Chapter Summaries

Zhang Heng used the Arrow of Paris to kill the seemingly invincible Coffee Man by striking the hidden weakness on his left pinky fingernail. He recovered the arrow and found only two bronze rings on Coffee Man's corpse, while Earring Man was too badly injured to help with what remained of the instance.

• Zhang Heng drew the Arrow of Paris as Coffee Man taunted him and exposed his heel.
• Zhang Heng's arrow missed Coffee Man, turned around, and struck the nail of his left pinky finger.
• Coffee Man stopped breathing and fell dead, and Zhang Heng confirmed his death with a system notification.
• Zhang Heng searched Coffee Man's corpse and found two bronze rings, then retrieved the Arrow of Paris.
• Earring Man explained that his Water Giant state came from a C-rank item whose last use was spent, and said he could no longer move.
• Zhang Heng told Earring Man to rest while he handled the rest of the instance.

After losing contact with Coffee Man’s team, Vincent reorganized Black Nest’s defenses while Louis and his interview team flew to Toulouse to meet Edward. As Brigniac Airport descended into darkness, an unknown sniper stopped Vincent from moving and warned him to stay put.

• Vincent learned that Coffee Man’s people and the last drones had been picked off, then ordered the Black Nest technicians back to work and prepared to join the operation himself.
• Louis investigated a mysterious informant’s claims about Black Nest and CTOS, arranged to meet Edward, and flew from Paris to Toulouse with a five-person interview team.
• The six interviewers landed at Brigniac Airport, where Louis and Pierre prepared to begin their investigation.
• Brigniac Airport lost power, causing chaos as staff evacuated travelers and investigated the outage.
• Vincent set out in a command vehicle, but an unknown voice claimed responsibility for killing Abu and the others and warned him to stay put.
• A bullet blew out the command vehicle’s tire, and the unknown sniper threatened to shoot Vincent next if he refused to obey.

After Edward gave an interview exposing Black Nest and its CTOS project, Zhang Heng escorted him to Hong Kong and completed the main quest. Zhang Heng reflected on the game’s Agents and coming Proxy War, then disappeared after giving a Hong Kong fortune teller his wallet.

• Edward introduced himself to Louis and explained how he had joined Black Nest’s CTOS project, whose reality differed from the story he had been told.
• The little boy told Zhang Heng that Z had arranged for Edward to fly to Hong Kong after the interview, and Zhang Heng agreed to escort him.
• Leah gave Zhang Heng a USB drive from her brother, which the system identified as an unidentified game item.
• Zhang Heng considered Coffee Man’s abilities and concluded that the game selected players as Agents for powerful beings, while wondering how the Proxy War would unfold.
• Four days later in Hong Kong, Zhang Heng received confirmation that the main quest was complete and learned that the woman in red had abandoned the instance.
• Zhang Heng gave his wallet to a fortune teller on Temple Street and vanished before the man could respond.

Zhang Heng met Han Lu when she visited his campus to give a lecture, and she invited him to dinner after they caught up. As his classmates speculated about their relationship and his future prospects, the chapter turned to the seniors’ anxieties about graduation, work, and relationships.

• Zhang Heng played basketball with Wei Jiangyang and Chen Huadong until a blocked opponent shoved Wei Jiangyang.
• Han Lu arrived on campus in a red Lexus LC and explained that she had come to give a lecture.
• Han Lu asked Zhang Heng to join her for lunch, but he declined, so they arranged to have dinner after her lecture.
• Chen Huadong and Wei Jiangyang teased Zhang Heng about Han Lu and Shen Xixi, while seniors recognized Han Lu as a prominent investor.
• The seniors reflected on the pressures of approaching graduation, including job choices and relationship difficulties.

While waiting for a table with Han Lu, Zhang Heng saw a disturbing photo arrive on her phone and realized she was in danger. He showed her a lens that revealed the supernatural and warned her not to sleep until he found a solution.

• Zhang Heng and Han Lu waited for a table at a crowded grilled fish restaurant near the school.
• Han Lu asked Zhang Heng to take a selfie with her, and an unfamiliar number sent her a dark photo of a winged, human-shaped shadow.
• Zhang Heng asked Han Lu when she had last slept and warned that she might not be able to close her eyes for the foreseeable future.
• Zhang Heng gave Han Lu a lens, and she was astonished by its ability to reveal a clearer, brighter view.
• Zhang Heng told Han Lu that supernatural things existed and warned her not to sleep or even nap until he found a solution.

