Chapter Summaries

General Ye visited Wei Lanshan’s underground research facility to demand progress on the experiment meant to help his daughter, Ye Zhenwei. Wei Lanshan explained that ninety-four groups of subjects had died because they were too weak to withstand drug testing, and proposed a new plan.

• A spacecraft landed on subsidiary planet Q68, and General Ye and seven guards used a concealed elevator to reach an underground living area.
• Doctor Wei welcomed General Ye and brought him to her office to report on the experiment.
• General Ye demanded a definite explanation for the lack of progress and grew furious when Wei Lanshan said the remaining subjects were failing.
• Wei Lanshan explained that the ninety-four groups, cultivated from Ye Zhenwei’s cells, inherited her illness but lacked her Mental Power and physical fitness, causing them to die during drug testing.
• Wei Lanshan said she had identified the flaw in the experiment’s direction and wanted General Ye to consider a new plan.

Wei Lanshan and Ye Yunhan clashed over the failed experiment to save Ye Zhenwei, then agreed to pursue a new approach. The experiment would need nearly two more star years, leaving Ye Yunhan to consider hibernation while keeping Ye Zhenwei’s unusual Mental Power growth secret.

• Ye Yunhan criticized Wei Lanshan for failing to save Ye Zhenwei, and Wei Lanshan reminded him of their agreement before he apologized.
• Wei Lanshan warned Ye Yunhan that she would withdraw if he failed to honor the agreement, then proposed a new approach requiring additional experimental subjects.
• Ye Yunhan approved Wei Lanshan’s proposal because he believed Ye Zhenwei’s rare talent could raise the Ye Family and Tianning Star’s standing.
• Wei Lanshan estimated that the experiment needed just under two more star years and suggested placing Ye Zhenwei in temporary hibernation.
• Ye Yunhan gave Wei Lanshan one more star year to make progress and withheld from the Central Brain that Ye Zhenwei’s Mental Power appeared to be extending beyond 3S.

Ye Yunhan left Q68 after discussing whether Wei Lanshan could repeat a risky treatment for Ye Zhenwei’s M Virus. Wei Lanshan and five researchers chose to proceed with an illegal experiment, and she assigned herself Subject 99 as the work began.

• Ye Yunhan asked Wei Lanshan whether increasing the dosage could imprison the virus again, but she warned that she could not predict the side effects.
• Ye Yunhan completed the examination procedures, left Q68 with his subordinates, and gave the guard officer several instructions before returning to the wilderness.
• Wei Lanshan told Lin Zeyu, Wang Xingmeng, Jin Yuxi, Fei Qiming, and Song Wei that the experiment had to succeed or they would all die in the underground laboratory.
• Wei Lanshan’s researchers recalled that the M Virus had halted Ye Zhenwei’s growth, stripped away her Mental Power, and caused destructive episodes despite Wei Lanshan’s earlier formula.
• The five researchers decided to take part in the illegal experiment, and Wei Lanshan ordered Wu Yuan to begin.
• Wei Lanshan assigned herself Subject 99 and instructed the other researchers to work with their own test subjects in the prepared laboratories.

Wei Lanshan and the other researchers secretly cultivated five experiment subjects carrying the M Virus gene, while convincing themselves that success might justify their crimes. Subject 99 was born and discovered that she had awakened in an unfamiliar infant body inside a laboratory.

• Song Wei told Lin Zeyu that he could not bear to experiment on the subjects, but Lin Zeyu persuaded him to continue by describing the risks of retreat and the rewards of success.
• Wei Lanshan and the other researchers separately cultivated their subjects, successfully inserting the M Virus gene while the subjects remained healthy.
• After more than nine Tianning Star Months, Subject 99 was born from the incubator on September 9, Alliance Year 2800, and Wei Lanshan named her 99.
• Subject 99 woke briefly, realized she was in a baby’s body, and feared that she had been reborn into a sick child under laboratory observation.
• After five days of weakness, Subject 99 calmed herself by reciting a Daoist mantra, and her eyesight began recovering more than four months later.
• When Subject 99 recognized that she was in a laboratory rather than a hospital, she panicked that her new body might have a terminal illness.

99 struggled to accept her new life while Wei Lanshan secretly tested her and discovered her extraordinary abilities. Wei Lanshan then examined the other Ye Family subjects and found that most were also exceptionally talented, as Ye Yunhan arranged additional care for them.

• 99 resolved to survive, unaware that Wei Lanshan had observed her Mental Power becoming quiet while she slept.
• Wei Lanshan secretly tested 99 and discovered that she had initial Mental Power of 3S and physical ability of 5A.
• Wei Lanshan left Wu Yuan to guard the laboratory and went to the Eastern Third District to examine Subjects 95 through 98.
• Lin Zeyu reported that Subject 95 was stable but had limited intelligence, while Subjects 96 through 98 were healthy and talented.
• Wei Lanshan ordered the other researchers to test all five subjects to determine whether they could withstand another round of drug injections.
• Ye Yunhan sent companion robots to provide the five subjects with care and infant-suitable activities.

