Chapter Summaries

Lin Qiye and the Nightfall Squad encountered a bizarre ballroom illusion on an apparently deserted island, where a young man claimed to be the long-dead Commander Li Kengqiang. After Lin Qiye tested the illusion with End King's Law, Li Kengqiang revealed his knowledge of the squad and welcomed them to the Heroic Spirit Squad's base.

• Lin Qiye questioned how the ballroom had electricity when his Mental Power had detected no life or power-generating equipment on the island.
• A young man in sunglasses stopped the dance, introduced himself as Li Kengqiang, and greeted the Nightfall Squad.
• Lin Qiye recognized Li Kengqiang as the deceased second Commander-in-Chief of the Great Xia Night Watchmen and accused him of lying.
• Lin Qiye used End King's Law to expose part of the ballroom as an illusion, but Li Kengqiang's appearance remained unchanged.
• Li Kengqiang proved his connection to the Night Watchmen by naming the squad members and Zuo Qing, then summoned a golden dragon of national destiny and revealed that they were at the Heroic Spirit Squad's base.

Lin Qiye and Nightfall learned that the mysterious Heroic Spirits were Great Xia’s Special Squad No. 001, charged with guarding the nation’s destiny. Li Kengqiang revealed how the spirits endured through the national destiny and asked the team to call him Brother Spear.

• Wang Qing joined Tang Yusheng on the mountain, where they watched Great Xia’s National Destiny Golden Dragon rise.
• An Qingyu connected the dragon veins on a chart and identified the island as the Dragon Eye where they converged.
• Li Kengqiang revealed that he and the others were Heroic Spirits, Special Squad No. 001, guarding Great Xia’s national destiny.
• Li Kengqiang explained that Heroic Spirits were sustained by national destiny after their souls were preserved in vessels made from their bodies and weapons.
• Lin Qiye apologized and bowed to Li Kengqiang, who praised him and told Nightfall to call him Brother Spear.

Lin Qiye and his companions arrived at the Heroic Spirit base, where Li Kengqiang assigned them a neglected air-raid shelter and promised to train them. As they settled in for the night, they worried about the absent Shen Qingzhu and vowed that Nightfall Squad would reunite with no one missing.

• Li Kengqiang welcomed Lin Qiye and the others to the Heroic Spirit base, explained that he would be their chief instructor, and directed them to a rundown air-raid shelter.
• Baili Pangpang unloaded appliances and a Mercedes G-Class from his Freedom Space, and An Qingyu used them to turn the shelter into a modern residence.
• The five companions ate barbecue beside a bonfire and wondered whether the commanders were secretly watching them.
• Lin Qiye and the others worried that Shen Qingzhu remained missing with Hell, then raised their beers and promised Nightfall Squad would reunite with no one missing.

Li Kengqiang reminisced about his lost brothers before taking Lin Qiye and the others to a valley and using his Forbidden Ruins to reconstruct a memory of an old city. He explained that the reconstructed scene changed in response to their actions, leaving the group to explore a world that behaved like an open-world game.

• Li Kengqiang told Nie Jinshan that he missed his brothers and wished he could get drunk enough to dream of them again.
• The next morning, Lin Qiye, Baili Pangpang, and Cao Yuan discussed the strange singing Baili Pangpang had heard the previous night.
• Li Kengqiang led the group to a vast valley and snapped his fingers, transforming their surroundings into an old urban district.
• Li Kengqiang explained that his Forbidden Ruins, Sequence 048, Virtual Reconstruction, recreated scenes from his memories and changed them according to people's actions.

Li Kengqiang sent Lin Qiye and Nightfall Squad into a reconstructed Huaihai City from the 1980s, where they had one hour to prevent a disaster that would kill millions. The squad began searching for clues, and Lin Qiye stole radios so Jiang Er could help them communicate.

• Li Kengqiang explained that his reconstructed world was connected to the Real World and told the squad to stop the coming disaster while keeping casualties below two.
• Lin Qiye and Nightfall Squad learned they had until around 6:40 p.m. to investigate the disaster in 1980s Huaihai City.
• An Qingyu confirmed that his Fish Seed could function in the reconstructed world, while Jiang Er found she could control only signal sources already present there.
• Lin Qiye ordered the squad to split up and search for clues, then decided they needed radios to communicate.
• Lin Qiye and the others grabbed four radios from an appliance store and ran without paying.

