Chapter Summaries

Lu Ban discovered that True Sight let him read and rewrite the information describing objects and people, causing his changes to take effect as inherent attributes. He tested the power on Laika, a bar of laundry soap, and a glass cup, ending with an explosion that startled the residential complex.

• Lu Ban added and removed information on the coffee table, then changed its description so it could withstand cannon shells.
• Lu Ban rewrote the glass cup's description to give it the destructive power of a cannon shell when smashed.
• Lu Ban read Laika's information and added that eating chili peppers would make it breathe fire, then watched it engulf the bathroom in flames.
• Lu Ban concluded that his changes took effect without the subject noticing, and made a bar of laundry soap come alive and bathe itself.
• Lu Ban threw the modified glass cup at the coffee table from behind a tree, and it exploded with enough force to startle birds across the residential complex.

After a coffee table exploded during Lu Ban’s test, the police questioned him, and he used his Silver Pen to secretly read and alter the officers’ written thoughts before giving them eerily apt advice. He concluded that an object’s inherent properties resisted contradictory descriptions unless the wording made the change seem natural, then went to Qin Tiantian’s home to try his idea.

• He Youwu and Chen Danshen questioned Lu Ban about the coffee table explosion, then discussed whether it was a special-effects experiment after letting him leave.
• Lu Ban secretly returned Chen Danshen’s pen, read the officers’ thoughts with his Silver Pen, and gave them predictions that unsettled them.
• Lu Ban went to a furniture store to replace the coffee table and cup, concluding that objects retained their inherent properties unless descriptions introduced changes naturally.
• Lu Ban returned to the residential community and knocked on Qin Tiantian’s door to test his new idea.

Lu Ban tested his Last Words ability by adding a hidden gaming spirit to Qin Tiantian’s controller and a strength-boosting effect to beef. Qin Tiantian effortlessly defeated a game boss while possessed, then accidentally crushed a glass after eating the enhanced beef.

• Qin Tiantian struggled against a game boss until Lu Ban altered the controller’s description so a powerful gaming soul would awaken after enough failures.
• The gaming spirit took over Qin Tiantian and defeated the Valkyrie without taking a hit, leaving Qin Tiantian amazed by her apparent skill.
• Lu Ban explained that Last Words could add new properties to things as long as they did not contradict their existing attributes.
• At a barbecue restaurant, Lu Ban added a slight strength boost to a slice of beef, which Qin Tiantian ate.
• Qin Tiantian crushed a glass in her hand and tried to explain to the restaurant owner that it had attacked first.

After discovering that a slice of beef had increased Qin Tiantian’s strength, Lu Ban tested his ability by giving a cat the power to speak human language. He brought the cat to Qin Tiantian, who agreed to keep it, and the cat introduced itself by correcting her when she called it Meow Meow.

• Qin Tiantian found she had trouble controlling her increased strength, and Lu Ban noticed her strength rating had risen to 55 after she ate beef.
• Lu Ban walked Qin Tiantian home, then bought a sausage and added an ability that let whoever ate it speak human language.
• The cat ate the sausage and began speaking to Lu Ban, who learned it had been abandoned by its former owner.
• Lu Ban brought the cat to Qin Tiantian and offered to pay for its supplies, and she agreed to keep it.
• Qin Tiantian meowed at the cat, which told her its name was not Meow Meow.

Qin Tiantian named the talking cat Schrödinger and began caring for it, while Lu Ban tested the effects of Last Words on food and objects. He concluded that his ability worked less on heavily contaminated beings, then used it to give himself pen-spinning knowledge and decided to buy a new crowbar.

• Qin Tiantian named the cat Schrödinger, and the cat agreed to the name.
• Lu Ban delivered cat supplies to Qin Tiantian and saw her and Schrödinger getting along.
• Lu Ban ate pudding marked to increase strength, but his strength stayed at 55 despite testing other foods as well.
• Lu Ban concluded that Last Words affected beings with lower contamination levels more than heavily contaminated ones.
• Lu Ban wrote on a ballpoint pen that its holder would master pen spinning, and the pen-spinning knowledge entered his mind.
• Lu Ban failed to repeat the trick with another pen, thought of his lost crowbar, and decided to order a sturdy replacement.

