Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Chen Xuan reasons that the Devils used mercenaries to probe the Temple Treasury’s defenses before exploiting Liu Li’s ability-related weakness with a wave of coins. Their assault failed to reach Vault One because Chen and his companions were unexpectedly inside.
• Lin Qing directs Chen and Elorie to inspect a room near the exit. There, they uncover a homemade nuclear bomb with a countdown. Chen realizes the bomb explains how the Devils could have destroyed the Treasury in the original timeline.
• Lin Qing warns them not to touch or move the bomb, so Chen and Elorie race back to Vault One. With the explosion imminent, Chen decides he must enter Vault Nine to retrieve Mother Body Lucy, hoping to prevent Angels from gradually ceasing to be born.
• Liu Li initially seems unwilling to leave, but reveals an emergency escape route and offers to help Chen and Elorie because they previously helped defend the Treasury from robbers.
• Chen orders Elorie to escape with Liu Li while he and Lin Qing go through the opened door into Vault Nine. Elorie reluctantly agrees and prays before leaving.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan shifts from investigating the Devils’ tactics to urgently confronting the bomb threat. He accepts Lin Qing’s expertise, prioritizes Lucy, and takes charge of the group’s escape and rescue plan.
• Liu Li reveals a more cooperative, grateful side. Though bound by her duty to the Treasury, she recognizes Chen’s past help and offers a route to safety rather than fighting him.
• Elorie wants to stay with Chen, but he insists she leave so she won’t be exposed to danger. She submits reluctantly.
• Lin Qing acts as the practical voice of caution, identifying the danger of tampering with the bomb and guiding the group remotely.

Significant themes

• Changing history and unforeseen consequences: The bomb explains the Treasury’s destruction in the original timeline, while the group’s presence has already altered events.
• Duty versus survival: Liu Li initially remains committed to her post, while Chen risks entering the vault despite the imminent blast.
• Trust and reciprocity: Liu Li’s willingness to help is prompted by Chen’s earlier kindness, and the group relies on Lin Qing’s judgment.
• Sacrifice and protection: Chen separates from Elorie to give her a better chance of surviving.

Chapter Summary: “Who Fused with Whom?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing enter a hidden tunnel beneath the Snow Mountain Treasury, eventually reaching a vast cavern.
• They discover Mother Body Lucy: a gigantic, living mass of flesh suspended in the cavern and fused with the surrounding walls.
• Chen Xuan notices artificial metal fragments embedded in the creature but not absorbed into it. He concludes that Lucy cannot be removed and that Elorie’s mission will fail.
• With the bomb’s detonation imminent, Chen Xuan uses the Guest Recall Function to send Lin Qing back to the Ability Store.
• Mother Body Lucy suddenly attacks Chen Xuan with a tentacle. Instead of killing him, it absorbs its entire body into him.
• Chen Xuan experiences no pain and remains physically unchanged, but after the fusion, Lucy and the Artifact disappear.
• He returns to the Ability Store just nine seconds before the bomb detonates.
• Chen Xuan discovers that the ability “Curse: Flesh Thirst” has vanished and has been replaced by a mysterious gray ability: “Fusion Ascension” LV1.
• Although Elorie’s mission appears technically unsuccessful, Elorie survives the explosion by escaping through a hidden slide and reaching an Angel Alliance support camp.
• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing contact Elorie. She reveals that Liu Li is with her and that Liu Li’s restriction preventing her from leaving the Temple Treasury was lifted at the last moment.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Demonstrates caution and quick thinking by recalling Lin Qing before the explosion. He is unexpectedly fused with Mother Body Lucy, gaining the unexplained “Fusion Ascension” ability. He remains physically and mentally himself, but the Artifact has become part of his abilities. His status may be higher than Lucy’s, suggesting a possible connection to his superior rank.
• Lin Qing: Acts protectively and practically, warning Chen Xuan about the cavern’s dangerous drop and examining him carefully after his return. She remains composed despite the bizarre fusion.
• Elorie: Survives the destruction of the Treasury and successfully reaches Angel Alliance reinforcements. She does not blame Chen Xuan for failing to remove Lucy.
• Liu Li: Unexpectedly escapes the Treasury after its restrictions are lifted. Her appearance suggests that Chen Xuan’s actions may have altered the Treasury’s rules or destiny.

Significant Themes

• Fusion and transformation: Mother Body Lucy is not destroyed but absorbed into Chen Xuan, turning a physical threat into a new ability and blurring the boundary between human, Artifact, and monster.
• Unpredictable consequences: Chen Xuan expects mission failure, yet the event produces an unforeseen gain and changes Lucy’s existence entirely.
• Survival and adaptation: The characters survive through quick decisions, hidden routes, and unexpected changes in circumstances.
• Higher forms of existence: The mysterious “Fusion Ascension” ability and Chen Xuan’s possible superiority over Lucy hint at an evolving hierarchy of beings and powers.
• Duty versus outcome: Although Chen Xuan cannot fulfill Elorie’s original request, he still prioritizes rescuing and checking on her, reflecting his responsibility as a shopkeeper.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing cooperate closely during the expedition, with Lin Qing guiding and protecting him in the cavern.
• Chen Xuan recalls Lin Qing before facing Lucy alone, showing concern for her safety.
• After Chen Xuan returns, Lin Qing examines him and reassures him that Elorie will likely understand what happened.
• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing contact Elorie together and learn that she has joined the Angel Alliance’s support forces.
• Elorie introduces Liu Li over the phone, creating a major surprise and raising new questions about how Liu Li escaped and what role Chen Xuan played in lifting the Treasury’s restriction.

Plot points and events

• Chen Xuan returns to Everest Base Camp, now transformed into a guarded Angel Alliance military encampment. He has left Lin Qing in Nepal so he can teleport himself and Elorie to safety if necessary.
• Morgan, a high-ranking Angel, escorts him to a tense meeting. Elorie and Liu Li sit on one side of the table; European regional head Leila Doolittle and several other Alliance members sit on the other.
• Leila confirms that the Sanctum was nearly destroyed by a bomb with power slightly below a tactical nuclear weapon. Though the damage matches Elorie’s warning, the Alliance is still investigating rather than accepting her account.
• Chen says he came because Elorie is his friend and she asked for help. Leila questions his motives and Elorie’s credibility, then proposes taking him and Elorie to European headquarters.
• Chen refuses and insists that Liu Li leave with them too. The Alliance argues that Liu Li, designated Artifact N21, belongs to the organization and may be dangerous outside its control.
• When Liu Li says she wants to leave, Chen warns the Alliance that keeping her could end in a massacre: without him intervening, they would have had to kill her or be killed by her.

Character developments

• Chen Xuan remains calm and direct under pressure, but openly challenges the Alliance’s authority and shows concern for Liu Li’s wishes and safety.
• Elorie is frustrated that the Alliance still doubts her even after the disaster she predicted has come to pass. She stands by her decision to seek help outside the organization.
• Liu Li reveals a clear desire to leave the Alliance, though she says little and lets Chen speak for her.
• Leila Doolittle appears controlled and dismissive, prioritizing the Alliance’s authority and security concerns over Liu Li’s autonomy.
• Morgan acts as a professional intermediary, while the other Angels reinforce the Alliance’s suspicion and resistance.

Significant themes

• Trust and skepticism: Elorie’s accurate warning has not erased the Alliance’s doubts.
• Autonomy versus ownership: The Alliance treats Liu Li as an asset, while Chen insists that her own wishes matter.
• Power and danger: Liu Li’s potential for violence makes the dispute more than a question of custody.
• Institutional control: The Alliance’s military occupation and guarded approach reveal its preference for containment and investigation over trust.

Character interactions

• Chen and Leila exchange polite but adversarial questions, each probing the other’s motives.
• Elorie backs up Chen’s account and condemns the Alliance for dismissing her warning.
• Chen asks Liu Li directly where she wants to go; her answer gives him grounds to challenge the Alliance’s claim over her.
• Leila and the other Angels try to discredit Chen’s intentions and warn Liu Li that she would endanger him. Chen turns the warning around, claiming his presence is protecting the Alliance from her.

