Chapter Summaries

Zhang Guangmu and his friends arranged their first offline meetup and chose to play Xuanlong Ball. At the sports field, Chu Fan arrived early and urged Zhang Guangmu to keep inviting people he liked into their group.

• Zhang Guangmu and Li Xiaoxiao traded insults in the group chat, and Li Xiaoxiao changed his nickname to indicate he was studying speech.
• Zhang Guangmu, Chu Fan, and Li Xiaoxiao chose Xuanlong Ball for their meetup, while Zhao Zhengrong declined to join.
• Zhang Guangmu arrived early at the sports field, borrowed a racket, and practiced Tai Chi Sword movements with it as a Soft Sword.
• Chu Fan arrived and explained that their group and Zhang Guangmu's cat Mooncake gave Zhang Guangmu reasons to keep living.
• Chu Fan encouraged Zhang Guangmu to invite people he liked into the group whenever he met them while filming.

Zhang Guangmu, Chu Fan, and Li Xiaoxiao discussed Chu Fan’s unusual courage training and played Xuanlong Ball before turning to Zhang Guangmu’s new film role. They criticized the script for “Mysterious Assignment” and discovered that its protagonist was Li Xiaoxiao’s half-brother, Li Shisan.

• Chu Fan explained that he trained his courage by making eye contact with strong-looking men and had been taken to the Police Station seventeen times without fighting back.
• Li Xiaoxiao arrived early for Xuanlong Ball, defeated the others, and joined Zhang Guangmu and Chu Fan in discussing his new movie.
• Zhang Guangmu, Li Xiaoxiao, and Chu Fan examined the script and cast of “Mysterious Assignment,” criticizing its school setting and melodramatic plot.
• Li Xiaoxiao revealed that Li Shisan, the protagonist of “Mysterious Assignment,” was her half-brother and ranked thirteenth in their family.

Zhang Guangmu discussed the cast and strange script of 'Mysterious Assignment' with Li Xiaoxiao and Chu Fan, while Li Xiaoxiao warned him not to fight Li Shisan head-on and taught him a subconscious technique. The next morning, Zhao Zhengrong arrived in a winged luxury car to drive Zhang Guangmu to school.

• Li Xiaoxiao explained that Li Shisan was a formidable hand-to-hand fighter and advised Zhang Guangmu to avoid fighting him one-on-one, sharing a method for influencing his subconscious.
• Zhang Guangmu and Li Xiaoxiao traded taunts before Chu Fan redirected them to discuss the problematic cast of 'Mysterious Assignment.'
• Zhang Guangmu, Li Xiaoxiao, and Chu Fan reviewed the script and argued over its unusual school terminology and setting.
• Zhang Guangmu sent Chu Fan and Li Xiaoxiao home in flying cars, then returned to his den and prepared Mooncake's food before leaving for work the next morning.
• Zhao Zhengrong met Zhang Guangmu outside in a winged luxury car and offered him a ride to school.

Zhang Guangmu met Director Cao Guan on the way to film Mysterious Assignment and learned about Cao’s reckless past and admiration for him. Cao also revealed Zhao Zhengrong’s tragic history and devotion to his late wife and the Radiation Sickness Relief Association, leaving Zhang determined to help bring Zhao happiness.

• Zhang Guangmu greeted Zhao Zhengrong and joined him in the flying car, where Cao Guan introduced himself as the director and scriptwriter of Mysterious Assignment.
• Cao Guan told Zhang Guangmu how he entered filmmaking, made dangerous mistakes granting Actors supernatural powers, and met his senior apprentice Qian Yiyuan in prison.
• Cao Guan declared that he would become the King of Subconscious Directors and described Zhang Guangmu as a wise person whose work he admired.
• After they reached the filming site, Cao Guan explained that Zhao Zhengrong’s wife had died from Radiation Sickness while pregnant and that Zhao had devoted himself to training and helping patients through the Radiation Sickness Relief Association.
• Zhang Guangmu promised to speak with Zhao Zhengrong more and resolved to help his friends bring smiles back to Zhao’s face.

Luo Zhuan arrived at the Infiltration Pod hoping to meet his idol, Zhang Guangmu, and declared his determination to help him become the Subconscious Film Emperor. Zhang Guangmu entered the film world of Crimson Lotus Academy and found himself in a classroom with a perfect exam score.

• Luo Zhuan rushed into the Infiltration Pod carrying a poster of Zhang Guangmu and asked if Mu Shen had arrived.
• Director Cao confirmed that Zhang Guangmu had entered the Infiltration Pod and reassured Luo Zhuan that he could work with him in the film.
• Luo Zhuan told Director Cao he would train hard to help Zhang Guangmu become the Subconscious Film Emperor, and Cao Guan warned that he first had to earn a place on Zhang Guangmu's warship.
• Zhang Guangmu successfully infiltrated the film world and awoke in Class 2, Grade 3, at Crimson Lotus Academy.
• Zhang Guangmu saw a Chinese monthly exam paper bearing his name and a score of 150 points, leaving him thinking he did not deserve it.

