Chapter Summaries

Zhang Heng’s group waited near the tower for the Quantum Collider to activate, then discovered that the woman Waiter and the Bald Man were staring at was Master Builder Ms. Cat. Ms. Cat joined them to stop Evil Scientist, and Zhang Heng welcomed her onto the team as they prepared for the operation.

• Fan Mei Nan warned the group to act like ordinary tourists and told Destruction King to stop dismantling the café’s ashtray.
• Waiter and the Bald Man argued over who had fallen in love at first sight with a woman in a wide-brimmed hat.
• Zhang Heng approached the woman and introduced her to the group as Master Builder Ms. Cat.
• Ms. Cat explained that she had come to stop Evil Scientist after learning about his plan from a chain of cats.
• The Bald Man invited Ms. Cat to join the New Year Game Squad, and Zhang Heng welcomed her aboard.

Fan Mei Nan and her allies began their operation at Little Waist, but a surprise assault by other heroes threw their plan into chaos. They abandoned the careful approach and charged into the fight as Zhang Heng finished assembling a red Iron Man Suit.

• Fan Mei Nan led six companions toward Little Waist after the Quantum Collider activated, but Bald Man returned to retrieve his toilet seat.
• Dessert King, Candy Baby, and Daddy Cowboy attacked the Black-clad Bionic Humans, while Rocket Man disabled satellite-guided weapons and Phantom Ninja appeared.
• Fan Mei Nan scrapped the original plan and led the group into battle after Bald Man threw a flashbang into the lobby.
• Zhang Heng completed a red Iron Man Suit.

Zhang Heng and Fan Mei Nan joined the New Year Game Squad’s assault on Evil Scientist’s base, where they faced powerful mechanical enemies. After Destruction King dismantled the Decepticon and Phantom Ninja engaged Raphael, the squad took the elevator upstairs to confront Evil Scientist while their allies held the lower floors.

• Zhang Heng gave Fan Mei Nan the Iron Man Suit bracelet, then used a Light Blade he assembled from a streetlamp to fight the black-clad Bionic Humans.
• Zhang Heng and Fan Mei Nan reached the entrance and found Optimus Prime and a Decepticon battling Daddy Cowboy’s group inside.
• Destruction King dismantled the Decepticon until Raphael appeared and forced him onto the defensive.
• Phantom Ninja moved to fight Raphael while Daddy Cowboy’s group stayed behind to defend the power distribution room and hold off the enemies.
• The six members of the New Year Game Squad boarded the sightseeing elevator to head upstairs and stop Evil Scientist.

Zhang Heng and his companions reached the 107th floor expecting to confront Evil Scientist, but found the observation hall deserted and a zombie waiting for them. After killing it, they were overwhelmed by a horde of zombies, and the battle began.

• Evil Scientist warned Zhang Heng and the others over the elevator speaker that they could not defeat him, while Bald Man mocked him.
• The group reached the 107th floor and discovered that the observation hall and nearby snack bar were deserted.
• Fan Mei Nan spotted a disfigured tourist approaching, and the group realized he had become a zombie.
• Bald Man's bullets failed to stop the zombie, but Fan Mei Nan destroyed its head with a missile.
• A large horde of zombies suddenly swarmed the group, and Zhang Heng fought them with his Light Blade and a chainsaw.

Zhang Heng and his companions fought through a zombie horde, but the infected Butcher became a powerful threat. Zhang Heng used the Plant Queen’s weapons to defeat the zombies, and the group set out to confront the Evil Scientist before the world was destroyed in forty minutes.

• Waiter summoned the Butcher, which slaughtered zombies until their bites infected it and transformed it into an even stronger zombie.
• Fan Mei Nan and the Destruction King planned to separate the zombie Butcher from the horde, but the zombies gathered around it in formation.
• Zhang Heng built Pea Shooters, Man-eating Flowers, Potato Mines, and other plant weapons from the restaurant’s furniture, wiping out the zombie horde.
• The Destruction King chopped the remaining zombie Butcher into pieces, ending the battle.
• Zhang Heng reminded the group that the world would be destroyed in forty minutes, and the Bald Man said they would settle things with the Evil Scientist.

Zhang Heng and the others reached the Evil Scientist on the observation deck and learned that a 329 Shield protected the Quantum Collider containing the Infinite Blocks. The Evil Scientist blamed them for his wife and daughter’s deaths, while the group faced the challenge of getting past his supposedly impenetrable defense.

