Chapter Summaries

William and his family enjoyed a Huaxia breakfast before heading to a school gathering at an Umbrella-owned mall. The gathering’s display of wealth and influence began when Andre arrived with a heavily armed escort and his adopted daughter Xiya.

• William, Ivan, Halsey, Yelena, and the others ate breakfast at Tangshan Home, where William praised the Korean noodles and Fried Cake Ivan had recommended.
• John told Mylon and Carl to quiet down after their bickering attracted attention from the restaurant’s customers.
• William promised Yelena that the family would stroll around before going to the mall, easing her jealousy over his affection for Halsey.
• Umbrella security and Halifax police sealed off the mall for an Umbrella Comprehensive School gathering, while parents and students arrived in luxury cars.
• Andre arrived with Xiya in a convoy escorted by UBCS soldiers and USS bodyguards, leaving the other parents with no way to compete with his wealth and influence.

Andre accompanied Heya to her school’s parent event at a shopping mall, where influential parents tried to curry favor with him before William’s family arrived and drew the crowd’s attention. The families entered the mall for the school activities, and William gave an impromptu speech after the principals’ introductions.

• Andre asked Heya why the school had invited parents, and her teacher later assured him that Heya was safe in her class.
• Several influential parents approached Andre to introduce themselves and seek his favor, but Heya calmed him when he grew impatient.
• William, Halsey, Yelena, and Ivan arrived in a motorcade, and the parents left Andre to surround William’s family.
• William redirected the parents from business talk toward the children and the school’s arrangements, then led his family into the mall.
• The school division principals introduced the school’s developments, and William gave an impromptu speech.

William and Halsey spent a school gathering with their children, Andre, and Xiya, and the day passed without the disaster William had feared. Back at the seaside villa, William began reading Serena’s latest containment files and opened the Water Sprite project.

• William announced a mall-wide half-price sale and reunited with Halsey while Ivan and Yelena chatted with classmates.
• Andre arrived with Xiya, and Xiya joined her classmates with a credit card from Andre.
• William, Halsey, Andre, and the other parents spent the day with the students at the mall’s arcades, amusement park, and shops.
• William’s family finished dinner with Andre and Xiya, then returned safely to their villa under escort.
• William opened Serena’s latest containment files and read the first project, named Water Sprite.

B-019 Kolax led the Shadow Team’s raid on an ISIS stronghold near Lake Assad and discovered terrorists holding a water-based anomalous girl. When the terrorists tried to drag her away, Kolax attacked them with his Particle Beam Saber.

• Kolax surveyed the town with the Shadow Team, then ordered his four teammates to take positions while he made a solo strike.
• Kolax infiltrated the guarded manor and found ISIS leaders gathered around a frightened, pale-blue woman whose body appeared to be made of water.
• Kolax reported the anomaly to Tina, who told him to use his judgment while prioritizing the ISIS leadership.
• The leader summoned more terrorists, who tried to seize the woman, and Kolax struck one of them with his Particle Beam Saber.

Kolax and Shadow Team attacked the terrorists in Mohajing, while Kolax questioned their leader about the Water Sprite. After the technical team arrived, the Water Sprite was taken away peacefully.

• The Water Sprite incapacitated a terrorist leader as Kolax revealed himself and killed the armed terrorists in the manor.
• Shadow Team attacked across town, killing fleeing terrorists and sparing those who surrendered.
• Kolax questioned the leader about the Water Sprite, learned she feared sand and fire, then killed him.
• Kolax reported that the anomaly seemed non-hostile, and Tina ordered him to secure the area for the incoming technicians.
• The Water Sprite thanked Kolax with gestures and a dance before the technical personnel transported her away.

The Water Sprite file detailed the project's containment, training, and hostility toward human males after a research assistant assaulted it, while noting its unusual friendliness toward B-019 Kolax. The chapter then began the discovery account of a new Keter-class project after the Argonautica and a Philippine patrol boat vanished, leaving B-019 Kolax's team headed to investigate the cruise ship.

