Recaps

Tengshe fled after Zhu Ming slit her own throat, hid her body beneath the bridge, and returned to the routines of his homeless past to figure out where and when he was. As he wandered the city, he reflected on how naturally solitary life still suited him.

• After a police siren approached, Tengshe threw the knife into the river and ran, but the police car passed without stopping.
• Tengshe disguised Zhu Ming's body as a sleeping homeless person beneath the bridge and scrubbed away the blood trail.
• Tengshe went to a church-run relief center, ate part of a meal, and set out to explore the familiar streets.
• Tengshe recognized landmarks from his homeless years and wondered whether wandering suited him better than socializing.
• Tengshe recalled a hippie musician friend from an underpass who had vanished without explanation.

Tengshe recalled how his family’s financial collapse, expulsion from school, and a chaotic shooting at a fast-food restaurant led to his first-degree murder charge. Facing a sentence he could not accept, he asked his friend to help him escape, and the friend agreed.

• Tengshe remembered that his father’s terminal illness and his stepmother’s departure had forced him to support his father while working abroad.
• After customs seized goods from Tengshe’s personal shopping business, he was expelled from school and faced losing his visa.
• A tall art student offered Tengshe a place to live, and they shared a rundown attic apartment for two months.
• Tengshe followed his roommate to a fast-food restaurant, where he saw him shot and fired a gun in the ensuing chaos.
• Police charged Tengshe with first-degree murder after the restaurant owner collapsed, and his friend arrived with a lawyer.
• Tengshe asked his friend to help him escape, and his friend agreed.

Tengshe relived a day in which he remembered escaping prison, losing his father, and settling into life as a homeless man before waking beneath the bridge again. Lin Yu revealed that Tengshe’s greatest Calamity had already happened, though he had failed to notice it, and challenged him to find the answer in the day’s events.

• Tengshe recalled how he escaped prison, learned that his father had died, and drifted into a peaceful but lonely life as a homeless man.
• Tengshe revisited the area near his university, built a concealed shelter in a discarded trash bin, and fell asleep after drinking expired beer.
• Tengshe woke beneath the bridge with his memories intact and found Zhu Ming’s figure waiting for him again.
• Lin Yu admitted that she remembered the previous run and could see what Tengshe did after her apparent death.
• Tengshe questioned where the Calamity was in an illusion depicting an ordinary day, and Lin Yu told him it had already occurred unnoticed.

Tengshe continued living through repeated one-day loops in Lin Yu’s illusion, refusing to panic until Lin Yu revealed the person hidden in his memories. The chapter left Tengshe confronting Lin Yu’s claim that Ruan Min, also known as Celine, had been his girlfriend.

• Tengshe rejected Lin Yu’s warning and spent the next several loops following his routine and searching the city for a way out.
• On the twelfth loop, Lin Yu asked why Tengshe remained so calm, and Tengshe said he believed Lin Yu had a greater purpose than merely delaying him.
• Lin Yu admitted that he had pieced together the full truth behind Tengshe’s tribulation and wanted to see Tengshe’s reaction when he learned it.
• Lin Yu asked why Tengshe had avoided returning to school and pointed out that the many classmates who had helped him might actually have been one person.
• Lin Yu named Ruan Min, whose English name was Celine, and told Tengshe that she had been his girlfriend.

Lin Yu forced Tengshe to confront his forgotten past with Ruan Min, revealing that his memories concealed a devastating trauma. Tengshe returned to his college and discovered that Ruan Min had been killed in a school shooting by a homeless musician he once knew.

• Lin Yu reminded Tengshe that Ruan Min had been his girlfriend and that he had stood her up before fleeing prison to spare her from becoming a fugitive.
• Lin Yu suggested that Tengshe had forgotten Ruan Min because something terrible had happened to her, and told him to recover his memories or remain trapped in the illusion.
• Tengshe recognized that the forgotten trauma was connected to the day he left Ruan Min and entered his former college despite the police cordon.
• Tengshe found the gunman dead by suicide in the stadium, along with Ruan Min and several other victims.
• A female voice behind Tengshe said he could have prevented the calamity but had not, and called it a shame.

