Recaps

After awakening Sequence 48, [Eye of the Storm], Jiang Mian learned that officials wanted her to join a high-priority Training Program and travel to the Central City Circle. Ye Chenyang offered to guide her, leaving Jiang Mian wary of his unusual strength and relieved when he left.

• Officials presented Jiang Mian with the Training Program regulations and offered her extensive support as a high-ranked Awakened.
• Lin Yun returned with Ye Chenyang, who brought Jiang Mian her belongings and reminded her to rest and avoid using her ability.
• Ye Chenyang reassured Jiang Mian that her Sequence 48 ability was not luck and explained the difficulty of controlling powerful elemental abilities.
• Ye Chenyang revealed his Sequence 49, [Shining Blade], and offered to teach Jiang Mian before she joined the program with him.
• After Ye Chenyang left his contact information and departed, Jiang Mian suspected he was hiding something and breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaving the hospital, Jiang Mian negotiated with the Scalper to buy a Suppressor and learn that a mysterious code led to a communication address for Aberrants. With the meeting set for the next night, she weighed the risk of the upcoming Training Program and resolved not to attend without finding a way to avoid suspicion.

• Jiang Mian left the hospital, bought a replacement phone and glasses, and contacted the Scalper through an encrypted messaging channel.
• Jiang Mian sent the Scalper a string of numbers, and he revealed that it referred to a communication address where Aberrants could connect with their kind.
• Jiang Mian haggled the price down to 15,000 for a Suppressor and the address, and the Scalper arranged a cash meeting for ten the next night beside Warehouse No. 4 in North City's old industrial district.
• Jiang Mian calculated that the purchase would leave her with less than 5,000 and worried that the next dose might not prevent Spiritual Erosion for long.
• Jiang Mian decided she could not enter the Training Program, where powerful Awakened could expose her, and considered how to refuse or delay without raising suspicion.

Jiang Mian secretly listened to Du Biao and A Gui discuss the Suppressor trade before meeting A Gui at the warehouse. She received the Suppressor and the address information after paying, while Du Biao remained hidden nearby.

• Du Biao told A Gui he believed Jiang Mian was a new Patient rather than a police informant and warned him to be cautious.
• Jiang Mian, concealed on the warehouse roof by [Gale], overheard their conversation and learned that only one company manufactured Suppressors.
• Jiang Mian entered the warehouse, and A Gui sensed that her presence had become more oppressive since their previous deal.
• Jiang Mian tossed A Gui a case of money, and he confirmed the payment before handing her a Suppressor and the requested address information.

Jiang Mian inspected a new Suppressor, intimidated the smugglers who sold it, and headed to scout a private hospital used by the Same Kind. On the way, she sensed a familiar Security Officer, whose sudden beam of light caught her in its path.

• Jiang Mian opened the package from A Gui, checked the Suppressor, and found a map and entry password for a private hospital in North City.
• Jiang Mian confronted A Gui about the previous Suppressor’s poor effectiveness, then unleashed a scorching aura when he asked about her sequence.
• A Gui apologized and backed down, while Du Biao emerged from hiding and warned him not to pry into customers’ information.
• Jiang Mian left in the rain and decided to scout the hospital, using [Gale] to conceal her aura as she approached.
• Jiang Mian sensed a familiar Female Security Officer on patrol and began to change routes, but a beam of light suddenly shone toward her.

Wang Chen spotted Jiang Mian near the hospital, but Chen Qing stopped him from investigating, leading Jiang Mian to suspect the authorities knew about the Aberrants gathering there. She returned home after deciding not to take risks, only to sense someone unfamiliar inside her apartment.

• Wang Chen noticed a hooded figure in a black raincoat in an alley and alerted Chen Qing.
• Chen Qing sensed that the figure was an Awakened but told Wang Chen to keep patrolling and not investigate further.
• Jiang Mian realized Chen Qing might know about the hospital and considered several dangerous explanations for the Aberrants gathering there.
• Jiang Mian decided to leave rather than risk exposing herself and hurried home through the night.
• Jiang Mian sensed an unfamiliar aura inside her apartment as she reached her door.

Jiang Mian discovered an Aberrant assassin named Liu Mu waiting in her home, hired to kill her. She broke free of his shadow abilities with her Fierce Flame and set the Shadow Mist and Liu Mu ablaze.

