Chapter Summaries

Wang Zhifan chose a zombie-filled office tower as a secluded shelter after gathering enough supplies to last three days. He settled on a third-floor executive office with a view of the main street and an escape route through its window.

• Wang Zhifan saw that the Assassin player had escaped the supermarket, leaving a few drops of blood that drew the zombies after him.
• Wang Zhifan noted that the zombies returned to the supermarket after failing to catch their prey, then decided to find a place to shelter.
• Wang Zhifan chose a zombie-filled high-rise that seemed unlikely to attract other players and entered its lobby without provoking the zombies.
• Wang Zhifan forced open the stairwell door and climbed to the third floor, where he selected a spacious executive office overlooking the main street.
• Wang Zhifan killed the lone white-haired zombie in the office with his Blade of the Wolf Fiend.

Wang Zhifan spent the day cultivating the Great Dream Saber Scripture in the safety of a sealed office in the zombie-filled building. By evening, he had formed a Dream Self, raised the cultivation method to Lv1, and successfully summoned the figure in the real world.

• Wang Zhifan cleaned up after killing the zombie and secured the boss's office as his shelter.
• Wang Zhifan practiced the Great Dream Saber Scripture's basic saber moves, then used its meditation method to enter a dream while remaining aware of his surroundings.
• Wang Zhifan repeatedly trained his nearly complete Dream Self in the dream for about ten hours.
• Wang Zhifan summoned his Dream Self in the real world and watched it pass through a wall and slash a deep crack into it.
• Wang Zhifan checked his personal panel and saw that the Great Dream Saber Scripture had reached Lv1.

After cultivating a Dream Self, Wang Zhifan ate and watched the zombie-filled streets grow more dangerous after nightfall. He set up a guard and rested safely through the night, entering the second day of the Cataclysm Dungeon.

• Wang Zhifan recalled his newly cultivated Dream Self and replenished his energy with food and drinks from his personal storage space.
• Wang Zhifan observed the moonlit streets and spotted several unusual zombie types, including zombies carrying a stereo, knives, a chainsaw, a ball, and a possible firearm.
• Wang Zhifan moved the sofa against the wall, made a bed with quilts and a pillow, and released a Dream Self to guard the doorway.
• Wang Zhifan slept in a blank dreamscape to recover his mental energy and peacefully reached the second day of the dungeon.

Wang Zhifan tested how the Chapter of Gloom affected his Dream Self’s interaction with zombies, then used the spiritual clone to practice combat and clear nearby enemies. He stopped the attack when the Dream Self’s stored cultivation was nearly exhausted.

• Wang Zhifan woke in the boss's office and decided to practice controlling his Dream Self through combat.
• He removed the Chapter of Gloom and found that the zombies became agitated, attacked the Dream Self, and swarmed toward his office.
• Wang Zhifan put the pendant back on, causing the zombies to calm down and ignore his Dream Self.
• He controlled Dream Self to slaughter the nearby zombies, whose physical attacks could not harm its intangible body.
• Wang Zhifan recalled Dream Self when its stored cultivation was nearly depleted, leaving distant zombies alive.

Wang Zhifan trained his Dream Self for eight hours, then ventured into the zombie-filled streets to find an Elite Zombie for combat practice. Instead, he encountered the female gunner, who asked him for water.

• Wang Zhifan cultivated with his Dream Self for eight hours and sensed that his Great Dream Saber Scripture had improved.
• After eating and drinking, Wang Zhifan jumped from a third-floor window and landed safely among the zombies.
• Wang Zhifan searched for a solitary Elite Zombie, avoiding ordinary zombies and areas where he might be mobbed.
• Wang Zhifan explored a neighborhood with few zombies but found the female gunner instead.
• The female gunner asked Wang Zhifan to lend her a drink because she had gone a day without water.

Wang Zhifan encountered a Mage who invited him and a female Gunner to help clear zombies from a shop stocked with supplies. The three reached the shop and found an Elite Zombie guarding its entrance alongside several ordinary zombies.

