Chapter Summaries

After Inspector Hu brought the ritual participants to the Patrol Division for questioning, Wenren Sheng used his consultant credentials to leave but stayed to ask about Mu Tianming and his son. Inspector Hu explained the rules for researching dangerous rituals, while Shi Tianyin grew furious at the Patrol Division’s authority.

• Inspector Hu arrived with two teams of Black Shirts and ordered the ritual participants to return for questioning because the ritual had not been reported.
• Inspector Hu recognized Wenren Sheng’s Patrol Division consultant credentials and offered to let him leave, but Shi Tianyin protested and was threatened with forced border service.
• Wenren Sheng volunteered to go with Mu Tianming and the others, and the Patrol Division took nearly a hundred people to its post for questioning.
• After giving his statement, Wenren Sheng stayed to ask Inspector Hu about Mu Tianming and his son, and she explained that unreported rituals were assessed according to their danger and consequences.
• Wenren Sheng and Inspector Hu discussed how mystery experts could adapt to modern society, and Inspector Hu asked which field he was skilled in.

Yu Liuhuo was questioned about the failed healthcare project and claimed he had known little about its risks. Wenren Sheng collected compensation from Yu and the other investors, then advised the sick old man to seek admission at Dongshui First Hospital South Branch.

• Yu Liuhuo told the inspector that Mu Tianming and Mu Xiaofan had handled the project's technical work, and he signed his statement before leaving.
• Yu Liuhuo met Wenren Sheng outside the interrogation room and gave him six million as thanks for saving his life.
• Wenren Sheng intercepted the other three investors, who each paid him six million.
• The sallow-faced old man gave Wenren Sheng an extra million and asked for help finding a way to improve his health.
• Wenren Sheng advised the sick old man to get admitted to Dongshui First Hospital South Branch.

After Mu Tianming was released from the Patrol Division, Wenren Sheng resumed studying painting and realized he could use memories from Another World to develop his own mysterious style. He sent his father a poem praising a beauty, but it made Wenren De’s wife suspect him of infidelity.

• Wenren Sheng comforted Mu Yunrui after Mu Tianrui and the others left the interrogation rooms, then took the group to eat near the scenic area.
• Mu Tianming arrived and explained that Mu Xiaofan had taken the blame and the Four Absolutes Old Man had secured his release pending the assessment results.
• Two weeks later, Wu Shanshan had learned Mystic Painting, while Wenren Sheng was still searching for a personal style and Wang Wenwen was close to Intermediate Level.
• Wenren De asked Wenren Sheng for a poem praising a beautiful woman, prompting Wenren Sheng to realize that memories of Another World could lend mystery to his paintings.
• Wenren Sheng sent Wenren De the poem “Beauty in the North,” but Wenren De later reported that his wife suspected the poem came from an affair, so Wenren Sheng told him to hang himself from the southeast branch and hung up.

Wenren Sheng painted a scene of workers building roads through mountains, prompting Mu Tianming to reconsider his failed attempt to resurrect the dead and resolve to join the Patrol Division for serious research. As Wenren Sheng left Junji Peak, he learned the game illusion realm was relocating to Southern India and received notice that the Happy Village event was complete, though mysteries remained.

• Wenren Sheng painted Workers of Another World, and Mu Tianming interpreted the scene as a lesson in perseverance and the need to pursue resurrection research through proper channels.
• Wenren Sheng received the Mystic Painting skill, increased his Extraordinary Power and Mystery Points limits, and Mu Tianming appeared to undergo an awakening.
• Mu Tianming announced that he would join the Patrol Division to research foundational soul theory and place Mu Yunrui and Mu Yunqing under Four Absolutes Old Man's tutelage.
• Inspector Liu told Wenren Sheng that the game illusion realm had stopped operating in the country and was moving to Southern India.
• Wenren Sheng received notification that the Happy Village event was complete, gained 20 Mystic Cognition points, and raised his Mystery Points limit to 212, while its composition remained partly unknown.

Wenren Sheng helped Wu Shanshan, Wang Wenwen, and Zhao Han assess locations for a horror-themed Adventure Park, while Wenren De repeatedly staged his own hanging to keep Ouyang Ling from questioning him. The group favored the southern mountains, and Wenren De warned Wenren Sheng about unfamiliar relatives visiting the Zhao Family courtyard.

• Wenren Sheng found Wenren De hanging himself from a courtyard tree to maintain his ruse, then refused to untie him and went inside.
• Wu Shanshan proposed preparing an Adventure Park, and she and Wang Wenwen argued over its plans and whether Wang Wenwen should invest.
• Zhao Han arrived after taking leave from class, and the three women began discussing the venture while Wenren Sheng went outside ahead of 1,500 ducks appearing.
• Wenren De told Wenren Sheng that two men and an older woman from Old Zhao's wife's maiden home had come to the Zhao Family courtyard, and he suspected them.
• Wu Shanshan asked Wenren Sheng to assess five proposed locations, and he favored the southern mountains because of their caves, existing tourism, affordable land, and closeness to home.