Zhang Guangmu explored the artificial Film World and became involved in an unscripted fight after Luo Zhuan defended him from a classmate’s insults. He paid both students and offered the class money for improving their Chinese scores, leaving his classmates reacting to his generosity.

• Zhang Guangmu tested the Film World by playing Honor of Kings and reading on his phone, then considered the ensemble plot of Mysterious Assignment.
• Classmates discussed Zhang Guangmu’s perfect Chinese score, and one student insulted him behind his back.
• Luo Zhuan struck the insulting student with a chair and stopped when Zhang Guangmu told him to stop.
• Zhang Guangmu offered to settle the conflict, transferred two hundred thousand RMB to each student, and told them to study hard.
• Zhang Guangmu promised everyone ten thousand RMB for each ten-point improvement in their Chinese score on the next monthly exam.

Zhang Guangmu announced a long-term cash reward for students who improved their Chinese scores, prompting excitement and debate over whether to study or exploit the rules. He defended both choices and left the class convinced he would honor his promise, while privately worrying that his acting skill made it difficult to leave character.

• Zhang Guangmu promised students ten thousand yuan for every ten-point increase in their Chinese score, with the offer lasting until he graduated.
• The students celebrated and debated how to maximize the reward, while Luo Zhuan looked uneasy and the transformed viewers argued over whether the bounty would help or harm them.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that students could either improve through hard work or hand in a blank paper to exploit the bounty, and said he respected both paths.
• Zhang Guangmu assured the class that he would pay as promised, invoking his family's honor before turning to his phone.
• Zhang Guangmu reflected that Acting Skill 2 made it easy to enter a role but hard to leave, and decided he needed to reach level 3 for full control.

Zhang Guangmu committed himself to his role as a wealthy student and used a learning bounty to give his classmates different paths, prompting the film crew to debate his motives and chances of winning. As he waited at school, an angry female voice called him out of the practice room.

• Zhang Guangmu reflected on his controversial choices in Wolf Fortress and resolved to give his all in Mysterious Assignment to compete for a place among the Seven Stars.
• Zhang Guangmu realized that class breaks lasted an hour and considered how his learning bounty might shape his classmates’ choices.
• Cao Guan and the Film Set staff discussed the possible meanings behind Zhang Guangmu’s actions, with Cao Guan expressing confidence that Zhang Guangmu would survive until acting opposite the other major performers.
• At Teaching Building One, Zhang Guangmu was using his phone when a furious female voice called, “Get out here!”

Zhang Guangmu faced Tang Lanshan after she confronted him over their broken engagement, and his attempts to explain only deepened her belief that he was hiding a noble reason. The confrontation escalated when Tang Lanshan pulled a pistol and demanded the truth, leaving Zhang Guangmu with one minute to answer.

• Tang Lanshan stormed into the practice room and demanded to know why Zhang Guangmu had broken off their engagement.
• Zhang Guangmu blamed the Tang Family's decline and his duty to revitalize the Zhang Family, prompting Tang Lanshan to believe he had insulted her family.
• Tang Lanshan declared she would not wait three years to take revenge and drew a Service Pistol, while the students scattered and Luo Zhuan stayed beside Zhang Guangmu.
• Zhang Guangmu acted calmly and claimed the Zhang Family had angered the Antarctic Financial Group, suggesting that many people wanted him dead.
• Tang Lanshan interpreted Zhang Guangmu's concern for her safety as proof that he had hidden difficulties, then aimed the pistol near Luo Zhuan and gave Zhang Guangmu one minute to tell the truth.

Tang Lanshan learned why Zhang Guangmu had broken off their engagement and insisted they face his illness and enemies together, while Zhang accepted her resolve. Liu Xueyu then delivered a love letter from Li Fengling, but the scene was interrupted by black thunder that transported everyone to the Outdoor Sports Hall.

• The audience laughed at Tang Lanshan and Zhang Guangmu’s exchange as Luo Zhuan stood frozen in the crossfire.
• Zhang Guangmu took Tang Lanshan’s gun and told her that he was incurably ill and would not live past twenty-five.
• Tang Lanshan vowed to stay with Zhang Guangmu and face his illness and enemies, but he warned that her feelings might change; she said she wanted to try anyway.
• Liu Xueyu arrived with a heart-shaped envelope from Li Fengling and said Li Fengling’s boyfriend was looking for Zhang Guangmu.
• Pitch Black Thunder froze time, then an invisible force transported everyone to the Outdoor Sports Hall.

