Arc 3From First Place to Parasites

Lu Bai won the first Deathmatch Showdown, secured vaccine research, and returned to a world where he investigated his past and trained for the next round. In the second arena, he rescued Yao Yi from a parasitic monster and reached Jiangyu County, where he faced more creatures inhabiting elderly people.

  • Lu Bai fought through the Deathmatch Arena factions, killed Fei Xiao and the other attackers, rescued Xiao Xueyin, and escaped the exploding Administrative Building with his companions.
  • Lu Bai killed Duan Jianhui after Yaluo exposed him, survived Yaluo and Fischer's attempt to take the Node, and helped deliver the experiment data that advanced the vaccine research.
  • After the system ended the Deathmatch Showdown, Lu Bai returned ranked first with 102 points and chose to keep Flash Time as his reward.
  • Lu Bai learned about the Underground Cities and the Deathmatch System, trained in multiple fighting styles, and entered the second Deathmatch Showdown.
  • In a hot-air balloon, Lu Bai used Flash Time and Long Fang to defeat Wang Ting's monster form, though a fragment of the parasite remained inside Yao Yi.
  • Lu Bai and Yao Yi reached a scrap recycling shop, where Lu Bai recognized that parasites had taken over Tong Shujuan's parents and fought off the transformed elderly people.
Chapters 51–75 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 51A Straight-Up Rampage

Lu Bai fought the Survey Corps deathmatchers after they hesitated over the Node, using the long-haired man as a shield to defeat them. He ended the fight ranked first and found the long-haired man still hiding in his Iron Block state.

  • The deathmatchers hesitated to attack Lu Bai, each watching for a chance to claim the Node while protecting himself.
  • Lu Bai struck the long-haired man, who activated Iron Block, then dodged gunfire and used him as a shield.
  • Lu Bai charged the armed deathmatchers, slammed the iron-bodied man into a clawed opponent, and fought off the others.
  • Lu Bai killed the remaining deathmatchers with his sword and gained five points, bringing his total to 32 and keeping his rank at 1/31.
  • Lu Bai tapped the long-haired man with his sword and asked how long he planned to keep playing dead.

Ch. 52A Fierce Fight

Lu Bai kept Ren Baoshun pinned in his Iron Block state while a battle erupted between Xiao Xueyin’s group and the Deathmatch participants on the Fourth Floor. As Fei Xiao’s Ten Blades prepared to investigate the fight, Lu Bai headed downstairs with the Node and was fired upon by soldiers.

  • Lu Bai slashed Ren Baoshun, but Ren’s Iron Block state absorbed the blow, and Ren avoided lowering his defenses by speaking quickly and then turning to iron again.
  • Xiao Xueyin and her squad encountered nearly ten Deathmatch participants in the Staff Department’s Office Hall, and a fierce fight broke out involving soldiers, special abilities, and gunfire.
  • Liu Yue restrained the Sportswear Deathmatch Participant, Yan Zhiquan pulled the Young Man with Bat Tattoo from the ceiling, and the Man in Suit attacked with guided playing cards.
  • Fei Xiao and the Ten Blades emerged from their hiding place on the Second Floor and decided to move closer to find out who was winning the battle.
  • Lu Bai carried Ren Baoshun down from the Fifth Floor with the Node, but soldiers who spotted him on the stairs opened fire, forcing him to retreat with [Flash Time].

Ch. 53Melee

Lu Bai followed an unseen group through the Fourth floor corridor while the Survey Corps and Survivor Alliance fought nearby. Zhou Zongming’s soldiers faced an invulnerable berserker as it charged into the crowd.

  • Zhou Zongming ordered four soldiers to hold the Safe passage and led the rest toward the fighting, but an unseen attacker killed the four guards.
  • Lu Bai heard the attackers approach, spotted ripples in the air, and followed the apparently invisible group into the Fourth floor hallway.
  • A Survey Corps fighter stunned a bespectacled opponent with a homing Universal Card, allowing the Black Vest Man to strike him.
  • Xiao Xueyin watched the Survey Corps’ fighters battle the Survivor Alliance and saw a Shorty fighter transform into a Pseudo Hulk.
  • Zhou Zongming’s soldiers fired at the Pseudo Hulk without harming it, and the enraged monster charged toward the largest cluster of people.

