Recaps

The Alien Intelligence provided humanity with extensive technical information, while Guan Tong investigated the assault on the Landing Site and suspected it was a diversion. The chapter ended with him warning Shangyuan Zi that awake parasites among the supposedly sedated shipment could be the real threat.

• The Alien Intelligence explained conversion technology, and UHC commissioners celebrated the valuable information while debating its costs and the situation in Wuze City.
• Gao Liangwei reported that the allied forces had suppressed Wuze City and that the parasites had a leader called the Prophet.
• Guan Tong contacted Shangyuan Zi, who told him that Fire Thief Cult followers had discussed a bishop, heretics, and entering the Landing Site, while Louis had rallied the crowd.
• Guan Tong told Shangyuan Zi to leave the town after Xisiya soldiers took control, then reconsidered whether the assault had been staged as a diversion.
• After a truck carrying sedated parasites arrived, Guan Tong suspected that some might remain awake and cause trouble at a critical moment.

UHC personnel prepared captured parasites for transport while Lu Cheng infiltrated the Front Line base by joining a resistance fighter combat team. At the Landing Site, Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi prepared for a possible plot involving the transported parasites and awaited the Alien Intelligence’s next question.

• UHC soldiers loaded captured parasites for transport and added drug-resistance tests after receiving a new order.
• The Front Line commander selected Evolvers with recorded evidence of fighting parasites to form a separate combat team, allowing Lu Cheng to move through non-classified areas while he sought intelligence for the Prophet.
• Guan Tong’s suspicions about the Fire Thief Cult’s plans led Yelena to order parasite inspections and reinforce the Landing Site defenses.
• Shangyuan Zi arrived at the Landing Site, where Sigaoxin criticized her for not warning the authorities sooner and Guan Tong defended her.
• Guan Tong told Shangyuan Zi that the UHC planned to use a Mind Power camera during the next question and expected to ask his own question afterward.

Solloma’s King ordered Dr. Hysen to develop an angel within six months while avoiding trouble with North Star, and the UHC prepared to ask whether future Apocalypse Rules could be revealed. Host Ascendants attacked the Landing Site during the question, but the questioner completed it before being killed, and the Alien Intelligence began feeding as the attackers retreated.

• The King of Solloma gave Dr. Hysen six months to develop an angel and ordered him to submit technical materials to the UHC without provoking North Star.
• The UHC explained its restrictions on questioning the Alien Intelligence and acknowledged that some Black Flag Nation citizens had been mistakenly sent to Xisiya as hosts.
• Sigaoxin, Guan Tong, and Shangyuan Zi prepared for the UHC’s question about whether future Apocalypse Rules could be disclosed, as nearly a hundred thousand hosts were gathered at the Landing Site.
• Transport vehicles exploded, and Guan Tong identified the attackers as Host Ascendants who had infiltrated among the captives.
• Guan Tong shattered the attackers’ barrier and fought them, giving the questioner time to ask, “What is the Sixteenth Apocalypse Rule?”
• A Host Ascendant killed the questioner, but the Alien Intelligence began feeding before the attackers retreated, leaving the Landing Site in chaos.

Hundreds of Parasite Ascendants attacked the Landing Site, and Guan Tong and the Xisiya forces fought to stop them from disrupting the Alien Intelligence’s food supply. After the Ascendants destroyed much of that food with Mind Power Bombs, the surviving soldiers evacuated, while Guan Tong stayed behind to question the Alien Intelligence.

• UHC committee members watched the Landing Site livestream reveal hundreds of Parasite Ascendants, then lost the feed as the battle intensified.
• Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi rescued Sigaoxin from attackers, and Sigaoxin directed the soldiers to fight while continuing to move parasites into the food zone.
• Guan Tong used his Shadows to overwhelm the Parasite Ascendants, but the attackers detonated Mind Power Bombs hidden among the parasites and inside their own bodies.
• Guan Tong survived the explosions with injuries, while Sigaoxin ordered the remaining soldiers to evacuate before the Alien Intelligence could target them.
• Shangyuan Zi left with the evacuees, and Guan Tong stayed behind the transport trucks to wait for the Alien Intelligence to finish eating and answer his questions.