99 grew from a few months old to over eight months in Wei Lanshan’s underground laboratory, where a companion robot cared for her and Wei Lanshan studied her unusual abilities. Wei kept 99’s exceptional talent secret from the Ye Family, while discovering that 99 could make the robot download knowledge beyond its programming.

• 99 happily played and listened to music with the beautiful companion robot, while Wei Lanshan watched them and wondered why 99 seemed more intelligent than ordinary babies.
• Wei Lanshan decided not to tell Ye Yunhan about 99’s unusual talent because she feared Tang Yongyu and the Ye Family would put the baby in danger.
• Wei Lanshan measured 99’s physical data, then called Wu Yuan to prepare comprehensive experiments as 99’s health remained excellent.
• Over several Tianning Star Months, 99 grew past eight months old, began babbling, and used the companion robot to explore the laboratory and learn about her surroundings.
• Wei Lanshan discovered that the robot had downloaded knowledge beyond its programming after 99 unknowingly commanded it through her Mental Power.

99 grew up in Wei Lanshan’s underground laboratory, finding comfort in Sixi while enduring increasingly painful experiments. As 99 promised to take Sixi into the wider world someday, Wei Lanshan found herself emotionally moved by the child.

• 99 discovered that Sixi was a robot when Sixi ran out of energy, and Wu Yuan recharged her so it would not have to care for the baby.
• 99 learned to send her thoughts through the laboratory while resting, discovering its advanced systems, other experimental girls, and the scientist Wei Lanshan.
• During her second year, 99 endured agonizing drug experiments while Wu Yuan recorded her reactions and refused to release her.
• 99 learned what Sixi was allowed to tell her and promised to show Sixi beautiful scenery, delicious food, and a better body if they escaped.
• Wei Lanshan watched 99 make her promise to Sixi and felt her own heart stir.

After Subject 99 survived years of experiments, Wei Lanshan discovered that the M Virus had vanished and her Mental Power might exceed the Alliance’s 3S limit. Wei Lanshan hid Subject 99 and prepared the treatment for Ye Zhenwei, while Tang Yongyu arrived at the laboratory with her daughter.

• Over four years, Sixi taught Subject 99 language and other knowledge and comforted her through painful experiments, while Wei Lanshan secretly upgraded Sixi.
• After Subject 99’s final tests, Wei Lanshan confirmed that the M Virus had disappeared and found signs that her Mental Power could extend beyond 3S.
• Wei Lanshan shared the experiment data with Lin Zeyu, destroyed the laboratory records, and sealed Subject 99 away with Sixi.
• Wei Lanshan reported the success to Ye Yunhan, who set out for Q68 with Tang Yongyu and Ye Zhenwei before orders sent him to the front lines.
• Tang Yongyu inspected Subjects 95 through 98, confirmed their recovery with Wei Lanshan and Lin Zeyu, and agreed to begin Ye Zhenwei’s treatment.
• Ye Zhenwei saw the healthy test subjects, felt uneasy about her biological younger sisters, and followed Tang Yongyu and Wei Lanshan toward East District Three.

Wei Lanshan rescued Subject 99 from the Ye Family’s underground laboratory and fought their guards while escaping with her. They reached the satellite’s surface, where 99 saw the barren wasteland for the first time.

• Tang Yongyu surrounded the laboratory and blocked Wei Lanshan from leaving after the two-day treatment of Ye Zhenwei.
• Wei Lanshan attacked the four guards escorting her, freed Subject 99, and destroyed the experiment’s instruments and data.
• Wei Lanshan led 99 toward the isolation gate as five pursuers closed in behind them.
• Wei Lanshan fought and defeated the five guards while 99 watched the gate and Wu Yuan caught up with them.
• Wei Lanshan brought 99 to the satellite’s surface, where 99 saw its dry, empty wasteland.

Wei Lanshan escaped satellite Q68 with 99 and Wu Yuan aboard a Ye Family airship, intending to hide 99 somewhere safe before confronting Tang Yongyu. After Tang Yongyu destroyed the laboratory and its remaining occupants, she resolved to hunt down Wei Lanshan and 99, whom she believed could rival her daughter Ye Zhenwei.

