Chapter Summaries

Lu Ban realized that the gods behind The Silent Land used the Chosen of the Gods as expendable explorers, and he suspected those gods were restricted from acting directly. After the fishman and the Bandaged Man started the Starry Sky, Lu Ban tried to stop its engine and discovered the ship kept moving even after he destroyed its controls.

• Lu Ban concluded that the gods beyond the worlds treated the Chosen of the Gods as disposable tools and might themselves be sealed or otherwise restricted.
• A sound came from the engine room, and the ship trembled before its lights and machinery came to life.
• The fishman operated the Starry Sky’s machinery with apparent expertise, while the Shadow Demons disappeared and the Bandaged Man looked larger.
• After the fishman and the Bandaged Man left, Lu Ban tried the controls and found he could neither stop nor reverse the ship.
• Lu Ban used Last Words to shoot the control machine, but the Starry Sky continued moving forward despite the destroyed console.

The fishman repaired the Xinghai’s systems, but an invisible presence wrecked the engine room as the ship neared the island. On deck, a Hound killed Four-Eyes and devoured Bandaged Man before leaping into the sea after the fishman.

• The fishman explained that his engineer ability let him restore the ship’s machinery, and the Xinghai’s turbine kept running despite damage to the engine room.
• Bandaged Man sensed something approaching, and he and the fishman raced toward the deck while Lu Ban followed after recovering from exhaustion.
• Bandaged Man found Four-Eyes dead and recognized the writhing, many-eyed creature as a Hound.
• The fishman jumped into the sea as the Hound attacked Bandaged Man, swallowed him, and then licked up Four-Eyes’s remains.
• The Hound spotted the fishman swimming and jumped into the sea after him.

The fishman fled from Hound toward the temple, hoping to unseal a deity, but Lu Ban and Feng Yu intercepted him. Feng Yu consumed the fishman and gained some of his memories, while Lu Ban turned toward the temple door to continue their mission to destroy the scene.

• The fishman swam to shore and ran toward the temple while Hound pursued him.
• Someone shoved the fishman into a pillar, and Lu Ban appeared as Hound affectionately rubbed against his leg.
• Feng Yu emerged beside Lu Ban and consumed the fishman, absorbing some of his memories and knowledge while taking on scales.
• Lu Ban noted that the Chosen of the Gods had all been dealt with, but their work remained unfinished.
• Lu Ban pointed toward the temple door and asked whether they should go inside.

Lu Ban and Feng Yu discovered that the temple held a sealed deity and learned that sinking it was the only way to keep its seal inaccessible. Lu Ban destroyed the scene that could allow the deity’s Chosen to descend, and the storm dragged the temple and the Stars beneath the sea.

• Feng Yu read parts of the ancient writing on the gate and explained that the temple contained one of the deity’s bodies and could not be destroyed.
• Feng Yu said the temple had risen because of the stars’ positions and that the Stars and the Nan Madol ruins had to be destroyed to prevent the Chosen of the Gods from descending.
• Lu Ban fired Speech Bullets at the Stars, sending the cruise ship toward the temple.
• Feng Yu threw Lu Ban into the sea and dove away as the Stars crashed into the temple.
• The storm engulfed the temple, and the Stars and temple sank beneath the sea.

After the typhoon, Lu Ban drifted at sea until Hound Laika saved him from a great white shark and a fishing boat rescued him. Back in Jiangcheng, Lu Ban finished his film Demon Tide and began preparing it for release.

• Lu Ban floated in the ocean after the typhoon, and Hound Laika dragged a great white shark underwater before a fishing boat rescued him.
• Lu Ban returned to Silent Media, where Qin Tiantian and the employees were gaming; Laika charmed the staff as a corgi.
• Lu Ban wrote to the meteorological bureau about Pohnpei Island, the temple, and the Star Cluster, but received no response.
• At the end of July, Lu Ban completed Demon Tide and prepared to submit it for review and obtain the Dragon Seal.
• Lu Ban sent a sample of Demon Tide to Thomas Lee and worked with Silent Media's employees to make trailers, which he uploaded to The Silence Project's account in early August.

