Chapter Summaries

Lu Xin helped capture the ghost ability user, who had been hiding inside Li Mengmeng, and left the hotel as the support team secured the scene. Observers rated his operation B-class, noting that a more efficient plan could have reduced the large deployment and civilian casualties.

• Lu Xin watched the support team restrain Li Mengmeng and transport her in a glass cabinet after Han Bing explained the ghost could hide within her consciousness.
• Lu Xin thanked Cheng Hui and spoke with Li Mengmeng, who asked for his name and wondered if he would protect her again, but the support team sealed a glass hood over her before she finished.
• Lu Xin rode back toward the Guard Department, asked Han Bing whether he had looked cool, and received her enthusiastic praise.
• Three staff members reviewed the mission data, including the deployment of two hundred patrol soldiers, fifty support members, and the injuries to 132 affected civilians, then rated Lu Xin's operation B-class.
• A staff member explained that Team Leader Chen or the City Defense Department could have captured the ghost with less deployment and fewer casualties.

The Loss-of-Control Risk Evaluation Team debated whether Lu Xin’s conduct on his latest mission showed enough humanity to lower his risk rating, then learned he had accepted a new assignment. Lu Xin agreed to help the Drunkard investigate a Level 3 Pollution event in Satellite City No. 4 for its contribution points and generous pay.

• Two senior evaluators explained that their team judged ability users’ humanity and debated how Lu Xin’s hostage confrontation affected his 85% loss-of-control risk rating.
• The evaluators decided to leave Lu Xin’s rating unchanged for now after learning he had accepted another mission.
• Lu Xin reviewed the Drunkard’s scattered reports about strange murders and other incidents in Satellite City No. 4.
• Han Bing explained that the Drunkard had requested a Spider-type ability user to assist with a Level 3 case and that Gecko had refused because he feared her.
• Lu Xin accepted the assignment, motivated by its 100 contribution points, and confirmed that the one-million compensation would also be shared.

Lu Xin traveled to Satellite City No. 4 to meet the Drunkard and discuss their mission. After she brought him home for dinner, he met her parents and discovered they had mistaken him for her romantic interest.

• Lu Xin took the elevated train to Satellite City No. 4 and met the Drunkard at the station.
• The Drunkard drove Lu Xin to her home in a smoky, rusty three-wheeler and invited him to eat there before discussing the mission.
• Lu Xin saw the Drunkard's neighbors warmly greeting one another on the way to her apartment.
• The Drunkard introduced Lu Xin to her parents, who enthusiastically asked about his age and how far along he and their daughter were.
• The Drunkard corrected her parents, explaining that Lu Xin was her colleague, then went to the kitchen and scolded her mother for clumsily preparing a fish.

Lu Xin stayed with Drunkard and her parents, enduring an awkward dinner and learning that Drunkard’s unusual condition had resisted years of attempts to explain it. As Drunkard armed herself for an approaching threat, she revealed that monsters had been searching for her for several days.

• Drunkard cooked an elaborate dinner, urged Lu Xin and her parents Xiao Wu and Xiao Wang to eat and drink, and teased Xiao Wu about his relationships.
• Lu Xin asked about the evening, and Drunkard insisted he sleep in her room so they could discuss something; Xiao Wang and Xiao Wu backed her up.
• After Lu Xin and Drunkard were sent to the bedroom, Drunkard said doctors, exorcists, and people in the Special Purity Department had failed to explain her condition.
• Drunkard put on protective gear, checked her gun, and told Lu Xin that monsters had been looking for her for several days.

Lu Xin learned that Drunkard was investigating the Hometown Association, a mysterious religious group linked to an unidentified Ability User and the Mental Monsters targeting her. As midnight arrived, the monsters began plunging Drunkard’s residential community into darkness.

• Drunkard told Lu Xin that at least two super Level 2 Mental Monsters had been appearing at her home each night.
• Drunkard explained that her investigation had uncovered the Hometown Association, which worshipped something called the True Hometown and seemed to have an Ability User among its members.
• Drunkard said the Hometown Association had likely discovered her investigation and sent the Mental Monsters to silence her, but she intended to use the attack to find them while protecting her neighbors.
• Drunkard and Lu Xin watched the residential community as the clock struck twelve and its streetlamps went out one by one, while the scent of fresh blood rose from below.

