Chapter Summaries

Han Su completed a string of high-level Disaster Management Bureau tasks, raising his Mental Activity as Miss Ai kept sending him assignments. He began to realize she was directing easy or well-suited tasks his way while investigators’ deliberate backlog created an internal struggle.

• Han Su captured a Crystal Skull infiltrator with Black Tiger and Doctor, and discovered his Mental Activity could resist the man’s contamination for several seconds.
• Han Su and his team contained the Giant Baby Incident without hurting the baby, raising his Mental Activity to 57%.
• Investigators who had refused temporary assignments were shocked when Han Su completed three of their tasks in one day.
• Han Su completed varied backlogged assignments with little difficulty, often relying on Doctor and the response personnel to handle the work.
• Han Su concluded that Miss Ai had been giving him the Bureau’s easiest available tasks, many of which suited his goal of raising Mental Activity.

Han Su completed seventeen assignments in three days, making him a Bureau sensation and undermining the investigators’ resistance to Zhang Chiguo. As Zhang Chiguo and Secretary Cui Qiao questioned Miss Ai’s sudden display of computing power, the Drunk Investigator concluded that Zhang Chiguo had engineered the crisis to corner him.

• Han Su completed seventeen assignments in three days, including eleven B-class tasks, and raised his Mental Activity to 69%.
• The investigators’ coordinated resistance weakened as Han Su’s success drew attention and made them fear for their standing.
• Secretary Cui Qiao told Zhang Chiguo that Han Su had signed all seventeen reports, and Zhang Chiguo worried that he had risked his life to help him.
• Zhang Chiguo and Secretary Cui Qiao suspected Miss Ai had hidden computing capacity and was now using it to support Han Su.
• Secretary Cui Qiao privately worried that Sparrow’s death might be connected to Ms. Red Trench Coat and Han Su’s work.
• The Drunk Investigator moved his headquarters to a bar and decided Zhang Chiguo had arranged Han Su’s rise to force him into a dead end.

The Drunk Investigator prepared to stop a dossier from reaching Qinggang and vowed to kill anyone who tried to retrieve it, while a one-eyed man in a white suit headed back to the city after learning Han Su had become a star investigator. Miss Ai warned Han Su that leaving the reality hothouse meant facing his enemies directly, then offered him an optional mission outside the city.

• The Drunk Investigator accepted that Zhang Chiguo had outmaneuvered him and ordered Aries to keep the dossier out of Qinggang for three days, threatening to kill anyone sent to retrieve it.
• The one-eyed man in a white suit learned that Han Su had become a star investigator, abandoned the search for the Crystal Skull's priestess, and decided to return to the city and lure Han Su out.
• Miss Ai told Han Su his rating had risen from C-class to A-class and warned him that leaving the reality hothouse would begin a lonely road against his opponents.
• Han Su asked whether Miss Ai had been protecting him, and she said she could not promise to always protect him and would speak freely when she opened the third lock.
• Miss Ai offered Han Su an optional B+-class Red-Eye Incident mission, warning that the wilderness lay beyond the law and that enemies were stirring.

Han Su accepted an optional investigation into a mass red-eye disease outbreak linked to Magic Box Group, partly because its chairman, Li Yiting, had once helped him. At the company headquarters, Han Su confronted the senior investigator Aries, who had resisted his involvement, and asserted his authority to take over the investigation.

• Han Su, nearing the Divine Forbidden Zone and with less than two days before the next Shimmering Descent, accepted Miss Ai’s assignment to assist with the red-eye disease case connected to Magic Box Group.
• Han Su called Doctor and Black Tiger, then went with them to Magic Box Tower to meet Li Yiting, recalling how Li had helped and adopted him in one of his past Life Paths.
• Doctor used his Disaster Management Bureau credentials to get the group past reception, and Li Yiting welcomed Han Su and explained that Aries had sealed off the case materials and his staff.
• Aries objected to Han Su joining the investigation, calling him a rookie, but Han Su said Miss Ai had assigned him and told Aries not to obstruct his work.
• Han Su confronted Aries about his rank, cited his record-breaking promotions and case resolutions, and reminded him that Han Su had also solved the Ghost Truck incident.

Han Su questioned Li Yiting about a mysterious illness tied to an unauthorized ruins excavation and learned that Li had uncovered evidence connected to the monsters from Han Su’s childhood kidnapping case. The chapter ended with Li naming the discovery as the Pale Giant.