• Jiang Mian suspected Li Hao's father had arranged an attack and entered her home prepared to fight the intruder.
• Liu Mu, a Chaos-path Wanderer, trapped Jiang Mian with shadow cords and sealed the room in Shadow Mist.
• Liu Mu revealed that someone had hired him to kill Jiang Mian and began threatening her.
• Jiang Mian let her fearful act drop and burned through the shadow cords with her orange-gold Fierce Flame.
• Jiang Mian ignited the Shadow Mist and Liu Mu with her flames.

Jiang Mian revealed her true power and killed Liu Mu, who had attacked her at home. She decided to approach City Defense to gain access to more Calamities and grow stronger, using Ye Chenyang as a witness to her supposed progress.

• Jiang Mian revealed that she was a Second-tier Aberrant wielding [Fierce Flame], and Liu Mu realized he had mistaken a terrifying beast for a helpless lamb.
• Jiang Mian burned Liu Mu to ashes and absorbed the energy, easing the hunger of her Calamity Core for several days.
• Jiang Mian used [Gale] to sweep away Liu Mu's ashes and considered how to handle the powerful people who had sent him.
• Jiang Mian decided to seek training with City Defense so she could face more Calamities and reach Third-tier.
• Jiang Mian found Ye Chenyang's business card and planned to use him as a witness to make her rapid improvement seem believable.

Jiang Mian met Ye Chenyang at a drinks shop, where he advised her on controlling her newly awakened wind abilities and offered to take her to a Training Ground. The pair arrived there, where a young man greeted Ye Chenyang and teased him about bringing Jiang Mian along.

• Jiang Mian messaged Ye Chenyang and met him at a drinks shop in South City.
• Ye Chenyang bought Jiang Mian a drink and asked how her awakening had changed her senses.
• Jiang Mian demonstrated her unstable control of the wind, and Ye Chenyang explained that her ability was difficult to tame after a Natural Awakening.
• Ye Chenyang invited Jiang Mian to a nearby Training Ground, and she agreed to go with him.
• Ye Chenyang brought Jiang Mian into the indoor training area, where a young man greeted him and teased him about arriving with a girl.

Ye Chenyang brought Jiang Mian to an Awakened training area to help her get familiar with her ability. After learning that she had studied boxing, he suggested she try firearms and use her Wind Field to strengthen and guide bullets.

• Zhao Gang introduced himself to Jiang Mian and apologized for teasing her.
• Ye Chenyang led Jiang Mian to the weapon racks and explained how weapons and Mutated Bone Weapons helped Awakened fighters.
• Jiang Mian said she had learned boxing, and Ye Chenyang judged it a poor fit for her build and ability.
• Ye Chenyang suggested firearms, explaining that Jiang Mian could apply a Wind Field to bullets to boost their power and adjust their trajectories.
• Jiang Mian considered the cost and difficulty of combining shooting with wind control, and Ye Chenyang offered to help her practice.

Jiang Mian practiced controlling her Wind Field while Ye Chenyang watched her rapid progress and quietly tested his suspicions by dispelling her Wind Pressure Vortex with his hidden golden power. As they left the training ground, they discussed the Prodigy Cultivation Plan, and Jiang Mian's strange whispers returned, leaving her wondering whether she had entered the second stage again.

• Ye Chenyang watched Jiang Mian maintain a Wind Field and wondered how she had learned to control it so quickly.
• At Ye Chenyang's suggestion, Jiang Mian compressed her Wind Field into a Wind Pressure Vortex, and he dispelled it with a golden power.
• Jiang Mian realized Ye Chenyang was hiding a powerful ability and resolved not to let him discover her secrets.
• Ye Chenyang praised Jiang Mian's talent and ended their training session for the day.
• While walking out of the training ground, Jiang Mian and Ye Chenyang discussed the Prodigy Cultivation Plan, which Jiang Mian did not want to join.
• Jiang Mian heard faint whispers, briefly lost herself in thought, and wondered whether she had entered the second stage again and needed her medicine.

Ye Chenyang took Jiang Mian home, where they encountered her classmate Wang Chen, now a Trainee Security Officer. Ye Chenyang recognized Wang Chen’s future potential and worried that [Oblivion River] could influence him, while Jiang Mian saw an opening to bring up training with City Defense.