Key plot points and events

• The Angel Alliance confronts Elorie and Chen Xuan over their claims about the coming disaster. Elorie angrily accuses the Alliance of betraying her trust, while Chen Xuan and Liu Li prepare to fight.
• Archangel Layla stops the confrontation and lets the trio leave, judging that a fight would be disastrous. She privately explains that her intuition warned her strongly against Chen Xuan; she also noticed he tracked her sudden movements, denying her the advantage of surprise.
• Layla orders the Alliance to investigate Chen Xuan’s background and search the Temple Treasury ruins. She suspects the Devils intended to detonate a nuclear bomb inside Vault One, which would have destroyed much of the Treasury, including Vault Nine and N5. The attack was apparently thwarted by a newly promoted angel, though Elorie will receive no credit after leaving.
• In Nepal, Elorie reunites with Lin Qing and asks Chen Xuan about Mother Body Lucy. He explains that it was enormous and unexpectedly fused with him. Liu Li concludes that Lucy was destroyed, since the restraints on her were lifted.

Character developments and interactions

• Elorie remains committed to preventing the future catastrophe and is furious at the Alliance’s distrust. Her concern for Mother Body Lucy shows her personal attachment to it.
• Chen Xuan openly challenges the angels and is revealed to be powerful and difficult to assess, even for Layla.
• Layla shifts from confrontation to caution, relying on her battle experience and intuition rather than the Alliance’s confidence in its numbers. She also prioritizes practical recovery efforts over rewarding Elorie.
• Liu Li backs Chen Xuan during the standoff and later teases him as she interprets what happened to Lucy.
• The other angels initially insist they can handle Chen Xuan and Elorie, but fall silent when Layla explains her assessment.

Significant themes

• Intuition and experience: Layla’s instincts outweigh apparent numerical advantage and the confidence of her subordinates.
• Trust and institutional caution: Elorie sees the Alliance’s skepticism as betrayal, while Layla insists that committing resources requires evidence.
• Hidden power and misjudgment: Chen Xuan’s strength challenges the Alliance’s assumptions about “wingless” outsiders.
• Sacrifice and consequences: The bomb plot could have caused far greater destruction, and Lucy’s fusion with Chen Xuan leaves its fate uncertain even as Liu Li believes it was destroyed.

Chapter Summary: “Immortal Things”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Elorie worries that, despite their efforts, the future has remained unchanged and humanity still fails. Chen Xuan reassures her that the future may have shifted: the Angel Alliance now has advance warning of the disaster, the Devils suffered severe losses, and the Temple Treasury was not entirely destroyed.
• Chen Xuan suggests traveling to New Paris City to verify whether the future has changed.
• He questions Liu Li about her connection to Mother Body Lucy and learns that Liu Li is not human but an Artifact designated N21 by the Angel Alliance.
• Liu Li explains that Mother Body Lucy did not simply control her. Their relationship was based on an agreement: Lucy gave Liu Li a flesh-and-blood body, while Liu Li protected the Artifacts in the Temple Treasury for four hundred years.
• Liu Li claims that allowing Chen Xuan and the others into Vault Nine did not violate the agreement because their actions ultimately protected the Artifacts from destruction.
• As compensation, Liu Li gives Chen Xuan the dormant circuit-board Artifact N959, which Lin Qing had wanted to study.
• Liu Li explains that Artifacts possess different Stability Levels. When active, they generate effects that spread outward and alter their surroundings. Her own Stability Level is believed to be 50.
• She describes her mysterious origin: she began as a damaged doll buried among ruins, lava, and dust. Over an immeasurably long period, rain, geological change, and the formation of consciousness allowed her to emerge as a living, intelligent Artifact.
• Liu Li confirms Lin Qing’s theory that Mother Body Lucy was born beneath the World Ridge and that the Temple Treasury was constructed over its natural birthplace.
• Lin Qing then voices a troubling suspicion: Lucy’s “mountain” may not have been natural after all.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan becomes more determined to understand Artifacts and their origins. He also displays concern for Elorie’s morale and takes responsibility for helping her see that the future may still change.
• Elorie remains burdened by guilt and fear that her efforts were meaningless, though Chen Xuan helps restore some hope.
• Liu Li reveals more of her true nature, removing her hat and veil to show her striking, inhuman appearance. She is shown to be pragmatic, legally flexible, and emotionally distant from the Angel Alliance because she believes they manipulated her circumstances.
• Lin Qing continues to show curiosity and technical interest in Artifacts. Her questions also lead to an important new theory about Mother Body Lucy’s origin.

Significant Themes

• The uncertainty of fate: The chapter emphasizes that knowledge of the future creates new possibilities, meaning apparent failure may not be final.
• Freedom and exploitation: Liu Li’s agreement with Mother Body Lucy and the Angel Alliance raises questions about whether a contract can truly be considered voluntary when circumstances leave no real alternative.
• What defines life: Liu Li’s existence challenges the distinction between objects and living beings. Artifacts may lack conventional biology yet possess consciousness, individuality, growth, and self-awareness.
• Immortality and destruction: Artifacts are “immortal” in the sense that they do not age like humans, but they can still be damaged or destroyed.
• Hidden origins: The unexplained birth of Liu Li and the concealed birthplace of Mother Body Lucy suggest that the world’s history—and perhaps the nature of the Artifacts—is far more mysterious than the characters understand.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan encourages Elorie and challenges her pessimism about the future.
• He interrogates Liu Li about her relationship with Lucy, her Artifact nature, and the origins of Artifacts.
• Liu Li and Chen Xuan debate the meaning of her agreement and whether entering Vault Nine constituted theft or protection.
• Lin Qing jokes about taking Artifacts before the explosion and eagerly accepts N959 for research.
• Liu Li’s explanations deepen Chen Xuan and Lin Qing’s understanding of Artifacts while prompting Lin Qing’s final suspicion that Lucy’s birthplace may have been artificially created.

Plot points and events

• To avoid arousing his family’s suspicions, Chen Xuan uses the day’s recall slots on himself and Lin Qing. Elorie returns to Paris with Liu Li, whose new identity papers are quickly supplied by the Angel Alliance. The organization is eager to monitor N21, so Elorie’s request suits its interests.
• Back home, Chen Xuan finds his class group buzzing over a photo of him with Su Xingwan. The image has fueled online rumors that he caused her departure from OneHit. He learns that Su has announced she is leaving the band, but concludes that her decision stems from her own painful experiences there—not from him.
• Su confirms she wants to leave music and study medicine, hoping eventually to work with Gu Zhaoning’s family company. She also asks Chen to guide her in the future.
• Lin Qing suddenly reports that N959 can communicate through oscillation frequencies. It describes its main function as repairing anything with circuitry, though it must be connected to other repair equipment.
• Chen and Lin Qing connect N959’s ability to the Atom and Electron repair shop in Second New Paris, which was built on an Artifact’s foundations. They wonder how an Artifact from the Temple Treasury could have ended up serving the city if the Devils had looted it.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen remains detached from the gossip and refuses to explain himself publicly. He responds briefly to Su’s apology and gently redirects their conversation.
• Su appears newly hopeful after recovering from her illness. She chooses a fresh path and speaks warmly of asking Chen for help.
• Lin Qing is excited by her discovery and teases Chen about the prospect of Su and Gu Zhaoning becoming their enemies. She also reflects that the future may change as history is altered.
• Chen and Lin Qing work together to interpret N959’s message and trace its possible connection to the New Paris repair shop.

