Chapter Summaries

Jiang Mian, a transmigrated young woman hiding her identity as an Aberrant, talked her way through questioning after buying counterfeit medication at a Mobile Black Market. The officers accepted her explanation and issued her a warning, but her claim that she had no family left complicated the matter as they prepared to release her.

• Jiang Mian concealed that she had awakened the dangerous Calamity Sequence ability [Doom] and had bought a counterfeit Suppressor to control her symptoms.
• He Yi and Shen Ming questioned Jiang Mian about purchasing controlled medication at a Mobile Black Market.
• Jiang Mian claimed she had bought unregulated drugs after failing to awaken and let the officers believe she was an ordinary student who had been scammed.
• Shen Ming reported that Jiang Mian had a clean record and that the raided Black Market mostly sold low-quality auxiliary drugs.
• He Yi gave Jiang Mian a warning, ordered the prohibited goods confiscated, and asked for her family's contact information.
• Jiang Mian stiffened and said she had no family left.

Jiang Mian persuaded He Yi and Shen Ming that her parents had died in service to the city and explained how hardship had led her to the Black Market. He Yi trusted her enough to take her home and gave her his contact information, though he remained faintly suspicious.

• Jiang Mian told He Yi and Shen Ming that her father died during a Mist Creature disaster and her mother died in an epidemic.
• He Yi checked Jiang Mian's file, confirmed her parents' deaths, and apologized for misjudging her.
• Jiang Mian asked to go home, and He Yi and Shen Ming offered to drive her there.
• Jiang Mian explained that she had sold her family home and moved to the poor West District to cover expenses and save for an Awakening Potion.
• He Yi gave Jiang Mian his business card and watched her enter her apartment building, wondering if she might be an Aberrant.
• He Yi and Shen Ming returned to the bureau to organize statements and interrogate the people arrested in the Black Market raid.

Jiang Mian struggled with the hunger and limitations of her newly awakened [Doom] ability while worrying about money, medicine, and her future. After getting only three hours of sleep, she went to school and found her former brothers watching her with unsettling enthusiasm.

• Jiang Mian returned to her apartment and considered how her [Doom] ability required her to eat Calamity Cores or awakened people’s flesh and blood, leaving her trapped in a cycle of hunger and weakness.
• Jiang Mian worried about affording food and medicine, then showered and tried to set aside her problems by going to sleep.
• Jiang Mian went to Fifth Middle School after sleeping only three hours and reflected on the school’s awakened and college-exam student tracks.
• Jiang Mian entered Class 3-8, where several former brothers stared at her, making her uneasy.

Jiang Mian tried to endure school while searching for weak Calamities she could handle, but Li Hao confronted her with an expensive gift and demanded she become his girlfriend. She politely refused while hiding her anger, leaving Li Hao’s response unresolved.

• Jiang Mian slept through morning classes while Wang Chen watched her and wondered how she had changed.
• Jiang Mian found wire in her cafeteria food, dumped it, and returned to the classroom to study the Calamity compendium.
• Li Hao, newly awakened with [Steel Bones], approached Jiang Mian and pushed an expensive gift box into her arms.
• Li Hao offered to support Jiang Mian if she became his girlfriend, treating her as an easy target.
• Jiang Mian maintained her timid facade and refused Li Hao’s offer.

Jiang Mian stalled Li Hao’s coercive proposal while Wang Chen failed to intervene, then comforted him after Li Hao left. As her emotions stirred her Calamity abilities, strange text appeared on her eyeglass lenses.

• Li Hao pressured Jiang Mian to accept his gift and promised her a more comfortable life, while classmates watched and argued.
• Wang Chen tried to step forward to defend Jiang Mian but backed down when Li Hao threatened him.
• Jiang Mian pretended to need a day to consider Li Hao’s proposal, and he left satisfied with her apparent change of heart.
• Jiang Mian discarded Li Hao’s gift, and Wang Chen apologized for failing to help her.
• Jiang Mian reassured Wang Chen, then saw lines of strange text appear on her eyeglass lenses.

Jiang Mian reached First Order and chose the [Ignite] skill, but immediately suffered severe chest pain as a Calamity Core began forming. Lin Yun took her to the Infirmary, where a basic examination suggested a heart problem and prompted a recommendation for hospital tests.

