Chapter Summaries

Lin Yu received Grandpa Radish’s belongings from Paper Kite and Kres, then brought Fu Luo home to meet Lin Zhao. The chapter left Lin Yu and Fu Luo in his room after Lin Zhao warmly urged them to spend time together.

• Paper Kite delivered Grandpa Radish’s sealed hair and tissue samples, repaired cloth bundle, and showerhead Item to Lin Yu.
• Lin Yu and Paper Kite exchanged contact information while Paper Kite and Kres waited downstairs.
• Fu Luo worried that Paper Kite and Kres might kill them, but Lin Yu reassured him as they went upstairs.
• Lin Yu told Fu Luo that he lived with his older sister, Lin Zhao, and introduced Fu Luo to her.
• Fu Luo politely greeted Lin Zhao and claimed to be Lin Yu’s online friend from Yu Province.
• Lin Yu led Fu Luo into his room, then reflected that he had rarely had friends growing up.

Lin Yu used the [Ancient Notebook] to enter a memory formed from Grandpa Radish’s remaining soul and confronted him about his death. Grandpa Radish confirmed that he had disguised his accidental death as a murder, and Lin Yu asked why he had done so.

• Lin Yu asked Fu Luo and Hannah to watch over him while he investigated Grandpa Radish’s death with the [Ancient Notebook].
• With Old Zheng’s help, Lin Yu extracted soul fragments from Grandpa Radish’s wallet and [Items], and the notebook absorbed them.
• Lin Yu used the notebook to enter a realistic memory of Grandpa Radish tending tomato seedlings in a greenhouse.
• Grandpa Radish recognized Lin Yu as an investigator and asked whether he wanted to know who had killed him.
• Lin Yu told Grandpa Radish that he knew there had been no killer and that Grandpa Radish had disguised his accidental death as murder.
• Grandpa Radish acknowledged that people had uncovered his plan, and Lin Yu asked him to explain his motive.

Lin Yu questioned Grandpa Radish about why he had risked his life, and Radish explained that he had once wanted to live for his wife and later founded the Player Mutual Aid Society after seeing other Players die. He recounted how the Society and his family gave his life purpose, but his story left off after the last time he thought, “It’s good to be alive.”

• Lin Yu said Li Hua doubted that Radish had risked his life merely to change the Player Mutual Aid Society, and Radish agreed that Players usually valued their lives too much for such an uncertain plan.
• Radish told Lin Yu that the explanations given by the children were true, but that he no longer wanted to live as desperately as most Players because his greatest reason for living had disappeared.
• Radish recalled entering the Death game after falling on an icy road while rushing his wife to the hospital, driven by his desire to live and care for her.
• After his first survival Instance, Radish remembered the three Players who died and wondered what would happen to their families, prompting him to establish the Player Mutual Aid Society.
• Radish recalled the Society helping more Players survive and his family celebrating a successful harvest, the last time he thought that it was good to be alive.

Lin Yu learned why Grandpa Radish had survived the Death game and heard his guidance on Tier 3 and Tier 4 advancement. After Grandpa Radish’s memories ended, Lin Yu woke and discovered Fu Luo snoring beside him.

• Grandpa Radish told Lin Yu that he had retreated from a deadly Instance because he wanted to live, then realized his wife had been the most important reason for that desire.
• Grandpa Radish agreed that Lin Yu could explain his motives to Li Hua, but asked him to keep the details between them and discourage Li Hua from raising the matter again.
• Grandpa Radish explained that Tier 3 advancement required crafting an Exclusive item by following personal hints, while Tier 4 advancement involved awakening a Heart Domain and surviving a sudden Rank Advancement Trial.
• Grandpa Radish urged Lin Yu to cherish his reasons for living, then walked into the courtyard as an old woman appeared to greet him before white light ended the vision.
• Lin Yu woke, briefly praised Grandpa Radish, then saw Fu Luo asleep and snoring over the table and realized something was wrong.

Lin Yu discovered that Nian had put his companions and much of the neighborhood to sleep, then confronted Nian in the form of a Black Cat. Nian revealed that Lin Yu’s sister had been dead for a long time and was only an illusion created by the Death game.

• Lin Yu found Fu Luo, Hannah, Old Zheng, Kres, and Paper Kite asleep and suspected Nian was responsible.
• Lin Yu equipped his Professional Items, searched the room, and found Lin Zhao asleep beside a Black Cat.
• Nian identified Lin Yu and said he had come for revenge, then deduced how Lin Yu’s profession worked.
• Lin Yu transformed into Rakshasa to prove he could still do so, and Nian threatened to destroy his life by taking away his sister.
• Lin Yu grabbed the Black Cat, but Nian revealed that Lin Yu’s sister had been dead for a long time and was an illusion created by the Death game.