• The Water Sprite signed a Confidentiality Agreement after receiving handwriting training, and the Damocles Task Force considered recruiting it.
• A research assistant tried to assault the Water Sprite, and it killed him in self-defense, after which it became hostile toward human males but friendly toward B-019 Kolax.
• The Argonautica sent an intermittent SOS from the Philippine Sea, and the Philippine Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat that soon went silent.
• Umbrella's Artificial Intelligence identified an anomalous cause behind the vessels' disappearance and arranged for General Ostrovsky to take over the investigation.
• The Darwin frigate arrived above the affected waters, and B-019 Kolax led Shadow Team and elite Marines toward the Argonautica while another Pelican went to the patrol boat.

Kolax and the Shadow Team searched the storm-struck Argonautica for survivors and an anomalous creature. After finding the upper decks empty, they reached the fourth deck and discovered a huge pile of corpses below.

• Kolax led the Shadow Team and Marines in an aerial insertion onto the Argonautica and ordered them to search together rather than split up.
• The team searched the upper deck and found blood, human tissue, and signs that the ship had been ransacked, but no survivors or anomaly.
• Kolax reported that the Argonautica had been attacked by an intelligent anomaly, while the Darwin crew reported that the patrol boat was empty and its weapons had been deliberately destroyed.
• The team searched the second and third decks without finding anyone, then entered the fourth deck and saw hundreds of bloodied skeletons piled on the lowest deck.

Kolax and his team searched the yacht’s decks, finding a grisly mass of victims before locating survivors sealed inside the casino vault. As the survivors emerged, the Marines outside encountered an Anomalous Creature and called for support.

• Kolax reported the corpses and lack of survivors to the Darwin, then ordered the team to keep searching the yacht.
• The team searched the fourth deck without finding survivors or the anomalous phenomenon.
• Kolax led Shadow Team and two Marine classes into the casino after their equipment detected movement inside.
• The team breached the vault, and the Artificial Intelligence opened its alloy door.
• A frightened attendant attacked Kolax with a fire axe, but Kolax’s PIA Armor shield knocked him back, revealing survivors sheltered inside the vault.
• Gunfire erupted outside the casino as a class leader reported an Anomalous Creature and Marine casualties, requesting support.

Kolax and Shadow Team helped the Marines fight off tentacle monsters attacking the casino corridor, but eight Marines died. Kolax refused to call for an artillery strike because civilians might still be alive aboard the cruise ship, and returned to question the survivors.

• Kolax left Squads One and Two to guard the survivors and led Shadow Team outside to assist the Marines.
• The tentacles swallowed a Marine despite his armor, and Kolax ordered Shadow Team to kill the monsters rather than capture them.
• Kolax and Shadow Team used firearms and melee weapons to destroy the tentacles' heads, forcing the remaining parts to flee.
• The Marines reported eight deaths, and a corporal asked Kolax to request an artillery strike on the cruise ship.
• Kolax refused because other humans might still be aboard, left Shadow Team to help defend the casino, and went to question the survivors.

Kolax found twenty-two survivors in the Argonautica’s vault and learned that a tentacled Anomalous Creature had attacked the cruise ship. When the creature struck again during their evacuation, Kolax stayed behind to fight it and discovered its enormous mollusk-like body below deck.

• Kolax learned from a server that the creature had attacked the ship with tentacles and that the survivors had taken refuge in the vault.
• Kolax reported eight Marine deaths and twenty-two survivors to the Darwin; Captain Kozhold approved the evacuation and the continued search, but Kolax refused additional Marine support.
• Kolax led the survivors and Marines toward the top deck, but the creature smashed open a corridor and attacked the group.
• Kolax cut through the creature’s tentacles to hold them off while Shadow Team and the Marines escorted the civilians onward.
• Kolax pursued the retreating tentacles through a hole in the deck and saw that the creature was a gigantic mollusk-like anomaly filling the lower decks.

Kolax fought the enormous Anomalous Creature that had occupied the cruise ship, keeping it from escaping into the ocean until the survivors could be evacuated and the God Body Squad could arrive. After Kolax entered the creature's body to track and attack it from within, the Darwin crew watched his footage and learned he was still unharmed.

