Chapter Summaries

Lin Yu learned the details and rewards of several Gold Rush Street commissions, then chose C-77 despite its unusually high difficulty and vague terms. Shark Shock directed him to contact the intermediary Black Snake, who had left a business card for a tough character.

• Shark Shock explained Gold Rush Street's commission rules and described C-35, which required destroying two Divine Power Group outposts, and A-06, which required protecting a Saint Orchid Family butler.
• Shark Shock described C-77 as a vague commission to infiltrate the inner city and assassinate an A-2 corporate executive, with a guaranteed reward of at least 50,000 Asset Points.
• Lin Yu compared the reward and requirements, inferred that C-77 was far more difficult than the other commissions, and suspected the Game had judged him to be at Tier 3 level.
• Lin Yu asked how to accept C-77, and Shark Shock told him to find Black Snake for details and an assessment or call him using a business card.

Lin Yu accepted a high-paying assassination commission from a self-proclaimed king of the City That Never Sleeps and was directed to return to the Demon Pig Bar. Shark Shock revealed that he suspected Lin Yu was a highly protected member of a Noble family.

• Lin Yu used the Cyber Ghost's Electronic Coffin to call the commission's employer, who recruited him for a team targeting an A-2-level target at a Three Great Corporations headquarters.
• The employer offered Lin Yu fifty thousand in base pay and promised a contribution-based bonus, then directed him to Room 17 at the Demon Pig Bar.
• Lin Yu recognized the employer's ring-of-thorns symbol as belonging to the Royal Nobles and considered the Five Great Noble Families' control of the City That Never Sleeps.
• In Room 1, a muscular man questioned why Shark Shock had given Lin Yu the commission without testing him.
• Shark Shock explained that a former colleague had warned him a direct-line Noble was seeking a commission, and his military-grade Scanning Mirror had found no match for Lin Yu in its database.

Shark Shock mistook Lin Yu for a noble rather than a Great Wilderness person and ordered his men to protect him when he returned to the Demon Pig Bar. Lin Yu joined the team assembled for a commission and discovered that Zhurong possessed a Mind-Reading Mirror.

• Shark Shock concluded that Lin Yu's refined appearance meant he was a noble, then told his men to keep him safe when he returned.
• Lin Yu noticed the bar's security personnel watching and surrounding him as he made his way back to Room 17.
• Big Ball, Bone Spur, and Zhurong met Lin Yu in the room and told him he was joining their team as a Great Wilderness person.
• Big Ball introduced himself as a former Divine Power Group Pioneer Team member, Bone Spur as a skilled assassin, and Zhurong as an alchemy expert.
• Lin Yu recognized the glimmer in Zhurong's eyes and realized she had a Mind-Reading Mirror.

Lin Yu joined a mercenary team and wondered whether Zhu Rong was another Player, while awaiting the captain who would explain their mission. The captain arrived, revealed himself as the employer’s trusted aide, and handed out Gold Point Vouchers instead of demonstrating combat skill.

• Lin Yu introduced himself as Pollo and questioned whether Zhu Rong was a Player, then asked Old Zheng how likely it was to encounter other Players in a Personal Trial Instance.
• Big Ball told Lin Yu that the team did not yet know their target and that their captain would explain the commission.
• The captain arrived, and Bone Spur challenged his authority and showcased the Active Metal Electrode technology in his arms.
• The captain drew Gold Point Vouchers, gave Bone Spur five, and handed out additional vouchers as gifts to the team.

A captain recruited Lin Yu, Bone Spur, Big Ball, and Zhu Rong for a high-paying assassination mission at Nevernight Manor. When the group balked at targeting Alter Mercury, the captain revealed he had trapped them with explosives, and Zhu Rong agreed to proceed if they were paid more.

• The captain paid the mercenaries in Gold Point Vouchers and used a Portable Secret Meeting Room to explain the mission.
• The group learned they would infiltrate Nevernight Manor during Nightless Sky Fire Apricot’s twentieth-birthday banquet.
• The captain revealed that they were to assassinate Alter Mercury, an A-2-level director of Truth Company, during the banquet.
• Bone Spur and Big Ball refused the job, and the captain showed them explosives strapped beneath his coat.
• Zhu Rong confronted the captain and agreed to the mission, demanding more pay.

