Chapter Summaries

Li Mingde warned Ronan, Xue Lei, and their classmates that failing to join a club by the deadline would cost them credits, then offered advice and a list of obscure clubs. As Ronan examined the Electric Light Thread, it pierced his wristband and disappeared inside it.

• Li Mingde confronted the students about their lack of club memberships and warned that they would lose eight credits if they failed to join by the September 30 deadline.
• Li Mingde advised the students to prioritize joining any club over choosing one that matched their interests, and offered to help arrange responses if they contacted him before eight the next morning.
• Li Mingde used the school system to display a list of obscure clubs, which Xue Lei read with amusement.
• Ronan examined the Electric Light Thread and felt an unusual current of warmth spread through his body when he touched it.
• The Electric Light Thread stabbed into Ronan's wristband and burrowed inside as his hand went numb.

Ronan discovered that a mysterious long wire had changed his wristband, giving it an interface like his Imitation Paper Soft Screen and allowing him to control it with his thoughts. After Advisor Li Mingde reprimanded him for missing class, Xie Junping arrived at the school to meet him.

• Ronan answered Xie Junping’s call and noticed that his wristband interface had changed to resemble his Imitation Paper Soft Screen.
• Ronan used his thoughts to open the wristband’s location-sharing settings and share his coordinates with Xie Junping.
• Ronan connected the wristband’s new thought controls to the long wire that had appeared inside it and recalled the missing components described by a club member.
• Li Mingde reprimanded Ronan for skipping class and told him to write an explanation, while Xue Lei said he had turned down a fighting club’s recruitment offer.
• Xie Junping hurried out of the elevator, spotted Ronan, and called out to him.

After Ronan reunited with Xie Junping, Xie Junping used his influence to pressure Li Mingde into treating Ronan’s club more favorably, then insisted on taking Ronan somewhere to repay him. As Xie Junping dragged him toward the elevator, Ronan noticed his wristband battery was draining abnormally fast.

• Xie Junping enthusiastically thanked Ronan and learned that Ronan and Xue Lei were discussing club matters with Li Mingde.
• Xie Junping called Ronan his lifesaving benefactor and persuaded Li Mingde to offer the club several benefits in return for Ronan saving his life.
• Xue Lei thanked Xie Junping and left to prepare for an evening gathering with his girlfriend.
• Xie Junping explained that Li Mingde would treat Ronan better now that he knew their connection, then promised to help Ronan with school and outside expenses.
• Xie Junping insisted on taking Ronan somewhere to express his gratitude, and Ronan noticed his wristband had an unexpectedly low battery before Xie Junping pulled him toward the elevator.

Ronan accompanied Xie Junping through Zhi Xing Institute’s wetland, discovering a dormant Burning Demon Shadow inside him and testing the limits of his powers. Xie Junping brought Ronan to the unusual research center and society building called Gear.

• Xie Junping drove Ronan toward the North District in an electric sightseeing cart, and Ronan detected a faint, dormant Burning Demon Shadow inside him.
• Ronan considered how his Dark Heavy Chains suppressed the aggressive Demon Rune and decided to keep observing Xie Junping as a useful reference.
• Ronan mentally contacted his wristband and was jolted when a brilliant line of light traveled along the Dark Heavy Chains into his mind.
• Xie Junping guided Ronan through the wetland forest and explained the strict restrictions on buildings in the protected area.
• Xie Junping pointed out Gear, an unusually old-looking building that was an exception among the north bank’s research centers and society buildings.

Xie Junping showed Ronan the abandoned Order Club building, Gear, and explained his plan to get Ronan into the club so he could later join the Mystic Studies Society. Ronan stopped Xie Junping when he mentioned Yan Hong.

• Xie Junping brought Ronan to Gear and described the Order Club’s collapse and the building’s value to rival clubs.
• Xie Junping said the Construction Club and Mystic Studies Society were competing to take over Gear, with the Mystic Studies Society expected to win.
• Xie Junping revealed his plan for Ronan to join the Order Club and later be absorbed into the Mystic Studies Society.
• Xie Junping mentioned Yan Hong, and Ronan halted and demanded to know who he had said.