Lin Qiye and An Qingyu explored the Virtual Reconstruction of Huaihai City, searching for clues and preparing for the disaster they expected. Lin Qiye mapped a complex pattern across the city while An Qingyu found the 007 Squad’s office and faced an attack from inside.

• Lin Qiye used Transformation Magic to disguise himself and surveyed the reconstructed city, spotting its aurora boundary and a stretch of the Huangpu River.
• Lin Qiye hypnotized a young man into lending him a bicycle, then rode through the streets as black night traced a complex pattern across the ground.
• An Qingyu and Jiang Er discussed searching the local 007 Squad headquarters for information about the coming disaster.
• An Qingyu entered the office building unnoticed and found the 007 Squad’s former office.
• A person inside the office shouted and thrust a blade through the door at An Qingyu, who smiled and said he had found it.

An Qingyu traveled to an earlier era and was mistaken for an Ancient God Church member when he could not prove he was a Night Watchman. Lin Qiye learned that the church was active in Huaihai City, then spotted the young Whisperer in a noodle shop.

• An Qingyu showed 007 Squad his Night Watchman emblem, but they dismissed it as a fake and did not recognize Ghost God's Pull.
• When the squad moved to capture him, An Qingyu told Jiang Er he would use force to subdue them before questioning them.
• Lin Qiye heard from Jiang Er that An Qingyu had beaten 007 Squad and that suspected Ancient God Church members were active in Huaihai City.
• Lin Qiye resumed laying magical patterns while watching for Ancient God Church members.
• Lin Qiye recognized the young Whisperer eating in a noodle shop and hid his amusement as the man studied him suspiciously.

Lin Qiye recognized the young The Whisperer and followed him after a noodle-shop encounter, while An Qingyu uncovered a mysterious Bai Ze record from Huaihai City. The Whisperer sensed he was being tailed, and Lin Qiye confronted him in an alley.

• Lin Qiye recognized The Whisperer in a noodle shop, followed him outside, and put his meal on The Whisperer's tab.
• The Whisperer made a brief call at a factory-side shop, and Lin Qiye memorized the number from the recent-call log.
• Lin Qiye gave the number to Jiang Er to investigate while An Qingyu told him that Night Watchmen records mentioned a suspected Bai Ze Mystery found by the Huangpu River five years earlier.
• An Qingyu noted that the Bai Ze file lacked any account of what happened afterward and said he would question the 007 Squad members.
• The Whisperer tried to lose the person following him in a maze of alleys, but Lin Qiye appeared ahead of him and called out his name.

Lin Qiye confronted The Whisperer, an Ancient God Church proxy, and overpowered his Dream Divergence God Realm. Lin Qiye used Wangcai to force The Whisperer into another nightmare, leaving him terrified and vomiting.

• Lin Qiye identified The Whisperer as one of the Ancient God Church's oldest gods, and The Whisperer realized Lin Qiye knew his identity.
• The Whisperer trapped Lin Qiye in a lava nightmare, but Lin Qiye used End King's Law to freeze and control the God Realm.
• The Whisperer rebuilt his nightmare, but Lin Qiye filled it with grotesque monsters that frightened him into returning them to the alley.
• Lin Qiye named The Whisperer's ability as Dream Divergence and summoned Wangcai to prove that the pug could use the same God Realm.
• The Whisperer refused to answer Lin Qiye's questions, so Wangcai dragged him into a nightmare that left him trembling and vomiting.

Lin Qiye interrogated Chen Erniu, who identified himself as The Whisperer, but he killed himself before revealing the Ancient God Church’s plans. Lin Qiye found a tube of dark red liquid, and An Qingyu reported that eight brief calls near the Huangpu River might be connected to a poisoning plot.

• Li Kengqiang and Wang Qing were overwhelmed by the nightmare Wangcai showed them, while Lin Qiye recalled Wangcai and resumed questioning The Whisperer.
• The Whisperer revealed that his name was Chen Erniu and that he had been heading to the Huangpu River.
• The Whisperer killed himself before Lin Qiye could learn how many members of the Ancient God Church had come.
• Lin Qiye found a glass tube of dark red liquid in The Whisperer’s briefcase and suspected it might be intended to poison the Huangpu River.
• An Qingyu told Lin Qiye that eight calls had come from locations near the Huangpu River within the past half hour.

Lin Qiye sent Hong Yan to deliver a briefcase to An Qingyu and hurried to investigate the Ancient God Church’s signal sources before the predicted disaster. By the Huangpu River, Baili Pangpang caught a cult member trying to poison the water and learned the glass tube contained a foul-smelling substance.