Zhu Rong negotiated with the captain for rare materials instead of extra points, while Lin Yu learned why Arter Mercury carried such a high bounty. The group still had to decide how to approach the job, and Lin Yu argued that Arter’s age made him no harder to kill than a gang boss.

• The captain offered the group 150,000 Asset Points for completing the job, but Zhu Rong requested Hate Copper, Jade Laurel, and Heart Vein Stone instead of the extra points.
• Big Ball and Bone Spur declined to change their rewards, while Lin Yu asked why Arter Mercury was worth so much.
• Big Ball explained that Arter had led the Mercury Family and Divine Power Group during Arlan Mercury’s disappearance, helping the family flourish.
• The captain said Arter had voluntarily left the Divine Power Group and joined Truth Company after Arlan returned, to prevent anyone from challenging Arlan’s legitimacy.
• Lin Yu said Arter’s past accomplishments did not make him difficult to kill now, comparing him to a gang boss from Gray Street Three.

Lin Yu rejected the mercenary team's plan to work together and decided to investigate a solo approach to assassinating Arter Mercury. After leaving Gray Street Three, he headed for Truth Company headquarters in the inner city to test an idea.

• Lin Yu identified Arter Mercury as the target and argued that the former family head’s age and lack of combat modifications made him vulnerable despite his security.
• Lin Yu refused to join the team’s operation and accepted a bracelet from the captain that detected emotional signs of betrayal or information leaks.
• Lin Yu left the meeting, reasoning that the captain, Zhu Rong, and Big Ball were suspicious, while Bone Spur was too easily manipulated.
• Old Zheng confirmed that the bracelet appeared to lack eavesdropping functions, and Lin Yu said he had an idea for infiltrating the manor that he wanted to test alone.
• Lin Yu used [Mask] and [Counterfeit], hired a driver, and set off for Truth Company headquarters in the inner city.

Lin Yu used Fu Luo’s identity and Veil Valetti’s ID card to enter Truth Company’s headquarters in Truth Tower, hoping to use Fu Luo’s connection to Nightless Sky Huo Le to reach the Nightless Sky Family’s birthday party. The receptionist confirmed that President Paris would meet him, suggesting Fu Luo’s influence was real.

• Lin Yu hired an unlicensed taxi with a Gold Point Voucher and safely rode into the inner city.
• The driver dropped Lin Yu near Truth Tower, and Lin Yu used Veil Valetti’s ID card while disguised as Fu Luo to pass the security checkpoint.
• Lin Yu went to the front desk and asked to see President Paris, claiming that Sherlock had an important matter.
• The receptionist contacted someone and then escorted Lin Yu to President Paris’s office.

Lin Yu, posing as Sherlock, met Truth Company President Paris and accused him of sending a team to kill him on the Despair Train. He demanded compensation instead of escalating the matter, leaving Paris to answer for the attack.

• Two Truth Company executives escorted Lin Yu to Paris’s office on the ninety-ninth floor of Truth Tower.
• Paris greeted Lin Yu warmly and offered him orange water or orange tea.
• Lin Yu told Paris he had come for compensation and accused him of ordering the attack on the Despair Train.
• Lin Yu cited the Delta Group and the unauthorized use of the Wrath Throne, then challenged Paris over the attempt on his life.

Lin Yu confronted Paris over the attack on the Despair Train and used the One-sentence Lie Detector to expose his lie about targeting Sherlock. Paris admitted defeat and agreed to compensate Lin Yu.

• Lin Yu accused Paris of ordering the Wrath Throne and the Security Department's Delta Group to attack the Despair Train, but Paris claimed he had not known Sherlock was aboard.
• Lin Yu asked Paris to use the One-sentence Lie Detector to confirm he had not intended to kill Sherlock.
• Paris confidently denied targeting Sherlock, but the detector sounded an alarm and revealed he was lying.
• Paris explained that he had expected an ordinary emotion-based lie detector to be ineffective against his Emotion Control Modification Surgery.
• Lin Yu said Paris owed him compensation for the failed assassination, and Paris admitted defeat and agreed to pay.