Lu Ban sought inspiration for creating a new form of expression and booked a visit to Jiangcheng’s “Feeling Modern” art exhibition. The organizer, Cheng Junjie, feared Lu Ban would expose the exhibition’s questionable artworks and prepared to manage his visit.

• Lu Ban considered how to fulfill The Silent Land’s task to create a new form of expression and booked an afternoon ticket to an art exhibition.
• Cheng Junjie called Lu Ban to confirm his visit and worried that the director might see through the exhibition’s dubious artworks.
• Cheng Junjie planned to hide the most outrageous pieces, display more respectable works, and alert journalists that Lu Ban would attend.
• Cheng Junjie waited for Lu Ban to arrive at the exhibition the next afternoon.

Lu Ban toured a postmodern art exhibition and tried a VR experience center, where he conceived a plan for fully immersive movie-based gaming. He returned to Jiangcheng and contacted Li Zijian to ask about VR equipment projects as he prepared to enter the gaming business.

• Lu Ban visited the Jiangcheng Arts and Exhibition Center and interpreted its unusual artworks through his own observations.
• Lu Ban tried to let an octopus in a tank wrap around his hand, but it recoiled in fear.
• Lu Ban explored a VR experience center and imagined letting players enter movie scenes through immersive equipment.
• Lu Ban returned to Jiangcheng and called Li Zijian to ask about business projects related to VR equipment.

Li Zijian contacted game console companies on Lu Ban’s behalf, but the major manufacturers rejected an acquisition or failed to respond. At Silent Media, Lu Ban showed Li Zijian a prototype called the Silent Helmet, and Li Zijian began testing it.

• Lu Ban told Li Zijian he wanted to buy a game console company because existing consoles did not meet his game’s standards.
• Li Zijian contacted three major console companies, but none agreed to be acquired.
• Li Zijian visited Lu Ban at Silent Media to clarify what kind of console he wanted.
• Lu Ban showed Li Zijian the Silent Helmet prototype and gave him a disclaimer to sign before testing it.
• Li Zijian put on the helmet, said “Connection start,” and saw multicolored black writhing before him.

Li Zijian tested Lu Ban’s fully immersive virtual reality system and experienced what felt like floating through a silent, star-filled universe. Impressed by the technology, Li Zijian urged Lu Ban to build a game console, while Lu Ban explained that he wanted to work with gaming professionals and planned to turn the events at Rainstorm Villa into a VR game.

• Li Zijian found himself moving freely through a silent, airless sea of stars while wearing Lu Ban’s equipment.
• Li Zijian called out to Lu Ban, who explained that Li Zijian was in a basic virtual reality scene being used for debugging.
• Li Zijian asked Lu Ban to end the session and returned to the real world, still feeling the effects of weightlessness.
• Li Zijian praised the immersive technology and suggested Lu Ban develop his own game console.
• Lu Ban said he needed to mass-produce the equipment and seek guidance from gaming professionals, and planned a VR game based on Rainstorm Villa.

Lu Ban tested how his written descriptions could give objects capabilities beyond his own understanding, then sought a game-console company to build a production line for VR equipment. Shi Ming, whose company was struggling financially, waited nervously to meet Lu Ban and hoped the acquisition would save it.

• Lu Ban turned a helmet into an advanced VR device by adding descriptions that granted it immersive capabilities.
• Lu Ban considered the limits of his ability, noting that writing about highly contaminating knowledge could mutate an object into a monster.
• Lu Ban decided to create a production line for VR equipment and used Li Zijian to connect with a game-console company.
• Shi Ming reviewed his company materials as he awaited Lu Ban, recalling failed projects, poor console sales, and investors withdrawing funding.
• Shi Ming stood when he heard footsteps outside the reception room, hoping to secure Lu Ban's acquisition offer.