Lin Yu escaped Nian’s dream and helped Kres and Paper Kite trap Nian, but Nian claimed Lin Zhao was an illusion created from a Fragment of Fate. As Lin Zhao called from outside the door, Nian began to react in shock to what he had learned from Sherlock’s memories.

• Lin Yu realized Nian had trapped only him in a dream and used the story of Lin Zhao’s death to undermine his judgment.
• With Old Zheng’s help, Lin Yu broke Nian’s control of the dream and woke in the room, where Nightmare matter surged toward Fu Luo.
• Old Zheng tore the nightmare matter from Fu Luo, while Lin Yu used Fear Torch and Kres and Paper Kite helped subdue Nian.
• Nian told Lin Yu that Lin Zhao was not alive and that a Fragment of Fate sustained the illusion, even as Lin Zhao called from outside the door.
• Nian began explaining what Sherlock’s memories revealed about the illusion, then shrieked in shock.

After Nian’s clone vanished, Lin Yu uncovered evidence that his sister Lin Zhao had died ten years earlier, though he remained unsure what was real and what had been concealed. He called Shen Bingmiao for answers, and she reminded him that they were “accomplices.”

• Nian’s black cat clone and its Nightmare Substance dissipated, leaving Lin Yu and Kres unsure what had caused it.
• Paper Kite and Kres left after Lin Yu thanked them, and Fu Luo told Lin Yu that his identity had been concealed and that the Hacker had left bait among the few traces he found.
• Lin Yu examined a school commendation and scholarship notice, then found Lin Zhao’s bedroom empty and remembered that she had died in a fire ten years earlier.
• Lin Yu suspected that his Fraudster ability and his denial of Lin Zhao’s death had blurred reality, but he questioned the gaps in his memories and the Fragment of Fate Nian mentioned.
• Lin Yu called Shen Bingmiao, who appeared through the flickering phone screen and reminded him that they were accomplices.

Shen Bingmiao told Lin Yu that she and his sister Lin Zhao had been players in an earlier version of the Game and had both died in its Final Instance five years ago. She explained how Lin Yu had helped her devise plans to resurrect Lin Zhao, and revealed that the first plan had failed while the second was certain to succeed.

• Shen Bingmiao told Lin Yu she had joined the Game seven years ago, in its previous version, and had met Lin Zhao.
• Shen Bingmiao revealed that Lin Zhao and she had both died in the Final Instance five years ago, after which Lin Yu’s memories were altered.
• Shen Bingmiao explained that she had sought Lin Yu five years ago to resurrect Lin Zhao and that Lin Yu had deduced the Game’s existence as a non-player.
• Shen Bingmiao told Lin Yu that he had devised two plans in Lin Zhao’s Heart Domain, including using a Class ability to make resurrection possible.
• Shen Bingmiao said the first plan had failed because the apparent Lin Zhao was only an illusion, but Lin Yu’s second plan was certain to succeed.

Lin Yu asked Shen Bingmiao about his forgotten second plan and learned he needed to keep advancing through the tiers to weaken the Death game's hold on his memories. Shen Bingmiao also revealed that the Fragments of Fate came from a fallen god and that she and Lin Zhao had killed it, while admitting she had lost most of Lin Zhao's money.

• Lin Yu and Shen Bingmiao discussed how the first plan had failed, and Shen Bingmiao explained that Lin Yu had used the Game Rules to erase his memories after Lin Zhao's Heart Domain ended.
• Shen Bingmiao said Fluoxetine had accidentally disrupted their plans and advised Lin Yu to keep advancing until awakening his own Heart Domain, which might help him recover his memories.
• Lin Yu asked what the Fragments of Fate were, and Shen Bingmiao explained that seven tangible pieces of a fallen god's Authority of Destiny were scattered across the Ten Realms.
• Shen Bingmiao admitted that she and Lin Zhao had killed the god, with Lin Zhao doing most of the work.
• Lin Yu asked whether Lin Zhao had left him money, and Shen Bingmiao confessed that she had spent much of it building the forum and lost the rest in investments.

Lin Yu recovered a sealed memory of Lin Zhao and claimed the Fragment of Fate in the form of her posthumous portrait. He made a truce with Old Zheng to hunt a Marauders mole in the Psychology Society and prepared to adopt a more high-profile approach.

