Chapter Summaries

After the rules ended, Guan Tong learned that Xu Xiaotian had survived and prepared to return to Yunhua City with Wang Yan and Chen Na. Before their departure, Guan Tong successfully transformed Shadow into solid armor, giving himself a new layer of defense.

• Xu Xiaotian helped remove bodies from Limei Hotel, then received Guan Tong's reply confirming that Guan Tong was alive.
• Guan Tong read news about the disaster's aftermath and online concerns about Tradable Items, then continued his plans while waiting for the snow to melt.
• Wang Yan and Chen Na trained their Mind Power and developed their items as the trio ran out of food and prepared to leave Mingdao Mountain for Yunhua City.
• Guan Tong summoned Shadow and discovered that he could shape it without spending Mind Power, then solidified it around himself as Shadow Armor.

At a July 9 meeting, Gao Liangwei and the Apocalypse Rules Countermeasure Research Office discussed Rule Four’s enormous casualties and planned to strengthen Mind Power education and survival-focused reconstruction. They also reviewed rival nations’ cultivation programs and Beixing Nation’s Apocalypse Squad and artifact acquisitions, as Gao Liangwei ordered preparations to concentrate resources and crack down on illegal artifact collecting.

• Researchers reported that Rule Four’s snow and collapsed buildings had made casualty counts difficult, while projections put deaths in Beixing Nation in the millions and worldwide deaths above one hundred million.
• Gao Liangwei blamed complacency and inadequate preparation, then called for renewed public outreach on Mind Power and the rapid reopening of academies.
• Gao Liangwei announced that urban shops and office buildings would be demolished and their land converted into survival-oriented facilities, including academies.
• Officials described the Solloma Empire’s Eden Project and the Tulip Federation’s Wolf Pack Operation as other nations’ efforts to develop powerful rule-clearers.
• Dr. Zhang reported that one hundred candidates with Mind Power Caps of at least 100 had been selected, and Gao Liangwei ordered thirty to be chosen for personalized training.
• Dr. Li reported that more than eighty valuable artifacts had been acquired and that other groups were collecting artifacts illegally; Gao Liangwei vowed to crush those responsible.

Wang Yan, Chen Na, and Guan Tong returned to Yunhua after the blizzards, where they saw the destruction of Sun Family Village and navigated deep floodwater. At the city entrance, Wang Yan and Chen Na left for a hospital with Emergency Management Bureau workers, while Guan Tong set off on foot toward the city center.

• Wang Yan drove Guan Tong and Chen Na toward Yunhua, and the three discussed the coming Apocalypse Rules.
• Wang Yan, Chen Na, and Guan Tong passed the ruins of Sun Family Village and saw homes and villagers submerged in snowmelt; Wang Yan resolved to take Chen Na to the capital.
• Wang Yan drove through deep floodwater toward Yunhua, and Guan Tong called local hospitals before they chose one that had reopened.
• Emergency Management Bureau officers stopped the truck at the development zone and arranged transport for Wang Yan and Chen Na, while Guan Tong stayed behind.
• Guan Tong decided to walk toward the city center rather than wait for a ride.

Guan Tong settled in the surviving property storage room at his ruined residential complex and focused on developing the [Wordless Book]. By July 24, he had finished writing "Mind Power" on its third page, while Xu Xiaotian left for the capital and the authorities began rebuilding cities and protecting Ascenders.

• Guan Tong found that his home and residential complex had been crushed, then chose the surviving property storage room as his temporary shelter.
• Guan Tong entered his damaged home under Shadow Armor and gathered food before returning to the storage room.
• Guan Tong continued writing on the [Wordless Book]'s third page, struggling with its high Mind Power cost and the failure of his attempt to materialize the word.
• Xu Xiaotian told Guan Tong that he was traveling to the capital ahead of the Mind Power Development Academy's August 10 start, but Guan Tong declined to go with him.
• Guan Tong read official statements announcing survival-oriented reconstruction and severe punishment for coercing Ascenders into trades.
• By July 24, Guan Tong had finished writing "Mind Power" on the third page of the [Wordless Book].

Liu Yuqiang was driven to a secret Green Plum Association gathering, while Guan Tong discovered that the Wordless Book could convert Mind Power into a reserve. Guan Tong planned to stockpile power and prepare for the fifth Apocalypse Rule’s release.

• Liu Yuqiang rode in a sealed car with no signal as he was taken to the Green Plum Association gathering.
• Guan Tong poured 100 Mind Power into the Wordless Book’s “Mind Power” page and discovered it had stored 10 Reserve Mind Power.
• Guan Tong tested the reserve by creating a Type 2 Bullet, which consumed the stored 10 points.
• Guan Tong calculated that a week of stockpiling could give him more than 260 usable Mind Power for Shadow or ammunition.
• Guan Tong decided to store Reserve Mind Power steadily and meet the fifth Apocalypse Rule at full condition.