Ronan and Xie Junping explored Gear’s underground facility while discussing Yan Hong’s former laboratory and the possibility of finding old experimental data. After Ronan uncovered Xie Junping’s presence at the Medical Department during Li Xuecheng’s collapse, Xie Junping confessed what he had witnessed, and Ronan secretly used the Dark Heavy Chains to remove a dark-red mist from his body.

• Xie Junping told Ronan that Yan Hong had worked in the facility from 1983 to 1990, and Ronan asked whether his old experimental data could still be found.
• Xie Junping explained that Yan Hong’s academic scandal and an engineered accident had led to the destruction of evidence and the removal of much of the laboratory’s equipment.
• Ronan questioned Xie Junping about his relationship with Li Xuecheng, then inferred that Xie Junping had been at the Medical Department that morning.
• Xie Junping confessed that he had seen Li Xuecheng collapse after crossing paths with Ronan and admitted that he wanted to build a relationship with Ronan and recruit him.
• Ronan used the Dark Heavy Chains to pierce Xie Junping and intercept and disperse a dark-red mist escaping his body.

Ronan extinguished the Burning Demon Shadow, but Xie Junping fell unconscious soon afterward. Xie Junping’s loss of consciousness triggered the underground laboratory’s lockdown, trapping Ronan with its life-support system shut down.

• Ronan suppressed the Demon Rune’s devouring of life essence and ended the turmoil on the Mental Layer.
• Xie Junping heard a sound, collapsed unconscious, and began showing erratic changes in body temperature.
• Ronan carried Xie Junping toward the elevator, but the laboratory defense system activated after Xie Junping’s wristband detected his unconscious state.
• The laboratory shut down its energy, communications, access, and life-support systems, leaving Ronan and Xie Junping trapped in darkness.
• Ronan used the Demon Rune’s glow on the Mental Layer to navigate back to the Central Control Room and realized they risked suffocating without life support.

Ronan explored the abandoned laboratory’s central control system and tried to trace its connections to restart the power. The mysterious Long Line activated the power station, revealing a giant tree of energy that reawakened the laboratory and sent signals toward Ronan.

• Ronan recalled how Yan Hong had stolen Luo Yuandao’s experimental data, destroyed evidence during the investigation, and later vanished from academia.
• Ronan traced the laboratory’s wiring with the Dark Heavy Chains and chose to locate the Power Station to address the outage.
• The Long Line surged through the Dark Heavy Chains and raced along the cables toward the Power Station.
• The Power Station lit up, and Ronan saw a great tree whose roots filled the station and whose branches spread through the laboratory’s systems.
• The laboratory reactivated, and electrical signals from its modules streamed toward the Dark Heavy Chains and Ronan.

Ronan discovered that the Long Line had formed an artificial neuron that filtered the laboratory’s signals and displayed them through his familiar interface. After exploring a new app containing Gear’s blueprints, he woke Xie Junping, who learned that his temporary laboratory access had been revoked.

• Ronan realized the Long Line resembled a giant neuron connected to him through the Dark Heavy Chains.
• The Large Neuron filtered its immense flow of signals and displayed the Imitation Paper Soft Screen interface on the control room’s giant monitor.
• Ronan opened a new app labeled Gear and found architectural plans for the seven-story building, including an unavailable option called “Observation Deck.”
• Xie Junping fell from his chair and woke up, and Ronan told him the laboratory had disconnected his temporary access after he passed out.
• Xie Junping checked his wristband and cursed when it said he had to apply for access again.

Ronan used Gear’s controls to open a route through the building and led Xie Junping toward an Observation Deck. They reached the entrance to the Sandbar Waterway’s Underwater Corridor, unsure whether its far exit remained accessible.

• Ronan selected the Observation Deck option, learned how Gear’s routes worked, and opened a doorway from the Central Control Room.
• Ronan and Xie Junping followed the building’s corridors and stairways, guided by Ronan’s electronic map and Xie Junping’s wristband light.
• Xie Junping recognized the Sandbar Waterway and explained that its Underwater Corridor led to a sandbar known for views of Gear Building.
• Xie Junping worried the sandbar’s exit might be sealed because rising water had submerged it, but Ronan opened the corridor entrance and led them inside.

Ronan and Xie Junping discovered a hidden passage above the sealed end of the Underwater Corridor and climbed into a tree-like structure inside Withered Tree Sandbar. As they ascended, a fast-moving black shadow darted past them and vanished into the tree.