At Crimson Lotus Academy, the students and staff were trapped in the Outdoor Sports Hall after a supernatural event, and Zhang Guangmu used his gun and influence to control the chaos in Class Three, Second Grade. After a knife-wielding student surrendered, Zhang fired a shot toward the southeast, making the already panicked crowd even noisier.

• Students and staff found themselves trapped in the Outdoor Sports Hall with no phone signal, while Zhang Guangmu’s classmates gathered around him and argued over who should lead.
• Luo Zhuan declared his support for Zhang Guangmu, and the class broke up fights by overwhelming students who refused to stop.
• The students tackled a Watermelon Knife Boy who tried to attack Zhang Guangmu, and Zhang faced him with a gun when he demanded a one-on-one duel.
• The Watermelon Knife Boy surrendered, and Zhang urged him to study hard and become stronger; the boy tearfully thanked him.
• Zhang saw that the rest of the crowd remained disorganized, then disengaged the safety and fired his gun toward the southeast.

Zhang Guangmu calmed the crowd trapped in the Outdoor Sports Hall and laid out their options for dealing with the supernatural barrier. As the Golden Assignment Book began to unfold, the production staff and audience watched the rising drama, including Zhang Guangmu approaching Zhao Zhengrong.

• Luo Zhuan and Watermelon Knife Boy helped spread Zhang Guangmu’s call for everyone to quiet down, while Liyu Xueyu urged the students to get to work.
• Tang Lanshan gave Zhang Guangmu her phone to use as a megaphone, and her declaration that she was his fiancée was broadcast to the crowd.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that they faced a Supernatural Phenomenon, showed everyone the bullet embedded in the Orange Light Screen, and offered waiting for rescue or uncovering the Golden Assignment Book as their two options.
• Cao Guan admitted that his additions to the production’s background had left Zhang Guangmu surrounded by hidden dangers, then ordered the staff to keep Extras quiet and encourage important characters to interact.
• The Golden Assignment Book unfolded above the Sports Field, and the audience grew excited as Zhang Guangmu went to find Zhao Zhengrong.

Zhang Guangmu confronted Li Shisan, the Plot Protagonist, and challenged the source of his obvious superiority. After comparing their abilities, Zhang Guangmu accused Li Shisan of treating others like ants and acting as though he had expected the Golden Assignment Book to appear.

• Cao Guan’s role assignments and the ensuing chaos left five groups forming in the Outdoor Sports Hall, each sending a representative to negotiate.
• Zhang Guangmu made Tang Lanshan his team’s diplomatic spokesperson and wandered through his group’s territory.
• Zhang Guangmu approached Li Shisan, who mocked him for interrupting his sunbathing and blocking his light.
• Zhang Guangmu argued that Li Shisan had no advantage over him in wealth, academics, or physical fitness, and said Li Shisan’s grades were poor because he lacked ability.
• Zhang Guangmu accused Li Shisan of looking down on people and said Li Shisan had seemed to expect the Golden Assignment Book’s appearance.

Zhang Guangmu exposed Li Shisan as a Reincarnator, though he admitted he had been bluffing and did not know the truth. The Golden Assignment Book then trapped everyone in transparent compartments, anchored the timeline, and officially began the Mysterious Assignment.

• Zhang Guangmu confronted Li Shisan about the notebook in the sky and accused him of being a Reincarnator.
• Li Shisan accidentally confirmed Zhang Guangmu’s suspicion, then claimed his reincarnation had caused a butterfly effect and insisted he would be the ultimate winner.
• The Golden Assignment Book unleashed golden arrows that spread into light rain and imprisoned everyone in individual transparent compartments.
• An androgynous mechanical voice announced that the timeline had been anchored and the Mysterious Assignment had begun, warning that people with negative Academic Credits would be eradicated.

Zhang Guangmu survived the first round of the Mysterious Assignment while many students who refused to answer were erased. As the second round asked for the thirtieth digit of pi, he found the answer through viewer comments, while Tang Lanshan and Luo Zhuan remained frightened and unsure.

• The Mechanical Voice explained the assignment rules, and Li Shisan taunted Zhang Guangmu while Luo Zhuan and Tang Lanshan defended him.
• The first assignment asked students to solve 16 + 28, and Zhang Guangmu wrote 44.
• The first round erased students who answered incorrectly or failed to answer, killing roughly one-seventh of those present.
• After the survivors received one Academic Credit, the second assignment asked for the thirtieth digit of pi, worth two points.
• Zhang Guangmu checked the viewers' comments, learned the answer was 9, and wrote it down while Tang Lanshan and Luo Zhuan looked terrified.

