Chapter Summaries

Ronan prepared to search the Mist Labyrinth’s stars for a suitable home while discussing the Heaven-Man Landscape and the Brain of Emptiness System’s new data-loading capabilities. He began automatic editing mode for the Brain in a Vat simulator, which detected an external data source and asked to import it.

• Ronan explained that the Heaven-Man Landscape was an unfinished auxiliary design related to the Extraordinary Domain.
• The Brain of Emptiness System finished loading Sequence 1 and Sequence 2 data, revealing the Cloud Top Biological Brain Array’s extraordinary processing speed.
• Ronan reflected on how the Altar Spiderweb and his god statue had organized the mental responses of billions of people into a basic framework for the Cloud Top Biological Brain Array.
• Ronan selected Brain in a Vat to develop a solid blueprint before starting construction.
• Ronan activated automatic editing mode and saw a model labeled Inner Universe, authorized by the Seventeenth Equipment Department of the Sky Abyss Empire.
• The simulator detected a valid external data source, and Ronan confirmed that it should be imported.

Bald Jeff briefed Director Mu and Wang Yu on the ongoing analysis of signals from the New Plane, while the two leaders discussed Li Wei’s movements, the High Seas Auction, and a research hypothesis connecting Spring City and Xia City. The chapter left the New Plane’s location unresolved and introduced the idea that a gigantic wheel had rolled through their time-space, leaving traces behind it.

• Bald Jeff reported that Deep Blue and Apocalypse Laboratory were analyzing intermittent signals and trying to reconstruct the New Plane’s environment and location.
• Director Mu asked whether Li Wei had identified a point where time-spaces intersected, and Jeff said Li Wei had been focused on Xia City.
• Director Mu questioned whether Wang Yu would still hold the High Seas Auction, and Wang Yu confirmed it while suggesting Ronan might benefit from the event.
• Director Mu and Wang Yu discussed the possibility of resuming the Extraordinary Species meeting during the auction and arranging talks among the involved parties.
• Director Mu brought up a funded comparative study of Aberration Ecology, and Wang Yu described its hypothesis that a gigantic wheel had left ruts in Spring City while Xia City heard thunder approaching.

Wang Yu and Director Mu discussed cooperation over the New Plane and the risks posed by Ronan’s unusual approach. New data from Jimmy’s Machine Core raised the possibility that his surroundings could be reconstructed from the Revelation Array’s response.

• Wang Yu and Director Mu suspected that someone had deliberately leaked news about the New Plane and discussed how its emergence might connect to events near Spring City and the Southwest Volcano Area.
• Wang Yu and Director Mu agreed that cooperation was preferable and compared their approach to the factional bargaining on Quantum Corporation’s Board of Directors.
• Director Mu described Ronan’s habit of seeking general solutions, and Wang Yu said they should involve him first despite the risks.
• Bald Jeff reported that Jimmy’s MD-11 Machine Core had requested information retrieval from the Revelation Array, suggesting its internal database could not handle his surroundings.
• Bald Jeff explained that the collected data was distorted and would need analysis, then asked Wang Yu for a copy of the Comparative Study of Aberration Ecology paper.

Ronan reviewed the Simulator’s designs for a realistic plane, warned Raven against dangerous close-range scouting, and began planning the next steps. After returning to the yacht, he contacted North Shore Gear’s base and found a flood of prominent people’s friend requests and alerts that his guardians’ social clearances had been raised to A+.

• Ronan judged the Simulator’s many automatically generated designs unsatisfactory and discussed the realistic plane’s requirements with Raven.
• Ronan told Raven to avoid close-range reconnaissance and sent her back to rest before school.
• Ronan withdrew from the Mist Labyrinth and precisely crossed into the yacht hidden inside his Sandwich Domain.
• Ronan contacted the wristband at North Shore Gear’s underground base to reach He Yueyin and assess the outside situation.
• Ronan found dozens of friend requests from famous powerhouses and alerts that Luo Shuqing and Mo Haihang had received A+ social clearance.

Ronan sent Dean Wan research on Exoskeleton flaws and reserve masks, instructed Yin Le to coordinate production and arrange experiments with Blood Flame Order followers, and assigned Snake Tongue to help. He then entered the friends' group to probe for information about the Martial Emperor, where Zhang Yingying's formal advertisement and red packet left him stunned.