Lin Yu confronted Tengshe with his guilt over Ruan Min’s death, then revealed that she may have been a player in an earlier version of the Death game and could still be recoverable. He asked Tengshe to give him a soul fragment in exchange for helping pursue the resurrection of players who died in that version.

• Tengshe recalled how his choices and failure to take a school shooter seriously had contributed to Ruan Min’s death, while Lin Yu watched his despair.
• Lin Yu revealed that he wanted a fragment of Tengshe’s soul as material for his exclusive item, but Tengshe refused to cooperate.
• Lin Yu pointed out inconsistencies in Tengshe’s memories and proposed that the Death game had altered them because Ruan Min had been a player in its previous version.
• Lin Yu said Ruan Min might not be completely dead and explained that he and Order’s Director were working to resurrect players who died in the previous version.
• Lin Yu offered Tengshe a chance to join their effort by giving up one small soul fragment, suggesting that Ruan Min might return if they succeeded.

Lin Yu used the collapsing illusion to persuade Tengshe to support his Zhu Ming identity by offering hope of finding Ruan Min, while keeping their deal secret. Tengshe agreed to give Lin Yu his Soul Fragment, but was startled when Lin Yu produced the Ancient Notebook and revealed he still had an Authority he could use.

• Lin Yu reflected that he had initially used the illusion to stall Tengshe, but shifted to seeking his support after learning about Ruan Min.
• Lin Yu told Tengshe he sincerely wanted to resurrect Ruan Min, though he admitted he lacked proof that she had been a Player in the previous version.
• Tengshe agreed to keep their deal confidential and asked Lin Yu to safeguard its details.
• Lin Yu and Tengshe exchanged teasing remarks about joining the Freedom Alliance and Tengshe's former appearance.
• Tengshe asked how to give Lin Yu his Soul Fragment, and Lin Yu told him to remove every protection on his soul.
• Lin Yu took out the Ancient Notebook, and Tengshe was shocked that Lin Yu still had an Authority he could use.

Lin Yu and Li Nian shrank the [Azure Sea Sky Dome], flooding the ancient city and interrupting Tengshe as he prepared to activate his Heart Domain. As Tengshe confronted Lin Yu, Comedian arrived to back her up, ending the chapter with Tengshe laughing at his durian pun.

• Lin Yu took a Soul Fragment from Tengshe and recorded it in the [Ancient Notebook] before their illusion ended.
• Tengshe decided to activate his evolutionary Heart Domain, but the [Azure Sea Sky Dome] began contracting after Li Nian operated it under Lin Yu's instructions.
• Lin Yu slowed their fall with wind, while the shrinking dome let Pure Void Seawater flood the city and wash away its buildings.
• Tengshe warned that opening the ancient ruin could destabilize the war in the Nether Void Realm, but Lin Yu challenged him to stop her from helping Chen Le advance a tier.
• Comedian arrived to support Lin Yu, threatened Tengshe with a Cat King Mountain Durian as the “fruit of the consequences,” and made Tengshe laugh uncontrollably.

Lin Yu realized Comedian’s Heart Domain was affecting Tengshe while the Freedom Alliance members discussed their abilities. The chapter left Tengshe still laughing at Comedian’s jokes as Old Wu praised Li Nian’s strengths.

• Comedian told jokes to Tengshe, who laughed so hard that he struggled to breathe and eagerly listened to more.
• Lin Yu sensed something interfering with Tengshe’s soul and asked Old Wu what Comedian had done.
• Old Wu explained that Comedian’s Heart Domain, “Situation Comedy and Canned Laughter,” encouraged humorous behavior and could alter people and their surroundings.
• Old Wu deduced that Lin Yu had held off the Night Watchers’ Tier 3 members, while Li Nian said she had helped by adjusting the Azure Sea Sky Dome.
• Old Wu praised Li Nian’s skill at overcoming challenges without fighting, and Li Nian proudly accepted the compliment.