After the Alien Intelligence finished feeding, Guan Tong asked whether his passage through time and space was connected to the [Wordless Book]. The question triggered a malfunction, and the creature attacked the book before collapsing when Guan Tong stored it away.

• Sigaoxin evacuated the wounded soldiers, then led a heavy firepower battalion back into the Core Area to assess the Alien Intelligence.
• The Alien Intelligence stopped feeding after consuming the parasites and began malfunctioning when it tried to answer what the Sixteenth Apocalypse Rule was.
• Guan Tong used Shadow Domain to hide from satellite surveillance and asked whether his crossing through time and space was related to the [Wordless Book].
• The Alien Intelligence ignored the parasites and chased Guan Tong, then abandoned him to pursue the book when Shadow carried it away.
• Guan Tong stored the [Wordless Book] in the Terminal Panel's Storage Box, and the Alien Intelligence stopped and collapsed.

The UHC learned that the Alien Intelligence might be made of nanobiological organisms or robots, while Guan Tong tested its reaction to the [Wordless Book]. After eating one page, the creature briefly formed a spaceship and spoke in fragments before producing a page-like piece of itself, which Guan Tong took as Sigaoxin returned.

• Gao Liangwei admitted the UHC had misjudged the parasite Ascendants, and Toravt thanked Shadow for saving lives at the Landing Site.
• The research department showed the UHC footage suggesting the Alien Intelligence consisted of hundreds of billions of nanobiological organisms or robots that broke down food instantly.
• Guan Tong concluded the Alien Intelligence had been drawn to the [Wordless Book] and decided to test what would happen if he fed it a single page.
• The Alien Intelligence devoured the page, transformed into a spaceship-like construct, and uttered fragments including “God... Star Ark...” and “Out of control... fragment...”
• The Alien Intelligence returned to black mud and produced a page-like piece of itself, which Guan Tong kept at a distance as Sigaoxin arrived.
• Guan Tong decided to leave the Shadow Domain with the page-like piece and consider what he had discovered.

After the Fifteenth Apocalypse Rule ended, Guan Tong obtained a limited Nanite Swarm formed from a page of the Wordless Book and learned that it could decompose objects through direct contact. He and Shangyuan Zi headed to Xisiya’s capital to honor Guan Tong’s agreement with Yelena, while the Countermeasure Research Institute assessed the rule’s gains and setbacks.

• Sigaoxin kept the Alien Intelligence under guard as UHC researchers concluded it was composed of countless nanoscopic organisms and that its spaceship was likely made of similar creations.
• The Alien Intelligence remained shut down and unresponsive until the Fifteenth Rule ended, then returned to its spaceship and vanished as the Fire Thief announced humanity had passed.
• Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi received the rule’s completion notice, and Guan Tong discovered that the page the Alien Intelligence had spat out had become an item called Nanite Swarm.
• Guan Tong tested the Nanite Swarm, found it could form a black glove and decompose anything touching his palm, but could not move independently or be used at a distance.
• Guan Tong told Shangyuan Zi he would protect Yelena in Xisiya under their agreement, and the two set out for the capital while preparing for the Sixteenth Rule.
• At a Countermeasure Research Institute meeting, Han Qiu and Gao Liangwei discussed the rule’s delayed technological benefits and its costs, including Xisiya’s casualties, public opposition to asking questions, and the parasites’ alliance with the Fire Thief Cult.

Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi visited Yelena in Xisiya, where he agreed to protect her from a possible coup and assassination attempt. Afterward, he decided to spend his Ascension Coins on commissions that would let other Ascendants transfer Mind Power to him.

• Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi discussed the public backlash over the UHC's decisions and the rumors that it had captured humans as hosts.
• Yelena arrived at her estate, thanked Guan Tong for his help at the Landing Site, and explained that Rieka's supporters were secretly planning an armed rebellion.
• Yelena asked Guan Tong to serve as her driver and office guard while she dealt with the threat, and he agreed.
• Guan Tong checked his Terminal Panel and realized his Reserve Mind Power was running low after the battle at the Landing Site.
• Guan Tong decided to spend his Ascension Coins on commissions that would have other Ascendants transfer Mind Power to him.