Significant themes

• Personal renewal: Su’s recovery gives her the freedom to leave a painful career and pursue a different future.
• Rumor versus reality: A misleading photograph turns an ordinary farewell into a public scandal.
• Changing history: Lin Qing suggests that altered events may reshape the choices of people and organizations.
• Artifacts and hidden history: N959’s repair function raises unsettling questions about how looted technology came to benefit the survivors of Second New Paris.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing consider why Angels and Devils stopped appearing after Mother Body Lucy vanished. Lin Qing suspects Devils may have continued to exist unnoticed, since the Angel Alliance—whose records describe the future—had no Angels left to detect them.
• They imagine that Devils could have exploited the lunar disaster and the resulting political upheaval to gain power, perhaps influencing the move underground, the creation of New Paris, and even the Angel Alliance.
• Lin Qing connects this theory to the armed riot at the Louvre Palace: it may have been engineered to target Elorie, the first true Angel to reappear in decades. They plan to investigate New Paris by taking Elorie there.
• The next day, Elorie tells them the Angel Alliance repaid the loan she took against her house. She resents being indebted to them, but Chen Xuan reminds her that her actions during the Temple Treasury incident saved the Alliance far more money than the loan cost.
• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing discuss Liu Li’s future. Liu Li explains that she must drink blood to maintain her Stability Level and avoid losing control. Chen Xuan accepts her nature and asks her to stay, viewing her combat ability as an asset.
• Liu Li warns that N959, the newly activated circuit-board Artifact, also needs to be put to use or it may become unstable. Chen Xuan takes the warning seriously and prepares to travel to future New Paris.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Qing advances a disturbing theory about Devils secretly shaping human society and identifies the Louvre riot as possible evidence.
• Chen Xuan remains wary but practical: he agrees that the theory is worth testing, reassures Elorie about the Alliance’s repayment, and accepts Liu Li despite the danger and burden of her needs.
• Elorie shows pride and independence, preferring to repay her own debt rather than accept the Alliance’s help. Chen Xuan reframes the payment as a small return for what she did for them.
• Liu Li candidly explains her dangerous Artifact nature and offers to leave rather than cause trouble. Chen Xuan’s acceptance surprises her, strengthening their bond.
• Lin Qing and Liu Li briefly discuss the risks of an unstable Artifact, while Liu Li cautions them not to assume N959 is harmless.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and unreliable history: The absence of Angels may have left Devils free to influence events unseen.
• Control and exploitation: If Devils hold political authority, they could harm people through laws and institutions rather than supernatural powers.
• Responsibility and belonging: Chen Xuan chooses to accommodate Liu Li’s nature instead of rejecting her, while Elorie struggles to maintain her independence.
• The danger of unchecked purpose: Artifacts may act on their own when unstable, making their needs and functions impossible to ignore.

Ending

Chen Xuan changes the branch’s address so the group can use the elevator to reach New Paris a hundred years in the future and test Lin Qing’s theory.

Plot points and events

• Chen Xuan, Lin Qing, and Elorie return through the Celestial Ladder to the branch store, expecting to see whether their intervention changed the future. The apartment appears unchanged, and Amy, the guide robot, is missing.
• Outside, they discover a startlingly different world: sunlight and clouds fill the sky, Paris still stands above ground, and residents have never heard of “Second New Paris.” They realize the apocalypse was prevented and history has changed on a vast scale.
• Elorie asks to visit her former home. The site is now a thriving commercial district in a technologically advanced Paris, suggesting humanity continued to develop over the century.
• Lin Qing notices that, unlike the residents of Second New Paris, most people here show no visible prosthetic modifications. She finds this surprising given the city’s apparent technological progress.

Character developments and interactions

• Elorie (also called Angel) moves from anxious hope to overwhelming joy when she learns the future has changed. Seeing her old home replaced initially stirs mixed feelings, but she is relieved that her hometown and humanity prospered.
• Chen Xuan remains practical and lightly humorous, helping confirm their location and urging the group to discuss their discovery somewhere private. He agrees to take Elorie to her home.
• Lin Qing is more analytical: she helps question a passerby, comforts Elorie by pinching her to prove the moment is real, and then spots the discrepancy in residents’ lack of prosthetics.
• The trio share the emotional discovery together, while their brief encounter with a passerby shows how strange their questions seem to ordinary people.

Significant themes

• The possibility of changing the future: Their efforts appear to have prevented catastrophe and saved billions.
• Hope and uncertainty: Elorie’s faith in the Alliance is rewarded, though the group still faces unanswered questions.
• Progress and its costs: The prosperous future appears technologically advanced, yet its people differ markedly from those in the old timeline.
• Identity and continuity: Paris has changed dramatically, while the familiar apartment seems unchanged, raising questions about how the altered timeline works.

Chapter Summary: “Secrets Hidden in History”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan and Elorie discuss how history and technology diverged between timelines. New Paris City’s Artifact-based prosthetics may have resulted from the destruction of the Temple Treasury.
• Elorie decides to remain in the altered future rather than return to Old Paris. She wants to investigate what caused the timeline to change and how to prevent the original catastrophe from recurring.
• Chen Xuan warns Elorie not to contact the Angel Alliance, since Devils may still exist and could eventually infiltrate or control the organization. Elorie agrees to investigate independently.
• Chen Xuan reminds Elorie that she can summon him or access the Ability Store through a wish or request for after-sales service.
• Back at the store, Lin Qing and Chen Xuan examine the remaining mysteries:
  • Why did the Ability Store’s branch stores survive the timeline changes?
  • Why did the Moon Ancient Insects become inactive?
• Lin Qing’s online research reveals that public beliefs about Angels and Devils are nearly identical across both timelines, suggesting that information may have been deliberately controlled. However, there are no reliable public records about the Moon Ancient Insects or their prophecy.
• They identify the major known changes caused by their actions: the Devils attacking the Sanctum were destroyed, the Temple Treasury was not completely annihilated, and N21 and N959 ended up in their possession.
• Lin Qing’s AI simulations fail because the available information is too incomplete and requires speculation.
• Chen Xuan proposes that the Devils may have secretly removed Mother Body Lucy from the Temple Treasury before detonating the nuclear bomb. This would mean the explosion destroyed an empty Sanctum while Lucy was taken elsewhere.
• Lin Qing develops a new theory: Mother Body Lucy and the Moon Ancient Insect may both have required nourishment to grow. The Devils may have stolen Lucy—possibly designated N5—not for its own sake, but to feed it to the Moon Ancient Insect.
• Under this theory, the Temple Treasury attack was a diversion. Destroying Mother Body Lucy prevented the Moon Insect from reaching the strength necessary to launch crystals at Earth, thereby averting humanity’s destruction.

Character Developments

• Elorie demonstrates a stronger sense of purpose and independence. Rather than simply returning home after achieving her original goal, she chooses to study the altered timeline and investigate its hidden causes.
• Chen Xuan remains practical and unconcerned with minor technological differences, but he contributes an important imaginative theory about Mother Body Lucy’s connection to the Moon Ancient Insects.
• Lin Qing proves resourceful and analytical, using the internet and Little Green’s simulations to investigate the altered future. When the AI fails, she shifts from data analysis to biological speculation and recognizes the possible connection between the two anomalies.
• Elorie and Chen Xuan develop a trusting relationship, with Chen Xuan warning her about potential dangers and ensuring she can contact the Ability Store if necessary.
• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing work collaboratively, challenging and refining each other’s theories.