• Ye Chenyang offered Jiang Mian a ride home and drove her to her residential complex in North City.
• Wang Chen encountered Jiang Mian and Ye Chenyang while patrolling, checked that Jiang Mian was well, and felt self-conscious beside Ye Chenyang.
• Ye Chenyang recognized Wang Chen as the future wielder of Sequence 15: [Silent Domain] and considered how [Oblivion River] might affect him before he reached the fifth tier.
• Jiang Mian asked Wang Chen about his training at the North District Public Security Bureau and saw a chance to mention City Defense naturally.

Jiang Mian told Ye Chenyang and Wang Chen that hunger and financial trouble were pushing her to consider joining City Defense so she could grow stronger. Ye Chenyang supported her idea and offered to train her, leaving Jiang Mian wondering what he wanted from her.

• Jiang Mian explained that her awakening had left her constantly hungry and short of money, then brought up City Defense's benefits.
• Wang Chen warned Jiang Mian that City Defense was dangerous, but she said she wanted to get stronger and avoid being vulnerable like she had been with Li Hao.
• Ye Chenyang agreed that combat could help Jiang Mian improve and offered to prepare a training plan for her.
• Wang Chen suspected that Ye Chenyang was the high-Sequence boy from No. 1 High School and felt insignificant beside him.
• Jiang Mian went home exhausted and reviewed her interactions with Ye Chenyang, wondering what he wanted from her.

Jiang Mian reported to the City Defense Office in East City and began her one-month probation with the East District Third Branch Team. She reached Sentry Tower Number Three on the East City Wall and found the lounge marked for East Third Five Team, where she was due to report to Captain Qin Wu.

• Jiang Mian continued training with Ye Chenyang, learning to maintain and compress her Small Wind Field while improving her firearm skills.
• Jiang Mian went to the City Defense Office, where the clerk verified her Sequence 48, [Eye of the Storm], and processed her probationary paperwork.
• The clerk assigned Jiang Mian to Team Five of the East District Third Branch Team for a one-month probation with a daily stipend of 1,200 yuan.
• Jiang Mian took the lift to the East City Wall, observed the Mist beyond it, and heard Awakened soldiers speculate about her strength.
• Jiang Mian followed her handbook to Sentry Tower Number Three and found the lounge marked East Third Five Team.

Jiang Mian joined Qin Wu’s elite squad and introduced herself as a Sequence 48 Awakened on the [Elemental] Path. At the Training Ground, she chose a powerful but single-shot sniper rifle called the “Cannon” and asked Qin Wu to let her test it.

• Jiang Mian met Qin Wu, Li Huan, Gu An, and Su Wanning, then introduced herself as a Sequence 48 [Elemental] Path Awakened.
• Li Huan recognized Jiang Mian’s name and recalled the incident involving his younger male cousin, but decided to treat her like any other teammate.
• Qin Wu led Jiang Mian and the others to the Training Ground to show her the base and help her choose equipment.
• Jiang Mian passed over the melee weapons and picked the single-shot rifle nicknamed the “Cannon.”
• Qin Wu and Gu An warned that the rifle might be ineffective against groups of Calamities, but Jiang Mian said her ability suited it and asked to try it.

Jiang Mian demonstrated how her Wind Field could turn ordinary bullets into devastating shots, then requested specialized ammunition and accepted a temporary dorm bed. As Su Wanning led her to the dormitory, Jiang Mian realized she was getting lost in the facility.

• Jiang Mian used her Wind Field to fire a bullet that destroyed three training dummies, impressing Qin Wu, Gu An, and Li Huan.
• Qin Wu offered Jiang Mian the rifle and asked what special ammunition she wanted; she requested armor-piercing and incendiary rounds.
• Jiang Mian planned to use the incendiary rounds to conceal Fire Seeds in Calamity material and make Calamities into Fuel.
• Qin Wu arranged a spare bed in Su Wanning's dorm, and Jiang Mian received ammunition and daily necessities from the logistics office.
• Su Wanning led Jiang Mian toward the dormitory, but Jiang Mian became disoriented in the corridors.

Jiang Mian and Qin Wu’s team arrived at Outpost 14, where Xiong Yu and his teammates were struggling against a huge horde of Sprinters. Jiang Mian’s cannon shot proved effective, and the reinforcements began their counterattack as she took position with her sniper rifle.

