Chapter Summaries

Julianna, Yi Chen, Edmund, and Dagobert learned that the surviving Moonified had gathered in the Old John Theater, and Yi Chen’s bluff prompted most of them to evacuate. The four entered the theater at night, where its owner remained and proposed recreating Vinal City’s False Moon Night.

• Julianna collected an intact Moonified skin, and Edmund discovered a rare crystalline Pathogen Core attached to it.
• Yi Chen finished Central Taste and shared memories revealing that at least six Sick Ones and around twenty early-stage Moonified were inside the Old John Theater.
• Yi Chen explained that he had tricked the Moonified into believing a large force of gentlemen was coming, prompting them to evacuate.
• Julianna sensed a commotion above the sewers and confirmed that the Moonified were evacuating; the team waited until dusk before entering the theater.
• The four found the theater empty until its owner illuminated the stage and invited them to recreate Vinal City's False Moon Night.

At Old John Theater, Yi Chen and his team performed the False Moon Incident for Elton John, the theater’s Moon-marked Boss. After Yi Chen defeated him as part of the play, the team chose to spare him and asked for his help.

• Elton John introduced himself as the theater’s Boss and offered to help if the team performed a play with him.
• Edmund assigned Yi Chen to negotiate, and Yi Chen took the role of Doctor Maco in the play, “Moonlit Night.”
• Elton John staged the False Moon Incident with Moonified citizens, and Yi Chen’s team stripped their moon-marked skin as part of the performance.
• Yi Chen fought Elton John in the final scene, deliberately let him badly injure his right side, and ended the battle by cleaving his mask in two.
• Elton John praised Yi Chen’s acting and offered his Moon Mark, but Yi Chen said the team would spare him if he agreed to help.

Yi Chen learned that Doctor Maco had ties to Moon Scar and persuaded the theater Boss, Mr. John, to help the team kill the rat beneath the abandoned clinic. After confirming the moon’s Parallel Space did not affect the city, Yi Chen told Edmund about his past dealings with Sick Ones, and Edmund called him a madman who could adapt to the diseased world while retaining himself.

• Yi Chen questioned Mr. John about Doctor Maco and learned that Moon Scar had once been a Special Patient at the clinic.
• Dagobert suggested the organization had concealed the clinic’s involvement in the False Moon Incident, and Yi Chen proposed that the mission tested their ability to uncover hidden truths.
• Yi Chen asked Mr. John to help kill the rat beneath the abandoned clinic, and Mr. John agreed after explaining that the rat had eaten two Moonfolk companions.
• The team waited until midnight and confirmed that the moon’s Parallel Space affected the Twilight Clinic but not the city.
• Edmund asked Yi Chen how he had learned to deal with Sick Ones, and Yi Chen described trusting the innkeeping siblings in Green Lake Town.
• Edmund said Yi Chen was the sort of person who could adapt to the diseased world while keeping his sense of self, calling him a madman.

Yi Chen and his companions prepared to confront Mr. Lee, a Severe Diseased, while the theater Boss forged Yi Chen a new axe from the guard dog's corpse. The chapter ended with Yi Chen receiving the bloodied, bone-crafted weapon before their planned operation.

• Yi Chen and Edmund covered their bodies with Moon Skin, giving them enough leverage to negotiate with Mr. Lee.
• The group rehearsed their plan and agreed that Yi Chen and Julianna would search for Mr. Lee's Pathogen Core while Dagobert and the theater Boss created openings for them.
• Edmund warned William that his Basic Weapon would be ineffective against Mr. Lee, and the Boss offered to forge a stronger axe from the guard dog's corpse.
• Yi Chen gave the Boss his hand axe and meditated while the Boss worked through the day.
• The theater Boss presented Yi Chen with a hand axe crafted from the guard dog's bones and body, and Yi Chen praised it as a good thing.