Significant Themes

• The instability and hidden structure of history: Small changes—such as the survival of artifacts, the destruction of Devils, or the possession of N21 and N959—may produce enormous differences in the future.
• Uncertainty and incomplete knowledge: Official records, online information, and simulations cannot fully explain events, forcing the characters to rely on deduction and imagination.
• Manipulation of information: Similar public beliefs in different timelines suggest that powerful organizations may have shaped historical narratives.
• The danger of misinterpreting protectors and threats: The Angels’ effort to safeguard Mother Body Lucy and other Artifacts may have unknowingly protected the source of humanity’s destruction.
• Interdependence among seemingly separate catastrophes: The chapter suggests that Mother Body Lucy and the Moon Ancient Insect were not independent threats, but parts of a larger biological or ecological process.
• Consequences of altered timelines: Preventing one disaster does not eliminate all mysteries; it creates a new history whose dangers remain unknown.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan advises Elorie about the risks of contacting the Angel Alliance, while Elorie explains her desire to investigate the changed world.
• Elorie thanks Chen Xuan for saving humanity, and he reassures her that she can still access the Ability Store.
• Lin Qing questions Chen Xuan about the unexplained aspects of the timeline, encouraging him to think beyond simple assumptions.
• Their discussion evolves from uncertainty about the Moon Ancient Insects to Chen Xuan’s speculative theory about Mother Body Lucy. Lin Qing then expands the idea into the more convincing hypothesis that Lucy was intended as food for the Moon Insect.
• The chapter ends with both characters recognizing that the destruction of Mother Body Lucy may have interrupted the Moon Insect’s growth and prevented the original apocalypse.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing conclude that the Devils likely sent Mother Body Lucy to the moon through wealth and control of human society rather than supernatural power. By establishing a private aerospace company after lunar-development technology matured, they could secretly transport Lucy into space.
• This theory explains why the current world diverged from the previous timeline: destroying the Devils altered history and prevented N5 from becoming a threat. The Ancient Insect on the moon may therefore no longer pose any danger, unless the Angel Alliance possesses other Mother Bodies.
• Chen Xuan remains curious about the Ancient Insect’s nature, wondering whether it is an Artifact and whether it is connected to the Forbidden ability Coin Toss or to the broader relationship between seemingly separate worlds.
• He remembers that one requirement for promotion is saving a world close to destruction. Since Elorie’s world appears to have survived its apocalypse, he submits another self-written application to the Ability Store, though no confirmation appears.
• Chen receives his November and December salaries. November’s unusually high pay includes a 6,000-yuan chaos performance bonus, apparently rewarding his work leading Eastern Cultivators against demons in Europe. His finances recover, though his main wealth comes from selling medicine and arms-dealer shares.
• Despite achieving financial freedom, Chen realizes he does not want to retire. He enjoys the danger, novelty, and adventure of being a shopkeeper.
• Chen experiments with his new Dream Master ability. It only works after falling asleep and requires him to plan the desired dream beforehand. It succeeds roughly half the time, but when activated, it allows him to remain fully conscious inside an extraordinarily realistic dream.
• Within dreams, Chen can use abilities such as the Divine Eye Method and Thousand Thoughts Sword without feeling tired afterward. He recreates Jiangcheng and the Ability Store, including highly realistic versions of its employees.
• Chen briefly considers using the dream world to indulge darker impulses, but stops himself, fearing that crossing such a moral boundary could damage his self-control.
• He discovers that he can invite other people into his dreams if they are asleep in the same room, without needing the Smoke-Soul Pillar. Lin Qing tests the ability and experiences the dream as if she had simply opened her eyes inside the Ability Store.
• Lin Qing compares Dream Master to an advanced, freer form of Dream Simulation. She warns Chen about the dangers of illegal Dream Simulations, which can blur reality, destroy people’s willpower, and lead to criminal or inhuman behavior.
• She identifies many practical uses for Dream Master: gathering intelligence, training, testing weapons and abilities, rehearsing dangerous situations, and coordinating multiple people in simulated environments.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan becomes more confident in his interpretation of the altered timeline and feels relieved that eliminating the Devils may have prevented a major future disaster.
• His curiosity about Artifacts, Forbidden abilities, and the interconnectedness of different worlds deepens.
• Financial success changes his understanding of himself: rather than wanting a quiet life, he discovers that adventure and exploration are what he genuinely enjoys.
• Chen also shows moral restraint by refusing to exploit the dream world for inappropriate or destructive fantasies.
• Lin Qing continues to serve as Chen’s rational and ethically grounded adviser. She helps analyze the lunar mystery, tests Dream Master, and firmly warns him about its psychological dangers.
• Elorie remains connected to Chen’s promotion goals, as he considers her world an example of one potentially saved from destruction.

Significant Themes

• Control of history and alternate timelines: Wealth, technology, and human institutions can reshape the future as effectively as supernatural powers.
• The moral dangers of unlimited power: Dream Master gives Chen near-creator-level authority, but his decision not to abuse it emphasizes the importance of restraint.
• Reality versus illusion: The dream world is so accurate that it can reproduce people, places, and sensations almost perfectly, raising questions about identity and the boundary between genuine experience and simulation.
• Growth through adventure: Material wealth does not satisfy Chen as much as meaningful challenges and unfamiliar experiences.
• Technology and supernatural abilities converging: Dream Master resembles advanced Dream Simulation, suggesting that abilities and technological systems may share deeper principles.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Lin Qing collaborate closely in investigating Lucy, the Ancient Insect, and the changed world timeline.
• Lin Qing enters Chen’s dream and evaluates its similarity to Dream Simulation.
• She becomes suspicious that Chen might have used the dream world inappropriately with Liu Shuyue or others, prompting a serious ethical warning.
• Liu Shuyue’s dream recreation behaves almost exactly like the real person, including her sharp perception, reinforcing how convincingly Dream Master reproduces consciousness and personality.

Chapter Summary: “New Year”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan challenges Lin Qing to repeated close-quarters duels in Dream Simulation to test his combat ability.
• Despite using the Divine Eye Method to predict movements, Chen Xuan is consistently outmatched. Lin Qing’s military prosthetics, combat experience, and weaponized limbs make her resemble a fast, heavily armored tank.
• Chen realizes that his only chance against her is to avoid close combat and use Fission and Fusion from a distance. If she gets near him, his chances of survival are nearly zero.
• After being killed and revived several times, Chen Xuan stops the training. Lin Qing explains that Dream Simulation can greatly improve combat instincts but may cause mental damage if death is experienced too frequently.
• Chen experiments with other simulated opponents, including Xuan of the Azure Dragon. He discovers that certain dream characters can only appear in specific settings and that the number of clones required for Fission does not directly correspond to an opponent’s overall strength.
• On New Year’s Eve, Chen invites Liu Shuyue to celebrate with his parents and Lin Qing. Liu’s overly formal behavior forces Chen to quickly invent a cover story about her parents being abroad.
• The group spends the day playing mahjong, an old Famicom game, and watching the Spring Festival Gala together.
• On the first day of the new year, Lin Qing shows Chen a post from Jiang Siqi announcing her return to Jiangcheng. Chen immediately worries about whether the Dimensional Limit Organization’s task force has noticed the changes to the future and the New Paris world.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Gains a clearer understanding of his combat limitations and develops stronger predictive instincts through repeated simulated battles. He also shows increasing concern for the people around him and values the warmth of celebrating the New Year with friends and family.
• Lin Qing: Reveals herself to be an exceptionally experienced and dangerous soldier, even while partially disabled. She acts as Chen’s combat instructor, explains the risks of Dream Simulation, and demonstrates growing comfort within his family environment.
• Liu Shuyue: Shows sincere gratitude and respect toward Chen Xuan’s parents, though her formal manners make her seem unusual. She quickly adapts when Chen provides her with a false background and visibly enjoys participating in ordinary family festivities.
• Chen Xuan’s parents: Remain welcoming and affectionate, though Chen’s father becomes suspicious about why his son has so many beautiful female friends. His mother, however, is pleased that Chen is socially active and might find a romantic partner.
• Jiang Siqi: Does not appear directly but becomes important through her sudden return to Jiangcheng, raising questions about the altered timeline.

Significant Themes

• Combat growth through repeated failure: Chen improves not by overpowering Lin Qing but by repeatedly confronting death and analyzing his weaknesses.
• The limits of technology versus natural ability: Lin Qing’s prosthetics give her overwhelming physical advantages, while Chen relies on perception, technique, and supernatural abilities.
• The dangers of artificial experience: Dream Simulation can accelerate learning, but excessive exposure to simulated death threatens the user’s sanity.
• Family, companionship, and belonging: The New Year gathering gives Liu Shuyue and Lin Qing a temporary sense of home while allowing Chen to experience a lively holiday after a long period of isolation.
• Uncertainty caused by altered timelines: Jiang Siqi’s return suggests that changes to the future may be affecting people and organizations connected to the New Paris world.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Lin Qing develop a mentor-like relationship through their duels, with Lin Qing praising his unusual skill while candidly emphasizing how dangerous she remains.
• Chen invites Liu Shuyue into his family circle, and Lin Qing helps her feel welcome by drawing her into the conversation.
• Liu’s respectful introduction contrasts humorously with the Chen family’s casual atmosphere.
• Chen’s parents warmly accept Liu, while privately speculating about Chen’s mysterious work and relationships.
• The friendly games and shared television viewing bring the group together, creating an unusually peaceful and communal New Year celebration.
• The chapter ends with Chen and Lin Qing shifting from holiday relaxation back to the larger mystery surrounding Jiang Siqi and the altered future.

