Chapter Summaries

Zhong Man discovered a blurry screenshot showing Raven and a Crow entering a restricted area, then learned that the Wilderness Explorers Association Xia City Branch had released another video. She hurried to watch it in Portable Reality, eager to experience Raven’s journey.

• Zi Ran Mian Er asked Zhong Man for new Raven material, and Zhong Man insisted she had found none.
• Sea Fishing King shared a ZM post showing Raven with a Crow entering a restricted area after an authorization check.
• Zhong Man inferred that the screenshot came from an organization’s internal software and wondered what Raven was doing there.
• Zi Ran Mian Er found a new video from the Wilderness Explorers Association Xia City Branch and shared its link.
• Zhong Man rushed to set up Portable Reality so she could watch the new video.

Zhong Man watched Raven approach Three Gates Security Engineering Construction Group while sharing Raven’s perceptions, then waited for the video to end. The screen switched to ZM’s livestream standby interface, leaving Zhong Man surprised as Raven appeared poised to go live.

• Zhong Man heard Vampire explain that Raven was acting alone and should present a business card to the company.
• Raven flew toward Three Gates Security Engineering Construction Group with a Crow perched on her shoulder as employees watched her approach.
• Raven showed a security professional a business card for Ronan and His Friends Foundation, then sat on the steps before working hours.
• The video ended abruptly, and ZM displayed its livestream standby screen.

Zhong Man waited anxiously for Raven’s livestream, worried that hostile comments linking Raven to the Xia City earthquake would grow, but her invigilation duty forced her to leave before the stream began. She asked Zi Ran Mian Er to record it, and Sea Fishing King offered to make a copy as the expected start time approached.

• Zhong Man noticed hostile comments connecting Raven to the Xia City earthquake and an early leaked photo, and worried that people were monitoring Raven’s team.
• Zhong Man recalled Tian Qi’s explanations and recognized Peony and Ink as people connected to the real-world figures he had described.
• Zhong Man’s alarm reminded her that she had to invigilate an exam, so she left her Reality Mode equipment at home and headed to campus instead of watching Raven’s stream.
• Zhong Man asked Zi Ran Mian Er to record the livestream, and Sea Fishing King offered to record a copy for her.
• Zhong Man wondered whether Raven’s solo livestream would last several hours and worried about its entertainment value.

While proctoring university exams, Zhong Man researched Raven’s online reception and found that public opinion was dominated by the earthquake and accusations of stunts. She then discovered a heated Space-Time Earthquake debate in the monitoring room and helped the debaters open Raven’s livestream, which was still running after more than three hours.

• Zhong Man searched offline webpages for information on Three Gates Security, the Ronan and His Friends Foundation, and reactions to Raven’s new video.
• Zhong Man’s word cloud showed that earthquake, stunt, and other negative terms outranked praise for Raven.
• During her patrols, Zhong Man heard debaters arguing about Wu Zunliang, Deep Sea, and the Space-Time Earthquake hypothesis.
• Zhong Man recognized the argument as a real-life version of the debate in the Demon Eye Girl Demi-Plane and urged the debaters to enter the livestream room.
• The affirmative debater opened the livestream link, and Zhong Man realized Raven’s broadcast had continued for over three hours.

Zhong Man discovered that Raven’s live stream had shown an empty reception room for hours, angering viewers and sending the topic onto ZM’s global hot list. As the exam ended, she obtained a sped-up recording to learn what had happened while the stream’s backlash continued to grow.

• Zhong Man saw that the live stream showed an empty reception room and a timer counting upward, while its remaining viewers defended Raven in the Bullet Screen.
• A senior leader sent the monitoring-room staff back to work, and Zhong Man finished proctoring the exam before leaving the signal-blocking area.
• Zhong Man read the administrator chat, where Zi Ran Mian Er complained that Three Gates Security had left Raven waiting in the reception room for three and a half hours.
• Sea Fishing King sent Zhong Man a recording sped up twenty times during non-plot sections so she could catch up on the stream.
• Zi Ran Mian Er reported that “Strongest Standby Ever” had reached forty-seventh place on ZM’s global hot list, and Zhong Man received the download notification.

Zhong Man realized Raven’s negotiation with E Tu had compelling content but that the team’s poor stream timing and lack of replay had kept viewers from seeing it. She urged Zi Ran Mian Er to spread recordings, only to learn that nobody had captured the stream because screen recording was blocked.

