Chapter Summaries

Xu Yue’s group used pills to recruit the special operations team and began a rescue plan for Morpheus, while Tank and Dozer dealt with Regan’s attempt to betray them. The chapter ended with the Reincarnators joining the rescue and Xu Yue preparing to draw the Agents’ attention so the others could take the helicopter.

• Regan volunteered to stay behind, but Tank and Dozer recognized his betrayal and dealt with him while the others entered The Matrix.
• Tank supplied weapons in the safe house, and Xu Yue’s group set out to recruit the special operations team.
• Howard urged the Reincarnators to cooperate with the hackers, and Trinity gave them pills that granted the Real and False weight.
• The Reincarnators cleared nearby ordinary people and took control of the rooftop as Xu Yue’s group arrived.
• Xu Yue planned to draw the Agents into a direct fight while the others took the armed helicopter to rescue Morpheus and help create an opportunity for Neo to face Agent Smith.

Xu Yue fought off the Agents while Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity fled, but Agent Smith intercepted Neo at the subway phone booth. The story left Neo exposed to Smith as events returned to their turning point.

• Agent Gold Mountain and Agent Kaspersky discovered that the Reincarnators had killed the available hosts, while Agent Smith continued interrogating Morpheus as a helicopter arrived.
• Agent Ruixing and Agent 360 joined Gold Mountain and Kaspersky to confront Xu Yue, who used a powerful punch to send Gold Mountain through a wall and into the street.
• Xu Yue defeated Ruixing, 360, and Kaspersky, then pursued the helicopter crash while Agent Gold Mountain and another Agent tried to hold him back.
• The Reincarnators retreated to hide, while Tank and Dozer guided Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity toward their escape phones.
• Agent Smith possessed a homeless man and shot the phone just as Neo reached the subway booth, trapping Neo before he could escape.

Xu Yue captured four Agents and watched Neo fight Agent Smith, then escape from five Agents before being shot dead. Neo revived and awakened to the Matrix’s data, while Xu Yue gained the World Analysis authority and stepped aside to let Neo take the lead.

• Xu Yue restrained four Agents and brought them to the subway station, where Neo fought Agent Smith on nearly equal terms.
• Xu Yue killed the four restrained Agents, allowing them to reappear in new bodies as Agent Smith was thrown into the subway.
• Four Agents joined Smith in pursuing Neo, who fled through the Matrix while Morpheus’s team guided him toward Room 303.
• Agent Smith shot Neo dead in Room 303, and Neo’s body in the World of the Living also lost its vital signs.
• Xu Yue arrived and prompted Neo to rise; Neo awakened to the Matrix’s data, while Xu Yue gained the World Analysis authority and stepped aside.

Neo awakened to the power to control The Matrix, killed Agent Smith, and returned with Xu Yue to the ship as the crew prepared for approaching Mechanical Squids. Xu Yue realized The Matrix had arranged the squids’ staggered attack to leave some alive after the EMP, likely targeting him.

• Neo stopped the Agents’ bullets, entered Agent Smith, and dismantled him while the other Agents fled.
• Xu Yue observed Smith’s code merge into The Matrix through a logical loop and concluded the system was steering events toward its upgrade.
• Neo and Xu Yue returned to the crew, who celebrated Neo’s awakening and learned that Regan had been exposed and killed.
• Xu Yue warned that the Agents might send Mechanical Squids after the ship, delaying plans to rescue the Reincarnators.
• The crew spotted six approaching Mechanical Squids, shut down the ship’s power, and prepared to use the EMP.
• Xu Yue noticed the Mechanical Squids had split into waves and suspected The Matrix had arranged the attack to leave him vulnerable.

Xu Yue confronted the Mechanical Squids attacking the Nebuchadnezzar while the ship’s EMP recharged. He disabled the attackers with an electric gun and returned with their bodies, leaving the crew stunned and the ship still in danger.

• Morpheus warned Xu Yue that the ship’s electric gun was a last resort, and Xu Yue urged him to activate the EMP while he held off the Mechanical Squids.
• The EMP disabled the three squids cutting into the hull but only disrupted the three approaching ones, so Xu Yue went outside to face them.
• Xu Yue used Bullet Time to reach a squid’s sensor and fire the electric gun at point-blank range, dropping it without electrocuting himself.
• While the crew waited anxiously for the EMP to recharge, Xu Yue returned through the breach dragging several disabled Mechanical Squids and said their parts might be useful.

