Chapter Summaries

After Chen Chuan’s squad destroyed the Iron Demon’s forces, the Command Department verified the victory and approved promotions and commendations. Chen Chuan received his new rank and special medicines, then Counselor Pei warned him that a politically sensitive person might soon arrive at the garrison.

• The Command Department confirmed the Iron Demon’s death after Chen Chuan returned with the head and spoils, and Qiao Weiting approved promotions for Chen Chuan, Yuan Qiuyuan, and Qin Qingque, along with a general commendation.
• Chen Chuan returned to Outpost 4, where officials inspected the evidence and completed the handover before the squad resumed its lessons and rest.
• Five days later, Yuan Qiuyuan spoke with his sister, celebrated his expected promotion, and asked Chen Chuan when they would go on another mission.
• Counselor Pei told Chen Chuan that his appointment as Executive Captain had been issued and gave him special medicines for the squad.
• Counselor Pei explained that certain people had delayed Chen Chuan’s commendation and supplies, then warned that a man who had cleared his name publicly would soon pass through the garrison.

Chen Chuan received his appointment as Executive Captain, distributed special training medicine to his team, and was given a historic pistol by Director Qiao. He learned that Chen Bitong would arrive at Outpost 4 the next day, giving him a chance to observe the Fighter he had been assigned to watch.

• Counselor Pei explained Chen Chuan's authority to form a team and how he could recruit or request members.
• Chen Chuan divided the training medicine among Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and the team reward, then agreed to take the remaining share himself at their request.
• Vice Officer Yao formally appointed Chen Chuan as Executive Captain and presented him with a sword and a Star Merit Pistol gifted by Director Qiao.
• Chen Chuan learned that Iron Demon's repaired spear was ready to collect and headed to the Logistics Department.
• Yuan Qiuyuan told Chen Chuan that Instructor Chen would arrive at Outpost 4 the next day, and Chen Chuan said he would attend the welcoming ceremony.

Chen Bitong arrived at Outpost 4 under close scrutiny from the higher-ups, and Chen Chuan observed the veteran fighter’s skill and influence. The next day, Chen Chuan accepted an invitation to meet him, then asked Qin Qingque to investigate who had shared his contact channel.

• Chen Bitong arrived at Outpost 4, where Lai Wu and the soldiers greeted him with respect while senior officers stayed away.
• Chen Chuan watched Chen Bitong use an unseen domain and mental technique to look in his direction, then returned to his quarters and took special medication.
• Chen Bitong read reports about Iron Demon’s death and agreed to meet the operative who had killed him the following day.
• Chen Chuan learned that Chen Bitong’s former students and supporters had gathered at the outpost, then received an invitation from Zhan Yi to a tea gathering.
• Chen Chuan accepted Zhan Yi’s invitation and told Qin Qingque to find out who had disclosed his contact channel.

Chen Chuan attended Chen Bitong’s tea party, where he discussed defeating Iron Demon and learned more about the demon ghost modifications used in the Convergence Zone. Chen Bitong invited him to a future training class in Central City, promising to answer his question about Iron Demon’s danger-sensing ability there.

• Chen Chuan brought Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque to Chen Bitong’s tea party and met Captain Zhan Yi.
• Chen Chuan recounted defeating Iron Demon and credited the intelligence department for helping lure him into the fight.
• Chen Chuan explained Iron Demon’s mutation, and Chen Bitong and Fa Staff Officer discussed how demon ghosts were created through activation modifications.
• A discipline department officer questioned Chen Chuan about his knowledge of Esoteric Sect Rituals, and Chen Chuan said he had learned about them through the Esoteric Sect Review Department.
• Chen Chuan asked Chen Bitong whether Iron Demon’s danger sense came from a fighting ability or his demon ghost identity, and Chen Bitong invited him to ask again at a future training class in Central City.

