Chapter Summaries

Peter revealed himself as a Fire Thief Cult bishop and traitor after killing Amanda while attempting to ambush Adam. Adam, newly advanced to the second stage of Ascension, killed Peter, and the Action Team ended the failed operation and prepared to return as the intelligence leak faced investigation.

• Peter ambushed Adam, but Amanda took the lightning attack and died; the Action Team surrounded Peter as he tried to escape.
• Peter revealed his Fire Thief Cult identity and admitted that he had given Baike and Heath the operation's time and location.
• Adam's Mind Power Cap surpassed one thousand, and he crushed the Headphones carrying the elders' voices before killing Peter with fifty times gravity.
• The Action Team killed the remaining cultists, but Baike escaped and the Pope and the last bishop remained missing.
• Li Meng ordered Guan Tong to terminate the mission and bring everyone back, while Guan Tong demanded a thorough investigation into the intelligence leak and Peter's infiltration.

After the failed ambush, the Pope ordered Khan to aid the Apostle Group in Black Flag Nation and began a counterattack, while Baike killed himself under the Pope’s command. Guan Tong and the Action Team returned to Suoloma, where they learned cultists had launched an assault on the city using the Apocalypse Rules.

• The Pope questioned Baike about the failed ambush, sent Khan to Black Flag Nation, and ordered Baike to die among the cathedral ruins; Baike obeyed and stabbed himself in the throat.
• The Pope rallied the believers to begin a counterattack against those who destroyed their church.
• The Action Team returned to the UHC office in Suoloma and learned that the King had summoned the Suoloma elder for questioning; Key of the Moon was the only member of that team who had returned.
• Li Meng and the others discussed the ambush, Peter’s betrayal, Key of the Moon’s possible foreknowledge, and Guan Tong’s role in breaking the Magic Array.
• Guan Tong considered Adam’s unexplained mission for the King of Suoloma before hearing that cultists had broken through the border and were attacking the city, covered in high-definition photos of Scarlet Terra.

After the Fire Thief Cult and parasites broke through Suoloma’s defenses, leaders debated how to stop them before they reached a city of nearly a million people. Guan Tong and his teammates volunteered to guide the Annihilators on-site, and Li Meng agreed to report their decision while insisting they prepare an escape plan.

• The Lieutenant General learned that parasites disguised as cultists had breached the Third Defense Line and would soon reach the city, while Scarlet Fear and signal interference made ordinary guidance and bombardment difficult.
• Dr. Hysen proposed sending High Mind Power Ascendants to guide the Annihilators on-site, but the foreign team leaders balked at the near-suicidal mission.
• Li Meng told Guan Tong’s team that the parasites might slaughter residents they could not transform, and Bai Xuewu volunteered to guide the Annihilators with Chen Na using her [Perception Domain].
• Silver Fox, Yang Ran, and Guan Tong also chose to help, with Guan Tong proposing that Shadow navigate using touch and hearing while his sight was disabled.
• Guan Tong told Li Meng that the parasites had once threatened people close to him, but he also believed the team’s abilities could save the city’s residents.
• Li Meng agreed to report the team’s decision to Director Gao on the condition that they prepare to withdraw if the mission went wrong.

Guan Tong created Shadow Anchors to protect his allies from spiritual attacks, then led the North Star Team to intercept the Fire Thief Cult’s approaching army outside Suoloma. With Chen Na guiding them through her [Perception Domain], the team began the battle as the enemy closed in.

• Li Meng learned that the North Star Team and Shangyuan Zi would remain in Suoloma, and the King of Suoloma entrusted them with guiding the Annihilators.
• Guan Tong wrote “Anchor” on the seventh page of the [Wordless Book], creating Shadow Anchors that could weaken mental attacks and serve as targets for Phase Shift.
• Guan Tong gave Shadow Anchors to Shangyuan Zi and the rest of the team before they departed for the city outskirts.
• The team reached the highway barricades as the cultist convoy approached, and Guan Tong assigned Silver Fox, Yang Ran, and Shangyuan Zi to protect Chen Na in a bunker.
• Chen Na activated [Perception Domain], while Bai Xuewu prepared to fight without vision and Guan Tong sent his Shadows to stop the enemy flanks.

