Chapter Summaries

The Special Task Force shared intelligence and began its assault on the wild secret realm’s volcano, drawing out the monsters that guarded it. The battle opened against a vastly larger and better-equipped force, including a crowned Ant Monster carried from the volcano.

• Lu Jun asked the gathered teams to share intelligence, and Xia Qin handed the briefing over to Lu Xin because she felt sick.
• Captains and strategists described dangerous Ant Monsters, including ones that wore Rock Monster shells, self-destructed, or fused Rock Monsters together.
• The Special Task Force sent two waves of summoned beasts toward the volcano, but the first was quickly wiped out and the second drew more monsters into battle.
• The teams drove beast packs toward the volcano to lure out its defenders, and a large army of armored Ant Monsters, Mud Monsters, and towering Rock Monsters emerged.
• A gigantic crowned Ant Monster crawled out of the volcano, carried by dozens of smaller Ant Monsters.

Lu PingAn began his advancement trial to become a War Chess Player by taking temporary command of Squad Three during the battle against the ant monsters and Rock Demons. He used layered defenses and traps to control the battlefield, while the trial assessed his command and sacrifices.

• Lu PingAn invoked Lover of Chess and received approval to begin his advancement trial.
• After receiving temporary command of Squad Three, Lu PingAn ordered everyone to fall back.
• Redemption crashed down before the camp as Lu PingAn's planted tendrils and buried traps struck the advancing monsters.
• Lover of Chess's divine fragment praised Lu PingAn's defensive arrangement and sacrifices.
• Lu PingAn explained that he was pursuing the Warlord route's War Chess Player advancement and its extraordinary-war requirements.
• While Squad Three watched from the rear, Lu PingAn calmly opened a book as the monster horde surged forward.

Lu PingAn’s Little Flame devastated the Red-Patterned Ant Monsters, earning respect for him and Third Squad while improving the evaluation of his battlefield ceremony. He then opened a Card Pack to seek Divine Grace for the God of War.

• Lu PingAn summoned Little Flame, which devoured Red-Patterned Ant Monsters and turned Rock Monsters and Mud Monsters against their former allies.
• Lu PingAn checked his book’s countdown and warned the other squads to keep their distance from the wild beast.
• After witnessing Little Flame’s strength, the Special Task Force reassessed Lu PingAn and Third Squad, and Xiao Wu reconsidered challenging him.
• Lover of Chess praised Lu PingAn’s tactics and raised its evaluation of his Job Change Ceremony as his army completed the Hundred-Man Kill.
• Lu PingAn opened a Card Pack, hoping to obtain Divine Grace from the God of War.

Lu PingAn used his cards to turn Elvin Lightwoods into six frenzied treants and overwhelm the ant monster army. After the treants killed the Ant King, he completed the Job Change Ceremony with an S-rank evaluation.

• Lu PingAn summoned an Elvin Lightwood forest and used cards to enrage and enlarge Redemption.
• Lu PingAn drew a Red Five card and transformed an Elvin Lightwood into a giant treant that charged the Ant King.
• Lu PingAn continued drawing and playing cards despite accumulating Life Aversion, summoning six frenzied treants.
• The treants and the Special Task Force crushed the ant monster army and tore the Ant King in two.
• Lu PingAn completed the Solo Clear and received an S-rank ceremony evaluation.

After Special Task Force Three’s overwhelming battlefield display revealed Lu PingAn as a natural Legion-type Professional, he completed the War Chess Player job change and received two Divine Graces. He tested their scouting and spatial-exchange abilities, then spotted the missing Little Flame from above.

• Other Special Task Forces marveled at Team Three’s Legion-type combat power and questioned how they could afford its costs.
• Lu PingAn explained that his magic plants and beasts came from his abilities and the Garden, making him a natural fit for the Gardener path.
• Lu PingAn completed the War Chess Player job change with an S rating, gained Divine Grace, and received new profession skills.
• Lu PingAn summoned a spirit-form War Eagle and a Bronze Guardian, discovering that the Guardian could exchange places with him and could be revived if destroyed.
• Using the War Eagle to survey the battlefield, Lu PingAn found the missing Little Flame.

After Little Flame escaped control and devoured the volcano’s source power, the Special Task Force subdued the wild Secret Realm and discussed which deity or church should claim it. Lu PingAn was invited to give his opinion on the sale, and Big Cat had a suggestion as the chapter ended.