• Han Su confronted the Aries investigator and privately questioned Li Yiting about workers developing a strange addiction at a ruins project.
• Li Yiting explained that he had secretly excavated land near Haiti City after Mr. Drunkard and the owner of Lilac Mansion tried to buy it from him.
• Li Yiting said the Aries investigator had confiscated the excavated items and was pressuring him to hand them over to his backers.
• Li Yiting revealed that a document from the ruins showed the monsters Han Su had described were real, giving Han hope of reopening the kidnapping case.
• Li Yiting identified the creature he had found as the Pale Giant.

Han Su examined Li Yiting’s hidden records and discovered that their old documents named the Pale Giant, strengthening the case for officially filing the Kidnapping Case. As Aries and Drunk Investigator plotted against him, Han Su learned the mission’s target was outside the city and invited Wei Lan to join him.

• Li Yiting showed Han Su photographs of a giant statue, strange artifacts, and research documents labeled the Pale Giant Project.
• Han Su recognized the records as evidence connected to the Ancient Castle monsters and said they could support officially classifying the Kidnapping Case.
• Li Yiting explained that he had kept the records secret after meeting Mr. Drunkard at Lilac Mansion and chose to trust Han Su instead.
• Aries called Drunk Investigator, who revealed that he had arranged to stop Han Su from returning if he left the city.
• Li Yiting told Han Su that the infected people and excavated objects were being held at a temporary containment site outside the city.
• Han Su messaged Wei Lan to invite her out of the city, and she replied that she and her friends would be there on time.

Han Su and his team traveled beyond Qinggang to investigate the Red-Eye Epidemic and found dozens of infected people kneeling before an unseen spot. After clashing with Investigator Aries over access to the relics, Han Su learned that a Rong Family archaeology expert was coming to claim them and asked for the expert’s name.

• Han Su reassured Li Yiting that he and Manman were doing everything they could to save her, and the group left the city in Black Tiger’s armored vehicle.
• As they crossed the city limits, Han Su sensed the surroundings changing and heard what seemed to be a faint, cold laugh.
• At the sealed service station, Han Su found dozens of infected people kneeling and discovered he could suppress, but not remove, the contamination in one worker’s Mental Power.
• Han Su demanded that Investigator Aries show him the relics, but Doctor cited Bureau regulations to challenge Aries’s delay and press for an inspection.
• Investigator Aries revealed that Haiti City had protested the relics’ handling and that a Rong Family archaeology expert was coming to take them; Han Su asked for the expert’s name.

Han Su discovered that the infected were all gazing at a massive, flesh-like red tree visible through contamination, but cut off the exposure before it overwhelmed him. As the Aries investigator awaited D7, Doctor Rong arrived from Haiti City, leaving Han Su relieved to see him.

• The Aries investigator invoked agreements between the Disaster Management Bureau, the Secret School, and Ancient Aristocrats to insist that relics could not be handled as Li Yiting wished.
• Doctor observed that the infected shared the same gaze, and Han Su chose to expose himself to contamination to learn what they were seeing.
• Han Su saw a towering red tree with human-face leaves and forming buds, then severed the contamination before it spread further.
• The Aries investigator mocked Han Su and awaited the D7 team, while Li Yiting worried about Han Su's predicament.
• Doctor Rong arrived from Haiti City, and Han Su recognized him with relief.

Han Su met Rong Qiyue, the Archaeology Doctor from the Rong Family, while the doctor investigated the red-eye contamination. As Rong Qiyue prepared to test D7 Personnel, Han Su tried to get his attention by whispering that he had a tail on his butt.

• Rong Qiyue arrived to handle the contaminated relics and confronted Li Yiting over their disputed agreement.
• Li Yiting told Han Su he might use armed men to recover his documents, but Han Su urged him to wait and went to inspect the infected.
• A doctor explained that Secret Schools had many branches and that their members often had high Mental Activity.
• Rong Qiyue concluded that someone needed to accept the contamination willingly, and D7 Personnel arrived for the test.
• Han Su approached Rong Qiyue, was rebuffed by the doctor and his secretary, and whispered that Rong Qiyue had a tail on his butt.

Han Su revealed to Rong Qiyue that he had been kidnapped as a child and recovered memories through the Mechanical Fragment, then recruited him to help with the ongoing war. After Rong Qiyue learned of the Drunkard’s involvement in the Kidnapping Case, he resumed his arrogant persona when his secretary brought surveillance results.

• Han Su provoked Rong Qiyue into attacking him, then used the Mechanical Fragment to restore Rong Qiyue’s memories of the Ancient Castle.
• Han Su explained that Rong Qiyue was the fourth child he had rescued and told him that their war had begun.
• Rong Qiyue rambled about his kidnapping and the people involved until Han Su urged him to focus on the urgent task.
• Han Su asked Rong Qiyue to retrieve a document among the relics and help draw out the Drunkard, explaining the man’s past role in the Kidnapping Case.
• Rong Qiyue’s secretary reported that the D7 team’s surveillance results were ready, so Rong Qiyue returned to his arrogant persona and asked Han Su to keep his bone spur secret.