Guan Tong and his team struggled to hold back the cultist legion until reinforcements arrived, with Bai Xuewu’s mech and Shangyuan Zi’s Serpent Servants slowing the advance. As the enemy closed in on their shelter, Guan Tong prepared to fight under cover of darkness, and Silver Fox joined him.

• Guan Tong used Shadow spikes to puncture the flanking vehicles’ tires while Bai Xuewu charged the convoy in her mech and destroyed hundreds of vehicles and enemies.
• The cultist legion used suicide attacks and repeated assaults to drain Guan Tong and Bai Xuewu’s Mind Power, forcing Bai Xuewu to retreat to the shelter.
• Guan Tong learned that reinforcements, including the Annihilator, would arrive in three minutes, while Chen Na’s Perception Domain and the team’s remaining strength were nearly exhausted.
• At Shangyuan Zi’s suggestion, Guan Tong summoned Living Dead, which Shangyuan Zi transformed into Serpent Servants to delay the cultist legion.
• When the Serpent Servants could no longer hold the attackers back, Guan Tong put on visor goggles and expanded Shadow Domain to blind the enemy as well as himself.
• Silver Fox prepared to fight alongside Guan Tong in the darkness, using her speed to attack without risking their teammates.

Guan Tong and his teammates fought off a massive legion of Fire Thief Cult believers and parasites until Annihilator war machines arrived to secure victory. During the battle, Silver Fox resisted Scarlet Fear with the help of Guan Tong’s anchor and Wenren Yizhi’s chess piece, and the team returned to the city after handing control to reinforcements.

• Guan Tong used Shadow’s darkness, smoke bombs, EMP bullets, grenades, and missiles to trap and attack the cultist legion while Silver Fox, Yang Ran, and Shangyuan Zi defended the bunker.
• Silver Fox identified the attackers approaching the bunker as actual cultists, and Yang Ran fought them with Star Flame Meteor Fall while the white chess piece distributed damage among its holders.
• Transport Aircraft delivered Annihilators, which Guan Tong and his teammates guided to devastate the legion and end the battle.
• Several cultists exposed photos of Scarlet Terra to trigger Scarlet Fear, but Silver Fox resisted it and killed them with help from her Shadow Anchor and Wenren Yizhi’s black chess piece.
• Guan Tong and Silver Fox discovered that the anchor had mostly faded and the black chess piece had cracked, then the team handed the Annihilator controls to official reinforcements and flew home.

A parasite-and-cultist counteroffensive struck the UHC base on the Black Flag Nation’s front line while Guan Tong’s squad returned to North Star and reviewed its mission. The meeting ended with North Star offering Guan Tong discounted Mobile Mind Power in exchange for his help using the Mental Stability Anchor to explore the Source of Fear.

• Hidden parasites attacked the UHC base with Scarlet Fear photographs and Mind Power Bombs as a cultist named Bishop, Khan crashed into the operations room and confronted the commander.
• After returning to Pinglu, Guan Tong and his squad learned that their mission to eliminate the Fire Thief Cult’s leadership had failed, though North Star blamed Suoloma for the operation’s outcome.
• Zhang Minglu and Gao Liangwei discussed Suoloma’s possible ambitions and concluded that Adam’s team had likely not knowingly cooperated with the cult.
• Guan Tong accepted that Suoloma’s promised compensation would repay his debt to its king, while the research institute also promised rewards to the squad.
• Gao Liangwei and Zhang Minglu explained that Guan Tong’s Mental Stability Anchor had helped Silver Fox resist Scarlet Fear, and offered him free Mind Power for public aid plus discounted supplies for personal use.
• Guan Tong agreed to cooperate with North Star while retaining other purchasing channels, and Gao Liangwei asked him to help complete the final exploration of the Source of Fear.

After a parasite assault devastated the UHC joint forces base in Black Flag Nation, Gao Liangwei examined how the attack and the failed Fire Thief Cult operation were connected. The meeting exposed Solloma’s mistakes and ended with North Star announcing a final-week test to explore the unknown Source of Fear.

