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Ch. 261The People They Shouldn't Have Provoked

Chapter Summary: “The People They Shouldn’t Have Provoked”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Xuan determines that Honglian was not responsible for locating and ambushing Elorie. Instead, someone within the Dimensional Limit Organization deliberately used forged communications and historical analysis to sell Elorie out to the Devil.
  • The culprit must be a high-ranking member of the Jiangcheng Branch, narrowing the suspects to the organization’s leadership.
  • After spending time with Elorie inside the Dream Master’s dream, Chen Xuan prepares to leave. Since the dream—and the version of Elorie within it—will eventually disappear, their farewell carries the emotional weight of a permanent goodbye.
  • Chen promises Elorie that he will return at least once a week, hoping that repeated meetings might leave traces in her memories and influence future dreams.
  • Chen awakens after seven hours and tells Lin Qing about the information he obtained from Elorie, including the circumstances of her attack and the Dimensional Limit Organization’s secret cooperation with the Devil.
  • Back at the Ability Store, Chen and Lin Qing discuss the implications of this altered history. The current world differs from the recorded timeline, suggesting that the Dream Master’s influence has changed historical development.
  • Chen decides to retaliate. He identifies Honglian as a possible ally because of her strong moral principles and her eventual historical break with the Dimensional Limit Organization.
  • Lin Qing warns that accusations alone will not convince Honglian to betray the organization, especially while Elorie remains unconscious. Chen argues that they must obtain concrete evidence.
  • Chen plans to travel to future Paris and confront the Devil directly, forcing them to reveal proof of their agreement with the organization. He frames this as both protection of the Ability Store’s customer and a punishment for those who harmed Elorie.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan becomes more emotionally invested in Elorie and accepts responsibility for avenging her. His promise to revisit her dream shows that he values even an artificial or temporary relationship.
  • His role also shifts from passive investigator to active counterattacker. He is determined not merely to expose the conspiracy but to make the Devil and the organization suffer a memorable defeat.
  • Elorie reveals her trust in Chen and her fear of being abandoned. She remains hopeful despite knowing, at least emotionally, that their separation may be permanent.
  • Elorie’s view of Honglian remains positive. She believes Honglian values loyalty and friendship and would not willingly participate in the betrayal.
  • Lin Qing provides a practical and strategic counterpoint to Chen. She recognizes the importance of evidence and estimates that even suspicion could accelerate Honglian’s eventual break with the organization.
  • Honglian does not appear directly, but her history is expanded. She is portrayed as principled, initially loyal to the organization, and eventually driven into rebellion by its corruption and unethical methods.
  • The Devil shifts from a dangerous but separate force into a confirmed enemy because of its alliance with the Dimensional Limit Organization.

Significant Themes

  • Reality, dreams, and emotional truth: Although Elorie exists within a dream, Chen’s feelings and their farewell are genuine. The chapter questions whether something must be physically real to have lasting emotional significance.
  • Betrayal and loyalty: Elorie’s attack reveals that the Dimensional Limit Organization has abandoned its former ideals. Honglian’s potential reaction represents the conflict between loyalty to an institution and loyalty to one’s principles.
  • Altered history: The absence of the Devil and cybernetic technology from historical records indicates that events have diverged from the original timeline, making future outcomes unpredictable.
  • Justice and retaliation: Chen believes protecting customers includes restoring their dignity when they are harmed. His response is driven by both strategic necessity and personal anger.
  • Seeds of resistance: Even limited information can plant doubt and potentially accelerate Honglian’s eventual opposition to the organization.
  • The consequences of provocation: The chapter ends by emphasizing that the Devil and the organization have attacked people powerful enough to retaliate severely.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Xuan and Elorie: They discuss Honglian’s innocence and share an emotional farewell. Elorie asks whether they will meet again, and Chen promises to return regularly.
  • Elorie and Liu Li: Liu Li silently drinks during the farewell, reflecting the sadness and helplessness of the moment without directly intervening.
  • Chen Xuan and Lin Qing: After waking, Chen reports what he learned. Together they analyze the conspiracy, Honglian’s possible response, and the need for evidence before confronting her.
  • Chen Xuan and the Dimensional Limit Organization/Devil: Though they do not meet directly in the chapter, Chen’s decision to travel to future Paris establishes the coming confrontation and declares both groups to be enemies of the Ability Store.
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Ch. 262Invitation

