Chapter Summaries

After the crisis passed, Lu Wu resolved to strengthen the Players so he could protect himself and help Bei Ming evade the Immortal Realm. He and Bei Li prepared an early American Server launch with a new Mecha Warrior growth system, while Lu Wu also planned to expand into other great domains.

• Bei Li caught the sleeping Lu Wu after the woman in white faded away and told Bei Li to rely on Lu Wu and not bear everything alone.
• Lu Wu lamented having transformed into a woman to fight, then agreed with Bei Li that the Players needed to develop faster to deter the Heavenly Realm and protect Bei Ming.
• Lu Wu and Bei Li chose the Hell Great Domain for the American Server's first stronghold and decided Lu Wu would manage the server.
• Bei Li designed three Mecha Warrior paths—Lightsaber Mecha, Charging Mecha, and Battle Support Mecha—and added Lu Wu's proposal to let Players exchange recovered spiritual materials for physical-body experience.
• After three days, Bei Li had nearly completed the American Server growth plan, and Lu Wu awaited Wu Guoyi's reply while planning to expand the Bei Qi Army into other great domains.

After quitting his job, Mo Xiaoxin relied on his Battle Online income and indulged his contrarian persona, Crayon Shinchan, on the forums. He went to fish at Liuli Coast, where Little Mo and Xiao Yuzi nearly exposed his identity before accepting his denial and continuing their hunt for Crayon Shinchan.

• Mo Xiaoxin used the Tom Cat app to echo an auntie's subway insults, then went home after quitting his job.
• Mo Xiaoxin provoked forum users as Crayon Shinchan by mocking Gouzi and arguing with other Players.
• Mo Xiaoxin logged into Battle Online, declined friends' invitations, and traveled to Liuli Coast to fish alone.
• Little Mo and Xiao Yuzi confronted Mo Xiaoxin and asked whether he knew Crayon Shinchan.
• Mo Xiaoxin denied being Crayon Shinchan, and Little Mo and Xiao Yuzi apologized for mistaking him for their target.
• Little Mo and Xiao Yuzi revealed that a thirty-thousand-Soul-Coin crowdfunding bounty was funding their hunt for Crayon Shinchan.

The Evil God chased Taowu after the giant fish swallowed the spirit fish he had hooked. Meanwhile, Xiao Mo and Xiao Yuzi pursued Mo Xiaoxin, suspecting he was Crayon_Shinchan, until Taowu’s fight with the red-haired boy destroyed their ship and knocked them unconscious.

• The Evil God’s fishing line snapped when Taowu surfaced and ate his catch, so he leaped into the sea to pursue it.
• Xiao Mo and Xiao Yuzi followed Mo Xiaoxin aboard his ship and used a livestream and forum post to investigate whether he was Crayon_Shinchan.
• Mo Xiaoxin avoided opening the forum, but Crayon_Shinchan appeared online, proving that Mo Xiaoxin was not using that ID.
• Xiao Mo and Xiao Yuzi demanded to inspect Mo Xiaoxin’s forum account anyway, suspecting he was another argumentative Player on the bounty list.
• Taowu surfaced beside the ship with a red-haired boy in its mouth, and the boy dragged it out of the water and flung it back into the sea.
• The resulting waves shattered Mo Xiaoxin’s ship and swept him, Xiao Mo, and Xiao Yuzi underwater until they lost consciousness.

The Players gathered to watch Taowu and the Evil God battle, while the Sea King sealed the black frog and prepared to lead the Death Clan in an invasion. Taowu and the Evil God devastated the Death Clan forces, leaving the Sea King caught in their fight as Players from China and Europe watched together.

• Players and media crews sailed to the edge of the False Void Sea Region to watch Taowu and the Evil God fight as the Death Clan swarmed into the battle and was crushed by the shockwaves.
• The Sea King sealed the black frog inside the Death Light Wheel and rose to the surface to rally the Death Clan.
• Taowu struck the Sea King as he made his entrance, and Players applauded and jeered from their ships.
• Li Xing brought Europe Server warships to watch alongside the China Server Players, who exchanged food and played music while observing the battle.
• The Sea King surfaced and found his Death Clan army destroyed, then was struck again when the Evil God hurled Taowu into him.

After Sea King fled, Lu Wu launched the Death Calamity expansion, turning the Death Clan into a new target for the Players. The Players rushed to the False Void Sea Region to hunt for rewards, leaving Lu Wu pleased with their enthusiasm as he prepared to expand Bei Qi.