Tengshe negotiated an end to the Night Watchers’ failed mission and arranged their withdrawal from the flooding Ruins City. After Lin Yu released their three restrained Tier 3s, the four Night Watchers left through a rift, and the Freedom Alliance members reflected on why Tengshe had chosen to retreat.

• Tengshe said his mission was to stop the Freedom Alliance if possible, but preserving his team’s strength took priority, so he sought to withdraw rather than fight two Tier 4s.
• Comedian, Old Wu, Chen Le, and Lin Yu agreed not to stop Tengshe, while Li Nian briefly objected before admitting she had been joking.
• Lin Yu lifted his restraints on Chongming, Robin, and Mountain Sparrow so they could recover and move again.
• Tengshe told the three Tier 3s that the mission had failed and ordered the Night Watchers to retreat before the Ruins City flooded.
• Chongming accepted the decision, acknowledged the Freedom Alliance had shown mercy, and opened a rift through which the four Night Watchers departed.
• Comedian suspected his Heart Domain had only slightly influenced Tengshe’s decision, while Old Wu credited Lin Yu’s earlier actions with helping drive the retreat.

After Tengshe retreated, Lin Yu and his companions regrouped and discussed their search for the Nether Void Realm’s Nine Treasures. They revealed that they had already found three in the Middle Sea and pinpointed the last two in the realm, leaving Chen Le close to advancing to Tier 4.

• Old Wu learned that Chen Le’s Super Fishing Rod could not be used for cross-realm fishing again until he returned from three Instances, and offered to make him a temporary Item.
• Chen Le explained that he and Li Nian had found the Nine Treasures they sought in the Middle Sea, then came to Ruins City to locate the remaining treasures before the Night Watcher blocked their exit.
• Lin Yu admitted that his attempt to take the Azure Sea Sky Dome had kept them in Ruins City, and told the group he had encountered the Former Governor of the Nether Void Realm’s Lost Kingdom and the remaining power of the God of Desire.
• Lin Yu said the last two treasures were in the Sea People’s Vault and inside a large member of the Sea Race, while Comedian warned that his activated Heart Domain could draw the Nether Void Realm’s World Will.
• Chen Le revealed the Jewelry Box, Dagger, and Necklace, surprising Old Wu and Comedian with how close he was to Tier 4.
• Li Nian and the others discussed Lin Yu’s Little Octopus connection to Ka, the King of the Deep Sea, and joked about Qianhuan’s famously bad luck.

Lin Yu confronted the God of Desire after shrinking the [Azure Sea Sky Dome] and allowing the Ruins City to flood and decay. He left the God of Desire with a choice: die or submit to him.

• Lin Yu explained to Old Wu that he had reduced the [Azure Sea Sky Dome]'s range rather than shut it down completely.
• As the city flooded and aged rapidly, the God of Desire appeared and accused Lin Yu of breaking their agreement.
• Old Wu and Comedian prepared their Heart Domains, but Lin Yu stopped them and showed the God of Desire that he could restore the [Azure Sea Sky Dome].
• Lin Yu challenged the God of Desire over imprisoning and using his old friend's soul, insisting that the god must pay for it.
• Lin Yu offered the God of Desire a way to survive: submit to him or die.

Lin Yu pressured the God of Desire to submit, offering him survival and the promise of restoring his divinity while openly welcoming his future attempts to rebel. With the Nether Void Realm’s World Will close to discovering them, the God of Desire accepted feigned submission and entered the [Azure Sea Sky Dome].

• The Freedom Alliance members prepared to protect Lin Yu, while Lin Yu calmly taunted the God of Desire and demanded that he become his dog.
• The God of Desire threatened to kill Lin Yu and take the [Azure Sea Sky Dome], but Lin Yu challenged him to attack and argued that he feared death too much to risk it.
• Lin Yu offered to remove the other souls from the Authority of Desire and help the God of Desire become a god again, while inviting him to submit now and betray Lin Yu later if he could.
• The God of Desire admitted that he would only pretend to submit and vowed to kill Lin Yu and regain his freedom.
• Lin Yu said the God of Desire’s strength and determination to resist were exactly why he wanted to possess him, then raised the [Azure Sea Sky Dome].
• The God of Desire’s avatar and golden light scattered into points of light and flew into the [Azure Sea Sky Dome].