Zheng Li read that Silent Media planned to launch its Morning Star gaming device in January, while the device’s ambitious claims drew skepticism from the public. Shi Ming, despite being impressed by the virtual-reality helmet, worried that technical limitations and a lack of compelling games could prevent it from succeeding.

• Zheng Li saw news that Silent Media would launch its self-developed gaming device, Morning Star, in January.
• Zheng Li read Lu Ban’s claims that Morning Star would revolutionize game consoles and electronic entertainment, but doubted the device could meet such high expectations.
• Zheng Li checked online discussions and found that most people were skeptical of Lu Ban’s publicity.
• Shi Ming remained impressed by the virtual-reality helmet but questioned whether its games could overcome visual limitations and make its expanded gameplay accessible.
• Shi Ming concluded that Morning Star’s success would ultimately depend on whether its games were fun.

Old Eggplant attended the Yannan Video Game Exhibition to see Lu Ban’s new gaming device, which had drawn a crowd despite Silent Media’s empty, minimalist booth. After the Overlord V presentation, Lu Ban took the stage to present his device.

• Old Eggplant livestreamed from the exhibition and found Silent Media’s booth surrounded by people, though it showed nothing and was empty.
• Old Eggplant visited other booths, spoke with industry acquaintances, and had lunch with friends.
• Old Eggplant realized that Lu Ban’s presentation was scheduled immediately after the Overlord V presentation, drawing many attendees to the main stage.
• After the Overlord V presentation and a changeover, Lu Ban walked onto the stage.

Lu Ban unveiled Morning Star, Silent Digital Entertainment’s new virtual reality gaming device, at the Yannan Video Game Expo, leaving the crowd unsure what to make of it. He promised visitors could test it over the next few days, while online debate surged ahead of the first trials.

• Lu Ban arrived at the expo booth and announced he would show the finished product instead of giving a long presentation.
• Lu Ban revealed Morning Star, a black helmet that Old Eggplant and the audience recognized as a VR headset.
• Old Eggplant doubted the device could run games on its own and worried that VR technology was still immature.
• Lu Ban explained that players could download games and applications to the headset, then announced a January launch and invited attendees to try the devices.
• Lu Ban joked that the headset would prove itself through hands-on trials, and the announcement quickly sparked intense online debate.

Old Eggplant tried Lu Ban’s Morning Star VR headset at the exhibition and experienced something he could not put into words or judge like an ordinary game. After leaving the trial room, he realized he could no longer see the other games at the booths the same way.

• Online commenters debated whether Lu Ban’s VR device could overcome the technology’s limitations, with most doubting it.
• Old Eggplant’s friend gave him a media pass and secured him access to the priority queue for Morning Star.
• Old Eggplant watched earlier testers leave the dark room dazed and silent, which heightened his anticipation.
• Old Eggplant put on the headset and recited the activation command, “Connection, begin.”
• Old Eggplant experienced a fall into darkness followed by a light, then emerged unable to describe or evaluate the device.
• Old Eggplant realized that after humanity’s ancestors left the ocean for land, they could never return, and he could no longer regard the exhibition’s other games as before.

Zheng Li investigated the silence surrounding Lu Ban’s Morning Star and found a trial attendee’s account so extraordinary that he dismissed it as fake. Old Eggplant, who had experienced the device himself, understood why no one would believe the truth, while curiosity about the game continued to grow until Lu Ban announced its release date.

• Zheng Li noticed that Old Eggplant had stopped uploading game videos and playing games after attending the Yannan Video Game Expo.
• Zheng Li found Melancholy Blues’s account of trying Morning Star, which described an immersive ocean scene with realistic sand, seawater, and tiny crabs.
• Zheng Li and the commenters rejected the account as exaggerated, with one commenter joking that he would perform a headstand while eating a keyboard if VR could do that.
• Old Eggplant read the account and realized Melancholy Blues had also experienced Morning Star, but he felt unable to describe his own experience credibly.
• Lu Ban announced that Morning Star would be released domestically on January 1.