• Xiong Yu and his team ran low on ammunition as the frenzied Sprinters overwhelmed Outpost 14’s defenses.
• Jiang Mian fired an Incendiary Bullet through the Mist, burning more than a dozen Sprinters and giving Xiong Yu’s team hope that reinforcements had arrived.
• Gu An confirmed that Jiang Mian had hit her target, and Qin Wu ordered Li Huan and Gu An to engage the horde while Su Wanning took Jiang Mian to a safe position.
• Li Huan charged into the Sprinters with his halberd as Gu An followed to help clear them.
• Jiang Mian raised her sniper rifle, aimed at the densest part of the horde, and squeezed the trigger.

Team Five helped Xiong Yu Squad repel the Sprinters attacking the outpost, while Jiang Mian sensed a Nightmare Path Calamity was directing them. Later, Li Tian arrived with a convoy and recognized Jiang Mian, realizing the bounty job he had arranged might have failed.

• Li Huan and Qin Wu led Team Five through the Sprinters and joined Xiong Yu Squad at the outpost as the attackers retreated.
• Jiang Mian sensed a faint presence like the Skin Painter’s and suspected a Calamity on the Nightmare Path was behind the attack.
• Xiong Yu told Qin Wu that a Heart Eater had directed the Sprinters and killed the Radiance member of his squad.
• Qin Wu introduced Jiang Mian as the new trainee with Sequence 48, Eye of the Storm, and Su Wanning treated the wounded while the others handled cleanup and repairs.
• Jiang Mian saw a convoy arrive from beyond the Mist and recognized its workers as people from the Construction Bureau.
• Li Tian recognized Jiang Mian and wondered whether the bounty he had placed had failed.

Li Tian suspected Jiang Mian was connected to Li Hao’s death, but Li Huan warned him that the authorities were protecting her. As Team Five returned to base, Jiang Mian listened to their exchange and asked Qin Wu why Su Wanning was driving despite his [Knight] ability.

• Li Tian sensed that something was unusual about Jiang Mian and suspected she might have killed the assassin he had hired.
• Jiang Mian recognized Li Tian as Li Hao’s father and decided she could handle him while she built up her strength.
• Li Huan warned Li Tian that Jiang Mian was a talented High-tier Sequence trainee whom the authorities would protect.
• Li Tian left without revealing his intentions, while privately weighing the risks of targeting Jiang Mian.
• Jiang Mian heard Li Huan defend her and decided to leave matters as they were unless he turned against her.
• On the ride back, Jiang Mian asked Qin Wu why Su Wanning was driving when his ability was [Knight].

Jiang Mian stayed overnight in the Dormitory Area and met her new roommate, Lin Xiaoyue, while realizing her thoughts and sense of self had begun to change. The chapter ended as her other roommate arrived.

• Qin Wu explained that his [Knight] ability enhanced vehicles so much that he could not safely get out once he began driving.
• Su Wanning invited Jiang Mian to stay in the dormitory, and Jiang Mian asked her to show the way because she did not remember the corridors.
• While walking through the Dormitory Area, Jiang Mian noticed that she had begun comparing herself to the female Awakened and worried that her thinking was changing.
• Su Wanning brought Jiang Mian to her room, where Lin Xiaoyue enthusiastically introduced herself as a roommate and shared her Sequence details.
• A tall, cool-looking girl entered and told Lin Xiaoyue not to scare Jiang Mian.

Jiang Mian settled into her dorm with Lin Xiaoyue, Shen Qiuyu, and Su Wanning, feeling unsettled after Lin Xiaoyue openly praised her figure. The next morning, Shen Qiuyu offered her mint candies, and Lin Xiaoyue reassured her that she would get used to living with them.

• Shen Qiuyu introduced herself as a Sequence 33 [Elemental] Path Awakened with [Heavenly Fire], and Jiang Mian learned she was close friends with Lin Xiaoyue.
• Lin Xiaoyue praised Jiang Mian's figure, making Jiang Mian blush and feel unexpectedly pleased.
• Jiang Mian lay awake for much of the night, troubled by her reaction and her unfamiliarity with other women her age.
• The next morning, Shen Qiuyu left mint candies by Jiang Mian's bed, and Lin Xiaoyue checked whether she had upset her.
• Lin Xiaoyue began praising Su Wanning as warm and reliable, then corrected herself when Su Wanning appeared in the doorway.