Yi Chen and his allies prepared a convincing delivery of Moonfolk moon skins and returned to the clinic ahead of schedule. Mr. Lee accepted Yi Chen’s explanation and moved to complete their final transaction.

• Yi Chen tested the Dog-Jaw Axe, and he and the theater Boss led a sparring session to prepare for the night’s plan.
• The group staged a bloody fight, packed their bags with chunks of material, and returned to the clinic before dawn.
• The Bandaged Nurse woke Yi Chen and Edmund and escorted them underground to Mr. Lee’s ward.
• Yi Chen told Mr. Lee that they had killed the remaining Moonfolk in Vinal City and collected their moon skins, explaining that many had already evacuated.
• After White Rats inspected Yi Chen and Edmund and found nothing suspicious, Mr. Lee believed Yi Chen and proposed completing the final transaction.

Yi Chen and Edmund traded Moonfolk skin to Mr. Lee for plague serum, then lured him into accepting Julianna and the sealed remains of a special Moonfolk. As Mr. Lee took the secret-medicine bottle, Edmund and Julianna struck, and the Moonfolk began reassembling while a dog-shaped shadow attacked Mr. Lee.

• Yi Chen demanded that Mr. Lee inject him and Edmund with the antidote before they surrendered their Moonfolk skin, and Mr. Lee agreed.
• After the antidote worked, Yi Chen claimed they had captured an unusually strong Moonfolk and persuaded Mr. Lee to let Julianna bring its disassembled remains downstairs.
• Dagobert stayed by the elevator with his greatsword while Julianna carried the backpacks to the underground ward.
• Mr. Lee accepted the remains and gave Yi Chen an empty secret-medicine bottle, believing their transaction was complete.
• Edmund killed the Female Doctor and three nurses as Julianna dumped out the Moonfolk's flesh, which began reassembling; a dog-shaped shadow then bit open Mr. Lee's head.

Edmund, Yi Chen, and their allies pushed the Rat Extermination Plan into its final stage, but Mr. Lee’s body revealed itself to be a nest of rats. Yi Chen lost his left hand and the Moon Skin was swallowed as Mr. Lee’s Pathogen Core activated, leaving the group facing a more dangerous enemy.

• Edmund’s gunfire and sword strikes distracted Mr. Lee while Boss transformed and left to protect the ward from intruders outside.
• Julianna set the prepared fuel alight at the doorway to keep more rats from entering the ward.
• Yi Chen struck Mr. Lee with the Spine Axe, exposing a body cavity made of rats, and grabbed the Moon Skin.
• Mr. Lee’s rats formed a huge mouth that bit off Yi Chen’s left hand and swallowed the Moon Skin before returning to repair his body.
• The rats and the bodies of the shot nurses and Doctors returned to Mr. Lee, while moonlight activated his Pathogen Core and freed him partly from the bed.
• Mr. Lee faced Yi Chen and the others as rats crawled from his mouth and asked whether they would make him eat them.

As Edmund attacked Mr. Lee, Yi Chen deduced that the moving Pathogen Core might be hidden inside one of the mice. Mr. Lee revealed his grotesque rat-based form and lunged at Edmund, who parried his claws and shot him in the mouth.

• Yi Chen realized that Mr. Lee's Pathogen Core might be concealed in one of the mice making up his body.
• Edmund drew Mr. Lee's attention while Yi Chen and Anna searched for the Pathogen Core.
• Mr. Lee transformed his arm and spine into powerful rat-based weapons and attacked Edmund.
• Edmund deflected Mr. Lee's claws with his blade, then used the Sword-Gun Parry to fire into his mouth.

Edmund, Anna, Julianna, and Yi Chen fought Mr. Lee while searching for the Pathogen Core hidden among the rats inside his body. As Mr. Lee overwhelmed the team, Yi Chen used Little Grape’s help to reappear behind him and sever the Silver Blood Vessels feeding him.