Chen Chuan received advice about Chen Bitong and the Blood Elite Group, then led his squad toward Outpost 285 after it stopped sending reliable reports. At a rest stop near the outpost, his team found the three soldiers who had checked them in dead, though the bodies appeared to have been dead for about forty-eight hours.

• Zhan Yi invited Chen Chuan to join the Blood Elite Group, and Counselor Pei warned him that the group consisted of radical officers who sought to bring corporations under state control.
• Chen Chuan reported a communications-office leak to Counselor Pei and wondered whether Iron Demon was related to Uncle Ding.
• Ding Mou assigned Chen Chuan's squad to investigate Outpost 285, which had sent only meaningless signals for two days.
• Chen Chuan gathered Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and a support team, and they set out by road toward Outpost 285.
• After four days of travel, the squad stopped at a rest stop and found three soldiers dead in a warehouse; the medical team estimated they had died about forty-eight hours earlier.

Chen Chuan’s team discovered that three dead rest-stop soldiers were being animated by activated brain tissue, likely belonging to Fighters from Fort No. 285. They reached the deserted outpost and found no signs of an attack, but the commander’s torn memorandum suggested someone had descended into madness; with night approaching, Chen Chuan suspected the danger lay inside.

• Chen Chuan ordered a second search of the rest stop after learning that the three soldiers had been dead for forty-eight hours, then assigned Yuan Qiuyuan to keep watch overnight.
• After the convoy left, Chen Chuan turned it back when he sensed something was wrong, and the three dead soldiers appeared alive again at the rest stop.
• Chen Chuan tapped the soldiers’ foreheads, causing activated brain tissue to crawl from their ears, and concluded it likely belonged to Fighters from Fort No. 285.
• Chen Chuan’s team reached Fort No. 285 and found it empty, with vehicles, weapons, and rooms orderly and no evidence of fighting or an attack.
• Chen Chuan found that the outpost logs ended before the strange telegram and discovered shredded, seemingly deranged notes in the commander’s memorandum.
• Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque reported intact defenses and no signs of an outside threat, leaving Chen Chuan to suspect the danger was within the outpost as night approached.

Chen Chuan and his team spent the night inside the fortress as unsettling knocks, roll calls, and footsteps sounded outside. At dawn they found enormous footprints by the doors, and Chen Chuan confronted Fei Shoubei, who had apparently been watching from the commanding officer’s office.

• Chen Chuan gathered the team in the briefing hall, released ten Combat Creatures to stand guard, and provided everyone with a hot meal and warm drinks.
• Yuan Qiuyuan began a ghost story, but mysterious knocking at the doors interrupted him; later, the sound of a garrison roll call included every member of Chen Chuan’s team.
• Chen Chuan kept the team calm and told Qin Qingque to sit by the door while the soldiers took turns telling stories until the outside sounds stopped.
• After the night passed, Chen Chuan opened the doors and found enormous footprints in the snow, while all the Combat Weapons had returned unharmed.
• Chen Chuan went to the commanding officer’s office and addressed Fei Shoubei, who asked how Chen Chuan had recognized him.

Chen Chuan confronted Fei Tong and exposed his role in the schemes linked to the Old Imperial Household. Fei Tong attacked after admitting his plans, but Chen Chuan overwhelmed him and sent him flying through the office wall.

• Chen Chuan explained how the torn journal page and Fei Tong’s domain field had revealed that Fei Tong was pretending to be mad and had aided the plot.
• Chen Chuan accused Fei Tong of accepting activation technology from the Old Imperial Household and serving as Iron Demon’s backup escape route.
• Fei Tong admitted he had stayed to gather spoils as a gift for the Old Imperial Household, then drew his sword and attacked Chen Chuan.
• Chen Chuan struck Fei Tong repeatedly with his bare hands, overpowering him despite Fei Tong’s mutated strength.
• Fei Tong drained his life potential to strengthen his tendrils, but Chen Chuan launched him through the broken office wall.

