sky Abyss Spirit Network to analyze reconnaissance data.
• Tai Yu explained that they were using a Segmenter-like method to divide regional information and send preliminary results to the rear.
• Jia Xi reported that the Command Department had revoked their permissions and ordered them to return to the Maintenance Station.
• Ku Yu sensed the Great Will and reported that infiltrators had passed through the buildings and gone underground.
• Tai Yu identified a large Fatigue Bee Swarm accompanied by Magnetic Pulse Beetles near Observation Point Number Four on Chimei Street, then grabbed Ku Yu and urged Jia Xi to move.

Jia Xi, Tai Yu, and Ku Yu retreated from a major enemy assault at the Chimei Street defensive line while Dimon searched for a Black Gold Spine Locust. In Tuoyuan City’s command center, Priest Farul used the Sky Abyss Spirit Network to identify the line’s condition and saw Ku Yu praying as he was carried to safety.

• Jia Xi recognized the Magnetic Pulse Beetles and Fatigue Bee Swarm as dangerous precursors to a large-scale attack, then spotted Crystallized Puppets emerging from the dust.
• Tai Yu ordered Jia Xi to discard the reconnaissance control platform and carried Ku Yu as the defensive line’s coordinated fire destroyed much of the enemy vanguard.
• A Black Gold Spine Locust attacked from beneath Ku Yu, and Tai Yu called for the Vanguard Squad while Jia Xi threw the control platform at it.
• Tai Yu, Ku Yu, and Jia Xi retreated through the storm and encountered Dimon, who asked where the Black Gold Spine Locust was.
• Priest Farul announced that the situation at the Chimei Street defensive line had become clear, and the city map showed Ku Yu praying as he was carried away.

Priest Farul learned that the Stone Soul had escaped underground and used the crisis to blame the Secret Mine Cult, hoping to end a mission that could expose him. Yi Ya and Tu Qian collected their payment, then speculated about Farul and the danger of the Stone Soul activating the planet.

• Priest Farul confirmed that the Stone Soul’s shell remained near the Chimei Street defensive line while its main body hid underground among civilians in air-raid shelters.
• Farul suspected that the incident was a plot against him and decided to pin the Stone Soul’s escape on the Secret Mine Cult to end his mission and investigate his enemies.
• Farul told Yi Ya and Tu Qian that the battle was effectively over, and Buti took them to tally their payment.
• The Phantom Spirit mission entered a terminated state again, and Yi Ya and Tu Qian left the General Staff First Division without pressing Farul for answers.
• On the street, Yi Ya criticized Farul’s actions while Tu Qian warned her not to speculate, then suggested they consider the matter more deeply.

Tu Qian and Yi Ya considered whether Stone Soul’s actions in the Deep Crust were meant to distract Lu Ande, and suspected that Tai Yu had secretly fought in the mechanical insect swarm. Meanwhile, Ku Yu, Dimon, and Jia Xi accompanied Tai Yu to his Pantheon auxiliary service qualification examination, where they waited in a cramped family vehicle.

• Tu Qian proposed that Stone Soul’s disturbance might be intended to tie down the war’s overall commander, and Yi Ya suggested Lu Ande.
• Tu Qian and Yi Ya suspected that Tai Yu was the armored figure who had carried someone and reported enemy movements during the battle.
• Nearly a thousand candidates took the Pantheon auxiliary service qualification examination in Tuoyuan City during the night.
• Ku Yu waited with Dimon and Jia Xi in Jia Xi’s cramped Toolbox car while they drove Tai Yu to his examination.
• Dimon defended the vehicle and said they had come to support Tai Yu, while Ku Yu insisted on calling him Coach Tai rather than Engineer Tai.

Dimon learned that an upcoming interstellar Reserve Force rotation could help him use his military merits and improve his Interstellar Citizen clearance, while Tai Yu completed his auxiliary service examination. The group celebrated together, and Tai Yu woke abruptly after barely half an hour of sleep.

• Ku Yu told Dimon about a large interstellar Reserve Force rotation and offered to ask around about how to join it.
• Ku Yu explained that the examination could assign auxiliary service jobs, and Jia Xi, Dimon, and Ku Yu waited for Tai Yu to emerge.
• Tai Yu came out smiling, so Dimon invited everyone to celebrate.
• Ku Yu revealed that Priest Farul had approved their plan and said Tai Yu's examination track might have drawn the priest's attention.
• The group drank until dawn, and Jia Xi, Dimon, and Ku Yu headed off to work or school while Tai Yu went home to sleep.
• Tai Yu woke suddenly after sleeping for barely half an hour.

Bai Jiao took control of Tai Yu and assessed the danger of his past ties to the Secret Mine Cult and the Pantheon’s suspicion. Tai Yu continued working at a Pantheon-affiliated repair site, and Ku Yu’s call revealed that his next assignment might involve garbage sent into the Boundary.

• Bai Jiao examined Tai Yu’s reflection, recognized that another strange personality had emerged, and worried that the Pantheon might uncover Tai Yu’s connection to the Secret Mine Cult.
• Bai Jiao considered Priest Farul’s suspicions and decided to avoid unusual actions while searching for a chance to survive.
• Bai Jiao checked Tai Yu’s home for clues that could expose him, then traveled to the outskirts and began working at the repair site.
• Tai Yu worked for seven days without the Pantheon intervening, while Ku Yu called from Divine Palace School and questioned why he had accepted the garbage-dump job.
• Tai Yu told Ku Yu that he might travel to a special garbage-processing site, and Ku Yu noted that garbage from near Tuoyuan City was sent into the Boundary.

After the Tuoyuan City merit assessments, Tai Yu met with Ku Yu, Jia Xi, and Dimon and described his exhausting work at the Frontier landfill. He proposed taking a maintenance job at a Frontier training ground, unaware that its strict thirty-week contract might raise concerns.

• Ku Yu, Jia Xi, and Dimon gathered with Tai Yu after their merit assessments, and Ku Yu, Jia Xi, and Dimon discussed their improved prospects.
• Tai Yu arrived exhausted from two recent trips to the Frontier, while Bai Jiao struggled to stay awake and keep the other personalities from taking control.
• Tai Yu explained that he had chosen the landfill job partly to seek a way to disappear from the Pantheon's surveillance, though the Frontier's restricted core was inaccessible for now.
• Tai Yu told Ku Yu, Jia Xi, and Dimon that he had found a training-ground maintenance assignment suited to his mechanical repair experience.
• Tai Yu said the part-time job required at least thirty weeks of closed management, and Jia Xi reacted with alarm.

Tai Yu considered accepting a thirty-week auxiliary job at a Pantheon-affiliated Training Ground to gain access to a genuine cultivation path. After learning the job involved serving young trainees as a punching bag, meat shield, or target, he was left to decide whether to proceed.

• Tai Yu explained that he was interested in the job because its training direction involved the Heavenly Human Interference Pattern and might provide access to cultivation materials.
• Tai Yu admitted that his claimed connections were fake, then asked Ku Yu to investigate which Interference Patterns someone at his stage could access.
• Ku Yu learned that the thirty-week job was a training-camp assignment serving young masters and young ladies from Star Ring City, with future work depending on their evaluations.
• Ku Yu found that the Pantheon-affiliated Training Ground could provide cultivation materials and conditions, but its auxiliary staff served as punching bags, meat shields, and targets.