• Edmund used Gun-Sword Parry to shoot apart Mr. Lee’s head, giving Yi Chen and Julianna an opening to study the rats inside him.
• Yi Chen memorized the rats’ movements while Julianna used Vibrational Echo to investigate them, and the two tried to identify which rat was different.
• Anna drew a curse-powered sword and joined Edmund, but Mr. Lee’s repaired head, rapid regeneration, and powerful attacks forced the pair back.
• As Mr. Lee suppressed the team, Yi Chen continued observing the rats until Little Grape entered his severed wrist and helped him return to the fight.
• Yi Chen appeared behind Mr. Lee and cut the Silver Blood Vessels connected to his back, revealing a restored left hand covered by a strange black-furred glove.

Yi Chen, Edmund, and Julianna fought Mr. Lee while Yi Chen searched for the Pathogen Core. After finding it, Yi Chen seized the Pathogen Rat inside Mr. Lee and crushed it, leaving Mr. Lee convulsing as the chapter ended.

• Edmund and Miss Anna used injections to recover, while Yi Chen's left hand was restored by Little Grape.
• Julianna and Yi Chen's attacks opened Mr. Lee's body, allowing Yi Chen to observe the rats and identify the Pathogen Core.
• Mr. Lee evolved and severely injured Julianna and Edmund, but Yi Chen announced that he had found the core and charged in.
• Mr. Lee briefly succumbed to Little Grape's mental attack, then trapped Yi Chen's axe in his teeth and bit him with his Living Rat Tail.
• Edmund deflected Mr. Lee's right arm, and Julianna severed his left arm, giving Yi Chen the chance to break through his teeth and reach the Pathogen Rat in his throat.
• Yi Chen grabbed the Pathogen Rat and crushed it despite Mr. Lee's plea for mercy.

Yi Chen killed Jasmin. Lee and extracted his memories, learning that Twilight Clinic’s secret medicine and hidden experiments had caused the disaster. The team reunited at the elevator, but the moon grew larger, and the silver-haired young man from the sewer appeared outside the clinic.

• Yi Chen and Edmund stabilized Julianna after she helped kill Mr. Lee, then Yi Chen extracted Mr. Lee’s brain and learned his history and the clinic’s secrets.
• Yi Chen packed Mr. Lee’s corpse while Edmund carried Julianna, and they left the underground area to return to the clinic’s surface.
• Yi Chen and Edmund reached the lobby and found Dagobert guarding the elevator; after confirming Mr. Lee was dead, Dagobert collapsed from exhaustion.
• Yi Chen sensed the moonlight had intensified and found the moon larger instead of disappearing.
• A silver-haired young man emerged from the hillside outside the clinic, applauding and praising Yi Chen.

Yi Chen identified Moon Scar—Lorien as the survivor of the False Moon Incident, who had concealed himself while recovering and searching for a new counterpart. When Moon Scar invited Yi Chen to join him on the moon, Yi Chen refused, and a cane shattered the moon as two figures entered the Parallel Space.

• Little Grape woke and warned William to escape if he could, but to surrender if escape proved impossible.
• Yi Chen recognized Moon Scar—Lorien as the Open Source Patient and deduced that one of his two bodies had died while he recovered and sought a replacement.
• Moon Scar praised Yi Chen’s reasoning and explained that Doctor Maco had killed his False Moon Body, while he had hidden in the city and created the clinic’s staff and Parallel Space.
• Moon Scar said Mr. Lee and Elton John were possible candidates but declared Yi Chen the perfect choice, then invited him to walk onto the moon.
• Yi Chen refused Moon Scar’s invitation, and a top-hatted cane pierced the shattered moon to form a partition as a black figure and a white figure entered.

Chamberson and Aige joined Yi Chen’s group to confront Moonscar, but the powerful Open Source Patient survived their attacks and escaped. The group returned to Zion, where the wounded received care and Yi Chen learned Doctor Maco’s brain had been preserved after his body was executed.

