Chapter Summaries

Han Su tested the Fishing Horn’s invisibility effect and found that it hid him from surveillance for about seven seconds. He then discovered that Mechanical Fragments shown in the Crystal Skull’s memories had been stolen from a museum on the night of the Kidnapping Case, leaving him to wonder what the machinery was for.

• Han Su checked that his apartment had not been disturbed and wondered whether Miss Crow and Ms. Red Trench Coat were monitoring him because of the Kidnapping Case.
• Han Su used the Fishing Horn with the Zero Sequence Spell and became nearly invisible, but his Mental Power drained rapidly after about seven seconds.
• Han Su asked Black Rose to find records of a technology exhibition at the Midtown Science and Technology Museum.
• Black Rose found an article about Mechanical Fragments that matched an image from the Crystal Skull’s consciousness.
• Black Rose revealed that a piece of machinery had vanished from the museum on the night of the Kidnapping Case, and Han Su asked what it was used for.

Han Su discovered that the stolen Mechanical Fragment’s gears sounded like the machine he heard whenever he was kidnapped, and wondered whether it was connected to the children’s disappearance. After Assistant Xu found a possible match for Meilan, Han Su was pulled back toward the Ancient Castle as the clock struck again.

• Black Rose told Han Su that researchers did not know the purpose of many Mechanical Fragments and that one had been mysteriously stolen from a science museum.
• Han Su watched footage of the Mechanical Fragment running and recognized its gears as sounding like the machine he heard during his kidnappings.
• Han Su wondered whether he and the other children had seen the Fragment before their kidnapping, and resolved to find it despite its having been stolen.
• The doctor contacted Han Su with ideas for capturing the Ghost Truck, but Han Su postponed discussing them as midnight approached.
• Assistant Xu told Han Su that he had found Wei Lan, a woman who might be Meilan, and offered to arrange a meeting.
• As the clock’s gears sounded again, Han Su accepted Assistant Xu’s offer and was pulled toward the Ancient Castle.

Han Su returned to the Ancient Castle and discovered that Meilan’s rescue had changed the monster-selection ritual, but he found no new key. He tested his invisibility Spell in the cellar and noticed that the hunchbacked person’s lantern had been replaced with a glowing crystal resembling bones from the Crystal Plague.

• The Old Butler struggled to select a replacement child for Meilan, then chose another boy while Han Su avoided his gaze.
• Han Su found the key hanging beneath the Worm Monk’s robe and realized stealing it would be difficult; he found no other key after the children were sent to the cellar.
• Han Su recalled the Disaster Management Bureau’s safety manual and decided to test his invisibility Spell while the monsters were upstairs.
• Han Su slapped the boy from Secretary Two’s family to provoke a disturbance and draw the hunchbacked person into the cellar.
• Han Su saw that the hunchbacked person carried a glowing crystal instead of a lantern and recognized it as resembling bones from the Crystal Plague.

Han Su used his new invisibility spell to evade the hunchbacked servant but realized it would not be enough to steal the key or rescue the children. A familiar black cat appeared and, after vanishing from the cellar, subdued the servant and returned to summon Han Su.

• Han Su discovered that his Mental Power seeped through his right eye, then used a spell to turn into a shadow and evade the hunchbacked servant.
• Han Su considered how to find the key and rescue the children, but his plans stalled because his invisibility had limits.
• A black cat slipped into the cellar, and Han Su sensed that it was his cat, Duke, though it initially ignored him.
• A crash and the hunchbacked servant’s shouts came from outside before the cellar door opened in silence.
• The black cat appeared at the cellar entrance, fixed its gaze on Han Su, and seemed to beckon him outside.

Han Su followed Duke through the castle to escape the Old Butler, eventually reaching Meat Horn Madam’s laboratory. Duke’s strange behavior continued as Meat Horn Madam merely clipped some of its fur, leaving Han Su bewildered about the cat’s purpose.

• Han Su emerged from the cellar and found Duke had knocked the hunchbacked person unconscious and summoned him to follow.
• When the Old Butler returned and animated objects in the hall, Han Su followed Duke through a passage into the kitchen.
• Han Su escaped the Butler by climbing an abandoned dumbwaiter into a storeroom beside Meat Horn Madam’s laboratory.
• Han Su used the invisibility spell to slip past Meat Horn Madam, but Duke followed noisily and was caught.
• Meat Horn Madam cut a tuft of Duke’s fur and placed it in a flask, then Duke rejoined Han Su.