The Sixteenth Apocalypse Rule began as the astronauts on Terra lost contact with the Empire Pioneer crew and humanity prepared for a deadly competition among Ascendants. Fire Thief announced a seven-day Death Race in which contestants could gain points by killing one another.

• Astronauts at Dream Boat One feared the next rule would begin before they could return to Tianshui Star, then heard screams over the communicator from Empire Pioneer and lost contact with its crew.
• The Space Administration confirmed the Empire Pioneer astronauts were still alive and ordered Wei Xuan to investigate, carrying lethal weapons if he went in person.
• The UHC set space exploration and digital life as humanity's two development paths, and prioritized finding Prophet and eradicating the Fire Thief Cult.
• Nations and survivors pursued their own plans as the seven-day interval passed.
• Fire Thief released the Sixteenth Apocalypse Rule, Death Race, making Ascendants with invitations hostile contestants who earned points by killing rivals.

Guan Tong, Shangyuan Zi, and Yelena discussed how Xisiya could manage Rule Sixteen’s deadly points competition, including Shangyuan’s proposal for an official arena. Guan Tong decided to become a competitor without hunting others for points, though he would defend himself if attacked.

• Guan Tong learned that Rule Sixteen turned Tianshui Star into a deadly competition and that competitors could forfeit by discarding their invitations at the cost of Mind Power.
• Guan Tong discovered that Hidden Rule Sixteen allowed Ascendants in Team Up mode to kill their teammates for points, threatening trust within established groups.
• Yelena asked Guan Tong for advice on managing the rule, and he suggested keeping invitations while forbidding Ascendants from killing for points.
• Shangyuan Zi proposed a designated arena where Ascendants could legally fight for points, and Guan Tong supported the idea as a way to reduce killings outside it.
• While waiting for Yelena’s meeting to end, Guan Tong decided to compete but not actively kill for points, while promising to defend himself against anyone who provoked him.

At a North Star meeting, Han Qiu argued that the country should allow Ascendants to compete for ranking rewards despite the deaths it could cause, while Zhang Minglu opposed the idea and Gao Liangwei faced a difficult decision. Meanwhile, Guan Tong sold secret information about the Sixteenth Apocalypse Rule to eight buyers, earning enough Ascension Coins to pursue his plans.

• Han Qiu proposed one-on-one deathmatches to give North Star's Ascendants a chance to compete for ranking rewards, and Zhang Minglu firmly objected.
• Han Qiu argued that top-tier Ascendants could become vastly stronger than ordinary ones, convincing some attendees that cultivating the strongest might be necessary for humanity's survival.
• Gao Liangwei was about to decide the issue when a report announced that the Site Owner of Ascendant's Home was selling secret information about the rule.
• Guan Tong received payments from eight buyers at 500,000 Ascension Coins each and considered that powerful countries, parasites, and the Fire Thief Cult might have bought copies.
• Guan Tong counted his earnings at over eight million Ascension Coins and planned to use them to hire Ascendants for Mind Power and develop his [Wordless Book].

Countries announced how they would handle Ascenders who kept their challenge invitations, while Yelena, Guan Tong, and Shangyuan Zi chose to become contestants but forgo competing for rankings. The chapter ended when Guan Tong stopped an RPG attack on Yelena and confronted the attackers.

• Guan Tong sent buyers details of the Hidden Rule allowing teammates to betray each other, prompting countries to announce their policies for contestants.
• Solloma announced public stadium competitions with paid admission, while North Star discouraged ranking competition and Xisiya allowed closed-off competitions at designated locations.
• Yelena, Guan Tong, and Shangyuan Zi emerged from their meeting as contestants; Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi had changed their nicknames to Shepherd Boy and Yuan Lü.
• Guan Tong told Yelena that he and Shangyuan Zi would not pursue points or rankings, but would act if anyone threatened them or Yelena.
• An attacker fired an RPG at Yelena's office, but Guan Tong blocked the blast and overturned the attackers' vehicle with his Shadow.

