Chapter Summaries

Luo Yan traveled to Langya City to address Gou Mang Department matters and seek information about Freedom Wings from Hu Ziqiang. After arriving amid heightened tensions caused by a giant beast attack, he agreed to meet Hu at headquarters.

• Wang Meng told Luo Yan he would join the mission to support the White Elephant Group and promised to be careful.
• Luo Yan read messages about Yu Qiushui's search for Du Yue and disputes over the Gou Mang Department, then told Feiyu he would visit Langya City to meet Hu Ziqiang.
• Bai Shaotang approved Luo Yan's trip, and Luo Yan left for Langya City by underground train.
• The train stopped because giant beasts had attacked Langya City, then continued after the underground station reopened.
• Feiyu told Luo Yan that the war had disrupted business and that Jin Na and Ying Zhengye were pressing for cooperation; Luo Yan said Qiang Liang could cooperate only by merging into Gou Mang.
• Feiyu told Luo Yan that Hu Ziqiang was waiting at headquarters, and Luo Yan decided to see him.

Luo Yan met with Hu Ziqiang, who offered Kunlun Group discounted supplies and safe passage in exchange for intelligence and possibly other services. Hu Ziqiang warned that Freedom Wings had a secret weapon capable of breaking into the region, leaving Luo Yan to weigh the proposed cooperation amid the threat.

• Luo Yan ordered Feiyu to investigate Song Guangzhi's branch projects and personal assets.
• Luo Yan met Hu Ziqiang, who said his powerful boss wanted deeper cooperation with Kunlun Group.
• Hu Ziqiang offered transit passes and discounted medicinal materials, weapons, ammunition, and mecha components in return for intelligence and potentially assassinations.
• Luo Yan questioned whether Freedom Wings could overcome the Strategic Affairs Department, and Hu Ziqiang claimed Freedom Wings had a secret weapon that could let them invade.

Luo Yan reviewed Captain Song Guangzhi’s clean financial records and called the Gou Mang Department’s captains to a meeting. Meanwhile, Ying Zhengye and Jin Na planned to use Three-Step Smile to kill Red Ghost, leaving Jin Na with the poison and a chance to act on her own.

• Luo Yan read Feiyu’s report on Song Guangzhi and questioned whether his protest against Zhu Hu’s power came from concern for the department or outside influence.
• Luo Yan ordered all the captains, including Yang Hao and Zhu Hu, to attend a meeting in Langya City in two days.
• Jin Na complained to Ying Zhengye that the Gou Mang Department had rejected her request and urged him to persuade Mister Zhou to move against Red Ghost.
• Ying Zhengye told Jin Na that Mister Zhou would not risk attacking Red Ghost and that they would have to rely on themselves.
• Jin Na revealed that she had made Three-Step Smile, and Ying Zhengye proposed using it to poison Red Ghost.

Zhuo Hu attended a meeting at Kunlun headquarters where Luo Yan reassigned Azure Dragon Shipping to Song Guangzhi. Zhuo Hu accepted the order, then waited outside Luo Yan’s office with Old Hei as Song Guangzhi and his allies celebrated the transfer.

• Zhuo Hu and Old Hei arrived at headquarters and encountered Song Guangzhi and two allied captains, who mocked Zhuo Hu and discussed splitting up his forces.
• Zhuo Hu entered the conference hall, where he assessed Yang Hao and greeted Feiyu before Luo Yan arrived.
• Luo Yan told Zhuo Hu that he would hand Azure Dragon Shipping over to Song Guangzhi, and Zhuo Hu accepted without objection.
• Old Hei protested the decision, but Zhuo Hu ordered him to sit down and said he would no longer concern himself with Azure Dragon Shipping.
• After the meeting, Song Guangzhi’s allies taunted Zhuo Hu outside Luo Yan’s office, and Zhuo Hu restrained Old Hei from confronting them.

Luo Yan suspected Song Guangzhi of being a spy and let him take over Azure Dragon Shipping as bait, ordering Zhu Hu to watch him. Zhu Hu and Luo Yan staged a falling-out to put Song at ease, and Zhu Hu caught him secretly leaving his hotel that night.

• Song Guangzhi claimed he would try to persuade Mister Red Ghost to return Azure Dragon Shipping to Zhu Hu, but Zhu Hu refused to drink with him.
• Luo Yan told Zhu Hu that Song Guangzhi seemed suspiciously clean and had taken over Azure Dragon Shipping to draw out his true motives.
• Zhu Hu agreed to secretly watch Song Guangzhi, and Luo Yan praised him for supporting the decision despite losing the company.
• Zhu Hu staged an angry departure from Luo Yan's office, and rumors spread that the two had fallen out.
• Zhu Hu and Old Hei monitored Song Guangzhi at a banquet and watched him leave his hotel secretly after it ended.