Following the Black Cat Duke through hidden passages, Han Su discovered a potential safer escape route and overheard the Old Butler discussing a Mechanical Fragment, the Night of Divine Descent, and a child chosen as a servant. The chapter left Han Su recognizing the child as Secretary Two’s child and realizing the Old Butler had taken him.

• Han Su followed the Black Cat Duke through secret rooms and passages, spotting uncanny fragments and imagining that the route could help him rescue a child without risk.
• As the cat led him through the castle, Han Su heard that the puppet dolls were bullying Li Manman, the Pale Giant was listening to a record, and the Irritable Little Boy had been caught.
• Han Su overheard the Old Butler tell the copper coffin that he had retrieved a Mechanical Fragment and left it at Lilac Mansion.
• The Old Butler said the Night of Divine Descent would come in seven days and that they needed to choose a suitable person.
• The Old Butler presented a boy as a possible servant, and Han Su recognized him as the Child of Secretary Two.

Han Su escaped the Old Butler and Pig Head Butcher with help from Xiao Bei, then reached the seventh floor and found the black cat. He remained in danger as the butler was still below and Han Su confronted the cat that had exposed him.

• The little boy spotted the black cat and shouted, alerting the Old Butler and draining Han Su's Mental Power.
• Han Su fled up to the sixth floor, where Pig Head Butcher trapped him between the monster and the approaching Old Butler.
• Xiao Bei took Pig Head Butcher's hand and distracted the monster, allowing Han Su to escape toward the seventh floor.
• Xiao Bei blocked the Old Butler from pursuing Han Su, forcing the butler to retreat and apologize to Pig Head Butcher.
• Han Su reached the seventh floor, recognized Xiao Bei's help, and found the black cat waiting nearby.

Han Su discovered the key on the Worm Monk and used the black cat’s chaos to snatch it. He escaped the room just as his concealment faded, leaving the girl behind as the insects chased him.

• Han Su found the Worm Monk reading beside a girl buried in soil and insects, with the key at his waist.
• The black cat entered the room and knocked bottles and jars off the table, distracting the Worm Monk and his insects.
• Han Su combined the Fishing Horn with the Disaster Management Bureau’s first Zero Sequence to hide his presence and cut the key free.
• Han Su’s concealment rapidly weakened as the insects detected him, and he fled past the girl without stopping to rescue her.
• Han Su slammed the door shut behind him, cutting off the insects pursuing him.

Han Su stole the Worm Monk’s key and raced for the escape door while worms swarmed the corridor and an ancient presence awakened in the castle. He escaped the Ancient Castle alone after the Old Butler stopped the Tuxedo from joining him.

• Han Su used the Zero Sequence invisibility spell to steal the key from the Worm Monk and ran toward the escape door.
• Worms poured into the corridor, so Han Su recited the Fishing Horn and vanished from their sight.
• The spell awakened an ancient figure in a copper coffin, which sent a message that caused a cross-shaped scar to emerge on Han Su’s hand.
• Han Su reached the escape door and saw the Tuxedo try to run to him, but the Old Butler grabbed the Tuxedo and called Han Su the naughtiest child.
• Han Su turned the key and escaped the Ancient Castle alone.

After escaping the Ancient Castle, Han Su recorded its hidden routes and arranged to help Doctor capture the Ghost Truck so he could earn his investigator’s license. Doctor began outlining a plan to lure and contain the elusive anomaly, while Han Su prepared to invite Miss Crow to join them.

• Han Su returned to his apartment, noticed a phrase from the Ancient Castle still seemed to cause painful headaches, and recorded the castle’s hidden entrances and passages.
• Han Su searched for Lilac Mansion, agreed to meet Meilan through Assistant Xu, and replied to Doctor about the Ghost Truck mission.
• Han Su met Doctor and Black Tiger at a café, checked the water for ripples, and agreed to review Doctor’s plan before calling Miss Crow.
• Doctor explained that the Bureau’s month-long Ghost Truck operation had failed because the anomaly was cunning and rarely appeared.
• Doctor outlined a plan to lure the Ghost Truck to a chosen location, contain it within a set area, and send a powerful investigator to seal or destroy it.

Han Su and the others planned how to capture the Ghost Truck, whose escape and fear-sensing abilities had foiled the Disaster Management Bureau’s attempts. Han Su believed his connection to the aberration could lure it out, recruited Miss Crow to seek help, and left wary that someone had arranged the mission for him.