On New Year's Day, Zheng Li eagerly waited for his Morning Star headset to arrive, then unboxed it and read its extraordinary instructions with skepticism. He activated the device and was engulfed by a dazzling darkness.

• Zheng Li woke up late and remembered that Morning Star was being released that day, then waited impatiently for his preorder to arrive.
• Zheng Li left dinner when the courier called and collected one of the many identical Morning Star packages at the Little South Gate.
• Zheng Li returned to his dormitory, opened the box, and examined the helmet and its wireless charging dock.
• Zheng Li read the manual's claims about immersive gameplay and safety settings but did not believe them.
• Zheng Li put on the helmet, spoke the activation command, and saw blackness filled with dazzling colors.

Zheng Li tried the Morning Star headset and was stunned by its lifelike virtual worlds, performances, and scenery. After charging the device, he eagerly prepared to explore Lu Ban’s game, "Soul Summoning Night."

• Zheng Li set up the headset and encountered the unsettlingly realistic cover of "Soul Summoning Night" before realizing his roommate had been patting his shoulder.
• Zheng Li recognized how immersive the headset was and apologized to Lu Ban in his thoughts for doubting him.
• Zheng Li used the music player to experience classical and rock performances as if he were present at the venues.
• Zheng Li explored locations around the world through the scenery application and discovered how hard it was to leave the virtual world.
• Zheng Li removed the headset to charge it, then waited eagerly to enter "Soul Summoning Night."

Zheng Li entered the virtual horror game Soul Summoning Night and discovered that its setting was the world of Ruined City. He received a mission to survive until the end of the night and was left in a mansion as its butler announced that the others had arrived.

• After finishing instant noodles, Zheng Li put on his helmet and entered Soul Summoning Night, switching to light mode so he could still hear his roommate.
• Zheng Li found himself in a room where text described the mansion, his identity as a detective, and the story’s events.
• Recognizing the setting as Ruined City, Zheng Li examined the strange oil painting and checked his mission to survive until the end of Soul Summoning Night.
• Thunder shook the mansion as Zheng Li looked out at the forest and the winding road below the cliff.
• An old white-haired butler entered and told Zheng Li that they had all arrived, leaving him to wonder whom the man meant and whether he could question him.

Zheng Li suffered a gruesome death in Soul Summoning Night after the words in a notebook crawled onto his body, then woke safely outside the game. Shaken but driven by curiosity and a desire to clear the game, he waited for his helmet to charge and found a forum post about Soul Summoning Night.

• Zheng Li found notebooks in his room, and the words in one crawled onto his skin and spread across his body.
• Zheng Li scratched at the words until he tore open his throat and died in the game.
• Zheng Li woke in the sea of stars, exited Morning Star, and checked that his body was unharmed.
• Zheng Li recalled his terrifying death and became determined to uncover Soul Summoning Night's secrets and clear the game.
• Zheng Li waited for his helmet to charge and found a forum post titled “Ten Details You Must Pay Attention to in 'Soul Summoning Night'!”

After a nightmare about a red-eyed woman, Zheng Li returned to the game and investigated the Browning mansion with the detective’s notebook. He found a photograph suggesting Browning had once been extremely old and a note claiming Daoist He Ming’s will might still remain in the house, leaving Zheng Li convinced that everyone around him was suspicious.

• Zheng Li read a forum post about the mansion and Daoist He Ming, then fell asleep at his desk and dreamed of a red-eyed woman who told him, “Found you.”
• Zheng Li woke, went to the cafeteria for breakfast, and saw a student whose eyes and brows resembled the woman from his dream.
• Zheng Li reentered the game, read the detective’s notebooks, and followed the old butler while observing the mansion’s residents for suspicious behavior.
• After the meal, Zheng Li stayed among the others and found a notebook entry saying Browning had hired the detective to investigate Daoist He Ming’s hidden inheritance.
• Zheng Li found an old photograph labeled “Browning” and read that Daoist He Ming might not have died and that his will could remain in the mansion, making him feel watched by everyone.