Chapter Summary: “Invitation”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Xuan realizes that modern devils are far stronger than the Angel Alliance’s century-old understanding suggested. They can conceal their distinctive scent and possess formidable physical strength, likely due to technological advances or Artifacts.
  • To confront them, Chen Xuan decides to assemble his strongest allies, including Lin Qing, Liu Shuyue, Mala Village’s hunters, and Liu Li.
  • He visits Liu Li in Elorie’s abandoned home and finds her isolated, still wearing her conical hat and veil. The apartment is perfectly clean and lifeless, emphasizing how completely she has withdrawn.
  • Chen Xuan offers Liu Li a beer and fulfills his earlier promise that her sword will soon “see blood.” However, instead of immediately taking her into battle, he invites her to live at his Ability Store.
  • Liu Li accepts, and Chen Xuan recognizes that her emotional distance is not caused by a lack of human feelings. Rather, she fears that her Artifact nature could destroy the relationships she forms.
  • Chen Xuan investigates the devil who attacked Elorie by using Dream Master. After memorizing the Paris attack site, he recreates Elorie’s nightmare and enters it from her perspective.
  • The dream reveals the attack in detail: the devil and more than a dozen accomplices pursue Elorie, shoot her, and leave her for dead. While examining her body, the attackers are interrupted by police.
  • Chen Xuan hears one officer address “Chief Inspector Andor,” identifying the devil’s likely identity and location. He concludes triumphantly that he has found his target.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan: Becomes more strategic and proactive, preparing for a large-scale confrontation with the devils. He also shows increased emotional awareness, recognizing Liu Li’s loneliness and taking responsibility for having abandoned her.
  • Liu Li: Her guarded personality softens. Although she initially acts detached and complains about the delay in battle, she accepts Chen Xuan’s invitation to join his household, suggesting a growing willingness to trust and connect with others.
  • Elorie: Through the reconstructed nightmare, her vulnerability and resilience become clear. Even after being fatally wounded, her will to survive preserves fragments of the memory.
  • The devils: They are established as a modernized and dangerous force, combining physical power, concealment, firearms, and organized operations.

Significant Themes

  • Changing nature of evil: The devils are no longer merely scheming, fragile enemies; they have adapted to the modern world and become powerful combatants.
  • Loneliness and belonging: Liu Li’s isolation contrasts with Chen Xuan’s invitation to join the livelier Ability Store. The chapter suggests that even beings regarded as Artifacts still require companionship.
  • Trust and emotional responsibility: Chen Xuan acknowledges that he misjudged Liu Li’s needs and attempts to repair that neglect.
  • Memory and truth: Dream Master allows Chen Xuan to reconstruct Elorie’s experience without embellishment, turning trauma and memory into investigative tools.
  • Preparation and retaliation: Rather than rushing into battle, Chen Xuan gathers allies and carefully identifies the enemy, signaling a deliberate campaign against the devils.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Xuan and Liu Li share a teasing conversation over beer, revealing familiarity beneath Liu Li’s usual reserve.
  • Chen Xuan apologizes for leaving Liu Li alone and invites her to stay at the Ability Store, creating a meaningful moment of emotional connection.
  • Liu Li agrees readily, demonstrating that she values Chen Xuan’s acceptance more than she admits.
  • In the dream, the attackers’ interaction with police exposes Chief Inspector Andor’s involvement, giving Chen Xuan the breakthrough he needs.
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Ch. 263Counterattack

Chapter Summary: “Counterattack”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Three days later, Chen Xuan, Lin Qing, and Liu Li launch an assault on Night Moon Group’s headquarters in Paris, targeting Superintendent Andor and the Devils secretly controlling the company.
  • Night Moon Group is revealed to be a powerful technology corporation specializing in machinery, androids, and microelectronics. It formerly sponsored the Angel Alliance and acquired many of its assets after the alliance disbanded.
  • Ji Yun joins the operation after becoming concerned that Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue may be facing serious trouble. His wide-ranging spiritual perception confirms that four Devils, including Andor, are inside the building.
  • Rather than attack Andor at the police station, Chen Xuan chooses to strike the Devils’ headquarters, hoping to expose or eliminate more of the hidden Devil network.
  • At the entrance, Liu Li’s sword triggers the security system, while Lin Qing is identified as carrying explosives. The group immediately attacks, killing the guards and destroying the lobby’s defenses.
  • Lin Qing uses explosives to breach the building through a wall and then takes control of the elevator system.
  • The Hunting Squad, led by Fu Jiaolu and composed of thirty village elites, enters through the breach. Their role is to secure the lobby and prevent reinforcements from entering.
  • The attackers split up: Chen Xuan and Liu Li take the elevator toward the fifty-fifth floor, where Andor is located, while Lin Qing descends underground to infiltrate the main server room and disable the building’s systems.
  • Despite knowing that the building has been attacked, the Devils do not flee. They underestimate the intruders, assuming they are merely ordinary ability users rather than the Angels’ true enemies.
  • The chapter ends as Chen Xuan and Liu Li arrive at the fifty-fifth floor, setting up the direct confrontation with Andor and the Devils.

2. Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan demonstrates strategic thinking and restraint. He recognizes that Andor may only be a subordinate and deliberately attacks Night Moon Group to draw out the larger Devil organization.
  • Liu Li is portrayed as an exceptionally lethal combatant. She responds instantly to the security confrontation and uses invisible threads and sword strikes to devastate the lobby.
  • Lin Qing combines explosives, technical expertise, and hacking ability. She is responsible for breaching the building and attacking its technological infrastructure.
  • Ji Yun becomes a valuable intelligence asset. His advanced cultivation allows him to sense the entire building and identify the Devils hidden among ordinary humans.
  • Fu Jiaolu struggles with anxiety in the unfamiliar Immortal Realm but overcomes it through preparation and leadership. His confidence grows as he leads the Hunting Squad into action.
  • The Devils are characterized as arrogant and complacent. Having ruled openly for years and faced little opposition since the Angels disappeared, they underestimate the attackers and treat them as prey.