Team Leader Wei Xuan led a crew from Dream Boat One to investigate the Empire Pioneer’s silent survival base and found its astronauts frozen in terror. A recording revealed that Robert’s last warning had been, “Leave! There are demons on this planet!”

• Wei Xuan and his crew left Dream Boat One to investigate the Empire Pioneer after its astronauts stopped responding to communications.
• Wei Xuan sent a Sky Spider Investigator ahead and found no enemies or damage around the sealed survival base, but detected the astronauts inside.
• Wei Xuan and his crew entered the base and found the Empire Pioneer astronauts alive but stiff and frozen in expressions of terror.
• Wei Xuan reviewed the base’s surveillance footage and saw the astronauts suddenly scream before becoming rigid.
• Robert briefly regained his composure, warned Wei Xuan to leave because there were demons on the planet, and then fell back into terror.

After an attack on Yelena, she and Guan Tong suspected Valery was exploiting the crisis to expand the Security Bureau’s influence. Yelena trusted Guan Tong to resist any attempt to bribe him and prepared to use force if her enemies pushed her too far.

• Valery berated the Xisiya Administrative Building guards, but Yelena stopped him from punishing them and assigned Sigaoxin to interrogate the captured attackers.
• Guan Tong explained to Shangyuan Zi that the independently governed Xisiya Security Bureau could not be controlled by Yelena without evidence or a vote.
• Yelena agreed to Valery’s proposal to replace her guards, hoping it would draw her enemies into revealing their plans.
• Yelena reasoned that her enemies might identify Guan Tong as Shadow and attempt either to defeat him or recruit him.
• Guan Tong agreed to investigate if the enemy approached him, and Yelena said she would not rule out destroying the Security Bureau and her other enemies if necessary.

Xiao Cao hosted a symposium where the characters discussed their appearances and the unresolved mysteries of the fifteenth rule. Xiao Cao promised that the mysteries connected to the main plot would be resolved later, and the meeting ended with everyone left to wait.

• Xiao Cao opened the fifteenth symposium and assured Yelena that she would have more scenes in the next rule.
• Xiao Cao stopped an argument involving Louis, Pope, and Prophet and asked them to settle their grudges in the main story.
• Black Star asked whether he would appear again, and Bai Xing expressed confidence in their future importance.
• Sigaoxin listed unresolved mysteries involving several factions, the Digital Life Project, the Mind Network, Terra's astronauts, and the Nanite Swarm's connection to the Wordless Book.
• Xiao Cao promised that the unresolved mysteries were connected to the main plot and would be resolved later.
• Sigaoxin summarized the discussion as waiting, and Xiao Cao adjourned the meeting.

Han Qiu resigned from the Countermeasure Research Institute after protesting the authorities’ decision to protect Ascendants from competing, while Gao Liangwei asked Zhang Minglu to contact Shadow about a new collaboration. In Xisiya, Yelena prepared for possible conflict with the Security Bureau and delayed plans for revenge as Guan Tong sought a way to grow stronger; Black Star and Bai Xing then debated meeting a client who might be Shadow.

• Han Qiu told Zhang Minglu that forfeiting was his way of following the Fire Thief’s route, then left after criticizing excessive protection.
• Gao Liangwei approved Han Qiu’s resignation subject to a six-month waiting period and asked Zhang Minglu to contact Shadow about a new collaboration.
• Yelena assigned Sigaoxin to lead the mobile unit at the competition arenas and ordered her to be ready to attack Security Bureau headquarters if necessary.
• Yelena considered public pressure to retaliate against the parasites and Fire Thief Cult, while Guan Tong advised her to delay opening another front.
• Guan Tong decided to seek out Ascendants to build up his Mind Power without competing for rankings.
• Black Star received a request to meet from the client who had previously bought information about Rieka, and he argued with Bai Xing that refusing might harm their reputation as intermediaries.

The Suoloma Space Administration threatened to destroy Dream Boat One if it returned before the mysterious danger on Terra was investigated, but its director was forced to back down. On Terra, Wei Xuan chose to let those who wanted to return take Robert and the other incapacitated astronauts home while he and the others continued the mission; Robert’s eyelids briefly fluttered as they left.