Chapter Summary: “Predestined Fate”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Qing and Chen Xuan contact Jiang Siqi, who has been stranded in the alternate New Paris world since the Five-Ring Industrial Park incident.
• Public controversy over the incident continues despite compensation from the Dimensional Limit Organization. People debate whether the disaster was natural or man-made and whether interdimensional threats can truly be controlled.
• Jiang Siqi explains that her team entered another world through an Erosion Zone. This world also contains a technologically advanced Jiangcheng, but unlike their own future, it is an aboveground city with no apparent knowledge of an impending apocalypse.
• Chen Xuan realizes that the alternate world may represent a drastically changed timeline. Its inhabitants seem unaware of the catastrophe that shaped his own world, suggesting that only those who altered the future may remember the original course of events.
• During the call, Lin Qing detects that the communication channel has been breached by an advanced hacker. She cuts the connection before their location can be exposed.
• Chen Xuan concludes that the Dimensional Limit Organization in the alternate world must possess highly advanced surveillance and technological capabilities.
• Meanwhile, Jiang Siqi is summoned by Chief Captain Xiao Kanong. He gives her a substantial New Year’s red envelope and praises her work, but subtly warns her not to reveal information about other worlds or the organization’s abilities.
• Xiao and Wang Qianduan infer that Jiang Siqi has been contacted by outsiders investigating or targeting the organization. They decide not to confiscate her phone, hoping she will unknowingly lead them to the real conspirators.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan becomes increasingly disturbed by the possibility that time has been altered and that most people cannot remember previous versions of reality. His thoughts about fate and causality deepen the chapter’s sense of unease.
• Lin Qing demonstrates exceptional technical skill by identifying the breach immediately and protecting their location, though she is unsettled that someone managed to penetrate her security systems.
• Jiang Siqi is shown as loyal but inexperienced. She enjoys her newly acquired abilities and fears losing them, making her especially eager to retain her position. Her ordinary concern over job security convinces Xiao that she is not a mastermind.
• Xiao Kanong appears friendly and supportive, but his warmth masks sharp suspicion and strategic calculation. Rather than punish Jiang Siqi, he chooses to use her as bait.
• Wang Qianduan accurately interprets Jiang Siqi’s behavior and recognizes that she has been drawn into a larger plot without understanding it.

Significant Themes

• Fate and altered timelines: The chapter explores whether people are bound to accept whatever future results from temporal changes, with only the agents of change retaining awareness of the original timeline.
• Secrecy and information control: Both sides conceal knowledge of alternate worlds, while surveillance and hacking become tools in a hidden conflict.
• Technological advancement and threat: The alternate world’s intact civilization and superior tracking capabilities suggest that technological progress may be more dangerous than physical destruction.
• Individual agency versus larger forces: Jiang Siqi believes she is merely carrying out her duties, yet her actions may connect powerful organizations and expose hidden enemies.
• Trust and manipulation: Friendly conversations, rewards, and apparent concern are used strategically. Xiao’s kindness toward Jiang Siqi is partly intended to keep her useful as an unwitting informant.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing work together to investigate Jiang Siqi’s disappearance and the nature of the alternate world. Their cooperation emphasizes mutual trust and complementary abilities.
• Chen Xuan and Jiang Siqi interact through a tense but controlled call. He questions her carefully, while she anxiously tries to reassure him that she has not neglected her duties.
• Jiang Siqi and Xiao Kanong share a seemingly warm superior-subordinate exchange, but his questions reveal that he suspects she has communicated with outsiders.
• Xiao Kanong and Wang Qianduan privately analyze Jiang Siqi’s behavior. They agree she is not the mastermind and decide to exploit her connection to the unknown investigators rather than confront her directly.

Chapter Summary: “Ascension Plan”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Qianduan accuses Jiang Siqi of betraying the Dimensional Limit Organization by giving information to outsiders. Xiao Kanong dismisses the accusation, explaining that the Organization has become more like a company and that Jiang did not knowingly assist its enemies. He decides she does not need punishment.
• Xiao Kanong receives a collection of police photographs documenting the Erosion site at Five-Ring Machinery Park. While reviewing them, he notices inconsistencies between the records and his memories.
• The photographs show emergency preparations involving biochemical and nuclear protective equipment, as well as a worker who entered the Erosion area, mutated, and was killed. However, Xiao Kanong remembers the operation as taking place in a safe world of rapeseed fields, where no protective suits were needed and the team operated normally.
• Xiao realizes there is an unexplained gap between the documented sequence of events and his recollection. The evidence supports one history, while his memories and video records support another.
• He reports the anomaly to headquarters. Doctor Jiang Yiheng contacts him and identifies the phenomenon as a Historical Reset, which occurs especially often in fragile “End-Branch Worlds.”
• Jiang explains that a Historical Reset is not simply a change to the future. Instead, the past and future are reshaped together when a historical node produces enough fluctuation to create a new branch. People within the affected world are usually rewritten along with the history, making the reset almost impossible to detect.
• Xiao learns that there is no conventional time paradox because all causes and effects are reconstructed as part of the same branch. He also questions whether a person remains the same after their body and memories are reshaped.
• Although Xiao is disturbed by the lack of control, he recognizes that the reset has produced a safer and more valuable world—one the Organization can exploit for development.
• Jiang explains that worlds near destruction are more susceptible to resets, and that destruction is the usual fate of civilizations. Avoiding this fate requires the Organization’s ultimate objective: the Ascension Plan.

Character Developments

• Xiao Kanong shows his pragmatic leadership by defending Jiang Siqi rather than enforcing strict loyalty standards. He values practical judgment over rigid ideology.
• His confidence is shaken when he discovers that his memories may have been altered. He becomes anxious about identity, free will, and whether he can trust his own experience.
• Despite his unease, Xiao quickly adapts and focuses on how the Organization can benefit from the reset. This reflects his ability to turn disturbing discoveries into strategic opportunities.
• Wang Qianduan accepts Xiao’s decision without further argument, acknowledging that Xiao is more capable of reasoning through the issue.
• Jiang Yiheng is presented as an intellectually formidable researcher whose theories help explain the anomaly. His confidence and enthusiasm contrast with Xiao’s uncertainty.
• Jiang Siqi is characterized as a competent but ordinary employee rather than a devoted ideological believer, highlighting the changing nature of the Organization.

Significant Themes

• Memory and identity: The chapter questions whether a person remains the same when their memories and history are rewritten.
• Reality and historical truth: Conflicting photographs, videos, and memories suggest that objective history may be unstable.
• Free will versus fate: Xiao is troubled by the possibility that individuals are powerless against large-scale historical forces.
• Adaptation and pragmatism: Rather than resisting an irreversible reset, the Organization seeks to exploit the resulting world.
• Civilizational decline: End-Branch Worlds are portrayed as fragile, temporary realities moving toward destruction.
• Evolution and transcendence: The Ascension Plan represents humanity’s attempt to escape the normal cycle of decline and extinction.

Character Interactions

• Wang Qianduan challenges Xiao’s leniency toward Jiang Siqi, but Xiao persuades him that punishment would be inappropriate.
• Xiao interacts warmly with Xiao Jiu, giving her a New Year red envelope before sending her and Wang back to work.
• Xiao’s private investigation contrasts with his public composure, revealing the seriousness of his concerns.
• During the call, Jiang Yiheng patiently explains Historical Resets and reassures Xiao that his experience supports ongoing research.
• Their conversation shifts from scientific theory to existential questions about identity, fate, and the Organization’s ultimate mission, ending with the revelation of the Ascension Plan.