Lin Yu secured a promise from President Paris for a future favor after confronting him over the attempt on Fu Luo’s life. While arranging a ride to Nevernight Manor, Lin Yu learned that Huo Le was under pressure from an upcoming Saint Orchid Family meeting to determine the next family head.

• Paris accepted Lin Yu’s demand for compensation, and Lin Yu asked him to owe a personal favor rather than provide fifty copies each of Hate Copper, Jade Laurel, and Heart Vein Stone.
• Lin Yu warned Paris that he would expose the mobilization of the Wrath Throne if Paris reneged or tried to assassinate him again.
• Paris offered to send Lin Yu to Nevernight Manor, and Lin Yu agreed while suggesting they should not hide their private contact from Huo Le.
• Paris explained that the Saint Orchid Family’s upcoming meeting would determine the next family head and that Huo Le and Huo Shu were placing their bets.
• Lin Yu teased Paris for describing Huo Le as agitated and easily angered.

After Lin Yu left, Paris considered the detective’s offer and questioned Stiller about whether he could be trusted. Lin Yu reflected on the meeting and prepared for his next approach to Huo Le, hoping the plan would go smoothly.

• Paris suspected Lin Yu was testing his knowledge of the noble families and decided to watch for the alchemical materials Lin Yu had mentioned.
• Paris asked Stiller whether Lin Yu was trustworthy, and Stiller said he seemed different from the man he had met on the train.
• Stiller concealed that Lin Yu was connected to him and warned Paris that Lin Yu might soon use his favor and cause a major mess.
• Paris welcomed the prospect of seeing what Lin Yu would do, while Stiller decided not to worry about the two capable men.
• Lin Yu concluded that he had found a way and a reason to meet Huo Le, and he thanked Fu Luo for providing a useful line earlier.

Lin Yu visited the Nightless Sky Family estate and was led to its hot springs to bathe before meeting Huo Le. As he prepared to leave, a man emerged from the largest pool and called him Sherlock.

• Lin Yu arrived at the Nightless Sky Family estate and met a masked maid who said Huo Le was waiting in the tearoom.
• The maid led Lin Yu through the estate to the bathing area and instructed him to bathe and change before meeting Huo Le.
• Lin Yu asked the attendants to leave so he could bathe alone, then rinsed himself and changed into his cleaned clothes.
• A man appeared in the largest hot spring pool and called out to Lin Yu.
• Lin Yu startled the man by asking who he was and whether he had been holding his breath underwater.

Lin Yu met Nightless Sky Huo Shu, who tried to recruit him to support his claim to lead the Nightless Sky Family. Lin Yu reaffirmed his loyalty to Nightless Sky Huo Le, and Huo Shu let him go while leaving the offer open.

• Nightless Sky Huo Shu emerged from the hot spring and reminded Lin Yu that they had met twice before.
• Nightless Sky Huo Shu complained about the burdens of noble life and said he had sought Lin Yu because of their previous conversation.
• Nightless Sky Huo Shu argued that he was the rightful heir, citing his allies in the family, company, and other powerful families, and offered Lin Yu a prominent role.
• Lin Yu said he would not take sides in the succession dispute because Nightless Sky Huo Le had approached him first and treated him with respect.
• Nightless Sky Huo Shu accepted Lin Yu's answer, told him to find Huo Le, and said he would not consider Lin Yu an enemy.

Lin Yu met Nightless Sky Huo Le while impersonating Fu Luo and discovered that her tea granted him a powerful thinking-speed enhancement. Their casual conversation ended with Huo Le calling him her “father,” leaving Lin Yu stunned and wondering what Fu Luo had done.

• Lin Yu entered the tearoom and greeted Nightless Sky Huo Le with a formal bow, testing how she would react.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le treated Lin Yu casually, served him treasured white tea, and said she had brought it out because she heard he was coming.
• Lin Yu drank the tea and gained a temporary buff that greatly increased his focus and let him think faster.
• Lin Yu praised Huo Le’s tea-brewing skills in Fu Luo’s exaggerated style, pleasing her.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le told Lin Yu not to bow to her again because, in a certain sense, he was her “father,” and Lin Yu struggled to hide his shock.

Lin Yu learned that Fu Luo was being pressured to help Nightless Sky Huo Le win her mother’s favor in the Nightless Sky Family succession struggle. After Huo Le threatened him and briefly strangled him, Lin Yu pretended to be furious and challenged her to kill him.