• Zhong Man watched Raven tell E Tu that she was the executor and insist that her brother believed there was a problem, while E Tu explained San Zha Company’s limits and offered her a tour.
• Raven refused to pause the live stream for a company tour, saying she was streaming.
• Zhong Man checked backend data and discovered that most viewers arrived after Raven and E Tu’s negotiation had ended.
• Zhong Man urged Zi Ran Mian Er to upload the best recorded parts and promote them through the fan support club.
• Zi Ran Mian Er reported that nobody had recordings because the Live Stream Room had blocked screen recording.

Zhong Man monitored Raven’s fan community as the live stream’s controversy grew, rejecting an exaggerated fan post and finding a more measured analysis of Raven’s choices. The chapter ended when Raven finally moved, prompting Zi Ran Mian Er to sound the alarm.

• Sea Fishing King refused to share his recording of Raven’s live stream, arguing that fans should let her face the consequences and prove herself.
• Zhong Man examined a fan post about Raven and Three Gates Security, judged it inaccurate and inflammatory, and asked Zi Ran Mian Er to contact Qiu Ye to calm the support association.
• Qiu Ye helped sink the post, and Zhong Man read Deep Sea Worshipper’s more balanced analysis of Raven’s standby actions and the camera perspective she had given up by releasing Ink.
• Zhong Man noticed an abnormal image on her Smart Brain, and Zi Ran Mian Er announced that Raven had finally moved.

After waiting for hours, Raven left the reception room and met with E Tu outside Three Gates Security as a visitor arrived. The armored knight introduced himself as Long Qi, a former consultant of Three Gates Security, leaving his connection to Raven to be revealed.

• At noon, Raven left the reception room and stood on the steps while Ink circled overhead.
• E Tu told Raven that the other party had tentatively accepted their requests and invited her to lunch, but Raven did not clearly respond.
• Ink landed on Raven’s shoulder as an old motorcycle with a sidecar approached Three Gates Security’s plaza.
• The armored visitor climbed the steps and greeted Ink before addressing Raven.
• The visitor removed his helmet and introduced himself as Long Qi, Former Consultant of Three Gates Security.

Raven discussed the next stage of the investigation with Long Qi and E Tu during a live broadcast, drawing a route toward aquatic environments where anomalies might breed. The meeting ended with Long Qi offering Raven a ride home, while the route and investigation plans remained to be coordinated.

• Long Qi removed his helmet and charmed viewers as he introduced himself as Raven’s liaison for the previous project’s scouting information.
• E Tu asked Raven to clarify the problems with last year’s project, and Long Qi rebuked him for piling on qualifiers during a live broadcast.
• E Tu offered to share Long Qi’s activity maps and inspection data, but Raven said her aunt had called her home for dinner.
• Raven traced a proposed route through aquatic environments, and Long Qi and E Tu identified it as the Old River Course route and discussed its hazards and coverage.
• Raven said her brother had requested aquatic environments, so Long Qi agreed to the direction and suggested they coordinate the details online.
• Long Qi ended the meeting and offered Raven a ride because they were heading the same way; Raven thanked him and walked down the steps.

Raven left Three Gates Security with Long Qi on his sidecar motorcycle, while their livestream audience reacted to their close interaction. After Raven noticed a convoy ahead, Ink switched the camera to an aerial view that revealed a rolling yellow dragon beneath the elevated magnetic highway.

• Long Qi picked Raven up in his sidecar motorcycle, and she climbed into the sidecar as Ink perched on its front.
• Long Qi gave Raven a helmet with a communicator, then suggested they use more livestream angles and greater flexibility while they were partnered.
• Raven spotted something she called a convoy, and Long Qi accelerated along the magnetic high-speed road to look for it.
• Ink shifted the livestream viewpoint into the air, revealing a rolling yellow dragon passing beneath the elevated highway.

Raven’s livestream gained momentum as Long Qi hosted and answered viewers’ questions, including questions about a convoy of old vehicles. Long Qi explained that the convoy belonged to Wanderers hauling material for a road project, but Ink suddenly flew down to follow it.

• Long Qi encouraged Raven to interact with the viewers, and Raven thanked him and said she would consider it.
• Long Qi fielded viewers’ questions and explained that the convoy was likely made up of Wanderers from the Fifth Inspection District, not protesters trying to enter the city.
• Zhong Man worried that Raven might get drawn into a sensitive public issue, while Long Qi discussed the challenges Wanderers faced and their different histories.
• Long Qi asked E Tu about the convoy, and E Tu said it was hauling backfill material for a suburban road upgrade project handled by Tai Xi Company.
• Ink abruptly left the highway and chased after the convoy.