Chapter Summary: “Memory’s Blind Spot”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After speaking with Doctor Jiang, Xiao Kanong examines photographs from the Wuhuan Machinery Factory Erosion incident. He suspects the Flesh Butcher and White-Clad Immortal deliberately appeared there and may be connected to the Historical Reset, Erosion Points, or a larger plan to destroy the world.
• Xiao realizes that the Dimensional Limit Organization is being observed from within and outside by enemies who possess unusually extensive knowledge of abilities, mutations, and Erosion Points.
• While studying a photograph of the Honglian Team, Xiao notices an unexplained gap in his memory. The image reminds him of Elorie, a missing newcomer who had originally joined the team.
• He concludes that the Historical Reset did more than alter events: it rewrote people’s memories to fit the new timeline. Everyone had forgotten Elorie and their expedition into a dangerous alternate world, yet they could remember her again if her name were mentioned.
• Xiao also recognizes that Elorie’s disappearance and the organization’s search for her had been erased from his memories. He becomes increasingly aware of how frightening and thorough the Historical Reset is.
• Because travel through Erosion Points is strictly limited to prevent their expansion, agents cannot repeatedly cross between worlds to preserve their memories. Xiao decides to personally visit Erosion Point A12 at the Wuhuan Machinery Factory, despite its recovery period, hoping to investigate Elorie and related mysteries.
• In Paris, Elorie has spent nearly a week researching history in the National Library. She is searching for information that might help her alter the future without drawing attention.
• Her research reveals that the Angel Alliance eventually disappeared after its last Angel died. Its assets were divided among governments, and humanity entered a stable “Angel-less” era.
• Elorie is less concerned about the alliance’s dissolution than about the fate of its Artifacts. Public records no longer mention the Artifacts or their vaults, but she discovers that companies connected to the alliance’s liquidation inherited its people and industries. One such company is Paris’s Night Moon Group.

Character Developments

• Xiao Kanong becomes more proactive and determined. Rather than remaining an observer, he resolves to exploit the altered circumstances and investigate the Erosion Point himself.
• He gains a deeper understanding of the Historical Reset, realizing that it can fabricate coherent replacement memories rather than merely erase isolated events.
• Elorie demonstrates caution and patience by following Chen Xuan’s advice and conducting quiet historical research instead of acting impulsively. Her priorities have also shifted: she no longer feels emotionally attached to the fallen Angel Alliance and focuses instead on locating its lost Artifacts.
• Elorie’s importance to the Dimensional Limit Organization becomes clearer, especially because her disappearance was erased from collective memory and because she may possess knowledge connected to Angels, Devils, and the future.

Significant Themes

• The fragility and manipulability of memory: The Historical Reset can reshape personal and collective recollections, creating a seamless false history while leaving hidden gaps.
• Surveillance and mistrust: Xiao realizes that the organization is no longer the only group observing events; unknown adversaries are monitoring it from within and outside.
• History as a weapon: Both Xiao and Elorie investigate the past to understand or influence the future, showing how historical records can conceal crucial truths.
• Institutional decline and legacy: The Angel Alliance has vanished, but its Artifacts, wealth, and influence may survive through successor companies.
• Adapting to changed realities: Xiao chooses to take advantage of the new situation, while Elorie carefully gathers information in a world whose history no longer matches her memories.

Character Interactions

• Xiao’s conversation with Doctor Jiang influences his decision to accept the changes caused by the Historical Reset and seek practical benefits from them.
• Xiao orders the logistics team to prepare transportation to A12. Though an employee questions the danger of entering an Erosion Point during recovery, Xiao asserts his authority and insists on immediate compliance.
• Elorie follows Chen Xuan’s warning not to act rashly, adopting a methodical research strategy.
• The chapter also emphasizes the absent or altered relationships between Xiao and the Honglian Team: none of them consciously remembered Elorie until Xiao rediscovered her through the photograph.

Chapter Summary: “May Your Soul Find Peace”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Elorie investigates the Angel Alliance’s administrative and corporate networks, realizing that its ordinary human-run companies could provide ideal access points for Devil infiltration.
• She downloads important records and plans to investigate every company connected to the Alliance after returning.
• Honglian contacts Elorie through WeChat, asking where she has gone and urging her to return to the Dimensional Limit Organization.
• Elorie confirms she is safe but refuses to reveal her location or return. Although she values Honglian and remembers her former teammates fondly, she chooses to trust the shopkeeper and remain aligned with the Ability Store.
• After leaving the library late at night, Elorie is ambushed in the streets of Paris by heavily armed attackers. Their bullets appear capable of tracking her movements.
• She destroys the first attacking vehicle with her wind ability, but is quickly surrounded by professional combatants. She hides the storage card containing her research before attempting to escape by flying.
• A man with black flesh wings intercepts her in midair, slams her to the ground, and leaves her unable to fight. Elorie is shot at point-blank range and apparently killed.
• Afterward, the winged man retrieves her storage card and reports that the operation was successful. He reveals that the attack was arranged through company enforcers at the request of a politically ambitious figure.
• The attacker disguises the murder as an ordinary shooting and robbery by scattering money around the body and changing into a police superintendent’s uniform. The arriving officers recognize and obey him, suggesting deep institutional corruption.

Character Developments

• Elorie: Becomes more cautious and politically aware after witnessing the future. She recognizes that Devils may infiltrate through legitimate organizations and begins investigating the Angel Alliance’s corporate infrastructure. Despite her dangerous circumstances, she maintains composure and dignity, refusing to appear weak even when mortally wounded. Her final thoughts turn to the shopkeeper, emphasizing her loyalty and dependence on him.
• Honglian: Appears concerned and responsible, actively searching for Elorie and attempting to bring her back to the Dimensional Limit Organization. Her urgent messages demonstrate genuine care, though Elorie ultimately rejects further contact.
• The winged attacker: Is revealed as a highly informed and ruthless operative. He had been monitoring Elorie in advance, knew about her connection to the past and Mother of Flesh, and successfully manipulated both hired killers and the police response.
• The unnamed political figure: Shows how powerful individuals can use violence and official institutions to eliminate threats while protecting their public image and career.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and infiltration: The chapter emphasizes that threats do not always attack openly; Devils and their allies can exploit companies, bureaucracy, politics, and law enforcement.
• Isolation and mistrust: Elorie must cut ties with people she respects because of conflicting loyalties and the danger surrounding the Ability Store.
• The fragility of the future: Elorie worries that the restored Paris she sees may be temporary, reflecting uncertainty about whether the rewritten apocalypse can truly be prevented.
• Institutional decay: The attackers’ ability to disguise murder as a routine crime, aided by a police superintendent, reveals how deeply corruption has penetrated society.
• Dignity in the face of death: Even while badly wounded and unable to escape, Elorie refuses to show fear or weakness.
• Hidden identities and manipulation: The attacker’s ability to transform into a police official reinforces the chapter’s focus on deception and concealed power.

Character Interactions

• Elorie and Honglian: Their brief exchange is emotionally significant. Honglian expresses concern and asks Elorie to return, while Elorie politely but firmly ends their relationship with the organization.
• Elorie and the attackers: Elorie uses her wind powers and tactical instincts to resist the ambush, hide the storage card, and attempt an aerial escape. The attackers respond with coordinated military force and specialized abilities.
• The winged attacker and his employer: Their phone conversation reveals a criminal partnership involving surveillance, hired enforcers, political ambition, and a planned cover-up.
• The winged attacker and the police: After changing into a superintendent’s uniform, he is immediately accepted and obeyed by the officers, demonstrating his authority and the ease with which the crime can be concealed.

Chapter Summary: “Life Hanging by a Thread”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan returns to Jiangcheng immediately after the New Year holiday, determined to establish a secure method of contacting Jiang Siqi.
• He, Lin Qing, and Liu Shuyue discuss several communication options. They settle on Liu Shuyue’s talisman messenger, a paper bird that can fly to its recipient and self-destruct without leaving evidence.
• Lin Qing proposes secretly installing advanced hacking hardware in Jiang Siqi’s phone. Chen Xuan worries that openly tampering with her phone could damage her fragile cooperation, but Lin Qing claims she can do it unnoticed.
• Before they can act, the Ability Store receives a customer call. Its entrance opens into what appears to be a French hospital ward.
• Chen Xuan overhears police discussing an unidentified young woman who was apparently murdered during a robbery. He discovers that the victim is Elorie, the young Angel and former customer.
• Elorie appears unmistakably dead: she has multiple gunshot wounds, a fatal bullet wound in her forehead, heavy blood loss, and no pulse.
• Realizing that hospital personnel are about to enter, Chen Xuan rapidly removes Elorie’s medical equipment and pushes her hospital bed into the Ability Store, closing the shutter just in time.
• Although Lin Qing confirms that Elorie has no pulse, Chen Xuan uses the Scanner Gun and discovers that Elorie’s name remains in the customer directory. Unlike Gilles de Rais, whose name disappeared after death, Elorie’s continued listing indicates that she is not truly dead—or that her life is still somehow recoverable.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates increasing caution and responsibility. He is careful not to jeopardize Jiang Siqi’s trust, yet he acts decisively and courageously when Elorie’s life is at stake.
• His emotional attachment to Elorie becomes clear through his shock and refusal to accept her apparent death.
• Lin Qing continues to serve as the technically minded strategist, offering practical solutions for secure communication and phone surveillance. She also reacts quickly to Elorie’s condition and checks for signs of life.
• Liu Shuyue contributes magical expertise by explaining the talisman messenger and remains capable of seamlessly acting as the store clerk.
• Elorie, though physically incapacitated and apparently dead, remains crucial to the story because her continued presence in the customer directory suggests an unexplained connection between life, death, and the Ability Store.