Wenren Sheng helped Wu Shanshan, Zhao Han, and the other women rethink their ambitious amusement park plan, while Ouyang Ling guided them toward a practical start. Then President Zhao asked Wenren Sheng to investigate six people who had died after throwing themselves into water, and Wenren Sheng suspected Wenren De’s prophecy had foretold their deaths.

• Wenren Sheng urged the women to focus on their competitive advantage and profitability instead of expensive plans for a large amusement park.
• Ouyang Ling advised them to lease space at Gold Silver Island Paradise, build experience, and expand only after achieving stable profits.
• Wenren De told Wenren Sheng he was studying the life-and-death section of the master's book and feared future competition for the legacy.
• President Zhao asked Wenren Sheng to investigate six strangers who had taken the same flight and later died after throwing themselves into water.
• Wenren Sheng connected the deaths to Wenren De's earlier recitation and told him the coincidence showed his skill at predicting life and death.

Wenren Sheng investigated a suspected curse linked to a flight after six passengers drowned, asking Ouyang Tian to gather information while warning his family to avoid air travel. Wu Liansong explained how deadly curses could be, and the Patrol Division was expected to gather the flight’s passengers as the danger remained unresolved.

• Wenren Sheng reviewed the records of six people who had drowned after taking the same flight and considered a Cursed Object, a Disaster Eye, or a deliberate curse as possible causes.
• Wenren Sheng asked Ouyang Tian to investigate the incident carefully and warned him not to dig too deeply because it likely involved a curse.
• Wenren Sheng discussed building an online brand with Wu Shanshan and told her not to join the curse investigation, explaining that Ouyang Tian had more experience and caution.
• Wenren Sheng warned his family not to travel by plane, and Zhao Han realized that Zhao the Fatty had kept her from going home to protect her.
• Wu Liansong recounted a curse that had killed much of a town and explained that the few survivors had endured only because Mystery Experts guarded them until the Patrol Division suppressed its source.

Zhao Han’s prophecy about water and many hands left her unconscious, and Wenren Sheng recognized it as the start of a larger series of mysterious incidents. The next day, Wenren Sheng investigated the cursed plane at the airport, where another Black Shirt suddenly showed the same water-seeking behavior as the dead passengers.

• Zhao Han collapsed after seeing water and many hands, and Wenren Sheng read a prompt warning that a grand drama was beginning.
• Wenren De explained that prophecy users drew information from a mysterious entity and could suffer backlash when their minds could not process it.
• Zhao Han remained too weak to get out of bed the next day, so Wang Wenwen stayed behind to care for her.
• Wenren Sheng drove to Dongshui International Airport to examine the plane linked to the curse and met Inspector Liu, Teacher Qin, and Inspector Hu.
• Teacher Qin said the dead passengers’ Soul Fragments showed that something had made them yearn for water, while Inspector Hu suspected the plane had passed through a Disaster Eye.
• A Black Shirt who had boarded the plane rushed to plunge his head into a bucket, and Teacher Qin recognized him as one of the passengers.

Wenren Sheng used Master Level Mystery Resistance to dispel a curse affecting a Black Shirt, prompting Inspector Hu to organize a Special Incident Team. After inspecting the aircraft, Wenren Sheng confirmed it had become a Curse Medium that cursed anyone who boarded it.

• Wenren Sheng examined LA99343 and used Mystery Resistance to remove the curse from him.
• Inspector Hu ordered the other victims brought in for treatment and took charge of forming a Special Incident Team.
• The ten-member team included Wenren Sheng, Inspector Hu, Inspector Liu, Teacher Qin, and several Mystery Experts.
• Wenren Sheng boarded the aircraft alone and confirmed that it had evolved into a Curse Medium that affected everyone who boarded it.
• Inspector Hu concluded that the aircraft had passed through a Cursed Land and contaminated its passengers with a curse.

Wenren Sheng and the Mystery Experts examined passengers and crew from a diverted flight as a curse began causing increasingly frequent dangerous behavior. Wenren Sheng revealed the abilities needed to dispel it, and the experts continued treating the people in line.

• Inspector Hu postponed reviewing the flight path so the group could examine 375 passengers, crew members, and ground personnel for the curse.
• Wenren Sheng infused Chen Guihua with Alien Power, removing her looming Cursed Body manifestation from her data panel.
• A passenger began pouring water into his nose, and Inspector Liu and Inspector Hu realized the curse was accelerating as incidents grew closer together.
• An Old Man pushed his son forward to be treated first, prompting some elderly passengers to step back in line.
• Inspector Hu organized the Mystery Experts to treat the crowd, and Wenren Sheng told them that Master Level Alien Power and Master Level Mystery Resistance were needed to resolve the curse.