• Jiang Mian saw three Initial Skill options and chose [Ignite] for its burning power and growth potential.
• Jiang Mian suffered intense chest pain, drawing the attention of Wang Chen and the students around her.
• Chen Kang organized the students while Lin Yun used her healing ability to ease Jiang Mian's pain and took her to the Infirmary.
• Wang Chen told Lin Yun that Li Hao had upset Jiang Mian, and Lin Yun condemned his behavior.
• The school doctor found Jiang Mian had an irregular heartbeat and recommended a thorough hospital examination, leaving Lin Yun worried about her.

Jiang Mian concealed her newly formed Calamity Core from Lin Yun and accepted a month of leave, while a tablet in Base City No. 1 revealed that all five Apex Calamity Sequences had awakened. The authorities prepared to search for hidden Aberrants, and Jiang Mian returned home struggling to control her hunger and new body.

• Jiang Mian suppressed her hunger around Lin Yun and refused to go to the hospital, claiming she needed rest.
• Lin Yun granted Jiang Mian leave for the rest of the month and told her to report any trouble from Li Hao or any worsening symptoms.
• An old military officer in Base City No. 1 saw that all five Apex Calamity Sequences had awakened on the stone tablet and decided to purge hidden Aberrants across the Base Cities.
• Jiang Mian rode her Electric Scooter home and reflected that her heightened senses and Calamity Core made her at least half a Calamity.
• Jiang Mian felt her powerful, slowed heartbeat and muttered that her transformation was troublesome.

Jiang Mian hunted for Calamities while working as a food courier in South City, where she killed a Skin Painter with [Ignite] and absorbed some of its power. She left the building after the victim called the police, confident she would not be suspected.

• Jiang Mian worried that her unusual traits were becoming easier to detect and decided to maintain the cover story that she had a heart condition.
• Jiang Mian took food-delivery work in South City to earn money and search for Calamities, while considering a job at the Special Materials Processing Bureau.
• Jiang Mian delivered milk tea to an apartment and recognized that the man inside was a Skin Painter when she caught an unusual scent.
• Jiang Mian used [Ignite] from outside the door, burning the Skin Painter to a charred skin and absorbing enough power to make her core three-tenths full.
• The woman called the Public Security Bureau, while Jiang Mian left by elevator, pleased with her kill and unconcerned about suspicion.

Jiang Mian left the scene after killing a [Skin Painter], while Ye Chenyang and the Public Security Bureau investigated the remains. When Jiang Mian returned home, a tall figure blocked her on the stairs.

• Jiang Mian reconsidered her plan to pose as a Fire Elemental Awakened and settled on [Gale] as a possible ability to choose when she reached Second-tier.
• Ye Chenyang arrived with a special task force and identified the remains as Calamity Sequence 97, [Skin Painter].
• Ye Chenyang recalled his past life, when he wielded [Eternal Day], and resolved to hunt down the Apex Calamities before they grew powerful.
• Cheng Qiao and Ye Chenyang suspected that [Prairie Fire] or [Wildfire] had killed the [Skin Painter], though they wondered why its killer had not reported the death for a reward.
• Jiang Mian rode her Electric Scooter home, where a tall figure blocked her path on the stairs.

Jiang Mian escaped Li Hao’s attempt to corner her by luring him into a fight with local thugs while she called He Yi for help. The Public Security Bureau arrived, and Jiang Mian pointed the officers toward Li Hao as he surrendered.

• Li Hao confronted Jiang Mian outside her home and chased her through a narrow alley after she fled.
• Jiang Mian called He Yi, who sent nearby patrol officers and headed to her location.
• Jiang Mian found thugs blocking the alley exit and pretended to ask them for protection from Li Hao.
• The thug boss and Li Hao fought, and Li Hao knocked the boss unconscious while Jiang Mian edged toward the exit.
• Public Security Bureau officers arrived, and Jiang Mian pointed out Li Hao, who raised his hands and surrendered.

After Li Hao harassed and threatened Jiang Mian, she was brought to the West District Public Security Bureau, where she concealed her nature as a half-Calamity behind a fragile persona. As He Yi and Lin Yun discussed Li Hao’s offenses, Jiang Mian planned to use his likely arrest to pursue Second-tier and prepare a staged awakening that could eliminate him.