Significant Themes

• Life and death are uncertain: Elorie’s body appears undeniably dead, but the Ability Store’s records imply that physical death does not necessarily equal true death.
• Trust and secrecy: The discussion about contacting Jiang Siqi highlights the difficulty of cooperating with someone who is neither fully an ally nor an ordinary customer.
• Technology versus magic: The group contrasts encrypted hacking hardware with talisman communication, showing the story’s blend of modern surveillance technology and supernatural methods.
• The Ability Store’s mysterious rules: The store responds to Elorie’s call despite her apparent death, suggesting that its customer system recognizes a deeper condition than ordinary biological life.
• Urgency and intervention: Chen Xuan’s rescue of Elorie emphasizes the characters’ willingness to interfere directly with events and challenge what appears to be inevitable.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan, Lin Qing, and Liu Shuyue collaborate on a plan to contact Jiang Siqi, balancing magical communication, electronic security, and concerns about trust.
• Chen Xuan questions Lin Qing’s plan to modify Jiang Siqi’s phone, revealing his awareness of the delicate relationship between them.
• When Elorie is discovered, Chen Xuan acts without explanation, forcing Lin Qing and Liu Shuyue to respond to the emergency.
• Lin Qing’s examination of Elorie initially confirms Chen Xuan’s fears, but Chen Xuan’s Scanner Gun provides the crucial evidence that Elorie may still be saved.

Chapter Summary: “Not Yet Extinguished”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan discovers that Elorie has suffered multiple gunshot wounds and appears dead, but her name remains listed in the Ability Store. Since the record of the deceased Gilles de Rais disappeared after his death, Chen concludes that Elorie may still be alive.
• Blood Orange fails to heal Elorie because her body has lost most of its ability to recover. Liu Shuyue admits that only legendary Immortal Pills might be powerful enough to restore her.
• Chen contacts Sun Suigong, head of the Northern Heaven Institute, for help. Sun offers a newly developed medical device called the Life Sea, created with Dingsheng Pharmaceuticals.
• Elorie is placed in a tank filled with nutrient fluid that can supply oxygen and nutrients, support damaged cells, and sustain someone whose heart and lungs have stopped functioning.
• Although Elorie initially shows no signs of life, the Life Sea detects weak brain signals. Sun explains that the irregular signals indicate unconscious neural activity rather than consciousness, suggesting a vegetative state.
• After a week, Elorie’s nerves begin responding, her heart resumes a weak beat, and her wounds start healing. However, she remains unconscious because the bullet wound through her forehead has severely damaged her brain, and brain tissue cannot regenerate like skin or certain organs.
• Chen realizes that Elorie’s survival is largely due to the Living Dead ability he previously sold her. The ability dramatically reduces the body’s dependence on oxygen, blood pressure, body temperature, and other necessities, allowing her to remain alive despite otherwise fatal injuries.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan becomes increasingly determined to save Elorie, refusing to accept her apparent death and exhausting every possible resource. His confidence gradually gives way to uncertainty as medical evidence suggests she may never regain consciousness.
• Liu Shuyue continues to support Chen and demonstrates both her cultivation abilities and practical knowledge, helping transport Elorie to the institute.
• Sun Suigong is established as a scientist and medical innovator as well as a cultivator. His work combines traditional Medicine Sect knowledge with advanced technology.
• Elorie is revealed to possess extraordinary resilience. Her survival is not simply due to physical toughness, but to the interaction between her Angel physiology and the Living Dead ability.
• Lin Qing initially struggles to believe Elorie could still be alive, but accepts Chen’s explanation and assists in the rescue effort.

Significant Themes

• The boundary between life and death: Elorie is neither conventionally alive nor truly dead, challenging the characters’ understanding of mortality.
• Science and cultivation working together: The Life Sea combines advanced medical technology with Blood Orange and traditional healing knowledge.
• Limits of healing: The chapter distinguishes between repairing bodily damage and restoring lost biological functions. While Elorie’s wounds can heal, her destroyed brain tissue cannot regenerate.
• Hope versus realism: Chen continues to hope for Elorie’s recovery, while Sun emphasizes that medicine cannot resurrect the dead or restore consciousness when the brain is irreparably damaged.
• The consequences of abilities: Living Dead proves both powerful and limited. It delays death but cannot fully overcome catastrophic injury.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Liu discuss the limits of Blood Orange and the legendary Immortal Pills.
• Chen calls Sun Suigong for emergency assistance, and Sun agrees to treat Elorie despite believing she is effectively dead.
• Liu modestly deflects Sun’s praise for her cultivation, while Sun explains the scientific basis of the Life Sea.
• Chen repeatedly questions Sun about Elorie’s condition, seeking reassurance but receiving cautious medical explanations.
• The doctors’ discovery of Elorie’s brainwaves creates a moment of collective shock, though Sun clarifies that the signals indicate a vegetative state rather than awakening.

Chapter Summary: “Trying Every Possible Way”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan asks Lin Qing whether future technology could restore Elorie, whose brain damage has left her comatose. Lin Qing explains that neither prosthetic organs nor memory backups can truly replace a damaged brain or restore the original person.
• With technology ruled out, Chen Xuan considers obtaining an Immortal Pill from the Lotus Cloud Sect, believing the sect founded by Ji Yun and Ji Lian may eventually become the same Lotus Cloud Sect located on Kunlun.
• He plans to ask Ji Yun for a token that could open the sect’s mountain gate and authorize an exchange for the pill. Lin Qing agrees that this could also test whether the two sects are historically connected.
• Lin Qing suggests that Chen Xuan’s Dream Master ability might allow him to communicate with Elorie even while she remains unconscious. She reveals that, before entering his dreams directly, she had already experienced blurry dreams of the Ability Store, suggesting the ability can influence reality or people’s dreams indirectly.
• They theorize that people closely connected to Chen Xuan can appear accurately in his dreams. This may explain why Liu Shuyue appeared in the Ability Store and why Su Xingwan’s dream contained many people who may have been her fans.
• Chen Xuan proposes directly inviting Elorie into the dream, but Lin Qing warns that Elorie’s damaged consciousness might appear confused or deranged, potentially corrupting Chen Xuan’s future dream image of her. They decide it is safer for him to dream beside her without directly pulling her consciousness into the dream.
• Chen Xuan asks Liu Shuyue to approach Ji Yun about obtaining a token, while he and Lin Qing arrange a private sleeping area at the Northern Heaven Institute.
• With Director Sun’s permission, Chen Xuan sleeps beside Elorie’s medical tank while Lin Qing monitors the situation. He concentrates on constructing a familiar setting capable of producing the most accurate version of Elorie.
• He eventually enters a dream and awakens at an old desk, where he sees a photograph of Elorie as a child.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan becomes increasingly determined to save Elorie, pursuing both supernatural and technological possibilities rather than accepting her condition. He also shows caution by accepting Lin Qing’s warning about the dangers of mishandling the Dream Master ability.
• Lin Qing acts as both a scientific adviser and emotional strategist. She explains the limits of medical technology, analyzes Chen Xuan’s ability, and helps design a safer method for contacting Elorie.
• Elorie remains physically alive but unconscious. Her damaged state becomes the central problem of the chapter, while the appearance of her childhood photograph hints that Chen Xuan may be approaching a deeper or more authentic connection with her.
• Liu Shuyue continues to serve as Chen Xuan’s intermediary with Ji Yun and the twins, using her stronger relationship with them to pursue the Lotus Cloud Sect token.
• Director Sun Suigong demonstrates trust in Chen Xuan by permitting unusual treatment arrangements despite not understanding the method.