Liu Yuqiang attended the first full gathering of the Green Plum Association, where Big Sister revealed that the group would turn to kidnapping high-Mind Power Ascendants and seizing resources to survive. The meeting ended with two dissenters being shot after they left, while Liu Yuqiang remained caught between his misgivings and the threat surrounding him.

• Liu Yuqiang joined the Green Plum Association members at their gathering and learned that many feared their declining Mind Power Caps.
• Big Sister presented secret mortality data showing that over nine in ten people above fifty had died under the Apocalypse Rules.
• Big Sister revealed that she had directed kidnappings of high-Mind Power Ascendants and announced that the Association would focus on seizing Mind Power-related items.
• Yu Feiwei supported Big Sister, while Liu Yuqiang questioned the risks of the kidnappings and the authorities’ likely response.
• Two members objected and left the meeting, but armed drivers shot them when they reached the parking garage.

Guan Tong prepared for the fifth Apocalypse Rule as the month-long interval ended, then learned that the world would be plunged into darkness and overrun by Living Dead. The rule required every Ascender to eliminate at least ten Living Dead within 24 hours, with Ascension Coins as a reward and Mind Power Cap decay for failure.

• Guan Tong reflected on Yunhua City's demolitions and hoped Wang Yan and Chen Na had reached Yong'an City safely.
• Guan Tong checked his Personal Terminal and Silver Hunter, reviewing his Mind Power and the eighty bullets he had stored.
• Ascenders around the world prepared for the next rule in different ways, while those with zero Mind Power gave up using their Personal Terminals.
• On August 1 at nine, Fire Thief announced Apocalypse Rule Five, Night of the Living Dead, which plunged the world into deep night and sent Living Dead to attack human areas.
• Fire Thief required each Ascender to eliminate at least ten Living Dead in 24 hours, offering Ascension Coins for survival and kills while penalizing failure with Mind Power Cap decay.

During the fifth Apocalypse Rule, Living Dead rose from corpses across Yunhua City and began attacking people. After discovering that a Mother Transformer was creating them and could only be killed with Mind Power, Guan Tong decided to head south to find it, but first planned to test how dangerous the Living Dead were.

• Fire Thief announced the rule, the sky turned black, and shrill screeches stirred corpses into Living Dead.
• Living Dead broke into a temporary corpse storage facility in Yunhua City and killed the staff members.
• Corpses in the villages outside the city rose from melted snowwater and charged toward Yunhua City.
• Guan Tong read Hidden Rules V and learned that a Mother Transformer was creating Living Dead and could only be eliminated with Mind Power.
• Guan Tong chose to head south toward the screech’s source, but decided to assess the Living Dead’s strength before proceeding.

Guan Tong prepared to head south in search of the Mother Transformer and encountered Living Dead on the way. After using a supply vehicle to test how the creatures detected people, he restarted it and followed at a distance as bait.

• Guan Tong equipped himself with a flashlight, weapons, and protective gear before leaving the residential complex with Silver Hunter.
• Guan Tong killed a charging Living Dead near the collapsed gatehouse and realized it was a revived human corpse.
• Guan Tong headed south and found about fifteen Living Dead attacking an unmanned supply vehicle, then killed them with four Type 1 Bullets.
• Guan Tong wondered how the Living Dead had detected him and smeared their blood on his clothes to test whether scent mattered.
• Guan Tong restarted the supply vehicle, set it to travel slowly toward a storage center south of the Support Department, and followed it to draw nearby Living Dead away from himself.

Armed units defended Yunhua City from waves of Living Dead while Guan Tong continued down South Avenue and encountered survivors trapped in a bookstore. He blasted away part of the horde to buy them time, then ignored their pleas to stay and continued toward his own objective.

• Armed units used gunfire and grenades to wipe out an initial wave of Living Dead outside Yunhua City, then burned the corpses on orders from higher command.
• Guan Tong confirmed that Living Dead detected nearby humans before moving objects, and that covering himself with their blood did not hide him.
• Guan Tong found hundreds of Living Dead attacking a bookstore where survivors had barricaded the entrance with furniture.
• A young man used a Quick-burning Stick to drive the Living Dead back briefly, but the horde soon resumed its attack.
• Guan Tong fired a Type 3 Bullet into the rear of the horde, killing dozens and giving the bookstore survivors time to reinforce their defenses.
• Guan Tong refused the survivors' requests to join them and continued down South Avenue.

