Chapter Summaries

Wang Yi advised the student teams at a robot competition, and the Jida University team used his suggestions to win first place. Inspired by their designs, he developed a path toward mass-producing advanced batteries for Umbrella, then finished his Shanghai outing with Qian Yayan before preparing to return and put his plans into practice.

• Wang Yi identified improvements for the competing robot teams and advised the Jida University team to add a 51 microcontroller and convert its quadrupedal robot into a biped.
• Wang Yi imagined exoskeletons and powered armor while the Jida University team modified its robot and began testing the changes.
• The Jida University team's voice-controlled bipedal robot impressed the judges and won first place, attracting interest from companies seeking to hire its members.
• Wang Yi drew inspiration from the robots' energy-saving designs and concluded he could refine his lithium battery for mass production through Umbrella's factories.
• Wang Yi toured Shanghai and filmed food videos with Qian Yayan, then began preparing production-line magic circuits as Umbrella continued integrating its factory acquisitions.
• Wang Yi took Qian Yayan to an expensive private restaurant in Pudong for the final stop of their Shanghai outing.

Wang Yi and Qian Yayan dined at Zhou Ji, where Qin Xiang recognized Wang Yi and gave him the reserved wild large yellow croaker and paid his bill. While sampling the dishes, Wang Yi detected poppy husks and shoots in the spicy beef omasum and realized the restaurant had crossed a line.

• Wang Yi and Qian Yayan entered Zhou Ji and saw its high-profile guests and no-photography rule.
• Qin Xiang asked Boss Zhou to serve him the wild large yellow croaker reserved for another customer, and Boss Zhou went to ask Wang Yi.
• Wang Yi agreed to split the fish and requested half of Qin Xiang’s pufferfish banquet.
• Qin Xiang recognized Wang Yi, thanked him, and privately told Boss Zhou to give Wang Yi the whole fish and cover his meal.
• Wang Yi praised the pufferfish dishes but detected poppy husks and shoots in the spicy beef omasum.

Wang Yi left after Boss Zhou was arrested for using prohibited substances in food, while Qin Xiang warned an actor not to offend him. Meanwhile, Starry Sky World dominated gaming rankings and its upcoming film raised Liu Xiaoke’s profile, prompting questions about her agency’s ties to World Company.

• Enforcement officers arrested Boss Zhou after finding prohibited substances and other illegal goods at his restaurant, and Wang Yi reassured Qian Yayan that their food was safe.
• Wang Yi considered developing a powerful, non-addictive painkiller before deciding to return to Shudian and resolve the battery issue.
• Qin Xiang slapped an actor for commenting on Qian Yayan and warned him not to drag Qin Xiang into trouble.
• Starry Sky World topped game rankings as players developed guild ship systems, battles, and other gameplay features.
• World Company announced the release date for its film Starry Sky, and the film’s female lead, Liu Xiaoke, attracted renewed attention because her agency, Yuzhong Media, belonged to World Company.

Wang Yi completed a stable, high-density battery suitable for mass production, and Umbrella prepared to enter the electric vehicle market. World Company launched shared electric vehicles, whose first pilot deployments began after safety measures and approvals were arranged.

• Wang Yi praised Liu Xiaoke's acting, and Liu Xiaoke said she had declined a mediocre lead role and would train with established actors and theater teachers.
• Wang Yi produced a battery with an energy density of 1,340 Wh/kg and discussed its commercial and military implications with Lin Shiqin.
• Lin Shiqin reported that Umbrella had integrated battery factories and electric vehicle manufacturers, prompting Wang Yi to consider shared electric vehicles.
• World Company announced plans for shared electric vehicles, and Xue Chuan questioned how the service would address rider qualifications and accidents.
• World Company announced real-name qualification checks, breath alcohol testing, insurance, and a 20 km/h speed limit for the vehicles.
• Umbrella began deploying modified electric vehicles in several pilot cities, while Wang Yi anticipated theft problems and the need for effective security measures.