• Sea King escaped into the Undersea Abyss while the Evil God continued fighting Taowu until Taowu traded a spirit fish for an end to the beating.
• Lu Wu activated the Death Calamity expansion, introducing the Reputation System, Guild Residences, and new items that could be upgraded using Death Clan remains.
• Wu Guoyi, Ye Xue'er, Gu Yu, and other Players regretted missing the chance to secure priority rights for Guild Residences, while Players discussed the update on the forum.
• Players flocked to the False Void Sea Region to hunt Death Clan monsters, but guilds fought over the few creatures left after Taowu and the Evil God had wiped out most of them.
• Lu Wu welcomed the Players' renewed enthusiasm and rising Soul Coin income, and cheered for Sea King to strengthen the Death Clan.

At the Seven Nations Conference, an elder priest announced that the surviving kingdoms would unite under a descendant of Nether Sea Country’s royal family. Just as the Kings were forced to submit, a black wheel pierced the golden-eyed youth, and a voice objected that Mute Sea Country had not yet arrived.

• The elder priest confirmed Mute Sea Country’s destruction and changed the conference’s purpose to unifying the seven kingdoms as Nether Sea Country.
• Bu Shengqi stumbled into the conference, claimed he was a Player and then a member of the Bei Qi Army, and Hei Sui killed him when he said he had come to trigger a quest.
• The elder priest introduced a golden-eyed direct descendant of Nether Sea Country’s royal family as the new King, and the youth used the Nether Sea Country Sea Seal to threaten the seven Kings.
• The Lords of Shark Water, Lan Di, and Xiao Yu submitted first; three others followed, and Hei Sui and Tian Kun were forced to yield as well.
• A black wheel pierced the golden-eyed youth, while an arriving voice protested that Mute Sea Country had not yet arrived and asked whether they had no regard for Mu Hai.

Sea King killed the golden-eyed youth and the old priest, forced the Seven Nation Lords to submit, and declared a new Mute nation with himself as King. Meanwhile, Players tried to lure Great Demon King Hu He back to Bei Qi to dig up a seal, but he rejected their offer from the Europe Server.

• Sea King killed the golden-eyed youth, revealed that Mute Sea Country had survived, and confronted the old priest and the Seven Nation Lords.
• Sea King summoned the Death Clan and killed the old priest with his death aura after the priest refused to submit.
• Hei Sui and Tian Kun submitted to Sea King, who announced that he intended to take Bei Qi and establish a nation named Mute.
• The Seven Nation Lords swore loyalty to Sea King, and the Shark Water Country King was the first to kneel.
• Players discussed the rising value of Death Clan corpses on the official forum and organized an email asking Great Demon King Hu He to return and help dig up a seal.
• Great Demon King Hu He threw the Players' offer into the trash and vowed to refine Hanba while the Europe Server Players around him ignored his threat.

Lu Wu transformed back into human form after months of cultivation, then refused Jie De Technology’s latest offer to restore compatibility with Battle Online. Jie De’s representative warned of legal action, but Lu Wu stood by the incompatibility bug as the company feared the game’s upcoming American Server launch.

• Bei Qi Players developed underwater vessels to hunt Death Clan monsters after Hu He refused to return, prompting more demands to strengthen the Sea King.
• Bei Li channeled soul power into Lu Wu, enabling him to transform into his original human form and reach the peak of Ghost Overseer.
• Lu Wu realized he had transformed while naked, rushed to dress, and found Bei Li covering her eyes in embarrassment.
• A Jie De Technology representative offered Lu Wu double Black Sea Technology Company’s benefits to discuss compatibility, but Lu Wu rejected the offer.
• The representative threatened to sue over unfair competition, and Lu Wu replied that the incompatibility was an unfixed game bug; after the call ended, the representative made another call.

Abel activated Jie De Technology’s Plan B and sent experimental subjects to find him in Dragon Country. Meanwhile, Lu Wu discovered Sea King’s plan to found a new nation and let the Players prepare to attend the ceremony, leaving their response to Sea King’s invitation imminent.

• Abel told his contact to send experimental subjects One and Three to Dragon Country after Jie De Technology abandoned its search for subjects 410 and 423.
• Lu Wu used his authority to delete inappropriate forum posts, then watched a Player’s livestream about Sea King’s proclamation.
• Sea King announced that he had gained the support of seven nations and would hold a founding ceremony for Mute on New End Island in three days.
• The Players celebrated Sea King’s rise and planned to attend the ceremony with gifts, despite viewing him as an enemy.
• Lu Wu allowed the Players to go, amused by the trouble they would cause and pleased that Sea King’s new nation could give them another target.

Players worried that Battle Online might go bankrupt and started a crowdfunding campaign, but Lu Wu reassured them that the game was financially secure. The guild residence auction then began, with Liu Chai choosing Sky City for Demolition Office before bidding quickly intensified.