• Ronan sent Dean Wan his Exoskeleton framework flaw records, a rough modification plan, and sketches of reserve masks for further research.
• Ronan told Yin Le to limit production to three to five backup sets and prepare Blood Flame Order followers to assist with Dream Entry Method-like experiments.
• Ronan instructed Snake Tongue to undergo more experiments, remember the details, and report them clearly.
• Ronan entered the Spirit Wave Network friends' group through Six Ears and saw Zhang Yingying post an advertisement for an academic report and distribute a red packet.

Ronan chatted with Peony and the Ability User Association group, where jokes about his growing reputation gave way to talk of Zhang Yingying confronting Abner. Peony pushed Ronan to recognize Yingying’s actions and consider how promises of help carried different meanings depending on social standing, leaving Ronan unsettled as he called the Martial Emperor.

• Ronan recognized Peony behind her newbie persona and greeted her after she returned to Xia City.
• Peony and the group teased Ronan about his reputation, while Peony called him a powerful figure who should look after the others.
• Peony reminded Ronan that Zhang Yingying had challenged Abner, prompting Ronan to promise he would break Abner’s bones if he harmed her.
• Peony urged Ronan to offer Yingying a benefit and compared such promises to the insult of offering a reward to a True God.
• Ronan sensed a deeper meaning in Peony’s words, stopped chatting, and called the Martial Emperor.

Ronan discussed his trip to the auction with the Martial Emperor, who advised him to ask directly for help and agreed to meet him at the outer sea of Slope City. They parted on good terms, with Ronan planning to prepare information about the New Plane and the Martial Emperor warning him that the auction day would reveal the truth.

• Ronan thanked the Martial Emperor for offering to accompany him to Di City and suggested returning to Xia City to discuss matters with her and the others.
• The Martial Emperor advised Ronan not to make a special trip to Xia City or drag Ouyang Chen and Old You into trouble.
• The Martial Emperor told Ronan to ask her for help directly, and he admitted that he wanted her guidance.
• The Martial Emperor agreed to meet Ronan at the outer sea of Slope City at nine the next morning.
• Ronan decided to organize materials about the New Plane for the Martial Emperor and others, while keeping sensitive details out.
• The Martial Emperor warned Ronan to prepare for the auction, when the truth would be revealed.

Ronan studied the vast, intricate space-time environment generated by the Inner Universe Simulator and struggled to find a practical way to use it. Yin Le’s suggestion to establish an initial area and connect it with a plot thread gave him an idea, and he asked her for game scripts.

• Ronan examined the Dark Red Nebula simulation and realized it contained tens of thousands of distinct space-time environments across nearly twenty Light-Years.
• Yin Le told Ronan that Guardian Master had delivered three Version 2 Exoskeleton frames, which Ronan asked her to bring over for testing.
• Yin Le noticed that Snake Tongue had collapsed in a corner, and Ronan explained that she had gotten lost during internal testing.
• Ronan wondered how to manage the Simulator’s enormous environment, and Yin Le suggested creating an initial area linked by a plot thread.
• Ronan considered using the Simulator’s plot-design function to find a beginner area and asked Yin Le whether she had any ready-made game scripts.

Ronan waited offshore while refining a simulated storyline in the Inner Universe, then boarded an airship to meet with the Martial Emperor. Zhang Yingying greeted him aboard, but reacted with shock when she touched him.

• Ronan let observers monitor him offshore while concentrating on the Dark Red Nebula and the Inner Universe’s campaign editor.
• Ronan sensed an airship approaching, left the Flying Devil Fish, and boarded it as the fish slipped into a Space Fault he had opened.
• Ronan detected observers considering an attack after the Flying Devil Fish disappeared, but dismissed their threat.
• Zhang Yingying greeted Ronan aboard the airship and said the Martial Emperor was waiting for him in the study.
• Zhang Yingying draped an arm over Ronan’s shoulders and cried out in shock.

Ronan revealed to Zhang Yingying that he had used the Martial Emperor’s Water Condensation Ring and a Configuration to disguise himself as Mo Ya, then met the Martial Emperor aboard her airship. She acknowledged his explanation and began discussing his difficulty becoming socially adept before unexpectedly pressing his cheeks.

• Ronan admitted to Zhang Yingying that he had used sleight of hand and the Martial Emperor’s Water Condensation Ring to create his disguise.
• Zhang Yingying recognized Ronan’s connection to Lord Luo and Mo Ya, examined his false face, and urged him to meet the Martial Emperor.
• Ronan went to the Martial Emperor’s study aboard her airship, where she praised the design of his avatar and said she had read his email to Ouyang and Old You.
• The Martial Emperor told Ronan that he could learn social skills only through awkward experience, but that he was now too central to society to get many chances.
• The Martial Emperor approached Ronan and pressed both hands against his cheeks.