• A radio report announced that parasites had heavily damaged the UHC joint forces base in Black Flag Nation, causing more than nine thousand casualties and freeing many captured parasites.
• UHC representatives argued over the defeat, and Gao Liangwei suggested the Prophet and the Pope had coordinated the parasite assault with the cultist operation in Solloma.
• Mary revealed that Peter had infiltrated the Solloma Action Team as a cultist after an elder and Yishan Bruce helped secure his place on it.
• Gao Liangwei challenged Mary over Solloma secretly teleporting its team into the cathedral, and Mary admitted they had hoped to find the Pope and learn whether he could free cultists from mental control.
• Gao Liangwei said North Star planned a closed test during the final week of the Rule Period to explore the unknown Source of Fear.

Guan Tong agreed to explore the Source of Fear in hopes of saving people affected by Scarlet Fear, and the team planned to prepare him for the experiment on March 29. After Guan Tong warned that he might lose control and endanger everyone nearby, Zhang Minglu asked whether he wanted to go to space.

• Zhang Minglu explained that a Lu Rui Country test subject became a human Source of Propagation for Scarlet Fear and played recordings of her apparently speaking to an unseen presence.
• Zhang Minglu showed Guan Tong photographs of civilians and coalition soldiers affected by Scarlet Fear and said the soldiers had only days to live.
• Guan Tong agreed to explore the Source of Fear if the authorities supplied a massive amount of Mobile Mind Power.
• Zhang Minglu outlined a plan to concentrate Mobile Mind Power in Guan Tong for three days and use Wenren Yizhi's remaining black chess piece to support him.
• Guan Tong asked that no one he knew attend the experiment, warning that he could lose control and attack those nearby, and Longhun urged that it take place far from people.
• Zhang Minglu agreed to find a suitable site, then asked Guan Tong whether he wanted to go to space.

Guan Tong agreed to let Shi Jingyi try to help Black Star and Bai Xing's comatose brother Allen after his space experiment. He boarded Suoloma's manned rocket with six aerospace robots, and the launch began.

• Guan Tong agreed to ask Shi Jingyi to try to wake Allen, who had remained comatose since the Tenth Rule.
• Guan Tong returned to Pinglu Valley and spoke with Coal Ball about going into space the next day.
• Zhang Minglu persuaded Gao Liangwei to send Guan Tong into space aboard Suoloma's prepared rocket with intelligent robots instead of human astronauts.
• North Star and Suoloma secretly prepared the launch, gathering Mobile Mind Power and optimizing the rocket and robots.
• Guan Tong boarded the rocket on the morning of the 29th, completed the capsule checks, and waited as the Suoloma Space Agency director pressed the ignition button.

Guan Tong entered orbit aboard the Empire Pioneer and began observing Scarlet Terra to search for the Source of Fear before the rule ended. As Scarlet Fear’s defenses rapidly failed and its corrosion intensified, he realized he had far less time than expected and had to hurry.

• Guan Tong experienced the rocket launch, passed through the atmosphere, and entered zero gravity before the Empire Pioneer reached Tianshui Star’s orbit.
• Guan Tong used a gravity-canceling item to reach the Experiment Cabin, where Zhang Minglu and the Suoloma Space Agency prepared him to observe Scarlet Terra.
• Guan Tong calculated that his Mind Power and protective items could sustain about an hour of exploration, but he chose a more cautious limit and began the experiment.
• Guan Tong opened the curtain and looked at Scarlet Terra, causing his mental defense items to shatter as his consciousness entered a strange red plane.
• Guan Tong sensed the visions of Scarlet Fear appearing faster, then felt Wenren Yizhi’s Black Chess Piece break and used the [Book Without Words] to reinforce his burning Mental Stability Anchor.

At the Suoloma Space Agency, officials discovered that Robert was steering Dream Boat One toward the Empire Pioneer, putting Guan Tong in danger as he explored Scarlet Fear. Guan Tong endured visions of his worst fears and found the Source of Fear, but his Terminal Panel unexpectedly offered a way to level up his Civilization Observer title.