Ch. 54Monster

A rampaging Green Giant tore through the temporary shelter, killing soldiers as Xiao Xueyin and Liu Yue tried to draw it toward a window. Liu Yue used her positional-switching ability to escape its charge, leaving the monster confused as she fled down the corridor.

  • The Green Giant smashed through walls and killed soldiers, while Xiao Xueyin, Liu Yue, and Yan Zhiquan discussed using Liu Yue’s Immortal’s Leap to lure it out a window.
  • Zhou Zongming charged the monster and threw a fragmentation grenade into its mouth, briefly hurting it before it grabbed him and smashed him against a wall.
  • Liu Yue tried to draw the monster toward her, but it lost patience and lunged before she could lead it to the planned spot.
  • Liu Yue used Hyper-Kinetic Positional Converter to switch places with the monster, then ran down the corridor as it stopped and looked around in confusion.

Ch. 55Appearing

Liu Yue fled the Green Giant and encountered Lu Bai, while the Ten Blades were exposed and forced to fight the monster. Fei Xiao then ordered Er Bao to lure it into the Office Hall, where the other combatants had gathered.

  • Liu Yue ran from the Green Giant, which turned its attention to the Ten Blades hiding beneath an Invisibility Cloak.
  • A Ten Blades combatant spoke too loudly, prompting the Green Giant to attack and forcing the group to scatter.
  • Liu Yue met Lu Bai, who introduced Ren Baoshun as a Survey Corps combatant and urged her to focus on the monster.
  • Fei Xiao realized the fighting in the Office Hall had stopped and ordered Er Bao to draw the Green Giant toward the gathered combatants.
  • Er Bao provoked the Green Giant and backed into the Office Hall, while Fei Xiao shattered a card thrown at him with a Silver Jujube Pit Nail.

Ch. 56Everyone's here, right?

The Ten Blades joined the battle in the Office Hall, where an indiscriminate flash and the Green Giant’s charge sent Er Bao plunging through the floor. As Fei Xiao’s side gained the upper hand, Lu Bai entered and asked why the fighting had stopped.

  • The Ten Blades attacked everyone in the Office Hall, and the fighting among all three groups resumed.
  • Four contestants attacked Er Bao, but a woman’s Solar Flare blinded fighters and the Green Giant’s blow shattered the floor, sending both him and Er Bao down to the third floor.
  • Lu Bai told Liu Yue that nearly all the Deathmatch Arena contestants were gathered, then headed for the Staff Department’s Office Hall.
  • Fei Xiao subdued Osas while Yan Zhiquan and Xiao Xueyin failed to stop him, and Lanke called for the Survey Corps to pause their fight against the Ten Blades.
  • Fei Xiao crushed Osas’s head and asked whether Duan Jianhui would appear, just as Lu Bai entered and asked why everyone had stopped fighting.

Ch. 57The Target of Everyone's Aim

Lu Bai confronted Fei Xiao over Osas's death and revealed the Node had drawn the Deathmatch participants' attention to him. Surrounded by rivals after Fei Xiao exposed him, Lu Bai chose to stay and prepare to fight.

  • Lu Bai questioned Fei Xiao about killing Osas, then attacked him with Flash Time, but Fei Xiao's instincts let him dodge.
  • Fei Xiao used his Repelling Force Field to knock Lu Bai back and announced that Lu Bai had taken the Node from Duan Jianhui.
  • The Deathmatch participants from several factions surrounded Lu Bai, while Xiao Xueyin tried to help him escape through a window.
  • Fei Xiao struck Xiao Xueyin in the chest and demanded that Lu Bai hand over the Node.
  • Lu Bai refused to leave, and the skin exposed to the air began turning red.

Ch. 58Forming a Team to Fight the Boss

Lu Bai revealed that he had planned to draw the Office Hall’s fighters toward him, then launched a devastating attack with his sword and abilities. The survivors coordinated their Gold-level abilities to weaken and surround him, slowing his killing spree as they tried to wear him down.

