Chapter Summaries

Wang Shangqing and the survivors cleared the fourth floor by shaving their heads to evade its Dark Corpses, then fought through a chemistry laboratory on the fifth floor as Zhang Guangmu’s infection worsened. With no cure found and Zhang Guangmu near death, Wang Shangqing stopped their ascent and proposed trying to derive an antibody from his blood or transfusing it to Zhang Guangmu.

• Wang Shangqing surveyed the fourth-floor barbershop and reported that its Dark Corpses ignored him.
• Ma Wu suggested shaving their heads, and the survivors confirmed bald people were ignored by the fourth-floor Dark Corpses before taking the floor without casualties.
• A long black-haired girl began transforming into a Dark Corpse, so Wang Shangqing killed her; the survivors then feared for the infected Zhang Guangmu.
• Wang Shangqing led the team to the fifth-floor chemistry laboratory, where he and Zhang Guangmu fought the Dark Corpses while the bald assault team protected Zhang Guangmu.
• The team cleared the fifth floor, but Wang Shangqing was badly injured and Zhang Guangmu’s condition deteriorated, so Wang Shangqing proposed making an antiviral treatment from his blood or giving Zhang Guangmu a transfusion.

Zhang Guangmu revealed a possible way for the survivors to escape the building, but Wang Shangqing insisted they keep searching for an antidote to save him. The team split between the two plans, leaving their next move unresolved.

• Zhang Guangmu ruled out Wang Shangqing's blood transfusion and reverse-engineering ideas as ways to save him.
• Zhang Guangmu showed the survivors chemicals and supplies and said he had an eighty percent chance of opening the locked entrance on the first floor.
• Wang Shangqing rejected Zhang Guangmu's escape plan and insisted they continue upward to find an antidote, unwilling to break his promise to keep Zhang Guangmu alive.
• Zhang Guangmu refused Wang Shangqing's decision and ordered the group to go to the first floor.
• Jiang Ling and Ma Wu sided with Wang Shangqing, while the remaining survivors supported Zhang Guangmu, splitting the team into opposing sides.

Zhang Guangmu used a thermite reaction to melt the chains blocking the survivors’ exit, then shot himself as he began to mutate. Afterward, Zhou Mo wanted to end Corpse Building on that tragedy, but Meng Lingrui suggested Zhang Guangmu might have survived in another form.

• Wang Shangqing agreed to let Zhang Guangmu go to the first floor while he returned to search for an antidote.
• Zhang Guangmu realized he was about to mutate and ordered the team to gather rust before returning to the chained gate with Ma Wu and Jiang Ling.
• Zhang Guangmu explained how magnesium strips, potassium chlorate, aluminum bottles, and iron oxide could produce thermite, and Ma Wu and Jiang Ling set it alight.
• The thermite melted the lock and chains, allowing the survivors to escape, while Zhang Guangmu said goodbye and shot himself.
• Zhou Mo urged Director Meng Lingrui to end filming, but Meng Lingrui said Zhang Guangmu might have survived in another form because contingencies had been built into Corpse Building.

After escaping the Dark Corpse Mansion, the survivors discovered that it was only one of countless black buildings, and Ma Wu estimated the cluster was part of an experiment involving at least three hundred thousand people. Director Meng gave Zhang Guangmu control over the story, while Zhou Mo predicted that Zhang would choose selflessness; the survivors were left searching for a way out of the cluster.

• Director Meng praised Zhang Guangmu’s potential but worried he would keep sacrificing himself, while Zhou Mo accused her of manipulating the story for popularity.
• Zhou Mo argued that Zhang Guangmu would choose nobility, selflessness, and courage, and Director Meng declared that she would no longer interfere with the plot.
• The survivor team mourned Zhang Guangmu’s apparent death as they escaped the building.
• The survivors saw that the escaped mansion was one of countless black buildings stretching to the horizon.
• When asked what to do next, Ma Wu estimated the cluster contained at least three hundred thousand people in an enormous experiment and suggested they first find a way out.

The survivor team left the Dark Corpse Mansion Cluster, but the endless Corpse Mansion Cage and the rain wore them down. At a pavilion, Zhang Guangmu appeared again, leaving the team stunned and Wang Shangqing quietly relieved.

• Ma Wu advised the survivor team to head south, and Wang Shangqing decided they would keep moving.
• Wang Shangqing promised Jiang Ling he would help eliminate the Dark Corpses and their Mastermind.
• The team marched through worsening rain and found shelter in a pavilion, where Ma Wu worried about the scale of the human experiments.
• Zhang Guangmu approached the pavilion holding an umbrella, and the survivors recognized him.
• Wang Shangqing remained outwardly calm as his fire axe slipped from his hand.