• Shen Bingmiao ended her call with Lin Yu after he asked how old she was, leaving him to contemplate the mysteries surrounding Lin Zhao and his erased memories.
• Lin Yu found Lin Zhao's posthumous portrait among the scattered money, recovered his last sealed memory, and claimed the Fragment of Fate: Part Four.
• Lin Yu asked Old Zheng whether his special nature had drawn him into the Death game, then agreed to make peace in exchange for lessons in controlling Mental Power.
• Old Zheng asked Lin Yu to kill the Marauders mole among the Psychology Society's council members, and Lin Yu said he might eliminate the entire council.
• Lin Yu planned to report to Li Hua, visit the Tycoon, and seek [Gossip Can Melt Gold] and [Tower Scam] at Jiang'an Hall.

Lin Yu reported Nian’s death to Li Hua, then met Tycoon at Jiang'an Hall and strengthened their business ties. He asked Tycoon to look for alchemical materials from the Barren Realm so he could practice newly learned abilities.

• Lin Yu submitted his report to Li Hua, who said she would handle Nian’s case and approved Lin Yu meeting Tycoon.
• Lin Yu used Old Yao’s account to arrange a meeting with Tycoon, who said he was available anytime.
• Tycoon welcomed Lin Yu, recognized him as May May, and praised how quickly he had advanced in the Death game.
• Lin Yu and Tycoon agreed to help each other with work and [Items], while Lin Yu told Tycoon to treat Old Yao impartially.
• Lin Yu asked Tycoon to find alchemical materials from the Barren Realm because he wanted to practice abilities from its alchemy system.

Lin Yu pretended to have studied the Rens Family’s Butterfly Wings alchemy to gain Tycoon’s belief and secure alchemical materials. After Tycoon agreed to help and gave Lin Yu gifts for himself and Captain Good Night, Lin Yu left with a promise to bring Tycoon a Golden Arches meal set.

• Lin Yu named precious alchemical materials and claimed he practiced intermediate Life Spectrum alchemy called Butterfly Wings, gaining Tycoon’s belief.
• Tycoon offered to gather alchemical materials and warned Lin Yu that player conflicts inside Instances could be dangerous.
• Lin Yu said he wanted his alchemy skills known to build his reputation as Order’s vice-captain, and Tycoon praised his openness.
• Tycoon gave Lin Yu health supplements for himself and fruit for Captain Good Night, explaining they were year-end gifts for Jiang'an Hall members.
• Lin Yu accepted the gifts and promised to bring Tycoon a return gift, and Tycoon requested a Golden Arches meal set.

Lin Yu examined Order’s Jiang City files while investigating the mole Li Hua had asked him to find, then ran into Good Night and Paper Kite at the branch office. When Lin Yu casually revealed his assignment, Good Night was alarmed that he had been told something so sensitive.

• Lin Yu visited Order’s Jiang City office and reviewed public files on the branch’s fifty-two members, learning their tiers and classes.
• Lin Yu found no suspicious clues in the member files but noticed that Order’s regulations granted broad authority, which could make internal corruption dangerous.
• Good Night arrived with Paper Kite, who had been transferred to the Central China region, and the two were surprised to find Lin Yu there.
• Paper Kite explained that Nian had returned from an Instance as a nightmare, attacked Lin Yu, and died, possibly because something had happened to his true body in the Night Valley Realm.
• Good Night questioned Lin Yu about Nian’s attack and whether it was connected to Li Hua’s plans.
• Lin Yu told Good Night that Li Hua had asked him to investigate the mole in Order, and Good Night reacted with alarm.

Lin Yu recruited Good Night to help investigate a suspected mole within the Order and proposed a large-scale campaign against illegal organizations. He planned to use an informant with connections across those groups to locate their bases and uncover the mole.

• Good Night regretted speaking up, but Lin Yu refused to let him back out of investigating the suspected mole.
• Lin Yu explained why he did not trust Paper Kite and chose Good Night as a more reliable partner.
• Good Night agreed to help Lin Yu and asked whether he had anyone under suspicion in Jiang City.
• Lin Yu asked Good Night to seek approval for a coordinated purge of illegal organizations and players.
• Good Night questioned how they could safely carry out such a campaign, and Lin Yu said he could locate remote bases and assess their strength.
• Lin Yu revealed that he knew someone with connections in every organization who might serve as their informant.

Lin Yu, disguised as Old Yao, joined Tycoon on the way to his first Jiang’an Hall meeting and learned how Tycoon valued his connections and contributions. At the hotel, Old Yao met the assembled hall members and introduced himself as a new member.