3. Significant Themes

  • Counterattack and initiative: Rather than reacting to Devil attacks, Chen Xuan’s group takes the fight directly to their headquarters.
  • Hidden power within society: The Devils have assimilated into human institutions and now operate through influential companies and government connections.
  • Complacency after victory: The Devils’ long period of dominance has made them careless, causing them to misjudge the danger posed by Chen Xuan’s group.
  • Teamwork across worlds: The operation combines Ji Yun’s spiritual sensing, Lin Qing’s technology, Liu Li’s combat ability, Chen Xuan’s strategy, and Fu Jiaolu’s troops.
  • The psychological impact of unfamiliar environments: Fu Jiaolu’s nervousness highlights the contrast between warriors experienced in their own world and the overwhelming technological, urban setting of Paris.
  • Moral ambiguity in combat: Chen Xuan understands that many employees are innocent civilians, yet accepts that they will function as enemies once they defend the Devils’ stronghold.

4. Character Interactions

  • Liu Shuyue and Ji Yun: Ji Yun’s concern for the immortal master leads him to join the mission, showing his loyalty and protective instincts.
  • Chen Xuan and Ji Yun: Chen Xuan quickly recognizes Ji Yun’s usefulness and includes him in the combat team, relying on his supernatural perception for intelligence.
  • Chen Xuan and Liu Li: They advance together toward Andor, forming the primary assault force.
  • Chen Xuan and Lin Qing: Their roles complement each other, with Chen Xuan leading the tactical assault while Lin Qing handles the building’s systems and defenses.
  • Chen Xuan and Fu Jiaolu: Chen Xuan directs the Hunting Squad remotely, while Fu Jiaolu carries out the plan despite his fear.
  • The attackers and the Devils: The attackers view the assault as a calculated strike against a hidden enemy network, while the Devils initially interpret it as an opportunity to hunt vulnerable ability users.
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Ch. 264Advancing in Lockstep

Summary: “Advancing in Lockstep”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Xuan and Liu Li survive an ambush by humanoid robots at the elevator by hiding on top of the elevator car.
  • Chen Xuan cuts the elevator cables and releases the car, creating an opening for Liu Li to escape into the corridor.
  • Liu Li uses Chen Xuan’s Thousand Thoughts Swords as a temporary shield while drawing her weapon, then destroys the robots blocking the corridor with a devastating sword strike.
  • Chen Xuan senses another group approaching: demonic minions created from stolen human souls. He prepares to use his Fission and Fusion ability against them while Liu Li moves on.
  • Separately, Lin Qing reaches the restricted core server area. Her AI companion, Little Green, cannot breach the security system on its own and estimates that cracking it would take 351 days.
  • Lin Qing installs the circuit board containing N959, an Artifact, into the building’s systems. N959 begins taking control of the facility, gaining access to its sensory and communication functions.
  • N959 initially refuses to cooperate, declaring that the building will become its body. Lin Qing counters by playing messages from Liu Li threatening punishment from higher-ranking entities, N21 and N5.
  • Intimidated by the hierarchy among Artifacts, N959 submits and opens the restricted corridors, allowing Lin Qing to proceed toward the core server room.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan demonstrates tactical creativity and adaptability. Rather than confronting the robots directly, he uses the elevator itself as a weapon and provides Liu Li with the precise opening she needs.
  • Liu Li displays overwhelming offensive power. Her sword technique can manifest nearly invisible cutting lines that enemies cannot evade once they appear, making her exceptionally effective against large numbers of weaker opponents.
  • Lin Qing remains calm and resourceful under pressure. She recognizes that Little Green cannot overcome the server’s defenses and uses N959 as an alternative means of infiltration.
  • N959 reveals a rebellious, self-important personality, but also shows vulnerability when confronted by stronger Artifacts. Its submission reinforces the existence of a power hierarchy among them.
  • Little Green functions as Lin Qing’s technical support, but its limitations emphasize the strength of the facility’s security systems.

Significant Themes

  • Teamwork and complementary abilities: Chen Xuan and Liu Li combine defense, strategy, and offensive force, while Lin Qing uses technology and psychological leverage rather than direct combat.
  • Power hierarchies and authority: N959’s behavior shows that even sentient Artifacts operate within a system of dominance and submission.
  • Technology versus supernatural power: Robots, automated weapons, hacking, and AI coexist with sword techniques, soul theft, and demonic transformations.
  • Loss of autonomy: The demonic minions are humans stripped of their souls and wills, while N959 fears being controlled despite attempting to control the building itself.
  • Efficiency through specialization: Each character advances by relying on the others’ strengths instead of handling every obstacle alone.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Xuan and Liu Li coordinate closely during the elevator escape, with Chen Xuan creating a brief defensive window for Liu Li to draw her sword.
  • Chen Xuan praises Liu Li’s effectiveness after witnessing her destroy the robot formation, recognizing how well suited her ability is to clearing groups of enemies.
  • Lin Qing negotiates with N959, first allowing it apparent freedom, then using Liu Li’s recorded threats to force its cooperation.
  • Liu Li’s authority over N959—and the mention of N5—demonstrates her influence among the Artifacts, even when she is not physically present.
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Ch. 265"An Expert Has Arrived"