Lu Xin went outside to find the hidden controller directing two Mental Monsters as they searched for the Drunkard. He found no one at the suspected meeting point and had to continue the investigation alone while the Drunkard faced the monsters.

• The Drunkard told Lu Xin that two controlled Mental Monsters were searching the building and asked him to find their controller nearby.
• When Sister did not answer his call, Lu Xin climbed down the outside of the twelfth-floor building using her ability.
• Lu Xin saw a headless monster and a vine-like insect monster climbing the building and searching its windows for the Drunkard.
• Lu Xin traced the monsters' paths toward the southeastern gate, but found only two chatting security guards.
• With Sister still absent and time running short, Lu Xin calmed himself and considered what Mom would do.

Lu Xin used Mom's ability to search the residential compound and confirmed that no person was controlling the Mental Monsters, so he headed to the Drunkard's home to capture them instead. On his way upstairs, he encountered Grandma Wang and saw residents acting out violent, hateful scenes throughout the building.

• Lu Xin borrowed Mom's ability to inspect the residents and Mental Monsters, but found no controller in the compound.
• Lu Xin decided to use Father's approach and rush to the Drunkard's home to capture the Mental Monsters.
• Lu Xin met Grandma Wang in the stairwell as she carried a basket of food and muttered bitterly about the neighbors.
• Lu Xin climbed through the building and witnessed residents arguing, attacking one another, and plotting acts of violence.

Lu Xin found the Drunkard’s parents being murdered by their neighbors, then rushed upstairs to help the Drunkard fight two Mental Monsters. After finally borrowing Father’s power, he grabbed one monster and tore off a piece of its body.

• Lu Xin saw the Drunkard’s neighbors enter her home and hack her parents to death, and he realized they could not be saved.
• Lu Xin found the Drunkard being chased through the corridor by two Mental Monsters as she dodged their attacks and escaped through a window.
• The Drunkard struck the ivy-like monster with a blast of air, then landed and fled while both monsters pursued her.
• Lu Xin felt anger and excitement surge as the fat monster released radiation, and he charged past Sister without stopping.
• Lu Xin grabbed the fat Mental Monster and ripped a piece from its body, realizing he could kill it.

Lu Xin fought off the Mental Monsters’ illusions and learned that the drunkard had protected the building’s residents by manipulating their perceptions. The drunkard explained that the neighbors’ violent actions had been driven by real, normally suppressed resentment, leaving Lu Xin to question what it meant to be a good person.

• Lu Xin used the monster biting his arm as a weapon and beat the pursuing Mental Monster until it vanished.
• Lu Xin discovered that the drunkard and the surrounding chaos had been illusions, then reunited with Sister.
• Lu Xin found the residents returning to their rooms and learned their apparent violence had not physically happened.
• The drunkard explained that she had lured the Mental Monsters into a prepared room and used her ability to shield the neighbors from harm.
• The drunkard told Lu Xin that the monster had drawn out real, hidden negative emotions, and argued that people who kept them restrained still counted as good.

Lu Xin concluded that the Drunkard had been marked by an unknown ability user three days earlier, who had sent two intelligent Mental Monsters after her. He decided to draw the monsters to his home, believing his family could handle them and hoping the encounter would bring him closer to them.

• The Drunkard explained that she had traced the strange deaths to two Mental Monsters but could not identify the ability user controlling them.
• Lu Xin confirmed that no controller was nearby and reasoned that the Drunkard had been marked during an encounter three days earlier.
• The Drunkard admitted she remembered being watched from the shadows but had been unable to locate the person responsible.
• Lu Xin proposed inviting the Mental Monsters to his home to disrupt their attacks and draw their attention away from the Drunkard's neighbors.
• The Drunkard warned Lu Xin that the monsters were dangerous, but he said he had no neighbors and believed his family would welcome them.

Lu Xin visited the Black Cube Cafe to retrace the Drunkard’s investigation of an illegal organization’s stronghold and draw out the danger that had targeted her. After clashing with the maid waitress over how to drink his coffee, he added chocolate to it, and the waitress revealed a threatening smile.

