Chapter Summaries

Wang Tao and the survivors from Bauhinia Base arrived at Long River Base, where they learned that zombie crystal cores had changed and that the vast city was governed by the Changhe Committee. After the Third Army Corps settled them in its territory, Wang Tao and the others began learning about life in the base.

• Duan Xuchang told Wang Tao that most zombie crystal cores had lost their abilities and could no longer be fused.
• Wang Tao and the survivors reached Long River Base and marveled at its immense walls and the tunnel-like gate.
• Duan Xuchang explained that the former government and military had been replaced by the Third Army Corps and that the Changhe Committee governed the base.
• Hou Zhiyuan welcomed Wang Tao, Lan Yulian, and the survivors, then arranged for the Third Army Corps to inspect and transport them.
• Lan Yulian and the others toured the lively streets, and Duan Xuchang brought them to temporary lodgings in the Third Army Corps' territory.

Duan Xuchang explained Long River Base’s currency, leadership, major forces, districts, and contribution system to Wang Tao’s group, then left them to rest in their courtyard. The next day, Wang Tao raised the group’s health and was preparing to discuss who would receive the limited advancement cores when Duan Xuchang arrived with Secretary Cui.

• Duan Xuchang warned Wang Tao that crystal coins might lose value, then described the Base Committee, the Six Army Corps, Hope Research Institute, and life inside Long River Base.
• Duan Xuchang said survivors had to contribute to the base to earn rights and status, then went home to his wife after talking with Wang Tao’s group late into the night.
• Ding Yuqin and Han Rui joined Wang Tao in bed, while Yang Changhong and Lan Yu Lian arrived separately and left after seeing them together.
• The next morning, Wang Tao rested with his group, raised everyone’s health to 110,000, and prepared to decide who would use the available advancement cores.
• Duan Xuchang arrived with Secretary Cui, who greeted Wang Tao and asked him to call him Little Cui.

Wang Tao’s group registered with Changhe Base City, received free homes and crystal coin subsidies, and began exploring the city. The chapter ended as a red glow appeared in the distant night sky while they headed out to see the city’s performances.

• Cui Sheng visited Wang Tao on behalf of the Municipal Government, registered him and his companions, and asked about their plans.
• Wang Tao chose to establish a small organization, and the group selected free homes near his chosen residence.
• Cui Sheng gave the group Information Wristwatches and Crystal Coin Cards, with Wang Tao receiving 20,000 crystal coins and most others receiving 1,000.
• Duan Xuchang explained the value of the subsidies and suggested Wang Tao consider a position in the Municipal Government, then took the group around the area.
• After Duan Xuchang left to handle an urgent matter, Wang Tao and the others went out to explore the nightlife and noticed a red glow in the distant sky.

Wang Tao investigated meteorites falling during a shower, rescued people from their impact zones, and discovered that the stones could be opened with Crystal Cores. After one yielded only a poor-quality Self-Destruct Crystal Core, he hurried to help Duan Xuchang confront a Tier 4 monster that had emerged from another opened meteorite.

• Wang Tao led his group to a meteorite’s predicted impact site and forced the people sheltering inside a building to evacuate before the meteorite destroyed it.
• Wang Tao collected a Fifth-Order Crystalline Star Meteorite and learned that it contained something requiring eight fifth-order Crystal Cores to open.
• Wang Tao collected a Fourth-Order Crystalline Star Meteorite, opened it with two fourth-order Crystal Cores, and found only a white-quality fourth-order Self-Destruct Crystal Core inside.
• Wang Tao and his group continued collecting meteorites and helping people avoid the impacts until Duan Xuchang called for help with a Tier 4 monster.
• Bald Man admitted that he had opened a meteorite with four Crystal Cores and released the monster, and Wang Tao prepared to fight it while Duan Xuchang and the others rescued civilians.

Wang Tao lured a fourth-order lord Cockroach Monster away from the plaza and killed it with fireballs and a Mystic Iron Rod while Lan Yulian and the others rescued the wounded. As the meteor shower ended and order returned to the base, Wang Tao realized that even small Crystalline Star Meteorites might contain monsters.