After the ship was damaged, Morpheus returned to Zion with Xu Yue and Neo and planned a large-scale rescue operation. In Zion, Xu Yue encouraged Neo to embrace his role as the Savior while warning him that he could be vulnerable and face opposition.

• Morpheus decided to return to Zion for repairs and gather allies for a rescue operation.
• Howard and the other Reincarnators hid from the manhunt while Howard weighed the value of his newly gained authority against the hardship.
• Morpheus arrived in Zion and left the damaged ship to be repaired before setting out to find allies.
• Trinity registered Xu Yue and Neo and showed them their accommodations in Zion.
• Xu Yue urged Neo to accept his Savior role and warned him to watch his safety in the World of the Living.

Xu Yue, Neo, and Morpheus gathered warships and prepared to rescue the stranded Reincarnators from the Matrix. Howard’s group received a pickup message, but the agents learned their location as the rescue teams assembled.

• Xu Yue reassured Neo that actions would prove the Savior’s worth despite Zion’s residents’ suspicion and exclusion.
• Morpheus persuaded nearly all resting captains to join the rescue, while the supreme commander warned Xu Yue and Neo to know their place.
• Xu Yue told Neo about Morpheus’s jealous rivalry with the commander, and Neo began imagining green code over Morpheus’s head.
• Morpheus’s team divided the warships among several sewer locations to retrieve the scattered Reincarnators.
• Howard’s group received a message saying the rescuers had arrived, restoring the team’s morale and prompting plans to establish themselves among the survivors.
• Morpheus’s team and five other hacker teams assembled in a shopping mall, while the upgraded agents received the Reincarnators’ location.

Xu Yue and Neo reached the Reincarnators’ camp, where Neo explained that reinforcements would evacuate them in batches. When Neo left to help a team pursued by an Agent, Xu Yue deliberately broke The Matrix’s limits to draw its attention, leaving the Reincarnators expecting a response.

• Howard and the other Reincarnators paid to avoid fighting the three Agents that appeared on the overpass.
• Xu Yue stopped Neo from flying to the camp and led him there by bicycle while the other teams prepared for the rescue.
• Neo apologized for the delay and told the Reincarnators that reinforcements would help evacuate them in batches.
• Tank reported that an Agent was pursuing one of their teams, so Neo flew off to assist while Xu Yue stayed with the Reincarnators.
• Xu Yue broke The Matrix’s limits, causing a sudden tremor, then helped Howard to his feet.

Xu Yue led Howard and the other Reincarnators through the city, then confronted an unusual agent who appeared to be the Architect. After the agent repeatedly sent agents after Howard’s group to pressure Xu Yue, Xu Yue agreed to let them go, and the agent declared that he had won.

• Xu Yue introduced himself to Howard and led the Reincarnators through quiet streets to avoid attracting agents.
• Six agents surrounded the group, and Xu Yue took on the three ahead while Howard led the others in a breakout.
• Xu Yue dragged the three agents into an abandoned factory and recognized an unusual agent whose code included a communications code.
• The unusual agent threatened Xu Yue’s companions, and Xu Yue vowed to resist alongside Neo and his companions.
• The agents repeatedly caught up with Howard’s group despite their payments, and Xu Yue eventually agreed to let them go.
• The unusual agent accepted Xu Yue’s concession and said he had won.

Neo and Xu Yue rescued the Reincarnators from the Agents and returned them to the World of the Living, where Howard and the others faced severe physical decline after years in the womb. With help from the crews, all twenty-seven survived rehabilitation and began basic hacker training.

• Neo defeated the Agents attacking Howard and the others, and Xu Yue helped prepare to evacuate the rescued Reincarnators.
• Neo escorted the Reincarnators to their bodies, and they logged out of The Matrix and returned to the World of the Living.
• Howard emerged from his pod severely weakened, was dumped into a sewer, and was rescued by Dozer's crew.
• Xu Yue treated Howard and explained that his muscles and organs had deteriorated after years without use.
• Howard became the first Reincarnator to complete several rehabilitation milestones, and all twenty-seven eventually regained basic mobility.
• The rescued Reincarnators began basic hacker training, determined not to give up their chance to become hackers.