• The Doctor explained that the Ghost Truck could only be lured by contacts, had escaped a previous blockade, and could be sealed with a Spell or destroyed with the Nail of the Dead Sea.
• Miss Crow joined the planning meeting and questioned the capture plan’s low odds, but Han Su said he was confident he could lure the Ghost Truck out.
• Han Su realized that he and Xu Ji might attract the Ghost Truck especially well because they were deeply involved contacts, and he wondered whether the mission had been tailored for him.
• The Doctor asked Han Su to use his Disaster Management Bureau connections to find more people for a blockade, while Han Su privately messaged Secretary Cui Qiao and received a refusal.
• Han Su asked Miss Crow to seek help from Ms. Red Trench Coat, and the group divided up their preparation tasks.
• After leaving, Han Su suspected Miss Crow’s aunt had a hidden motive and considered bringing apples to Xu Ji if the capture plan stalled.

Han Su reviewed the spells and special weapon for the Ghost Truck mission, then went to the Central City Library for a commission involving Death Cultists. There, a long-haired student preached that the sealed gods would return, and Han Su recognized her from a report about a student who had hanged herself.

• Han Su learned that Zero Sequence spells could lure and contain grotesqueries, and reviewed the Nail of the Dead Sea, which had to be returned within twenty-four hours of issue.
• Miss Ai assigned Han Su a D+-rank commission to investigate a Death Cultist infiltration at the Central City Library, one of three selected commissions following his leave.
• Han Su arrived early, read books on pre-Reconstruction Era history, and wondered whether his past searches had been hindered by the peeping man Song Chushi mentioned.
• A long-haired student approached Han Su and described the gods of the Radiation Era, claiming they would break their seal and destroy humanity unless people converted to them.
• Han Su asked whether the student was like the higher beings she praised, revealing that he recognized her from a cleared report about a history-obsessed student who had hanged herself in a library.

Han Su destroyed a Ghost Cultist haunting the library and learned that the Disaster Management Bureau would not share restricted information about historical Gods. As he left, he ran into Xu Ji and warned him to stay away, prompting Xu Ji to flee after suspecting Han Su’s work was connected to their previous encounter.

• Han Su used his Spell and a fully powered stun baton to force the Ghost Cultist into view and destroy her, then heard a strange voice mentioning a bronze reflection as the Cross Copper Scar flickered on his hand.
• Han Su confirmed the Ghost Cultist was gone and reported the mission complete to Miss Ai, who denied his request for information and explained that Ghost Cultists were contaminated by anomalies in historical texts.
• Han Su left the library and found Xu Ji arguing with the old man at the entrance while trying to enter with his girlfriend.
• Han Su told Xu Ji to stay away because he had accepted Xu Ji’s family’s offer, then repeated the warning after Xu Ji guessed it was connected to their previous encounter.
• Xu Ji ran off at Han Su’s command, leaving his girlfriend shocked.

Han Su completed three tasks involving mysterious objects and repeatedly encountered Xu Ji, who had been confined at home. At the Haiyan Club, an elderly man explained that a Mysterious Power was drawing Xu Ji toward predetermined encounters and twisting fate.

• Han Su wondered whether the gods in ancient history were connected to the Ancient Castle, then completed a task transporting a vase whose song affected his thoughts.
• Han Su bought cigarettes from a strange shopkeeper instead of the requested porcelain cup, and Xu Ji abruptly fled after entering the shop.
• Han Su called Assistant Xu about repeatedly encountering Xu Ji, then agreed to meet him at the Haiyan Club.
• At the club, Han Su overheard Xu Ji explain his recent outings, and an elderly man said a Mysterious Power was guiding Xu Ji toward fated encounters.

Han Su joined Xu Ji and a registered occult expert to investigate why Xu Ji was still encountering bizarre things after treatment. The expert’s crystal ball revealed a powerful connection between Han Su and mysterious forces, then shattered when black and white energies collided, leaving her terrified and eager to flee.

• Assistant Xu explained that Xu Ji’s strange encounters had continued after treatment and asked Han Su to help determine whether the original truck still influenced him.
• The old woman said contact with mysterious power created a growing connection to things beyond reality, then used her crystal ball to confirm that Xu Ji still carried mysterious residue.
• The old woman examined Han Su, and the crystal ball filled with many colored marks before black and white energies overwhelmed them and caused it to crack and explode.
• Han Su shielded himself and Xu Ji with his Briefcase while shards cut the old woman, who recoiled and tried to leave.
• The old woman told Assistant Xu that the residue in Han Su and Xu Ji was the same and that Xu Ji’s fate was being twisted through Han Su.