• Wang Tao drew the Cockroach Monster away from the plaza and led it to a meteorite crater so Duan Xuchang and the others could rescue survivors.
• Lan Yulian used Healing Light to stabilize the wounded while Duan Xuchang organized the rescue effort.
• Wang Tao burned and battered the Cockroach Monster with fireballs and a Mystic Iron Rod until he killed it, then collected its named items and crystal cores.
• Wang Tao returned to the plaza, where Lan Yulian healed him and Duan Xuchang arranged to salvage the monster's valuable corpse.
• The Bald Man explained that the monster had expanded after emerging from a small Crystalline Star Meteorite, prompting Wang Tao to suspect that even small meteorites could contain monsters.
• Wang Tao's group checked other areas as the meteor shower faded, and Duan Xuchang told them to rest while the base handled the remaining cleanup.

After defeating the Cockroach Monster, Wang Tao examined his meteorites and collected the monster’s loot, crafting equipment with powerful attributes and raising his Awakening Energy cap to 1,000. The next morning, Secretary Cui arrived to thank Wang Tao on the Municipal Government’s behalf and deliver the monster’s remaining spoils.

• Wang Tao gave his seven unopened Crystalline Star Meteorites to everyone to study and warned them not to open them.
• Wang Tao collected the Cockroach Monster’s materials, Crystal Cores, Awakening items, potions, and three equipment blueprints.
• Wang Tao crafted a Sharp Long Blade with Armor Penetration and Bleeding, a Black Shell Armor Set with Restoration, and a Physique Necklace with Focus.
• Wang Tao kept the Physique Necklace, gave Xu Xiaojun the Black Shell Armor Set, and raised his Awakening Energy cap to 1,000.
• The next morning, Ding Yuqin told Wang Tao that Secretary Cui had been waiting, and Cui arrived to thank him and deliver the Cockroach Monster’s remaining loot.

Wang Tao received his share of the Cockroach Monster’s loot and agreed to join the Municipal Government’s meteorite-opening partnership as a Crystal Core investor. After learning that flying monsters had made the skies dangerous, he decided to strengthen his group and selected four people to attempt awakening, beginning with Lan Yulian.

• Cui Sheng delivered Wang Tao’s share of Protein Blocks, monster parts, and shells, then proposed that he invest Crystal Cores in a joint effort to open Crystalline Star Meteorites; Wang Tao agreed to contribute as a shareholder.
• Duan Xuchang returned his own share of the monster’s loot, but Wang Tao asked him to keep it and instead let him claim some kills during a future hunt.
• Duan Xuchang warned Wang Tao that Flying Zombies and monsters had attacked helicopters during the Meteor Shower, making the skies unsafe and threatening the base’s security.
• Wang Tao told his group about the flying threats, urged them to grow stronger, and assessed who could use the available Awakening Keys and Advancement Crystal Cores.
• Wang Tao narrowed the candidates to seven and chose four people to attempt awakening, selecting healer Lan Yulian first.

Wang Tao’s four companions attempted their first awakenings, but only Lan Yulian and He Jijun succeeded while Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui failed. Wang Tao then joined the Municipal Government’s meteorite-opening event, where he met the base’s leaders and discovered that Charge Army leader Qi De was an awakened Tier 4 Esper.

• Wang Tao had Lan Yulian, He Jijun, Wei Zhenguo, and Han Rui fuse Advancement Crystal Cores and Awakening Keys before attempting to awaken.
• Lan Yulian and He Jijun succeeded and fell asleep, while Wei Zhenguo and Han Rui failed; Wang Tao comforted them and promised they would have future chances.
• Cui Sheng invited Wang Tao to the Municipal Government’s meteorite-opening event, and Wang Tao brought Xiang Hongbin, Xu Xiaojun, Nie Siyan, and Lightning.
• On the way to the camp, Cui Sheng described the base’s factions and explained that the Zhongyi Gang had publicly punished and compensated people for the Bald Man’s meteorite incident.
• Wang Tao arrived at the heavily guarded camp and met Secretary-General Gu Yun and other faction leaders, including Charge Army leader Qi De.
• Wang Tao inspected Qi De’s status and learned that he was an awakened Tier 4 Esper whose passive Powerful awakening enhanced his basic attributes.