Jiang Mian discovered that unrest in West City had disrupted the Suppressor market and left the city unusually quiet. After learning of a Joint Sweep Operation and the dangers in West City, she tried to bargain with Du Biao for cheaper Suppressors.

• Jiang Mian returned home early to stock up on Suppressors as their effects weakened and her advancement accelerated their metabolism.
• Jiang Mian noticed North City's streets were unusually empty and learned from her dealer that Suppressors had dropped to twelve thousand a dose.
• Du Biao worried that the Joint Sweep Operation had driven his Aberrant customers into hiding or toward West City, making his stock difficult and dangerous to sell.
• Jiang Mian contacted Ye Chenyang and learned that unrest in West City had frightened ordinary residents and prompted a crackdown on Aberrants.
• Jiang Mian saw Du Biao's plea to sell his stock quickly and offered eight thousand per dose.

Jiang Mian negotiated to buy five inhibitors from Du Biao and worried that the authorities’ crackdown would leave her without medicine. She met Ye Chenyang to learn about the city’s situation, but despite recognizing him as a possible friend, she remained prepared to kill him if he threatened her or discovered her identity.

• Jiang Mian bargained with Du Biao and agreed to buy five inhibitors for nine thousand each at a meeting the following night.
• Jiang Mian worried that government operations would disrupt the underground inhibitor market and considered tracing the medicine back to its source.
• Jiang Mian met Ye Chenyang at a drink shop, gave him sweetened coffee, and asked whether something major was happening in the city.
• Ye Chenyang said the higher-ups had their own considerations and urged Jiang Mian to take care of herself.
• Jiang Mian wondered whether Ye Chenyang was her friend, but resolved to kill him and use him as Fuel if he threatened her or exposed her identity.

Jiang Mian asked Ye Chenyang whether Aberrants should be eliminated, and he explained their costly struggle to suppress their condition and the authorities’ perspective. She left with a deeper understanding of the purge’s motives, while Ye Chenyang watched her disappear into the rain.

• Jiang Mian asked Ye Chenyang whether normal people believed all Aberrants should be eliminated.
• Ye Chenyang explained that a Type One Inhibitor cost five hundred thousand and that Aberrants faced worsening erosion as they advanced, with some potentially becoming Calamities at Sixth Order.
• Ye Chenyang said most Aberrants could not reach Sixth Order and described them as people suffering from an incurable disease while authorities acted for the majority.
• Jiang Mian considered whether the authorities had planned the purge to control the growing number of wild Aberrants.
• Jiang Mian declined Ye Chenyang’s offer to take her home, put on her yellow raincoat, and left in the heavy rain.

Ye Chenyang rode with Cheng Qiao to discuss a police operation targeting Suppressor dealer Du Biao, while Cheng Qiao teased him about his attentiveness toward Jiang Mian. That night, Jiang Mian went to Happiness Residential Area for a deal and heard suspicious noises from a nearby alley.

• Cheng Qiao teased Ye Chenyang about meeting Jiang Mian and asked whether he was interested in her; Ye Chenyang said she was different.
• Cheng Qiao told Ye Chenyang that Du Biao, a second-tier Hunter who dealt in Suppressors, was expected to make a major deal that night in Happiness Residential Area.
• Jiang Mian received the meeting location through an encrypted channel, deleted the visit record, and put on her black raincoat.
• Jiang Mian detoured through East City before reaching Happiness Residential Area, where she opened her senses and heard strange thuds and a man and woman gasping in an alley.

Jiang Mian entered the Happiness Residential Area to trade with Du Biao, killing a berserk Aberrant who attacked a woman on the way. After exchanging money for five Type Three Inhibitors, she warned Du Biao that someone had targeted him.

• Jiang Mian entered the alley under a Gale barrier and saw a berserk Aberrant attack a woman.
• Jiang Mian incinerated the Aberrant with a small orange-gold flame and continued toward the bar.
• Jiang Mian met Du Biao in a storeroom and exchanged a pouch of money for five Type Three Inhibitors.
• Jiang Mian stopped Du Biao as he prepared to leave and told him someone had targeted him.