Chen Chuan defeated Fei Tong, uncovered how he had used a mimicry worm to fake the strange sounds, and captured him alive. While escorting Fei Tong back by airship, Chen Chuan heard his account of being held back and condemned him for taking revenge on weaker colleagues instead of confronting those he blamed.

• Chen Chuan overpowered Fei Tong, found a mimicry worm and took his shortsword, then called Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque back to the corridor.
• Chen Chuan identified Fei Tong as the culprit, confirmed he had no accomplices, and ordered a telegram sent to base.
• Two days later, soldiers arrived to secure Fort No. 285, and Chen Chuan and his team boarded an airship to return with Fei Tong.
• Chen Chuan questioned Fei Tong, who said a powerful Defense Department connection had stalled his career and that Iron Demon had offered him a way forward.
• Fei Tong insisted his murdered colleagues were worth less than he was, and Chen Chuan called him a failure before leaving the cabin.

After returning to the Fourth Fortress, Chen Chuan completed his mission handover, received special medicine, and prepared to return to Central City to approach Chen Bitong. He arrived in the city and discovered the gift Counselor Pei had arranged: the restored armor of the Iron Demon.

• Chen Chuan handed Fei Tong over to Lai Wu and reported his team’s mission to Ding Mou, who confirmed Fei Tong had been involved in the treachery.
• Counselor Pei gave Chen Chuan special medicine and instructed him to return to Central City and build a relationship with Chen Bitong; afterward, Pei secretly reported Chen Chuan’s planned approach to a target as Wasp.
• Chen Chuan distributed medicine and bonuses to Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque, who chose to remain on his team while he stayed in Central City.
• Chen Chuan returned to Central City by train, passed the security checkpoint, and drove to his company residence.
• Chen Chuan found the Iron Demon’s restored armor in a large crate and carried it inside to put in his Weapon Collection Room.

Chen Chuan prepared to return to Yangzhi after applying for an academy instructor and checking on his friends and company. He visited Tan Zhi, where Teacher Wei reacted uneasily to seeing him, and Tan Zhi asked him for a referral to the Secret Serpent Sect.

• Chen Chuan arranged his collected weapons and armor, applied to Wuyi Academy for cultivation guidance, and learned his application had passed review.
• Chen Chuan told his family and friends he planned to return to Yangzhi, checked on Lao Qi and Fusion Boundary Corporation, and agreed to travel with Lu Fang.
• Chen Chuan explored the Defense Plan trading and recruitment platform and sent a request to speak with a potential recruit.
• Chen Chuan visited Tan Zhi and noticed Teacher Wei seemed panicked when she saw him.
• Tan Zhi invited Chen Chuan to a performance, then asked him for a referral to the Secret Serpent Sect.

Chen Chuan arranged a meeting with the Secret Serpent Sect for Tan Zhi and contacted experienced mercenary Su Wei about joining his squad. Su Wei disclosed that he had trouble following him, then spotted a violent confrontation nearby as Chen Chuan waited for his reply.

• Chen Chuan arranged for Zou Handan to meet Tan Zhi and visited Zhao Ming, which Tan Zhi had cared for in his courtyard.
• Teacher Wei left Tan Zhi's residence, recalling her indirect involvement in the operation against Chen Chuan and hoping to clear things up through Tan Zhi.
• Su Wei ignored a mercenary's advice to abandon his burdens, then evaded two throwing knives from a bald man with a Scorpion Tattoo who threatened him.
• Chen Chuan reviewed Su Wei's record and contacted him to offer him work, explaining that he knew about Su Wei's trouble and still wanted to meet.
• Su Wei warned Chen Chuan about his trouble, then paused their conversation after seeing the burly man in a confrontation with several armed people.

Chen Chuan recruited Su Wei as a long-term member of his team after meeting him in Central City. As Chen prepared to return to Yangzhi City, Ni Qianqian warned him that the Ferris Wheel Company might be targeting him.

