Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers that the demon from the previous incident might still be alive.
• He suspects Major Luo of having further schemes and being involved in the demon incident.
• Bai Zhou realizes that Major Luo might be using the demon's corpse as a smokescreen to buy time for his other plans.
• Bai Zhou decides to expose Major Luo and the Purple Thorn Group, understanding that they pose a significant threat.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou's determination to expose Major Luo and the Purple Thorn Group grows stronger.
• Bai Zhou reflects on his past experiences and understands the true meaning of "battle" and "intent."

Significant Themes

• The struggle against powerful, corrupt forces (Major Luo and the Purple Thorn Group).
• The importance of understanding one's past experiences and drawing insights from them.
• The concept of "battle intent" and its significance in Bai Zhou's growth.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou interacts with his past selves, reflecting on his experiences and drawing strength from them.
• Ya, the cat, senses a change in Bai Zhou but is uncertain about what it is.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers he has a third-stage Intent Seed, which is a crucial step towards becoming a Level 5 Extraordinary.
• Ya explains that crossing the 'Threefold Heavenly Chasm' to reach Level 5 requires a unique realization and an Intent Seed that has sprouted after three transformations.
• Bai Zhou realizes he has already completed this step without knowing it, and is ready to challenge Level 5.
• Bai Zhou decides to return to the real Yuanmeng Middle School to find 'Teacher Sun' mentioned in the Ruins Realm Last Will.
• Fang Xiaoxia shares her encounter with a bear and a mysterious 'Mr. Baldy Strong' who saved her, implying a connection to Bai Zhou.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou gains a deeper understanding of his Intent Seed and the path to Level 5.
• Ya is confused and impressed by Bai Zhou's rapid progress, feeling that he has secrets she doesn't know about.
• Fang Xiaoxia shows courage and resilience after her encounter with the bear, and displays a keen observation of details.

Significant Themes

• The journey to becoming a powerful Extraordinary is not linear, and sometimes involves unexpected shortcuts.
• The importance of personal realization and experience in developing Intent.
• The theme of secrets and hidden truths, both in Bai Zhou's past and in the world of the Mystic World.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya continue their mentor-mentee relationship, with Ya providing guidance and Bai Zhou surprising her with his progress.
• Bai Zhou and Fang Xiaoxia have a brief, unusual interaction, with Fang Xiaoxia treating Bai Zhou like a confidant and Bai Zhou being drawn into her story.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou, disguised as a cat, is nearly kissed by Fang Xiaoxia, who suspects he's the mysterious "Mr. Baldy Strong."
• Fang Xiaoxia shares her dowry with Bai Zhou to apologize for her behavior.
• Bai Zhou sets up a ritual to prepare for Major's compass tracking but is not attacked that night.
• While returning home, Bai Zhou witnesses [Gem Witch] being chased by Black Warriors.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Struggles with his identity and the need to protect Fang Xiaoxia while evading Major. He considers [Gem Witch]'s safety as an enemy of Major's.
• Fang Xiaoxia: Becomes more attached to Bai Zhou, treating him as a friend and confidant. She shares her dowry with him, showing her sincerity and trust.
• Major: Absent from the chapter but implied to be planning something, making Bai Zhou uneasy.

Significant Themes

• Friendship and Trust: Fang Xiaoxia's actions show her growing trust in Bai Zhou, while Bai Zhou considers helping [Gem Witch] due to their shared enemy in Major.
• Identity and Belonging: Bai Zhou grapples with his new life on Blue Star and his desire for a home, while Fang Xiaoxia finds comfort in her friendship with Bai Zhou.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Fang Xiaoxia: Their bond deepens as they spend time together, with Fang Xiaoxia treating Bai Zhou as a friend and confidant.
• Bai Zhou and [Gem Witch]: Though they haven't interacted directly, Bai Zhou's decision to help [Gem Witch] shows his willingness to support an enemy of Major's.

Summary

Plot Points and Events

• The Gem Witch is pursued by a group of Black Clad Persons, who are living dead with resistance to Extraordinary powers.
• She uses her Gem Trickery to defeat them, but they continue to move even after their hearts explode, indicating they can survive without hearts.
• A mysterious figure, later revealed to be the KFC Grandpa, arrives and decapitates all the Black Clad Persons with a single, powerful slash of his Violet Gold blade.

Character Developments

• The Gem Witch shows her strength and resourcefulness in dealing with the Black Clad Persons, but she's also vulnerable and can be overwhelmed.
• KFC Grandpa reveals his immense power and kindness, offering help to the Gem Witch.

Significant Themes

• The Gem Witch's struggle against overwhelming odds and her resourcefulness in dealing with them.
• The power and danger of the Black Clad Persons, who are living dead with resistance to Extraordinary powers.
• The mysterious and powerful figure of KFC Grandpa, who arrives to help the Gem Witch.

Character Interactions

• The Gem Witch interacts with the Black Clad Persons, trying to reason with them before fighting them.
• KFC Grandpa interacts with the Gem Witch, offering help and advice, showing kindness and concern for her safety.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou appears in disguise as the bizarre “KFC Grandpa,” wearing a stolen KFC uniform and family bucket over his head. He rescues the injured Gem Witch by decapitating nearly thirty Black Warriors with his Purple Gold Horse Saber.
• Gem Witch uses her special ability, Wisdom Eye, to examine Bai Zhou’s Three Yang Fires. Although his spiritual power appears weak because of his injuries, his flames contain signs of Innate Essence, suggesting he is actually a wounded Level 4 Extraordinary.
• The shape of Bai Zhou’s flames reminds Gem Witch of the mysterious man who once repaired her Magic Staff. She tests his identity by mentioning the exact debt of eight dollars and twenty-seven cents from their previous encounter.
• Bai Zhou realizes she may have recognized him and, following Ya’s advice, pretends to be offended and denies ever meeting her. His angry reaction convinces Gem Witch that she has mistaken him for someone else.
• Gem Witch explains that she had gone to Yuanmeng Middle School while pursuing a fugitive surnamed Bai. After leaving the school, she was ambushed by the Black Warriors and a Level 6 Sealed Extraordinary.
• Bai Zhou realizes the ambush had been intended for his alternate identity, “Senior Student Zhou.” His encounter with Gem Witch accidentally saved him from walking into the trap.
• Gem Witch identifies the terrifying Level 6 enemy as the Master Painter, Picasso, who claims to be the famous painter Pablo Picasso.

2. Character Developments

• Bai Zhou demonstrates considerable combat ability despite being seriously injured, wielding the Purple Gold Horse Saber with enough force to make Gem Witch initially mistake him for a Level 5 Extraordinary.
• He also shows quick thinking and deception, successfully concealing his identity by exploiting Gem Witch’s uncertainty.
• Bai Zhou learns that Gem Witch is a Destined One with the rare Wisdom Eye instinct, deepening his interest and caution toward her.
• Gem Witch is revealed to be perceptive, powerful, and capable of seeing spiritual strength through the Three Yang Fires. However, her emotional attachment to the mysterious man from her past causes her to briefly misjudge Bai Zhou.
• Her normally proud and alluring demeanor softens into embarrassment when she realizes she has accused the wrong person.
• Ya serves as Bai Zhou’s knowledgeable guide, explaining the nature of Wisdom Eye, the Three Yang Fires, and the reason Gem Witch could identify Bai Zhou.

3. Significant Themes

• Identity and disguise: Bai Zhou’s absurd costume hides him physically, but his spiritual characteristics nearly expose him. The chapter emphasizes how difficult it is to escape one’s past identity completely.
• Perception versus truth: Gem Witch’s Wisdom Eye provides accurate supernatural insight, yet her personal memories and expectations lead her to a mistaken conclusion.
• Luck and unintended consequences: Bai Zhou narrowly avoids a deadly ambush because Gem Witch encounters it first. Her misfortune becomes his protection.
• Knowledge as power: Ya’s understanding of mystical abilities gives Bai Zhou a major advantage, highlighting the value of experience and hidden lore in the Mystic World.
• Humor amid danger: The ridiculous KFC disguise, the precise unpaid debt, and Bai Zhou’s exaggerated outrage contrast with the serious threats surrounding them.

4. Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Gem Witch begin as uneasy allies: he has just saved her, but she immediately suspects him of being someone from her past.
• Gem Witch probes Bai Zhou’s identity by citing the debt, while Bai Zhou counters with theatrical anger and denial.
• Ya quietly analyzes the situation and explains Gem Witch’s Wisdom Eye to Bai Zhou, allowing him to understand how she recognized the similarity between his flames and those of the mysterious man.
• After Bai Zhou dismisses her accusation, Gem Witch apologizes awkwardly, revealing that the person she mistook him for is emotionally important to her.
• Their relationship shifts toward cooperation when Gem Witch recounts the ambush, and Bai Zhou realizes that her encounter with the Black Warriors may have saved his life.

Chapter Summary: “What Is Justice? ‘I Call Him Major Luo’”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou learns that the “Master Painter” involved in the ambush is likely Picasso, one of the three Title-Level Master Painters of the assassin organization Art Club. The organization’s strength comes from its secrecy, wealthy public identities, and three Level 6 assassins.
• Ya explains that Picasso likely targeted Senior Student Zhou, believing he might return to the real Yuanmeng Middle School. Major Luo appears to have arranged the ambush there, expecting suspicious investigators to arrive.
• The Gem Witch reveals that Picasso used her as bait, suspecting she was connected to Senior Student Zhou. She escaped by contacting the Special Management Department, whose Level 5 leader used a special Black Box capable of restraining Picasso.
• Bai Zhou realizes that multiple factions—including the Authorities, the Special Management Department, and Art Club—are secretly investigating Yuanmeng Middle School. The Witch’s appearance has accidentally disrupted their hidden standoff and provided Bai Zhou with valuable information.
• During a conversation about justice, Bai Zhou gradually leads the Witch into discussing how she would respond to a powerful criminal protected by official institutions and public influence.
• Bai Zhou finally identifies that person as Major Luo, implying that Luo is secretly responsible for major crimes in Tinghai, including the Demon incident. He hopes to recruit the Gem Witch to investigate and expose him.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou remains cautious and manipulative, maintaining his disguise as “KFC Grandpa.” He is alarmed by the possibility that Picasso may still be tracking them, but he quickly turns the situation to his advantage.
• Bai Zhou develops greater respect for the Gem Witch, recognizing her courage, sincerity, strong moral principles, and willingness to help others. He begins considering her as a potential ally capable of challenging Major Luo.
• Gem Witch is shown to be genuinely committed to justice rather than merely using the title “Agent of Justice” for show. She is brave, curious, and unable to ignore serious wrongdoing, even when investigating it may place her in danger.
• The Witch also demonstrates caution: she avoids revealing too much about her past or activities, but her sense of justice ultimately compels her to ask about the alleged corrupt official.
• Picasso is portrayed as extremely powerful but cautious. Rather than directly killing the Witch, he uses her as bait, suggesting that he fears Senior Student Zhou and is investigating his identity.
• Major Luo emerges as the hidden mastermind behind the conflict, protected by institutional authority, wealth, influence, and public reputation.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus institutional corruption: The chapter questions whether justice can prevail when criminals occupy respected positions and are shielded by powerful networks.
• The danger of appearances: Major Luo is publicly regarded as a heroic, idealistic official, while Bai Zhou claims he is secretly responsible for countless crimes.
• Trust and manipulation: Bai Zhou needs allies but cannot openly reveal his identity. He tests the Witch’s morality and attempts to guide her toward becoming an ally without exposing everything.
• Justice as action: The Gem Witch defines justice as giving everyone what they deserve and believes that even powerful criminals must eventually be punished. Her convictions are tested when the alleged criminal is protected by the Authorities.
• Hidden conflicts and competing factions: Yuanmeng Middle School has become a convergence point for several secret forces, each investigating the Demon-related mystery while remaining unaware of the others.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya: Ya provides intelligence about Art Club, Picasso, and the dangers of Title-Level assassins. Their discussion shows Bai Zhou’s dependence on her information and his ability to analyze threats strategically.
• Bai Zhou and the Gem Witch: Their conversation shifts from mutual concealment to a moral test. Bai Zhou praises her answer about justice, then carefully presents a hypothetical corrupt official that is clearly based on Major Luo.
• The Witch initially reacts with suspicion and frustration, realizing Bai Zhou has drawn her into a dangerous subject. Nevertheless, her curiosity and principles force her to ask for the official’s identity.
• Bai Zhou observes her reaction through his Mind’s Eye and decides that her integrity and ties to the Special Management Department make her the ideal person to investigate Major Luo.
• The chapter ends with Bai Zhou dramatically naming his target: “Major Luo.”

Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou, disguised as KFC Grandpa, encounters the Gem Witch after she's attacked by Old Blacks.
• He reveals that the major is behind the attacks and offers an alliance to investigate.
• The Gem Witch agrees to investigate independently and set a meeting place if she finds evidence supporting Bai Zhou's claims.
• Bai Zhou agrees to help her find the Pattern Master from the Reflection Ruins Realm.

Character Developments

• The Gem Witch shows determination to pursue justice, despite the danger.
• Bai Zhou demonstrates his ability to read people and manipulate situations to his advantage.
• Ya remains expressionless and observant, offering occasional insights.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion in the Mystic World.
• The struggle between personal beliefs and survival in a dangerous environment.
• The power of alliances and the importance of finding reliable allies.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and the Gem Witch engage in a tense negotiation, each wary of the other's intentions.
• Ya observes the interaction but remains mostly silent, offering occasional commentary.
• Despite their initial mistrust, both parties agree to a tentative alliance, with the Gem Witch investigating independently first.

Chapter Summary: “Red Spider and the Human Material Assembly Line? Found You!”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou, in black-cat form, infiltrates Yuanmeng Middle School to investigate teachers surnamed Sun. With Crow translating his meows, he tells Ya that he found eight current teachers with that surname and memorized their addresses.
• He and Ya visit the teachers’ homes during the night. Bai Zhou hypnotizes the occupants when necessary, but none of the current teachers appear to be the person they seek.
• Their investigation uncovers an important lead: a former teacher surnamed Sun resigned from Yuanmeng Middle School exactly three years earlier. This timing connects him to several major events:
  • Fang Xiaoxia’s mysterious graduation photograph.
  • The completion and abandonment of Yuanmeng’s ritual.
  • The creation of Fang Xiaoyan and the Kao Shi Wang.
  • The school’s sudden rise to Tinghai’s top-ranked middle school.
• Bai Zhou traces the former teacher to Tinghai No. 4 High School and identifies him as Sun Zhizhou, the homeroom teacher of a senior class.
• While infiltrating the high school, Bai Zhou encounters a drunken security guard. He notices a faint red marking on the guard’s arm and hypnotizes him.
• The guard’s tattoo is revealed to be a Red Spider, confirming a connection to the criminal organization Bai Zhou has been investigating.
• Through hypnosis, Bai Zhou learns that the guard belongs to the Red-Purple Security Group, one of Tinghai’s three largest security companies.
• Bai Zhou realizes that the security company may be a front for Major’s organization. The “park” mentioned in the account book was likely not an industrial park but the security company’s large headquarters.
• He concludes that the Red-Purple Security Group may hide Major’s human material assembly line, incriminating evidence, and possibly Liu Zhen’s remains. The chapter ends with Bai Zhou realizing that he has finally found Major’s hidden base.

2. Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Demonstrates increasing confidence, resourcefulness, and investigative ability. He uses his many identities, hypnosis, stealth, and heightened perception to connect scattered clues. His growing sensitivity to the color red allows him to notice the guard’s concealed Red Spider tattoo. He also shows concern for Ya’s exhaustion, insisting that she sleep while he continues investigating alone.
• Ya: Remains Bai Zhou’s trusted partner and investigator. Despite severe fatigue and reliance on Coffee Beans to stay awake, she continues supporting him. Her previous training helps Bai Zhou with skills such as lockpicking and infiltration. She agrees to rest but leaves him a magical ribbon signal in case of danger.
• Crow: Continues serving as Bai Zhou’s translator, converting his cat noises into understandable speech for Ya.
• Sun Zhizhou: Although he does not appear directly, his unexplained resignation from Yuanmeng three years earlier makes him a significant suspect and potential link to the larger conspiracy.
• The security guard: Initially appears to be merely a drunken night watchman, but his Red Spider tattoo reveals that he is connected to the hidden criminal network.

3. Significant Themes

• Identity and disguise: Bai Zhou’s numerous roles—wanted criminal, counselor, student, thief, Pattern Master, and KFC Grandpa—allow him to move through different social worlds and gather information.
• Connecting fragmented clues: Events from three years earlier, the school’s ritual, student disappearances, the security-company replacement, and the Last Will vision all converge into a coherent explanation.
• Hidden corruption beneath ordinary institutions: A reputable school and a legitimate security company may both conceal supernatural crimes, disappearances, and a human trafficking or experimentation operation.
• Trust and sacrifice: Ya’s willingness to remain awake despite exhaustion, and Bai Zhou’s insistence that she rest, highlight their mutual concern and partnership.
• Persistence and discovery: Bai Zhou’s long search for Major’s assembly line finally yields results, showing the importance of following seemingly minor details.

4. Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya discuss the investigation into the teachers surnamed Sun, with Ya questioning whether the remaining suspects are worth pursuing.
• Bai Zhou urges Ya to stop consuming Coffee Beans and sleep, reassuring her that he can handle the investigation alone. Ya gives him the ribbon signal in case he needs help.
• Bai Zhou uses hypnosis to question a drunken security guard, forcing him to reveal his tattoo and affiliation with the Red-Purple Security Group.
• Bai Zhou’s internal reflections connect information previously gathered from Ya, the elderly gatekeeper, the Last Will vision, and the guard, transforming separate suspicions into a clear breakthrough.

Chapter Summary: A Huge Haul! The Sky Spider Totem and Golden Spider Gu!

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou investigates the Red-Purple Security Group through a drunken low-level security guard. He deduces that the company was originally created as a cover for Major’s plans involving Yuanmeng Middle School.
• The group focused on school security for years, likely concealing the preparation of the school’s Ritual. After the Ritual was completed three years earlier and the Demon entered its gestation stage, the company expanded into more profitable businesses such as hotels, malls, yachts, and residential compounds.
• Bai Zhou hypnotizes the guard, erasing his memories and ensuring he cannot reveal the encounter.
• Studying the guard’s standardized Red Spider tattoo, Bai Zhou discovers that it is actually a simplified Totem Ritual, not mere decoration.
• The tattoo links the wearer’s blood and vitality to the spider symbol. It strengthens the host, allows temporary bursts of power, enables group resonance, and forces absolute loyalty to Major. If a host dies, Major can likely sense it through the connection.
• Bai Zhou realizes that the tattoos form a hidden network of loyal “death warriors” and may also serve as an identity-verification system within the security group.
• He decides to learn and reproduce the Ritual, potentially using it as an identity token to infiltrate Major’s headquarters. Since the guard reports there every Sunday, Bai Zhou considers impersonating him.
• Bai Zhou uses one of his Extraordinary Brushes to analyze and imitate the tattoo. The brush unexpectedly activates its true ability, “Sketching Brush—Earth,” which can imitate and restore the structure of existing things.
• The brush consumes enormous amounts of spirituality and requires ash as a material catalyst. After Bai Zhou supplies it with a large quantity of ash, the analysis progresses beyond merely copying the tattoo.
• The brush traces the Red Spider’s deeper origins and reveals two incomplete sources: the Heavenly Spider Totem and the Golden Spider Gu.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou demonstrates increasing strategic maturity. Rather than attacking Major’s organization directly, he exploits an overlooked employee and the information gap between himself and Major.
• He applies Major’s own “value” philosophy by extracting every possible use from the guard, including information, the tattoo’s structure, and access to the security group.
• Bai Zhou’s fear of the Red Spider symbol deepens, influenced by his memories of Red Spider-related violence and the horrifying Last Wills he has encountered.
• His understanding of Rituals expands significantly. He recognizes that the tattoo combines elements of Totem Rituals and Gu Worm techniques, suggesting Major has access to forbidden or highly specialized knowledge.
• Bai Zhou also discovers a major new function of his Extraordinary Brush: it can analyze, reconstruct, and potentially reverse-engineer Rituals, though doing so requires enormous spiritual energy and special materials.

Significant Themes

• Information as power: Bai Zhou’s advantage comes from secrecy and careful observation rather than direct strength. A seemingly insignificant guard becomes a key to Major’s organization.
• Hidden control and forced loyalty: The Red Spider tattoos represent institutional control, turning employees into obedient tools whose bodies, strength, and even lives belong to Major.
• The danger of unseen threats: Bai Zhou fears curses, Gu Worms, and invisible Rituals more than open combat because they allow enemies to attack without warning.
• Imitation and origins: The brush’s ability to copy the tattoo leads to a deeper exploration of how Rituals evolve from ancient symbols, biological forces, and supernatural sources.
• Ancient brutality beneath modern society: The visions of primitive warfare, giant beasts, poisonous insects, and blood-red sacrifices reveal that modern organizations may be built upon archaic and savage powers.
• Pragmatism and exploitation: Bai Zhou adopts Major’s utilitarian worldview while turning it against him, treating every person, object, and weakness as a potential resource.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou interrogates and hypnotizes the security guard, using him without the guard realizing what has happened.
• His reflections repeatedly contrast his own past with Major’s obsessive plans, particularly the connection between Yuanmeng Middle School and the Demon Ritual.
• Bai Zhou relies on Ya’s teachings about colors, hypnosis, Totem Rituals, and supernatural knowledge to interpret what he discovers.
• The interaction between Bai Zhou and the Extraordinary Brush becomes almost collaborative: the brush responds to his need, consumes ash and spirituality, and reveals knowledge beyond what Bai Zhou could independently perceive.
• By the end of the chapter, Bai Zhou has not only uncovered a method of infiltrating Major’s organization but has also obtained clues to two deeper and potentially powerful supernatural systems: the Heavenly Spider Totem and the Golden Spider Gu.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers the true function of the [Sketching Brush—Earth]: it does not merely copy images, but imitates and traces them back to their origins. The more Ashes he spends, the more complete and powerful the resulting reconstruction becomes.
• By using the brush on a Red Spider totem, Bai Zhou uncovers two ancient fragments:
  • [Heavenly Spider Totem—Fragment], a highly advanced ritualistic spider-leg design.
  • [Golden Spider Gu—Fragment], an incomplete method for cultivating a terrifying Gu Worm described as a “peerless Fierce Beast” capable of piercing saints and slaying kings.
• The Heavenly Spider Totem gives Bai Zhou a possible path to advance beyond his current status as a quasi-Rank One Ritualist. It also helps him understand and decipher the seemingly primitive Red Spider totem.
• Bai Zhou speculates that the Red Spider’s origins may ultimately lead back to Major, the Spider Queen, or to the mysterious Ritualist serving beneath her. He realizes that tracing their powers could allow him to complete the two ancient fragments.
• He questions the significance of the brush’s “Earth” designation and theorizes that the Painter Path may include two other brushes representing Heaven and Human. His desire to reunite the three brushes reinforces his obsessive collector’s nature and his hostility toward the Art Club, which possesses the other two.
• After erasing the security guard’s memories, Bai Zhou investigates Teacher Sun’s apartment, but finds it empty. He suspects Teacher Sun is hiding something and resolves to return later.
• Back at Fang Xiaoxia’s home, Bai Zhou observes that she is troubled by nightmares. Using the [Sleeping Totoro Backpack], he secretly extracts her worries and nightmares, leaving her with more peaceful dreams.
• While resting in cat form beside Fang Xiaoxia, Bai Zhou finishes decoding the Red Spider totem. He inscribes a modified version onto his body, creating a connection to the Red Spider network.
• The altered mark allows him to impersonate, infiltrate, and potentially replace nodes within the network. Bai Zhou realizes that, if he kills Major, he may be able to take her position and become the new “Queen.”
• With his preparations complete, Bai Zhou declares his intention to confront Major: “Major, I’m coming in.”