Jiang Bo tested a World Company shared electric bike and discovered that it retained most of its displayed 1,000-kilometer range after a full day of riding, drawing widespread attention to Umbrella’s battery technology. The story left off when a nearly depleted bike autonomously returned to a parking station and appeared to connect itself to a charger, revealing another unexpected feature.

• Jiang Bo and his roommates unlocked shared electric bikes and set out to test their range while he filmed the ride.
• After riding more than 100 kilometers, Jiang Bo found the bike still displayed nearly its full range, and his videos attracted growing attention.
• Online commenters speculated that the bikes used advanced Aluminum-air batteries, and interest in the shared bikes spread across the internet.
• A nearly depleted TT Shared Electric Bicycle deployed auxiliary wheels, traveled to a parking station, and attached itself to a post that appeared to be a charging point.
• Viewers debated whether the bike had autonomous driving and recharging capabilities, prompting a frenzy of speculation about Umbrella’s technology.

Umbrella Corporation’s rechargeable electric scooters revealed its Li-Ag alloy battery breakthrough, triggering a public and financial frenzy. The company patented and published the battery’s atomic structure while reserving production know-how, leaving rivals to pursue manufacturing and related companies poised to benefit.

• Netizens discovered that TT Share’s electric scooters could be recharged and adjusted their positions, then discussed the battery’s unprecedented range and potential uses in phones.
• Umbrella Corporation announced breakthroughs in Lithium Metal Batteries using a Li-Ag alloy, registered patents, and published the alloy’s atomic structure in a paper accepted by "Science."
• Umbrella offered manufacturers licenses at 5% of total revenue but did not explain the production process or sell batteries externally, citing limited capacity and testing.
• Investors shifted money toward battery-related companies, sending SX electric vehicle and Apple stocks higher while battery manufacturers’ stocks fell.
• Masra saw Umbrella’s battery as a major opportunity for electric vehicles, though SX electric vehicle was still favored for its manufacturing experience and capacity.

Umbrella acquired a controlling 67% stake in Ningya Group and planned to convert its battery lines to Umbrella specifications, giving Ningya a lifeline as battery production expanded. As the deal drew global attention, Wang Yi prepared to bring Nikon’s lithography-machine production lines into the country and questioned Lin Shiqin about Kim Yeon-hyun’s appearance.

• Zhou Qun decided to offer Ningya’s production capacity to Umbrella after Umbrella’s battery technology sent Ningya’s stock into repeated limit-downs.
• Kim Yeon-hyun, Umbrella’s Asia executive president, met Zhou Qun, and Umbrella negotiated to buy a 67% stake in Ningya Group.
• Umbrella arranged to convert Ningya’s battery lines to its specifications while keeping the Ningya brand and promising further investment in electric vehicles.
• The acquisition became an international focus as Umbrella defended its domestic manufacturing plans and agreed to build processing plants in Mexico and Brazil.
• Wang Yi finished configuring lens settings and prepared to bring Nikon’s lithography-machine production lines into the country.
• Wang Yi asked Lin Shiqin how Kim Yeon-hyun’s body shell had been made to show no visible signs of artificial modification.

Wang Yi learned that Lin Shiqin and Cheng Xue had perfected their work on possessed bodies, then discussed the coming thefts of valuable batteries. Umbrella’s Kim Yeon-hyun led a livestreamed campaign to recover stolen batteries, ending with her incapacitating an armed attacker and calling the police and an ambulance.

• Lin Shiqin explained how she and Cheng Xue used surgery and magic to refine possessed bodies, and Wang Yi assigned Kim Yeon-hyun to help with the Lithography Machine production line.
• Thieves began stealing shared scooters’ batteries after learning each was worth ten thousand yuan, and the missing batteries became a major online topic.
• Umbrella warned thieves to return its products, then Kim Yeon-hyun announced a livestreamed recovery operation and showed how Red Queen tracked stolen batteries.
• Kim Yeon-hyun and Umbrella’s security teams tracked down battery thieves, restrained them without injury when possible, and called the police.
• A fugitive charged at Kim Yeon-hyun with a dagger, and she kicked him several meters; she ordered her team not to attack him further and to call the police and an ambulance.