Long Qi kept the livestream focused on Raven’s journey and the convoy’s arrival at a foul water pit near Linqiang District, where workers began preparing to fill it. Ink moved closer to a heated dispute at the site and captured an old man accusing Tai Chao of trying to stop his protest.

• Long Qi questioned E Tu about the Old Highway upgrade, while the livestream discussion turned to drifter protests and missing people.
• Long Qi announced that Raven’s convoy was nearing Linqiang District and pointed out the upgrade site, then the convoy stopped at a polluted water pit several kilometers away.
• E Tu explained that illegal excavation had exposed old underground pipelines and said the pit would be backfilled as part of the infrastructure project.
• Long Qi asked Raven whether they should slow down, while an older man confronted Tai Chao at the site and was surrounded by people from the transport vehicles.
• Ink landed near the dispute, then flew onto an engineering vehicle to record the argument as the old man shouted that Tai Chao could not stop him from protesting.

Tai Chao beat Fourth Uncle during an argument over the family’s future and revealed that he wanted the old man to stir up trouble at City Hall Square. After Tai Chao tried to leave the construction site, Long Qi blocked his off-road vehicle with a sidecar motorcycle.

• Tai Chao punched and stomped Fourth Uncle, then demanded that he use his influence to stir things up at City Hall Square.
• Fourth Uncle mocked Tai Chao by suggesting the scheme could be a plan B, prompting Tai Chao to try to kick him in the head before the crowd pulled him back.
• Tai Chao ordered Lao Xiong to take Fourth Uncle, Wei Wu, and the others into the city and said he would go too, though he feared he might kill Fourth Uncle on the way.
• Tai Chao noticed Ink perched on his vehicle, avoided looking at the Crow, and drove off while viewers suspected someone had warned him.
• Long Qi positioned his sidecar motorcycle in front of Tai Chao’s off-road vehicle, forcing it to brake after only a few meters.

Long Qi blocked Tai Chao’s convoy at the Stinky Puddle, prompting a confrontation that ended with the police and Three Gates Security arriving. As Raven checked Fourth Uncle’s injuries and Lao Xiong managed the convoy, Long Qi returned to the site boundary and asked to interview someone about the Black Stinky Water Body.

• Long Qi questioned Tai Chao about the construction crew filling in the Stinky Puddle, and Tai Chao recognized him from their earlier encounter in the Fifth Inspection District.
• Tai Chao drove his off-road vehicle past Long Qi at close range, leaving a long crack in its side before it skidded to a stop.
• Three Gates Security personnel arrived, followed by the police, who took over the investigation while Tai Chao’s lackeys protested.
• Raven examined Fourth Uncle’s injuries and told the children he would not die.
• Lao Xiong directed the convoy workers to park their vehicles by the pit, and Long Qi asked him for an interview about the Black Stinky Water Body.

Long Qi questioned Lao Xiong about the earth being dumped into the Black Stinky Water Body and learned it came from the abandoned reservoir. As Zhong Man investigated the Old River Course’s history, Raven joined Long Qi, who nearly stumbled into the sewage before she reminded him he could swim when sniping her.

• Long Qi questioned Lao Xiong about the earthworks, and Lao Xiong said the sand and gravel came mostly from the Abandoned Reservoir.
• Zhong Man researched the Old River Course and learned it was an abandoned water-diversion project closed off because it had become a route for Aberrant Species.
• Long Qi called Raven over to show her the century-old pebbles he had picked up.
• Raven examined a pebble as Long Qi nearly stepped into the sewage, then reminded him that he could swim when sniping her.

Raven and Long Qi's cryptic exchange stirred speculation in the live stream before Raven broke a stone containing Stone Powder Worm eggs. Long Qi warned Lao Xiong and the viewers about the dangerous Aberrant Species, then disinfected the fragments while wondering how they had reached Xia City.