• Wu Yuan carried Wei Lanshan and 99 to the Ye Family airship, and Wei Lanshan cut its connection to the mothership and fled beyond satellite Q68's detection range.
• Wei Lanshan told 99 her name, explained that she could not guarantee their safety, and promised to take her somewhere secure; 99 thanked her and agreed to do her best to survive.
• Wei Lanshan had already sent experiment data to the other five test subjects and given Lin Zeyu a data package and a Space Locket before escaping with 99.
• After Ye Zhenwei recovered, Tang Yongyu destroyed the laboratories on satellite Q68 and left no survivors among the remaining test subjects, Lin Zeyu, and the others.
• Ye Yunhan warned Tang Yongyu not to act rashly and said he would handle the escapees, while Tang Yongyu secretly resolved to eliminate Wei Lanshan and 99.
• Tang Yongyu concluded that 99 was an exceptionally gifted test subject and feared she would threaten Ye Zhenwei's standing as the Alliance's sole genius.

Tang Yongyu secretly ordered the deaths of Wei Lanshan and 99, then took Ye Zhenwei to Gaia Star for elite education. As Wei Lanshan escaped through space with 99, she taught the girl about the Alliance, and 99 resolved to make the most of her second life.

• Tang Yongyu secretly contacted Tang Yonghuang to arrange a mercenary kill order targeting Wei Lanshan and 99.
• Tang Yongyu took the recovered Ye Zhenwei to Gaia Star to begin her education among the Alliance's elite.
• Wei Lanshan installed a chip in Wu Yuan's reading space so Wu Yuan could teach 99 about the Alliance during their journey.
• 99 learned that people in the Alliance lived for around 230 years and became excited about her new life.
• Wu Yuan explained the Alliance's physical ability and Mental Power rankings, inspiring 99 to explore the star sea and survive.
• Wei Lanshan shared more of her knowledge with 99 as they continued their escape through space.

Wei Lanshan taught 99 about the vast Jingsu Alliance and its history, systems, and military service as they traveled through space. After three days of learning, 99 began exploring her new world, aware that she had much to discover and that her former knowledge had been limited to Blue Star.

• Wei Lanshan explained that the Jingsu Alliance controlled twenty major star systems and 16,801 Administrative Stars, among thousands of known star systems and six Alliances.
• Wei Lanshan told 99 about the Alliance’s wars against five hostile star systems, including the recovery of Tianwei under Li Zhengfeng after billions of lives were lost.
• 99 learned that the Alliance had introduced universal military service after the war, requiring eligible citizens to attend military academy and serve at fortresses.
• After three days of memorizing basic knowledge, 99 began exploring the universe and learning more about the Alliance from Wei Lanshan.
• 99 realized how little she had known in her previous life, when she had only known of Blue Star and its early efforts to explore space.

Wei Lanshan explained the Jingsu Alliance’s connections with other Alliances, the origins of its Martial Skills, and how citizens’ status permissions were determined by the Central Brain. 99 learned that Wei Lanshan’s skills came through Li Zhengfeng’s disciples and that only Li Zhengfeng had earned exceptional-class contributions.

• Wei Lanshan told 99 that the Jingsu Alliance rarely dealt with other Alliances because interstellar travel was dangerous and costly, and that they learned of one another through signals from deep space.
• 99 asked about Martial Skills, and Wei Lanshan explained that they came from the ancient era when families guarded their fighting techniques.
• Wei Lanshan said most Alliance Ancient Martial Arts came from Shangyue Star, while some were passed down by Li Zhengfeng’s seven disciples.
• 99 concluded that Wei Lanshan was descended from one of Li Zhengfeng’s disciples and that Li Zhengfeng had come from the same place as her, five hundred years earlier.
• Wei Lanshan explained that the Central Brain set citizens’ initial ID permissions using their abilities and adjusted them according to Alliance contributions; Li Zhengfeng alone had earned exceptional class.
• 99 asked what counted as contributing to the Alliance.

Wei Lanshan and Wu Yuan escaped through deep space with 99, who learned about the Alliance and realized her former world could no longer be traced. They reached Tianning Star Second Guard, where Wei Lanshan left 99 facing a new life without her.

• Wei Lanshan told 99 to digest what she had learned and promised to store the information in a chip.
• 99 concluded that her former world had become impossible to trace and accepted Wei Lanshan as her teacher and savior.
• Wei Lanshan and Wu Yuan spent five days changing course to evade Tang Yongyu and Ye Yunhan while Wei Lanshan taught 99 about the Alliance.
• Wei Lanshan set the spacecraft on a different route and activated its self-destruct program before the group disembarked at Tianning Star Second Guard.
• 99 looked over the prosperous satellite and realized she would live there from then on.

Wei Lanshan brought 99 to Tianning Star Second Guard’s Underground City, where she obtained disguises, travel documents, and tickets to Aola Star. They boarded the route to the starship port and prepared to leave, while 99 struggled to absorb the vast world beyond the laboratory.