Chapter Summary: “An Expert Has Arrived”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lin Qing infiltrates the company’s core server room. The triple-security doors open automatically because N959 has already seized control of the building’s systems.
  • The terrified server-room employees surrender and flee when Lin Qing orders them out.
  • Using Little Green and N959, Lin Qing rapidly modifies the building’s defenses:
    • She switches lockdown mode to custom mode.
    • Seals the rooftop and emergency exits.
    • Lowers protective screens over the windows.
    • Cancels the order gathering armed robots on the fifty-fifth floor.
    • Places the robots on standby.
    • Creates a green access list.
  • Lin Qing sends the live surveillance feed to Chen Xuan, allowing him to watch the Devils’ gathering. She also displays the footage on the server-room monitor.
  • The surveillance reveals that the supposed business meeting is actually a lavish, sadistic party attended by four Devils, political figures, corporate executives, and various entertainers. The guests treat violence and suffering as amusement.
  • Earlier, executive director Van Diev had used the building’s surveillance system to turn the attack into entertainment. He first deployed armed robots, then his powerful Insect-Person puppets, expecting them to overwhelm the intruders.
  • The attackers—Lin Qing and her ally—defeat the robots and Insect-People with alarming speed and precision. Van Diev realizes they are not ordinary desperate criminals but highly capable and controlled opponents.
  • Surveillance freezes, communications fail, and the elevators stop working. Van Diev concludes that the core server room has been compromised and that the building is no longer under his control.
  • Van Diev gathers the other Devils and warns them that “an expert has arrived.” The group considers activating the building’s maximum-defense “sterilization” mode, though doing so would kill employees and create public-relations problems.
  • Since their escape routes and vehicles are inaccessible, Van Diev urges the Devils to fight together. The others attempt to push Andor, who recently defeated an Angel, into taking the lead.

Character Developments

  • Lin Qing demonstrates extraordinary technical ability and composure. She controls the building’s entire defense network efficiently, showing that her power extends far beyond ordinary ability users.
  • N959 and Little Green function as crucial technological partners, allowing Lin Qing to breach systems and issue many commands simultaneously.
  • Chen Xuan is brought into the operation through the surveillance feed, giving him direct access to the Devils’ activities and likely enabling coordinated action.
  • Van Diev shifts from arrogant host to increasingly anxious and defensive strategist. His confidence collapses as his weapons fail and his authority over the building disappears.
  • The other Devils reveal their cowardice and self-preserving instincts. Though they enjoy violence when safely observing it, they hesitate when forced to confront danger themselves.
  • Andor is identified as the strongest combatant among the group after defeating an Angel, but the others try to exploit his strength by making him lead the confrontation.

Significant Themes

  • Power and helplessness: The corporate elites control weapons and violence from behind screens, but panic when they must face danger personally.
  • Technological control: Whoever controls the infrastructure controls the battlefield. Lin Qing’s takeover of the server room completely reverses the company’s presumed advantage.
  • Elite corruption and decadence: The political and corporate guests treat torture, death, and human suffering as entertainment, exposing their moral depravity.
  • False courage: The Devils appear powerful while protected by automated systems and disposable servants, but their confidence weakens when those protections fail.
  • The reversal of predator and prey: The attackers become the hunters, while the Devils and their guests are trapped inside the building they once controlled.

Character Interactions

  • Lin Qing intimidates the server-room staff into fleeing and works indirectly with N959 and Little Green to seize the facility.
  • She establishes communication with Chen Xuan by transmitting the surveillance footage.
  • Van Diev reassures the party guests while secretly panicking over the destruction of his defenses.
  • The Devils discuss whether to activate the building’s lethal sterilization system, recognizing that doing so would endanger their own personnel.
  • The three other Devils collectively pressure Andor to lead the fight, exposing both their dependence on him and their unwillingness to face the unknown expert themselves.
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Ch. 266An Inescapable Cage

Chapter Summary: “An Inescapable Cage”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • A thunderous crash announces the enemy’s arrival at the Night Moon Group headquarters. The emergency exits are sealed, trapping the guests and the four Devils inside.
  • Liu Li charges into the banquet hall and attacks the gathered executives and dignitaries, who have long supported and collaborated with the Devils. Chen Xuan allows her to proceed, viewing them as complicit enemies rather than innocent bystanders.
  • Several Devils emerge disguised as flame-wielding monsters. Chen Xuan recognizes that they are using an ability rather than displaying the Spiritual Energy signatures of genuine Devils, so he leaves them to Liu Li while searching for the real threats.
  • Chen Xuan identifies Superintendent Andor, the Devil involved in the earlier interception of Angel. Anticipating a powerful, rule-based Devil ability, he decides to strike before Andor can use it.
  • Andor attempts to employ the Soul Domination Technique against Liu Li under cover of smoke and flames. However, Chen Xuan detects him with the Divine Eye and Heavenly Cloud Skill, then uses his flesh-manipulating power to partially fuse Andor’s limbs and lower body with his own torso.
  • Andor’s grotesque transformation leaves him screaming in terror, exposing Chen Xuan’s overwhelming advantage and warning the other Devils that they cannot win a direct confrontation.
  • Van Diev, York, and Moni immediately attempt to escape, abandoning Andor. Moni tries to fly out after transforming into an owl, while Van Diev attempts to create a passage gate.
  • Both escape methods fail. An invisible barrier surrounds the building, repelling Moni and disrupting Van Diev’s ability. The Devils discover that their own headquarters has become an inescapable prison.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan demonstrates patience, tactical awareness, and brutal efficiency. Rather than wasting energy on decoys, he identifies the true Devils and waits for the ideal opportunity to strike. His decision to keep Andor alive suggests he wants information as well as revenge.
  • Liu Li embraces violent retribution, cutting down the complicit guests and battling the summoned flame creatures. Chen Xuan’s refusal to restrain her reflects his acceptance of her need for vengeance.
  • Andor shifts from a confident predator to a terrified victim. His cautious plan collapses when Chen Xuan detects and disables him before he can use his strongest technique.
  • Van Diev, York, and Moni reveal their self-preserving nature. Their cooperation immediately falls apart once Andor is incapacitated, and they prioritize escape over rescuing their ally.
  • Moni and Van Diev become visibly panicked when their abilities fail, realizing that their usual powers and knowledge of the headquarters cannot save them.