  • Fei Xiao, Lanke, and Yan Zhiquan demanded Lu Bai surrender the Node, but Lu Bai announced he meant to kill everyone in the hall.
  • Lu Bai used his speed and Flash Time to kill seven Deathmatch Arena fighters in less than half a minute.
  • Fei Xiao weakened Lu Bai with Heavenly Conduit, while Yan Zhiquan and his classmates used Gold-level abilities to protect and support one another.
  • Lu Bai resisted Yan Zhiquan’s taunt, avoided the group, and targeted weaker fighters as the survivors formed a coordinated team.
  • The fighters boxed Lu Bai in and tried to wear him down; a Shorty fighter stabbed him, while a muscular woman and others attacked at close range.

Ch. 59Clearing the Field

Lu Bai used [Blood Rage] and [Super Regeneration] to break through the deathmatch fighters’ encirclement and began clearing the Office Hall. As the fighters fell, Fei Xiao retreated to a window with the barely conscious Xiao Xueyin.

  • Lu Bai endured the fighters’ attacks while his wounds healed, then activated [Blood Rage] to boost his strength.
  • Lu Bai used [Flash Time] to kill the Shorty deathmatch fighter as the others rushed to stop him.
  • Lu Bai evaded Yan Zhiquan and Ariana, wounded more fighters with his pistol, and cut down Yan Zhiquan’s classmate.
  • Lu Bai killed the fleeing fighter and then killed Lanke, leaving the encirclement in ruins.
  • Fei Xiao retreated to the window and lifted up Xiao Xueyin, who was barely clinging to life.

Ch. 60Target Mission

Lu Bai defeated Yan Zhiquan and Fei Xiao, then treated Xiao Xueyin’s wounds and gained two Survey Corps members as followers. He turned to the badly injured Company Commander Zhou Zongming, hoping to rebuild order by starting with him.

  • Lu Bai shot Yan Zhiquan repeatedly until he collapsed, then used Flash Time to sever Fei Xiao’s arm and free Xiao Xueyin.
  • Fei Xiao tried to attack Lu Bai with a Jujube Pit Nail, but Lu Bai deflected it and killed him.
  • Lu Bai stopped Xiao Xueyin’s bleeding with a makeshift bandage, while Liu Yue and the two Survey Corps men watched.
  • Bat Tattoo Man and Black Vest Man offered to follow Lu Bai, and Lu Bai told them Duan Jianhui was still alive.
  • Lu Bai checked on Zhou Zongming, found him barely conscious and badly injured, and removed a desk top to use as a stretcher.

Ch. 61Come Out, Duan Jianhui

Lu Bai and his group escaped the Administrative Building as Duan Jianhui secretly planted explosives, then took the injured Zhou Zongming to the Third District Shelter for medical care. The building exploded behind them, and Lu Bai recognized that the USB drive might contain Professor Jiang’s research logs, possibly relevant to his objective.

  • Liu Yue and the others found the first-floor soldiers dead, and Lu Bai identified Duan Jianhui as the likely killer after discovering explosives planted around the Administrative Building.
  • Lu Bai called for Duan Jianhui to come out, but left without finding him; Duan Jianhui stayed hidden and continued setting explosives as the countdown ran short.
  • Lieutenant Liu drove Lu Bai’s group and the injured Zhou Zongming toward the military camp, and the Administrative Building exploded behind them.
  • Lu Bai fired several shots into the air to clear a path through the crowd, and the group reached the Third District Shelter.
  • Lieutenant Liu led the group toward Professor Jiang and the doctors, while Lu Bai realized the USB drive might hold Professor Jiang’s research logs.

Ch. 62A Plot Behind His Smile

Lu Bai handed Professor Jiang the experiment logs and arranged for soldiers to protect him, then used Yaluo’s ability to expose and kill the invisible Duan Jianhui. Yaluo and Fischer tried to seize the Node while Lu Bai was weakened, but Lieutenant Liu and the soldiers arrived, leaving Yaluo and Fischer surrounded.