Song Guangzhi met Jin Na, believing she had arranged a secret rendezvous, but Red Ghost and Zhuo Hu arrived and exposed the meeting as a trap. After Jin Na killed Song Guangzhi, Red Ghost confronted her and narrowly avoided her attempt to get close to him.

• Song Guangzhi visited Jin Na and told her that Red Ghost had given him control of Azure Dragon Shipping after falling out with Zhuo Hu.
• Jin Na realized Red Ghost might have suspected Song Guangzhi and warned that Zhuo Hu's departure was likely a trap.
• Zhuo Hu and Red Ghost entered the apartment, and Red Ghost ordered Song Guangzhi to take his own life.
• Jin Na killed Song Guangzhi with a poisoned golden needle, and Red Ghost had Zhuo Hu remove the body before speaking with her alone.
• Jin Na tried to seduce Red Ghost, but he drew a dagger and told her that his coat had been dirtied.

Jin Na tried to poison Luo Yan with Three-Step Smile, but he remained unharmed and revealed his transformed form as the figure who destroyed An Lan Base and killed Cai Andao. After Jin Na failed to escape and begged to serve him, Luo Yan stood over her without answering.

• Jin Na revealed that she had laced her smoke with Three-Step Smile and taunted Luo Yan, but the poison did not take effect.
• Luo Yan transformed, and Jin Na recognized him as the wild xiao ghost who destroyed An Lan Base and killed Cai Andao.
• Jin Na rushed for the door, but Luo Yan's zither melody and cutting wind left her in agony and covered in wounds.
• Luo Yan dismissed Jin Na's threats that the organization would retaliate, saying Ying Zhengye and Zhou Yucheng would value him more than her.
• Jin Na surrendered and offered to serve Luo Yan, but he stared at her coldly without responding.

Luo Yan killed Jinna, then learned that the war between Freedom Wings and the White Elephant Group had stalled as reinforcements arrived. Following Bai Shaotang’s advice to feign compliance, Luo Yan met Hu Ziqiang and gave him limited Strategic Affairs Department intelligence to secure better terms.

• Luo Yan killed Jinna and ordered Zhu Hu to clean up the room.
• Over the following week, Luo Yan learned that reinforcements had brought the fighting between Freedom Wings and the White Elephant Group to a stalemate.
• Bai Shaotang advised Luo Yan to feign compliance and supplied him with low-level intelligence to use in negotiations with Hu Ziqiang.
• Luo Yan met Hu Ziqiang at the Bale Hotel and demanded additional concessions in exchange for cooperating.
• Hu Ziqiang returned with an offer of additional concessions in return for valuable intelligence within a week.
• Luo Yan gave Hu Ziqiang a document detailing troop and supply movements supporting the White Elephant Group, while withholding core information.

Luo Yan returned to Jinge City after handing Azure Dragon Shipping back to Zhuo Hu and arranging matters in Gou Mang Department. Meanwhile, Ying Zhengye told Zhou Yucheng that Qiang Liang Department’s Minister Jin Na had gone missing and urged an investigation into Red Ghost, but Zhou refused to act without evidence.

• Hu Ziqiang and Feiyu discussed future cooperation after Luo Yan left the hotel.
• Luo Yan gave Azure Dragon Shipping back to Zhuo Hu, dismissed Song Guangzhi as missing, and told Yang Hao to urge Yang Tao to cultivate.
• Luo Yan returned to Jinge City after finishing his business in Langya City.
• Ying Zhengye told Zhou Yucheng that Jin Na had disappeared and suggested she might have gone to confront Red Ghost.
• Zhou Yucheng declined to investigate Red Ghost based on suspicion alone and said he would organize a team to look into Jin Na’s disappearance.
• On his way home, Ying Zhengye blamed Jin Na for acting alone and resolved to find evidence that could be used against Red Ghost.

Luo Yan’s cultivation progressed as the Strategic Affairs Department ordered the Heavenly Fire Squad to rescue the Merlion’s upper echelons from Freedom Wings in Lion City. The squad departed for the dangerous mission, with an unnamed assistant arranged by Bai Shaotang still to be revealed.

• Luo Yan extended another branch meridian, bringing his total to twenty-three branch meridians and thirty-four Mystic Apertures.
• Vice Captain Bai told Luo Yan she expected to complete the fifth layer of the Profound Comprehension Realm soon, and he offered to obtain cultivation potions for her.
• Bai Shaotang warned that Freedom Wings planned to execute the Merlion’s upper echelons in three days unless the White Elephant Group withdrew from the war zone.
• Bai Shaotang assigned the Heavenly Fire Squad to rescue the Merlion’s upper echelons and escort them to the White Elephant Group’s territory before the deadline.
• Luo Yan assembled the Heavenly Fire Squad, briefed them on the dangerous mission behind enemy lines, and led them toward the transport plane.