• Xie Junping failed to open the sealed alloy door, while Ronan searched the corridor walls and overhead surfaces.
• Ronan used the Dark Heavy Chains to find a concealed Mimetic Membrane in the ceiling and climbed through it.
• Xie Junping struggled to follow Ronan through the hidden opening, then joined him in a cramped passage.
• Ronan and Xie Junping crawled through the passage and reached a spiral staircase inside a structure that might be the dead tree on the sandbar.
• A black shadow raced past Xie Junping and disappeared into the base of the tree.

Ronan and Xie Junping explored the abandoned tree hollow house, where Ronan discovered an observation window and sketched the distant Gear building. After Xie Junping restored the laboratory’s network access, they found the designer’s identity, and Ronan froze at the name Bu Qingwen.

• Ronan and Xie Junping climbed through the tree hollow house and found a lounge and an upper-floor workspace.
• Ronan opened a concealed observation window, saw Gear through the darkness, and sketched his impression of the building.
• Xie Junping celebrated when the laboratory regained a network signal and restored access to its systems.
• Xie Junping searched the electronic archives and displayed the original plans, which named Bu Qingwen as the independent designer.
• Ronan stared at Bu Qingwen’s name and signature, his breathing seeming to stop.

Ronan discovered that Bu Qingwen, his deceased mother, had created the work 'Gear' and visited her former home, leaving him overwhelmed by grief and gratitude toward Xie Junping. As a new Order Club member, Ronan ignored the news that a new backer wanted 'Gear,' while Xie Junping worried that their visitors might trap them inside the treehouse.

• Xie Junping found Bu Qingwen's profile in the Order Club Database and recognized her resemblance to Ronan.
• Xie Junping spoke with Hu San'er, who told him that a new backer was coming to inspect the site and wanted 'Gear.'
• Ronan wandered through the dark treehouse, then picked up the circular base and asked Xie Junping to approve his Order Club application.
• Ronan thanked Xie Junping for helping him learn about his mother's work and see her former home, then showed him a photograph of Bu Qingwen.
• Xie Junping warned Ronan that the Mystic Studies Society's new backer was coming for 'Gear,' but Ronan said his club membership meant they could not drive him away.
• Xie Junping pointed out that the visitors could block the treehouse's only exit.

Ronan and Xie Junping realized someone had altered the Tree Hole Space after the wetland’s water level rose, and concluded that the person was likely an Order Club or laboratory insider. They installed hidden cameras to find out whether that person still visited, then left through the Underwater Corridor.

• Ronan and Xie Junping noticed that the Treehouse was unusually clean and discovered that its old entrance had been sealed and a hidden passage excavated after the water level rose in Year 87.
• Ronan concluded that whoever altered the Tree Hole Space could only have been an internal member of the club or laboratory, and his agitation intensified as he examined the passage.
• Ronan asked Xie Junping to install cameras so they could identify the person if they were still visiting.
• Xie Junping planted two miniature cameras while Ronan searched the Tree Hole Space for more clues, but Ronan found nothing else.
• Ronan led the way through the hidden passage into the Underwater Corridor as Xie Junping anxiously monitored the camera feed.

Ronan explained to Xie Junping how his mother saved him by placing him in a Nutrient Capsule before she died, and described his missing father and grandfather’s imprisonment. The conversation calmed Ronan, but their return was interrupted when Xie Junping’s companions arrived.

• Xie Junping tried to distract the agitated Ronan by asking about his mother and offered to help find information about her.
• Ronan said his mother was a war orphan who had met his father at Zhi Xing Institute before they went to the wilderness to help his grandfather.
• Ronan drew his mother beside a Nutrient Capsule and explained that, when he was seven months in the womb, she sealed the laboratory and used the capsule to save him after she was seriously injured.
• Ronan described his grandfather’s prosecution and imprisonment three years later, then drew his father as someone who should have been there but was missing.
• Ronan apologized to Xie Junping at the Underwater Corridor entrance, and seven or eight people arrived in the lounge and called out to Xie Junping.

Xie Junping discovered that the Seven Colors Fund was backing the Construction Club and intended to press for control over the Order Club’s assets. He defended Ronan’s membership against Lawyer Zhu’s questions, while Ronan focused on the fund’s bodyguard.