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou gains a clearer understanding of his powers, particularly the Sketching Brush’s origin-tracing ability. His ambitions expand from survival and investigation to acquiring ancient powers and reaching Rank One.
• His confidence and strategic thinking intensify. Rather than merely opposing Major, he now considers taking over her entire network.
• Bai Zhou’s compassion is shown through his treatment of Fang Xiaoxia. Although he is willing to manipulate or erase others’ memories, he protects Fang Xiaoxia and removes her nightmares without her knowledge.
• His connection to Fang Xiaoxia deepens emotionally because he recognizes aspects of his former, ordinary self in her. He views her peaceful life as something worth protecting from the dangerous Extraordinary world.
• Bai Zhou’s obsession with collecting the full set of Painter Path brushes becomes more explicit, adding a humorous but revealing personal motivation to his larger goals.
• Fang Xiaoxia remains unaware of the supernatural events around her, but benefits from Bai Zhou’s intervention and sleeps peacefully.
• Major does not appear directly, but her influence becomes increasingly central as Bai Zhou prepares to infiltrate her organization and challenge her authority.
• Teacher Sun becomes more suspicious due to his unexplained absence and apparently secret activities.

Significant Themes

• Imitation versus restoration: The chapter distinguishes between copying something and recovering its deeper, original form. This reflects Bai Zhou’s growing ability to uncover hidden histories and ancient power systems.
• The danger and value of ancient knowledge: Relics from older eras may grant overwhelming power, but they are incomplete, costly, and potentially dangerous to use.
• Ambition and revenge: Bai Zhou’s desire to complete the spider-related powers is tied to both personal advancement and his planned revenge against Major.
• Identity and replacement: The Red Spider network introduces the possibility that authority and identity can be copied, infiltrated, or taken over.
• The cost of power: The Sketching Brush consumes enormous quantities of Ashes, emphasizing that extraordinary abilities require significant resources.
• Protection versus corruption: Bai Zhou is becoming more dangerous and calculating, yet he still wishes to preserve Fang Xiaoxia’s ordinary happiness rather than drag her into the Mystic World.
• Ordinary life versus the Extraordinary world: Bai Zhou reflects on whether a peaceful, mundane life might be preferable to the perilous path he chose after meeting Ya.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou interacts with the security guard, uses the Sketching Brush to uncover the guard’s totem’s deeper origins, then erases the guard’s memory of the encounter.
• He investigates Teacher Sun’s home, though Teacher Sun is absent and no direct confrontation occurs.
• Bai Zhou silently watches over Fang Xiaoxia, removes her nightmares with the Sleeping Totoro Backpack, and rests beside her in cat form.
• His strongest interaction is indirect: through the modified Red Spider totem, he establishes a connection with Major’s network, positioning himself to infiltrate it and possibly replace Major herself.
• The chapter ends with Bai Zhou mentally addressing Major, signaling that his long-planned confrontation is about to begin.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a night of recovery, Bai Zhou leaves Fang Xiaoxia’s room in his cat form and searches for “Teacher Sun,” whom he suspects is connected to the Major. Teacher Sun remains absent, apparently away on a business trip.
• Bai Zhou spends the day eating at a familiar breakfast stall. The meal causes him to remember his difficult past in Evening City, especially the vegetable seller who used to save greens for him, and evokes thoughts of the people he left behind.
• Over the next two days, Bai Zhou’s injuries heal through the power of the Moon Wolf Totem and [Moon God’s Tear]. He continues secretly leaving Fang Xiaoxia’s home at night, searching for enemies and gathering information.
• Fang Xiaoxia notices strange details about the cat—his unexplained black ribbon, the smell of coffee, his injuries, and his unusually deep sleep—but chooses not to press him immediately.
• During a quiet evening together, Fang Xiaoxia shares fried chicken, plays video games, and talks to Bai Zhou about her life. Bai Zhou learns about her insecurities, family pressures, loneliness, hopes, and desire to be accepted by her classmates.
• Fang Xiaoxia believes her classmates are preparing a surprise birthday celebration for her at their upcoming reunion. She eagerly prepares gifts for them, revealing her optimism despite her low self-esteem.
• Once fully healed, Bai Zhou decides to leave permanently and return to his hidden base near the air conditioner. However, Fang Xiaoxia wakes and catches him opening the window.
• Fang Xiaoxia confronts him, realizing that he is not an ordinary cat and may have a mysterious owner or magical identity. She asks whether they are still friends and begs him to take her along if he leaves.
• Bai Zhou responds indirectly by replaying a meaningful scene from Fang Xiaoxia’s favorite anime, in which one character promises to accompany another even to hell. He then leaves through the window, silently wishing Fang Xiaoxia a happy birthday.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: His physical injuries heal, but his emotional connection to Fang Xiaoxia deepens. He begins viewing her not merely as a convenient shelter or “Maiden,” but as a lonely, resilient person he genuinely cares about. His memories of Evening City also reveal his continued attachment to ordinary human pleasures and the people from his past.
• Fang Xiaoxia: She grows increasingly suspicious of Bai Zhou’s true nature but remains affectionate and trusting. Her conversation reveals insecurity, loneliness, family-related anxiety, and a tendency to “make do” with life. Despite her pessimism, she possesses strong optimism and an instinct to encourage herself. Her fear of losing Bai Zhou exposes how meaningful their companionship has become.
• Their relationship: What began as an accidental rescue develops into mutual emotional dependence. Fang Xiaoxia sees Bai Zhou as a possible friend and magical companion, while Bai Zhou quietly recognizes her kindness and vulnerability.

Significant Themes

• Companionship and separation: The chapter centers on the pain of leaving someone who has offered warmth and shelter, even when the relationship was never openly defined.
• Loneliness and the desire to belong: Both characters are isolated in different ways—Bai Zhou is hunted and displaced, while Fang Xiaoxia feels socially excluded and emotionally neglected.
• The contrast between hardship and ordinary happiness: Food, games, anime, and domestic routines provide Bai Zhou with brief moments of peace amid danger and pursuit.
• Making do versus truly living: Fang Xiaoxia describes her life as one of compromise, while Bai Zhou’s enjoyment of food and experience suggests that small pleasures still matter, even in a difficult existence.
• Childhood imagination and lost innocence: Fang Xiaoxia fantasizes about magical creatures and chosen heroes, while Bai Zhou literally belongs to a hidden supernatural world. Their interaction blurs the boundary between childish fantasy and reality.
• Unspoken affection: Bai Zhou cannot openly explain himself, so his care is expressed through actions—protecting Fang Xiaoxia’s sleep, returning to her room, responding to her anime, and wishing her a happy birthday.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou secretly observes Fang Xiaoxia’s routines while she believes he is sleeping.
• Fang Xiaoxia shares meals, video games, anime, and personal thoughts with him as though he were a trusted friend.
• Bai Zhou studies her games and conversations, learning about modern life and her personality.
• Fang Xiaoxia confronts Bai Zhou at the window, asking whether their friendship is real and whether he will abandon her.
• Bai Zhou answers through the anime quotation rather than speech, implying that she can seek him out if she needs him. He then departs with a final wave and an unspoken birthday wish, leaving their bond emotionally unresolved but clearly significant.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Black Cat (Bai Zhou) and Fang Xiaoxia have a brief encounter. Bai Zhou uses hypnosis to temporarily seal away Fang Xiaoxia's memories of their meeting.
• Bai Zhou infiltrates the Red-Purple Security Group, discovering an underground factory hidden beneath their headquarters.
• The factory is revealed to be a secret base of Major, the leader of the Red-Purple Security Group, housing a vast, complex industrial compound.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou shows his ability to adapt and infiltrate, using hypnosis and disguises to gain access to restricted areas.
• Fang Xiaoxia's curiosity about her encounter with Black Cat is piqued, hinting at potential future developments.