The Reincarnators discovered that Mind Power could strengthen their combat abilities and eagerly embraced the chance to improve it. Meanwhile, Morpheus and Tank planned to recruit more talented Reincarnators, and Yage sold information about the authorities to Albert Morgan while seeking his favor.

• The Reincarnators tested their newly gained initial Mind Power, recognized its potential for upgrades, and decided to invest in it.
• Tank told Morpheus that the rescued Reincarnators had exceptional reflexes and willpower, and they agreed to try rescuing the companions those Reincarnators had mentioned.
• Yage met with Albert Morgan in a Matrix bar and offered him information about the authorities Howard had acquired.
• Albert examined the authority descriptions, became interested in Mind Power, and promised to reward Yage for providing the information.

Howard led a mission to extract Yage, Albert, and other Reincarnators from The Matrix, while Neo and Xu Yue repeatedly left the group to help teams attacked by Agents. Xu Yue secretly disguised himself as an Agent to test the Reincarnators, leaving Howard responsible for escorting the group.

• Morpheus warned the Reincarnators to avoid Agents, and Howard led the rescue teams into The Matrix.
• Howard met Yage and Albert at the bar, then organized the evacuees into teams and gave them tracking pills.
• Tank reported that other teams were under attack, so Neo flew off to help them.
• Xu Yue left Howard in charge of escorting Yage, Albert, and the others after another team called for help.
• Xu Yue disguised himself as an upgraded Agent and joined a real Agent to attack six Reincarnators, testing their abilities before planning to rescue them.

Xu Yue helped the Agents hunt multiple Reincarnator teams, then arrived as Howard’s group fought three Agents in a remote field. Howard’s apparent victory collapsed when Xu Yue disarmed the group and the three wounded Agents recovered.

• Xu Yue and another Agent forced a six-person Reincarnator team to pay points before pursuing more teams.
• Howard led Albert and their companions out of the bar in a truck, hoping to lure three Agents away from populated areas.
• Howard’s group trapped the Agents’ vehicles in mud and opened fire, leaving all three Agents badly injured.
• Xu Yue appeared beside the formation and destroyed the Reincarnators’ firearms with precise shots.
• The three Agents returned to position as Howard’s group was left unarmed.

Xu Yue restrained the Reincarnators during the rescue, then helped Howard and the others remain aboard the Nebuchadnezzar. As the ship returned to Zion, Xu Yue offered to train the newcomers and help them unlock their Mind Power.

• Xu Yue shot the Reincarnators' guns apart, and Howard realized they were being kept alive for capture.
• Xu Yue let the Reincarnators retreat, and the rescue operation continued smoothly under Neo's protection.
• Morpheus announced the Nebuchadnezzar would return to Zion because the rescue had strained its supplies and capacity.
• Howard said the Reincarnators wanted to stay aboard the Nebuchadnezzar, and Xu Yue supported his request.
• Morpheus agreed in principle, and Xu Yue volunteered to train the newcomers on the journey back to Zion.

Commander Nock resented Morpheus for returning with more than fifty survivors and tried to assert control over the newcomers, but the Reincarnators publicly rebuked him. Xu Yue then convinced Howard and Yage that Nock might target them, and Nock received a warning that the newcomers were plotting to assassinate him.

• Nock learned that Morpheus had rescued more than fifty people and decided the newcomers should fall under his influence.
• Nock criticized the rescue party’s effect on Zion’s limited supplies, and Yage and the other Reincarnators berated him until he left in embarrassment.
• Xu Yue saw an opportunity to exploit the conflict and warned Howard and Yage that Nock could make them disappear.
• Howard concluded that Morpheus was also pursuing his own ambitions, while the Reincarnators resolved to protect themselves and considered assassinating Nock if necessary.
• Nock received an anonymous note claiming that the newcomers were plotting to assassinate him.

Howard and Yage told the Reincarnators that Commander Nock was trying to kill them, prompting them to plot an assassination. Nock uncovered their plan and surrounded them at the warehouse, where the Reincarnators chose to fight back as a shadow watched from the roof.