Zhang Guangmu discovered that students could share answers without punishment and used the rule to help classmates survive the second assignment. During the break, he urged the remaining survivors to help one another and save their Academic Credits, while Cao Guan regretted giving Zhang Guangmu so many hidden connections and insisted Li Shisan was a villain, not the protagonist.

• Zhang Guangmu signaled the answer to Tang Lanshan, Luo Zhuan, and nearby classmates, allowing them to answer the second assignment correctly.
• The second round ended, and the Mysterious Assignment Book erased many people who had lost or lacked Academic Credits, leaving about three hundred survivors.
• An invisible force rearranged the compartments, separating Tang Lanshan and Luo Zhuan from Zhang Guangmu.
• Zhang Guangmu told the survivors that sharing homework answers was allowed and urged them to help each other and conserve their Academic Credits.
• Li Fengling, Xiao Jin Quan, Nalan Yuan, and Zhao Zhengrong voiced support for Zhang Guangmu's advice, while Li Shisan stayed silent.
• Cao Guan regretted adding so many relationships and hidden backstory threads for Zhang Guangmu, but declared that Li Shisan was a villain with cheats rather than the plot protagonist.

Zhang Guangmu considered whether to spend his credits on weapons, then helped other respondents answer a poetry question. A physics question he could not solve followed, leaving him at risk of failing both the assignment and the audience’s expectations.

• Zhang Guangmu saw that the Golden Assignment Book offered coffee, a bulletproof vest, and a Tang Saber, but he lacked enough credits to buy either weapon.
• Zhang Guangmu recited Wen Tingyun’s poem with help from the audience and showed his answer to Luo Zhuan and Tang Lanshan so they could copy it.
• Respondents who failed the poetry question lost credits or were eliminated, while Zhang Guangmu, Tang Lanshan, and Luo Zhuan survived the round.
• The next assignment was a physics question, and Zhang Guangmu realized that neither he nor the audience knew how to answer it.

Zhang Guangmu survived round after round of the Mysterious Assignment with help from Tang Lanshan and the audience, while his calm demeanor fueled suspicions that he was the Mastermind. After Luo Zhuan was erased, Liu Xueyu attacked Zhang Guangmu, and the assignment announced that only one participant could survive.

• Tang Lanshan showed Zhang Guangmu her answer, and he copied it while maintaining his composed top-student image.
• Zhang Guangmu answered the Mysterious Assignment rounds with help from the Little White Balls, while the audience speculated that he was the Mastermind.
• Luo Zhuan rejected the false inner voice blaming Zhang Guangmu, confessed that he had never resented him, and was erased before he could finish speaking.
• Liu Xueyu attacked Zhang Guangmu with a poisoned dagger, but he caught her arm and avoided being cut.
• The Mysterious Assignment ended its speaking restriction and announced that only one participant would survive, as Liu Xueyu challenged Zhang Guangmu over his arrogance.

Liu Xueyu revealed her grudge against Zhang Guangmu’s father and urged the survivors to kill Zhang Guangmu before the next assignment. When they hesitated, Zhang Guangmu shot her, leaving the other contestants to face him.

• Liu Xueyu described how Zhang Guangmu’s father had abandoned her and killed their unborn child, then admitted she had infiltrated Crimson Lotus Academy to take revenge on his son.
• Liu Xueyu warned the survivors that Zhang Guangmu was their strongest rival and accused him of being a Reincarnator who knew every answer in advance.
• Li Shisan backed Liu Xueyu, called Zhang Guangmu a threat, and positioned himself behind him while Liu Xueyu confronted him from the front.
• Liu Xueyu urged Xiao Jin Quan, Li Fengling, Nalan Yuan, Zhao Zhengrong, and Tang Lanshan to help kill Zhang Guangmu, but none of them volunteered to strike first.
• When Liu Xueyu taunted Zhang Guangmu to sacrifice himself, Zhang Guangmu shot her three times and calmly rebuked her as she fell.

Zhang Guangmu killed Liu Xueyu, then faced the surviving contestants as they uncovered one another’s motives and prepared for the final written-test question. He chose A and urged the others to trust him, but Nalan Yuan submitted B instead.

• Zhang Guangmu shot Liu Xueyu, who died after uttering cryptic final words that matched a question from the competition.
• Xiao Jin Quan revealed that Zhang Guangmu had only three bullets left and urged Li Fengling and Nalan Yuan to attack him; Nalan Yuan exposed Xiao Jin Quan’s grudge and Li Fengling’s hidden strength.
• The contestants were positioned around Zhang Guangmu, and the final question asked which work was written by an author surnamed Zhou.
• Zhang Guangmu identified A as the answer, sent the choice to two contacts, and told the other contestants to choose A.
• Nalan Yuan offered Zhang Guangmu a supernatural item worth thirteen Academic Credits in exchange for his life, but he ultimately distrusted Zhang Guangmu and submitted B.