• Jiang Mian recounted Li Hao’s harassment and threats to He Yi, who reassured her that she was safe.
• Lin Yun embraced Jiang Mian, and Jiang Mian fought the urge to bite her because of her vitality as a [Myriad Spirits] Path Awakened.
• Jiang Mian used her Calamity Core to make herself look pale and refused He Yi’s offer of a medical examination.
• He Yi asked Lin Yun about Li Hao, and Lin Yun explained that he had pestered Jiang Mian at school and received only a verbal warning.
• He Yi confirmed that Li Hao had violated Public Safety Regulations by going to Jiang Mian’s home, starting a public fight, and injuring someone.
• Jiang Mian expected Li Hao to be jailed for a few days and planned to reach Second-tier before staging an awakening with a powerful Sequence Ability.

Jiang Mian sought a temporary job at the Special Affairs Bureau so she could access Calamity corpses for Fuel, and she was assigned to work in Section Two. The chapter ended as Old Zhang brought her into the morgue and told her to follow his instructions.

• Lin Yun warned Jiang Mian that Li Hao might soon be released and advised her to find a safer place to live, so Jiang Mian agreed to look for a new home.
• Jiang Mian contacted the Special Affairs Bureau and arranged to interview for a temporary porter job, hoping to gain access to corpses.
• At the No. 144 Branch, Jiang Mian signed the employment and confidentiality agreements and was told to report for training the next morning.
• Jiang Mian completed basic safety training and was assigned to Team Two, which handled Calamities and other materials.
• Old Zhang led Jiang Mian into Section Two and told her to follow his instructions on her first day.

Jiang Mian labeled Aberrant corpses in a temporary morgue and learned how ordinary people viewed Aberrants as dangerous monsters. She noticed an unexplained code inscribed on one corpse’s arm, leaving her wondering what it meant.

• Old Zhang gave Jiang Mian labels and told her to mark the bodies, then take them to the processing room.
• Jiang Mian identified the likely causes and circumstances of several Aberrants’ deaths as she labeled their corpses.
• Old Zhang told Jiang Mian that Aberrants could lose control, warned her to flee from living ones, and described the Containment Bureau’s work.
• Jiang Mian reflected on her own status as an Aberrant and continued working while planning to transfer to First District.
• Jiang Mian spotted the code “w-130-b-07” inscribed on a corpse’s forearm and wondered what it signified.

Jiang Mian secretly used her flames to burn Aberrant remains faster, gaining power while working at the processing facility. Supervisor Chen then assigned her to receive Calamity remains brought by Cheng Qiao and Ye Chenyang, leaving Ye Chenyang sensing something unusual about her.

• Jiang Mian secretly released her power into Aberrant bodies at the Second District incinerator, increasing the furnace’s speed and gaining strength from the remains.
• Jiang Mian estimated that the processed Aberrant remains had brought her within five First Order Calamities’ worth of her goal.
• Supervisor Chen arrived and sent Jiang Mian with him to the First District to receive and check Calamity remains from East City.
• Cheng Qiao and Ye Chenyang delivered remains cleared during a battle against low-order Calamities and Mist Creatures outside East City.
• Cheng Qiao recognized Jiang Mian as possibly connected to the Self-immolation Case and asked her age while she sorted the materials.
• Ye Chenyang finished unloading the cargo and felt his power stir as he looked at Jiang Mian.

Ye Chenyang sensed something unusual about Jiang Mian, while she secretly absorbed residual energy from the Calamity remains processed at the Special Affairs Bureau. After work, Jiang Mian discovered the gains had brought her close to Second-tier and revealed a wider use for her [Ignite] skill.

• Ye Chenyang noticed a strange resonance around Jiang Mian, who sensed his scrutiny and kept working without revealing herself.
• On the drive away, Ye Chenyang told Cheng Qiao that Jiang Mian had adapted unusually quickly to processing monster remains, but Cheng Qiao said a feeling alone proved nothing.
• After the transport team left, Jiang Mian continued sorting remains and began receiving faint energy feedback from Fire Seeds being Ignited at a distance.
• Jiang Mian realized she could absorb some energy from remains beyond her expected ten-meter range, though the yield was far weaker than absorbing a complete Calamity Core.
• At the end of her shift, Jiang Mian found that the remaining batches had brought her close to Second-tier and that an external trigger could set off her [Ignite] skill.
• Jiang Mian left the Special Affairs Bureau in a good mood, planning to return to work the next day.