Significant Themes

  • Revenge and justice: The guests’ longstanding collaboration with the Devils makes them targets of Liu Li’s vengeance and raises questions about complicity and moral responsibility.
  • Strategy versus overwhelming power: Chen Xuan wins not through a prolonged contest of abilities but by identifying the real threat and attacking before Andor can act.
  • Betrayal and self-preservation: The Devils abandon Andor as soon as he becomes a liability, showing that their alliance is based on survival and profit rather than loyalty.
  • The reversal of power: The Devils’ headquarters, once a place of authority and security, becomes a cage. Their own defenses and sealed exits now work against them.
  • Fear of the unknown: The invisible barrier and the interruption of powerful abilities suggest that the intruders have prepared a sophisticated trap, leaving the Devils uncertain about the true extent of their enemies’ power.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Xuan and Liu Li: Chen Xuan silently permits Liu Li’s massacre, recognizing both the guilt of the guests and Liu Li’s right to take revenge.
  • Chen Xuan and Andor: Their encounter is a calculated ambush. Andor tries to attack Liu Li, but Chen Xuan intercepts him and brutally disables him before he can use his technique.
  • The three remaining Devils and Andor: Their supposed alliance collapses under pressure. When Andor begins screaming, they refuse to risk themselves trying to save him.
  • Van Diev, Moni, and York: They argue over escape and responsibility, with Moni blaming Van Diev for their predicament. Their disagreement underscores the growing panic and mistrust among them.
  • The Devils and their headquarters: The building itself becomes an adversarial force, sealing their routes and neutralizing their abilities, leaving them trapped with the invading team.
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Ch. 267Sword Name: Thousand Thoughts!

Chapter Summary: “Sword Name: Thousand Thoughts!”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Liu Shuyue operates the Immortal Master’s Demon-Subduing Formation from the building’s rooftop. The formation uses four antenna-like metal structures as anchors and traps any demons within its range.
  • Ji Yun guards the formation while reflecting on the unfamiliar modern world. He recognizes that, unlike the Immortal Realm, this society relies on technology rather than personal cultivation to achieve power.
  • His thoughts about the competing paths of individual strength and technological advancement cause his stagnant cultivation realm to loosen, suggesting an impending breakthrough.
  • A police assault force arrives at the building in hovering vehicles. Ji Yun follows Chen Xuan’s orders and prevents them from approaching.
  • Ji Yun unleashes his sword technique, “Sword Name: Thousand Thoughts!” Thousands of qi swords form a shining barrier and then sweep through the convoy, destroying the vehicles and killing or scattering the attackers. Modern weapons prove useless against his cultivation technique.
  • Inside the building, Chen Xuan and Liu Li defeat the three remaining Devils:
    • York enlarges himself in a berserk transformation but is cut into three pieces by Liu Li.
    • Moni disguises herself as a rat to escape, but Chen Xuan detects and immobilizes her before crushing her.
    • Executive President Van Diev is mutilated by Chen Xuan’s Fission and Fusion ability, leaving him alive but incapable of seeing, speaking, moving properly, or using his powers.
  • Chen Xuan orders Liu Li to join the others on the first floor and protect their retreat if necessary.
  • After the battle, Chen Xuan uses the shopkeeper’s recall ability and returns to his shop in Tianlu District.

Character Developments

  • Ji Yun gains a deeper understanding of the modern world and becomes increasingly fascinated by its technological civilization. His philosophical reflections unexpectedly stimulate his cultivation and bring him closer to a breakthrough.
  • He also grows more emotionally attached to Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue, imagining how enjoyable it would be to abandon his responsibilities and travel with them.
  • Chen Xuan remains calm and strategically minded, coordinating the group while efficiently neutralizing the Devils and ensuring the team can withdraw safely.
  • Liu Li demonstrates overwhelming combat ability and composure, killing York instantly and accepting responsibility for protecting the others.
  • Liu Shuyue, Fu Jiaolu, and Lin Qing continue supporting the operation as members of the hunting team.
  • The Devils are shown to be dangerous but dependent on modern weapons and enhancements; their personal abilities are weaker than those of their predecessors.

Significant Themes

  • Cultivation versus technology: Ji Yun compares personal power with humanity’s modern reliance on external inventions, questioning which path better represents progress.
  • The pursuit of power and knowledge: Both cultivation and technological development are portrayed as different expressions of humanity’s desire to understand and master the unknown.
  • Old powers confronting the modern world: Traditional qi swords and formations vastly overpower advanced firearms, vehicles, and armor.
  • Loyalty and companionship: Ji Yun’s willingness to guard the formation and his desire to remain with Chen Xuan and the others show his growing loyalty and affection.
  • Strategic superiority: The battle emphasizes that raw technological advancement cannot compensate for the overwhelming power and experience of skilled cultivators.