Significant Themes

• The theme of secrets and hidden truths is emphasized, with the discovery of the underground factory revealing a hidden aspect of Major's operations.
• The contrast between the ordinary world above and the extraordinary world hidden beneath is explored.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou interacts with Fang Xiaoxia, leading to her temporary amnesia regarding their encounter.
• Bai Zhou's relationship with Ya, his ribbon companion, is further developed, with Ya providing guidance and support during Bai Zhou's infiltration.
• Bai Zhou encounters and infiltrates the Red-Purple Security Group, interacting with various employees and guards without raising suspicion.

Chapter Summary: “Nine Mysterious Men and ‘Major Luo’”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou infiltrates Major Luo’s underground industrial complex in the form of a Black Cat, traveling through its ventilation ducts with Ya communicating through the ribbon on his wrist.
• He discovers that the “park construction” budget in Major’s encrypted account book refers to a vast underground factory. Workers process strange plants and minerals, while Overseers patrol the facility.
• Deeper underground, Bai Zhou finds a Human Material production facility identical to the one shown in the Last Will. It previously supplied materials for the Demon and financed Major’s plans.
• The facility is currently being dismantled and relocated. Its assembly lines have stopped, machines are being disassembled, and workers are hurriedly removing equipment. Bai Zhou concludes that Major is preparing a new operation rather than merely hiding from authorities.
• In a hidden office, Bai Zhou witnesses a new recruit being branded with a spider-shaped iron. The ritual transforms the frightened interviewee into a fanatically loyal member of the security group.
• Ya recognizes that the branding is a highly simplified, mass-producible Ritual. This implies that Major has secured the help of a powerful ranked Ritualist and can rapidly create large numbers of loyal suicide soldiers.
• Bai Zhou discovers a sealed third underground level containing:
  • Malformed animals undergoing experiments
  • Research into physical enhancement and mental instability
  • Radioactive waste and other dangerous materials
  • Assembly lines producing unusually large “Old Blacks,” Major’s biological weapons
• Nine empty cultivation tanks suggest that something—or someone—was recently created or removed from them.
• Eight grotesque masked men appear and converse as brothers, referring to themselves by numbered names such as Luo Jiu and Luo Laosi.
• The mysterious Teacher Sun arrives. Bai Zhou recognizes him from the Last Will.
• Teacher Sun removes a false layer of facial skin, revealing a face identical to Major Luo’s.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou: Becomes more observant and strategically confident as he explores the dismantled facility. Instead of panicking, he recognizes the relocation as an opportunity to gather information and possibly strike. His discovery of the deeper laboratory and Major’s biological weapons greatly heightens his awareness of the danger he faces.
• Ya: Provides crucial analysis of the branding Ritual, identifying its creator as at least a ranked Ritualist. Her knowledge establishes that Major’s organization has access to an exceptionally valuable and dangerous expert.
• Major Luo: Is revealed to be engaged in a much larger operation than Bai Zhou previously understood. His decision to abandon or relocate the Human Material factory, recruit masses of loyal soldiers, conduct biological experiments, and produce enhanced Old Blacks suggests preparations for a major move.
• Teacher Sun / Luo Laosi: Is revealed to be connected directly to Major Luo. His ability to wear and remove another person’s face indicates profound identity manipulation or biological transformation.
• The Eight Masked Men: Emerge as powerful, abnormal figures who appear to be members of the same “Luo” group or experimental lineage. Their unusual bodies and the respect shown by the workers establish their authority and menace.

Significant Themes

• Industrialized monstrosity: Human Material, biological weapons, Ritual branding, and the mass production of soldiers show supernatural evil operating like an efficient factory.
• Identity and disguise: Teacher Sun’s false face and identical appearance to Major Luo raise questions about imitation, duplication, replacement, and the true identity of Major Luo.
• Preparation for a larger catastrophe: The relocation, recruitment drive, enhanced Old Blacks, and empty cultivation tanks all suggest that Major is preparing a major offensive or experiment.
• Human beings as raw material: Recruits are branded, animals are experimented on, and humanoid weapons are manufactured, emphasizing the dehumanization at the core of Major’s organization.
• Knowledge as power: Bai Zhou’s infiltration allows him to uncover information that would otherwise remain hidden, while Ya’s expertise helps him interpret what he sees.

Important Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya work together closely, combining stealth and investigation with Ya’s Ritual knowledge.
• The office supervisor treats the recruit’s branding as ordinary onboarding, revealing the organization’s casual normalization of cruelty. The branded recruit is psychologically transformed into a devoted follower.
• The eight masked men interact like grotesque siblings, teasing and criticizing one another while clearly possessing considerable status and power.
• The masked men address Teacher Sun as “Luo Laosi,” implying that he is the fourth member of their group and connecting him to the other mysterious “Luo” figures.
• Teacher Sun’s transformation before the group directly links him to Major Luo and leaves Bai Zhou stunned, suggesting that the apparent distinction between Teacher Sun and Major Luo may be false—or far more complicated than expected.

Chapter Summary: Sainthood Ascension? The Nine Directors—Who Was the Distinguished Guest?

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers that “Teacher Sun” is actually Luo Four, one of nine grotesque, masked figures known as the Nine Directors or Nine Dragons of the Luo Family.
• The directors reveal that the Sainthood Ascension Plan is about to begin and that they are preparing to “close the net” on the Caged Bird.
• They repeatedly refer to a powerful figure as “Father,” suggesting that he is the true mastermind behind the underground factory, the human experimentation industry, the Black Warriors, and the nine directors themselves.
• The directors discuss evacuating the facility after the ascension begins. Their new goal is to protect Father and help him claim Tinghai—and eventually even larger territories.
• Ya assesses the nine directors’ strength: three are Level 6 Sealed Extraordinary, Luo Four is close to that level, and the remaining members are powerful Level 5 Extraordinary.
• A frightened employee reports that the Type III Black Warriors are nearly complete. Luo Jiu promotes him to supervisor and orders the Black Warriors to be organized into elite units under the command of the nine directors.
• Luo One orders the other directors to leave and guard Father, while Luo Jiu remains behind to receive an arriving “Big Shot,” clean up the facility’s documents, and eliminate evidence.
• Luo Jiu destroys confidential files by literally eating them with his enormous mouth. Bai Zhou remains hidden in the ventilation system, unable to attack such a powerful enemy but hoping to exploit the visitor’s arrival.
• When the distinguished guest arrives, Bai Zhou catches a glimpse of him and is shocked: the visitor appears to be Deputy Director Liu of the Bureau of Anomalous Investigation, a powerful figure previously seen at Yuanmeng Middle School.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou gains crucial information about the Luo Family’s hidden forces and realizes that the Major may either be the “Father” or be closely connected to him. He remains cautious, recognizing that direct confrontation with the directors would be suicidal.
• Luo One, the big-headed eldest director, is portrayed as cautious, authoritative, and devoted to Father. He emphasizes preparation and warns his brothers not to become careless before the ascension.
• Luo Jiu, the big-mouthed ninth director, displays a childish, sadistic, and unstable personality. He torments the employee, then casually promotes him, showing how arbitrary and terrifying his authority is.
• The other directors demonstrate intense loyalty and reverence toward Father. Their devotion resembles the fanatical loyalty of the Red Spider-branded subjects.
• The employee’s fear briefly shifts into relief and pride when Luo Jiu promotes him, illustrating the oppressive hierarchy within the organization.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and conspiracy: The Nine Directors, the Black Warriors, the cultivation tanks, and the human-material industry chain are revealed to be parts of one massive plan.
• Fanatical loyalty and manufactured identity: The directors treat Father as a beloved creator and view themselves as his “finest creations,” suggesting they may have been engineered or artificially produced.
• Monstrous evolution: Their malformed bodies are presented by Luo One as signs of “perfect evolution,” contrasting their self-image with ordinary humans, whom they regard as primitive.
• Power versus vulnerability: Although the directors possess overwhelming strength, Bai Zhou’s ability to observe them secretly demonstrates that information and patience can temporarily counter superior force.
• Erasure of evidence: The destruction of the documents shows the organization’s effort to wipe out its past before entering a new phase.
• Betrayal and ambiguity: The possible presence of Deputy Director Liu among the Luo Family’s allies introduces the threat of infiltration or corruption within the Bureau of Anomalous Investigation.