• Howard and Yage described the suspicious incidents that convinced them Commander Nock was targeting them.
• The Reincarnators discussed killing Nock and supporting Morpheus, then began preparing an assassination plan.
• Nock ordered surveillance on the Reincarnators and discovered their weapons, routes, and plans through hidden cameras and Xu Yue’s monitoring.
• Howard finished an Improvised Firearm, but the Guard Force ambushed the Reincarnators at the warehouse and ordered them to surrender.
• The Reincarnators decided to spend their resources boosting their strength and fight their way out, while a shadow watched from the warehouse roof.

Xu Yue intervened when the Reincarnators overwhelmed Commander Nock’s guards, defeating them and forcing them to pay before he left. With evidence of rebellion gone and a senator mediating, Nock and Morpheus’s conflict subsided, and the Reincarnators planned to leave the base by ship.

• Yage led the Reincarnators through the Guard Force’s blockade, injuring many guards and advancing toward Commander Nock.
• Xu Yue arrived and swiftly incapacitated the Reincarnators, including Howard and Albert, until they surrendered and paid.
• After receiving a prompt about sharing the proceeds, Xu Yue softened his attacks and left the factory rooftops.
• Commander Nock ordered the Reincarnators detained, but Morpheus arrived and challenged his actions.
• Nock’s men found no evidence of rebellion, and a respected senator calmed the dispute between Nock and Morpheus.
• The Reincarnators decided to leave the base by ship and avoid confronting its powerful guardian.

After breaking free of the Matrix, Agent Smith began infecting people and sent Neo a challenge as Zion prepared for an attack by 250,000 Mechanical Squids. At the captains’ meeting, Morpheus argued against following Commander Nock’s order to concentrate every ship, while Xu Yue intercepted Smith’s duplicate outside.

• Agent Smith escaped the Matrix’s restraints, infected a subway passenger, and left with his duplicate.
• Over the next half year, Morpheus’s team rescued more people than in the previous dozen-plus years, intensifying the conflict between Morpheus and Commander Nock.
• The Nebuchadnezzar traveled to a captains’ meeting about the 250,000 Mechanical Squids advancing on Zion.
• Morpheus argued that at least one ship should remain available to contact the Matrix and receive guidance from the Oracle, angering a captain aligned with Nock.
• Xu Yue spotted Agent Smith’s duplicate approaching the meeting and watched as it delivered a letter for Neo before leaving.

Xu Yue watched Neo defeat the Agents, then returned to Zion with the Reincarnators as conflict between Morpheus and Commander Nock escalated. Nock moved to suspend Morpheus’s captaincy, triggering a mission for the Reincarnators and leaving them poised to intervene.

• Xu Yue let Neo handle the Agents, reflected on the Matrix’s upgrade cycle, and identified the Architect’s location without approaching him.
• After Neo defeated the three Agents, Xu Yue prepared to return to Zion with Howard and the Reincarnators, who declined to provoke Commander Nock again.
• The Nebuchadnezzar returned to Zion for supplies, where Commander Nock confronted Morpheus over defying his military order.
• Morpheus explained that the ship needed charging, but Nock temporarily relieved him of command and threatened to keep him from leaving until a hearing.
• The space issued a mission to Xu Yue and the Reincarnators, who reconsidered intervening after seeing the offered rewards.

Howard and Xu Yue led a forceful effort to rescue Morpheus and get the Nebuchadnezzar out of Zion, while Neo favored seeking mediation from the councilors. The rescue succeeded, but a hidden guardian captured the Reincarnators and forced them to spend heavily; as the crew prepared to meet the Oracle, Morpheus chose Xu Yue to accompany Neo.

• Howard urged the Nebuchadnezzar’s crew to rescue Morpheus and leave Zion before the mechanical army arrived, while Neo proposed asking the councilors to mediate.
• Xu Yue persuaded Neo to support the rescue plan, and the group agreed to free Morpheus first.
• The Nebuchadnezzar sailed out of Zion with Morpheus aboard, but a hidden guardian stripped the Reincarnators of their abilities and handed them to the Guard Force, forcing them to pay two or three S-Rank Plot Points each to stay safe.
• Albert warned the Reincarnators aboard the ship to fight decisively, since many were deep in debt and could not afford to fail.
• After a returning ship brought word from the Oracle, Morpheus chose Xu Yue to accompany Neo to meet her.