Chapter Summaries

After breaking the television, Roll ran away from home, bought cat food with her saved pocket money, and imagined conquering the world with stray cats as her minions. As night grew cold, she decided she had somewhere warm to go and cheerfully headed home to Big Cat.

• Bored and remembering her old toys, Roll threw her rubber ball around the living room until it smashed the television.
• Fearing Big Cat would punish her, Roll grabbed her hidden bundle, slipped out of the house, and went to a store for food.
• Roll spent her saved pocket money on two large bags of cat food and planned to recruit stray cats to help her rule the world.
• Roll handed cat food to stray cats in the South Suburbs, but the cats wandered off before she could give them missions.
• Cold and unable to warm herself on a ground light, Roll realized she could go home and happily set off toward Big Cat.

May recounted how she helped a lost girl reunite with her mother before deciding to stay a few more days, which led her to Hao Ren’s home. The group tried to celebrate May’s birthday, only to discover she used the lunar calendar, but Lily arrived and set off a birthday popper anyway.

• May found a lost little girl at a subway exit and used a water elemental to locate and guide the girl’s mother to her.
• May reunited the girl with her mother, wished the child a happy birthday, and decided to stay a few more days.
• At Hao Ren’s home, May told the group how she had ended up there, and they noticed the date matched May 15.
• Hao Ren, Vivian, and Izax hid the birthday gifts when May explained that she celebrated her lunar birthday instead of her Gregorian birthday.
• Lily rushed in and set off a party popper for May’s birthday before Vivian explained why everyone had been acting awkwardly.

Hao Ren spent a fruitless day looking for work in the city before accidentally sleeping until sunset in a park. A cheerful young woman woke him and asked for directions to his own home.

• Hao Ren visited a job listing at Galaxy Media Pan-Cultural Development and Promotion Company and found it had closed.
• Hao Ren realized his remaining job advertisement was for a position reserved for women and gave up on his job search for the day.
• Hao Ren rested on a park bench and unintentionally slept through the afternoon until sunset.
• A short-haired young woman woke Hao Ren and showed him an address that turned out to be his home.

Hao Ren escorted his new tenant, Liu Lili, from the city to his remote home, discovering her extraordinary strength and carefree nature along the way. When a strange winged shadow passed overhead, he saw wolf-like ears suddenly appear on Lily’s head.

• Hao Ren realized Liu Lili had mistaken Baishi Road in the South Suburbs for Baishi Tower downtown, then agreed to take her to his rental house.
• Hao Ren and Liu Lili rode a long bus route while she chatted about celebrities, housing, and her work as a pet doctor and freelance writer.
• At the South Suburbs station, Hao Ren warned Liu Lili about the deserted neighborhood, but she said she was strong and could fight off bad people.
• Liu Lili effortlessly lifted her broken-wheeled suitcase, which Hao Ren could not lift, and followed him toward Baishi Road after dark.
• A strange, oversized bat-like shadow flew overhead, and Hao Ren saw wolf-like ears suddenly sprout from Liu Lili’s head.

Hao Ren escorted Lily through the neighborhood and began to realize that she was no ordinary girl when a supernatural presence surrounded them. Lily transformed into a wolf-like beast-eared girl and promised to protect him as the unseen danger closed in.

• Hao Ren glimpsed pointed, silvery-white ears on Lily, then dismissed them as a hallucination.
• Hao Ren saw a large bat-like shadow overhead, and Lily urgently asked him to go ahead without her.
• Hao Ren refused to leave Lily alone and noticed her sniffing the air and watching the surrounding walls.
• A thick smell of blood and unnatural cold spread through the alley, and Hao Ren realized Lily knew what was happening.
• Lily revealed silver hair, golden eyes, wolf ears, and a silver tail, then promised to do her best to keep Hao Ren alive.