• Chamberson and Aige attacked Moonscar, but Moonscar shielded the Female Doctor, endured their blows, and escaped after warning that they would meet again.
• Chamberson searched the mountain with magical owls before leading the group back to Zion.
• Chamberson assessed the group’s injuries and promised to seek top-level treatment for Julianna and Edmund.
• Aige said the mission’s report would use a special, non-public procedure because the group had learned secret information about Twilight Clinic from Jesmine Lee.
• Yi Chen asked about Doctor Maco, and Aige told him that Maco’s body had been executed while his brain was preserved.

At the Major-Hospital-of-Hippocrates, Yi Chen, Dagobert, Edmund, and Julianna recovered from their injuries after the mission, though Julianna faced a long rehabilitation and might not return to Disease Removal work. After a month, Supervisor Aige picked them up for a confidential settlement meeting about the Secret Medicine Recovery mission.

• Yi Chen received a reconstructed left hand and remained hospitalized for a week of examinations because he had contacted the Moon Mark.
• On the fourth day, Yi Chen, Dagobert, and Edmund shared a sickroom, where they learned Edmund needed an arm amputation and reconstruction because rat fur had taken root in his bones.
• The hospital told Edmund that Julianna was out of danger but might suffer lasting injuries, and Edmund broke down emotionally at the news.
• After a month, the four were discharged; Edmund had adjusted to his reconstructed arm, while Julianna continued her recovery in a wheelchair.
• Supervisor Aige met them outside the hospital and took them to a confidential settlement meeting where organizational leaders would question them about the mission.

Yi Chen and his teammates attended a closed-door review of their mission, where Doctor André Vesari questioned their choices and Supervisor Aige explained the mission’s true purpose. Yi Chen then began revealing what he had uncovered about Twilight Clinic.

• Supervisor Aige told the team their mission performance would earn them greater rewards and confirmed Mr. Lee’s corpse had been turned into Diseased Crystallization for them to share.
• At Gentleman Hall, Yi Chen recognized Doctor André Vesari, the vice president of Major Hospital of Hippocrates, as a doctor he had met before in Zion City.
• Yi Chen recounted the mission, and André Vesari praised his decisions before asking why he had chosen to fight Mr. Lee.
• Edmund said his principles as a gentleman had compelled him to confront Mr. Lee, while Yi Chen admitted he had feared betrayal, wanted to test himself, and hoped to earn greater rewards.
• Supervisor Aige revealed the mission had been designed to identify New Gentlemen with investigative potential, then asked the team to describe what they had learned about Twilight Clinic.
• Yi Chen began explaining the clinic’s hidden truth as the emblem on the back of his head started to squirm.

Yi Chen recounted how the Twilight Clinic created Artificial Sick Ones and how Lorien became Moonscar, then escaped and caused the False Moon Incident. After the team’s mission was evaluated, Doctor Vesali arranged for Yi Chen to receive a bottle of Twilight Silver Liquid because of his latent Death Trait.

• Yi Chen explained that the Twilight Clinic tortured Sick Ones for Patho-Death Toxin and began creating Artificial Sick Ones to increase its supply.
• Yi Chen described how Lorien’s transformation into the first Silverified Patient led to his escape, growth into an Open Source Patient, and the False Moon Incident.
• Doctor Vesali questioned Yi Chen about how he learned the clinic’s history, and Yi Chen explained that his trait let him read memories from fresh brains.
• Supervisor Aige announced upgraded mission rewards, including Silver Coins, Gentleman's Skin, a Rare Mission Point, a Tumor Crystal, and Twilight Silver Liquid for each team member.
• Doctor Vesali learned that Yi Chen had an undeveloped Death Trait and recommended exchanging some rewards for a full bottle of Twilight Silver Liquid.
• Doctor Vesali gave Yi Chen his business card and invited him to ask for guidance about the Secret Medicine.

After the mission, Yi Chen received Jasmin Lee’s Tumor Crystal and a bottle of the secret medicine Twilight Silver Liquid. Professor Chamberson explained the medicine’s uses and dangers, then offered to help Yi Chen find a forger for his new weapon.