Luo Yan and the Heavenly Fire Squad prepared to infiltrate Lion City and rescue the Merlion's higher-ups, with Loki joining them as a guide to Freedom Wings. The chapter ended with Luo Yan assigning Loki and Vice Captain Bai to locate the captives within twenty-four hours.

• Loki joined the Heavenly Fire Squad on the transport plane and explained her espionage training and Fourth Order abilities, including Shapeshifting Technique, Illusion, and True Lies.
• Luo Yan used the Golden Eyes of Enlightenment to confirm that Loki had been truthful about her abilities.
• Luo Yan read Bai Shaotang's intelligence and learned that Freedom Wings occupied Lion City, where Caesar oversaw two Mecha Squads.
• Luo Yan told the squad that they would land in White Elephant Group territory and travel secretly to Lion City without using their mecha.
• Luo Yan assigned Vice Captain Bai and Loki to search Lion City for the Merlion's higher-ups, who might be held at the Command Building, Lion City Prison, or a resettlement camp.

Luo Yan and the Heavenly Fire Squad raced through the war zone to rescue Merlion's senior officials before their scheduled execution. After Murong Xuan spotted a newly established Freedom Wings camp ahead, Luo Yan ordered Black Nether Heaven to eliminate it and sent a team to handle the aftermath.

• Luo Yan received supplies and Brainwave Jamming Grenades before leading the Heavenly Fire Squad away from the airport.
• Luo Yan followed Bai Shaotang's route around the fiercest fighting, aiming to pass the Chiang Rai battlefield before dawn.
• Murong Xuan used birds he had drawn to scout ahead and discovered a Freedom Wings camp near their route.
• Luo Yan ordered Black Nether Heaven to erase the camp and told Murong Xuan to send its coordinates to a team assigned to deal with the aftermath.

Wali and the soldiers in a temporary camp were swallowed by darkness before artillery destroyed the camp. In Lion City, Caesar explained to Jane Foster that he planned to lure a Strategic Affairs Department rescue team into a trap while secretly moving the White Elephant Group leaders to sea.

• Wali rebuked a rookie soldier for questioning the war and told him to follow orders.
• Darkness seized Wali and the soldiers in the temporary camp, making them vanish before a convoy's precision strike erased the camp.
• Jane Foster reported to Caesar, who explained his plan to use the announced executions to bait and defeat a Strategic Affairs Department rescue team.
• Caesar left to transfer the White Elephant Group leaders to a patrol ship, and Jane saw its identification number, Z-418, on a tablet.

Luo Yan and Loki infiltrated Lion City, which Freedom Wings had occupied, and disguised themselves as soldiers to investigate its refugee camp and prison. Luo Yan found no records of Merlion’s leaders in the camp roster, then drew Lieutenant Charlie’s suspicion after asking about removing some girls’ names.

• Luo Yan assigned the Heavenly Fire Squad to infiltrate Lion City, plant an Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb, scout the Command Building, and provide support.
• Luo Yan and Loki found Sergeant James secretly drinking and boasting about abusing residents, so Loki killed him while Luo Yan took his uniform and equipment.
• Loki transformed Luo Yan into James and disguised herself as a soldier before they split up to investigate separate locations.
• Luo Yan entered the refugee camp, used the roster to search for Merlion’s leaders, and found no records of them.
• Lieutenant Charlie confronted Luo Yan over James’s plan to remove girls from the camp roster, warned him to stop, and told him to use his rank instead of calling him Uncle.

Luo Yan and Loki learned that Colonel Caesar had transferred the Merlion’s higher-ups to patrol ship Z-418, then headed to the docks to begin the rescue. The chapter leaves Loki flying toward the ship while Luo Yan enters the dock management office disguised as Caesar.

• Loki and Hei Wu failed to find the Merlion’s higher-ups or Colonel Caesar at the prison and Command Building, so Luo Yan asked Loki to transform him into Caesar.
• Disguised as Colonel Caesar, Luo Yan used Loki’s True Lies on Jane Foster and learned that Caesar had moved the Merlion’s higher-ups to patrol ship Z-418.
• Luo Yan searched Caesar’s computer for the ship’s location, recorded its coordinates, and sent them to Bai?.
• Luo Yan reflected on the danger of Loki’s abilities, and Loki assured him that she had no reason to harm the Strategic Affairs Department.
• Loki transformed into a seagull and flew toward Z-418 while Luo Yan, disguised as Caesar, entered the dock management office.