Zhang Heng explained to Han Lu that Death Dreamscape had targeted her and asked who might hate her enough to want her dead. Han Lu named Xu Jianjun and began describing their business relationship, leaving Zhang Heng asking what happened afterward.

• Zhang Heng recounted how Death Dreamscape had resurfaced and how ordinary people had used it after buying it from the Risk-Free Killing Wish online store.
• Zhang Heng explained the steps that activated Death Dreamscape and told Han Lu she had been cursed.
• Han Lu described how her investment work had created professional conflicts with many people, though she did not know who truly hated her.
• At Zhang Heng's urging, Han Lu named Xu Jianjun as a possible enemy and explained that she had invested in his home-furnishing media project under a harsh contract.
• Zhang Heng asked what had happened after Xu Jianjun signed the contract.

Zhang Heng took Han Lu to question Guo Miao, a former soldier who had bought a killing slot from the Risk-Free Killing Wish shop. Guo Miao admitted he had targeted Han Lu, leaving Zhang Heng to investigate how the Death Dreamscape’s effect could be removed.

• Zhang Heng found Guo Miao’s address and drove with Han Lu to the county where he worked at a plastics factory.
• Zhang Heng told Han Lu to drive ahead and count silently to ten, then appeared in her back seat with the bound, sack-covered Guo Miao.
• Zhang Heng questioned Guo Miao about buying a killing slot from the online shop, and Guo Miao admitted he had received a black feather, instructions, and a photograph.
• Guo Miao said he had followed the instructions and named Han Lu as his target because he blamed her for his comrade’s death.
• Zhang Heng released Guo Miao after confirming that he had targeted Han Lu.

Zhang Heng and Han Lu confronted Guo Miao, then sought help from Fan Mei Nan to find the mysterious former holder of Death Dreamscape and break Han Lu’s curse. Fan Mei Nan joined them, though she could not promise the woman would help.

• Zhang Heng and Han Lu left Guo Miao outside the factory, where guards freed him from his hood.
• Han Lu accepted that Death Dreamscape was real and asked Zhang Heng to help break the curse, while he warned he could not guarantee success.
• Zhang Heng and Han Lu drove to a KTV to meet Fan Mei Nan, who had contacted the mysterious woman who once held Death Dreamscape.
• Fan Mei Nan explained that the Three Great Guilds were hunting the woman and that she might not appear, then changed clothes and joined them.
• Han Lu offered Fan Mei Nan her Lexus as thanks for helping find a potential savior, and Fan Mei Nan said she was starting to like Han Lu.

Han Lu and Zhang Heng waited while Fan Mei Nan went into a park to meet someone, and Han Lu spoke about her envy of Zhang Heng’s mother. When Fan Mei Nan failed to return, Zhang Heng entered the park and was ambushed by four people who planned to sell him and Fan Mei Nan to the Three Great Guilds.

• Han Lu and Zhang Heng returned to Zhang Heng’s school for his bow and supplies, then drove with Fan Mei Nan to a park outside the Fifth Ring Road.
• Fan Mei Nan went into the park alone to explain the situation to the woman they had arranged to meet.
• Han Lu told Zhang Heng that she had envied his mother, Xiao Xia, whose instincts had guided her toward marriage and having a child.
• When Fan Mei Nan did not return, Zhang Heng took his bow and backpack and entered the park while Han Lu stayed in the car.
• Four people ambushed Zhang Heng, restrained Fan Mei Nan, and attacked him; Zhang Heng broke free and faced them.
• The apparent leader said the group intended to sell Zhang Heng and Fan Mei Nan to the Three Great Guilds, then showed Zhang Heng a lump of modeling clay.

Zhang Heng fought off the players who had captured Fan Mei Nan, using a hidden knife and an M1911 assembled from Infinite Blocks to turn the battle around. After the jacket man's electric shock left Zhang Heng incapacitated, Fan Mei Nan killed the attacker and ran to check on him.

• The leader and the man in the jacket attacked Zhang Heng while two other players restrained Fan Mei Nan.
• Zhang Heng endured their assault with his Small Knife, then killed the leader with a knife that suddenly appeared in his throat.
• Zhang Heng shot the player who aimed a dart at him and killed another attacker who tried to use Fan Mei Nan as a shield.
• The man in the jacket electrocuted Zhang Heng with his copper chain, but Fan Mei Nan stabbed him with a Small Knife.
• Fan Mei Nan dropped the knife and ran to Zhang Heng after he collapsed.