• Supervisor Aige distributed Gentleman's Skin and gave Jasmin Lee’s Tumor Crystal to Captain Edmund, who passed it to Yi Chen for his contribution to the victory.
• Supervisor Aige took Yi Chen’s teammates aside while Professor Chamberson explained that Doctor Vesali’s intervention had secured Yi Chen a full bottle of Twilight Silver Liquid.
• Professor Chamberson described the secret medicine’s emergency restorative effects, possible use for Yi Chen’s Death Trait, and severe risks, and advised him to consult Doctor Vesali before using it.
• Yi Chen asked Professor Chamberson to store the medicine until he could safely use it, then discussed adding Gentleman's Skin to his clothes and forging a weapon from the crystal.
• Professor Chamberson offered to take Yi Chen to a forger and supply spare materials from his warehouse.

Yi Chen visited Metalwork-Street with Professor Chamberson to commission a versatile hand axe made from the Tumor Crystal of the Moonlit Rat. Blacksmith Bengus began designing the weapon, and Yi Chen agreed to remain in the city for tests while it was forged.

• Chamberson led Yi Chen to Metalwork-Street, where they chose Vulcan's Forge.
• Yi Chen showed Bengus the Severe Diseased's Tumor Crystal, and Bengus agreed to forge a weapon from it.
• Yi Chen requested a slightly heavy hand axe, and Bengus demonstrated a mechanism that extended an iron rod from one meter to two.
• Chamberson paid for the highest-standard design and offered additional materials before leaving Yi Chen to finalize the weapon's details.
• Bengus discovered Yi Chen's unusual strength during his examination and asked him to stay in the city for possible weapon tests.

Yi Chen spent a month training and studying at the Academy while the smithy delayed his custom equipment. After the Book Emblem overheated and raised his Intellect to the Extraordinary level, his Pathogenization Trait changed and his plant control grew powerful enough to pierce a mirror and the wall behind it.

• The smithy encountered technical problems processing Moonlit Rat's Tumor Crystal, applied to Zion for support, and estimated that Yi Chen's equipment would take another month to complete.
• Yi Chen used his three-month mission break to train with Teacher Zed, whose control and sparring ability continued to astound him.
• Yi Chen read all the basic books available to him in the Grand Library, improved his understanding of his Pathogenization Trait, and decided to turn his Gentleman's Skin into gloves.
• That night, Yi Chen's brain began to smoke and overheat, and Little Grape found that the Book Emblem at the back of his head had turned bright red.
• Yi Chen cooled his head with cold water for an hour, after which his Intellect increased from 4 to 5 and reached the Extraordinary level.
• Yi Chen tested his altered plant control by firing a Plant Root Tendril from his palm, piercing the bathroom mirror and gouging the wall behind it.

Yi Chen discovered that studying had raised his Intelligence, then went with Professor Chamberson to Vulcan's Forge to inspect the completed weapon. After seeing its two forms, Slaughter Moon, Yi Chen activated and transformed it, leaving the weapon's capabilities revealed.

• Yi Chen learned that a month of reading and study had increased his Intelligence by 0.5, and Little Grape suggested the gain might be linked to his brain's growth after absorbing Cerebral Fluid.
• Yi Chen and Professor Chamberson visited Vulcan's Forge, where Bengus explained that the weapon's complicated forging had made it cost 48,000 silver coins.
• Yi Chen opened the case and examined the finished hand axe, which was named Slaughter Moon and had a Slaughter Form for inflicting Bleed and a Full Moon Form for marking and damaging enemies.
• Yi Chen triggered Slaughter Form by bleeding onto the handle, causing the weapon to grow sawtoothed fangs and turn blood-red.
• Yi Chen extended the handle and changed the axe into its silver-white Full Moon Form, with a symmetrical double blade and a Moon Mark on the rat sculpture.