Chapter Summaries

The elders agreed to hide a retreat route in space and master void-crossing technology themselves. In the Demon World, Sandru’s undead army faltered against a Demon King revealed as an Evil Object, so Wenren Sheng guided him toward summoning Corpse Mages; Sandru set out to collect 500 Greater Demons to obtain the God of Death Boots.

• The Grand Elder decided that only one person would know the retreat route and that the elders needed to master void-crossing technology independently.
• Sandru led Vampires and Bone Dragons in an assault on a Demon Fortress, while Big Cat protected him from Greater Demons attempting to assassinate him.
• A Demon King transformed the Demons’ flesh into maddening, poisonous forms, making the undead troops’ bloodsucking attacks backfire.
• Wenren Sheng identified the Demon King as an incarnation of an Evil Object and advised Sandru to summon ranged Corpse Mages to counter it.
• A Seven-Colored Parrot demanded 500 Greater Demons in exchange for the God of Death Boots, and Sandru went to gather them using his Grandmaster Diplomacy.

Sandru traded armies for the God of Death Boots while Elvin suffered the consequences of neglecting his duties as a Hero. Years later, Sandru received the second boot and left to gather the armies required for the Vampire Cloak.

• At Wenren Sheng's home, Zhao Han became too disgusted by the battlefield monsters to eat, while Little Illusion teased her with grilled octopus.
• Sandru traded five hundred Greater Demons for one God of Death Boot, then angrily slapped himself after learning the other boot required five hundred Greater Angels.
• Sandru conquered Elvin's castle, turned Elvin's wives and concubines into undead, and transformed Elvin into a skeleton bound by a soul contract.
• After several years, Sandru traded five hundred Greater Angels for the second God of Death Boot and learned the Vampire Cloak required five hundred each of Bone Dragons, giant beasts, Hydras, and Black Dragons.

Wenren Sheng investigated a mysterious Cthulhu game invitation and ordered the Mystery Exploration Department to look into it carefully. When Zhao Han asked Mei Guangzhan whether he would accept the dangerous invitation, Mei Guangzhan asked whether his wages could be paid early because his apartment lease was expiring.

• Wenren Sheng warned Lao An that the Demons had become more dangerous after shifting the battlefield and advised him that Game Emulator permissions might depend on how many points a group submitted.
• Wenren Sheng found Mei Guangzhan’s report about an unexplained Cthulhu game invitation and ordered a priority investigation with safety precautions.
• Mei Guangzhan described how the invitation had appeared in his inbox after he returned from the Weiqi World, where he had gained thirty years of work experience in only three real-world weeks.
• Zhao Han told Mei Guangzhan the invitation was dangerous and asked whether he would accept it, and Mei Guangzhan asked if his wages could be paid in advance.

Mei Guangzhan entered the game world and escaped cultists with Lett, then brought the kidnapping report to a remote outpost. The veteran soldier ignored the danger and invited Lett to play cards, leaving Mei Guangzhan to recognize how little the local authorities cared about the outsiders.

• Zhao Han approved Mei Guangzhan’s advance salary, and he agreed to register as a player in the game.
• Mei Guangzhan awoke beside a dark forest, fled with Lett from cultists, and used a Grease Spell to stop their pursuers.
• Lett explained that Esber and other students had been corrupted by an ancient book and had kidnapped five outsiders for a ritual.
• Mei Guangzhan persuaded Lett to report the kidnapping, and they traveled to a nearby outpost.
• The veteran soldier recorded their report but chose to play Gwent with Lett instead of alerting his superior or rescuing the captives.

Wenren Sheng watched Mei Guangzhan through the Mysterious Mark as Mei was lured into a trap by Veteran Soldiers and the cultists. Mei escaped the burning guard post and defeated the attackers, leaving Veteran Soldiers alive for the knight to judge.

• Wenren Sheng used the Mysterious Mark to observe Mei Guangzhan and recalled learning the technique from Ai Han De Bu's rebellious tentacle.
• Mei Guangzhan played cards with Veteran Soldiers and Lett, then noticed a black spot on the sun in a wall painting and realized it depicted Gegeros.
• Veteran Soldiers revealed that he had tested Mei's abilities and trapped him and Lett in the guard post before setting it on fire.
• Mei used Giant Transformation Technique to break down the door, then cast Protect Against Ranged Weapons and attacked the cultists outside.
• Mei defeated several attackers and broke Veteran Soldiers' legs, but spared his life so the knight could decide his fate.

Mei Guangzhan and Lett escaped a castle where cultists had infiltrated the authorities, then fought off two vampire bats pursuing them. Their mission progress rose to 15%, and Wenren Sheng watched Mei Guangzhan’s promising performance.