Wang Tao met the leaders and Awakened gathered at the temporary camp, then learned that the Hope Research Institute was examining a large collection of Crystalline Star Meteorites. He refused Qu Shilin’s request to study Lightning, but secured her agreement to make Xiang Hongbin a custom prosthetic—provided Xiang cooperated with her research.

• Wang Tao met Qi De, Shang Heng, Zhou Long, and Huang Wu, and learned about their awakenings and positions.
• The group gathered around Lightning to pet him, while Shang Heng recognized Xiang Hongbin as a former soldier and struck up a conversation with him.
• Gu Yun told Wang Tao that the Hope Research Institute could make Xiang Hongbin a combat-capable custom prosthetic.
• At the research hall, Wang Tao saw more than a hundred Crystalline Star Meteorites collected by the Municipal Government and its allies.
• Qu Shilin asked to buy or rent Lightning for research, but Wang Tao refused and called Lightning back to his side.
• Qu Shilin agreed to make Xiang Hongbin a prosthetic for free if he cooperated with her, leaving Xiang uneasy about what that research would involve.

Wang Tao began opening Fourth Order Crystalline Star Meteorites with the other survivors and discovered a weapon called the Iron Beetle inside the first one. He identified its potential as biological armor, while Qu Shilin showed keen interest in examining it.

• Wang Tao persuaded Xiang Hongbin to cooperate with Qu Shilin on a custom prosthetic, though Xiang Hongbin asked to send Lightning in his place and Wang Tao refused.
• Wang Tao signed an agreement to contribute crystal cores toward opening the meteorites and borrowed seventy more Fourth Order cores from the Municipal Government under Long River Bank’s VIP terms.
• Wang Tao volunteered to open the first meteorites, and the group moved ten of them to a military-surrounded open area.
• Wang Tao opened meteorite No. 1 with two Epic Crystal Cores and caught a small black beetle that emerged from it.
• Wang Tao identified the beetle as a Fourth Order Weapon called the Iron Beetle, which could attack independently and arm its master, and Qu Shilin approached with her tools.

Wang Tao demonstrated the Iron Beetle’s combat power and explained the huge Crystal Core costs required to develop it, prompting Gu Yun to offer the Municipal Government’s support. He also revealed that Fourth Order Lord Night Demon hearts could be controlled as weapons, and Qu Shilin asked him to come to her house to test the hearts she had collected.

• Wang Tao used a Tier 2 Crystal Core to activate the Iron Beetle and showed that it could grow to Lightning’s size, guard him, and destroy wooden, iron-armored, and steel-plated dummies.
• Wang Tao explained that the Iron Beetle was naturally Tier 4 but needed compatibility and extensive nurturing to reach its full strength; the others declined to pay its enormous development costs.
• Gu Yun offered the Municipal Government’s Crystal Cores and privately told Wang Tao that the government wanted the Iron Beetle, while Wang Tao hinted that it had another powerful function.
• Wang Tao handed the Iron Beetle to Gu Yun and taught the group to control it through consciousness, then said he had discovered the method accidentally while connected to a Fourth Order Lord Night Demon’s heart.
• The group regretted destroying Night Demon hearts they had previously encountered, and Qu Shilin invited Wang Tao to her house to test more than a dozen Fourth Order Lord Night Demon hearts she had saved.

Wang Tao and the others opened a series of meteorites, finding several disappointing Crystal Cores but also a Red Strength Crystal Core and a powerful Iron Bone Blade. As Wang Tao opened Huang Wu’s meteorite, a monster appeared, leaving the group facing a new danger.

• Qu Shilin refused to sell her collection of more than a dozen Night Demon Hearts, so Wang Tao resumed opening the meteorites.
• Wang Tao opened Meteorites No. 2 through No. 6, revealing a Glutton Crystal Core, a Red Strength Crystal Core for Qi De, a Defense Crystal Core, an Awakening Energy Orb, and a Self-Destruct Crystal Core for Zhou Long.
• Wang Tao opened Meteorite No. 7 and found an Iron Bone Blade that increased attack speed by ten percent; Qi De, Huang Wu, and the others tested it and wanted to obtain it.
• Wang Tao opened Huang Wu’s Meteorite No. 8 with eight ordinary Crystal Cores, then stepped back when a monster appeared.