Hao Ren witnessed Lily transform into a werewolf and help him fight off a flying bat with her practiced brick-throwing technique. After the attacker fled and Lily tried to leave, Hao Ren invited her back to his home despite learning her secret.

• Lily warned Hao Ren that a bat was nearby and revealed that she was a werewolf.
• A bat-shaped attacker swooped at Hao Ren, and Lily fought it with powerful punches and kicks.
• Lily struck the diving bat with a brick, then drove it away by throwing more bricks.
• The supernatural chill and blood stench faded, and Lily returned to her normal appearance.
• Lily tried to leave and asked Hao Ren to keep her werewolf identity secret, but Hao Ren invited her back to settle in.

After Lily saved Hao Ren from a supernatural attacker, he brought her home and let her move in as his tenant. As they sat down to eat, Lily panicked at the sight of Hao Ren’s kitten and transformed into her Werewolf form.

• Hao Ren decided to take Lily home, reasoning that she had saved his life and might help protect him if the bat returned.
• Hao Ren and Lily reached his isolated house on Baishi Road, where Lily said she wanted to avoid humans who might capture her for research.
• Hao Ren showed Lily her room, then cooked noodles while wondering whether the bat had been a Vampire.
• Hao Ren called his kitten downstairs to eat with them.
• Lily saw the black-and-white kitten, fled behind the sofa, and was forced into her Werewolf form.

Hao Ren settled Lily into his home as a tenant, while she revealed an unexpected fear of cats and met Roll. After Lily paid three months’ rent, Hao Ren went to bed, still anticipating the strange events ahead and wary of the giant bat that had targeted him.

• Lily hid from Roll and admitted that cats creeped her out, while Hao Ren introduced her to the cat and explained its name.
• Lily cautiously returned to dinner and explored the house, sniffing each new area as she got familiar with her temporary home.
• Hao Ren reflected that he had chosen to shelter Lily because he was curious about the supernatural world and hoped her strength would help protect him from the giant bat.
• Lily paid Hao Ren three months’ rent in advance, and he told her she did not need to pay for meals and asked her to use his name.
• Hao Ren warned Lily not to enter the locked rooms, then assured her he would not sneak into her room after she teased him about being a single male landlord.

Hao Ren tried to adjust to having Lily, a Werewolf, living in his house, but their ordinary morning was interrupted when the mysterious woman who attacked him the previous night appeared at his door. He recognized her and called for Lily to transform as he faced the attacker at close range.

• Hao Ren woke to Roll demanding breakfast and remembered that Lily, a Werewolf, had moved into his home.
• Lily asked Hao Ren why the televisions had no signal and rambled about her hazy memories and wolf kinship.
• Hao Ren checked the television and suspected a problem with the signal tower before a visitor knocked at the door.
• Hao Ren opened the door to an unfamiliar, pale, beautiful girl who recognized him and exclaimed that he was still alive.
• Hao Ren realized the girl was his attacker from the previous night and called for Lily to transform.

Hao Ren tried to stop Lily and a vampire from fighting after they each mistook the other for a threat to him. He ended the battle before anyone nearby could see, then urged them to go home and explain what had happened.

• Hao Ren called for Lily to transform when the black-haired girl approached, but the vampire pulled him out of harm's way and told him to watch out.
• Lily arrived in human form, then transformed and grabbed bricks while the vampire secretly urged Hao Ren to run.
• Lily and the vampire fought at the apartment entrance, trading insults as Hao Ren worried that neighbors would witness the battle.
• Hao Ren shouted for them to stop when he saw a courtyard gate opening, and the two combatants halted.
• Hao Ren learned that the vampire claimed she had wanted to save him, while Lily believed the vampire meant to drink his blood.
• Hao Ren told Lily and the vampire to stop fighting and go home to talk.

Hao Ren tried to resolve the misunderstanding between Lily and Vivian, but their mutual distrust nearly started another fight. After he stopped them, both explained why they lived among humans, and Hao Ren decided to believe them.