• Knight Munson executed old Kent, arrested the survivors, and took them to Sophia Castle as Mei Guangzhan received a mission to find and eliminate Gegeros’s worshippers.
• Baroness Sofia ordered the knight to hand the suspects over to the Tribunal, then secretly sent two bats to kill Mei Guangzhan and Lett.
• Mei Guangzhan escaped the castle with Lett and concluded that cultist accomplices had infiltrated it and were hunting them.
• As the vampire bats pursued them, Lett helped Mei Guangzhan devise a way to pin them down, and they killed both creatures.
• Mei Guangzhan’s mission progress increased to 15%, while Wenren Sheng praised his potential and Zhao Han’s judgment.

Mei Guangzhan returned to Sophia Castle with troops and inquisitors to investigate the Baron and eradicate the evil followers. After Lett revealed a monstrous bat and the inquisitors identified it as a creature raised by evil followers, Knight Munson reluctantly agreed to let them inspect the castle, though he objected to entering the Lord’s private rooms.

• Mei Guangzhan used medicine disguised as gifts from the Righteous God to persuade Viscount Kensent to give him soldiers and hire three inquisitors.
• Mei Guangzhan arrived at Sophia Castle and accused Knight Munson and the Baron of sheltering evil followers after they had imprisoned him and Lett.
• Knight Munson said Baron Sofia had gone to Earl Joffert’s hunting gathering and claimed the creatures that attacked Mei Guangzhan were wild beasts.
• Lett produced two giant bat corpses, and the inquisitors identified them as Blood-sucking Monsters raised by evil followers and traced them to the castle.
• Knight Munson agreed to let Mei Guangzhan and the inquisitors inspect the castle but tried to keep them out of the Lord’s private rooms.

Knight Munson revealed his hostility toward the Earth Goddess and fought Mei Guangzhan’s force, overwhelming the Knights with his rust-red Holy Light Qi and Nightmare Horse. Mei Guangzhan escaped with Lett and prayed for the company’s help while expecting Manson to pursue him.

• Knight Munson denounced the Earth Goddess, and the inquisitors ordered their forces to kill him.
• Munson fought off six Knights, while his Nightmare Horse resisted their attacks and dispelled Mei Guangzhan’s Grease Spell.
• Munson wounded the weakest Knight and then turned on the Knight who had most actively tried to help him, triggering a rout.
• Mei Guangzhan fled into the forest with Lett using Spider Walk and Protect Against Ranged Weapons.
• Mei Guangzhan and Lett hid by a lake, where Mei began a ritual to request assistance from the company.

Mei Guangzhan followed Zhao Han’s guidance east with Lett, uncovering a trap and finding an old Witch who revealed Sofia’s weakness. The chapter ended with Mei Guangzhan learning that bells could strip Sofia and her followers of their power.

• After Mei Guangzhan asked for tactical guidance, Zhao Han told him to head east, and Mei Guangzhan set off with Lett.
• A fat owl tried to lure them to a cabin, but Mei Guangzhan saw through its lies, shot it, and watched it transform into a person as the cabin vanished.
• Mei Guangzhan and Lett found a Princess who claimed she could help them, but they tied her up and discovered an old Witch inside a cottage.
• The old Witch revealed that Sofia was the daughter of the Evil God Gegeros and that bells could make Sofia and her followers lose their power.
• The old Witch explained that Sofia’s Knight was powerful because he was her son with a mortal, while her other followers were prone to rebellion.

Mei Guangzhan uncovered the old Witch Disi’s connection to Sofia and defeated Knight Munson after Munson killed Lett. He left Disi trapped beneath the earth, and his mission progress reached 60%, leaving Sofia as his remaining target.

• Mei Guangzhan realized Sofia was Gegeros’s daughter and learned that the old Witch Disi would not discuss the Earth Goddess.
• Knight Munson tracked down Mei Guangzhan, Disi, and Lett, then killed Lett while the Wooden Chime Bells continued to ring.
• Mei Guangzhan used the bells to keep Munson powerless and smashed his head with a Wooden Stick.
• Mei Guangzhan accused Disi of being Sofia’s mother and predicted she would turn against him after he defeated Sofia.
• Mei Guangzhan left Disi behind as an earthquake buried her wooden house, and his mission progress rose to 60%.

Mei Guangzhan defeated Sofia and submitted his mission for an SS-rank reward so he could bring the Wooden Chime Bells back. At the company, his coworkers imagined a romance behind the bells, while Wang Wenwen announced that he would lose most of his evaluation credit and return to studying.