After Lin Yu subdued the God of Desire, the Freedom Alliance discussed the risks and Fang Qing arrived to offer help. Fang Qing warned Chen Le to abandon two Nine Treasures in the Nether Void Realm for now and seek [Naga's Guidance] and [Echoes of Mu Continent] first, because the World Will of Pure Ruins had targeted him and danger was approaching.

• Lin Yu reassured the Freedom Alliance that the God of Desire could not harm or control her, and promised to report any sign of trouble.
• Old Wu, Comedian, and Li Nian offered to help monitor Lin Yu and seek support if the God of Desire became dangerous.
• Fang Qing appeared briefly, explaining that the circumstances of his battle with the God of Shadows let him enter the [Azure Sea Sky Dome].
• Fang Qing asked Chen Le about his plans to collect the remaining Nine Treasures, and Chen Le said he had located two in the Nether Void Realm.
• Fang Qing urged Chen Le to withdraw with the others and pursue [Naga's Guidance] and [Echoes of Mu Continent] first, warning that the World Will of Pure Ruins had targeted him and something big was coming.

The Freedom Alliance evacuated the Nether Void Realm after Chen Le secured three of the Nine Treasures, and Fang Qing stayed behind with the remaining Treasures. Back in Shenzhen, Lin Yu left to handle the costs of his trump cards and pay Ka’s reward, teleporting to Stiller’s location.

• Chen Le used the [Sea Beast Certificate] to evacuate the Freedom Alliance from the flooded Ruins City, and Fang Qing promised to keep watch over the remaining Treasures.
• Lin Yu asked Old Wu to watch Zhu Qiansi and A Nian in Jiang City, warning that trouble could follow the rumors about Hacker and the forum server.
• Comedian told the Freedom Alliance members in Shenzhen that Chen Le had obtained three Treasures and that they had faced Tengshe and the lingering consciousness of the God of Desire.
• Lin Yu explained that he needed to manage the costs of his trump cards and privately handle someone more dangerous than Zhu Qiansi, then left the gathering.
• Lin Yu concluded that Fang Qing had already received permission to use the Rules portion of the Authority and prepared to pay Ka’s reward with a meal as Director.
• Lin Yu used the [Mind-State Teleportation Gun] to teleport beside Stiller, who was on vacation.

Lin Yu visited Stiller at his secluded rental house in a small county town and prepared to receive a guest from another world. He told Stiller that Hannah’s maternal uncle was coming as a Chosen of the God of Banquets, leaving Stiller to organize a formal reception.

• Lin Yu found Stiller relaxing at a cheap, secluded house in Dian Province and learned it had a history of unnatural deaths.
• Lin Yu scanned the house with his powers and found no lingering supernatural presence, then praised Stiller for choosing it.
• Lin Yu asked Stiller to prepare the dining room while he cooked using the fresh ingredients in the kitchen.
• Lin Yu told Stiller that their guest was an octopus and Hannah’s maternal uncle.
• Lin Yu clarified that the guest was visiting as a Chosen of the God of Banquets, and Stiller agreed to do his best to host him.

Lin Yu hosted Octopus Ka for dinner as payment for his help, and Ka praised his cooking while revealing he knew Lin Yu had taken the Nine Treasures. Ka accepted that the theft had helped him and said the town's destruction was partly an inevitable result of Lin Yu's growing Player population.

• Lin Yu used the [Guest Appearance Invitation] to summon Ka, who arrived from rebuilding Octopus Town and joined Lin Yu, Stiller, and Hannah for dinner.
• Lin Yu served Ka a carefully prepared home-cooked meal, and Ka praised his cooking and encouraged Hannah to learn from him.
• Ka told Lin Yu he did not value the Nine Treasures and said their removal was preferable to leaving them unused, though he could not have given them away openly.
• Ka revealed that he had realized Lin Yu was responsible for taking the Nine Treasures, and Lin Yu apologized for the damage to Octopus Town.
• Ka told Lin Yu that the town's destruction had been inevitable as Lin Yu's Players grew stronger and that the incident had even been beneficial to him.