Rong Qiyue identified the contamination as the Mother Body Divine Tree, a disaster that could destroy Azure Harbor, and pushed Aries to take him to the hidden relics. At the relic site, Han Su found Miss Crow and received a warning to run, while he sent her a warning of his own.

• Rong Qiyue declared that the Mother Body Divine Tree could become an S-Class Threat if its bud bloomed and released spores.
• Rong Qiyue ordered Aries to contain the transformed Divine Tree Believers and lead him to the relics, warning that destroying them could worsen the contamination.
• Aries reluctantly took Rong Qiyue and Han Su to the hidden relic site after Rong Qiyue threatened to report the danger to the Qinggang Disaster Management Bureau.
• Aries revealed a truck and relics concealed in an empty clearing, where several guards, including Miss Crow, watched Han Su with murderous intent.
• Miss Crow sent Han Su a message telling him to run, and Han Su replied, warning her to be careful.

Rong Qiyue posed as a relic expert to identify the Black Notebook as the source of the red-eye disease outbreak and ordered the other relics moved away. As a helicopter carrying Drunkard approached, three guards blocked Han Su from leaving, and Han Su shot one of them.

• Rong Qiyue scolded the guards and examined the relics while Investigator Aries nervously watched.
• Rong Qiyue inspected the box of research documents, set them aside as unrelated, and identified the Black Notebook as the source of the Divine Tree contamination.
• Rong Qiyue ordered the safe relics moved at least thirty kilometers away, and Aries sent them toward Containment Center No. 4 with most of the guards escorting them.
• Rong Qiyue crouched beside the notebook and recited an incantation as a helicopter bearing the Disaster Management Bureau insignia approached.
• Three guards stayed behind and formed a blockade around Han Su, but Han Su drew his gun and shot one when the man challenged him.

Han Su’s team fought their way past investigators trying to stop him from leaving the city, while the Drunkard mobilized powerful allies in response. Han Su summoned the Ghost Truck and drove off to reclaim the relic connected to the Red-Eye Incident.

• Han Su shot one of the men blocking him, while Black Tiger knocked another unconscious and Doctor wounded the third before holding the Aries Investigator at gunpoint.
• The Aries Investigator reported that Han Su had shot a colleague and that the relic had been moved to Highway 013; Doctor and Black Tiger then surrendered, and Rong Qiyue detained them alongside Li Yiting.
• The Drunkard heard the report and jumped from his helicopter, followed by Ms. Red Trench Coat, Night Lamp, and Green Hat.
• Han Su messaged Wei Lan that the dog had been drawn out and the artist was in position, then tracked a vehicle using Rong Qiyue’s signal.
• Han Su summoned the Ghost Truck, climbed onto its hood, and rode away down the highway.

Drunk Investigator arrived at the Temporary Containment Center and took charge of the A-Class Red-Eye case, while Azure Harbor mobilized a large force to stop Zhang Chiguo. As Feidi Investigator transported the relic, a pursuing figure emerged from the fog and opened fire on the vehicle.

• Drunk Investigator and the other three investigators landed without parachutes and met Rong Qiyue, who warned that the Black Notebook had to be sealed to prevent an S-Class Threat.
• Drunk Investigator agreed to seal the notebook and assigned Aries Investigator to pursue the mad star investigator, while revealing that twenty-three Azure Harbor investigators and their teams were coming.
• Aries Investigator used the shadows to sense the approaching forces, then accepted his assignment after Drunk Investigator reassured him.
• Doctor and Black Tiger watched from the sidelines as Doctor remarked that Azure Harbor might soon have many vacant investigator licenses.
• Feidi Investigator told his assistants to kill anyone attempting to steal the relic and used a Spell to disrupt communications inside the transport vehicle.
• A vast fog swallowed the highway behind the vehicle, and a figure leaped from it and fired a pistol at the transport.

Han Su attacked Feidi Investigator’s convoy and seized the documents, with Miss Crow’s help. As Han Su sped away on her motorcycle, Miss Crow warned the survivors that he viewed the conflict as a war, not a game of favors.

• Han Su used Ladder to the Abyss to land on the convoy’s car, blocked its gunfire, and tore off its roof.
• Han Su fought through Feidi Investigator’s group and took the Briefcase containing the documents.
• Miss Crow bound Feidi Investigator with her shadow and sent the Briefcase to Han Su, then lent him her motorcycle.
• Feidi Investigator broke free, ordered his people to pursue Han Su, and reported the theft to Drunk Investigator.
• Miss Crow told Feidi Investigator that Han Su treated the conflict as a war, while they were merely trading favors.