  • Lu Bai gave Professor Jiang the experiment data on the condition that he call in the soldiers, then rested in an empty tent.
  • Yaluo used his Iron Chain Link ability to reveal Duan Jianhui, and Lu Bai killed him despite the damage the link caused.
  • Yaluo and Fischer attempted to kill the weakened Lu Bai and take the Node, while Yaluo tried to recruit Liu Yue.
  • Lieutenant Liu and armed soldiers entered the tent after Lu Bai's signal, and Liu Yue used her ability to switch places with Fischer.
  • Yaluo surrendered and linked himself to Lu Bai, hoping to use the connection to bargain.

Ch. 63Return

After the vaccine allowed the settlement to begin restoring order, Lu Bai’s first Deathmatch Showdown ended and he returned to the arena as its top-ranked deathmatcher. He examined his rewards and learned how titles worked.

  • Lu Bai recovered while Doctor Yang praised his rapid healing, and he told the researchers that Company Commander Zhou could confirm the vaccine had been tested firsthand.
  • A week later, Zhou Zongming had awakened, vaccine research was progressing, and Lu Bai spent his free time injuring the Yaluo while relying on his regeneration to heal.
  • Wu Ya found Lu Bai and asked whether he had a girlfriend in his own world; he answered that he had a few before Professor Jiang called to announce the vaccine had passed safety evaluations.
  • Lu Bai learned that mass vaccinations could begin, then the system announced that Objective One was complete and ended the Deathmatch Showdown.
  • Lu Bai returned to a crowded hall ranked first, with 102 points and rewards including the ability to retain one ability from the match.
  • Lu Bai inspected his Data Panel, learned about his three titles and their ratings, and equipped them.

Ch. 64Is He an Idiot?

After choosing to keep Flash Time, Lu Bai was mistaken for an idiot by Chen Li and Liang Fuzhong, who believed he had performed poorly in the Deathmatch Showdown. Outside the venue, Fan Ding lured Lu Bai to a secluded restroom, where two other students appeared to confront him.

  • After reviewing his rewards, Lu Bai chose to keep the color-grade ability Flash Time instead of Super Regeneration.
  • Chen Li asked Lu Bai whether he had placed first, but Liang Fuzhong called him an idiot and directed Chen Li toward another student.
  • Chen Li told Lu Bai to work toward the top four hundred, and Liang Fuzhong quietly said he would make up Lu Bai's arena number before sending him away.
  • Lu Bai left the venue and encountered Fan Ding, who blamed him for being eliminated and invited him to the bathroom.
  • Fan Ding led Lu Bai to a secluded restroom, where two boys emerged and ordered Lu Bai to come over.

Ch. 65Siblings

Lu Bai confronted Wang Yili and another student, defeating both before taking Fan Ding’s phone. At the school gate, a girl and a young boy led him home, and their conversation suggested that his predecessor had been thrown into the river by delinquents.

  • Wang Yili demanded that Lu Bai serve as his lackey and bring him cigarettes, then attacked him.
  • Lu Bai dodged Wang Yili’s punch, struck him with a knee, and knocked the second student unconscious with a spinning kick.
  • Lu Bai took Fan Ding’s phone and left, while Fan Ding watched in shock.
  • Lu Bai reached the school gate and met Lu Ziyi and Lu Qingyan, who took him home.
  • Lu Qingyan asked whether some men had pulled Lu Bai from the river the previous day, leading Lu Bai to suspect that his predecessor had been drowned by the delinquents.

Ch. 66This World Seems to Have a Problem

Lu Bai returned to the cramped apartment with Lu Ziyi and Lu Yan, then used Fan Ding’s phone to learn that humanity lived underground after an ice age forced people into shelters. He was left suspecting that something about this world was wrong.

  • Lu Bai followed Lu Ziyi and Lu Yan home and noticed Lu Ziyi’s resentment when he examined a family photo.
  • Lu Ziyi left for work, and Lu Bai borrowed Fan Ding’s phone to search government records about the world.
  • Lu Bai discovered that people lived in Underground Cities built to survive a worsening ice age.
  • Lu Bai learned that the Deathmatch System had enabled humanity to develop the technology needed for underground shelters, then wondered what was wrong with this world.