Umbrella’s pursuit of battery thieves led them from a countryside manhunt to a fugitive wanted for murder, then to a suspect who had escaped across the border into Myanmar. After securing authorization, Umbrella launched an assault on the industrial park where the thief was being held, leaving its owner, She Jiang, stunned to learn that a stolen battery had brought them there.

• Umbrella offered a 100,000 bounty for stolen batteries and used Red Queen’s disguises and TT promotions to track down fleeing suspects.
• Umbrella’s forces surrounded a battery thief in the mountains and discovered after his capture that he was a murderer who had been wanted for more than a decade.
• A border resident posted footage of another wanted suspect fleeing toward Triangle Industrial Park, and Umbrella announced it was seeking Myanmar’s authorization to pursue him.
• After receiving authorization, Umbrella released combat footage of its assault on criminal industrial parks in Myanmar.
• She Jiang woke to explosions at his industrial park and learned that Umbrella had attacked because his men were holding the battery thief.

Umbrella stormed a human-trafficking compound, rescued its prisoners, and left the traffickers to face their victims’ rage. The operation ended the electric scooter battery theft case and demonstrated Umbrella’s reach, while stolen batteries continued to flow overseas.

• Umbrella used drones, armed mechanical dogs, and veteran security teams to overwhelm the compound’s guards and rescue the prisoners.
• Ming Hai realized the attackers were rescuers when Umbrella personnel entered and promised to verify the captives’ identities before releasing them.
• She Jiang begged for mercy, but Umbrella’s commander left him and his bound accomplices with the freed prisoners, who turned on them.
• Reports of the compound’s brutality spread, and the public praised Umbrella’s operation while recalling that the crisis had begun with a stolen battery.
• The electric scooter thief confessed on camera and accepted punishment, bringing the theft and pursuit case to an end.
• Batteries continued to be smuggled overseas despite efforts to block their tracking, and Umbrella expected others to struggle to reproduce the Li-Ag alloy.

Umbrella’s cleanup operation boosted its reputation and drove growth across its security, technology, and consumer businesses. As Umbrella’s AI office software gained users and Starry Sky World dominated online discussion, the game’s charitable fund expanded to cover surgery costs for struggling leukemia patients.

• Umbrella used its trusted employees and identity-changing tools to support rapid expansion and acquire traditional security companies.
• Publicity from the cleanup operation increased demand for Umbrella Security and drew more users to Umbrella’s AI office software.
• A video creator sold tutorials on the office software, while users praised its features and discussed how it could simplify their work.
• Online discussion returned to Starry Sky World, where dynamic NPC wars, missions, and markets kept players engaged.
• Starry Sky World’s charitable fund grew large enough to cover surgery fees for struggling leukemia patients, and the company received attention on the evening news.

Bai Bing’s use of Umbrella’s office software inadvertently made her boss assign tedious data work to the whole travel agency, while Umbrella’s batteries and technology drew wider attention. As Umbrella’s holographic projection dazzled World Cup spectators and Starry Sky premiered to packed cinemas, Wang Yi watched the film with Qian Yayan and Liu Xiaoke.

• Bai Bing accepted a ride from Gang Zi and learned that the boss had assigned the agency extensive customer-data analysis after seeing her detailed software-generated report.
• Office workers used Umbrella’s software to finish tedious paperwork faster, while online discussions praised Umbrella’s business decisions and debated its influence.
• Researchers studying Umbrella’s lithium-silver alloy batteries found that they could reproduce only small amounts of the material, making large-scale production costly and difficult.
• Umbrella’s holographic projection showed a Starry Sky advertisement above the World Cup pitch, and Brazil beat Croatia 3:2 after scoring in the 86th minute.
• Starry Sky premiered to packed cinemas, and Wang Yi watched it with Qian Yayan and Liu Xiaoke, judging its story and pacing as well as its effects.