• The six reached the top floor without encountering further enemies, and the Bald Man tried to rally the group before Fan Mei Nan urged them to move on.
• Zhang Heng and the others stepped onto the observation deck, where violinists played among children’s toys and celebrity posters.
• The Evil Scientist revealed himself and blamed the group for the explosion that killed his wife and daughter three years earlier.
• The Bald Man spotted the Quantum Collider on an antenna mast and told the others to retrieve the Infinite Blocks while he distracted the Evil Scientist.
• The Evil Scientist revealed that he had placed a 329 Shield near the collider and claimed it could withstand even nuclear-level attacks.

The New Year Game Squad failed to penetrate Evil Scientist’s 329 Shield as the vortex overhead darkened and he awaited his family’s return. Bald Man unexpectedly passed through the shield, but Evil Scientist realized the Smart Toilet Seat had made it mistake him for a subordinate and urged him to remove the Infinite Blocks from the Quantum Collider.

• Destruction King said he needed days to understand and dismantle the 329 Shield, while Fan Mei Nan’s attack from underground also failed to reach Evil Scientist.
• Zhang Heng could think of no way to overcome the shield as the vortex overhead turned black and the squad’s remaining time dwindled.
• Evil Scientist said his wife and daughter were calling him and accused his former teammates of causing their loss, then projected footage mocking the squad’s past failures.
• Bald Man defended the prophecy of the Chosen One, but Evil Scientist revealed that he had invented it to test the squad’s gullibility.
• Bald Man walked through the 329 Shield and confronted Evil Scientist, who deduced that the Smart Toilet Seat had caused the shield to identify Bald Man as a subordinate and told him to remove the Infinite Blocks from the Quantum Collider.

The Bald Man confronted the Evil Scientist over the end of their relationship, recalling how the Scientist had once inspired and guided him. After the Scientist rejected his plea to return, the Bald Man revealed that he and the others had not caused the deaths of the Scientist’s wife and daughter.

• The Evil Scientist prepared to attack the Bald Man, but the Bald Man stopped him and spoke about how the Scientist had once changed his life.
• The Waiter recalled how the Scientist had encouraged him to return to school after failing his college entrance exam.
• The Bald Man condemned the Scientist’s actions and said he could no longer regard him as a father, mentor, or respected leader.
• The Bald Man offered to return the Smart Toilet Seat to end their relationship, but pulled it away and urged the Scientist to come back.
• The Evil Scientist took the toilet seat, dismantled it, and declared that they were no longer friends.
• The Bald Man revealed that the Scientist’s wife and daughter had died because of a flaw in the Scientist’s design, not because of the Bald Man and his companions.

The Bald Man showed the Evil Scientist evidence that the popcorn machine had exploded because of faulty design, not the team's operation, and explained why they had accepted blame. A video from King of the Ocean revealed the scientist’s wife and daughter at the laboratory before the explosion, leaving him moved by the sight of them.

• The Evil Scientist blamed the Bald Man and his team for causing the machine explosion that killed his wife and daughter, while the Bald Man said the design was at fault and that they had taken the blame to spare him guilt.
• The Bald Man recalled how the Evil Scientist had blamed himself for accidentally killing a stray cat, then asked Messenger to get King of the Ocean to send a video as proof.
• The Bald Man connected to the Evil Scientist’s Wi-Fi and opened the video of King of the Ocean and others admiring the nuclear-powered popcorn machine in the scientist’s laboratory.
• The video showed the group celebrating a little girl’s birthday, and the Evil Scientist recognized his wife, Qianqian, and daughter, Mengjie, and said he had missed them.

Bald Man showed Evil Scientist a video revealing how a mistake during Qianqian’s birthday led to the loss of his family. Evil Scientist broke down in tears, and Bald Man comforted him and urged him to return to the people who were still waiting for him.

• Bald Man paused the video to warn Evil Scientist that the truth might not make him feel better, but Evil Scientist insisted on watching.
• The video showed Qianqian’s friends making chocolate popcorn in the control room while Qianqian waited alone; they followed the instructions correctly, pressed Enter, and celebrated as an explosion sounded.
• Fan Mei Nan warned Bald Man and Zhang Heng that a dragon-like claw was emerging from the vortex, but Bald Man asked for two more minutes to finish the video.
• Evil Scientist cried and confessed that his mistake had left him without any family.
• Bald Man held Evil Scientist and told him that he still had family among the people who were waiting for him to come back.