After apparently dying in the Corpse Mansion, Zhang Guangmu awakened in a life-support pool and returned as a second version of himself, now playing the being who controlled Earth’s resources. With Director Meng leaving the plot in his hands, Zhang Guangmu snapped his fingers and stopped the rain.

• Jiang Ling tried to rush toward Zhang Guangmu, but Ma Wu held her back and demanded to know who the newcomer was.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that he was still Zhang Guangmu, though he had awakened in a life-support pool with false memories and a new role after his apparent death.
• Meng Lingrui told the Control Group not to interfere unless the survivors’ plot spiraled into a total group wipeout.
• Meng Lingrui revealed that the world’s rules awarded the best-performing Subconscious Actor a second role before the film ended, leaving the next events to Zhang Guangmu.
• Zhang Guangmu faced Jiang Ling, Wang Shangqing, Ma Wu, and the others in the rain, snapped his fingers, and cleared the clouds and rain.

Zhang Guangmu revealed that he was not the strategist but an immortal technological being who controlled Earth’s resources. After demonstrating his power to reshape the weather and landscape, he explained how civilization’s scientific advances had granted him immortality.

• Ma Wu, Wang Shangqing, and Jiang Ling sensed that the Zhang Guangmu before them differed from the strategist they knew.
• Zhang Guangmu stopped the rain, summoned snow, and explained that the strategist had wanted an audience for his farewell.
• Zhang Guangmu claimed that a Weather Control Device and Geography Modifier let him alter the weather and reshape the city.
• Zhang Guangmu told Jiang Ling and the survivors that he was Earth Civilization’s Final Product, the Lord of Earth, and had lived for 275 years.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that after rejecting supernatural paths, he advanced science and technology until he gained immortality.

Zhang Guangmu explained how his pursuit of longevity led to the creation of the Dark Corpse virus and the apocalypse. He revealed that the Cosmic Alliance offered him a path toward true immortality, then a Gold Armored Being urged him to harvest Earth for his final transformation.

• Zhang Guangmu told Ma Wu that his body remained young while his mind and will deteriorated, and that his Longevity Potion had turned scientists into Dark Corpses.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that the virus mutated to spread through the air, bringing about the apocalypse.
• Zhang Guangmu said the Anti-Longevity Potion was developed after Earth's population fell to around three billion, when he received an Invitation Letter from the Cosmic Alliance.
• Zhang Guangmu described how acting out the memories and traits of exceptional people through Will Metabolism could stabilize his mind and bring him closer to immortality.
• A Gold Armored Being appeared beside Zhang Guangmu and instructed him to carry out the final harvest of Earth in order to become a true immortal.

Zhang Guangmu rejected immortality and destroyed the Corpse Buildings rather than sacrifice Earth, then gave the survivors the tools and resources to help humanity recover. As he vanished, he told them that Zhang Guangmu had died happy, and the world of "Corpse Buildings" froze.

• Zhang Guangmu explained that becoming an Eternal Lifer required destroying one's mother civilization, and admitted that he had once caused more than half of Earth's population to evaporate.
• Zhang Guangmu pointed his umbrella at Wang Shangqing, then relented and praised his courage instead of killing him.
• The Gold Armored Being warned Zhang Guangmu that refusing the final destruction ritual would cost him his life, but Zhang Guangmu declared that he had chosen righteousness over immortality.
• Zhang Guangmu discarded his umbrella, causing the Corpse Buildings across the planet to collapse, and submitted documents renouncing the Cosmic Alliance's final harvest.
• Zhang Guangmu gave the survivors the Dark Corpse virus antibody serum and production data, along with a treasure map to one million embryonic pods.
• Zhang Guangmu told the survivors that Zhang Guangmu had died happy, then scattered into sand as the world of "Corpse Buildings" froze.

Zhang Guangmu returned from Corpse Mansion with an excellent final evaluation, though Dao rated him only good. After reuniting with the cast and crew, he heard Director Meng Lingrui regret revealing too much of the story, while Director Zhou Mo praised its tragic deaths.

• Zhang Guangmu received a good evaluation from Dao, excellent evaluations from Buddha and Confucianism, and an excellent final evaluation for Corpse Mansion.
• Zhang Guangmu left the Infiltration Pod and reunited with Jiang Ling, Ma Wu, and Wang Shangqing, while Xiao Jin Quan left in embarrassment and Liu Jingang remained inside.
• Zhang Guangmu learned that the long-haired girl was named Gu Zhiyan and considered her capable of continuing as a subconscious actor if she found a suitable stage.
• Meng Lingrui regretted continuing the film after the Strategist's death and said she would reflect on her mistakes.
• Zhou Mo defended Corpse Mansion and praised the deaths of the Strategist and the Lord of Earth as art and beauty.