• Lin Qiye learned that at least seven Ancient God Church members remained and raced toward the nearest signal source while Hong Yan carried the briefcase to An Qingyu.
• An Qingyu warned Baili Pangpang that the cult might poison the Huangpu River, and Baili Pangpang sensed something beneath the river connected to the disaster.
• Baili Pangpang stopped a cult member from throwing a glass tube into the river, then chased him into a deserted lane.
• Baili Pangpang overpowered and bound the attacker, who had wielded a Black Fire longsword.
• Baili Pangpang opened the tube, smelled its contents, crushed it, and furiously confronted the captive.

Lin Qiye tracked down and killed Ancient God Church members across the city, then headed for the Huangpu River as the disaster approached. At 007 Squad headquarters, An Qingyu read a captive's memories and discovered something alarming.

• Lin Qiye used Black Pupil to trace The Whisperer's phone call and found the Ancient God Church member carrying a briefcase.
• Lin Qiye concealed his attack from nearby civilians, killed the target, and recovered a glass tube filled with pale red liquid.
• With Black Pupil's guidance, Lin Qiye killed two more Ancient God Church members and learned that others were gathering by the Huangpu River.
• Lin Qiye told An Qingyu he would head to the riverbank, where Fatty had sensed something related to the disaster at the bottom of the river.
• An Qingyu questioned five bound 007 Squad members, read the burly man's memories, and realized something was wrong.

Lin Qiye investigated the Huangpu River after Cao Yuan reported its unnatural currents and discovered a giant Bai Ze guarded by Night Watchman Tang Mingxuan. Mistaken for an Ancient God Church member, Lin Qiye stopped Tang Mingxuan’s attack by claiming, “I’m Li Kengqiang!”

• Cao Yuan patrolled the Huangpu River in disguise to intercept anything thrown into it and told Lin Qiye the currents were unusually violent.
• Lin Qiye summoned Sea Beasts to search the riverbed and followed one after it was badly injured.
• Lin Qiye found a massive, pregnant Bai Ze on the riverbed, stirring the river with each breath.
• Tang Mingxuan, captain of the Great Xia Night Watchmen’s 007 Squad, attacked Lin Qiye, mistaking him for an Ancient God Church member.
• Lin Qiye shouted that he was Li Kengqiang, and Tang Mingxuan’s halberd stopped mid-attack.

Lin Qiye impersonated Li Kengqiang to gain Tang Mingxuan’s trust and learn why Bai Ze was hidden beneath the Huangpu River. Meanwhile, An Qingyu revealed that the Ancient God Church planned to disrupt Bai Ze’s imminent birth, leaving Huaihai City in danger with only minutes to spare.

• Lin Qiye used Li Kengqiang’s name and a standard-issue blade to convince Tang Mingxuan that he was a Special Squad captain.
• Lin Qiye pressed Tang Mingxuan for an explanation, and Tang admitted he had concealed Bai Ze from the higher-ups.
• An Qingyu told Cao Yuan and Baili Pangpang that the 007 Squad had rescued a wounded, pregnant Bai Ze five years earlier and that she was now about to give birth beneath the Huangpu River.
• An Qingyu explained that the Ancient God Church’s blood-based medicine could drive Bai Ze berserk during labor and trigger a disaster in Huaihai City.
• An Qingyu reported that the five remaining Ancient God Church members were near the river and Bai Ze had at most two minutes before giving birth.

Lin Qiye agreed that the Black Dragon Squad would protect Bai Ze while she gave birth beneath the Huangpu River. As the 007 Squad helped evacuate the Bund, several suspected Ancient God Church members exposed themselves and charged toward the river.

• Tang Mingxuan explained that he had not requested headquarters support because Commander Nie would likely drive Bai Ze away or detain her, endangering her and her unborn child.
• Tang Mingxuan revealed that his wife and newborn daughter had both died, then asked Li Kengqiang's Black Dragon Squad to help protect Bai Ze.
• Lin Qiye agreed to guard the Huangpu River until Bai Ze gave birth safely.
• An Qingyu freed the 007 Squad, told them he was not their enemy, and urged them to help at the Huangpu River.
• Lin Qiye ordered the squads to establish a perimeter and evacuate civilians, while the 007 Squad coordinated with police to clear both riverbanks.
• Several people carrying black briefcases remained among the evacuating crowd, then charged toward the river after realizing they had been exposed.