Wang Yi directed Umbrella to expand its influence in Brazil and Mexico gradually while sharing profits to ease scrutiny and attract allies. He also proposed acquiring Purdue Pharma and developing a powerful, non-addictive painkiller, leaving the research and business plan ahead.

• Online discussions linked the success of the movie "Starry Sky" with Umbrella’s experimental holographic projection at the World Cup.
• Wang Yi told Lin Shiqin not to take extreme measures in Brazil and Mexico and to continue building Umbrella’s influence through ordinary business activity.
• Wang Yi rejected creating more alternate identities and planned to share profits from batteries and other products to divert attention and gain temporary allies.
• Wang Yi proposed checking Purdue Pharma’s acquisition price and restructuring it to help develop an effective, non-addictive painkiller with minimal side effects.

Wang Yi developed a serotonin-based medication intended to relieve pain, treat depression, and improve sleep without causing addiction, though it still needed review and production work. He then learned that Gu Qianqian’s fight with an unusually intelligent Resentful Spirit had driven it to follow her back to the city, and he decided to let her keep practicing against it.

• Wang Yi used his own body to test a biological serotonin intervention drug that could relieve pain, aid sleep, and treat depression with minimal side effects, but it caused drowsiness and had not passed review.
• Lin Shiqin told Wang Yi that Gu Qianqian had fought the Resentful Spirit again, so Wang Yi called his apprentice.
• Gu Qianqian told Wang Yi that she had found the Resentful Spirit in a sealed, dried-up well during a school trip and had injured it with his silver accessories.
• Gu Qianqian explained that the Resentful Spirit had followed her back to the city and harassed her at night without showing itself.
• Wang Yi examined Gu Qianqian’s photos, recognized that the well had been deliberately designed and the spirit was unusually strong, and decided to let her continue practicing against it.

Duoduo and A Xiang’s families watched “Starry Sky” and reflected on the people who had helped leukemia patients, while players turned “Starry Sky World” into a venue for settling online feuds. Umbrella then unveiled new lens research and partnered with Nikon, prompting a rush of interest from Beautiful Country and renewed attention to fusion research.

• Duoduo asked her father why humans had not united at the end of “Starry Sky,” and he explained that people failed to understand one another.
• A Xiang and other Chronic Myeloid Leukemia patients watched the movie, grateful for cheaper generic medicine and World Company’s support.
• Players began challenging their online rivals to settle disputes in “Starry Sky World,” turning it into a second battlefield.
• Umbrella released research on Li-Ag alloy electrodes and holographic imaging lenses, while hinting at entering the lithography field.
• Umbrella partnered with Nikon to produce a new laser lens, and Beautiful Country quickly seized units for research.
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said the lenses could help it achieve a positive-gain nuclear fusion experiment.

Wang Yi countered online boasting about the NIF fusion breakthrough by explaining that its claimed energy gain excluded the power needed to run the equipment, leaving true positive gain far off. His post reassured Chinese netizens and exposed how the announcement was being used to secure funding and promote ideological claims.

• Beautiful Country devotees praised the NIF announcement and mocked China's laser research, while the chapter explained the limits of Tokamak and laser-ignition fusion.
• The chapter noted that NIF's claimed gain counted only the reaction itself, while the full experiment consumed over a hundred times more energy than it produced and required hours of cooling between ignitions.
• Wang Yi posted that NIF had not yet ignited, acknowledged its narrow experimental breakthrough, and used formulas to explain why it had not achieved true positive gain.
• Wang Yi joked that detonating miniature hydrogen bombs and trying to capture their energy could also be called positive gain.
• Netizens who had been discouraged by the announcement were reassured by Wang Yi's explanation and criticized the misleading headlines and public intellectuals.

Wang Yi contained backlash over Umbrella’s battery and lens decisions, then drew pharmaceutical companies into a partnership for Umbrella’s new non-opioid painkiller. With the immediate tensions easing, he began considering where to establish a territory fully under his control.