Ch. 67Deathmatch Participant

Lu Bai researched the Deathmatch System, learning about participant talent, match schedules, and the danger of later rounds, but remained puzzled about why the United Government promoted it. He went out with Lu Qingyan to get food, leaving the mystery unresolved.

  • Lu Bai searched online and learned that high talent could give participants an advantage in certain arenas, while the Deathmatch School rejected applicants with talent scores below five.
  • Lu Bai learned that matches began every thirty days, with the first three rounds offering beginner protection and later rounds carrying the risk of actual death.
  • Lu Bai discovered that participants past the beginner rounds had to compete at least once a year, and wondered what the United Government gained from promoting the system.
  • Lu Qingyan asked why Lu Bai was always on his phone, and Lu Bai asked whether he had kept a diary.
  • Lu Qingyan realized Lu Bai seemed back to normal and suggested they celebrate by getting fried chicken, so Lu Bai agreed.
  • Lu Bai and Lu Qingyan walked through the crowded, tightly packed streets beneath the holographic sky.

Ch. 68Changes

Lu Bai took Lu Qingyan out for a free meal, then reflected on how different he seemed from the boy’s memories of his brother. The next morning, as Lu Bai prepared for school, Lu Ziyi returned from her night shift and told him to go.

  • Lu Bai and Lu Qingyan visited a fried chicken shop, where they claimed to qualify for a free meal and received synthetic food.
  • Lu Qingyan told Lu Bai that he had changed, and Lu Bai joked that perhaps he was not really his brother.
  • Lu Bai carried the sleepy Lu Qingyan to bed, then stayed up reading about the Deathmatch System before falling asleep on the sofa.
  • Lu Bai woke early and considered why his predecessor had chosen low-ranked Campus 6 despite having a talent score that could have qualified him for a better school.
  • Lu Ziyi came home after her night shift and told Lu Bai to get to school.

Ch. 69Psychological Issues

After returning to school, Lu Bai underwent a psychological assessment and concealed how much he had changed. Liang Fuzhong questioned him about when he regained consciousness and whether his near-drowning had been deliberate, leaving Lu Bai’s motives unresolved.

  • Lu Bai walked to school, suspected Fan Ding had sent students to confront him, and decided to improve his quality of life.
  • A psychologist questioned Lu Bai about his life, the Deathmatch Arena, and his plans to become a deathmatcher, then noted that he might have multiple personality disorder.
  • Lu Bai told Liang Fuzhong that he had regained consciousness during the Deathmatch Showdown.
  • Liang Fuzhong asked Lu Bai whether his drowning had been an accident and whether he was guarding himself against someone.

Ch. 70Time Flies Like a White Steed

Lu Bai dismissed Liang Fuzhong’s suspicions about his drowning and settled into school life after winning the first round of Deathmatch Showdown. After more than half a month of combat training, he prepared for the second round, which was due to begin the next day.

  • Lu Bai told Liang Fuzhong that he could not remember much about his drowning, and Liang offered to help if he suspected anyone.
  • Liang asked Lu Bai about his Deathmatch Showdown ranking, but laughed when Lu Bai said he had come in first.
  • A teacher warned the students not to restart before completing all three rounds, and the students left to spend their free time as they wished.
  • Lu Bai used his talent to learn combat techniques quickly and trained in multiple fighting styles.
  • More than half a month later, Lu Bai finished a session in the training hall, where an old man noted that his second round began the next day.

Ch. 71Keep It Up

Lu Bai prepared for the second round of Deathmatch Showdown while returning home to share a quiet meal with Lu Ziyi and Lu Qingyan. The next morning, he entered the Multi-purpose Venue for the event, still unaware of where Fan Ding was.