• Mei Guangzhan used the Wooden Chime Bells to weaken Sofia’s offspring, then stabbed Sofia and completed the mission.
• Mei Guangzhan traded his SS+ reward for an SS-rank reward and brought back the bells, receiving five resurrections, five comprehensive enhancements, and five SS-rank Elder Signs.
• Chen Qiu and Liu Xia imagined a tragic love story about the bell-ringer, while Xie Dong dismissed their speculation.
• Mei Guangzhan kept Lett’s story to himself as Chen Qiu suggested using Soul Reincarnation to resurrect the bell-ringer.
• Wang Wenwen told Mei Guangzhan that company support reduced his performance evaluation to ten percent and required him to study and take examinations again.

Jin Fei secretly investigated his episodes of lost time and discovered that he repaired computers while out of control, then learned to teleport away when his left foot twitched. Li Chun took a Mystery Seekers assignment to investigate him and found that Jin Fei repaired computers only for beautiful women, though nothing improper had occurred.

• Jin Fei recorded himself and discovered that during his memory gaps he became an ordinary engineer who repaired computers.
• Jin Fei suspected his Strange Seed but found no answer, then learned Transformation Art and began teleporting to safety whenever his left foot twitched.
• The Mystery Seekers assigned Li Chun to investigate Jin Fei, one of five recently discovered Uncontrolled Otherworldly Users.
• Wenren Sheng received the assignment and became interested in Jin Fei, wondering whether the loss of control was connected to the Old Ones.
• Li Chun watched Jin Fei repair an old computer for a beautiful woman and noticed that all his repair customers were beautiful women, though he took precautions against being alone with them.

Jin Fei worried that his body was acting on its own after he sang an unfamiliar song, while Li Chun monitored him and tried to decipher its meaning. Wenren Sheng recognized the song’s origin and traced its presence to Ai Han De Bu, then learned that Little Zhang was trapped inside a glass room and began considering how to use the rebellious tentacle.

• Jin Fei watched footage of himself singing an unfamiliar folk song to a noblewoman, who praised it and offered to compose a melody for it.
• Jin Fei dismissed the song as a strange habit, went to bed alone, and remained unaware that a black eye watched him outside his window.
• Li Chun kept surveillance on Jin Fei and wrote a report speculating that the song concealed a terrifying meaning.
• Wenren Sheng recognized the song as “Cotton Popping” from the Republic-era World Liu Jian had experienced and concluded that Ai Han De Bu had passed it to Jin Fei.
• Wenren Sheng lured Little Zhang out with a cartoon and learned that it lived in a transparent glass room it could not escape.
• Wenren Sheng considered using the rebellious tentacle to help Little Zhang leave its enclosed world.

Wenren Sheng confirmed that a Disaster Anomaly Principal had spread “Cotton Popping” to trigger Otherworldly Users’ loss of control, but he had no cure for the affected users. Meanwhile, Jin Fei struggled to contain his other self, and Li Chun devised a plan to exile him to an illusionary space where his actions would reset.

• Wenren Sheng removed Little Octopus’s misbehaving tentacle and gave it a spacious tank, where the tentacle confirmed that its former master had spread “Cotton Popping.”
• Wenren Sheng concluded that Disaster Anomaly Principals had used knowledge from another world to destabilize Otherworldly Users, though he could not yet figure out how to treat them.
• Jin Fei decided to turn his teleportation safe points into cages, but feared that his other self could learn any escape method or deceive a friend into helping it.
• Li Chun considered Jin Fei’s predicament and realized he could send him to an illusionary space where any havoc would be reset.

Jin Fei discovered that entering an illusion could shield him from his other self and began cooperating with a research organization developing a way for people to live in a Game World. After Li Chun reported the contact, Wenren Sheng recognized the value of Uncontrolled Users, and his Seed of Mystery awakened with a new prompt.

• Jin Fei was transported to an icy illusion after challenging the mysterious organization, realized it could protect him from his other self, and considered living in an illusion or Game Instance World.
• Jin Fei agreed to help the organization study how people could live in a Game World, provided its research did not violate common morality.
• Jin Fei read the organization’s materials on using computer networks and neural signal converters to create a Matrix-like virtual world, then disappeared as his left leg twitched.
• Li Chun reconstructed Jin Fei’s messages, recorded his cooperation with an organization, and continued observing him despite the exhausting surveillance.
• Wenren Sheng concluded that Uncontrolled Users could help humanity approach universal truths, and his dormant Seed of Mystery produced the Mad Genius prompt.

Jin Fei awakened to his other self’s computer expertise after a chaotic outburst, then considered fleeing to Miken rather than remaining under the control of the people studying his Strange Seed. Li Chun traced Jin Fei’s sudden knowledge to a past visit to Weiqi World.