• Wang Yi replied to Xue Chuan’s criticism of nuclear fusion research, prompting Xue Chuan to back down publicly.
• Wang Yi contacted his alma mater and offered it a method to cultivate deep-ultraviolet lenses for internal use, bypassing sales restrictions.
• Umbrella announced it was seeking partners to acquire Purdue Pharma and clarified that its new painkiller was independently developed and contained no opioids.
• Umbrella rejected Huanuo Group and chose Merck and other pharmaceutical companies as partners, retaining 50 percent of the shares and all voting rights.
• Lin Shiqin told Wang Yi that the battery rumors had temporarily subsided, while Wang Yi considered finding territory of his own beyond Mexico and Brazil.

Wang Yi improved Nikon’s production line into a DUV lithography machine that could produce 14nm chips at higher yields, giving Umbrella a potential safeguard as it prepared to enter the mobile phone market. Meanwhile, World Company’s Starry Sky World update introduced Zerg attacks that pushed players to unite against a new threat.

• Umbrella’s acquisition of Purdue Pharma drew public attention as people discussed its newly announced non-opioid drug and whether it was safe and effective.
• World Cup rivalries spilled into Starry Sky World, where fans from several countries fought and mocked one another after their teams’ matches.
• World Company released the 1.01 expansion, Insect Swarm Invasion, sending Zerg units into the heartlands of human factions and temporarily curbing player infighting.
• Wang Yi used Nikon’s production line and improved lenses to make a dry DUV lithography machine whose yields surpassed ASML’s at 14nm and 10nm, though it could not reach 7nm.
• Wang Yi treated the machine as a temporary safeguard for Umbrella’s planned move into mobile phones, since chip suppliers might prioritize established clients or resist the company.

Wang Yi finished upgrading Nikon’s lithography machine and weighed further expansion into Japan’s semiconductor industry while juggling Umbrella’s staffing needs and upcoming commitments. At a bumper-car outing with Liu Xiaoke and Qian Yayan, they ran into actress Chen Mi, whose attention toward Wang Yi made Qian Yayan wary.

• Wang Yi completed the lithography machine upgrade and considered buying Panasonic’s battery division and acquiring Toshiba’s wafer fab to expand Umbrella’s semiconductor business.
• Wang Yi agreed to attend Ma Dong’s wedding and the mathematicians’ congress in Seoul, where he would receive the Fields Medal.
• Wang Yi rode bumper cars with Liu Xiaoke and Qian Yayan, who discussed Ma Dong’s growing success in livestream sales and acting.
• Chen Mi approached Liu Xiaoke at the amusement venue, and Wang Yi noticed that her gaze lingered on him.
• Qian Yayan returned with milk tea and watched Chen Mi warily as she chatted with Liu Xiaoke.

Chen Mi approached Wang Yi and Liu Xiaoke at the amusement park while considering a move to Yuzhong Media. Later, Wang Yi, Liu Xiaoke, and Qian Yayan attended Ma Dong’s lavish wedding, where Ma Dong welcomed guests alongside Xia Mei.

• Chen Mi deliberately met Liu Xiaoke and Wang Yi, introduced herself, and gave Wang Yi her business card while weighing whether to join Yuzhong Media.
• Chen Mi decided she should attend Ma Dong’s upcoming wedding, thinking Ma Dong might also want to join Yuzhong Media.
• Wang Yi made silver pendants for Ma Dong and Xia Mei, Liu Xiaoke prepared honey citron tea, and Qian Yayan bought the couple Vacheron Constantin watches.
• Wang Yi, Liu Xiaoke, and Qian Yayan arrived at the Bund hotel, where Ma Dong and Xia Mei greeted their many guests.
• Wang Yi congratulated Ma Dong and gave him the pendants, while Liu Xiaoke’s citron tea was added to the gifts brought by Ma Dong’s relatives.