Character Interactions

  • Ji Yun acts under Chen Xuan’s instructions while guarding the formation and intercepting the police convoy.
  • The police commander dismisses Ji Yun as a possible ability user, then orders an attack, leading to the convoy’s destruction.
  • Chen Xuan and Liu Li fight together against the Devils, combining Chen Xuan’s spells and abilities with Liu Li’s direct swordsmanship.
  • Chen Xuan gives Liu Li the captured enemy sack and directs her to rendezvous with the hunting squad, while Liu Li confidently agrees to cover the team’s retreat.
  • The chapter ends with Chen Xuan returning to his shop, leaving the rest of the group to regroup in the building’s lobby.
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Ch. 268Return in Triumph

Summary: “Return in Triumph”

Key plot points and events

  • Retreat becomes the group’s main challenge because the Ability Store can normally recall only one customer per day. Chen Xuan reopens the store inside the headquarters building, hoping it will respond to a return-visit request and provide an escape route.
  • Lin Qing consults N959, the repair Artifact, and confirms that it can create or modify objects if the process is treated as “repair.” She orders it to combine the building’s power-storage systems into a massive energy unit and connect it to the ammunition depot, effectively creating a giant electrically triggered bomb.
  • N959 protests because the plan threatens its own body, but Lin Qing persuades it by promising to take it with them and warning that the enemy might capture it if they leave it behind.
  • The group gathers in the lobby while police forces surround the building. Lin Qing realizes that the authorities are preparing to escalate from police and riot-control units to increasingly powerful military forces.
  • As the group retreats upstairs, enemy drones launch an EMP attack. Many defensive robots are disabled, though Lin Qing’s military-grade prosthetics resist the pulse.
  • An armored vehicle crashes into the lobby, followed by heavily armed soldiers in powered armor. The remaining robots engage them while the group withdraws.
  • Liu Li stays behind to delay the attackers. She unleashes an extraordinary sword strike that cuts through soldiers, robots, walls, pillars, and structural supports, causing the entire lobby and several floors to collapse. This blocks the enemy from pursuing the group immediately.
  • At the same time, the Ability Store opens a doorway to a dark corridor within the building. Chen Xuan contacts the group, and Ji Yun uses her sensing ability to guide them to the store.
  • The group reaches the store while the enemy begins attacking from multiple entrances and floors. Liu Li is the last to arrive.
  • Lin Qing removes N959 from its hiding place and orders it to activate the overloaded power-storage system. A huge sphere of energy erupts underground toward the ammunition depot, setting up a catastrophic explosion.
  • Chen Xuan closes the store’s rolling shutter, cutting off the sound and leaving the consequences of the detonation outside.

Character developments

  • Lin Qing demonstrates strategic ruthlessness and technical ingenuity. She anticipates the enemy’s escalation, uses the building’s systems against them, and manipulates N959 into cooperating while still intending to rescue it.
  • N959 remains fearful and self-protective but also shows that it can be persuaded through practical reasoning. Its “repair” ability proves capable of powerful modification when Lin Qing supplies a functional template.
  • Liu Li reaches a new level of swordsmanship. Her decisive attack is motivated not merely by duty or maintaining stability, but by a personal desire to display her skill and receive recognition.
  • Chen Xuan acts as the logistical center of the escape, reopening the Ability Store, maintaining communication, and coordinating the group’s retreat.
  • Liu Shuyue and Ji Yun support the evacuation by maintaining communication and locating Chen Xuan through Ji Yun’s supernatural sensing ability.
  • Fu Jiaolu is eager to fight and disappointed that the enemy initially refuses to enter the building, highlighting the Hunting Squad’s confidence in its heavy weapons.

Significant themes

  • Improvisation and adaptation: The group survives by repurposing the building’s technology, the Ability Store, and even N959’s repair function.
  • Trust and coercion: Lin Qing’s relationship with N959 mixes manipulation, negotiation, and genuine promises of protection.
  • Sacrifice and protection: Liu Li stays behind to protect the retreating group and uses her strength to transform the battlefield.
  • Recognition and personal motivation: Liu Li’s greatest strike comes from wanting her talent to be witnessed and praised, showing a more personal side beneath her disciplined role.
  • Technology versus supernatural power: EMP weapons, powered armor, drones, and automated defenses confront abilities such as swordsmanship, sensing techniques, and the Ability Store.
  • Escape and transformation: The group’s retreat is not passive flight; it involves destroying the battlefield and turning their escape into a strategic victory.

Character interactions

  • Lin Qing and N959 argue over the danger of converting the building’s power systems into a bomb, with Lin Qing ultimately convincing it through blunt logic and promises of rescue.
  • Lin Qing directs the group’s movements and entrusts Liu Li with holding the lobby.
  • Liu Li responds to Lin Qing’s trust by producing a spectacular attack that saves the retreat.
  • Chen Xuan coordinates with Liu Shuyue over the radio, while Ji Yun helps the group locate him.
  • The group works collectively under pressure, with the Hunting Squad defending the retreat, the robots slowing the enemy, Liu Li collapsing the lobby, and Lin Qing activating the final destructive measure.
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Ch. 269Devil's Intelligence