• Lin Yu assumed Old Yao’s identity and arranged to meet Tycoon before the Jiang’an Hall gathering.
• Tycoon picked Old Yao up himself, praised his role in thwarting the Marauders and coordinating with Order, and encouraged him to use his connections.
• Tycoon brought Old Yao to a luxury hotel owned by his family, explaining that he had chosen a comfortable venue for the meeting.
• Old Yao surveyed the twenty-two assembled Jiang’an Hall members and assessed their ranks and strength.
• Tycoon took the seat of honor, and Old Yao greeted the members and asked them to look after him.

At a Jiang'an Hall dinner, Lin Yu won over the members and received two valuable Items from Tycoon and Shadowless Hand. Tycoon then asked how Lin Yu had saved May May, and Lin Yu began revealing that he had seen a deity in an Instance.

• Lin Yu charmed the Jiang'an Hall members at the team dinner, and Tycoon praised him as a key talent for the organization.
• Tycoon had Shadowless Hand give Lin Yu an Assassin's Sleeve Dart and an Earth-Evasion Talisman Armor.
• Lin Yu acted deeply moved by the valuable gifts and thanked Tycoon and Shadowless Hand.
• Tycoon asked Lin Yu how he had saved May May, and Lin Yu said he had seen a deity in an Instance.

After the Jiang'an Hall gathering, Lin Yu watched the rumors about Guan Yun's alchemy scam spread while preparing to team up with Li Nian for his first Tier 2 Instance. The next Game was set to begin within a day, and Shen Bingmiao revealed that the Instance would take place in the Prison Mountain Realm.

• Lin Yu decided to let Old Yao's Thief abilities solidify naturally and noted that rumors about Guan Yun's Alchemy: Butterfly Wing scam were bringing him beliefs.
• Lin Yu spent the rest of the week studying performances after Shen Bingmiao postponed the Drama club's tour.
• Li Nian invited Lin Yu to team up for an Instance and explained that she had secured the arrangement by demonstrating her strength and invoking the Freedom Alliance's reputation.
• Lin Yu worried that the Diviner might track him through his Fragment of Fate, but chose to keep it because he needed to grow stronger.
• On Tuesday, the Game announced that its latest start time was less than twenty-four hours away, and Shen Bingmiao told Lin Yu to prepare for the Prison Mountain Realm.

Lin Yu studied the dangers of the Prison Mountain Realm before entering the Escort Game as Zhu Ming. He arrived in Fire Hell and met Li Nian and the young man who appeared to be their employer.

• Lin Yu reviewed Senior Sister's information about the dangerous Prison Mountain Realm and prepared to assist Li Nian on the mission.
• Lin Yu used a sauna to dehydrate himself and entered the game at midnight.
• The game assigned six players the task of reaching Willow Town.
• Lin Yu arrived in Fire Hell, a scorching region of the Prison Mountain Realm.
• Lin Yu greeted Li Nian and the young man he believed was their employer.

Lin Yu, Li Nian, and their employer Fei Dao waited in a valley for an escort convoy that could take them to Willow Town. When the convoy arrived, Li Nian called out to confirm its destination.

• Fei Dao introduced himself humbly, and Li Nian and Lin Yu assured him they would try to get him through the Instance safely.
• Lin Yu and Li Nian suspected the remaining three Players might be rivals and discussed how to reach Willow Town.
• Li Nian recognized a saber mark as an escort guard rendezvous sign and proposed waiting for a convoy.
• To reassure Fei Dao, Lin Yu used Old Zheng to sense about thirty natives approaching with an escort convoy.
• A convoy of six wagons reached the valley, and Li Nian asked whether it was headed for Willow Town.

Li Nian, Lin Yu, and Fei Dao joined the Jinfu Escort Agency convoy by posing as fellow escorts, and Lin Yu exposed and passed Captain Yue Zhenqiao’s test. Li Nian concluded that the Instance was a Confrontation Instance, with three opposing Players likely among the bandits targeting the convoy as they traveled toward Willow Town.

• Li Nian used a stolen Jinfu Escort Agency token to convince Yue Zhenqiao that the trio were escorts from Willow Town.
• Lin Yu suspected Yue Zhenqiao was testing them, accused him of being a demon, and drew his Bone Blade; Li Nian and Fei Dao joined him.
• Yue Zhenqiao identified himself as the Guzhen Town branch captain and explained that he had tested them because of the danger from demons and bandits.
• The trio joined the convoy and continued toward Willow Town, while Fei Dao thought the Instance might be easy to clear.
• Li Nian told Lin Yu and Fei Dao that the Instance was a Confrontation Instance and that the other three Players were likely with the bandits.