Significant Themes

• The difference between memory and identity: Digitized memories may imitate or overwrite a person, but Lin Qing argues that they cannot truly preserve the original self because consciousness is tied to the brain.
• Hope and persistence: Chen Xuan refuses to regard Elorie as lost, exploring medicine, sect treasures, and supernatural abilities in succession.
• The limits and consequences of technology and power: Both futuristic science and Dream Master have strict limitations. A seemingly helpful ability could also damage Chen Xuan’s memories or distort Elorie’s identity.
• Connection and familiarity: The accuracy of dream figures appears to depend on personal knowledge and emotional bonds. The closer someone is to Chen Xuan, the more realistically they can appear in his dreams.
• Identity, consciousness, and reality: The chapter questions whether a dream-created person, a copied memory, or an indirectly influenced dream can meaningfully count as the original individual.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing have an analytical but emotionally motivated discussion about Elorie’s condition and possible treatments.
• Lin Qing reveals her unusual prior experience with Chen Xuan’s dreams, deepening his understanding of the Dream Master ability.
• Chen Xuan and Lin Qing jointly reason through the risks of directly contacting Elorie’s damaged consciousness.
• Chen Xuan relies on Liu Shuyue to contact Ji Yun, showing his willingness to delegate when another person has greater influence.
• Chen Xuan negotiates with Director Sun, who ultimately supports his unconventional plan.
• The chapter ends with Chen Xuan entering a dream centered on Elorie’s childhood, suggesting that his attempt at communication may have succeeded in an unexpected form.

Summary: “Meeting in Dreams”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan encounters Liu Li in his dream instead of Elorie. Liu Li is dressed casually, surrounded by empty beer cans, and appears unusually affectionate because she is drunk.
• He learns that Elorie has gone to the supermarket to buy groceries and cook for him, so he decides to wait.
• Liu Li warns that her Stability Level is declining because she has been inactive for too long. Since her nature as an Artifact requires her to be used for combat, she fears losing control.
• Liu Li proposes an unconventional way to stabilize herself and drunkenly pins Chen Xuan to the bed, creating an awkward and suggestive situation.
• Elorie returns unexpectedly and catches them, pulling Liu Li away and explaining that Liu Li’s personality changes drastically when she drinks.
• Through their conversation, Chen Xuan discovers that Elorie and Liu Li have apparently lived together for over seven months in the dream, functioning like sisters.
• The dream’s date is January 26, but the history described suggests that the Temple Treasury fell seven months earlier. This creates a detailed alternate timeline that Chen Xuan did not consciously design.
• Elorie claims that she did travel to the future after the Devil Plan was stopped and that Chen Xuan helped her escape after she was injured.
• Chen Xuan realizes that the Dream Master has accessed and reconstructed Elorie’s memories, making the dream a realistic alternate version of events rather than a simple fantasy.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan becomes increasingly alert and unsettled as the dream behaves with its own logic and contains information he did not knowingly create. He is also embarrassed by Liu Li’s advances and increasingly fascinated by the dream’s connection to real events.
• Liu Li is shown in a dramatically different state from her usual cold, detached personality. Drunkenness makes her affectionate, playful, and provocative, though her concern about losing control reveals her awareness of the danger she poses as an Artifact.
• Elorie appears healthy, domestic, and caring in the dream. She looks after Liu Li, cooks for Chen Xuan, and treats Liu Li like a troublesome younger sister. Her apparent knowledge of future events becomes crucial evidence that the Dream Master is using real memories.
• Liu Li and Elorie’s relationship is revealed as close and familial, shaped by more than half a year of living together.

Significant Themes

• Dreams as reconstructed realities: The dream is not random; it creates a coherent alternate timeline with dates, history, and cause-and-effect relationships.
• Memory and identity: The possibility that the Dream Master is reading Elorie’s memories raises questions about whether the dream reflects her true experiences or merely an artificial imitation.
• Alternate timelines and regret: Chen Xuan witnesses a version of life in which Elorie survived, returned home, and lived peacefully with Liu Li.
• Control versus instability: Liu Li’s need to be used in combat and her fear of losing control highlight the dangers of powerful Artifacts and the burden of containing them.
• Intimacy and domesticity: The dream contrasts the characters’ dangerous real-world circumstances with an unusually peaceful home life filled with ordinary routines, companionship, and family-like interactions.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan questions Liu Li about Elorie and tries to reassure her about her declining Stability Level.
• Liu Li attempts to seduce Chen Xuan as a supposed method of stabilizing herself, but Elorie interrupts them.
• Elorie scolds Liu Li for drinking and apologizes to Chen Xuan, emphasizing their familiar, sister-like dynamic.
• Chen Xuan questions Elorie about their past, and her answers gradually reveal that the dream contains details from her actual memories.
• Elorie’s statement that Chen Xuan saved her in the future confirms to him that the Dream Master has reproduced events and knowledge beyond his conscious imagination.

Summary of “Return to the Scene”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan remains inside Elorie’s dream, which depicts an empty Paris City seemingly belonging only to her. He deliberately follows the dream’s logic and avoids asking questions that might expose its artificial nature.
• Elorie prepares an elaborate dinner for Chen Xuan and Liu Li, revealing how much she values his visit. The meal creates a warm, domestic atmosphere despite the deserted city outside.
• After drinking, Chen Xuan asks Elorie about the attack that previously left her badly injured. She recalls being shot by bullets capable of tracking their target and then being attacked by a powerful devil.
• In the dream’s version of events, Chen Xuan arrives in time to rescue her after she calls his name. This differs from reality, where he reached her too late and she was already being transported on an emergency stretcher.
• Elorie explains that she was likely discovered because she received suspicious WeChat messages from Honglian of the Dimensional Limit Organization shortly before the attack.
• The messages appear ordinary at first, but phrases such as “We’re still looking for you” and “Where are you? We’ve been searching for you for so long” reveal a major inconsistency: Honglian should not remember events erased or altered by the changed timeline.
• Chen Xuan concludes that the person who sent the messages may not have been Honglian—or may have possessed memories from before history was changed.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Becomes increasingly aware of the emotional responsibility he bears toward his customers. Elorie’s dream forces him to confront the gap between the reassuring promises he routinely makes and his actual failure to reach her in time. He realizes the Ability Store must represent more than a business and resolves to protect Elorie, even if changing the future is necessary.
• Elorie: Displays strong affection and trust toward Chen Xuan, preparing a special meal and expressing complete faith in his promise to protect her. Although she minimizes her attack, her memories reveal the severity of the danger she faced.
• Liu Li: Acts as a familiar, teasing companion during the dinner, differing somewhat from the version Chen Xuan knows. Her behavior suggests she has developed a close relationship with Elorie after spending six months with her.
• Honglian: Though absent in person, she becomes central to the mystery. Her messages imply either hidden knowledge, an identity deception, or a connection to memories surviving the timeline alteration.

Significant Themes

• Promises and responsibility: Chen Xuan recognizes that seemingly routine assurances can become a customer’s only source of hope. Elorie genuinely believes in his promise, forcing him to take it more seriously.
• Reality versus constructed memory: The dream alters the attack so Chen Xuan arrives as a hero, suggesting that dreams may reflect emotional truth rather than factual events.
• Timeline changes and residual memories: The suspicious messages raise questions about whether people or organizations can retain memories from erased histories.
• Trust and emotional connection: Elorie’s faith in Chen Xuan contrasts with his previous tendency to view customers according to their usefulness, prompting him to reconsider his relationships with them.
• Hidden enemies: The attack may have been enabled by deliberate tracking or impersonation, suggesting that the devil threat and the Dimensional Limit Organization are connected in ways Chen Xuan does not yet understand.

Character Interactions

• Elorie and Chen Xuan share a warm but emotionally significant dinner, with her hospitality revealing her attachment to him.
• Liu Li lightens the mood by encouraging drinking and teasing Chen Xuan, while also showing her comfort with Elorie.
• Chen Xuan carefully questions Elorie about the attack without disrupting the dream, gradually uncovering details about the gunfire, the devil, and Honglian’s messages.
• Elorie’s sincere belief that Chen Xuan will always rescue her deeply affects him and changes his understanding of their relationship.