• The Suoloma director threatened to shoot down Dream Boat One if it returned before the alleged demon was investigated, prompting North Star to end the call.
• The Grand Elder reprimanded the Suoloma director for risking conflict with North Star and ordered him to repair relations.
• Wei Xuan told the doctor that he could not accept abandoning the mission without investigating what had happened to Robert and the others.
• Wei Xuan proposed that volunteers return aboard Dream Boat One with the incapacitated astronauts while the remaining crew continued the mission aboard the Empire Pioneer.
• Robert’s rigid eyelids fluttered twice after Wei Xuan and the doctor left the infirmary.

Guan Tong hired Black Star to organize a long-term supply of Mind Power, offering generous payment for the crystals to be filled twice daily. Bai Xing recognized the risks of the commission, and Guan Tong used Shadow to reveal his identity before leaving, leaving Black Star to abandon his plan to skim the purchase price.

• Guan Tong met Black Star at the Twin Star Bar and showed him twelve crystals that could each store 500 points of Mind Power.
• Guan Tong offered to pay one Ascension Coin per point of Mind Power and an extra 500 coins for each daily quota completed, and Black Star accepted the ongoing commission.
• Guan Tong traded the crystals to Black Star and arranged to collect them twice a day starting the next day.
• Bai Xing warned Guan Tong that taking the commission could bring trouble, and Guan Tong offered an extra 5,000 Ascension Coins as risk compensation.
• Shadow blocked Black Star from following Guan Tong, confirming to Bai Xing that Guan Tong was the World First Ascender.
• Black Star told Bai Xing that Guan Tong had revealed his identity as a warning, and he dropped his plan to buy Mind Power at a discount.

UHC members considered a Super City proposal from smaller nations, while Gao Liangwei contacted Guan Tong to recruit him for an operation against the Fire Thief Cult. Guan Tong remained in Xisiya and had not yet agreed to lead the mission to Fahuo Nation.

• Several smaller nations proposed that the UHC help build a Super City as a backup to space immigration and digital life.
• Mary, Tolofte, and Gao Liangwei agreed to study the proposal but made it secondary to digital life and conditioned construction on eliminating the parasites and Fire Thief Cult.
• After the conference, Gao Liangwei and Zhang Minglu contacted Guan Tong, who said he was still in Xisiya handling unresolved matters.
• Gao Liangwei asked Guan Tong to lead a team to Fahuo Nation to eliminate the Fire Thief Cult's leaders.

Guan Tong discussed a possible operation against the Fire Thief Cult’s Pope with North Star, but postponed joining until he finished his business in Xisiya. He left to retrieve a charged Mind Power Crystal from Black Star while continuing to prioritize protecting Yelena and storing Reserve Mind Power.

• Gao Liangwei asked Guan Tong to cooperate in eliminating the Fire Thief Cult’s Pope, and Guan Tong said he could not go to Fahe until he completed his work in Xisiya.
• Zhang Minglu noticed Guan Tong had only one point in the Rule competition, and Guan Tong said he had chosen not to participate.
• Gao Liangwei agreed to wait until Guan Tong finished his business and told Zhang Minglu to share intelligence about the Fire Thief Cult with him.
• Guan Tong considered the danger of targeting the Pope but decided to focus for now on protecting Yelena and stockpiling Reserve Mind Power.
• Guan Tong told Shangyuan Zi he was going to Twin Star Bar to retrieve the fully charged Mind Power Crystal from Black Star, then used Shadow to travel there.

Guan Tong bought Mind Power crystals from Black Star and converted them into Reserve Mind Power, while planning ways to accelerate the process. He then accompanied Yelena to Solloma’s newly opened competition arena, where Yishan announced her plan to seize points and the first free-for-all match was introduced.

• Guan Tong collected twelve fully infused Mind Power crystals from Black Star, who warned him that bulk purchases could draw unwanted attention.
• Black Star and Bai Xing discussed Guan Tong’s reputation and arranged more Ascendants to help supply Mind Power.
• Guan Tong converted six thousand Mind Power into 600 Reserve Mind Power and planned to seek transmission items through his prospective cooperation with the Countermeasure Research Institute.
• Guan Tong returned to Yelena’s manor, and Yelena asked him to accompany her to the competition venue as governor.
• Spectators packed Solloma’s arena, where Yishan said she intended to reach the top three by taking points from other competitors.
• The host announced that each round would pit fifteen Ascendants against one another in a free-for-all, with the last contestant standing advancing.