• Little Flame left the battlefield, entered the active volcano, and rapidly grew stronger by consuming its source power.
• The Special Task Force crippled the volcano, while Big Cat explained that stronger pollution could transform the wild Secret Realm into a deity’s Kingdom of God on Earth.
• The captains gathered to discuss selling the subdued Secret Realm, and Fifth Squad yielded to Third Squad after judging the strength gap.
• The captains and Vice Captains debated possible buyers, weighing price, strategic needs, and the environmental impact of a deity’s influence.
• The group asked Lu PingAn for his opinion, and Big Cat prepared to offer a suggestion.

Lu PingAn proposed inviting the Red Dwarf Race to establish an Artisan Path secret realm in Ancient City, arguing it would provide weapons, train Artisan Professionals, and bring tax revenue. The Special Task Force members were persuaded, and Lu PingAn pointed out that a recent reform had repealed the rule barring foreign races from opening secret realms.

• Lu PingAn criticized how powerful churches and corporations had become difficult for the authorities to control.
• Lu PingAn proposed contacting the Red Dwarf Race and outlined how its forging expertise could create an Artisan Path secret realm and mass-produce weapons.
• Lu PingAn explained that the Red Dwarf Race could pay for the secret realm with items and would likely pay its heavier foreign-god taxes reliably.
• The Special Task Force members warmed to the proposal, but the Fourth Squad captain objected that foreign races were barred from opening city secret realms.
• Lu PingAn said a reform the previous month had repealed that restriction and declared that foreign races under their jurisdiction were now considered compatriots.

As the Special Task Force maintained the volcanic zone, Lu Jun told Lu PingAn how the supernatural world and the bureau had changed across generations. He backed Lu PingAn’s ambitions while asking him to keep doing his public security work and remember the people at home if he reached a bigger stage.

• The exhausted First Squad and Fourth Squad rested while the Fifth Squad and Third Squad continued clearing weaker demonic monsters around the volcano.
• Before withdrawing, several squads cleared the mall’s fourth and fifth floors, and Lu Jun took Lu PingAn aside to discuss the changing eras.
• Lu Jun recalled how Secret Keepers once worked in secrecy and risked their lives to survive, then described the expansion of official forces as supernatural incidents increased.
• Lu Jun told Lu PingAn that stronger organizations and larger stages would welcome him, and promised to help bear the pressure of his future actions as long as he kept doing his public security work.
• Lu Jun urged Lu PingAn not to forget the locals and asked him to get more Ship Tickets for them if he made it big.

After reconsidering the advice of Xia Qin and Lu Jun, Lu PingAn planned a bolder future for himself and the Rebirth Merchant Guild. He outlined new training and recruitment goals, while leaving his most important problem—finding a stable way to obtain Life Points—unresolved.

• Lu PingAn decided to begin the Free Market plan once things settled down and continued investing in Guan Xinxian, Cat Cat, and Xia Qin.
• Lu PingAn considered a new combat profession and a Tier 2 Runner advancement, while adding chef training to his plans.
• Lu PingAn decided to recruit or cultivate an Alchemy Master, a Tier 3 chef, and a stronger craftsman for the Rebirth Merchant Guild.
• Lu PingAn acknowledged that Fang Wen and Big Cat might remain dangerous and planned to keep them confined until he was stronger.
• Lu PingAn updated his notebook with training and profession goals but left finding a stable, efficient way to obtain Life Points as a core unresolved task.

Ye Feifei entered the Land of Transaction after reciting the words on a promotional card and learned how its anonymous market worked from Big Dipper. He witnessed a contract sell for 400 points and saw evidence that a group led by Peace Dove had reached the Trading Ground before the other participants.

• Ye Feifei recited the card’s phrase, arrived in the Land of Transaction, and discovered that his account carried an 11 Life Point debt.
• Big Dipper introduced Ye Feifei to the rules, gave him a mask, and showed him the market’s goods and ability-borrowing contracts.
• Big Dipper’s attempt to charge Ye Feifei 10 points for his guidance failed when the Voice of Rules judged the service nearly worthless and warned against unfair transactions.
• Ye Feifei spotted a dove-masked figure removing a contract from the Trading Board, and a nearby trader announced that it had sold for 400 points.
• Big Dipper recalled rumors that Peace Dove led the Trading Ground’s earliest core members.

Lu PingAn opened the Trading Ground to new Traders, and its ability trading and rental systems quickly drew attention as people discovered they could buy abilities needed for advancement. A successful trade sparked both market activity and mistrust among newcomers, while a Peace Dove player faced an assignment to investigate the Trading Ground.