Zhang Guangmu suggested cutting the Lord of Earth's scenes from "Corpse Mansion," and Meng Lingrui decided to leave the ending as an unseen Easter egg for future audiences. He received one and a half times his acting pay, bringing his balance to 3,025 Dragon Shields, and returned home to find Mooncake upset.

• Zhou Mo praised Zhang Guangmu's acting and said he wished the ending of "Armored Age: Cold Light" had been more tragic.
• Zhang Guangmu suggested deleting the Lord of Earth's scenes from "Corpse Mansion," and Meng Lingrui agreed to make the cut.
• Meng Lingrui told Zhang Guangmu he would receive at least one and a half times his pay for playing two roles.
• Zhang Guangmu received 732 Dragon Shields, raising his account balance from 2,293 to 3,025.
• Zhang Guangmu left the production building, went shopping, and returned home to find Mooncake complaining at a virtual screen.

Zhang Guangmu discovered that Mooncake had argued online with film critic Gambling Life with a Sword over his performance in Corpse Mansion. He stepped in to defend her, provoked the critic into losing his temper, and ended with the critic offering to negotiate.

• Zhang Guangmu read Gambling Life with a Sword's review praising his performance in Corpse Mansion but criticizing his role as Lord of Earth, and found most of its ten objections hollow.
• Mooncake revealed that she had posted under Household 002 and argued with Gambling Life with a Sword, who had mocked her and Zhang Guangmu.
• Zhang Guangmu comforted Mooncake and posted a sarcastic rebuttal accusing Gambling Life with a Sword of forcing criticism and possibly plagiarizing other reviewers.
• Gambling Life with a Sword threatened Zhang Guangmu with a lawyer's letter, but Zhang replied mockingly and continued arguing until the critic lost his temper and cursed.
• Gambling Life with a Sword withdrew his curses, then admitted Zhang Guangmu had deliberately provoked him and asked what he wanted in exchange for deleting the chat records.

Zhang Guangmu stood up for Household 002, then reflected on his acting principles and the potential of the Imperial Body Forging Technique. His Usable Ability Points arrived, revealing a new illustration of his strategist character severing his infected wrist in Corpse Building.

• Zhang Guangmu showed Gambling Life with a Sword the exchange where he had mocked Household 002, prompting Gambling Life with a Sword to delete his replies.
• Zhang Guangmu decided to save useful criticism from Gambling Life with a Sword and reflected on accepting valid feedback while continuing to improve his acting.
• Zhang Guangmu considered the Imperial Body Forging Technique a comprehensive foundation-building method whose upper limit might be far beyond what he had assumed.
• Zhang Guangmu received one Usable Ability Point and saw a new illustration of the strategist severing his infected wrist with a fire axe.
• Zhang Guangmu named the illustration the Strategist Severing Wrist Diagram and read Book Bro's commentary about harsh remedies and decisive action.

Zhang Guangmu reviewed his abilities and shortcomings, then chatted with Li Xiaoxiao about the Transcendent Club and his first contact with the Transcendent. Li Xiaoxiao watched Zhang Guangmu’s recording, was stunned by its spectacular display, and called him the reincarnation of Pangu.

• Zhang Guangmu checked his Personal Ability Panel, decided to save his one Usable Ability Point, and reflected on his weaknesses in driving, chemistry, and writing.
• Zhang Guangmu considered how his first year in the profession had improved his abilities and brought him reliable companions and fans.
• While eating with Mooncake, Zhang Guangmu replied to Li Xiaoxiao’s challenge to spar and told the group about the Transcendent Club.
• Li Xiaoxiao learned that Zhang Guangmu had visited the Transcendent Club before him and searched for the video record of Zhang Guangmu’s first contact with the Transcendent.
• Li Xiaoxiao watched the recording, saw powers and projections swirling around Zhang Guangmu, and exclaimed that he seemed like Pangu reborn.

After the group watched a video of Zhang Guangmu’s spectacular awakening at the Transcendent Club, he promised to take everyone there if they performed well in next year’s competition. The conversation ended with Luo Zhuan announcing he had landed a role in an esports film and asking for company.

• Zhang Guangmu watched the recording of his awakening and exchanged teasing messages with Li Xiaoxiao.
• Jiang Ling, Tang Lanshan, and the other group members watched the video and reacted with shock, while Zhao Zhengrong remained calm.
• Zhang Guangmu told the group that next year’s “The Path of the Great Emperor” would be harder and offered to guide them to the Transcendent Club if they did well.
• The group members renewed their training efforts, though Tang Lanshan and Jiang Ling planned to focus on studying and recovering at home.
• Luo Zhuan said he had landed a role in an esports film scheduled to begin filming in about a month, but lacked confidence about going alone.