Lin Yu learned that Ka viewed the damage to Octopus Town as a chance to make his people more alert to danger before a coming Cataclysm. As Ka asked Lin Yu to make dumplings and delivered a gift from the God of Banquets, he revealed that he had brought additional gifts of his own.

• Ka asked Lin Yu what he thought of La and whether the Octopus Clan had more members like her or like him, prompting Lin Yu to understand that Ka feared his people had grown complacent.
• Ka explained that Cataclysms periodically threatened the Ten Realms and that the rise of powerful Players suggested one might be approaching, so the Octopus Clan needed a stronger sense of danger.
• Lin Yu offered to compensate Ka for the injuries caused by his actions, and Ka asked him to make dumplings that he could take home.
• Ka gave Lin Yu the Contentment Ladle from the God of Banquets, explaining that it could counter desire, and told him that changes in the Divine Realm had weakened the deities' influence over the Ten Realms.
• Lin Yu offered to make extra dumplings for the God of Banquets, and Ka said he had brought Lin Yu more gifts before Lin Yu reflexively joked that Ka should not have brought any.

Lin Yu finished rewarding Hannah's sixth uncle and reassured Stiller that he could keep vacationing at the safe house, which might serve as a trap as well as a refuge. Lin Yu returned to Shenzhen with Hannah and learned from A'yu that Celestial King and Ling Xian had suffered a setback and might target the Freedom Alliance during the Player Mutual Aid Society election.

• Lin Yu saw off Hannah's sixth uncle after the meal, completing the reward for the Guest Appearance Invitation and receiving valuable Items from Ka and the God of Banquets.
• Stiller worried that hosting a Chosen of God had compromised his safe house, but Lin Yu told him to stay if he wanted and said he was becoming less likely to need the refuge.
• Lin Yu said he might return to the Barren Realm for Poetry Flower and to negotiate with Nightless Sky Yong Shang, but would wait before making another trip.
• Lin Yu took Hannah back to Shenzhen through the temporary Anchor Point, disguised as Zhu Ming, and found the Freedom Alliance group chat full of stories about the visit to the God of Cookery's home.
• Lin Yu posted the video he had promised Fishing Man, switched to Yayu's account, and read A'yu's messages about Celestial King and Ling Xian's defeat in the Nether Void Realm and their possible move against the Freedom Alliance.

Lin Yu reviewed Li Hua’s reports on the Shenzhen election, the murders, and the Night Watcher’s Nether Void Realm operation, while considering how to verify Beast Master’s strength. The first-round election rankings then surprised him: Penglai had taken first place with an unfamiliar Tier 3 candidate, Cold Cicada.

• Lin Yu read A'yu’s warning about the Marauders and reminded the Freedom Alliance to watch for their upcoming operation.
• Li Hua sent Lin Yu updates showing that Gu Mo had accelerated the Player Mutual Aid Society election, imposed a partial lockdown, and formed a four-organization task force to investigate the murders.
• Lin Yu recognized that Li Hua had used Gu Mo’s measures to disrupt the mole’s plans, though he doubted the task force members would solve the case.
• Lin Yu read the Night Watcher’s report that Beast Master might have reached Tier 3 and asked Li Hua to verify the information, hoping to obtain Zhu Ming’s Exclusive item before Empty Shell was crafted.
• Lin Yu checked the first-round election rankings and found Penglai in first place, backed by only the unfamiliar Tier 3 candidate Cold Cicada.

Lin Yu investigated the mysterious campaign team member Cold Cicada after Penglai unexpectedly led the Player Mutual Aid Society election polls. Unsatisfied with Order’s cautious response, he sought information from the Marauders and Freedom Alliance, leaving the mystery unresolved.