• Lu PingAn distributed flyers for the Trading Ground, and after only four people arrived at first, word of mouth brought in many more Traders.
• The Traders discovered they could trade or rent professional abilities, but most could not afford the Life Points or meet the compatibility requirements.
• A Peace Dove player demonstrated a talent-rental scroll, convincing the Traders that the veteran players' claims about the secret realm were real.
• A newcomer bought the Shield Guard ability he needed and advanced the next day, prompting people to bring only trusted friends and support the mask system.
• The seller used his 200 Life Points to buy another core ability, and reports that the recipient advanced helped bring more activity to the Trading Board.
• A Peace Dove player received an order to investigate the urban legend of the Trading Ground and worried about how to write the report.

Lu PingAn wrote a report recommending cautious cooperation with the Secret Realm and planned to issue tokens to stimulate its market, pending the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs’ response. He then tried to recruit Senior Lu Lu Lu and Senior Hua, who had come to negotiate after learning he controlled the Trading Ground.

• Lu PingAn wrote a report describing the Trading Ability’s limits while recommending long-term observation, recruitment, and cautious use by the Special Task Force.
• Lu PingAn decided that he would issue tokens to increase market liquidity, but would wait for the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs to settle on its stance.
• Lu PingAn considered how expanding ability trades could help Tier 1 Professionals advance and create a future surge in Tier 3s, so he chose to proceed cautiously.
• Lu PingAn offered Senior Lu Lu Lu and Senior Hua positions as internal members of the Trading Ground, but the two hesitated because of their earlier losses under the Conscience Contract.

Lu PingAn explained how the Trading Ground, Rebirth Society, and a future Security Warband would work, then tried to recruit Hua Xueyi and Lu Lu Lu. He left them free to pursue their own ambitions, saying his own goal was simply to live longer and better and help those around him do the same.

• Lu PingAn offered Hua Xueyi and Lu Lu Lu contracts promising a path to Tier Three within three years, but they initially declined because they planned to establish their own agency after graduation.
• Lu PingAn explained that they could join the Trading Ground’s Security Warband while still building their own group, and that the organization would protect the Trading Ground’s commercial interests beyond its neutral marketplace.
• Lu PingAn clarified that the Rebirth Society would make decisions, the Trading Ground would serve as the neutral commercial platform, and a Security Company would provide armed support and training.
• Lu Lu Lu teased Lu PingAn about pursuing Hua Xueyi, and he denied having romantic interest in her.
• Hua Xueyi asked whether Lu PingAn wanted to become a regional overlord, and he said he only wanted to live longer and better and help those around him do the same.

Lu PingAn welcomed the Red Dwarf Race as they settled in Ancient City, helping High Priest Liu Yichan find a way to finance their workshops and discussing plans for a larger settlement. After the Red Dwarves won approval to establish themselves and their craftsmanship impressed local officials, Lu PingAn went to collect his pet, which had awakened and completed its evolution.

• The Red Dwarf Race arrived in Ancient City, restored the volcano and its surroundings, and High Priest Liu Yichan asked Lu PingAn if they could pay their debt in installments.
• Lu PingAn explained how Liu Yichan could secure a bank loan through a local representative and receive tax support, prompting the priest to agree to pursue the plan.
• Liu Yichan told Lu PingAn that the Red Dwarves were pleased with the area and might bring their population there up to one or two thousand.
• Ancient City Bureau of Anomalous Affairs officials evaluated the Red Dwarves’ craftsmanship, and the settlement plans received approval and funding support.
• Lu PingAn visited the courtyard to collect his little pet after it awakened and completed its evolution.

Lu PingAn witnessed the Red Dwarf Race’s settlement take shape after divine power rewrote the local pollution, then learned more about Lady Kerdales and assessed Little Flame’s evolution. The newly powerful war beast remained untamable by anyone but Lu PingAn, so he put it into hibernation while considering a way to transfer obedience through Life Pages.

• Lu PingAn watched divine power transform the volcano into magma streams where the Red Dwarf Race could build homes and hatch their children.
• Lu PingAn spoke with priest Liu, who said Lady Kerdales had arrived in the world over a century earlier with a divine kingdom and had once been far weaker.
• Lu PingAn examined Little Flame’s evolution and found that its Silver-rank abilities made it a tireless, blood-powered area-destruction war beast.
• Lu PingAn learned that Little Flame attacked every living creature except him, so he bought a Hibernation Space to keep it asleep until he needed its power.
• Lu PingAn considered using a Life Page made from a tamed creature’s obedience to control Little Flame, but decided to save the method for future creations.