• Zhang Minglu and Weilanko learned that Dream Boat One had changed orbit and could reach the Empire Pioneer before its scheduled return window.
• Chen Shi told Weilanko that Robert had seized control of Dream Boat One using the authority of the missing astronaut Wei Xuan, so the Ground Center could no longer stop the spacecraft remotely.
• Weilanko began preparations for a forced return and round-the-clock attempts to contact Robert, while Zhang Minglu chose not to interrupt Guan Tong's exploration yet.
• Guan Tong briefly disabled the Mental Stability Anchor and faced terrifying visions of himself losing his free will and his allies killing him.
• Guan Tong used Killing Intent Perception to locate and seize the Source of Fear, but the red dots threatened to overwhelm him as his Mind Power rapidly drained.
• Guan Tong's Terminal Panel opened and announced that consuming the Howling Furnace could increase his Civilization Observer title's experience enough to level it up.

Guan Tong consumed the Howling Furnace, ending Scarlet Fear on Terra and upgrading his title to Intermediate Civilization Observer. After discovering that the title had granted him a new consciousness-based ability, he went to contact the Ground Center.

• Guan Tong devoured the Howling Furnace in the consciousness space, upgraded his title, and returned to his body as the scarlet glow began to fade from Terra.
• Guan Tong told Zhang Minglu that he had more or less defeated the rule, while people affected by Scarlet Fear on Tianshui Star regained clarity and fainted.
• Guan Tong rested and examined his status, finding that his Mind Power reserves had been nearly exhausted.
• Guan Tong read the upgraded title's effects and discovered it granted True Sight Eye and the active ability Scarlet Furnace.
• Guan Tong considered whether the Howling Furnace was intelligent and whether absorbing the Nanite Swarm could grant another ability, then went to contact the Ground Center.

After Scarlet Fear faded, Guan Tong learned that Dream Boat One was on course to collide with the Empire Pioneer and tested whether his Shadow could survive in space. Robert later claimed he had recovered and requested a video call, but Guan Tong and Zhang Minglu suspected he might still spread Scarlet Fear, leaving the danger unresolved.

• Zhang Minglu and Weilanko told Guan Tong that Dream Boat One was headed toward the Empire Pioneer, and Guan Tong suggested Robert might have recovered when Scarlet Fear faded.
• Guan Tong extended a phasing Shadow into space and found that gravity and cosmic radiation affected it, limiting its usefulness there.
• Zhang Minglu reported that the woman in Lu Rui Country had fainted after Scarlet Fear faded, suggesting Robert might also be unconscious while Dream Boat One continued on its preset course.
• Weilanko and Zhang Minglu discussed returning the Empire Pioneer, and Guan Tong abandoned his idea of reaching Dream Boat after learning how difficult it would be.
• An aide reported that Robert had replied and requested a video call, but Guan Tong and Zhang Minglu warned that he might still be a Source of Propagation.
• Zhang Minglu proposed that Weilanko contact Robert by audio only and require him to stop Dream Boat One and remove Wei Xuan's Highest Authority before they trusted him.

Guan Tong returned safely from space after Robert refused to surrender control of Dream Boat One and warned that a terrifying Devil Race would seek revenge on humanity. With Rule 17 ended and a new reward in hand, Guan Tong went to meet Hua of Suoloma, the Ascendant known as Key of the Moon.

• Weilanko tried to persuade Robert to change course and relinquish control, but Robert claimed the devils were an undefeatable race that would find humanity and punish it.
• Robert cut off communication, and Weilanko ordered the forced return operation for Empire Pioneer.
• Guan Tong and the others returned safely to Terra, and Guan Tong declined Zhang Minglu's offer to travel back to North Star with him.
• Guan Tong considered Robert's warning and the possibility that the Howling Furnace belonged to a surviving race that might seek revenge.
• The Fire Thief announced that Rule 17 had ended, and Guan Tong received a Mimicry Windbreaker from his Survival Chest.
• Guan Tong arrived at an old wooden house in New Covenant City and met Hua, the Ascendant known as Key of the Moon.

Guan Tong hired Key of the Moon to help find Wei Huo, and her prophecy pointed him toward his hometown, Yunhua, while revealing that Adam would die unless Guan Tong saved him. Meanwhile, news of the Devil Race and the early end of the Rules turned public opinion against Shadow, leaving humanity fearful and divided over his actions.