Chapter Summary: “Devil’s Intelligence”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Inspector Andor awakens restrained in a high-tech interrogation room after being defeated and captured. He realizes his body was not destroyed as he had believed.
  • Lin Qing interrogates him about the Devils’ cooperation with the Dimensional Limit Organization and their pursuit of Elorie, an Angel.
  • She injects him with a nerve-sensitizing drug and uses extreme electrical torture, while showing him recordings of his companions, Van Diev and Moni, also being interrogated.
  • Under pressure, Andor reveals that:
    • The Dimensional Limit Organization contacted the Devils and supplied information about Elorie.
    • Devils can detect an Angel by scent.
    • He ambushed Elorie using a special ring that concealed his presence.
    • The ring was made from tissue taken from the Primordial Worm on the moon.
  • Lin Qing deduces that the Devils’ contact with the Primordial Worm may have contributed to the coming Doomsday Calamity and explains that the disappearance of the Angels left the world unbalanced.
  • Chen Xuan enters and questions Andor about the Primordial Worm, the Mother of Flesh, Extraterrestrial Deities, and the possibility of human Ascension.
  • Andor refuses to reveal anything further, even under renewed torture, and eventually dies.
  • Chen Xuan reveals that this interrogation is occurring during the “third round of dreams,” implying that the group can repeat or restart the scenario.

Character Developments

  • Andor shifts from a confident interrogator and powerful Devil to a terrified, helpless prisoner. His experience of torture forces him to betray important information, though he ultimately maintains enough resolve to die rather than explain the Devils’ deeper secrets.
  • Lin Qing is established as a cold, efficient interrogator. She relies on psychological pressure, advanced technology, and controlled brutality, showing little emotional reaction to Andor’s suffering.
  • Chen Xuan emerges as a powerful and inquisitive figure. His ability to corrupt flesh makes him especially frightening to Andor, while his questions reveal his interest in understanding supernatural powers rather than merely punishing the Devil.
  • Elorie remains absent but becomes central to the investigation as the Angel whose identity and origins the Devils were attempting to uncover.
  • Van Diev and Moni are shown as additional Devil captives, with Moni already severely weakened by interrogation.

Significant Themes

  • Power reversal and vulnerability: Andor, once a torturer, experiences the same helplessness he inflicted on others.
  • Interrogation and psychological control: Lin Qing combines physical pain, threats against companions, and technological superiority to break Andor’s resistance.
  • Cosmic balance: The extinction of the Angels has left the Devils unchecked, suggesting that opposing supernatural forces once maintained equilibrium.
  • Forbidden knowledge and Ascension: The Primordial Worm, the Mother of Flesh, and Extraterrestrial Deities represent dangerous sources of power that may offer humanity transcendence—or destruction.
  • Resistance and identity: Andor’s final refusal suggests that some knowledge is tied to loyalty, fear, or the preservation of one’s nature, even when death is inevitable.
  • Reality and repetition: The revelation that events are taking place in a third dream round introduces uncertainty about what is real and suggests that the characters are experimenting with repeated scenarios.

Character Interactions

  • Lin Qing and Andor: Lin Qing dominates the interrogation, alternating questions with threats and torture. Andor initially attempts deception but eventually gives up information about Elorie, the Dimensional Limit Organization, and the Primordial Worm.
  • Chen Xuan and Andor: Their meeting intensifies Andor’s fear because Chen Xuan is the person who defeated him. Chen Xuan questions him about the Worm and the Mother of Flesh, but Andor refuses to cooperate and dies.
  • Lin Qing and Chen Xuan: They work together as interrogators, with Lin Qing conducting the physical interrogation and Chen Xuan pursuing the broader mysteries behind the Devils’ powers.
  • Andor and his companions: Andor’s fear increases when he sees Van Diev and Moni being tortured, demonstrating that the captors use their relationships as leverage.
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Ch. 270The primordial god

Chapter Summary: “Primordial Deity”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Xuan and Lin Qing continue interrogating Devils within Dream Master-created nightmares. The dream setting lets them apply extreme pressure without permanently harming the Devils, while the pain and fear carry over to the originals after they awaken.
  • In Round Six, Fandifu reveals that Xiao Kanong, chief captain of the Jiangcheng Branch of the Dimensional Limit Organization, was the intermediary who contacted the Devils. This confirms that Xiao betrayed former teammates and was involved in Elorie’s disappearance.
  • Fandifu explains that the Organization traded information about Angels in exchange for Artifact N43, a compass-like device capable of measuring gravitational waves, gravitational curvature, and other otherwise difficult-to-detect phenomena. Lin Qing suspects this Artifact may have transformed the Organization’s research into world Erosion.
  • Fandifu refuses to provide concrete evidence of the transaction and attempts to bargain for his life with promises of other stolen Artifacts. Lin Qing sees through him and ends the interrogation.
  • In Round Eight, Moni reveals that the Devils and the Dimensional Limit Organization will hold a major meeting in Jiangcheng on the first day of the next month. The meeting will concern deeper cooperation, likely involving Ability Transactions, and Xiao Kanong is expected to attend.
  • Moni explains that the Devils need abilities while the Organization wants technology. Abilities can apparently be transferred through contracts, which allow the Devils to collect them. Lin Qing is relieved that this process does not involve the Ability Store.
  • In Round Eleven, Chen Xuan and Lin Qing interrogate Police Superintendent Andor about the Primordial Worm. Andor confirms that the Worm is believed to be an entity from another dimension, more advanced than the Mother of Flesh, whose power can enable “ascension.”
  • Andor claims ascension would allow one to transcend life and death, reverse time, and resurrect the dead. Unlike the other Devils, he considers the Primordial Worm’s secrets too valuable to exchange for survival.
  • As Andor dies from the accumulated damage of the interrogation, he hints that Chen Xuan may hear the whispers of gods. He then begins speaking in an incomprehensible language, appearing to pray to the Primordial Worm or another deity before dying.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan gains a deeper understanding of the seductive danger of Dream Simulations. He recognizes that consequence-free worlds could easily become addictive, though his dangerous daily life has given him psychological resistance.
  • Lin Qing demonstrates increasing confidence and ruthlessness as an interrogator. She uses intimidation, psychological manipulation, and carefully timed questioning to extract valuable information while remaining skeptical of the Devils’ claims.
  • Fandifu is shown to be opportunistic and self-serving. He abandons loyalty, invokes legal technicalities, and offers stolen treasures in exchange for his life, but ultimately cannot provide the proof Lin Qing wants.
  • Moni initially resists betraying her own kind but eventually reveals critical information under pressure. Her confession exposes the emerging relationship between the Devils and the Dimensional Limit Organization.
  • Andor is distinguished from the other Devils by his absolute devotion to the Primordial Worm. Even while dying, he refuses to treat its secrets as bargaining material and embraces the promise of ascension.