Character Interactions

• The nine directors converse like brothers, combining familial affection with bizarre physical humor, complaints, and mutual teasing.
• Luo One acts as the leader, directing the others and assigning Luo Jiu to receive the distinguished guest.
• Luo Jiu intimidates and mocks the employee before rewarding him with a promotion, reinforcing the directors’ unpredictable cruelty.
• The directors openly discuss their enemies from the Ruins Realm auction, Evening City, and Yuanmeng Middle School, revealing that they have been waiting for an opportunity to attack them.
• Bai Zhou silently observes all these interactions from the ventilation duct, especially focusing on Luo Jiu’s destruction of the confidential files.
• The chapter ends on a major cliffhanger when Bai Zhou realizes that the arriving “Big Shot” may be Deputy Director Liu, suggesting a possible connection between the Bureau and the Luo Family’s ascension plan.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers that the honored guest meeting Major Luo may be Deputy Director Liu, the heroic archer who once fought the Demon. This revelation makes Bai Zhou question whether Liu had secretly colluded with Major Luo and whether the Demon’s defeat was truly outside Luo’s plans.
• While Luo Jiu leaves the office, Bai Zhou transforms into a Black Cat and secretly searches through the office’s documents. Ya confirms there are no Ritual alarms and explains that the Black Cat’s concealment ability makes Bai Zhou nearly impossible to detect.
• Bai Zhou reflects on how his cautious, suspicious personality was shaped by repeated persecution, deception, and near-death experiences. He views these hardships as a form of “growth.”
• Using his photographic memory, Bai Zhou rapidly examines the files and discovers the classified Shepherd Plan.
• The Shepherd Plan reveals a vast system of human exploitation:
  • Special Management Department personnel select and cultivate people as “sheep.”
  • Mature “sheep” are processed into resources for the nine Luo family directors, another project involving “Father,” Black Warriors, Magic Potions, and Intelligence Potions.
  • The plan aims to create a self-sustaining cycle in which people are bred, consumed, and replaced.
  • Its ultimate goal is a controlled “pasture utopia” where everyone’s place is determined while being made to believe they chose it freely.
• Bai Zhou realizes that the cultivation schemes he previously knew about were only a small part of the Shepherd Plan.
• He notices that the plan’s first phase is scheduled to end on September 9, with Tinghai Utopia beginning at midnight on September 10. Since the current date is September 8, the timing is extremely urgent.
• Bai Zhou finds a partially deleted Park Development Plan, but it contains little useful information.
• Ya discovers the far more secretive Saint Ascension Plan, Project Number 000001. Nearly the entire file has been deleted or encrypted.
• On the final page, Bai Zhou finds a strange symbol resembling the Luo character beneath a distorted π-like mark, followed by the objective: “The Saint Returns.”

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou becomes increasingly alarmed and suspicious of Major Luo’s influence, realizing that major historical events may have been manipulated from the beginning.
• His survival instincts and caution are shown to be learned traits formed through suffering rather than natural cowardice.
• Bai Zhou demonstrates exceptional competence: he uses his Black Cat transformation, photographic memory, rapid reading, and attention to detail to investigate the base without leaving evidence.
• Ya gains greater appreciation for Bai Zhou’s abilities, especially the extraordinary concealment granted by the Forbidden Canon. She also begins to see him with protective, almost maternal pride, imagining him eventually shocking the wider Eastern Federation.
• Ya’s discovery of the Saint Ascension Plan makes her unusually serious, emphasizing the plan’s importance and danger.
• Major Luo is revealed indirectly as a calculating mastermind whose ambitions extend far beyond local experiments and political corruption.

Significant Themes

• Control and manipulation: The Shepherd Plan depicts society as a managed livestock system, where human lives, talent, and ideology are cultivated for the benefit of elites.
• Free will versus manufactured choice: The plan seeks not only to control people but also to make them believe their submission was voluntary.
• Exploitation and dehumanization: The language of “sheep,” “scraps,” and “resources” reduces people to consumable materials in an industrial cycle.
• Trauma and growth: Bai Zhou’s paranoia and caution are presented as survival skills forged through repeated danger.
• Hidden conspiracies and uncertainty: Bai Zhou questions whether the Demon’s death, Deputy Director Liu’s heroism, and past events were all parts of Luo’s larger design.
• Secrecy and forbidden power: The near-total deletion of the Saint Ascension Plan suggests that it is Major Luo’s most important and dangerous project.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou silently communicates with Ya through writing in his palm while hiding in the office.
• Ya reassures him about the absence of Ritual alarms and praises his caution, while also explaining the Black Cat’s near-perfect concealment.
• Their partnership becomes more collaborative as Ya helps search the documents and discovers the Saint Ascension Plan.
• Bai Zhou and Ya share a growing emotional bond, with Ya viewing him with pride and concern.
• Major Luo’s earlier interaction with Luo Jiu is only heard from outside the office, but his presence creates constant pressure as Bai Zhou races to uncover the truth before he returns.

Chapter Summary: The Journey Was Not in Vain

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou and Ya investigate Major Luo’s office and discover documents concerning the [Saint Ascension Plan], Project 000001.
• Ya explains that, in the Mystic World, a Saint is not merely a revered human but an incomprehensible transcendent being representing ultimate goodness and power.
• The discovery raises troubling questions because Major Luo is simultaneously pursuing a Saint-related plan and nurturing or summoning a Demon, suggesting either a hidden connection or two opposing strategies.
• Bai Zhou realizes that the Saint Ascension Plan may be the culmination of Major Luo’s many interconnected projects, including:
  • [Shepherd Plan]
  • [Park Development Plan]
  • [Black Warrior Cultivation Plan]
  • [Talent Trade Feasibility Assessment]
  • [Flora and Fauna Transcendence Experiment]
• These documents reveal how Luo built his underground network and provide concrete evidence of crimes and conspiracies. Bai Zhou believes the evidence could compel the Special Management Department and the Ordinance Hall to act.
• With Ya’s advice, Bai Zhou selectively removes the most incriminating documents rather than taking everything, hoping to avoid immediately revealing his presence.
• He places the evidence—including the Shepherd Plan—inside the Trojan Horse. Ya argues that the opportunity is too important to miss, since the records are about to be destroyed.
• Bai Zhou discovers two especially significant files:
  • [Caged Bird Observation Log], Project 000004.
  • [Peering into the Ruins Realm Experiment Report], Project 000020.
• The latter reveals that the Blood Worship Cult attempted to use 128 humans near Evening City to create “Nonexistent Ones” capable of reaching a deeper realm connected to the graveyard of the Past. The experiment ultimately failed after 10,001 simulations.
• The report also confirms that Major Luo’s organization studied the Evening City Plan and investigated Bai Zhou’s identity, suspecting he might be connected to either the Holy Relic Institute or the Blood Worship Cult.
• The file references Project 000014, the [Late City Material Ward Experiment], which deeply disturbs Bai Zhou because it may concern the fate of his fellow villagers.
• Before Bai Zhou can investigate further, Ya senses intruders approaching. Luo Jiu and Deputy Director Liu have returned, accompanied by someone named Liu Zhen.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou becomes more determined and strategically focused. Rather than merely gathering information, he recognizes that he must expose Luo’s crimes and stop the imminent Saint Ascension Plan.
• He gains confidence from no longer being alone: Ya, the Gem Witch, can help him contact or persuade the Special Management Department.
• Bai Zhou’s distrust of official Authorities begins to soften. Ya convinces him that although Major Luo may have corrupted some officials, many members of the Special Management Department remain honorable.
• His personal stakes intensify when he learns that the Late City experiments may be connected to the people of Evening City and his missing fellow villagers.
• Ya demonstrates extensive knowledge of Saints, Demons, Major Luo’s plans, and official institutions. Her willingness to take risks and her continued faith in the Special Management Department suggest a complicated past involving Authorities and possibly persecution or exile.
• Major Luo is portrayed as an ambitious mastermind whose numerous projects form a vast, carefully constructed system aimed at achieving an unknown ultimate goal.
• Luo Jiu remains an important enforcer or participant in Luo’s operations, responsible for consuming and destroying documents.
• Deputy Director Liu returns with Luo Jiu, while the mysterious appearance of Liu Zhen creates a new threat and cliffhanger.