Han Su fled with the decades-old documents while Feidi Investigator and a mass of Disaster Management Bureau investigators pursued him. As the surrounding forces closed in, Han Su chose to fight, intending to help Zhang Chiguo by eliminating corrupt officials.

• Han Su photographed the documents and uploaded them to Miss Ai before locking the originals in his Briefcase and speeding toward Azure Harbor.
• Feidi Investigator rebuilt a wrecked car with machinery and the bodies of the dead, then pursued Han Su while leaving Miss Crow behind.
• Aries learned the documents had been stolen and led investigators into the wilderness to recover them and kill the traitor.
• Investigators converged on Han Su from every direction as Feidi Investigator urged them to signal their arrival.
• Han Su decided to fight the approaching investigators and charged toward the headlights, hoping to help Zhang Chiguo.

Han Su was pursued by investigators and their forces as he carried the documents toward Qinggang City. Surrounded at a crossroads, he used the fog to conceal his move and charged at them atop a vehicle.

• Black Star shot at Han Su from a distance and ordered him to come with him to see Mr. Drunkard, but Han Su sped past.
• Black Star, Reef, and other pursuers attacked Han Su with bullets, electrical hazards, and seaweed while he dodged and kept riding.
• Aries, Whiskey, Cigar, Black Star, Feidi Investigator, and their forces surrounded Han Su and demanded the documents.
• Han Su checked his phone, confirmed there was no signal, and warned the pursuers that anyone who stood in his way had joined the war.
• Fog thickened around the encirclement, and Aries realized Han Su was using it to escape.
• Han Su appeared atop a charging vehicle and told the pursuers they had forced their way onto the battlefield.

Han Su used the Ghost Truck to smash through the blockade and kill the investigators and Executors waiting for him. As the truck charged at the Feidi Investigator’s group, Han Su leapt down and attacked Ms. Whiskey with a makeshift blade and stun baton.

• Han Su drove the Ghost Truck through the barricade, crushing most of the investigators and Executors stationed there.
• The Aries Investigator, Ms. Whiskey, and Mr. Cigar survived the first charge, but the Ghost Truck turned back and ran over the wounded survivors.
• The Feidi Investigator rushed toward the blockade and was killed when the Ghost Truck crushed the creature carrying him.
• Han Su fitted a custom dagger to his stun baton to make a long blade, then jumped from the Ghost Truck and stabbed Ms. Whiskey.
• Han Su shocked Ms. Whiskey with the baton, burning her as the Aries Investigator remained nearby.

Han Su fought alongside the Ghost Truck, killing the investigators who had tried to ambush him. After defeating the Aries investigator, his Mental Activity rose to 70%, and he prepared to face the dangers still ahead.

• Han Su and the Ghost Truck attacked the survivors in the fog, killing investigators as they struggled to evade the truck.
• The Aries investigator led two Banshee users and a Senior Executor in an assault on Han Su, but Han Su killed the Executor with a punch and a kick that sent him into the truck's path.
• The Banshees grabbed Han Su, but his Ghost Flame burned them and his white eye stripped away their intangible power, allowing him to kill two of them.
• Han Su overpowered the Aries investigator, revealed his Mental Activity was 69%, and killed him as it rose to 70%.
• Han Su realized he had reached the Divine Forbidden Zone but set the milestone aside because the night's dangers were not over.

Han Su fought through a fog-bound ambush, using his growing combat ability to kill the investigators and Sea Beasts who attacked him as his Mental Activity reached 71%. Meanwhile, Secretary Cui Qiao discovered the Disaster Management Bureau’s personnel deployment was a trap and raced to warn Zhang Chiguo that his nephew was in danger.

• Han Su deflected the Black Star investigator’s bullets, killed him, and realized the investigators seemed ordinary and full of openings.
• Han Su killed an attacker who grabbed his ankle, then hurled part of a car at three Sea Beasts and shot them as the Ghost Truck rampaged through the fog.
• Han Su’s Mental Activity rose to 71%, and he continued killing the trapped attackers while the Ghost Truck’s fog prevented anyone from escaping or observing the battlefield.
• Han Su revealed that he had arranged to block signals before the ambush and shot the Cigar Investigator, feeling his Mental Activity surge again.
• Cui Qiao failed to contact Zhang Chiguo, recognized that the personnel deployment and meeting had left Han Su isolated, and drove to the Academy of Sciences to warn him.