• Kolax asked the Darwin about the survivors and Marines, then requested God Body support while defending himself from the Anomalous Creature's tentacles.
• Kolax hurled a White Phosphorus Round into the creature and cut its tentacles with his Beam Saber, seriously hurting it.
• Kolax pursued the creature as it tried to return to the deep sea, cut a cross-shaped opening in its body, and crawled inside to track and attack it.
• Kolax's PIA Armor shielded him from the creature's corrosive gastric acid as he began cutting through its body.
• A crew member reported that the survivors, Shadow Team, and Marine Corps had boarded the Pelican, while the communications officer discovered Kolax was fifty meters underwater.
• The Darwin crew watched Kolax's footage, learned that five God Bodies would arrive in five minutes, and heard that Kolax remained uninjured and was still attacking.

The recovered records revealed that B019 Korax had killed the deep-sea creature Prehistoric Giant Beast 01, while the disaster claimed hundreds of civilian and Coast Guard lives. After reading the report, William considered Korax’s origins and the system’s role, then began a new file for the Astartes Legion.

• The God Body Squad lifted the dead Prehistoric Giant Beast 01 from the sea, and the investigation concluded that B019 Korax had destroyed its central nervous system alone.
• The aftermath report recorded the deaths of 760 civilians, 277 Coast Guard members, and eight Umbrella Marines, while officials concealed the cause from the public and survivors underwent Memory Wipe.
• Researchers classified Prehistoric Giant Beast 01 as a Keter deep-sea species and warned that it might belong to a wider Giant Beast Race.
• William recognized Korax as the Raven King, wondered whether the system had created him and the Anomalous phenomena, then stopped pursuing the questions when they caused him pain.
• William created an Astartes Legion file, listed five Primarchs with B042 Robert first, and continued Robert’s First Legion under the name Limit Legion.

William completed an Astartes Legion proposal for Umbrella, outlining three forces designed for mass production, anomaly response, and Fleet Zero support. Reflecting on the threats humanity might face, he decided that increasing the number of Super Soldiers was essential to survival.

• William finished writing and saving the Astartes Legion proposal, which divided the trainees into the Limit Legion, Raven Guard, and Blue Legion.
• William considered how Umbrella’s Astartes compared with the vastly more powerful warriors and Primarchs of Warhammer 40k.
• William recalled fearing that the Warp and Chaos might exist in his world, since Umbrella’s current forces could not challenge the Chaos Gods.
• William concluded that Umbrella should produce as many Super Soldiers as possible to protect humanity from future threats.

William and Halsey discussed the threat posed by prehistoric giant beasts and the possibility of a global attack, then considered how Umbrella could search the oceans for them. William decided to ask a water-based Containment Object to help with the search.

• Halsey warned William that the giant beasts might be connected to ancient Titans and could live in oceans and underground caves.
• Halsey suggested that killing a young giant beast could trigger a chain reaction and urged Umbrella to prepare for a global attack.
• William agreed to move Fleet Zero back to low Earth orbit alongside the First Fleet, while Halsey reminded him not to join the deployment.
• Halsey explained that deep-sea detectors had made almost no progress scanning the Philippine Sea because the ocean was too difficult to survey.
• William remembered his Containment Task Force and suggested that its water-based member could help Umbrella search for the giant beasts.

William admitted to Halsey that Confidentiality Agreements made humans and humanoid anomalies absolutely loyal to him, though he withheld how he gained the ability. The couple arranged the fleets’ deployment for the next morning, and William went to sleep without knowing why some people who had never signed the agreements were loyal to him.

• William proposed using the Water Sprite to search the seawater for the giant beast, and Halsey warned that she might be difficult to recover if she lost control.
• Halsey confronted William about the loyalty of 049, Elizabeth Green, the angel from Venus, Hicks, and Hudson, and William confirmed that Confidentiality Agreements made humans and humanoid anomalies loyal to him.
• Halsey accepted William’s secret and agreed to let the Water Sprite enter the ocean if she posed no threat to humanity.
• William emailed Serena to bring Fleet Zero back to Earth’s near-Earth orbit and told Carter and Mike to prepare the First Fleet to join it above the Philippine Sea.
• Halsey asked why Andre, Mike, and the Russell Family sleeper agents were loyal without signing Confidentiality Agreements, and William guessed it might be connected to his mysterious grandfather.
• Halsey wondered whether the loyal personnel would obey Ivan if William transferred the company to him, but William dismissed the concern and told her to sleep before their trip to Troy.