Significant Themes

• Good versus evil: The simultaneous Saint Ascension and Demon projects suggest that Luo’s true objective may involve combining, balancing, or exploiting opposing forces.
• Conspiracy and hidden systems: The numbered projects reveal that Major Luo’s power is the product of numerous experiments, institutions, and long-term schemes.
• Evidence versus power: Bai Zhou cannot defeat Luo through strength alone, so records and testimony become his weapons.
• Trust in institutions: The chapter explores whether corrupt individuals invalidate an entire organization, with Ya arguing that honorable people still exist within the Authorities.
• The past and lost civilizations: Saints, the Xiluo Emperor, the Scarlet Queen, the First King, and the Ruins Realm all suggest that current events are linked to forgotten civilizations and ancient powers.
• Personal identity and belonging: The report’s investigation into Bai Zhou and the possible fate of Evening City connect the vast conspiracy to his own origins.
• Urgency and sacrifice: The Saint Ascension Plan is imminent, and Bai Zhou must accept the danger of acting before Luo discovers him.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Ya collaborate closely, analyzing the Saint Ascension documents and debating the risks of removing evidence.
• Ya serves as both an interpreter of Mystic World knowledge and a strategic adviser, encouraging Bai Zhou to act despite the danger.
• Their discussion of the Special Management Department reveals growing mutual trust and hints at Ya’s mysterious history.
• Bai Zhou’s partnership with the Gem Witch becomes central to his plan to break the deadlock and alert the Authorities.
• The chapter ends with Ya warning Bai Zhou that Luo Jiu and Deputy Director Liu have returned, accompanied by the unfamiliar Liu Zhen, leaving Bai Zhou shocked and preparing for confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Familiar Scent, Caged Bird!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou hides in the ventilation duct after learning that Deputy Director Liu has arrived at White Tiger Hall. He conceals the Peering into the Ruins Realm Experiment Report and the Caged Bird Observation Log.
• Luo Jiu enters with Deputy Director Liu, whose weakened, corpse-like appearance reflects the injuries he suffered fighting a Demon. Bai Zhou senses that Liu’s temperament has also changed, becoming unnaturally calm and lifeless.
• A grotesque mechanical body follows them: a steel skeleton containing a functioning human heart, brain, blood vessels, and eyes. Luo Jiu identifies it as an “optimized” form of Human Material.
• Bai Zhou realizes the Human Material is made from Liu Zhen, someone he had been trying to recover and release from Major Luo’s control. Although it appears alive, Liu Zhen is actually dead and being preserved like an object.
• Luo Jiu plans to hand Liu Zhen’s Human Material over to Deputy Director Liu Jia for a possession Ritual at midnight the following day. Liu Jia’s reaction suggests that Liu Zhen is uniquely important to him.
• Liu Jia reveals that Major Luo’s final Sainthood Ascension will occur at an underground base beneath Longluo Private Middle School, where Teacher Sun—Luo Four’s disguise—works. Bai Zhou now knows the location of another major base.
• The conversation turns to the Caged Bird project. Luo Jiu says Luo Four is bringing the Caged Bird back and assures Liu Jia that the plan is proceeding smoothly.
• Bai Zhou opens the secret observation log for Project 000004. It contains 820 records documenting three years of surveillance and psychological manipulation of an unnamed girl. The observers subtly encouraged her insecurity, isolation, dependence on her parents, and belief that staying at home was safer.
• Luo Jiu produces a bottle of familiar “calcium tablets” intended to keep the Caged Bird under control. Bai Zhou recognizes the milk-like scent from Fang Xiaoxia’s home and recalls her taking the same tablets.
• The chapter ends with Bai Zhou realizing that Fang Xiaoxia is the Caged Bird targeted by Major Luo’s project.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou becomes increasingly horrified and determined. His goal of recovering Liu Zhen’s Human Material gains urgency, while the discovery that Fang Xiaoxia is the Caged Bird makes Major Luo’s conspiracy personally relevant.
• Deputy Director Liu Jia is revealed to be severely injured yet still extremely intimidating. His connection to Liu Zhen is mysterious, and his planned possession of the Human Material suggests a hidden relationship between their identities.
• Luo Jiu, despite being a powerful Titled Transcendent, behaves submissively toward Liu Jia. His reverence for “Father” and Major Luo’s plans shows that he is both an obedient subordinate and an ambitious participant in the organization.
• Liu Zhen is revealed to have been reduced to preserved Human Material. His condition highlights the cruelty of Major Luo’s methods and deepens Bai Zhou’s emotional attachment to him.
• Fang Xiaoxia is recontextualized: her apparent ordinary life and personal choices have been carefully monitored and subtly shaped by Major Luo’s network for years.

Significant Themes

• Desecration of life and identity: Human Material blurs the boundary between life and death, reducing people such as Liu Zhen to preserved tools or vessels.
• Control disguised as care: The Caged Bird project manipulates its target through seemingly harmless advice, parental affection, safety concerns, and “natural” choices rather than obvious force.
• Fate versus free will: The project intentionally makes Fang Xiaoxia’s manipulated life appear self-directed, raising questions about whether her choices are truly her own.
• Hidden identities and duality: The repeated contrast between “Liu Zhen” and “Liu Jia,” as well as the distinction between the living and the preserved dead, suggests deeper questions about authenticity, replacement, and possession.
• Institutional corruption: The Bureau, Major Luo’s organization, and their associated facilities are shown to be intertwined in secret experiments, surveillance, and ritual plans.

Character Interactions

• Luo Jiu treats Liu Jia with extreme deference, while Liu Jia remains cold and commanding. Liu Jia’s brief praise of Luo Jiu greatly affects him, resembling a twisted father-son relationship.
• Liu Jia and Luo Jiu negotiate the timing and conditions of the possession Ritual involving Liu Zhen’s Human Material.
• Bai Zhou secretly observes both men, suppressing his anger so he can gather information rather than attack prematurely.
• Liu Jia emphasizes that the Caged Bird must not be harmed, while Luo Jiu assures him that the control tablets will keep her contained.
• Bai Zhou’s memory of Fang Xiaoxia taking the tablets connects the hidden conspiracy directly to someone he knows, transforming the Caged Bird project from an abstract threat into a personal crisis.