After a rough run of bad luck, director Zhang Yuefan watched the trailer for Lu Ban’s new film, “Demon Tide,” and was stunned by its scale and epic fantasy action. He ended the chapter questioning how Lu Ban had risen from low-budget horror films to making a major blockbuster.

• After “Gaokao! Gaokao! Gaokao!” received harsh viewer reviews, Zhang Yuefan lost work and began delivering food while waiting for new film ideas.
• Zhang Yuefan watched the trailer for “Demon Tide,” which showed a blood moon, monstrous creatures, soldiers, and a looming battle.
• Zhang Yuefan recognized that Lu Ban’s trailer presented an ambitious fantasy action blockbuster unlike his previous suspense and horror films.
• Zhang Yuefan was deeply impressed by the trailer’s scale and cinematic quality, and wondered how Lu Ban had become a major director so quickly.

Lu Ban’s Demon Tide trailer stirred widespread excitement, while he discussed suspicious online trolls with Qin Tiantian over a meal of crawfish. The chapter ended with Thomas Lee telling Lu Ban that the cinemas were ready for the film’s promotion.

• Demon Tide’s trailer sparked online discussion, with viewers praising its scale and speculating about its cast, production, and release.
• Lu Ban noticed strange accounts attacking his films, and Qin Tiantian warned him that paid trolls might be targeting him.
• Lu Ban and Qin Tiantian ate crawfish at home while Laika eagerly ate some too.
• Lu Ban told Qin Tiantian he planned to promote Demon Tide with advertisements in Times Square and beside the Ling River after overseas release dates were synchronized.
• Thomas Lee messaged Lu Ban that arrangements with the cinemas were settled and promotion could begin.

Alfred Lake doubted that the foreign war film Demon Tide could succeed in the Christmas release slot, but decided to screen it with his film-industry classmates before making a judgment. The chapter ended as they began watching the movie in Lake’s home theater.

• Alfred Lake questioned Thomas Lee’s decision to schedule Demon Tide, a foreign-language war film, for Christmas.
• Lake considered the film’s rating, its production background, and its director’s low-budget horror and thriller films, and doubted it was an epic blockbuster.
• Lake brought the Demon Tide disc to his twentieth-anniversary reunion with Justin, Professor Armitage, and Rice.
• After a barbecue, Lake and his classmates settled into his screening room and started the film.

Leike, Director Justin, and Professor Armitage watched the opening of “Demon Tide,” which depicted soldiers fighting a terrifying giant wolf in a vast forest. The sequence left them stunned by its realism and quality before the film officially began.

• Leike and Justin admired the forest, costumes, props, and patrolmen’s convincing performances.
• A monster’s roar put the soldiers on alert, and the camera’s immersive view heightened the tension.
• A six-legged, four-eyed giant wolf attacked the patrol, killed a soldier, and was eventually slain after a brutal fight.
• More wolves surrounded the wounded survivors as the camera revealed the immense forest, then the title “Demon Tide” appeared.
• Professor Armitage questioned whether the effects were real, while Leike realized the film might rival or surpass Hollywood productions.

Professor Armitage and Leike watched "Demon Tide" build toward the Demon Tide, admiring its natural-looking visuals and convincing performances. As the storm began over the Black Forest, a gigantic wolf appeared beneath the lightning, leaving the scale of the threat revealed.

• Armitage noticed that the film’s lighting, actors, and extras looked remarkably natural and professional.
• Leike saw how Birmingham’s story showed civilians, Rangers, and mages united to prepare for the Demon Tide.
• As eternal night and plague made the danger more urgent, Leike worried the coming battle might fail to match the buildup.
• When the wolf howled, the camera swept over the storm-lashed Black Forest, where a colossal wolf emerged beneath the lightning.

Producer Rice watched the film’s battle at the fortress, marveling at the giant wolf’s lifelike effects as the defenders faced overwhelming odds. A mage’s sacrifice inspired the Rangers, and reinforcements arrived just as hope seemed lost, driving back the wolf horde and bringing sunlight to the battlefield.