William and Halsey left for the Philippines to investigate a possible abnormal phenomenon near the Mariana Trench. After discussing the threat of ancient giant sea creatures with Mike aboard the Infinity, William prepared to inspect the trench with Water Sprite’s help.

• William and Halsey ate breakfast with Ivan and Yelena, then promised Yelena he would pick her up from school when he returned.
• William and Halsey traveled to Troy Base with Blue Team and Cortana, then boarded a Pelican for the Infinity in orbit.
• William reunited with Mike aboard the Infinity, and Serena reported that the Zero and First Fleets were positioned above the Mariana Trench.
• William told Mike that Catherine suspected the giant sea beasts might be older than the gods of human legends and explained that the company was searching the Mariana Trench for their habitat.
• William invited Mike to join him on the deck as they prepared to use Water Sprite to scan the trench.

William and the others sent the Water Sprite to survey the Mariana Trench for signs of the Giant Beast Species. She returned with a shocking discovery, leaving the company and the UNSC facing a worldwide threat.

• Carter explained that the Water Sprite wanted to thank Korax and spend time alone with him, while Korax insisted their mission came first.
• William promised Shadow Team two weeks of leave if the Water Sprite confirmed the Giant Beast Species posed no threat.
• Serena lowered the platform to the sea, and Halsey sent the Water Sprite into the Mariana Trench to survey the seafloor.
• The Water Sprite returned after ten minutes and told Halsey that the Giant Beast Species was not just one or two creatures but an entire army.
• Halsey urged William to alert the UNSC and the company and raise coastal cities' alert levels worldwide.

After discovering that giant beasts were gathering in the Mariana Trench and heading toward coastal cities, William ordered Umbrella’s forces to prepare and convened the UNSC. He left the threat unresolved as he declared that humanity had entered a world war against the beasts.

• The Water Sprite confirmed that she had seen giant beasts and new ravines leading from the Mariana Trench toward the coast, suggesting the creatures were approaching coastal cities.
• William ordered the platform back to the Endless and assigned Kolax, Carter, Hicks, Hudson, Mike, and John to prepare their forces and the god-bodies for war.
• Halsey warned William that underground passages could let giant beasts reach inland regions as well as coastal cities, and Serena was ordered to have Artificial Intelligences delete information about the creatures once they attacked.
• William convened a Projection Meeting with UNSC officials and proposed mobilizing every fleet in the Solar System to defend Earth’s coastal cities.
• William rejected using near-Earth geomagnetic accelerator cannon arrays against the ground and declared that humanity had entered a world war with prehistoric giant beasts.

The Giant Beast Species launched synchronized attacks on major coastal cities, prompting William and the UNSC to mobilize fleets and God Body Squads. As Ivan and Siya began lunch at their Halifax school, explosions sounded from the seaside.

• The US Secretary of Defense asked William to recall Umbrella's Second and Third Fleets from Reach, and William agreed.
• Serena reported that giants were attacking the world's major coastal cities, including Halifax.
• William ordered the fleets into low orbit, God Body Squads to defend major coastal cities, and Blue Team to deploy to Halifax.
• William and the UNSC officials began coordinating a detailed battle plan.
• At their Halifax school, Ivan and Siya sat down to lunch, but muffled explosions from the seaside interrupted them.

Halifax City came under attack by swarms of parasitic creatures, and Ivan and Siya helped defend their school after the Marines ordered them to shelter underground. The chapter ended with Siya and Ivan openly using their powers to fight the creatures alongside Yelena and the Marines.

• Explosions and military aircraft revealed that Halifax City was under attack, and an air-raid siren ordered residents to evacuate.
• Ivan and Siya followed their teachers toward the school building as unidentified objects struck the grounds and caused chaos.
• Marines escorted the students and teachers toward shelter and told Ivan that their orders were to protect him, Yelena, and Siya.
• The landed objects unfolded into insect-like creatures that attacked people, while Marines fired Pulse Rifles to hold them back.
• Ivan heard Yelena fighting near the cafeteria, and Siya ran to help her, saying they could no longer hide their abilities.
• Siya used green arrows and lightning against the creatures, while Ivan used Super Speed and his strength to clear them out.