Wang Tao and the other fourth-tier Espers fought the Double-Tailed Scorpion that emerged from the Eighth Meteorite while the army held back from firing. After the scorpion was weakened by the Esper team and the army’s bombardment, Wang Tao dealt the final blow and secured the kill.

• The Double-Tailed Scorpion emerged from the Eighth Meteorite and used a mental attack, prompting Shang Heng to order the army to retreat while Zhou Long and the other fourth-tier Espers fought it.
• Huang Wu poisoned the scorpion with his attacks, Qi De dealt heavy melee damage, and Zhou Long and Wang Tao struck it with crystal-powered and Air Bullet shots.
• When the scorpion’s health fell below half, it launched explosive poisonous stingers at Qi De and Zhou Long, leaving Qi De weakened and Zhou Long escaping through his Black Quicksand.
• Wang Tao called for Shang Heng to suppress the scorpion, and nearby Power Armor crews knocked its next stingers off course before the army opened fire.
• As the bombardment nearly killed the scorpion, Wang Tao fired the final shot, killed it, and collected the kill and its loot packages.

After the Double-Tailed Scorpion was defeated, Wang Tao explained his theory about the conditions for Awakening, revealing the importance of Hidden Attributes and fused abilities. With the poisonous mist gone, the group prepared to inspect the spoils, and Wang Tao retrieved the Iron Beetle to use its newly available function.

• The group rested outside the poisonous mist, and Wang Tao gave Qi De and the others Medical Kits that restored health.
• Gu Yun and the others discussed who might have killed the Double-Tailed Scorpion and obtained an Awakening Key.
• Wang Tao explained that Awakening required peak Third Order strength, maxed-out abilities, and a Hidden Attribute, and that Awakening fused those conditions together.
• Gu Yun announced that the poisonous mist had dissipated, prompting the group to prepare to inspect the spoils.
• Wang Tao asked Gu Yun to bring him the Iron Beetle, saying the conditions were now right to use its powerful function.

Wang Tao revealed that the Double-Tailed Scorpion’s Strange Poison Sac could grant a Hidden Attribute, then took the scorpion’s other valuable loot. He fed the corpse to the Iron Beetle, which finished eating it, leaving its second function ready to unlock.

• Wang Tao explained that the Iron Beetle could become armor after eating a fourth-tier Insectoid, while Gu Yun worried over how the group would divide the Double-Tailed Scorpion’s remains.
• Wang Tao discovered the scorpion had a Strange Poison Sac that could cause Poisoning, do nothing, or grant a Hidden Attribute, and taught the others how to sense its special energy.
• Wang Tao offered the poison sac to the others because he already had an identical one, and Zhou Long agreed that Wang Tao could take the remaining loot.
• Wang Tao stored the scorpion’s pincers, tails, crystal core, and energy orb in his Mystical Stomach Pouch, surprising Qu Shilin and the others.
• Wang Tao enlarged the Iron Beetle, which devoured the Double-Tailed Scorpion’s entire corpse.

After the Double-Tailed Scorpion was defeated, Wang Tao inspected its loot and traded a Mystical Stomach Pouch to Qu Shilin for a set of Power Armor. He then revealed the Iron Beetle’s Armament ability, leaving the assembled Espers and soldiers stunned by his enormous armored form.

• The Iron Beetle devoured the Double-Tailed Scorpion’s corpse, while Gu Yun tried to keep its second ability secret from the other Espers.
• Wang Tao examined the Iron Beetle’s upgraded attributes and collected the scorpion’s materials, Crystal Cores, Awakening Key, and weapon blueprints.
• Qu Shilin asked to buy Wang Tao’s Mystical Stomach Pouch, and they agreed to exchange it for one set of Power Armor.
• Gu Yun agreed to let Wang Tao demonstrate the Iron Beetle’s hidden ability in exchange for a viewing fee, and Wang Tao used a Fourth Order Crystal Core to raise its compatibility to 100%.
• Wang Tao activated Armament, and the Iron Beetle expanded around him into a two-story armored figure that left the onlookers and nearby soldiers shocked.