Wenren Sheng treated the cursed passengers at Dongshui International Airport while Inspector Hu’s team investigated the flight’s unusual route. The team identified the Golden Haze Trench Sea Eye as a likely source and decided to arrange an aerial investigation, leaving Wenren Sheng listening quietly.

• Wenren Sheng treated the passengers, recognized Inoue Hiroshi, Inoue Heita, and Inoue Komatsu as Inoue Shizuko’s relatives, and helped them before continuing down the line.
• After Wenren Sheng treated sixty people, Inspector Liu informed Inspector Hu, who moved some passengers to other lines and ordered the Black Shirts to track everyone Wenren Sheng had treated separately.
• The team examined the flight map, and Teacher Qin identified its southwest arc as the Golden Haze Trench, where a Calamity Sea Eye lay.
• Inspector Hu ordered a warning and patrols around the sea, while the team discussed treating the remaining passengers, abandoning the plane, and investigating the Sea Eye.
• Inspector Hu proposed investigating by air to avoid lengthy ship-approval procedures, and Inspector Liu agreed on a minimum flight altitude; Wenren Sheng stayed silent during the meeting.

Wenren Sheng and the team located a cursed whirlpool at sea, but their plane began crashing before they could return. The group parachuted out, leaving Wenren Sheng descending toward the water with Teacher Qin nearby.

• Wenren Sheng approved Inspector Hu's proposal, and the team flew to the target sea area aboard a transport plane called Swan.
• Teacher Qin told Wenren Sheng about Mysterious Riding and warned that the plane might crash.
• Wenren Sheng used Mystic Eagle Eye to observe a massive whirlpool, and a team member confirmed that it was the source of the passengers' curse.
• Inspector Hu ordered Swan to return, but the plane began to descend violently, so Teacher Qin told everyone to prepare their parachutes.
• Inspector Liu and the others jumped from the plane, and Wenren Sheng followed, opened his parachute, and called back to Teacher Qin.

After surviving the cursed plane crash, Wenren Sheng reunited with the task force and learned that Inspector Hu had pursued the dangerous sea-eye investigation to gather evidence for greater intervention. The group escaped the crash site in rubber boats, but a huge, hand-branched mass of Giant Algae carrying an Undersea Evil Spirit began chasing them.

• Wenren Sheng used the Key of Secrets map to find Expert Ma, and they discussed the sea eye and why Inspector Hu wanted the Supreme Patrol Division to take it seriously.
• Teacher Qin arrived on a shark and explained that he had warned Inspector Hu about the curse affecting the pilots and causing the plane to crash.
• Wenren Sheng spotted a gigantic white mass of Giant Algae drifting toward them, and Teacher Qin hurried the group toward the rubber boats.
• Teacher Qin identified the pursuing mass as an Undersea Evil Spirit, and the task force rowed frantically to escape.

Wenren Sheng and the other experts escaped the Giant Algae after fighter jets destroyed it, then reached two destroyers and resumed their meeting. The experts condemned Inspector Hu for the dangerous survey, but she left the argument and ordered them to submit their reports.

• Teacher Qin described the Giant Algae, only for it to appear beneath the boats and surround the group.
• Inspector Hu ordered everyone to break through, but Inspector Liu said reinforcements were near, and ten fighter jets arrived and destroyed the Giant Algae.
• The group rowed away and were picked up by two destroyers as evening approached.
• At the resumed meeting, Mystery Experts from Zhongbei District accused Inspector Hu of violating regulations and risking their lives.
• Expert Ma suggested Inspector Hu’s actions were tied to the deaths of her former subordinates during a past sea eye eruption.
• Inspector Hu dismissed the criticism and told everyone to write their survey reports, while Inspector Liu urged the experts to treat the incident as an accident.

Wenren Sheng examined the experts after the Sea Eye Curse incident, raising his Mystery Points limit, then helped treat the affected aircraft crew. As the investigation paused, Teacher Qin gave him a Leaf Palm fragment so he could practice the Mystic Summoning Art and Mystic Illusion Art.

• Wenren Sheng submitted a report stating that the danger had been difficult to resist, and Hu Shenying thanked him for recording the facts.
• Wenren Sheng asked the experts to let him examine them for lingering effects of the Sea Eye Curse, and his analysis increased his Mystic Cognition and Mystery Points limit.
• The destroyers returned to port, and Wenren Sheng later conducted follow-up examinations on the aircraft crew members affected by the curse.
• Wenren Sheng learned that Teacher Qin had collected Giant Algae fragments for laboratory analysis, while the investigation team temporarily disbanded.
• Teacher Qin gave Wenren Sheng a Leaf Palm containing a Soul Fragment and told him to use it to practice the Mystic Summoning Art and Mystic Illusion Art.