• Lu Xin arrived at the Black Cube Cafe, where the Drunkard had investigated members of the organization linked to strange incidents in Satellite City No. 4.
• Lu Xin ordered the most expensive coffee and recalled the Drunkard’s conversations with the waitress and the cleaning lady.
• The maid waitress refused Lu Xin’s requests for sugar and to return his black coffee, repeatedly suggesting he order a cappuccino instead.
• Lu Xin added chocolate candy to the coffee, while Sister watched his bag from outside the window.
• The maid waitress’s smile turned ominous as she praised Lu Xin’s taste.

Lu Xin drew the coffee shop organization’s attention to himself and returned to Satellite City No. 2, where he prepared for the Mental Monsters to come after him. At home, he told his family he had invited guests for dinner, and they eagerly agreed to welcome them.

• Lu Xin finished his coffee to ensure the organization had fixed its gaze on him, then left the shop with the feeling of being watched.
• Lu Xin retrieved his motorcycle, took the express train back to Satellite City No. 2, and trusted that the Drunkard would use his actions to prepare an arrest.
• Lu Xin bought groceries and returned home to find Mom and his father sitting in a tense silence.
• Lu Xin invited friends to dinner, and Sister, Mom, and his father each reacted with excitement or approval.

A high school student persuaded a group of criminals that their violence was justified and urged them to punish the hypocritical people of the city. Meanwhile, Lu Xin's family waited excitedly for guests to arrive, and Lu Xin went to the window when Sister announced they were here.

• At a street stall in Satellite City No. 4, the high school student told a worried auntie that her fear was concern and justified her daughter's death by blaming the daughter.
• The student excused the other diners' crimes, including a girl's murder of her friend and a middle-aged man's poisoning of his coworker.
• He convinced the group that they were the real, unmasked people and urged them to make hypocrites pay when they controlled the city.
• The diners prayed to praise their true hometown and declared that they would reveal the truth to the people of the world.
• In Satellite City No. 2, Sister announced that the guests had arrived, Mom and Father reacted excitedly, and Lu Xin went to the window.

Lu Xin’s family welcomed and captured two Mental Monsters that came to his building, while he coordinated a raid in Satellite City No. 4. After the high school student died and returned to reality, he woke in Lu Xin’s home and learned he had not returned to his homeland.

• Two Mental Monsters approached the lit fourth-floor apartment, but Mom invited the ivy-shaped one inside while Little Kid and a large hand dragged the stout one into the room.
• Lu Xin called the drunkard and told him to begin the operation in Satellite City No. 4.
• The captain ordered armed squads to raid several locations and capture the gathered people, including the group at the wonton stall.
• The high school student sensed the aura of reality, declared that they were going home, and died as officers aimed their guns at him.
• The high school student awoke in Lu Xin’s home, and Lu Xin told him that he had come to his home rather than returned to his homeland.

Lu Xin learned that the mysterious True Hometown organization had pursued him and the Drunkard to recruit them through Mental Monsters, not to kill them, and recorded the group’s methods and his captive’s ability. He later confronted Mom about steering Sister away from helping him, and they reached an understanding about his growth and the need to trust others.

• Lu Xin questioned the captive and learned that the True Hometown organization recruited people by targeting them with Mental Monsters, while pursuing the Drunkard as a form of preaching rather than an attempt to kill her.
• Lu Xin recorded the organization’s motives and the ability user’s power to mark targets, then sent photos of his notes to the Drunkard.
• After the captive joined his family for a meal, Mom praised Lu Xin for trusting his family and explained that he could not depend on Sister forever.
• Lu Xin asked Mom whether she had deliberately stopped Sister from helping him; Mom said she had guided the others so he could grow and build trust with friends.
• Lu Xin told Mom that he had also told the others he could directly lock onto monsters, and they smiled as they reached an understanding.

The mission evaluation team struggled to explain Lu Xin’s abilities after watching him make two powerful Mental Monsters disappear and complete his mission flawlessly. They gave him an A+ rating, while shadows behind his window seemed to watch them.

• The evaluation team reviewed Lu Xin’s records and watched the two Mental Monsters vanish into his home, leaving the observers horrified and confused about how he had handled them.
• The observers acknowledged that Lu Xin had dismantled the True Hometown cult, eliminated the mysterious organization’s Ability User, and caused no collateral damage.
• The team debated how to assess Lu Xin because his apparent abilities did not match his Spider-type classification, and they could not determine his risk level.
• The intern proposed separating mission performance from ability assessment and warned that someone behind Lu Xin’s curtains seemed to be watching them.
• The two senior observers agreed to give Lu Xin an A+ rating, dismissing the intern’s concerns about the rating’s usual criteria.