  • The gaunt old man told Lu Bai that his class ranked last after the first round and urged him to do well in the second.
  • Lu Bai crossed the bridge, saw the young woman in the white dress by the river, and went home.
  • Lu Ziyi served dinner to Lu Bai and Lu Qingyan before leaving for her night shift and wishing Lu Bai luck for the next day.
  • The next morning, Lu Bai joined the students gathering for the second Deathmatch Showdown and entered the Multi-purpose Venue when his class was called.
  • Staff guided Lu Bai to his designated spot after he showed his student ID.

Ch. 72The Second Round of Deathmatch Showdown

Lu Bai entered the second round of the Deathmatch Showdown and found himself piloting a hot-air balloon with a couple when Wang Ting transformed into a monster and attacked. He used Flash Time to save the man from her first strike, but Wang Ting launched another attack.

  • The second round began, and Lu Bai arrived in the arena with the titles Innocent Smile, Decapitation Butcher, and Ultimate Murderer displayed above him.
  • Lu Bai opened the Silver Ability Pool and considered choosing between Rapid Thinking, Armory II, and Your Name Is Li Si.
  • Lu Bai realized he was a thousand meters in the air in a passenger hot-air balloon with a man and Wang Ting, who rejected the man's marriage proposal.
  • Wang Ting's head split open and transformed into a monster, then she attacked the man with a blade-tipped strip of flesh.
  • Lu Bai activated Flash Time and pulled the man out of the way, but Wang Ting attacked again.

Ch. 73Long Fang

Lu Bai used Long Fang to kill the monster attacking the hot-air balloon, but a fragment of it took up residence inside Yao Yi. Lu Bai began bringing the damaged balloon down while Yao Yi tried to recover from the ordeal.

  • A bone blade severed one of the balloon's cables, so Lu Bai selected Armory II and obtained Long Fang.
  • Lu Bai wounded Wang Ting's monster form, then used Flash Time to pierce its heart and split the flesh mass as it tried to take over Yao Yi.
  • A smaller piece of the mass attached itself to Yao Yi's chest wound, leaving him alive but with the creature inside him.
  • Yao Yi thanked Lu Bai and asked about Long Fang while Lu Bai started landing the balloon.
  • Lu Bai told Yao Yi that a cable had snapped and that they needed to land soon.

Ch. 74Small Town

Lu Bai and Yao Yi reached Jiangyu County after escaping the ravine, while Yao Yi worried about their secrets and the monster inside him. At a scrap recycling shop, Tong Shujuan faced a group of elderly people who wanted to switch bodies with her, until Lu Bai interrupted to ask for directions to a restaurant.

  • Lu Bai and Yao Yi followed a country lane toward Jiangyu County, and Lu Bai warned Yao Yi not to call for help because of his dead girlfriend and the monster inside him.
  • Lu Bai revealed that he could summon and store Long Fang, while he and Yao Yi heard a truck and realized they were nearing town.
  • Tong Shujuan visited her parents at a scrap recycling shop, where her dog barked at the silent elderly people gathered outside.
  • Tong Shujuan's parents and the other elderly people discussed switching into younger bodies and closed in on her when she questioned their strange behavior.
  • Lu Bai and Yao Yi arrived at the shop, and Lu Bai asked the group whether there were any restaurants nearby.

Ch. 75Help

Lu Bai and Yao Yi encountered Tong Shujuan’s parasitized parents and fought the monsters occupying their bodies. Lu Bai activated Flash Time and began cutting down the Parasitic Beasts while Yao Yi and Tong Shujuan stayed behind cover.

  • Tong Shujuan’s mother identified Yao Yi as one of the parasites, while Lu Bai recognized that the old people had been taken over by lumps of flesh.
  • Tong Shujuan’s father transformed into a monster and attacked Yao Yi, but Lu Bai cut off its tendril with Long Fang.
  • The other old people transformed, and Lu Bai told Tong Shujuan that parasites had occupied her parents’ bodies before pulling her out of danger.
  • Lu Bai fought off the monsters’ bone-bladed tendrils while Yao Yi took Tong Shujuan behind discarded appliances.
  • Lu Bai activated Flash Time, severed several tendrils, and launched a full-speed attack against the Parasitic Beasts.
Arc 3 of 20