Zhang Heng learned that Fan Mei Nan was Loki’s reserve agent and the biological younger sister of the woman who had betrayed her. Fan Mei Nan revealed she could sometimes connect telepathically with her sister and agreed to risk triggering the link so they could find her, leaving Zhang Heng and Fan Mei Nan preparing to try it at Han Lu’s mansion.

• Zhang Heng asked Fan Mei Nan about her connection to Loki, and she explained that she and her sister were candidates to become his agents.
• Fan Mei Nan revealed that her biological older sister had introduced her to Loki and had recently tried to make her take the fall.
• Fan Mei Nan described past episodes in which her perspective seemed to shift into her sister’s body, suggesting they shared a telepathic connection.
• Fan Mei Nan proposed trying to establish the link by bringing herself close to death, and Zhang Heng agreed to help her locate her sister.
• The group went to Han Lu’s mansion, where Fan Mei Nan asked for the bathroom and Zhang Heng requested a clean towel and privacy.

Zhang Heng drowned Fan Mei Nan temporarily so she could meet the dead woman, then revived her with CPR. Fan Mei Nan woke and said she had seen the woman, but postponed explaining what she learned.

• Fan Mei Nan asked Zhang Heng to hold her underwater for four minutes, and he agreed to revive her within five.
• Fan Mei Nan plunged into the bathtub, and Zhang Heng held her beneath the water as she struggled until she stopped moving.
• Zhang Heng began CPR before the agreed time, then used mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until Fan Mei Nan's pulse returned.
• Fan Mei Nan woke coughing and vomited on Zhang Heng, who helped her rinse her mouth and recover.
• Fan Mei Nan told Zhang Heng that she had seen the woman and said she feared he might not be able to revive her safely.

Zhang Heng, Fan Mei Nan, and Han Lu set off by plane to find the mysterious woman in sunglasses, who may know how to remove Death Dreamscape’s threat to Han Lu. After arriving in the rain, Zhang Heng told Fan Mei Nan he had found bad news in the local reports.

• Fan Mei Nan told Zhang Heng that the woman in sunglasses had boarded a plane and appeared to be following a route marked on a map, so Han Lu arranged tickets to pursue her.
• Han Lu booked the flights and arranged breakfast and a driver while Fan Mei Nan and Zhang Heng awkwardly avoided discussing their close encounter during CPR.
• On the plane, Zhang Heng treated his arm wound as he and Han Lu discussed the danger of his world and her fear that she might not survive.
• The plane arrived an hour and a half later, and Zhang Heng told Fan Mei Nan that he had found bad news in the local news while she slept.

Zhang Heng, Fan Mei Nan, and Han Lu traveled to a city suffering an unusually severe flu outbreak and went to the crowded hospital where Fan Mei Nan’s sister was searching for something. They suspected the outbreak could be connected to her sister and began planning to track down the flu’s source, leaving Zhang Heng ready to search the hospital’s admission records.

• Han Lu told Fan Mei Nan and Zhang Heng that flu cases in their destination had increased, and they suspected the outbreak might be linked to Fan Mei Nan’s sister.
• After landing, the three found masks and cold remedies scarce and overpriced, then headed to the hospital where Fan Mei Nan’s sister had been researching.
• Fan Mei Nan explained that her sister could change her appearance with clay, so Zhang Heng proposed finding the thing she was searching for instead of looking for her directly.
• Fan Mei Nan said the flu’s source might be the object her sister sought, and Zhang Heng suggested identifying the earliest recent flu patients still at the hospital.
• Zhang Heng said he could search the hospital’s local network for admission records, while Fan Mei Nan urged the others to consider what her sister might do.

Zhang Heng, Fan Mei Nan, and Han Lu searched a hospital for a suspected target and identified thirteen-year-old Wang Shuangshuang. After Zhang Heng investigated the patient in the neighboring bed, a woman in a patient gown noticed them and fled toward the stairwell.

• Zhang Heng found Wang Shuangshuang's hospital records while Fan Mei Nan disguised herself, and Han Lu stood watch.
• Han Lu knocked out the doctor who entered the office, and the three left with Wang Shuangshuang's ward information.
• Fan Mei Nan confirmed that Wang Shuangshuang's mother was not her sister, and the group considered waiting for her to appear.
• Zhang Heng entered Wang Shuangshuang's ward under false pretenses and saw that the elderly patient in the neighboring bed seemed suspicious.
• A woman in a patient gown watched Zhang Heng and his companions, then ran toward the stairwell when he looked at her.