Han Su learned that Xu Ji shared his contamination from the Ghost Truck and proposed taking him to confront it. He met Wei Lan, who did not recognize him, while a crystal shard glowed with red light after their handshake.

• The old woman declared Xu Ji's supernatural affliction beyond her abilities and advised Han Su to go straight to its source before leaving and demanding compensation for her crystal ball.
• Han Su and Assistant Xu concluded that he and Xu Ji had both been affected by the Ghost Truck, and Han Su offered to take Xu Ji along to deal with it.
• Xu Ji eagerly agreed to join Han Su, but Assistant Xu called the Xu Family to ask permission.
• Wei Lan arrived at the Xu residence, and Han Su wondered whether she was the Meilan he had once rescued from the Ancient Castle.
• Wei Lan shook Han Su's hand without recognizing him, then left as a crystal shard beneath the table flickered with red light and vanished into the fragment.

Han Su reunited with Wei Lan and learned that the Xu Family would help him investigate the Ghost Truck, despite a rising bounty on him. He asked Assistant Xu to recruit reliable occult experts through the Black Table as he prepared to confront the incident.

• Han Su recognized Wei Lan by the scar on her forehead, while Xu Ji warned him that beauty queens were dangerous and difficult to pursue.
• Assistant Xu reported that the Xu Family had agreed to let Han Su take Xu Ji to face the Ghost Truck and would cooperate with his investigation.
• Assistant Xu warned Han Su that the bounty for the kidnapping case had risen from three million to thirty million on the Black Table.
• Wei Lan told her assistant she had returned to Qinggang City because she felt something wonderful would happen there.
• Han Su asked Assistant Xu to get him an invitation and information about Lilac Mansion, then requested help finding reliable people to handle Bizarre Incidents.
• Assistant Xu said he could post a high-value Black Table task through a VVIP contact to attract occult experts and scholars.

Han Su arranged six high-paying Black Table assignments to guard locations during his Ghost Truck mission, fearing interference from a powerful threat. The bounty drew attention from the Disaster Management Bureau, Ms. Red Trench Coat, and Xu Ji’s father, who sought additional protection for Han Su.

• Han Su told Assistant Xu he wanted six bodyguards to keep supernatural interference from disrupting his Ghost Truck mission.
• Assistant Xu posted six elite Black Table assignments and multiplied their ten-million commissions by ten to attract stronger candidates.
• Cui Qiao discovered the bounty, and Zhang Chiguo told her to accept a job so she could monitor the situation while supporting Han Su.
• Ms. Red Trench Coat suspected Han Su had begun to suspect her and said there was little time to make other arrangements.
• Xu Ji’s father called Wei Lan and offered three ancient gold coins to protect Han Su.

Han Su gathered Doctor, Black Tiger, and Miss Crow to finalize a plan to capture the Ghost Truck, refusing Ms. Red Trench Coat’s offer of help and choosing to proceed with a small team. The mission was approved, and Han Su announced they would leave that night with authorization to use the Nail of the Dead Sea.

• Han Su brought Xu Ji to the café but left him outside while he met with Doctor, Black Tiger, and Miss Crow.
• Doctor presented a detailed blockade plan, while Miss Crow explained that her aunt would provide help only if Han Su accepted an unknown condition.
• Han Su rejected Ms. Red Trench Coat’s offer and proposed using three rookies for the Blockade Positions, with himself facing the Ghost Truck.
• Black Tiger agreed to trust Han Su, and Doctor also accepted the assignment; Miss Crow remained worried about the risks.
• Han Su submitted the mission request to Miss Ai and told the team they would leave that night.
• Miss Ai approved the Ghost Truck capture request and authorized the Nail of the Dead Sea for the mission.

Han Su and his team prepared an ambush on Highway 17 to capture the Ghost Truck, using a ritual blockade and the Bureau’s Nail of the Dead Sea. With Xu Ji as bait, Han Su began the spell that would summon the grotesque.

• Han Su arrived on Highway 17 with the team and met Little fatty, who led the Execution Department operatives setting up the blockade.
• Han Su signed for the Nail of the Dead Sea, a weapon designed to destroy the Ghost Truck by piercing its engine.
• The Doctor, Black Tiger, and Miss Crow took up positions around the ritual, while Han Su warned Xu Ji to leave and then kept him at the site.
• Vehicles carrying people arranged through Miss Crow’s aunt gathered at six locations around the road, reassuring Han Su that the trap was ready.
• Han Su explained the spell to Xu Ji, positioned him inside the ritual, and began reciting, “I command you to appear in light...”