• Players began crowdfunding for Battle Online after speculating that the game might go bankrupt, and Lu Wu posted an official assurance that it would remain open.
• Lu Wu's post calmed the players, who celebrated the game's future in the announcement thread.
• The residence auction began, and Liu Chai received the right to choose a city without bidding.
• Liu Chai let Demolition Office members vote, and they selected Sky City, upsetting Ye Xue'er, who had wanted it.
• Guilds bid fiercely for residences, and Lu Wu watched as prices rose and Soul Coins poured into the auction.

The territory auction ended with guilds securing territories, and Lu Wu announced that the next auction would follow the Individual Competition Ladder Tournament. The players then sailed to New End Island in the Kui Long Sea Region to witness Sea King found Mu Te Country, where Sha Shui greeted the gathered powers and spotted a massive fleet approaching.

• Guilds competed fiercely for territories until the auction ended, and the successful guilds celebrated their new holdings.
• Lu Wu announced that the next territory auction would begin after the Individual Competition Ladder Tournament, stirring players' anticipation for the competition.
• Players traveled from Liuli Coast toward New End Island with Old Turtles guiding their fleet through the Kui Long Sea Region.
• The players arrived at New End Island, where numerous factions gathered to assess Sea King's new nation and its alliance of seven nations.
• Sha Shui received the island's guests on Sea King's orders and noticed an imposing fleet approaching.

Liu Chai and the Players arrived to congratulate Sea King on founding Mute, but their presence enraged him, and Lang Tie's insult sparked a confrontation. As Lang Tie prepared to attack, Hei Sui intervened and declared that anyone who made a move would be Mute's enemy.

• Sha Shui welcomed Liu Chai and the Players, who brought gifts and feasted while awaiting Sea King.
• Sea King recognized the Players at the ceremony and restrained his anger, intending to deal with them after Mute was founded.
• Sea King declared Mute established and invited other factions to form alliances.
• Lang Tie provoked Sea King by mocking his move from the False Void Sea Region, and the Players turned on Lang Tie with insults in Sea King's defense.
• Lang Tie called on the Langya forces and raised his hammer, but Hei Sui stepped forward and warned that anyone who attacked would become an enemy of Mute.

At Sea King's founding ceremony, Lang Tie challenged the Players, who fought his Langya Guard in a battle that ended with Langya Island's forces surrendering and the watching factions horrified by the Players' disregard for death. The Players refused to stop fighting, and their conduct left every faction present viewing them as dangerous lunatics.

• Lang Tie confronted Sea King over the Players' insults, and the Players challenged Lang Tie to fight while Sea King refused to support them.
• Lang Tie chose a land battle after seeing the Players' enormous fleet, and the Players charged the Langya Guard at Liu Chai's command.
• The Langya Guard initially gained the advantage, but the Players' reckless tactics and varied abilities exhausted and demoralized them.
• Lang Tie called for surrender after three hours, but the Players refused and continued attacking for experience and Soul Coins.
• The watching factions saw the Players reject surrender and concluded that the faction was dangerously warlike, with its actions shattering their expectations.

The Players helped the Sea King defeat Lang Tie and the Langya Guard at Mu Te Country’s founding ceremony, then attended the banquet. They returned to Bei Qi after earning rewards, while the Sea King planned to expand his army and eventually claim Bei Qi.

• The Sea King blocked Lang Tie’s retreat, then crushed him with a black hand when he tried to escape.
• The Players mourned the loss of Lang Tie’s loot, but accepted Sha Shui’s invitation to the founding banquet.
• The other factions feared the Players and tried to befriend them, but the Players ignored them while Hei Sui, Tian Kun, and Sha Shui celebrated their alliance.
• The Sea King resolved to expand the Mu Te Army and claim Bei Qi as the ceremony continued without further trouble.
• The Players left for Bei Qi after the ceremony, and Sha Shui and the others saw them off, urging them to visit often.

After the New End Island ceremony, Wang Damang stayed behind and found the badly injured Tian Lan, a daughter of the Sea King faction. With help from players watching his livestream, he treated her poison and began asking them how to win her over, while his guild sailed away without him.

• Wang Damang discovered Tian Lan unconscious in a cave and learned from his analysis panel that she was severely injured after a struggle over succession in Tian Yu Kingdom.
• Wang Damang asked players watching his livestream for medical advice, and they guided him to treat the poisoned wound on Tian Lan's shoulder with spiritual ingredients.
• Wang Damang removed the poison and poisoned blood, and Tian Lan's condition stopped worsening.
• Players celebrated the successful treatment and began advising Wang Damang on how to pursue Tian Lan while she remained unconscious.
• On the Great Dragon Ship, Xueli and Chen Ziyu realized Wang Damang had been left behind and asked whether he wanted them to return for him.
• Wang Damang insisted that he was not angry and told the guild to go ahead, because he wanted to stay.