Zhang Heng captured the elderly woman he believed was the woman in sunglasses and tried to take her out of the hospital, but he was infected after touching Wang Shuangshuang’s attending physician. The elderly woman revealed that the doctor was Plague himself, and Zhang Heng grew too weak to pursue him.

• Zhang Heng restrained the elderly woman and took her toward the elevator, warning her not to resist.
• After the elevator doors opened, Zhang Heng began coughing and developed a fever, headache, and worsening pain.
• Zhang Heng recognized the attending physician’s name and realized the woman in sunglasses had been waiting for him, not Wang Shuangshuang.
• Zhang Heng pulled the elderly woman out of the elevator and tried to return upstairs to find the doctor as his condition rapidly deteriorated.
• The elderly woman revealed that the doctor was Plague himself and said she had been searching for him.

Zhang Heng collapsed at the hospital after the woman in sunglasses discarded his phone, while she returned to the sixth floor and met the male doctor she had been seeking. Outside, Fan Mei Nan learned that Zhang Heng’s phone had been found in a trash can and decided to go back into the hospital with Han Lu.

• The woman in sunglasses threw Zhang Heng’s phone away as he struggled to reach the elevator and collapsed.
• Hospital staff rushed Zhang Heng into the emergency room while the woman slipped away, changed her appearance, and returned to the sixth floor.
• The woman in sunglasses found the male doctor in a treatment room and knelt before him, offering to make a deal.
• Fan Mei Nan called Zhang Heng’s phone and learned that someone had found it in a hospital trash can.
• Fan Mei Nan decided to return to the hospital, and Han Lu insisted on going with her.

After Zhang Heng collapsed with a rapidly worsening fever, Fan Mei Nan and Han Lu split up to find what had caused his condition. Fan Mei Nan infiltrated the hospital’s monitoring room while Han Lu investigated the floor where Wang Shuangshuang was staying, and the chapter ended as a woman left the treatment room.

• A doctor warned Fan Mei Nan and Han Lu that Zhang Heng had a high fever and worsening breathing, while Fan Mei Nan concluded that something on Wang Shuangshuang’s floor had caused his condition.
• Han Lu insisted on helping despite Fan Mei Nan’s warning, and the two agreed to search separately for the cause.
• Fan Mei Nan disguised herself as a security guard, returned to the monitoring room, and stunned her partner so she could access the surveillance footage.
• Han Lu reached Wang Shuangshuang’s floor, paid for medication that a nurse had lost, and asked to see the visitor records.
• A woman walked out of the treatment room as Han Lu spoke with the nurse.

Han Lu and Fan Mei Nan identified Director Kuang as the man connected to Zhang Heng’s collapse, but Kuang attacked Han Lu before help could arrive. Zhang Heng intervened and pulled a beating black heart from Kuang’s back, leaving Kuang’s fate unresolved.

• Han Lu recognized Doctor Kuang as Wang Shuangshuang’s attending physician and suspected he was responsible for Zhang Heng’s condition.
• Fan Mei Nan confirmed from surveillance that Zhang Heng had encountered Kuang before collapsing, and Han Lu agreed to watch Kuang while Fan Mei Nan came to help.
• After Kuang entered Wang Shuangshuang’s ward, he seized Han Lu, dragged her through a wall, and trapped her in a ward where no one could hear her cries.
• Kuang revealed a crowned, horse-riding form and aimed a bone-like longbow at Han Lu, while Zhang Heng silently entered through the window.
• Zhang Heng cut open Kuang’s back, thrust his hand inside, and pulled out a beating black heart.

Zhang Heng recovered from the white horse rider’s plague, saved Han Lu, and killed Director Kuang, revealed as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He and Han Lu joined Fan Mei Nan to clean up the ward, while Zhang Heng kept the rider’s crown and bone bow as spoils.

• Zhang Heng crushed the black heart, ending the fight as Director Kuang collapsed and dissolved into ashes.
• Zhang Heng asked Han Lu for clothes, explaining that he had climbed in through the window after recovering from his near-death illness.
• Fan Mei Nan arrived and heard Zhang Heng explain that Director Kuang was the white horse rider and that he had survived the plague and killed him by instinct.
• Zhang Heng picked up the crown and bone bow, then stayed with Han Lu while Fan Mei Nan fetched cleaning supplies.
• Zhang Heng, Han Lu, and Fan Mei Nan cleaned the bloodstains from the room.