• Raven stayed silent as Long Qi received a call and said his company was urging him to leave, while viewers debated their relationship and identities.
• Raven split a small stone beside the Stinky Puddle, revealing pale gray powder that Long Qi identified as Stone Powder Worm eggs, and he told Lao Xiong to back away.
• Long Qi warned the viewers that the worms could cause Aberration Infection and asked Lao Xiong whether he had seen them before in Xia City.
• Lao Xiong said he had encountered Stone Powder Worms in the Great Southwest, where authorities carried out exterminations, but denied seeing them in Xia City.
• Long Qi speculated that someone had illegally brought the worms to the area and said the contaminated material needed testing and disinfection.
• Long Qi disinfected his armored glove and warned everyone, especially Raven, not to touch the Stone Powder Worm eggs directly.

Raven ended the live stream after declaring that the trouble was not at the site of the Stone Powder Worms, leaving viewers unsure where the danger was. Zhong Man then went to Gear to seek information about Raven and encountered Tian Qi speaking with a senior colleague just as a car entered the North Shore Jungle.

• Three Gates Security arrived by rotorcraft, while Raven said there were no fertilized eggs in the puddle and Long Qi prepared to withdraw.
• Raven said, "The trouble isn't here," and Ink's viewpoint ended the live stream.
• Netizens gathered in the Demon Eye Girl Demi-Plane to restore and analyze the broadcast, while Zhong Man worried that the administrators knew more about Raven than they let on.
• Zhong Man went to Gear to learn more about Raven and hoped to contact Tian Qi for information.
• In the rain, Zhong Man spotted Tian Qi talking deferentially with a tall, thin man outside Gear's lobby.
• A car drove into the North Shore Jungle, surprising the students and teachers gathered beneath the canopy.

Zhong Man witnessed Lady Wen Huilan arrive at North Shore Gear and learned that she was visiting Ronan’s laboratory. As Bamboo Pole escorted her through the lab, she overheard Ronan’s team discussing a smuggling network before Bamboo Pole announced her arrival.

• Lady Wen Huilan arrived at Gear with a security detail, and a Black Suit checked Zhong Man’s photos before letting her go.
• Tian Qi accompanied Zhong Man to the Living Corner, where she saw Black Suits guarding the elevator to Ronan’s laboratory.
• Bamboo Pole escorted Lady Wen Huilan through the laboratory and advised her not to speculate about Ronan and other powerful Extraordinary Species.
• Lady Wen Huilan overheard a female researcher explain that Lao Xiong’s smuggling route moved prohibited drugs and mutated-species eggs and embryos through Stinky Puddle.
• A voice revealed that 97.9% of the prohibited drugs distributed through the Dark Web’s Secret Star Forum had come through the route, prompting laughter and a burst of static.
• Bamboo Pole announced President Gao Wenfu’s special envoy, Lady Wen Huilan, to the people in the laboratory.

Wen Huilan joined Ronan and the others as they examined the smuggling network linking Xia City with the Satellite Cities and Wilderness. She explained that Xia City's well-developed Ability User Association supply channels had prevented the Vagrant Exchange from gaining a foothold, leaving local black markets dependent on outside help like Return Voyage.

• Bamboo Pole brought Wen Huilan to the discussion, where she greeted the group and sat beside Raven while Ronan continued an intense experiment.
• Zhai Gong asked what Tai Chao and other tribal leaders knew about the smuggling route, and Zhang Yingying described their roles and mapped its logistics network.
• Xie Junping questioned why the route brought goods into Xia City but did not send goods out, and Zhang Yingying explained how postwar black markets served urban demand.
• Wen Huilan explained that the Xia City Branch's stable control of aberrant-product supply and official trading channels had crowded out the Vagrant Exchange and weakened local underground markets.
• Wen Huilan concluded that the local smuggling network had turned to outside assistance, which was why Return Voyage became involved.

Wen Huilan argued that Xia City's declining aberrant-product output had created a resource shortage that drove up governance costs and enabled smuggling routes such as Return Voyage. Ronan listened, finished adjusting to Magneto-Optical Mica's changes, began assembling armor for Raven, and invited Wen Huilan to continue explaining her assessment of Xia City.

• Wen Huilan explained that Xia City's aberrant-product output had fallen over the past five years, creating a shortage for Inner World users and raising the cost of governance.
• Wen Huilan argued that the shortage had helped routes like Return Voyage expand and weakened Xia City's control over resource distribution.
• Ronan's body returned to normal as Magneto-Optical Mica finished adjusting, and his damaged trousers prompted him to assemble improvised armor.
• Ronan told Raven to wear armor when entering dangerous areas and began designing a set for her.
• Ronan told Wen Huilan that her argument was not his main concern, then invited her to continue sharing her advice or warnings about Xia City.