• Rice recognized the giant wolf’s detailed fur as extraordinary special effects and became absorbed in the battle at the fortress.
• The wolf pack overwhelmed the defenders, while pillars of light briefly slowed its advance and gave them hope.
• A mage from Birmingham charged into the wolves and used Flash to distract them, inspiring the Rangers to take up their weapons and fight.
• The wounded mage used one final Flash against the giant wolf, and horns sounded as flags revealed reinforcements approaching from behind the fortress.
• Knights and mages charged down the slope, and a silver-white blade struck the giant wolf as sunlight broke through the storm.

After watching Lu Ban's Demon Tide, Leike and the others were moved by its spectacle and its portrayal of humanity resisting together, and they recognized its immense commercial potential. Leike began pursuing exclusive screening rights as Justin found subtitled versions of Lu Ban's earlier films.

• Leike reflected on how Demon Tide's familiar plot still stirred him and how its collective struggle differed from Western individual-hero stories.
• Rice said the film had moved him and described feeling exhilarated by the characters fighting side by side.
• Justin predicted Demon Tide would be a major hit, while Armitage urged Leike to secure exclusive screening rights for his theater chain.
• Leike called his subordinate Thomas Lee to begin handling the film.
• Justin found that subtitle groups had uploaded Lu Ban's two earlier films and suggested that they watch them.

Lu Ban rejected Thomas Lee’s exclusive-release offer and described his ambitious box-office goal and extensive promotion for Demon Tide. Thomas later saw the film’s striking Times Square advertisement, which ended with a dire wolf appearing to burst through the screen.

• Thomas Lee offered Lu Ban an exclusive North American release for Demon Tide, Crying, and Mouth of the Madman, with a larger revenue share and promotional support.
• Lu Ban declined, saying he aimed to earn eight hundred million dollars in revenue share and had arranged a Christmas release with several theater chains.
• Lu Ban told Thomas that he had bought a massive Times Square advertisement, and Thomas doubted the scale of the planned promotion.
• Thomas reported Lu Ban’s answer to his superiors, received a scolding, and later went to New York while on leave.
• At Times Square, every screen went dark and then showed a Demon Tide trailer, ending with a dire wolf appearing to thrust its head out of the screen.

Lu Ban’s Cry and Mouth of the Madman earned strong North American box-office results, raising expectations for Demon Tide. As Speed of Light 11 moved its release to Christmas, the two films faced a crowded, high-profile showdown just as Lu Ban attended a student film festival.

• Thomas Lee watched Cry earn $40 million in North America and Mouth of the Madman earn a record-breaking $98 million, while online audiences debated Lu Ban and anticipated Demon Tide.
• Thomas Lee began to wonder whether Demon Tide could reach $2 billion at the box office.
• The media announced that Speed of Light 11 had moved from Thanksgiving to Christmas, putting it in direct competition with Demon Tide.
• Thomas Lee worried that Speed of Light 11 would take screenings away from Demon Tide, while fans argued online about the two films.
• Lu Ban attended the Yannan University Student Film Festival in November.

At a university film festival salon, Lu Ban discussed his upcoming worldwide release, Demon Tide, and declared a thirteen-billion box-office goal. He left the audience with a bold claim that domestic filmmakers could make epic blockbusters once associated with Europe and America.

• Lu Ban attended the Yannan University of Media salon as a judge and guest director, drawing an unusually large livestream audience.
• Cao Song asked about Demon Tide, and Lu Ban urged viewers to see it in theaters and help boost its box office.
• Lu Ban said Demon Tide would be a success if its worldwide box office reached thirteen billion, stunning Cao Song and the audience.
• Lu Ban discussed the film's upcoming competition with Speed of Death 11 and said box office alone could not determine a film's quality.
• Lu Ban said Demon Tide would show that domestic filmmakers could make epic blockbusters rather than leaving the genre to Europe and America.