• Xie Junping greeted Lang Ding, Hu Huaying, Lawyer Zhu, and the others, then learned that the Seven Colors Fund planned to support the Construction Club and its bid for the North Shore landmark building.
• Xie Junping worried that Ronan might face Li Xuecheng if he joined the Construction Club and tried to take Ronan away.
• Lawyer Zhu asked Xie Junping to organize a meeting to inventory and seal the Order Club’s assets, and questioned whether Ronan could join while the club was suspended.
• Xie Junping insisted that the Order Club remained active under Student Union management and that recruiting members was permitted.
• Lawyer Zhu questioned Ronan about joining the club, but Ronan stayed silent and watched the bodyguard as Xie Junping offered to answer for him.

Xie Junping defended Ronan’s admission to the Order Club by revealing Ronan was Bu Qingwen’s son and arguing that he wanted to honor her legacy by restoring Gear. After Xie Junping’s speech silenced Lawyer Zhu, he and Ronan left on better terms, while Ronan reconsidered throwing away his damaged soft screen.

• Xie Junping argued that the Order Club deserved to keep recruiting members and that Ronan had a legitimate reason to join.
• Xie Junping displayed records showing Bu Qingwen had designed Gear and revealed Ronan was her only son, seeking to restore her work.
• Xie Junping challenged Lang Ding and Lawyer Zhu to oppose Ronan’s admission, then walked away with Ronan without receiving an answer.
• Ronan praised Xie Junping’s speech and agreed to let Nan Di draw him a portrait after buying a soft screen.
• Ronan considered throwing away his shattered Imitation Paper Soft Screen, then put it back in his notebook.

Ronan tested his newly purchased screen, explored a mysterious second layer in his drawing software, and returned home to find a middle-aged woman waiting in his living room. The chapter left her identity and reason for being there unrevealed.

• Xie Junping drove Ronan home while Ronan tested the screen and sketched the dark-skinned bodyguard he had seen on the Lan Shan Battleship.
• Ronan drew Xie Junping in a proud pose and sent him the image.
• Ronan opened the drawing software’s second layer, where his sketches were sorted among five tiers labeled with occupations.
• Xie Junping dropped his questions when Ronan said his Father had probably made the software.
• Ronan arrived at Blue Bay Community, sensed Ink greeting him, and wondered whether Tree Hole Space was connected to his Father.
• Ronan entered his apartment and found a middle-aged woman sitting in the living room.

Ronan’s aunt Luo Shuqing came to take him home, but Zhang Yingying called with news that his Explorer Association membership assessment was beginning. Ronan used an invitation to a Zhi Xing Mutual Aid Society dinner as an excuse to leave, and Luo Shuqing let him go after a tender moment.

• Luo Shuqing arrived at Ronan’s apartment and insisted he come home with her, while Ronan struggled to contain his exhaustion and emotions.
• Zhang Yingying called Ronan and told him to hurry to the Shuiyi Bluestone Hotel for his membership assessment.
• Ronan realized he had received an invitation to a Zhi Xing Mutual Aid Society event at the same hotel and showed it to Luo Shuqing as an excuse.
• Luo Shuqing questioned Ronan about the invitation, then recalled someone from her past and gently patted his face.
• Luo Shuqing told Ronan to tidy himself up and go, so no one would look down on a handsome young man of the Luo Family.

Ronan attended a large social mixer at Shuiyi Bluestone Hotel, where Chen Xiaolin tried to help him and Xue Lei find a club. The chapter ended with Chen Xiaolin spotting her superior, Chen Weican, and deciding to approach him for help.

• Luo Shuqing drove Ronan to the hotel and questioned him about his high school classmates on the way.
• Ronan checked in at the mixer, then ran into Xue Lei and Chen Xiaolin, who led him toward the banquet hall.
• Chen Xiaolin said she had arranged to introduce Ronan and Xue Lei to someone who could help them find a club.
• Ronan told Chen Xiaolin he had already handled his club situation, and she mistakenly assumed he had gone through Li Mingde.
• Chen Xiaolin spotted Chen Weican, her superior and a Student Union vice president, and said his support could make the club matter easier.