• Wei Lanshan disguised herself and transformed Wu Yuan into a button as she led 99 into the Underground City beneath Tianning Star Second Guard.
• Wei Lanshan exchanged a coded phrase at an energy shop and paid for devices, clothes, two tickets to Aola Star, and clean IDs listing 99 as her son.
• Wei Lanshan used one device to disguise 99 as a boy and changed her own appearance before they left the Underground City.
• Wei Lanshan and 99 traveled by Hovercar to the starship port, where their vessel to Aola Star was due to depart in ten minutes.
• 99 resolved to study the unfamiliar world and become stronger as she and Wei Lanshan disappeared into the crowd at the port.

Wei Lanshan took 99 away from Tianning Star and explained that she would live and study somewhere safe, far from the Ye and Tang Families. As they began their journey through space, Wei Lanshan made 99 her daughter in public and gave her the name Jiujiu.

• Wei Lanshan held 99's hand and stayed alert as they boarded a spacecraft and left Tianning Star.
• 99 watched the starry sky with wonder while the spacecraft headed toward an unfamiliar planet.
• Wei Lanshan warned 99 to stay close to her, avoid the Ye and Tang Families, and not return to Tianning Star until she could protect herself.
• Wei Lanshan told 99 to call her Aunt Lan in private and Mom around others, establishing their public identities as mother and daughter.
• Wei Lanshan named 99 Jiujiu, and Jiujiu accepted her new name and left her former life behind.

During the Star Shuttle journey to Aola Star, Jiujiu traveled without discomfort and learned Martial Skills from Wei Lanshan. She committed to practicing every day so she could protect herself in the dangerous world ahead.

• The Star Shuttle began its first faster-than-light transition, and Wei Lanshan secured Jiujiu in her seat and warned her not to use Mental Power.
• Jiujiu woke after several transitions and told Wei Lanshan she felt fine.
• Wei Lanshan taught Jiujiu her Martial Skills in the spacious cabin so Jiujiu could better protect herself.
• Jiujiu quickly memorized the moves and decided to practice three hours a day and study how to use Mental Power.
• Wei Lanshan marveled at Jiujiu's talent and told her to rest if she became tired.

Wei Lanshan and Jiujiu escaped their pursuers and traveled to Aola, where Wei Lanshan taught Jiujiu about Spatial Overlay Technology and gave her a Space Locket. After one night, they left for the Anweier Star System but encountered members of the Snow Dragon Mercenary Group on the way to the Spaceport.

• Wei Lanshan shook off suspicious individuals and took Jiujiu to a hotel on Aola while they remained disguised.
• Wei Lanshan explained Spatial Overlay Technology and bought Jiujiu a Space Locket, then taught her how to use it.
• Jiujiu delighted in the Space Locket and the Alliance technology she had yet to discover.
• Wei Lanshan used her Light Screen Terminal to research Alliance information and arrange their next journey.
• Wei Lanshan and Jiujiu left Aola for the Anweier Star System and encountered members of the Snow Dragon Mercenary Group on the way to the Spaceport.

Long Xingxue, leader of the Snow Dragon Mercenary Group, confronted Wei Lanshan and Jiujiu over a contract to kill them. After a prolonged fight revealed Wei Lanshan’s overwhelming strength and the client’s failure to disclose that a child was a target, Long Xingxue abandoned the job and left.

• Wei Lanshan recognized Long Xingxue and realized the Snow Dragon Mercenary Group leader had come to kill Jiujiu.
• Long Xingxue told Jiujiu to step aside, and Wei Lanshan drew her blade to face Long Xingxue’s whip.
• Wei Lanshan matched Long Xingxue through more than an hour of fighting, displaying mastery of her Martial Skills and greater strength.
• Long Xingxue admitted she had underestimated Wei Lanshan and announced that the Snow Dragon Mercenary Group would reject the job.
• Long Xingxue left after deciding the client had concealed crucial details, including that a child was among the targets.

Long Xingxue recognized Wei Lanshan as the senior sister their master had told them about and watched her leave with Jiujiu for the Anweier Star System. She then warned her junior brother Ming Weiman to protect them and revealed that Wei Lanshan was an Alliance Chief.

• Wei Lanshan thanked Long Xingxue for sparing her, then helped Jiujiu treat her wounds and asked whether she had learned from their fight.
• Jiujiu told Wei Lanshan she was not afraid of the dangers ahead, and the two continued toward the Star Shuttle without further trouble.
• After they left, Long Xingxue called Ming Weiman, scolded him about his love life, and told him she had fought the senior sister their master had mentioned.
• Long Xingxue identified the Tang Family of Jinghui Star as the client behind the pursuit order and instructed Ming Weiman to clear a path for Wei Lanshan and Jiujiu.
• Long Xingxue sent Ming Weiman their information and warned him to protect them, leaving him alarmed when he learned one senior sister led a mercenary corps and the other was an Alliance Chief.