• Wang Zhifan refused to lend the female Gunner his water, and she refused to return to the zombie-infested starting area to find her own.
• A young Mage approached Wang Zhifan and the Gunner, offering to split the loot from a nearby shop if they helped clear its zombies.
• The Mage said an Elite Zombie and several ordinary zombies guarded the shop, and explained that his ice magic could slow the Elite while the Gunner attacked it.
• Wang Zhifan agreed to join them because he was interested in the Elite Zombie, and the Mage led the pair through an alley.
• Wang Zhifan, the Gunner, and the Mage arrived at the stocked shop, where a huge zombie carrying a speaker stood with several ordinary zombies.

Wang Zhifan realized the zombies attacking him were part of a trap and fled, while the female gunner and Mage stayed to fight. The gunner tried to escape after the Mage was incapacitated, but zombies blocked her way and a monster burst from underground to attack her.

• A Sound-System Zombie and nearby ordinary zombies attacked Wang Zhifan, who suspected something was wrong and refused to fight.
• The Mage froze several zombies and slowed the Sound-System Zombie, but Wang Zhifan ran back toward the alley.
• The Sound-System Zombie pounded its sound system, leaving the Mage clutching his head in pain, and the female gunner fled after him.
• The gunner found the alley blocked by newly appeared zombies and saw the Sound-System Zombie pursuing her with more zombies.
• The gunner used Backstep Shot to dodge a monster bursting from the ground, but the monster survived her bullets and charged at her.

Wang Zhifan watched a female Gunner get overwhelmed by a zombie horde and saw the Mage player raise her corpse as an undead. He realized the Mage was a Necromancer who had used the Sound-System Zombie to lure players into danger, but he hesitated to confront him directly because of the risk of a Punishment Instance.

• The female Gunner used Bullet Time to fight her way toward an alley exit, but Wang Zhifan watched from a wall as zombies surrounded her.
• Wang Zhifan recalled avoiding the zombies in the alley and hiding after noticing that the gathered zombies were not attacking him.
• The Sound-System Zombie sounded its speaker, causing the zombies to withdraw after the female Gunner was killed.
• The Mage player emerged from the shop and cast a spell that raised the Gunner's corpse as a stiff, rifle-carrying undead.
• Wang Zhifan realized the Mage was a Necromancer who used the Sound-System Zombie to hunt players, and he considered the danger of seeking revenge directly.

Wang Zhifan watched a young Mage raise zombies as undead, then continued training and searching for a suitable Elite Zombie before returning to his base. After spotting an injured Assassin near the building, he prepared to watch for threats overnight and train himself to control a second Dream Self.

• Wang Zhifan saw the young Mage command a revenant gunner and convert several zombie corpses into undead, including a powerful special zombie.
• Wang Zhifan abandoned his plan to confront the Mage and searched for Elite Zombies, but found no suitable opponent before sunset.
• Wang Zhifan practiced fighting alongside Dream Self against weaker zombies and realized he needed to improve his control of it.
• Wang Zhifan noticed an injured Assassin near his base and took a cautious detour back to the commercial building.
• Wang Zhifan checked his room with Dream Self, then planned to leave it outside as a lookout while he tried to form a second Dream Self.

Wang Zhifan cultivated a second Dream Self overnight, then fled when a Zombie King began hunting him on the third day. He tested the monster with a Dream Self, which vanished instantly as the Zombie King continued toward him.

• Wang Zhifan discovered that cultivating his second Dream Self had progressed faster than cultivating the first.
• Wang Zhifan spotted a cloud of dust approaching and recognized that a high-level monster had begun hunting him.
• Wang Zhifan jumped from the office window and sprinted away while using two Dream Selves to watch the area and intercept the pursuer.
• Wang Zhifan identified the approaching monster as a Zombie King and sent a Dream Self to attack it.
• Wang Zhifan lost contact with the attacking Dream Self, while his other Dream Self saw that the Zombie King kept charging at the same speed.

Wang Zhifan spent the third day of the Zombie Apocalypse instance running from a Zombie King that had pursued him since morning, after his Dream Self was instantly destroyed. As he resolved to keep fleeing until the instance ended, a black-robed mage began targeting him and set undead puppets in his path.