Luo Zuan invited Zhang Guangmu and the crew to join the open-world esports production "Forging the Zenith: Esports King," and Zhang Guangmu agreed. Li Xiaoxiao also volunteered, leaving the group ready to enter a three-year story covering three world seasons.

• Luo Zuan shared information about "Forging the Zenith: Esports King," a sandbox-style film about three aspiring protagonists with cheats competing to become world champion.
• Zhang Guangmu read the materials and agreed to join, declaring that they would conquer the world and defeat the cheaters.
• Li Xiaoxiao questioned Zhang Guangmu's anti-cheat stance because he had used cheats in single-player games, then decided to join the production.
• The production team arranged to compress the three-year story into preseason matches, regular-season matches, and a best-of-five world championship match for each season.

Zhang Guangmu, Li Xiaoxiao, and Luo Zhuan joined Director Yan Xiaoxian’s production of "Apex of E-sports," where their roles were made more challenging after negotiations. Zhang Guangmu gained a Usable Ability Point, strengthened his Imperial Body Forging Technique, and set out for the production’s first day of filming.

• Luo Zhuan offered to contact the Director and help Zhang Guangmu and Li Xiaoxiao join "Apex of E-sports."
• Director Yan Xiaoxian cast Zhang Guangmu, Li Xiaoxiao, and Luo Zhuan, then raised the difficulty of their roles from Easy Mode to Hard Mode after discussing the character relationships with them.
• Zhang Guangmu read Director Yan Xiaoxian’s promotional article and gained a Usable Ability Point from the image of the Lord of Earth’s final scene.
• Zhang Guangmu used one Ability Point to raise the Imperial Body Forging Technique to rating 15, improving his impact resistance, endurance, and cold resistance.
• Before dawn, Zhang Guangmu told Mooncake not to open the door for strangers and took a flying car to the filming tower for the first day of "Apex of E-sports."

Zhang Guangmu entered the Great Game World as the owner of the struggling RLG Club, where he had fired three players who were about to awaken powerful abilities. Xiang Heiyan confronted him and demanded an Apex duel, which Zhang Guangmu accepted while asking what Xiang could wager.

• Zhang Guangmu learned that RLG had dismissed three Reserve Protagonists because their poor play and attitudes were hurting the team.
• Manager Xiao Chi told Zhang Guangmu that Xiang Heiyan had left the training base and that the club was preparing a talent acquisition plan.
• Xiang Heiyan arrived at Zhang Guangmu’s door, suppressed his anger, and challenged him to an Apex duel.
• Zhang Guangmu accepted the challenge, boasted about his esports talent, and asked Xiang Heiyan to provide a sufficient wager.
• Li Shisan watched from the sky and felt embarrassed as Zhang Guangmu imitated his old chuunibyou manner of speaking.

Zhang Guangmu and Xiang Heiyan agreed to settle their dispute with a one-on-one Apex duel. Xiang Heiyan picked General with a Giant Axe, while Zhang Guangmu chose the heavily weakened Young Law Saint, leaving Xiang Heiyan convinced the match would be an easy win.

• Zhang Guangmu praised Xiang Heiyan's confidence while privately recognizing that Xiang Heiyan's selfish play made him unsuitable for the RLG team.
• Xiang Heiyan considered raising the stakes, but Zhang Guangmu offered him a recommendation to return to professional play if he won and a paid-for year with RLG if he lost under certain salary conditions.
• Zhang Guangmu proposed a top-lane duel, first to fifty-one wins in a hundred rounds, and Xiang Heiyan accepted.
• Xiang Heiyan chose General with a Giant Axe, then watched Zhang Guangmu select Young Law Saint and assumed he had been given the match.

Zhang Guangmu repeatedly defeated Xiang Heiyan in fifty-two duels, showing that his skill was far beyond Xiang’s expectations. Xiang admitted defeat after winning only one match, while the Little White Balls watched and discussed the heroes.

• Xiang Heiyan lost a duel to Zhang Guangmu’s Young Law Saint and demanded a rematch, blaming his poor performance.
• Zhang Guangmu defeated Xiang Heiyan’s General with a Giant Axe using Cold Light Human King in a close level-one fight.
• Zhang Guangmu won a third duel with Second Generation of Changhe, causing Xiang Heiyan to recognize his strength.
• The Little White Balls watched the matches and talked about Zhang Guangmu’s heroes and their possible addition to Imperial Duel.
• After fifty-two matches, Xiang Heiyan had won only one and admitted defeat to Zhang Guangmu.