• Chen Chuan heard Su Wei restrain seven people rather than seriously injure them, then arranged to meet him in Central City.
• Su Wei traveled from the Convergence Zone to Central City and met Chen Chuan, learning that he was an Executive Captain in the Command Department.
• Chen Chuan offered Su Wei a place on his team; Su Wei declined to join the garrison but accepted the employment terms and agreed to remain on standby.
• Chen Chuan left Su Wei with materials to review and went to Wu Yi Academy after receiving a call from Ni Qianqian.
• Ni Qianqian told Chen Chuan that investigators suspected Ferris Wheel Company personnel had gone to Yangzhi City to investigate him and warned him to stay alert outside Central City.

The Ferris Wheel Company prepared to eliminate seven people threatening its bid to join the Corporate Union, while Chen Chuan set off for Yangzhi with Lu Fang. Suspecting the company might target him on the road or during his return to Central City, Chen Chuan remained alert despite having no evidence of surveillance.

• The Ferris Wheel Company’s directors learned that the Corporate Union was assessing their application and agreed to eliminate seven threats identified by Wu Qi.
• The directors chose to ask the Wave Pavilion for Fighters and decided that Gong Zhanxin would approach them.
• Chen Chuan searched the base platform for posts about Chen Bitong, then continued his training before leaving Wu Yi Academy for Yangzhi.
• Chen Chuan picked up Lu Fang at the underground Fighting Hall, and they set off together with Zhao Ming in the car.
• Chen Chuan considered whether the Ferris Wheel Company might attack him during the journey or after his return to Central City, and decided to prepare for the possibility.

Chen Chuan returned from Central City to Yangzhi City for the New Year, bringing Lu Fang homeward and reuniting with his family. He gave his relatives protective suits after warning Nian Fuli that someone had been asking about him, and learned Instructor Wen lived nearby.

• Chen Chuan and Lu Fang left Central City, and Lu Fang said he intended to keep training until he could discover what he wanted through his own efforts.
• Chen Chuan dropped Lu Fang at a tram station and gave him a New Year gift before driving to the Patrol Bureau Family housing area.
• Nian Fuli, Yu Wan, and the children welcomed Chen Chuan home and noticed that he had been promoted to Handling Bureau Executive Captain.
• Chen Chuan gave his family gifts, including Stab-Proof Suits, and told Nian Fuli that someone had come asking about him.
• Nian Fuli reassured Chen Chuan that the housing area was closely watched and told him Instructor Wen lived in the former courtyard of Deputy Han.

During the Lunar New Year, Chen Chuan visited Instructor Wen, Director Lei, and Wei Dong, learning about a dangerous threshold in Combat Cultivation and the growing cult threat in Central City. He agreed to travel to Central City with Director Lei and left Wei Dong determined to catch up to him.

• Chen Chuan celebrated the New Year with Nian Fuli's family and set off firecrackers with the children.
• Chen Chuan visited Instructor Wen, who confirmed that he had taken special medicine and given him a Purity Faction booklet to read once he chose his path.
• Instructor Wen warned Chen Chuan that advancing beyond the Third Limit required overcoming a true threshold, not just talent and resources.
• Chen Chuan visited Director Lei, who revealed that a high-ranking Sun Worship Sect follower had been secretly detained and that cult activity in the Lower District was worsening.
• Chen Chuan agreed to travel to Central City with Director Lei, then visited Wei Dong and repeatedly defeated him in a sparring match.
• Wei Dong asked whether he could learn Chen Chuan's techniques, and Chen Chuan advised him to continue body-tempering training.

Chen Chuan glimpsed a memory suggesting the brown-haired woman had ties to a company before leaving to visit Cheng Zitong. Meanwhile, the Ferris Wheel Company arranged for Jian Cheng Sheng to travel to Great Shun to fight a Fighter, and he departed after receiving his teacher's instructions and a disguise.