Guan Tong followed the second scream to Yunhua City's industrial park, suspecting the Mother Transformer was there. He discovered a warehouse packed with Living Dead and feared its gathering point had been overrun, leaving the survivors dead and transformed.

• At the Countermeasure Research Office, Gao Liangwei reviewed the rule's dangers, the tests on protective items, and plans to protect gathering points.
• A researcher reported that a worldwide scream had turned human corpses into Living Dead, so Gao Liangwei ordered armed teams and Apocalypse Squads to investigate.
• Guan Tong heard the second scream, used its direction to narrow down the Mother Transformer's location, and ran toward the industrial park.
• Guan Tong entered the dark park and found a warehouse whose rear door stood ajar.
• Guan Tong sent Shadow to open the door and saw hundreds of Living Dead among scattered belongings, suggesting the gathering point's survivors had been killed and transformed.

Guan Tong used high-explosive bullets to thin out the Living Dead in a warehouse, but a woman who entered through the front shutter took on the remaining horde herself. After she defeated them with her fists and feet, Guan Tong learned she was Shi Jingyi, a master from Guiyun Martial Arts School.

• Guan Tong opened the warehouse’s back door, fired two Type 3 Bullets into the Living Dead, and prepared to use another as they rushed toward him.
• A tall figure smashed through the warehouse’s front rolling shutter and drew the Living Dead away from Guan Tong.
• The figure revealed herself to be a woman and told Guan Tong to step back while she handled the attackers.
• Shi Jingyi defeated dozens of Living Dead with powerful Kung Fu strikes, without using a weapon.
• Guan Tong recognized the Guiyun belt at Shi Jingyi’s waist and asked if she was a master from Guiyun Martial Arts School.
• Shi Jingyi introduced herself, learned Guan Tong’s name, and remarked that it sounded like “clear the level” when read backward.

Guan Tong and Shi Jingyi encountered the Mother Transformer in the warehouse, where its grotesque body and ability to heal with Living Dead corpses made it a formidable threat. Shi Jingyi shielded them from its attack, but the battle was only beginning.

• The commander sent an armed squad to the NK District and agreed to notify the Third Squad when they located the Screecher.
• Shi Jingyi explained that Mind Power could enhance Kung Fu and be used directly to strengthen the body, then mourned an apprentice who had died in the warehouse.
• The Mother Transformer appeared through the warehouse roof, and Guan Tong fired a Type 3 Bullet, but it dodged the shot and attacked Shi Jingyi.
• Shi Jingyi formed a protective energy shield that knocked the Mother Transformer away, while Guan Tong identified its body as a mass of Living Dead corpses.
• Guan Tong hit the Mother Transformer with two Type 2 Slug Rounds, but it healed by stuffing Living Dead corpses into its wounds.

Guan Tong and Shi Jingyi fought the Mother Transformer outside the warehouse, but its scream drew nearby Living Dead toward them. Guan Tong used Shadow to destroy the monster from within and crushed its exposed original body, while the Living Dead began gathering outside.

• Guan Tong and Shi Jingyi lured the Mother Transformer out of the warehouse so it could not heal from the Living Dead corpses inside.
• Guan Tong fired seven Type 3 Bullets at the Mother Transformer, severely damaging it, but its scream attracted more Living Dead.
• The wounded Mother Transformer returned to the warehouse to repair itself, and Shi Jingyi followed Guan Tong inside to hold it off.
• Guan Tong sent the phased Shadow into the Mother Transformer and materialized him inside, bursting apart its stitched-together body.
• Guan Tong exposed the Mother Transformer's palm-sized original body and stomped it to death.

Guan Tong and Shi Jingyi survived a Living Dead horde after killing the Mother Transformer, but a rival squad accused them of stealing its mission. Shi Jingyi identified herself as a specially invited lecturer, securing their release and leaving the rival captain stunned by her status.

• Guan Tong killed the Mother Transformer while Shi Jingyi meditated, then fought off the Living Dead summoned by its shriek.
• Third Squad arrived and cleared the remaining Living Dead, then its captain confronted Guan Tong and accused him of killing the Shrieker before they could complete their mission.
• Guan Tong prepared to defend himself as the captain tried to have soldiers arrest him and Shi Jingyi.
• Shi Jingyi told the soldiers to identify her as Shi Jingyi of Guiyun Martial Arts School, and the commander ordered that she and Guan Tong be allowed to leave with an escort.
• The captain learned that Shi Jingyi was one of the three specially invited Lead Lecturers at the Mind Power Development Academy.

Shi Jingyi drove Guan Tong away from the industrial park and told him she was joining the Mind Power Development Academy as a lecturer. After parting ways, Guan Tong suspected the team that had fought the Mother Transformer was an Official Team and resolved to grow stronger before the rule ended.