After reaching the Second-tier, Jiang Mian chose [Gale] as her Initial Skill, gaining wind control alongside her upgraded [Fierce Flame]. She planned to move to a remote home, master her new power, and kill Li Hao during the “Awakening,” while the chapter ended as she considered the unusual strength of high-tier Sequences.

• Jiang Mian advanced to the Second-tier, upgraded [Ignite] to [Fierce Flame], and chose [Gale] for its perception, concealment, hovering, and tearing effects.
• Jiang Mian endured the pain of combining her powers and reflected on the conflict between her former male soul, her female body, and her Calamity instincts.
• Jiang Mian decided to move to a remote area near the boundary between North City and West City and packed clothes and stockings her mother had bought.
• Jiang Mian resolved to learn [Gale] and accidentally kill Li Hao during the “Awakening.”
• Jiang Mian considered how the five Paths differed and began explaining why high-tier Sequences such as [Eye of the Storm] were exceptional.

Jiang Mian endured her final day at the Special Affairs Bureau while dealing with a painful period, then quit and left. Meanwhile, Li Hao was released from detention by his father, Li Tian, who began confronting him about his behavior.

• Jiang Mian reasoned that her Calamity Core protected her from dying in an Elemental Burst, then went to sleep expecting Li Hao to seek her out.
• Jiang Mian woke with severe cramps, discovered her period had started, and burned her bloodstained bedding and clothes before going to work.
• Jiang Mian completed her final shift, declined Supervisor Chen's offer of further work, collected her pay, and left the Special Affairs Bureau.
• Li Tian collected Li Hao from detention, while Zhou Qiang explained to Zhou Qingzhi that Li Tian was a powerful Third-tier Awakened with connections.
• Li Hao complained that Li Tian had waited to collect him, but Li Tian silenced him and asked in the car whether his time in detention had cleared his head.

Li Hao ignored Li Tian’s warning and grew more determined to pursue Jiang Mian, while Jiang Mian settled into a new apartment and used [Gale] to clean it. Li Hao planned to target Jiang Mian again, and the chapter left him still consumed by his obsession as she enjoyed her spotless new home.

• Li Tian scolded Li Hao for causing trouble and compared him unfavorably to his cousin, while Li Hao hid his resentment and promised to behave.
• Li Tian left for an escort mission from the Bureau and warned Li Hao to keep his head down ahead of a possible major move by the higher-ups.
• Li Hao went to a club, where his underlings praised Jiang Mian’s beauty and encouraged his fixation on her.
• Jiang Mian moved into an apartment between North City and West City and used [Gale] to sweep dust from the room into a pile.

Jiang Mian learned that Li Hao had been released and used his pursuit to stage a public attack that would provide witnesses to her awakening. When Li Hao cornered her in a warehouse, Jiang Mian stopped pretending to be frightened and seized his wrist.

• He Yi called Jiang Mian to tell her Li Hao had left the detention center and urged her to stay safe.
• Li Hao found Jiang Mian's former apartment empty and ordered Green Hair to help him track her down.
• Jiang Mian walked home in North City, where Li Hao and two lackeys blocked her path.
• Li Hao grabbed Jiang Mian and dragged her toward a warehouse while bystanders avoided intervening.
• Red Hair gave Li Hao an iron bar, and he shut Jiang Mian inside the warehouse with him.
• Jiang Mian caught Li Hao's wrist and looked at him with cold, savage eyes.

Jiang Mian revealed a playful, dangerous side as she mocked Li Hao and easily dodged his attacks in the warehouse. As others hurried toward the scene, she declared that the timing was right, leaving her next move unclear.

• Jiang Mian startled Li Hao by briefly pretending to be a Calamity, then laughed and insulted him until he flew into a rage.
• Li Hao lunged at Jiang Mian, but she used Gale's speed and agility to evade him around the warehouse.
• Red Hair and A Jie heard the commotion and searched for a tool to pry open the bolted warehouse door.
• Ye Chenyang sensed a strange source near Jiang Mian's new home and rode his motorcycle toward it.
• Jiang Mian sensed people approaching and told Li Hao that the time was about right.