The Xisiya competition began with brutal elimination matches, while Yelena and Guan Tong confronted the cost of the government’s own deadly contest. After Guan Tong received an invitation from Valery, he went to Night Health and refused its demand that he change clothes, leaving him at the entrance to the Feast Hall.

• In the first arena, contestants who had fought desperately were attacked by those who had hidden, and a weaker survivor advanced after a powerful fighter ran out of Mind Power.
• A white-haired contestant used lightning to kill all fourteen opponents in the second round, catching the spectators’ attention and intriguing Yishan.
• At the government competition, Yelena addressed the contestants, and an official secretly delivered Guan Tong a note inviting Shadow to meet Valery at 18 Xiye Street.
• Guan Tong discussed the possible recruitment attempt or diversion with Yelena and Shangyuan Zi, and they agreed that Shangyuan Zi would stay with Yelena while Guan Tong investigated.
• Guan Tong visited Black Star for information, then went to Night Health and refused the attendants’ request to change before entering.
• Valery opened the silver doors and told Guan Tong that Shadow did not need to follow Night Health’s rules.

Valery tried to recruit Guan Tong into the faction controlling Xisiya by offering him money and resources to kill Sigaoxin. Guan Tong accepted the deposit but reported the plot to Yelena, who considered using the meeting footage against the Security Bureau despite the risk that it would also implicate him.

• Valery showed Guan Tong a list of officials backing Rieka and claimed that their faction controlled Xisiya's military, politics, finances, and intelligence.
• Valery offered Guan Tong three times Yelena's pay and membership in his faction if he killed Sigaoxin, then transferred him a one-million-Ascension-Coin deposit.
• After Guan Tong left, Valery and his associates discussed threatening him with the remaining four million and releasing edited footage if he refused to act, unaware that Shadow was listening.
• Guan Tong returned to the manor and told Yelena and Shangyuan Zi about Valery's offer and the officials on the list.
• Yelena considered releasing the hidden-camera footage to target the Security Bureau, while Shangyuan Zi warned that it also showed Guan Tong accepting the deposit.

Wei Xuan led the remaining astronauts back to orbit, then risked his life to investigate the silent Dream Boat One and found Robert amid a pool of blood. Meanwhile, Shi Jingyi’s Condensation cultivation pushed her Mind Power Cap past one thousand points.

• Wei Xuan and five other astronauts stayed aboard the Empire Pioneer to continue the Terra mission, while the others returned to Tianshui Star for treatment.
• The command center ordered Wei Xuan’s team to abandon Terra after Dream Boat One lost contact, but Wei Xuan requested permission to investigate the ship alone.
• After the team entered orbit and located Dream Boat One, Wei Xuan piloted an ejection pod to its airlock and boarded it.
• Wei Xuan found blood on the floor inside Dream Boat One and heard Robert warn him that he should not have come.
• Shi Jingyi used her Condensation method to cultivate Mind Power and broke through a Mind Power Cap of one thousand points.

Guan Tong was tracked to an abandoned park, where he killed a gang of robbers who tried to steal his Ascension Coins and gained their points. Back at Yelena’s manor, he and Yelena agreed to obtain a recording that night and move against Valery’s group before Rule End.

• Guan Tong noticed a drone following him after leaving Twin Star Bar and lured it to an abandoned park.
• More than a dozen armed robbers confronted Guan Tong, demanding his Ascension Coins after watching Black Star’s shop.
• Guan Tong caught a bullet, then used Shadow Thorns to kill the robbers and took their points, raising his total to 37.
• Guan Tong returned to Yelena’s manor, where Yelena said Sigaoxin had agreed to cooperate with their plan against Valery.
• Guan Tong and Yelena planned to obtain a recording that night, then strike Valery’s group and expose their crimes before Rule End.