• Armed soldiers offered to escort Shi Jingyi, but she declined and drove Guan Tong toward South Avenue and Xiuming Road.
• Shi Jingyi explained that the Academy had invited her to teach Mind Power Circulation and said she would leave for Yong'an soon.
• Guan Tong declined to attend the Academy, and Shi Jingyi offered him access to her recorded Online Course before they said goodbye.
• Guan Tong suspected the coordinated squad that had targeted the Mother Transformer was funded by the authorities and decided to prepare himself for future clashes with an Official Team.
• With twenty-one hours remaining before the rule ended, Guan Tong put on his helmet and went out to kill more Living Dead for Ascension Coins.

After the Fifth Apocalypse Rule ended, Guan Tong received rewards for eliminating 367 Living Dead and one Mother Transformer, along with notice of a team challenge in thirty days. He decided to prepare to enter alone and began considering how to spend his Ascension Coins.

• Guan Tong read online reports about survivors defending gathering points, soldiers fighting the Living Dead, and Mother Transformers remaining difficult to kill.
• At nine o'clock, the Fire Thief announced that the rule had ended and rewarded Guan Tong with 367 Ascension Coins, 500 Ascension Coins, and a random item for eliminating a Mother Transformer.
• Guan Tong learned that the First Ascendant Challenge would allow teams of one to five people and decided to participate alone with Shadow and the Silver Hunter.
• Guan Tong checked his status and saw that he had 1,047 Ascension Coins and that his Mind Power Cap had increased by one.
• Guan Tong found a Corpse Whistle that could summon three Living Dead, realized his stored Mind Power could let him use it repeatedly, and decided to keep it.
• Guan Tong planned to browse the Ascension Shop and market to turn his Ascension Coins into combat power before the challenge.

After Rule End, Guan Tong reviewed the inflated Ascension market and planned how to strengthen himself for the team-based Ascendant Challenge. He discovered that Shadow could provide offense and defense at once, then considered adding new functions to Silver Hunter.

• Gao Liangwei learned that the Third and Fifth Apocalypse Squads had failed their missions and gave them another chance at the upcoming Ascendant Challenge.
• Guan Tong checked the Ascension Shop and market, found that major organizations had driven prices sharply upward, and bought a lockpick and reconnaissance drone.
• Guan Tong planned to stockpile bullets and Mind Power while keeping Shadow's abilities secret and improving his defenses.
• Guan Tong made Shadow form armor around him and a spear extending forward, discovering that Shadow could transform into multiple forms at once at a cost in Mind Power.
• Guan Tong decided not to add a new page to the Wordless Book and considered giving Silver Hunter new ammunition or a silencer.

Guan Tong learned that the academy’s online courses could help him develop his Mind Power, then watched all three core lessons while continuing his training. The next morning, demolition reached his street, and he decided to begin adding words to the second page of the [Wordless Book].

• Xu Xiaotian told Guan Tong that his [Instant Noodles] artifact could create noodles that increased movement speed and said he planned to team up with classmates for the challenge tournament.
• Guan Tong reflected on the newly unlocked Team Up feature and continued training, bringing his Reserve Mind Power to 330 points by the evening of August 10th.
• Guan Tong watched Ouyang Shanyue’s lesson on the essence of Mind Power and learned that Ouyang believed understanding it could greatly improve recovery speed.
• Guan Tong watched Zheng Kexue’s course on Mind Power Items and Shi Jingyi’s lesson on Mind Power Circulation, which began with memorizing hundreds of acupoints.
• Guan Tong woke to demolition near his residential complex, decided he would choose a new place to live after the challenge tournament, and planned to add words to the second page of the [Wordless Book].

Guan Tong added smoke bombs and a grappling hook to Silver Hunter, then stocked up and prepared for the First Ascendant Challenge. The invitation transferred him to the challenge venue as the event began.

• Guan Tong added the words "Smoke" and "claw" to the [Wordless Book] and manifested a new Silver Hunter with smoke bombs and a grappling hook.
• Guan Tong tested the new functions and found that the smoke obscured a wide area while the grappling hook enabled rapid movement at a cost of Mind Power.
• Guan Tong spent the remaining days storing bullets, then bought five lockpicks and five drones from the Ascension Shop while keeping 387 Ascension Coins.
• Guan Tong reviewed his equipment and stored ammunition before the challenge, including 100 Type 1 Bullets, 50 Type 2 Bullets, 50 Type 3 Bullets, and 20 Type 4 Bullets.
• Guan Tong's invitation burned a hole in the air and pulled him through as a notice announced that participants were being transferred to the venue.