Lu Ban argued that Demon Tide could prove domestic cinema could compete with foreign films, urging students to defend its honor. After the interview spread online in edited clips, people mocked his confidence and nicknamed him Mad Lu.

• Host Cao Song questioned Lu Ban’s claim that Demon Tide’s box office success would make the country a leading film power.
• Lu Ban challenged the belief that domestic films needed foreign awards to prove their worth and said he would protect domestic cinema.
• Lu Ban called Demon Tide’s release a challenge to foreign cinema and urged the students to defend the glory of domestic films.
• Edited interview clips circulated online, portraying Lu Ban as arrogant and earning him the nickname Mad Lu.

As Demon Tide and Speed of Death 11 prepared for their simultaneous Christmas releases, Lu Ban chose to hold Demon Tide’s midnight premiere in Jiangcheng rather than overseas. With opening-day advance sales suggesting a close global contest, Lu Ban believed Demon Tide could meet its goal but knew lasting word of mouth would matter more than its first-day box office.

• Lu Ban skipped advance screenings to preserve Demon Tide’s suspense, while its opening-day tickets sold out and scalpers resold them at inflated prices.
• Lu Ban chose Jiangcheng for Demon Tide’s midnight premiere, saying a film made by Chinese people should premiere in China.
• Online audiences argued over whether to support Speed of Death 11 or Demon Tide as the two films prepared to open.
• Lu Ban and Feng Yu watched the crowds gather at the Jiangcheng cinema and discussed the films’ competing advance sales and screening shares.
• Lu Ban said Demon Tide needed strong word of mouth and repeat viewings to break records beyond its opening day.

Lu Ban premiered Demon Tide and explained that he hoped its message of people standing together against disaster would help prepare viewers for real threats. The film received an exceptionally high 9.9 rating, while Lu Ban used its popularity to draw hostile Chosen of the Gods toward himself.

• At the Jiangcheng Cinema premiere, Lu Ban spoke about the film’s story and wished that its message would help people persevere if disaster came to their world.
• Lu Ban told Feng Yu that he planned to make the film famous so visiting hostile Chosen of the Gods would recognize him and come to him instead of endangering others.
• Lu Ban and Feng Yu watched the film together, and Feng Yu cried as the credits rolled.
• After the premiere, viewers praised the film’s story, performances, and effects, and discussed its connections to the Night Country and other works.
• More than ten thousand ticket buyers rated Demon Tide within minutes, giving it a 9.9 score.

Demon Tide faced Speed of Death 11 in North America with fewer screenings, weaker presales, and a substantial opening-day box-office deficit. A New York Times host celebrated Cyril and Speed of Death 11’s lead, while domestic opening-day figures were released.

• Speed of Death 11 began its North American release with far more screenings and stronger presales than Demon Tide.
• Speed of Death 11 took the lead after the first North American screenings, and its opening-day total later reached $130 million against Demon Tide’s $40 million.
• Two guests on a Nasdaq-screened studio show criticized Demon Tide’s lack of a central hero and praised Speed of Death 11’s focus on family.
• The female host delivered an impassioned speech predicting victory for Cyril and Speed of Death 11 over Lu Ban and Demon Tide.
• The host’s speech spread online as domestic opening-day box-office figures were released.

Lu Ban responded to Demon Tide losing its opening-day North American box-office race to Speed of Death 11 by praising the rival film and predicting Demon Tide would overtake it. He left reporters with a bold claim that Demon Tide would lead the single-day box office every day until it left theaters.

• Demon Tide earned more than 900 million yuan in its first 24 hours, but Speed of Death 11 beat it in North America by about 20 million yuan.
• Lu Ban judged that Speed of Death 11’s high presales and opening-day screenings would lead to a rapid decline, while Demon Tide could rise through word of mouth.
• Reporters challenged Lu Ban over Demon Tide’s loss and questioned whether domestic films could match foreign films.
• Lu Ban told the reporters to let the bullets fly, then praised Speed of Death 11 and Director Cyril as worthy opponents.
• Lu Ban declared that Demon Tide would hold the top single-day box-office position until it left theaters.