Zhang Heng accepted Infinite Blocks from Evil Scientist after the Quantum Collider was removed and the city was saved. Fan Mei Nan logged out by leaping from the observation deck, and Zhang Heng left the LEGO world with the block.

• Fan Mei Nan explained that she tried to make people happy, then asked Zhang Heng why his emotions seemed so restrained.
• Evil Scientist apologized and offered Infinite Blocks to Zhang Heng, explaining that a persistent prophecy had told him to give it to someone from another world.
• Zhang Heng accepted the block, and removing it from the Quantum Collider stopped the beam and made the monster vanish as the sky filled with stars.
• Zhang Heng let Fan Mei Nan inspect Infinite Blocks before she tossed it back and thanked him for spending New Year's with her.
• Fan Mei Nan jumped from the observation deck and logged out before hitting the ground, then Zhang Heng logged out with Infinite Blocks in his pocket.

After returning from the LEGO instance, Zhang Heng spent New Year's Eve with his parents, sharing a family hug and playing Monopoly. His father hinted that he might tell Zhang Heng more about the Greenland expedition later, and Zhang Heng went back to bed.

• Zhang Heng returned to his bedroom after spending a year and a half in the LEGO world, though only nine minutes had passed outside.
• Zhang Heng joined Zhang's Mother and Zhang's Father for a New Year's hug and helped them continue their Monopoly game.
• Zhang's Mother fell asleep during the second game, and Zhang Heng and Zhang's Father covered her and cleaned up.
• Zhang's Father asked whether anything had happened in Zhang Heng's life and acknowledged that he was not good at lying about Greenland and Mr. Taim.
• Zhang's Father suggested discussing the expedition another time and offered to recommend places in Europe for Zhang Heng's summer visit.

Zhang Heng received a New Year's card from Moresby and continued investigating the old man in Tang suit and the mysteries surrounding his past. At the airport, Zhang's Father and Zhang's Mother revealed they were expecting another child and planned to raise the baby abroad, while Zhang Heng chose to stay because his unfinished game and unanswered questions remained.

• Zhang Heng recognized Moresby's New Year's card, which said the cheating-detection bug had been fixed, and traced its mailing address to a motel.
• Zhang Heng took Infinite Blocks for appraisal and searched library materials about Kronos and Greek Mythology as he prepared to investigate the old man in Tang suit.
• Zhang Heng confirmed that Tiantian's curse and bad luck had ended, and briefly saw Peng Jiating riding in her father's car without her stepmother or younger brother.
• Zhang's Father and Zhang's Mother told Zhang Heng and his grandfather at the airport that they were expecting another child and would raise the baby abroad themselves.
• Zhang Heng declined to plan for studying abroad because he still had matters to resolve, then returned home with his grandfather after his parents passed through security.

Zhang Heng received the B-grade Infinite Blocks from Jiajia, who offered to sleep with him in exchange for an offspring and answers about the game. Uncle Beach Pants intervened, warning her not to use her information to interfere with competition between players, and Jiajia left in a stranger’s BMW.

• Zhang Heng and his grandfather encountered Jiajia outside their apartment building after returning home.
• Jiajia gave Zhang Heng the Infinite Blocks and its appraisal card, which confirmed the item was B-grade and could bring realistic Lego creations to life for an hour.
• Jiajia told Zhang Heng she wanted to sleep with him, explaining that she wanted an offspring and could offer happiness and answers about the game.
• Zhang Heng rejected Jiajia’s proposal, and Uncle Beach Pants appeared and warned her that using information as leverage could violate fair competition.
• Jiajia brushed off Uncle Beach Pants, got a ride from a BMW owner, and gave him the middle finger as she left.

After testing Infinite Blocks, Zhang Heng found he could quickly assemble functional weapons from Lego bricks. He read forum reports about an online shop that had distributed lethal Death Dreamscape copies, then saw an angry post from a team he had beaten to the Master Builder instance's reward.