• Hao Ren asked Vivian why she had approached them, and she explained that she had mistaken Lily for a threat to him and had been injured by Lily the previous night.
• Lily and Vivian renewed their accusations and prepared to fight, damaging Hao Ren’s coffee table and sending Roll upstairs.
• Hao Ren shouted at the two girls to stop and demanded that they explain why they protected humans despite their supposed identities as a werewolf and a Bloodkin.
• Vivian said she had always lived among humans and disliked other Bloodkin, while Lily said an old woman had raised her among humans after she awoke in a cold place.
• Hao Ren decided to believe Lily and Vivian, even though he could not defeat either of them.

Hao Ren agreed to rent a room to the impoverished vampire Vivian despite Lily’s objections, leaving the two supernatural tenants under the same roof. Vivian then discovered she had lost her last money, giving Hao Ren a reason to reconsider letting her stay.

• Hao Ren persuaded Vivian and Lily to accept a temporary truce after they proved they had not harmed or cursed him.
• Vivian showed Hao Ren his rental advertisement and explained that she wanted a cheap place to live.
• Hao Ren agreed to let Vivian rent a room, while Lily protested that she would have to live with a vampire.
• Hao Ren reminded Lily that he owned the house, and Lily reluctantly left the decision to him.
• Vivian realized she had lost her wallet and blamed Lily, who suggested she search nearby for it.
• Vivian said the wallet held her last living expenses, and Hao Ren considered using the loss as a reason to send her away.

Hao Ren let Vivian stay in his home and prepared to feed her and Lily before receiving a mysterious call offering him a job interview. The call vanished from his phone log, leaving him with an unexplained interview to attend that afternoon.

• Hao Ren agreed to let Vivian stay in an empty room and pay her rent later.
• Vivian brought in her old travel bag, and Hao Ren learned she could eat ordinary food because she had avoided drinking blood for years.
• Lily reminded Hao Ren that the household needed food, so he decided to make noodles for breakfast.
• Lily noticed a call from 00000012345, and Hao Ren answered it despite feeling that something was wrong.
• An unfamiliar woman claiming to represent an Import and Export Trading Company invited Hao Ren to an interview that afternoon and gave him an address.
• Hao Ren checked his phone after the call ended and found that the call log was blank.

Hao Ren left Vivian and Lily at home and traveled to a remote village for an interview arranged by a mysterious caller, despite suspecting the job offer was a scam. He arrived at Wangba Tuozi and found a primitive settlement that seemed nothing like the Import and Export Trading Company he had been promised.

• Hao Ren realized he had never applied to the Import and Export Trading Company that had called him for an interview.
• Hao Ren fed Lily and Vivian, bought Vivian biscuits, and left Lily to guard the house while Vivian slept.
• Hao Ren decided to attend the interview alone rather than bring Lily along.
• Hao Ren rode a ramshackle bus to Wangba Tuozi, a remote village beyond the city.
• Hao Ren saw the village’s crumbling houses and doubted that the promised trading company was real.

Hao Ren realized the mysterious interview call had affected his judgment and tried to flee, but the caller reached him again through a phone that kept ringing after he removed its battery and smashed it. Following her directions, he looked up and saw a gigantic upside-down building hovering above him.

• Hao Ren decided the strange interview was a setup and started walking away from the village to escape the address.
• The caller’s number rang again, and Hao Ren discovered the phone still worked after he removed its battery and smashed it into the concrete.
• Hao Ren answered the call, and the woman insisted he follow her directions to find the workplace.
• The woman told Hao Ren to touch an advertisement on a utility pole and face north, then he looked up and saw an enormous upside-down building overhead.

Hao Ren was transported from the ground to a mysterious mansion suspended in an isolated, fog-bound space. There, Raven 12345 introduced herself as his new superior and identified the place as the Time-Space Administration Bureau’s EN35 Node.