• Wang Zhifan failed to understand how the Zombie King had instantly killed his physically immune Dream Self and decided to flee rather than fight.
• Wang Zhifan ran through the city all day as the Zombie King pursued him, while he noticed other players were not being hunted in the same way.
• Wang Zhifan concluded that the instance had singled him out and resolved to keep running for the remaining twelve hours.
• A young mage watched Wang Zhifan and considered recruiting him for his apparent strength and resistance to zombie attacks.
• The young mage sent undead puppets toward Wang Zhifan, while a gun-wielding woman aimed at him and an invisible mutated man raced after him.

Wang Zhifan turned the young mage’s attempt to kill him into a hunt, using Dream Self to track the mage and lead the Zombie King toward him. As the mage’s undead tried to intercept Wang Zhifan, he disabled the invisible assassin, while the chase continued.

• Wang Zhifan spotted the young mage’s scheme through Dream Self and ran into a building, prompting the mage to suspect he had been discovered.
• The Zombie King changed course toward the mage, who fled downstairs while trying to locate Wang Zhifan with his puppets.
• Wang Zhifan tracked the mage through buildings and evaded the slower undead puppets as he closed in.
• The mage sent his undead assassin to intercept Wang Zhifan, but Wang Zhifan sensed it behind a door and cut off its arm.
• Wang Zhifan followed with more strikes, beheading the assassin and severing its legs to stop it from moving.

Wang Zhifan killed the Mage youth by guiding the pursuing Zombie King into his path, then escaped and prepared to survive the dungeon’s final night. After nightfall, the Zombie King stopped chasing him, and several other Zombie King-level beings rampaged across the city while Wang Zhifan rested safely at its edge.

• The Mage youth’s undead failed to stop Wang Zhifan, and the exhausted Mage youth was crushed by the Zombie King pursuing Wang Zhifan.
• Wang Zhifan confirmed the Mage youth’s death and continued leading the Zombie King through the city, planning to survive until the dungeon ended.
• When night fell, the Zombie King burrowed underground and stopped pursuing Wang Zhifan.
• Wang Zhifan rested on an elevated highway and saw four other Zombie King-level beings wreaking havoc across the moonlit city.
• Wang Zhifan found the final night unexpectedly quiet for him and stayed hidden at the city’s edge.

In the City of Zombies Welcoming Dawn, Wang Zhifan reviewed the available rewards and weighed them against his limit of three selections. He chose the Ascender mutation potion and George's Magical Stereo, then struggled to decide which exceptional firearm to take.

• Wang Zhifan read through the reward list and recognized that several exceptional items were highly valuable.
• Wang Zhifan chose the Ascender targeted mutation potion to gain the Bioforce Field and address his defensive weakness.
• Wang Zhifan selected George's Magical Stereo for its attribute boosts, damage reduction, and healing effects.
• Wang Zhifan considered choosing an exceptional firearm but hesitated because he only knew how to use pistols and the other guns appeared to have better attributes.

Wang Zhifan claimed his dungeon rewards and drank an Exceptional-grade Ascender potion, gaining the Bioforce Field ability. After testing its offense and defense, he tried out his new stereo and sniper rifle, then returned to the real world.

• Wang Zhifan opened the treasure chest and stored the Exceptional-grade sniper rifle and miniature stereo in his personal space.
• Wang Zhifan drank the Ascender Targeted Mutation Potion and endured brief dizziness and pain before gaining the Bioforce Field ability.
• Wang Zhifan tested the field's offensive power and found it had a short range and consumed considerable stamina.
• Wang Zhifan tested the field's passive defense, finding that cement chunks could not reach him and were repelled.
• Wang Zhifan checked his stats, tested the new stereo and sniper rifle, and returned to the real world.

After returning from the Cataclysm Dungeon, Wang Zhifan decided to quit his job clearing Ash Domains and focus on improving his strength, but agreed to work one final day for Chu Wei. He and Chu Wei found A Liao missing, then encountered Captain Li, a powerful player responsible for high-risk Ash Domains and dangerous criminals.