The Martial Emperor told Ronan that the Mental Side had no future and challenged him to understand what she wanted from their relationship. She described her hobbies and revealed her interest in the Mist Labyrinth, ending by asking whether it was a natural wonder or an artificial spectacle.

• The Martial Emperor assessed Ronan’s Format Theory training, then said the Mental Side had no future.
• Ronan considered how his growing Soul Power had unbalanced his form and spirit, and promised to seek the Martial Emperor’s guidance.
• The Martial Emperor asked what Ronan would do to cater to her preferences, then listed travel, archaeology, and treasure hunting as her lasting hobbies.
• Ronan offered to report his research on the Mist Labyrinth and help her explore it.
• The Martial Emperor asked whether the Mist Labyrinth was natural or artificial, and Ronan replied that it contained unknown unnatural factors.

Ronan reflected on the challenges of his growing abilities before joining Zhang Yingying aboard the airship and testing his duplicate with a tactical helmet. He challenged her to a round of Wilderness Ten Days, and they chose the same characters they had used when they first played together.

• Ronan left the Martial Emperor's study thinking over her advice and the limits of his knowledge and abilities.
• Zhang Yingying asked how long Ronan planned to stay aboard the airship, and he said he would go all the way to Di City.
• Zhang Yingying lent Ronan her limited-edition Tactical Helmet, and he tuned it to test whether his duplicate could pass an Ability User test.
• Ronan asked Zhang Yingying to join him in a mental battle using Wilderness Ten Days' AR mode.
• Ronan selected Black Tooth, while Zhang Yingying chose Wind Flare and teased him about their old rivalry.

After losing three rounds to Ronan, Zhang Yingying announced their lopsided record and left him to study Wilderness Ten Days’ beginner tutorial. Exhausted by the approaching showdown, Ronan fell asleep and woke to an unfamiliar face demanding his Wartime Synchronization Rate.

• Zhang Yingying logged off after three rounds and publicized her 216:3 career record against Ronan.
• Ronan thanked Zhang Yingying for falsely confirming they had gone to Di City, then asked her about Wilderness Ten Days’ story and beginner modes.
• Zhang Yingying guided Ronan to the beginner tutorial, reviewed their match recordings, and left him alone to study.
• Ronan struggled with exhaustion and the approaching showdown, then fell asleep while his consciousness was connected to his avatar.
• Ronan woke to an unfamiliar stern face ordering him to report his Wartime Synchronization Rate.

Ronan experienced a lucid simulation of a wartime military scene, where his synchronization rate fluctuated and the Brain of Emptiness System struggled to interpret the simulated world. After the Instructor reassigned him away from the battlefield, Ronan was sent to find Liang Lu, Gongshi.

• Ronan appeared as a recruit reporting a zero synchronization rate to a stern Instructor, who warned that he would otherwise be dead.
• The Simulator’s integrity data replaced the missing Sky Abyss Spirit Network information and showed a current integrity of 73%.
• Ronan realized the scene was a plot simulation assembled from the Simulator, the Demon Rune system, his subconscious, and memories from beings in the Altar Spiderweb.
• The Instructor judged Ronan’s wartime synchronization rate too unstable and his physical strength insufficient for the front line.
• The Instructor ordered Ronan to find Liang Lu, Gongshi, for a subsequent assignment, and the Simulator displayed his location.

Ronan arrived at the Relay Station’s Second Logistics Support Area and saw the immense Honeycomb node and the frantic work required to maintain it. He identified the operations director as a possible Liang Lu, but the director assigned him to a different Liang Lu, who led him away.

• Ronan’s mission carried him through the damaged Relay Station toward the Second Logistics Support Area.
• Ronan entered the Honeycomb maintenance hub and realized that its busy workers and machines made the virtual scenario feel alive.
• Ronan spotted a giant directing repairs and wondered whether he was Liang Lu.
• The giant noticed Ronan and ordered Liang Lu to take the new soldier away.
• A lanky, goggle-wearing man introduced himself as Liang Lu and told Ronan to follow him.

Ronan followed Liang Lu into the interior of Two Beehive, where they were assigned to restore malfunctioning machines. Just as Liang Lu explained Ronan’s technical qualifications, warning lights came on and he received an incoming message.