Luo Yan detonated an electromagnetic pulse bomb and destroyed the ships at the dock, preventing Caesar from reaching Z-418. He fought Caesar and killed him just as Ares began to answer his call, leaving Luo Yan relying on Loki to rescue the others.

• Luo Yan ordered Zhang Tianyi to detonate the electromagnetic pulse bomb, disabling communications and electronic devices around the city.
• Caesar warned the patrol ship to contact Z-418, but the pulse stopped the crew from reaching it.
• Luo Yan destroyed the docked ships, revealed his true form, and confronted Caesar.
• Caesar's Nether Titanium Grenade trapped Luo Yan in black smoke, but the Dragon Dragon Blood Essence absorbed its Nether Particles and freed him.
• Luo Yan cut down the soldiers and transcendent beings, then struck Caesar as Ares's Holy Projection began to appear.
• Caesar split apart and burst into flames, and Ares's unfinished Holy Projection dissipated.

Luo Yan killed Caesar and cleared the Kuala Lumpur Dock, while Zhang Tianyi and Yang Kui attacked Freedom Wings positions in Lion City to open a route for the team’s withdrawal. The chapter ended with Luo Yan spotting patrol ship Z-418 approaching the dock.

• Luo Yan killed Caesar after the Psionic Grenade disrupted Caesar’s connection to Ares, then escaped the dock as Freedom Wings’ soldiers fled.
• Zhang Tianyi openly attacked a Freedom Wings firing position and cleared the apartment building.
• Yang Kui stormed a roadblock, killed a woman who attacked him, and drove the remaining soldiers away.
• Luo Yan cleared the soldiers from the dock administration office and saw patrol ship Z-418 sailing toward him.

Captain Luo Yan escorted Shen Zhixin, Yao Kai, and the Merlion officials out of Lion City as Freedom Wings attacked them. After their car was overturned by a rocket, Luo Yan fought off an ambusher and led the survivors into an alley.

• Loki brought Yao Kai and Commander Shen Zhixin to Captain Luo Yan, who drove them away from the dock as smoke signals and gunfire spread through Lion City.
• A Freedom Wings mecha attacked the cars, but Loki's illusions confused its pilot and helped the rescue team escape.
• Freedom Wings soldiers and a motorcycle rider pursued the cars; Luo Yan struck the rider's motorcycle with a flaming projectile and stopped him.
• A rocket flipped Luo Yan's car, so he killed the gunner with Bone Shatter and pulled Shen Zhixin and Yao Kai from the wreck.
• Luo Yan led Shen Zhixin and Yao Kai into an alley, where he killed an attacker wielding poisoned spikes.

Luo Yan, Shen Zhixin, and Yao Kai fought their way out of Lion City as Freedom Wings pursued them, while Jane Foster learned that Caesar had been killed and the Strategic Affairs Department had escaped. General Morton ordered the Black Knight forces to take over.

• Luo Yan commandeered an SUV, killed a sniper, and destroyed an armored vehicle pursuing them.
• Shen Zhixin steered the SUV around Freedom Wings soldiers while Luo Yan cut through an abandoned shop and disabled a mecha blocking their escape.
• Jane Foster arrived at the harbor and found Caesar's corpse after questioning soldiers about the battle.
• Jane learned that Luo Yan's grenade had failed to explode, Caesar's calls to his deity went unanswered, and Nether Titanium Grenades had not stopped Luo Yan.
• An officer reported that the Strategic Affairs Department had left Lion City with the Merlion higher-ups, and Jane told General Morton that Caesar had fallen.
• General Morton said Jane no longer needed to handle the matter and that the Black Knight forces would take over.

Jane Foster explained that the secretive Black Knight Unit consisted of dangerous operatives and their personally chosen attendants. Meanwhile, Luo Yan led Shen Zhixin and Yao Kai’s group toward White Elephant Group territory as a Black Knight’s team tracked them and planned to interfere.

• Jane Foster told his assistant that the Black Knight Unit operated secretly and warned him not to repeat what he had said.
• Luo Yan finished cultivating in an abandoned building, where Shen Zhixin and Yao Kai thanked him for rescuing them from the mech.
• Luo Yan warned the group that Freedom Wings would pursue them before its execution deadline and urged them to reach White Elephant Group territory.
• Luo Yan and the others split into two teams, boarded military jeeps, and left the town at night while a crow followed them.
• A Black Knight with a crow-marked eyepatch spotted the jeeps through his dark eye socket and reported their location to a woman, who ordered him to create interference and warned him about Luo Yan.