• Wang Zhifan returned to his rented room and discovered that only a little over twenty minutes had passed in reality during his three days in the Cataclysm Dungeon.
• Wang Zhifan decided to stop working for money and use his time to practice his cultivation arts, but agreed to help Chu Wei for one last day.
• Wang Zhifan arrived at the Dongjiang Second Bureau Building and learned from Chu Wei that A Liao had not come to work and could not be reached.
• Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei headed to the parking lot, where Captain Li and several people in black uniforms passed them on their way to the Administration building.
• Chu Wei told Wang Zhifan that Captain Li was a top player above Lv50 who handled dangerous Ash Domains and player criminals around Dongjiang City.

On his final workday, Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei cleared four Ash Domains before discovering that the last one had solidified and become part of the real world. They continued fighting its monsters, and Wang Zhifan learned that solidified Ash Domains could only be kept at bay through player power.

• Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei worked through three Ash Domains before taking a night shift to clear one hidden in a lake outside Dongjiang City.
• As they rowed toward the Ash Domain, Chu Wei explained that Ash Domains had been appearing rapidly and that the Administration planned to recruit more players.
• Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei entered the Ash Domain and fought its stone monsters together until the sky abruptly turned black and mist rose around them.
• Chu Wei told Wang Zhifan that the Ash Domain had solidified and that real-world weapons could not destroy it because everything inside restored itself within seconds.
• Chu Wei explained that player power could keep slain monsters from restoring for a week, and that only player kills in unsolidified Ash Domains could earn rewards.

After helping Chu Wei clear a solidified Ash Domain, Wang Zhifan learned more about the threat they posed and got her safely across the river that had formed around the site. He returned to civilian life as the authorities began publicly recruiting players, marking the end of the era when players remained hidden from the public.

• Wang Zhifan listened as Chu Wei explained that solidified Ash Domains could permanently spread through the real world and threaten humanity’s survival.
• Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei found that a broad river now surrounded the barren mountain, leaving the Administration’s vehicle on the opposite bank.
• Wang Zhifan took Chu Wei by the hand and swam them across the river in less than a minute.
• Chu Wei submitted a brief electronic report, and Wang Zhifan said goodbye before taking a bus back to his rented apartment.
• Wang Zhifan heard the authorities publicly invite adult citizens to apply for player qualification and realized that times had changed.

Wang Zhifan discovered that the player forum had become publicly accessible and saw ordinary people arguing over the authorities’ recruitment drive. Before entering his next dungeon, he learned that A Liao had died in one and set aside his grief to begin the day’s run.

• Wang Zhifan found the player forum open to the public on his phone and read the flood of posts from newcomers and veteran players.
• Wang Zhifan slept after using the Great Dream Saber Scripture’s meditation method and woke to a 2,100 national currency overtime payment.
• Wang Zhifan asked Chu Wei whether A Liao had returned to work, and Chu Wei confirmed that a special item had verified his death in a dungeon.
• Wang Zhifan replied to Chu Wei with condolences and urged her to take care of herself.
• Wang Zhifan collected himself and activated his mental will to enter the day’s dungeon.

Wang Zhifan and three other players appeared at the foot of a snowy mountain for the Dragon Summit Trial, where they had to climb to the summit. The party learned that their combined strength might trigger a two-dragon boss fight, and the Beast Tamer urged them to work together for better rewards.

• Wang Zhifan woke first and read the objective to climb the mountain and complete the Dragon Summit Trial.
• The Lv19 Beast Tamer offered to buy summoned pets, and the Lv18 Blademaster woman negotiated prices for excellent- and rare-grade pets.
• The woman asked Wang Zhifan his class, and he said he was a Blademaster; she revealed she was also a Blademaster.
• Wang Zhifan learned that the other players were Lv17, Lv18, and Lv19, while he was only Lv4 despite the dungeon seeming to treat him as Lv15.
• The Beast Tamer warned that the party's equipment and combined strength might make them face two dragons, whose difficulty exceeded twice that of a one-dragon boss.