Wang Damang tried to escort the wounded Tian Lan off New End Island, but her siblings blocked their escape and attacked him. The Seven Nation Lords arrived to protect Wang Damang, leaving Tian Lan and her sister stunned by his standing with them.

• Tian Lan woke and struck Wang Damang twice, then asked him to help her escape her siblings in exchange for a Child of the Ocean.
• Wang Damang agreed to take Tian Lan away on his Ghost Ship and led her toward the coast, but her second sister and two brothers intercepted them.
• Tian Lan's siblings refused to let her go, and Wang Damang tried to defend her despite her lack of faith in him.
• Tian Lan's second sister hurled a violet spear at Wang Damang, who blocked it but was badly injured.
• Sha Shui and Tian Kun rushed in and kicked Tian Lan's second sister away, while the other Seven Nation Lords gathered around Wang Damang and Tian Lan's brothers knelt before them.

After Tian Kun sacrificed one daughter and offered Tian Lan to Wang Damang to appease him, Tian Lan gave Wang Damang the Child of the Ocean and escaped from his ship. The Sea King then revealed that Wang Damang's Bei Qi Army was the faction that had destroyed his forces and was destined to be his enemy.

• The Seven Nation Lords feared losing their alliance, and Tian Kun blamed Tian Xin for attacking Wang Damang and demanded she die; Tian Xin killed herself with her spear.
• Tian Kun offered Tian Lan as Wang Damang's maid, and Tian Lan agreed before Wang Damang could respond; Tian Kun then left with his sons and the other Kings.
• Wang Damang took Tian Lan aboard his Ghost Ship and told her how the Bei Qi Army had repeatedly defeated the Sea King; Tian Lan gave him the Child of the Ocean and escaped into the sea.
• The Sea King learned what Tian Kun had done and revealed that Wang Damang's faction was the Bei Qi Army, his greatest enemy, leaving Tian Kun and the other Kings shocked.

Lu Wu planned Bei Qi’s westward expansion toward the Nine Radiance Great Domain, then went out shopping and was ambushed by a modified attacker sent by Jed. He defeated the attacker and was left considering how to deal with him.

• Lu Wu chose the Nine Radiance Great Domain as Bei Qi’s next expansion target after learning that its nine united rulers included the powerful Star Radiance.
• Lu Wu left home to buy ingredients for Bei Li and answered Jed’s call, refusing to remove the block on Jed’s Game Pods.
• After the call ended, Number One attacked Lu Wu with an iron rod, but the blows did not hurt him.
• Lu Wu bent Number One’s rod into a ball, then chased him down and knocked him to the ground.
• Lu Wu considered what to do with the defeated Number One and wondered whether he was a cultivator.

Lu Wu and Bei Li examined Number One and planned to send her back to Jed’s organization as an enhanced, reprogrammed subject. Meanwhile, Yin Xiaoqi solved the final level of Bei Li’s treasure puzzle, confronted the possibility that her life was a simulation, and was promised a return to her world.

• Bei Li explained that Number One’s forced cultivation had damaged her foundation, and she and Lu Wu decided to modify and brainwash her before returning her to Jed’s organization.
• Yin Xiaoqi woke up, entered her laboratory, and began decrypting the final level of Bei Li’s ZZZX Treasure Plan.
• After Yin Xiaoqi opened the final link, she lost control of her body and saw a white-haired old man who claimed she was a brain living in a simulated world.
• Yin Xiaoqi challenged the old man’s claims with the thought “I think, therefore I am,” leaving him unable to resolve the question of whether her thoughts were real.
• The old man declared that Yin Xiaoqi had passed the test, promised to send her back, and identified himself as Bei Li.

Lu Wu and Bei Li chose Yin Xiaoqi, a gifted problem-solver, as a potential strategist and directed her toward Battle Online. After the final test left her questioning reality, Yin Xiaoqi discovered the promised treasure was the game itself and entered it, only to find herself in another eerily realistic world.

• Lu Wu and Bei Li decided Yin Xiaoqi had the talent they needed for Battle Online and added her to Lu Wu's list of gifted players.
• Yin Xiaoqi removed her Virtual Helmet after the final test, unsettled by how real the experience had felt.
• Yin Xiaoqi opened the treasure letter and found a download link for Battle Online instead of the wealth she expected.
• The game downloaded despite Yin Xiaoqi scanning her computer and formatting it, so she put on her equipment and launched it.
• Yin Xiaoqi entered an unfamiliar world of red drizzle and chilly wind, wondering if she had been trapped in another paradox.