Chapter Summary: “I Need a Means of Transportation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou completes his investigation into the “Caged Bird” and realizes that Fang Xiaoxia is the person Major Luo has been secretly observing and manipulating.
• The chapter connects several events from the past three years into a closed loop:
  • Major Luo’s ritual at Yuanmeng Middle School
  • Fang Xiaoxia’s graduation photograph with the Mysterious Classmate
  • The creation of “Fang Xiaoyan”
  • Teacher Sun’s resignation
• Bai Zhou learns that Major Luo intends to obtain Fang Xiaoxia on September 9, her birthday, and complete his “Sainthood Ascension” before September 10.
• He suspects Fang Xiaoxia may have attended Longluo Private Middle School, possibly in Sun Zhizhou’s class, further linking her to the conspiracy.
• Bai Zhou observes a tense exchange between Deputy Director Liu and Luo Jiu. Luo Jiu shows extreme respect toward Deputy Director Liu, while Deputy Director Liu appears to be preparing to take away the alloy skeleton “Liu Zhen.”
• Luo Jiu privately reveals a more calculating personality after Liu leaves. He claims the Caged Bird will never fly again and implies that he is trapped in his current position, “serving time.”
• Bai Zhou chooses not to follow Deputy Director Liu immediately. Instead, he prioritizes reaching Fang Xiaoxia before Major Luo’s people capture her.
• He resolves to prevent Major Luo from obtaining the final piece of his plan and vows to confront Deputy Director Liu the following night at Longluo Private Middle School, where Liu is expected to claim “Liu Zhen.”
• Escaping the Red-Purple Security Group building, Bai Zhou realizes that he needs faster transportation. He breaks into a hidden garage filled with clothing, money, equipment, and luxury goods.
• He takes Liu Zhen’s brother’s goose-yellow Maserati MC20, hoping its legendary speed will allow him to reach Fang Xiaoxia before the people hunting her.

Character Developments

Bai Zhou

Bai Zhou moves from uncertainty to determination. He accepts that Fang Xiaoxia is the Caged Bird and recognizes that the conspiracy is rapidly approaching its climax. Although he remains cautious around Deputy Director Liu, he now has greater confidence in his own abilities as a Level 4 Destiny [Adventurer]. He considers using his allies, his possible advancement to Level 5, and his unclaimed reward from the Sun Temple of Troy to challenge Major Luo.

Fang Xiaoxia

Fang Xiaoxia is recontextualized as far more important than her ordinary appearance suggests. Though she appears spiritually dormant and psychologically insecure, Major Luo has treated her as a carefully preserved sacrifice or “captive.” Her true nature and what she can provide remain unknown.

Major Luo

Major Luo’s plan is revealed to be centered on Fang Xiaoxia and her upcoming birthday. His actions suggest that he has spent years shaping circumstances around her while avoiding direct interference, apparently to preserve her “purity.”

Luo Jiu

Luo Jiu displays a split between his public and private personas. In public, he is obedient and reverent toward Deputy Director Liu and Major Luo; privately, he is sardonic, observant, and resigned to his role within the organization.

Deputy Director Liu

Deputy Director Liu becomes more ominous and powerful. His injuries and mechanical movements contrast with the deference shown to him by Luo Jiu, implying that he has become even more dangerous than before.

Liu Zhen and his brother

Liu Zhen’s corpse or remains continue to be exploited by the conspirators. His brother’s Maserati becomes a symbolic inheritance that Bai Zhou uses in his attempt to protect Fang Xiaoxia.

Significant Themes

Captivity and freedom

Fang Xiaoxia’s “cage” is unusual because she is not visibly guarded. Instead, she is subjected to long-term observation and subtle negative influence, suggesting a form of “free-range” captivity designed to keep her weak and controllable.

Hidden identity and recontextualization

Ordinary events, school connections, and seemingly irrelevant details gain new meaning as Bai Zhou pieces together the conspiracy.

Time and fate

The chapter emphasizes loops, repeated dates, birthdays, and approaching deadlines. Bai Zhou is racing against a predetermined-looking sequence of events.

Power versus caution

Bai Zhou must balance his desire to rescue Fang Xiaoxia and avenge Liu Zhen against the danger of confronting far stronger Transcendents prematurely.

Exploitation of individuals

Fang Xiaoxia, Liu Zhen, and even Luo Jiu appear to be treated as tools within Major Luo’s larger ritualistic plan.

Transformation and agency

Bai Zhou is no longer the powerless youth trapped at Branch 36 Base. His growing strength gives him the ability—and the responsibility—to interfere with the conspiracy.

Character Interactions

Deputy Director Liu and Luo Jiu

Their conversation reveals Luo Jiu’s reverence for Major Luo’s “Father” and Deputy Director Liu’s detachment. Luo Jiu wishes Liu success, but corrects himself to wish success to the Major’s father, exposing the hierarchy and religious devotion within the organization.

Luo Jiu and the absent Major Luo

Luo Jiu’s comments show that he understands the Major’s plan but is not directly responsible for controlling the Caged Bird. He appears frustrated by his confinement and subordinate role.

Bai Zhou and Fang Xiaoxia

Although Fang Xiaoxia is absent from the chapter, Bai Zhou’s memories of her class reunion and their recent interactions become crucial. His concern shifts from investigation to urgent rescue.

Bai Zhou and Deputy Director Liu

Bai Zhou watches Liu leave and decides that their confrontation must wait until the following night. He treats the coming encounter as a personal promise and a chance to stop Liu from further desecrating Liu Zhen’s remains.

Bai Zhou and Liu Zhen’s legacy

By taking the Maserati, Bai Zhou symbolically uses something left behind by Liu Zhen’s brother to continue Liu Zhen’s unfinished struggle, racing toward Fang Xiaoxia and the next stage of the conflict.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Zhou discovers Liu Zhen's Safe House and decides to save Fang Xiaoxia.
• Bai Zhou drives to the KTV where Fang Xiaoxia's class reunion is being held, encountering Teacher Sun and his men.
• Bai Zhou infiltrates the KTV, stopping Teacher Sun's men from entering the reunion room.

Character Developments

• Bai Zhou shows determination and bravery in his mission to save Fang Xiaoxia.
• Crow reveals her understanding of Extraordinary Safe Houses and their secrecy.
• Teacher Sun demonstrates his calm and assured demeanor, showing no signs of urgency or concern.

Significant Themes

• The theme of secrets and hidden worlds continues, with Liu Zhen's Safe House and the Extraordinary's hidden nature being explored.
• The theme of determination and resolve is emphasized as Bai Zhou sets out to save Fang Xiaoxia.

Character Interactions

• Bai Zhou and Crow work together, with Crow guiding Bai Zhou and providing information.
• Bai Zhou encounters Teacher Sun and his men, setting the stage for a confrontation.
• Bai Zhou interacts with the Men in Suits, displaying his determination and resolve.

Key Plot Points

• Bai Zhou arrives at the KTV, intending to disrupt the gathering to take Fang Xiaoxia away.
• Inside, Fang Xiaoxia believes the gathering is for her birthday but is embarrassed when a waiter brings a small cake, revealing it was for Sun Jinyan's confession.
• Fang Xiaoxia's classmate, Li Wanwan, mocks her, causing her to feel humiliated and angry.

Character Developments

• Fang Xiaoxia: Realizes her misunderstanding about the class gathering and feels embarrassed and humiliated. Experiences anger toward Li Wanwan.
• Bai Zhou: Shows decisiveness and efficiency in handling the security guards. Plans to make a grand entrance to save Fang Xiaoxia.
• Li Wanwan: Reveals her true colors, mocking Fang Xiaoxia and showing vengeful satisfaction.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and Embarrassment: Fang Xiaoxia's misunderstanding about the class gathering leads to embarrassment and humiliation.
• Betrayal and Anger: Fang Xiaoxia feels betrayed by Li Wanwan, leading to anger and a desire for retribution.
• Social Anxiety and Invisibility: Fang Xiaoxia's social anxiety and lack of presence are highlighted, contrasting with her brief moment of feeling like a superstar.

Character Interactions

• Fang Xiaoxia and Li Wanwan: Their friendship is revealed to be superficial, with Li Wanwan mocking Fang Xiaoxia and causing her anger.
• Fang Xiaoxia and her classmates: The classmates' indifferent reactions to Fang Xiaoxia's humiliation highlight their lack of genuine concern for her.
• Bai Zhou and the security guards: Bai Zhou efficiently handles the security guards, showing his decisiveness and efficiency.