The Nightfall Squad intercepted the Ancient God Church members trying to contaminate Bai Ze during its childbirth, destroying the dangerous liquid. With Tang Mingxuan guarding Bai Ze beneath the Huangpu River, Lin Qiye remained wary as a stranger in a brown Zhongshan suit arrived at the riverbank.

• Two Ancient God Church members leapt into the river with their briefcases, but Sea Beasts swallowed them and destroyed the glass tubes inside.
• Lin Qiye realized Bai Ze's childbirth had begun beneath the Huangpu River, where Tang Mingxuan tried to calm and protect it.
• An Qingyu froze the river's surface as three more Ancient God Church members attacked, and Baili Pangpang and An Qingyu stopped them from using their glass tubes.
• An Qingyu swallowed the contaminated ice shards, while Lin Qiye and his companions subdued the final three attackers.
• Lin Qiye suspected the confrontation had gone too easily, and a figure in a brown Zhongshan suit silently arrived at the riverbank.

Yue Huai revealed himself on the Huangpu River and used his strange, intangible power to kill the remaining members of 007 Squad and contaminate the river with pale red liquid. Lin Qiye recognized him as the Ancient God Church’s leader and attacked, but his strike could not reach Yue Huai, who retaliated as Lin Qiye vanished with Night Flicker.

• A figure impersonating Li Yue beheaded a member of 007 Squad and killed the other squad members who attacked him.
• The figure tossed three glass tubes into the Huangpu River, where their pale red liquid spread through the water despite the Sea Beast guarding it.
• Lin Qiye rushed toward the river but arrived too late to stop the contamination.
• The figure introduced himself as Yue Huai and threatened Lin Qiye over the destruction of the Ancient God Church and the death of his followers.
• Lin Qiye recognized Yue Huai, called for Qingyu to deal with the polluted water, and attacked him with Zhanbai, but the blade passed through him.
• Yue Huai's black gleam shot toward Lin Qiye, who escaped by activating Night Flicker.

An Qingyu tried to prevent Bai Ze from going berserk by swallowing the blood-tainted water, while Lin Qiye fought Yue Huai and countered his strange divine realm. The clash left Yue Huai wounded and revealed that the black shadows he used were lotus petals.

• An Qingyu dove into the scarlet river and swallowed its water after realizing he could not separate the Blood of Violence from it.
• Bai Ze absorbed the river’s resentment and violence, broke Tang Mingxuan’s water shackles, and unleashed a torrent over Huaihai City.
• Lin Qiye faced Yue Huai in the rain as Yue Huai questioned his identity and used his power to turn real objects into false shadows.
• Lin Qiye activated End King's Law, disrupting Yue Huai’s divine realm and wounding him with Zhanbai.
• Lin Qiye saw that the black shadow cut by Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was half of a black lotus petal.

Lin Qiye fought Yue Huai to a stalemate before Yue Huai withdrew, and Lin Qiye rushed to help with Bai Ze. An Qingyu reduced the Blood of Violence affecting Bai Ze, but Bai Ze remained in agony and asked Tang Mingxuan to protect its child.

• Lin Qiye and Yue Huai exchanged attacks, and Lin Qiye discovered that the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi resisted Yue Huai's Divine Realm.
• After hearing Bai Ze's roar, Yue Huai ended the fight and sank into the earth, while Lin Qiye hurried toward the Huangpu River.
• An Qingyu swallowed most of the Blood of Violence from the river, then staggered ashore as Jiang Er checked on him.
• Tang Mingxuan stood guard beside Bai Ze as it struggled with the remaining violence and reminded him of their agreement to protect its child.

Bai Ze gave birth to his child but was overtaken by the violent blood aura, leaving Lin Qiye and the others to fight the berserk divine beast as floods threatened Huaihai City. Lin Qiye activated the Forbidden Spell Black Sun Sacrifice to confront him.

• Bai Ze poured his sacred aura into his unborn child, gave birth, and sent the newborn flying to Tang Mingxuan.
• Bai Ze lost control as the violent blood aura seized his mind, and his rampage flooded the Bund and surrounding streets.
• Lin Qiye asked An Qingyu about Bai Ze's chances of recovery, and An Qingyu said they could only leave it to fate.
• Cao Yuan attacked Bai Ze with his straight sword, but Bai Ze knocked him into the river.
• Baili Pangpang bound Bai Ze with wind and struck him with lightning, but Bai Ze reflected the attack toward the shore.
• Lin Qiye canceled the reflected lightning, warned the others about Bai Ze's horns, and activated the Forbidden Spell Black Sun Sacrifice.