• Lin Yu found that Cold Cicada was a Tier 3 Player whose identity, abilities, and history were almost entirely missing from Order’s records.
• Li Hua told Lin Yu that Penglai’s supporters had cast their third votes for her almost by default, while Penglai herself seemed unaware of why she was leading and said Cold Cicada had urged her to run.
• Li Hua reported that Cold Cicada could not be contacted and might be influencing people’s subconscious, though he had asked Carrier Pigeon to investigate and did not consider Cold Cicada an established enemy.
• Lin Yu decided to investigate through his own channels because his preferred candidate’s interests did not necessarily match Order’s approach to the election.
• Lin Yu used his Yayu and Zhu Ming identities to ask A’yu and the Freedom Alliance about Penglai and Cold Cicada, prompting the group chat to become active.

Lin Yu learned from Xiao Yun and A'yu that Cold Cicada was a powerful, mysterious ally of the Diviner, while Penglai was one of the Diviner’s cards. He told Li Hua that Cold Cicada was likely cooperating directly with the Diviner, leaving Li Hua astonished by how quickly he had obtained the intelligence.

• Lin Yu asked the Freedom Alliance about Penglai and Cold Cicada, and Xiao Yun described Cold Cicada as a formidable fighter with a suspected Unique Profession, strong recovery, and poisonous contact attacks.
• Lin Yu told the group that Penglai’s rise had disrupted his plans and that he supported a candidate in the Player Mutual Aid Society election.
• A'yu revealed that Penglai was Brother Zhan’s card and said Cold Cicada was a temporary strategic partner of the Diviner, not a Marauder.
• A'yu said the Diviner expected Order would not trace Cold Cicada’s connection to them soon, and Lin Yu decided no coordination was needed.
• Lin Yu told Li Hua that Cold Cicada probably worked directly with the Diviner, and Li Hua asked how high-level Lin Yu’s informant was.

Lin Yu kept the intel about Penglai and Cold Cicada from Order while coordinating with Li Hua to investigate discreetly. He then used his Schreiber identity to alert the Psychology Society and draw its attention toward the coming conflict with the Marauders.

• Lin Yu agreed with Li Hua to keep Penglai’s connection to the Marauders within their confidence while Li Hua assessed the risks using his ability and Item.
• Li Hua asked Lin Yu to investigate Cold Cicada without alerting the Marauders or drawing attention to himself.
• Lin Yu contacted Skinner as Schreiber and challenged the Psychology Society’s awareness and competence.
• Lin Yu told Skinner that the Marauders had manipulated the election results to put Penglai in first place and that Cold Cicada was behind her.
• Lin Yu warned that Order and the Marauders might clash sooner than expected and said he intended to investigate Cold Cicada.

Lin Yu manipulated the Psychology Society into taking an interest in the looming conflict and the powerful newcomer Cold Cicada, expecting them to cause trouble for his potential rival. After finishing his messages, he began examining the gains from the Nether Void Realm and resumed his conversation with the former God of Desire, trapped inside the Azure Sea Sky Dome.

• Lin Yu explained how he used his report to Skinner to provoke the Psychology Society and draw its attention to Cold Cicada.
• Skinner thanked Lin Yu for the valuable intelligence and said he would pass it to the Professional Committee.
• Lin Yu logged out of Schreiber's account and decided to wait while developing his abilities and adapting to his recent gains.
• Lin Yu brought out the Azure Sea Sky Dome and found the Strange Desire Doll, containing the former God of Desire's will, inside it.
• The God of Desire recognized Lin Yu, and Lin Yu told him that his earlier words were sincere before proposing they continue their conversation.

Lin Yu negotiated with the God of Desire to have him help use the Authority of Desire in ordinary battles and exploration. After rejecting the God’s demand for worship, Lin Yu offered to purify the Authority of Desire, leaving the God surprised by the proposed bargain.

• The God of Desire refused to cooperate beyond emergencies, and Lin Yu accepted that he would not pretend to be friendly or plot a clumsy rebellion.
• Lin Yu asked the God of Desire to help wield the Authority of Desire during routine battles and exploration, but the God demanded a fair trade and insisted Lin Yu should revere him as a deity.
• Lin Yu argued that the God of Desire could no longer benefit from faith because he was no longer a deity, and demonstrated that worship did not strengthen his use of Desire.
• Lin Yu told the God of Desire that he could help with his incomplete Authority and offered to purify the Authority of Desire immediately.