• Lin Yu wondered what Fu Luo’s relationship with Nightless Sky Huo Le was and concealed his confusion.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le told Lin Yu he had no choice but to accept his identity and said he would accompany her to pay respects to her mother.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le confessed that she needed Lin Yu to win her mother’s favor so she could survive and inherit the family, then tightened her grip around his throat.
• Lin Yu realized Fu Luo was close to the Nightless Sky Family’s matriarch and that Huo Le was fighting her brother for succession.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le released Lin Yu when he signaled he was about to pass out, and Lin Yu challenged her to strangle him and risk losing her mother’s favor.

Lin Yu pressured Nightless Sky Huo Le to control herself and warned her that the Nightless Sky Family could be caught up in the Saint Orchid Family’s escalating conflict. He then asked for an invitation to Nightless Sky Fire Apricot’s Birthday Banquet, leaving Huo Le surprised that he had no plans to kill anyone.

• Lin Yu confronted Nightless Sky Huo Le about losing control and insisted she act perfectly as head of the family.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le twisted Lin Yu’s hand, and he praised her for regaining her composure.
• Lin Yu told Huo Le that Nightless Sky Huo Shu had recruited him and that an assassination commission targeted the steward of the Saint Orchid Family’s Third Son.
• Lin Yu warned that other Royal Nobles might back assassination attempts against the Five Great Noble Families, and Huo Le considered killing her competitors.
• Lin Yu asked to attend Nightless Sky Fire Apricot’s Birthday Banquet, and Huo Le questioned whether he intended to kill someone there.

Lin Yu learned from Nightless Sky Huo Le that Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's coming-of-age ceremony would gather powerful nobles and might provide an opportunity to kill Alter Mercury. Huo Le explained that the ceremony was also meant to display Fire Apricot as a potential marriage-alliance partner, then offered Lin Yu an invitation and urged him to visit his mother.

• Nightless Sky Huo Le told Lin Yu that the ceremony would draw Nightless Sky Family members, other noble families, and retired figures, making it useful for networking and information gathering.
• Lin Yu considered whether the grand ceremony could be the best chance to kill Alter Mercury, and whether the person who commissioned the murder had chosen it for political reasons.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le described Nightless Sky Fire Apricot as unusually eccentric, recalling how she once evaded her guards and shared food with raccoons in a garbage bin.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le explained that the Nightless Sky Family intended to use Fire Apricot's coming-of-age ceremony to present her as a marriage-alliance prospect.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le offered Lin Yu an invitation to the ceremony and recommended that he tell his mother and go see her.

Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Huo Le reached the hidden tower where her mother, the head of the Nightless Sky Family, stayed. Old Zheng explained that the tower concealed itself through Miracle Alchemy and warned Lin Yu to conceal his summoned creatures before meeting someone who might be a god’s Chosen; the chapter ended with the pair facing the guarded tower door.

• Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Huo Le walked through Nevernight Manor to a gray-black hexagonal tower that Lin Yu had never noticed before.
• Hannah and Old Zheng explained that the tower used illusion-like Miracle Alchemy, which could interfere with perception and even recordings.
• Old Zheng described how alchemy and divine power shaped the Wasteland’s technology and noble hierarchy, and advised Lin Yu to hide his summoned creatures.
• Lin Yu returned Hannah and Old Zheng to Item Space before continuing to meet Nightless Sky Huo Le’s mother.
• Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Huo Le reached the tower’s metal entrance, guarded by two heavily armored guards.

Lin Yu accompanied Nightless Sky Huo Le into the tower to find her mother, the Nightless Sky Family Head. After searching the seventh floor, they found her in the library: a scholar-like little girl sitting atop a rolling ladder.

• Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Huo Le entered the locked tower after its armored guards opened the gate.
• As they climbed, Lin Yu tried to calm Nightless Sky Huo Le by joking that he would take care of everything like her father.
• Nightless Sky Huo Le found the seventh-floor prayer hall empty and said her mother was probably in the library at the top of the tower.
• Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Huo Le climbed to the library, where Nightless Sky Huo Le called out to her mother.
• The Nightless Sky Family Head rolled out between the bookshelves on a tall mobile ladder, revealing herself to be a little girl.