Wenren Sheng practiced Mystic Soul Summoning Art with the cursed hand-shaped leaf and summoned a scene of pirates dividing treasure. The scene ended with Number One being stabbed before he could propose his plan, leaving Wenren Sheng to conclude the pirate puzzle had not played out as he had expected.

• Wenren Sheng received President Zhao’s warning that the Supreme Patrol Division might recruit people to address the dangerous sea eye.
• When the cursed object attacked him, Wenren Sheng went to the company’s safe zone and joined Wei Yiqing in the R&D Center manager’s office.
• Wenren Sheng drew a mountain-shaped Summoning Ritual and used Alien Power to summon the Soul Fragment inside the glass bottle.
• The ritual revealed a reconstructed scene of pirates hanging their captain and first mate, then drawing lots to decide how to divide the treasure.
• As Number One prepared to propose a distribution plan, another pirate stabbed him, and Number One died without announcing his answer.

Wenren Sheng learned from the pirates’ memories that the Sea Eye could impose deadly game-theory scenarios and control the weather. Meanwhile, a fishing vessel entered the Sea Eye’s no-sail zone after its boss arranged to keep the Captain away.

• Pirate Number Four manipulated the pirate game until every other pirate, the Captain, and the First Mate died, then lost the ship when God granted his wish for a strong wind.
• Wenren Sheng concluded that the Sea Eye had created the game and could also influence storms, then told Wei Yiqing that the pirates could not have passed the test.
• The Duckbill Cap Man ordered the fishing vessel into the no-sail zone despite the First Mate’s warning.
• The Duckbill Cap Man sent a bodyguard to keep the Captain from returning, and the vessel entered the restricted waters.

Wenren Sheng and Inspector Liu watched footage of a foreign fishing vessel entering the forbidden sea zone to investigate its sea eye, where the greedy crew chased a school of bluefin tuna despite the Captain’s warnings. The tuna surrounded the stalled ship, and Wenren Sheng feared the crew had become prey, though he hoped someone would intervene.

• Wenren Sheng gave Inspector Liu the Giant Algae leaf and a Miniature Camera, and Inspector Liu showed him live footage of a fishing vessel entering the sea eye’s no-sail zone.
• Wenren Sheng streamed the footage to several people at home as the vessel’s crew spotted a school of bluefin tuna and pursued it for profit.
• The Captain warned the crew that the tuna were luring them toward the heart of the forbidden zone, but the Duckbill Cap Man and the crew ignored him.
• Wenren Sheng explained the tiger-eating-sheep game theory example and predicted that a story of fish eating people would unfold.
• The tuna stopped fleeing, circled the vessel, and the ship stalled after kelp caught in its propeller; the crew prepared to catch the fish while the Captain recognized their predatory gaze.

Wenren Sheng and Inspector Liu watched a cursed tuna game trap the crew of a fishing ship, forcing the survivors to use lifeboats under deadly rules. After the crew slaughtered one another, the five survivors worked out how to escape, but their cleverness left them unable to agree on who would sacrifice themselves first.

• Old Man Huo announced that numbered tuna would eat anyone who tried to escape by lifeboat at the wrong time, while falling into the sea meant death.
• Duckbill Cap Man ordered the crew to catch the tuna, but their attempts failed and the crew realized they had to follow the rules.
• A young crewman stabbed his companion, triggering a slaughter that left Duckbill Cap Man, Big Black Bodyguard, Huo Dahua, and two other sailors alive.
• The survivors learned that the tuna would eat only living people in lifeboats, then used backward induction to conclude that one person had to be sacrificed before the others could escape.
• The surviving white crewman and black crewman each urged the other to board first, while Wenren Sheng predicted that their deadlock meant none of them would escape.

Huo Dahua turned Big Black Bodyguard against Duckbill Cap Man by exposing his debts and offering him money, then watched as Duckbill Cap Man was sacrificed to the tuna. With forty-four tuna left, the survivors still had to decide who could leave first.

• The white crewman tried to sacrifice Huo Dahua, but Big Black Bodyguard shot and tied him up after Duckbill Cap Man signaled him.
• Huo Dahua revealed Duckbill Cap Man was deeply in debt, then offered Big Black Bodyguard a hundred thousand dollars and an IOU for the rest.
• Big Black Bodyguard shot and restrained Duckbill Cap Man and the black crewman, then had Huo Dahua write an IOU and transfer money, though there was no satellite signal.
• Huo Dahua ordered Big Black Bodyguard to put Duckbill Cap Man in the first lifeboat, and tuna number one dragged him away.
• Forty-four tuna remained, leaving the survivors to work out who could safely board a lifeboat first.