• Chen Chuan saw the brown-haired woman refuse to return to a company during a New Year memory, then prepared to visit Cheng Zitong's home.
• Gong Zhanxin persuaded the Wave Pavilion to send Jian Cheng Sheng to Great Shun on the Ferris Wheel Company's behalf.
• The Ferris Wheel Company accepted Jian Cheng Sheng as a suitable candidate because the Pavilion's older disciples could not be sent.
• Feng He Shou explained that sending Jian Cheng Sheng honored the Wave Pavilion's promise to the Gong Clan and entrusted its future to them.
• Jian Cheng Sheng drank White Infant Wine, which restored his youthful appearance and helped conceal his identity.
• The gatekeeper urged Jian Cheng Sheng to return alive, and Jian Cheng Sheng left for the ship carrying his sword.

Chen Chuan visited his teacher Cheng Zitong during the New Year holiday, then reunited with classmates and fellow contractors in Yangzhi. As the group planned to move to Central City for better opportunities, Chen Chuan offered to help them settle there.

• Chen Chuan drove to Yangzhi Wuyi Academy, where two retired teachers sensed his imposing presence and recognized him as Cheng Zitong's outstanding student.
• Chen Chuan brought New Year gifts to Cheng Zitong, who noticed his promotion to Executive Captain and invited him to talk about Central City.
• After leaving his teacher's home, Chen Chuan spent time with Ding Jiao and other old classmates before meeting Wei Changan's group at Duyi Hotel.
• Wei Changan and his fellow contractors told Chen Chuan they planned to seek work in Central City because Yangzhi had fewer contracts and limited prospects.
• Chen Chuan offered to help the group establish themselves in Central City, and Wu Han and the others toasted their plan to join him after the New Year.

Chen Chuan prepared for his return to Central City by feeding a wanted criminal to the Racoon Stone Tablet and accepting protective ritual equipment from Director Lei. The chapter ended with Chen Chuan drawing ritual patterns onto the Bureau's Bionic Skin before the journey.

• Chen Chuan cleaned the old house and considered how the brown-haired woman might be connected to his parents and predecessor's death.
• Ren Xiaotian found a wanted criminal for Chen Chuan, who used the Racoon Stone Tablet to drain the man and dispose of his corpse.
• Ren Xiaotian told Chen Chuan he planned to move to Central City, and Chen Chuan invited him to visit when he arrived.
• Chen Chuan prepared to return to Central City with Wei Dong and Wu Han, while Director Lei arranged for them to travel together under escort.
• Director Lei gave Chen Chuan ritual-patterned Bionic Skin and special clothing, and warned him that combining rituals with Fighters' abilities could have dangerous consequences.
• Chen Chuan began drawing ritual patterns onto the Bionic Skin.

Jian Cheng Sheng prepared for a planned ambush on Chen Chuan and sought an indestructible object to sharpen his sword, prompting the Ferris Wheel Company to pursue a Jade Core from the High Heaven Sect. On January 26, Chen Chuan set out for Central City with Wu Han and Wei Dong, carrying their gifts and the World Tokens he had prepared for them.

• A meeting aboard a liner planned to eliminate Chen Chuan on National Avenue, and Jian Cheng Sheng studied his target's records before requesting a quiet room.
• Jian Cheng Sheng practiced against an imagined Chen Chuan, concluded his sword was not sharp enough, and asked for something that could not be cut apart.
• An attendee suggested that Jian Cheng Sheng wanted a Jade Core, and the person in charge ordered the Ferris Wheel Company to obtain one from the High Heaven Sect.
• Chen Chuan left the Patrol Bureau Family residential area on January 26 and stopped at Wu Yi Academy to pick up Wu Han and Wei Dong.
• Chen Chuan gave Wu Han and Wei Dong World Tokens, and they presented him with polished throwing stones made from rock from Zhang Mountain.