Professor Bai presented evidence that Lu Xin had no family members and used his many unusual powers himself, leading him to conclude that Lu Xin did not possess an ability at all. The conference ended with the mystery of how Lu Xin performed those feats still unresolved.

• Professor Bai told Minister Shen and Mr. Su that Lu Xin’s loss-of-control risk had been rated high because the department feared what it did not understand.
• Chen Jing noted that Lu Xin had possibly falsified several thousand in expenses, while Professor Bai said his record otherwise showed unusually strong adherence to rules.
• Professor Bai presented observation reports confirming that Lu Xin had no family members and that his powers were not caused by possession, contamination, or parasitic items.
• Professor Bai listed Lu Xin’s many demonstrated capabilities, including seeing and fighting Mental Monsters and safely entering and leaving Happy Town.
• Professor Bai concluded that Lu Xin’s ability was not Spider-type and that Lu Xin himself did not possess any ability.

Professor Bai presented his theory that Soldier, or Lu Xin, had immense mental power but no awakened ability, and that he had imitated three abilities and imagined them as family. He classified Soldier as A-class and estimated his risk of losing control at 65%.

• Professor Bai reviewed Soldier’s early monitoring records and argued that his powers did not fit the Spider-type ability he had used at the Corner Cafe.
• Professor Bai concluded that Soldier had extraordinary mental power but had never developed a specific ability, estimating his mental level at four thousand to six thousand.
• Professor Bai explained that Soldier could use his mental power to analyze and reconstruct abilities he knew well, which let him neutralize the South Wall Mental Pollution bomb and uncover the mastermind’s orders.
• Professor Bai speculated that Soldier had imitated three abilities during his laboratory experience and treated them as invisible family members because he was a lonely child.
• Professor Bai recorded Soldier’s ability as none, or not awakened, gave him an A-class rating, and listed his risk of losing control as 65%.

Professor Bai argued that the special forces soldier met the requirements for the second phase and that the process would stabilize rather than enhance his already powerful mental strength. Minister Shen agreed not to block the application if it met all standards, but asked how they could ensure the soldier would not turn against Qinggang City; Professor Bai proposed signing a contract.

• Minister Shen challenged Professor Bai's case as speculation, while Professor Bai cited the soldier's successful handling of multiple Special Pollution Events and his 65% risk assessment.
• Professor Bai argued that the soldier had endured many potential triggers without losing control and was a suitable candidate for the second phase.
• Chen Jing and Mr. Su supported relying on facts and cooperating with ability users, while Minister Shen described his fear of the threat revealed by Happy Town.
• Professor Bai recalled warnings about mental mutations and the arrival of God, then raised the Azure Sea Nation's contact with Deep Well Extraction Company and their discussions of cultivation fluid.
• Professor Bai explained that the soldier did not need greater mental power and that the second phase would make him more stable.
• Minister Shen agreed not to reject the application if it met the standards, but asked how they could prevent the soldier from turning against Qinggang City; Professor Bai proposed signing a contract with him.

After completing the True Hometown mission, Lu Xin learned that he would be promoted to Level 3 Special Talent and could apply for the second stage, bringing him closer to the Main City and answers about his condition. As he prepared for an Advanced Talent Training Conference, the Director invited him to dinner with the company vice president and asked him to leave his gun behind.

• Han Bing told Lu Xin that the mission was officially complete, earning him five hundred thousand yuan and fifty contribution points, and that his Level 3 promotion was expected soon.
• Han Bing said she had prepared Lu Xin’s second-stage application and that he would be invited to an Advanced Talent Training Conference in the Main City.
• Lu Xin realized Mom’s guidance had made the Special Purity Department less wary of him, and he asked Han Bing to look into buying a villa near Qingyan Mountain.
• Gecko called to celebrate his approval to attend the conference, and Lu Xin told him he might attend too.
• The Director invited Lu Xin to dinner with the company vice president and asked him to leave his gun behind.