• Zhang Heng tested Infinite Blocks by assembling a Lego M1911 and his SF Recurve Bow, confirming that the weapons worked before reverting to blocks after an hour.
• Zhang Heng read reports that ordinary people had used packages from Risk-Free Killing Wish to kill people they hated, while those who ignored the instructions saw no effect.
• A player claiming to be a police officer said investigators found that the Death Dreamscape copies were not game items and had lost their effectiveness.
• Forum users speculated that a woman was cloning Death Dreamscape, while The Three Great Guilds tracked her.
• Zhang Heng opened an angry post from a team that had nearly cleared the Master Builder instance before he claimed its reward.

Zhang Heng ignored Jiajia’s offer and spent the rest of his holiday preparing to return to school. After saying goodbye to his grandfather, he traveled back without incident.

• An unfamiliar WeChat account sent Zhang Heng an address and invited him to get in touch if he changed his mind about Jiajia’s offer, but he set the message aside.
• Zhang Heng continued studying the Infinite Blocks and confirmed that he could not control the living creatures he assembled, so he turned the orange Lego cat back into bricks.
• During his final time stop, Zhang Heng photographed places from his childhood, stopped two teenagers planning a robbery, and checked his grandfather’s old Volkswagen for safety issues.
• Zhang Heng spent time beside his sleeping grandfather before leaving for the train station the next morning.
• Grandpa drove Zhang Heng to the station, and Zhang Heng returned to school by train without any trouble.

After returning to school, Zhang Heng arranged an accelerated driving course and found a way to pay for his car-related expenses by exchanging Game Points. He then visited his mother’s friend Han Lu, whose interest in his composure and knowledge left her thinking he was difficult to pursue as her best friend’s son.

• Zhang Heng enrolled in a VIP driving course so he could get his license quickly, despite the high cost and the added expense of parking.
• Zhang Heng agreed to exchange fifty Game Points through Ding Si and bought a white card to receive the money privately.
• Zhang Heng visited Han Lu at her home after contacting her through his mother.
• Han Lu welcomed Zhang Heng, recalled meeting him as a toddler, and asked whether he needed her help.
• Han Lu was impressed by Zhang Heng’s calm manner and knowledge, but thought it would be difficult to pursue him because he was her best friend’s son.

After returning to school, Zhang Heng’s dormmates checked their CET-6 results and worried that Zhang Heng would fail to earn his English credits. Zhang Heng finally checked his forgotten result, leaving the dorm stunned by the score on his screen.

• Han Lu offered to keep Zhang Heng’s Polo until he got his driver’s license, but Zhang Heng had her send it to a parking lot near his school.
• Chen Huadong, Wei Jiangyang, Zhang Heng, and Ma Wei returned to school after the Lunar New Year holiday.
• Chen Huadong celebrated passing CET-6 with 426 points, while Wei Jiangyang lamented scoring 402 and having to retake it.
• Chen Huadong explained that Zhang Heng needed at least 609 points because his teacher had canceled his regular grade.
• After Chen Huadong urged him to check his forgotten CET-6 result, Zhang Heng opened the page and left everyone speechless.

Zhang Heng’s extraordinary CET-6 score stunned his roommates, while Shen Xixi’s Wonder Woman identity and efforts to organize player cooperation drew his attention to growing tensions among players. After completing a point transfer and receiving money from Fulou, he prepared to move ahead with modifying his Polo.

• Zhang Heng’s roommates reacted with disbelief to his CET-6 score of 691, while Wei Jiangyang lamented that he had failed.
• News of Zhang Heng’s score spread from his class across the university, and Shen Xixi congratulated him.
• Shen Xixi used the Wonder Woman account to share experience fighting monsters and seek information-sharing and cooperation with other player teams.
• Zhang Heng considered the rising turmoil among players and wondered whether the Organizing Committee knew about it or had caused it.
• Zhang Heng completed a point transfer, received a white card from Fulou containing 1,811,300 yuan, and decided he could now plan the Polo’s modification.

Zhang Heng began investigating the Greenland expedition from seventeen years earlier, then entered the single-player competitive instance The Leaker. He arrived in a casino and realized that other players were present, leaving the competition’s sides and his opponents unknown.

• Zhang Heng traced the expedition’s sponsor to a short-lived shell company and identified four team members, including two former Navy SEALs and psychiatrist Marshall.
• Zhang Heng suspected the expedition had involved more than archaeology and considered visiting Greenland after completing another game instance.
• Zhang Heng entered The Leaker, whose objective was to help Edward escape or help Zero capture him.
• Zhang Heng surveyed the casino and recognized that the single-player competition included other players.