• Jin Fei typed frantically in the plaza as black aura surrounded him, causing nearby flowers to wilt before he regained awareness and left.
• A contact praised the truth Jin Fei had obtained, but refused to identify its source and reminded him that the Strange Seed did not belong to him.
• Jin Fei considered fleeing to Miken, where Super Heroes had made the monster-filled land safer, and tossed tea rose petals while debating what to do.
• Li Chun noticed Jin Fei’s worsening loss of control and reasoned that he might have gained his computer knowledge in a place where time passed differently.
• Li Chun requested Weiqi World travel records and discovered that Jin Fei had visited there with his family.

Mei Guangzhan investigated Jin Fei in Weiqi World, bargaining with an intelligence broker for information about a Heavenly Human. Meanwhile, Wenren Sheng observed him and reflected on how Little Illusion had left Weiqi World’s old rules intact while transforming Radiation World.

• Li Chun posted a task to investigate Jin Fei, and Mei Guangzhan accepted it because he was familiar with Weiqi World.
• Mei Guangzhan visited Blue Clothes Building and offered Lan Gu coins that could invoke a powerful weiqi AI in exchange for information.
• Lan Gu said her master wanted to become a Heavenly Human, so Mei Guangzhan offered to teach her a technique for preserving souls in return for information.
• Mei Guangzhan opened a box containing a set of bronze bells and told Lan Gu the soul inside belonged to his closest friend; she promised to mobilize the building to find Jin Fei.
• Wenren Sheng watched Mei Guangzhan and recalled that Little Illusion had left Weiqi World’s rules unchanged while priests transformed Radiation World.

Li Chun’s investigation revealed that Jin Fei’s strange swimming duration was connected to the surviving 114 Digital Disaster Anomaly, which had infected him with Chaos Omniscience. Wenren Sheng’s attempt to save Jin Fei failed, leaving him to conclude that Old Days Pollution could not be cured and had to be sealed.

• Li Chun noticed that Jin Fei had swum for exactly 114 days and 114 minutes, while Wenren Sheng recognized 114 as the designation of a surviving Digital Disaster Anomaly.
• Wenren Sheng realized Little Illusion had left behind a fragment of the Anomaly, which had infected Jin Fei and given him an urge and ability to repair computers.
• Wenren Sheng asked Little Illusion to help save Jin Fei, then consulted the silver-white fish tank’s occupant, who agreed to find and consume the remaining fragment.
• Wang Wenwen suspended the Mystery Seekers’ mission and awarded Li Chun and Mei Guangzhan A-grade ratings, while Li Chun privately continued watching Jin Fei.
• Five days later, Jin Fei appeared to recover, but as Patrol Officers arrived to take him for an examination, he turned into the number 1 and walked through his shut door.
• Wenren Sheng realized the treatment had failed and concluded that Old Days Pollution could not be cured, only sealed.

Wenren Sheng sealed Jin Fei and sent him to the East Island Instance, but Li Chun’s exposure to the Old Days left him unable to eat without seeing food as alive. After Li Chun reported his condition, Zhao Han sent him to East Island Town for three months and agreed to establish psychological treatment for agents after missions.

• Wenren Sheng sealed Jin Fei, sent him to the East Island Instance, cast Forgetting Spells on witnesses, and called Lao An about the spreading Old Days Pollution.
• Li Chun found that food appeared alive and pleaded with him, leaving him unable to eat a proper meal.
• Li Chun reported his disobedience and condition to Zhao Han, who revoked his performance rating and assigned him to East Island Town for three months.
• Zhao Han’s Strange Seed recommended a post-mission psychological treatment team, and Zhao Han agreed to set one up.

The inspectors affected by Jin Fei’s rampage developed disturbing perceptions that made eating difficult, and Wenren Sheng explained their symptoms as a consequence of Jin Fei’s fear spreading to them. He accepted that the effects of Old Days Pollution had no permanent cure and left the inspectors to keep resisting them themselves.

• Inspectors A and B coped with seeing food as alive by using Illusion Art to appear as a tiger and a shark while eating in the Patrol Division cafeteria.
• The female inspector avoided meat and survived on milk, talking to a cow printed on a carton, while learning that her condition had no permanent cure.
• Inspector Liu complained to Wenren Sheng about the inspectors’ strange cafeteria appearances, and Wenren Sheng attributed their symptoms to Jin Fei’s fear of his Strange Seed being devoured.
• Inspector Liu proposed recruiting resilient Ordinary People or deploying robots, and Wenren Sheng cautioned that Old Days Pollution could affect machinery too.
• Wenren Sheng refused Little Illusion’s offer to alter the inspectors’ perceptions, saying they would have to resist the worsening effects themselves.