Lu PingAn assessed the limits of his growth and arranged university courses to improve his combat skills and develop his other professional paths. As Gu University prepared to begin term, the event rewards were distributed, and Lu PingAn was allowed to choose another Silver Taboo Item.

• Lu PingAn recognized that his strength depended on costly Life Point use and powerful equipment, while Big Cat urged him to build structured close-combat skills.
• Xia Qin arranged for Lu PingAn to take Advanced Fighting and courses in Chef, Gardener, Law, and Contract Theory, while his Warlord application awaited exams.
• Gu University prepared to begin its term, and the Special Task Force distributed event rewards that included Taboo Items.
• Lu PingAn received the freedom to choose another Silver Taboo Item, and Big Cat recommended a long-handled weapon.

After attending the funerals and receiving commendations for the recent disaster, Lu PingAn and Third Squad welcomed newly formed Team Eleven to help cover their district. The newcomers’ first patrol was delayed when Xia Qin learned Lu PingAn had crashed a police car while deliberately ramming a fugitive, and she barred him from driving again.

• Lu PingAn and the other newcomers attended the funerals for fallen Special Task Force members, then Third Squad received a collective citation while Lu PingAn and Xia Qin were awarded medals.
• Team Eleven, led by Che Wannian, arrived to learn routine patrol work alongside Third Squad after the Special Task Force expanded.
• Xia Qin offered to take Team Eleven on patrol, but Lu Xin explained that Lu PingAn had borrowed the last available vehicle to clear his head and practice driving.
• The Traffic Police Brigade called Xia Qin and revealed that Lu PingAn had crashed a police car while intentionally ramming a fugitive who resisted arrest.
• Xia Qin crushed her phone and ordered Third Squad never to let Lu PingAn touch car keys again, while Lu PingAn considered getting a Driver profession.

Lu PingAn recognized that his reckless driving reflected a desire to lose control, then learned about the Driver profession. He sold Taboo Items to fund his growing education and supplies, leaving him planning how to pay for his many paths.

• Lu PingAn reflected on his enjoyment of reckless driving and considered Big Cat's view that he was suppressing his instincts.
• Big Cat explained the Driver profession, its specializations, and how Professionals could eventually forge their own paths.
• After dealing with a traffic accident, Lu PingAn decided to wander rather than return and risk being scolded.
• Lu PingAn sold five Taboo Items at the Trading Ground for six hundred and seventy thousand and planned to divide the money among his parents, debts, tuition, and living costs.
• Lu PingAn considered the books, tools, equipment, and ingredients needed for his different studies and wondered whether Tie Zhenmei's Silver Tier cookware was excessive.

Lu PingAn learned that the Life Bank would exchange rare magical plants for Life Points, allowing the Land of Life to replicate them and expand its ecosystem. When he tried to obtain a Sicilian Champagne Flower from his own Garden, he discovered that the Courtyard charged him 110 Life Points for its life module.

• Trading Ground’s new token qualifications drew a flood of visitors, while Cat Cat continued training against Hua Xueyi in the Gymnasium.
• Lu PingAn watched Cat Cat’s improved fighting skills and discussed her progress with Chris.
• Big Cat told Lu PingAn that the Life Bank accepted rare magical plants in exchange for Life Points and that the Courtyard replicated their life modules in the Garden.
• Lu PingAn realized that the Garden could only provide this feedback after he built its proper Rule Building, rather than relying on Big Cat’s handmade version.
• Lu PingAn tried to buy a Sicilian Champagne Flower’s life module and found the Courtyard demanded 110 Life Points, despite the Bank having paid only 10 for the plant.

Lu PingAn discovered that the Life Bank wanted diverse magical plants and considered building a zoo to attract magical creatures and improve the market. Unable to build it without Beast Tamer-related rules, he posted an offer for powerful Healer- or Beast Tamer-path items, expecting the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs to supply one and demonstrate the value of Life Points.

• Lu PingAn learned that the Land of Life bought limited samples of magical plants and charged Life Points for access to its growing Public Nursery.
• Lu PingAn considered spending public funds to build a zoo, but the Life Bank said he lacked the corresponding rule power.
• Big Cat explained that Lu PingAn could obtain the needed rules from a suitable Rule-level or top-tier Silver-Rank item.
• Peace Dove posted an offer on the Trading Board to buy Healer- or Beast Tamer-path items containing life-related rules for 500 to 1,000 Life Points.
• Lu PingAn expected the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs to provide a suitable Taboo Item, which would publicly confirm the value of Life Points.