Wang Tao demonstrated the Iron Beetle’s armament, revealing its immense health, defense, and size while noting its limitations and its dependence on the user. After Gu Yun survived a tense standoff over the weapon, he tried it himself and gained Level Four combat power, though his compatibility was limited to 50%; the group then returned to opening meteorites.

• Wang Tao armed himself with the Iron Beetle, tested its capabilities, and explained how it differed from Entangling Tree Root.
• Wang Tao handed the Iron Beetle to Gu Yun, while Zhou Long and the others used threatening looks to pressure him into striking first; Gu Yun stayed calm and held on to it.
• Wang Tao realized that the others were maneuvering for the Iron Beetle and suspected Shang Heng might also have his own plan, while he and Qu Shilin recognized each other’s suspicions.
• Wang Tao put the Iron Beetle into dormancy so it could bind to Gu Yun, who armed himself, gained Level Four combat power, and privately told Wang Tao that his compatibility was only 50%.
• Gu Yun asked Wang Tao to continue opening meteorites so they could finish the day’s task.

Wang Tao and the others opened the final meteorites, finding an Advancement Crystal Core and unleashing an Iron-Thorn Centipede that Gu Yun battered with the Iron Beetle armor before Wang Tao landed the killing shot. They divided the monster’s loot and headed back to Long River Base, while several factions invited Wang Tao to dinner.

• Wang Tao opened Meteorite Number 9 and found an orange fourth-order Advancement Crystal Core, which belonged to the Municipal Government.
• Wang Tao opened Meteorite Number 10, releasing an Iron-Thorn Centipede, and Zhou Long, Qi De, and Huang Wu prepared to fight it.
• Zhou Long trapped the Iron-Thorn Centipede in black quicksand as Qi De and Huang Wu attacked, then Gu Yun joined in wearing the Iron Beetle armor and overwhelmed it.
• Wang Tao shot the Iron-Thorn Centipede when its health reached the execution threshold, killing it and claiming its loot package.
• Gu Yun and Shang Heng allocated the Iron-Thorn Centipede’s remains among the participants, and Wang Tao received its mandibles.
• Gu Yun, Zhou Long, and others invited Wang Tao to dinner, but he politely declined so he could sort through the day’s loot.

Wang Tao and the others divided the meteorite loot, and he yielded his shares in several valuable items in exchange for crystal coins. The next morning, he received 262,000 crystal coins from the Municipal Government, but learned no meteorite expedition had been scheduled for that day.

• Wang Tao gave the Municipal Government his shares in the Iron Beetle, Iron Bone Blade, and Advancement Crystal Core, and received 50,000 crystal coins from the other settlements.
• Wang Tao crafted a Doomed Great Scythe, two Poison Scorpion Whips, and two Brute Force Pincers from the monsters' drops and blueprints.
• The next morning, Cui Sheng delivered Wang Tao a 10,000-crystal-coin thank-you gift from the Municipal Government and payment of 262,000 for his meteorite shares.
• Wang Tao transferred the payment, bringing his total to 322,000 crystal coins, then learned no one had scheduled him to join that day's meteorite expedition.

Lan Yulian and He Jijun awakened, with He Jijun gaining extraordinary physical strength, before Wang Tao moved his group to a new home. There, he learned that ordinary zombies now contained weak Gray Crystal Cores and received a surprising work log from Gu Yun.

• Lan Yulian woke as a fourth-order Esper with the passive healing-enhancing awakening Spring Breeze Transforming Rain, which had fused her Injury Healing ability.
• He Jijun awakened with Old and Vigorous, and testing showed his physical fitness surpassed Wang Tao’s even while Wang Tao used Prairie Fire.
• Wang Tao raised Lan Yulian and He Jijun’s awakening energy limits to 500, then prepared to move and take Xiang Hongbin to Hope Research Institute for a prosthetic limb.
• Duan Xuchang told Wang Tao that factions were opening meteorites independently and that ordinary zombies had begun carrying weak Gray Crystal Cores linked to their growth.
• Wang Tao and his group moved into a villa district, where Cui Sheng met them and Wang Tao received a morning work log from Gu Yun detailing crystal cores and items obtained from them.