• Guan Tong asked Key of the Moon to prophesy where he could find Wei Huo, and she agreed in exchange for his promise to save Adam, whose corpse she had foreseen floating in the ocean.
• Key of the Moon's prophecy showed Guan Tong searching across North Star before finding something in Yunhua, and the effort left her with a broken finger.
• Key of the Moon told Guan Tong she was leaving New Covenant City for Argan Prairie, then wondered whether Shadow's future was taboo because foretelling it had cost her a finger.
• After the Rule End, reports of allied soldiers killed by parasites, Dream Boat One's destruction, and the Devil Race's threat frightened the public.
• Online rumors linked Shadow to Scarlet Fear's early disappearance, and people across social media and Ascendant's Home increasingly condemned him for supposedly inviting the Devil Race's revenge upon humanity.

Guan Tong and Shi Jingyi used their abilities to rouse Allen from his chaotic, unconscious state. After Allen’s Mind Power began circulating again, Black Star and Bai Xing joined Guan Tong’s Source Tracing Brigade to investigate the Apocalypse Rules and the Fire Thief.

• Zhang Minglu warned Guan Tong about the hostile public opinion and advised him to keep a low profile, but Guan Tong refused to change how he acted.
• Guan Tong brought Shi Jingyi to see Allen, whose consciousness remained trapped in a chaotic state despite his lingering awareness.
• Guan Tong used [Scarlet Furnace] to frighten Allen’s consciousness into reacting while Shi Jingyi guided his Mind Power into circulation.
• Shi Jingyi told Guan Tong that Allen should wake soon, and she left after Black Star and Bai Xing thanked them.
• Guan Tong invited Black Star and Bai Xing to join his organization, and they accepted, joining the Source Tracing Brigade.

Adam decided to wait for the new rules before attempting to reach Eden Island, while Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi searched ruined Yunhua City for Wei Huo. As the interval ended, the UHC struck the Fire Thief Cult and prepared a new offensive against the parasites, and a new Apocalypse Rule was released on April 1st.

• Adam read Guan Tong's warning about his death, resolved to reach Eden Island to see his family, and chose to wait for the new rules before acting.
• Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi traveled to ruined Yunhua City to search for Wei Huo, and Guan Tong sent thousands of shadows through the city but found no one.
• Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi decided to spend the remaining interval searching Yunhua City.
• The UHC restricted classified intelligence through a White List and approved saturation bombing of Li Lu'an City, devastating the Fire Thief Cult.
• The UHC formed New Allied Forces, tested their soldiers with North Star's restarted Mind Network, and sent them against the parasites, who withdrew into the mountains.
• The interval ended, and the Fire Thief released a new Apocalypse Rule at 9:00 a.m. on April 1st.

The characters gathered on Terra for a playful meeting about their roles and possible fates in the story. They discussed future plotlines and plans before Xiao Cao left to write.

• Guan Tong remarked on the unusual venue, and Peter complained to Xiao Cao about being killed soon after appearing.
• Finch called the attendees plot devices, prompting Yang Ran to worry that he would also be killed off.
• Prophet suspected he might become a stage boss, while the Pope and Dr. Hysen discussed their possible fates and villain potential.
• Zhang Minglu predicted more space-related storylines, and Chen Na said she wanted to go to space.
• Black Star and Bai Xing welcomed Allen to the Source Tracing Brigade, though Allen pointed out that he had not woken up yet.
• Wenren Yizhi, Key of the Moon, and Adam each announced their plans, and Xiao Cao went off to write.

After Apocalypse Rule 18 made microplastics far more toxic, Gao Liangwei and the Countermeasure Research Institute began planning ways to protect North Star’s population and secure safe food. Around the world, governments prepared responses while ordinary people argued over industry, nature, and the Star Sea Court mentioned in the rule.

• Fire Thief announced Apocalypse Rule 18, which made contact with microplastic-containing items cause accelerated organ failure for thirty days.
• Gao Liangwei moved the meeting to a metal-built room and ordered staff to remove plastic products as Academician Qian warned that microplastics pervaded daily life and food.
• Academician Qian proposed testing the new toxicity and explained that greenhouse crops and stored food might be contaminated, threatening supplies for North Star’s six hundred million people.
• Gao Liangwei rejected reliance on costly Terminal Market food and proposed using metal, glass, and ceramic containers, while Qian called for removing nonessential plastics and preparing filters and masks.
• Countries began urgent countermeasure meetings, while people online argued between the Industrial and Natural Factions and debated the Star Sea Court.