• Hao Ren saw an enormous upside-down mansion in the sky and followed the phone instructions from a woman who warned him to keep facing the square.
• Hao Ren let go of the utility pole and was spun into the mansion’s grounds, where he found himself surrounded by fog and unfamiliar scenery.
• A blue, mist-like creature met Hao Ren at the mansion’s entrance and led him through its strange corridors.
• The creature disappeared outside a heavy wooden door, and Hao Ren entered a semicircular room to meet a silver-haired woman.
• The woman called herself Raven 12345, declared that she would be Hao Ren’s superior, and told him he was at the Time-Space Administration Bureau’s EN35 Node.

Raven 12345 recruited Hao Ren as a probationary examiner for the Xiling Empire’s Time-Space Administration Bureau, assigning him to handle strange creatures and local affairs. She tested him by showing him a firsthand record of the universe’s evolution, then asked how it felt.

• Raven 12345 introduced herself and explained that she worked for the Time-Space Administration Bureau, a department of the Xiling Empire.
• She told Hao Ren that she knew Lily was a werewolf and warned that more strange creatures would move into his home.
• Raven 12345 said she had selected Hao Ren to serve as her assistant and handle local affairs as a probationary examiner.
• When Hao Ren tried to leave, Raven 12345 began his psychological evaluation and transported him into a vision of the universe’s creation and evolution.
• The trial ended with a message demanding payment to continue, and Hao Ren returned to the room drenched in sweat as Raven 12345 asked how the experience felt.

Hao Ren learned that Raven 12345 was a god from another universe who wanted him to work as her agent, caring for extraordinary tenants and cleaning up the aftermath of past interference in humanity. After weighing the ordinary life he would regain if he refused against the unknown path ahead, he decided there was no need to choose.

• Raven 12345 explained that she came from another universe and worked for the Time-Space Administration Bureau, which managed worlds and needed an agent on Earth.
• Hao Ren questioned why he had been chosen and learned he could refuse, in which case Raven 12345 would erase his memories of the past two days and take the Werewolf away.
• Raven 12345 described the job: Hao Ren would house and guide special tenants and help her with other work.
• Raven 12345 said a third-party force had once interfered with humanity’s development, and the tenants were connected to that incident.
• Hao Ren considered accepting a new life working for the gods or returning to an ordinary life, then concluded there was no need to choose.

Hao Ren agreed to become a probationary examiner for the Time-Space Administration Bureau, tasked with housing and caring for unusual tenants while keeping them from disrupting human civilization. Raven 12345 had him review an elaborate employment contract, leaving him stunned by its strange titles and mundane benefits.

• Hao Ren accepted Raven 12345’s offer to work as a grassroots probationary examiner for the Time-Space Administration Bureau.
• Raven 12345 explained that Hao Ren would care for future tenants who had passed safety tests and prevent them from affecting ordinary people.
• Raven 12345 said Lily had not been assigned by the organization and that Lily’s arrival had helped her choose Hao Ren as an assistant.
• Raven 12345 declined to explain the Bureau’s more complicated goals and gave Hao Ren an employment contract to sign.
• Hao Ren read the contract’s elaborate titles and employee benefits and realized they seemed strangely familiar.

After signing on as a probationary examiner for Raven 12345’s Time-Space Administration Bureau, Hao Ren hurried home when Lily called to report that Vivian had flown away, saying the house was unsafe. He found Vivian back at the house and could only wonder whether his new life would keep bringing such chaos.

• Hao Ren reflected on his new job and Raven 12345’s warning to focus on taking care of his tenants.
• Lily called Hao Ren and told him Vivian had turned into a swarm of bats and flown out, saying the house was unsafe.
• Hao Ren caught a bus home and heard maintenance workers discussing a brick that had damaged the South Suburbs TV signal tower.
• Hao Ren reached his house and found Vivian standing behind the door, back from her supposed flight.
• Vivian admitted she had gone out because something came up, leaving Hao Ren bewildered.