• Ronan learned that the Relay Station had entered Level One wartime status and followed Liang Lu through a fast passage before it closed.
• Liang Lu led Ronan into Two Beehive’s Demi-Plane, where vast numbers of Mechanical Creations moved through the complex.
• Liang Lu explained that their mission was to get the machines running again and reassured Ronan that he would only be helping alongside other newcomers.
• Liang Lu reviewed Ronan’s training record, praising his Configuration skills while noting his weak subjects.
• Red lights came on, and Liang Lu stopped speaking as he received an incoming message.

Ronan learned that Two Beehive’s operational hub was under strain from battle damage and a botched repair, and Liang Lu brought him to the Machine Core Calibration and Installation Department for a temporary procedure. As Ronan pondered whether the Simulator’s events were real and heard Liang Lu defend Mental Side talents, he ended the chapter face-down on the operating station, awaiting installation.

• Liang Lu explained that Xiao Field Officer had also been hit and that the Honeycomb’s maintenance would be difficult, though Field Officer Sheng was expected back soon.
• Liang Lu described the Relay Station’s operational hub and assigned Ronan to learn its blueprints and assist with practical work amid heavy equipment damage and a compatibility mess left by a self-important repairman.
• Liang Lu told Ronan that he would receive a temporary external Machine Core, then spoke about the dangers facing Mental Side talents in the Han Guang Star System and beyond.
• Ronan wondered whether the events were real and questioned the claim that the Mental Side had no future, while Liang Lu praised Field Officer Sheng’s abilities and students.
• Liang Lu led Ronan to the Machine Core Calibration and Installation Department, where Ronan lay face-down on an operating station for the procedure.

While Liang Lu calibrated Ronan’s machine core, he discovered Ronan’s Knight-class reactor and explained the challenges facing humanity’s Centennial Sequence. Liang Lu installed the external machine core as a patriotic song stirred his hopes for reclaiming lost territory.

• Liang Lu scanned Ronan’s Knight-class reactor, marveled at its design, and downloaded its structural data with Ronan’s permission.
• Liang Lu discussed Ronan’s reactor, combat endurance, cultivation, and the long, costly path to Law Deployment.
• Liang Lu told Ronan that Field Officer Sheng could teach him valuable skills and that he might help his people by earning Imperial merit.
• Liang Lu began installing Ronan’s external machine core and played Su Yi’s song “Red Wheel.”
• Liang Lu described breaking through the Red Wheel Rift, sealing the Deep Space Demonic Eye, and reclaiming territory while Ronan wondered how the song inspired him so deeply.

Ronan learned about Su Yi and the Empire from Liang Lu while getting an Erect Collar Machine Core installed and calibrated. The chapter ended with Sheng Zhan ordering Liang Lu to keep Ronan with him and report any problems immediately after an unspecified complication arose.

• Liang Lu explained that Su Yi came from the Rainbow Realm and defended her choice to sing in its obscure language, while Ronan tried to follow the unfamiliar political and historical references.
• Liang Lu lent Ronan Su Yi's albums and installed an Erect Collar Machine Core for him, then taught him how to operate and calibrate it.
• Ronan completed the basic practical exercise and learned to handle the Erect Collar himself.
• Liang Lu received an order to suspend all implant and peripheral installations and reported that he had just installed a Machine Core on Ronan.
• Sheng Zhan appeared, told Ronan to learn to work with the newly installed device, and ordered Liang Lu to keep Ronan with him and report problems at once.

Ronan worked as a maintenance soldier at Relay Station Two Beehive while investigating the time mismatch between the Game Scenario and reality. Liang Lu compensated him for his Machine Core implantation by sharing his Su Yi collection, and the two headed to inspect Field Officer Sheng Zhan’s post to hear a genuine All-Domain Recording Edition.

• Ronan found that he experienced roughly three days in the Game Scenario while only taking an ordinary nap in the Real World, and decided not to interrupt the Simulator.
• Liang Lu and Field Officer Sheng Zhan assigned Ronan to maintain the central pipelines and security isolation zone because his Configuration skills suited the post.
• Liang Lu lent Ronan Su Yi’s albums, championship single, and reproduced Passerby Sound Source footage as personal compensation.
• Ronan listened to Su Yi’s recording through the Machine Core and sensed its distinctive Mental Ocean fluctuations and ordered beauty.
• After Ronan agreed that a live recording might be more interesting, Liang Lu arranged a spot inspection at Field Officer Sheng Zhan’s post, where someone owned a genuine All-Domain Recording Edition.