Significant Themes

  • Power without consequences: Dream interrogation illustrates both the practical advantages and moral dangers of a world where actions have no lasting physical consequences.
  • Betrayal and corruption: Xiao Kanong’s betrayal and the Organization’s trade of Elorie-related information reveal how institutional leaders sacrifice their own people for power and advancement.
  • The commodification of power: The planned Ability Transactions show abilities and technology being treated as exchangeable resources in an expanding alliance between humans and Devils.
  • Faith versus survival: Most Devils surrender secrets to preserve themselves, whereas Andor values his faith in the Primordial Worm more than life itself.
  • Ascension and transcendence: The Primordial Worm represents the possibility—or temptation—of surpassing ordinary limitations, including death and time. The chapter leaves uncertain whether this promise is genuine or a form of divine manipulation.
  • Hidden influence and cosmic entities: Andor’s final words suggest that higher beings may communicate directly with Chen Xuan and that the Primordial Worm’s influence may extend beyond the Devils’ current understanding.

Important Character Interactions

  • Lin Qing repeatedly pressures Fandifu and Moni, combining threats with strategic questions to expose the Organization’s dealings with the Devils.
  • Chen Xuan and Lin Qing work together during Andor’s interrogation, with Chen Xuan monitoring the Devil’s physical condition and Lin Qing continuing the questioning.
  • Fandifu identifies Xiao Kanong as the key intermediary, while Moni independently confirms the upcoming Jiangcheng meeting, strengthening the credibility of both testimonies.
  • Andor reacts strongly when Chen Xuan reveals what the other Devils confessed, criticizing them for trading sacred knowledge for survival.
  • Andor’s final exchange with Lin Qing and Chen Xuan shifts from interrogation to ominous revelation, linking Chen Xuan to the possible whispers of the Primordial Worm or other gods.
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Ch. 271Intelligence Summary

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Xuan awakens after interrogating three Devils. Fu Jiaolu reports that the final Devil has died, and Chen orders their bodies buried in the Myriad Mountain Great Wilderness to erase all evidence.
  • Chen and Lin Qing review the intelligence extracted from the Devils:
    • The Dimensional Limit Organization has secretly contacted the Devils.
    • Xiao Kanong, chief captain of the Jiangcheng Branch, was responsible for communicating with them and likely betrayed the Angel Elorie.
    • The Devils received Elorie’s registration information and later ambushed her, destroying her belongings and eliminating direct evidence of Xiao Kanong’s treachery.
    • Chen considers exposing Xiao Kanong by having Honglian witness him attending a high-level Devil meeting.
  • The Devils number at least two hundred worldwide but lack a unified organization because they compete for territory and human souls.
  • Their hierarchy is based largely on wealth and influence. Van Diev is a High-Rank Devil who controls Night Moon Group, while the Apocalypse Foundation—also secretly controlled by powerful Devils—stands above it and influences corporations and economies worldwide.
  • The Devils cannot openly dominate humanity because Mind Rings protect most people from direct mental corruption. Instead, they use financial power and corporate influence to control society indirectly.
  • The Devils worship the Primordial Worm, whom they believe can help them achieve “Ascension.” They regard the Mother of Flesh as an opposing god whose influence created humanity and will eventually cause all living things to merge into a catastrophic extinction event.
  • Lin Qing dismisses the Devils’ religious beliefs as potentially drug-induced hallucinations, but Chen Xuan becomes suspicious because the Heavenly Cloud Skill also mentions taking “the first step toward Ascension.”
  • Chen recalls that, during his battle with Liu Zhidong, an unknown entity spoke to him after he used the Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell Technique: “You owe me.” He suspects this being may be connected to the Primordial Worm.
  • Chen concludes that the Devils may misunderstand the Primordial Worm, but that Forbidden abilities are likely linked to a higher-level power capable of influencing events across worlds.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan becomes more cautious and analytical, recognizing that the Devils’ influence extends beyond physical power into economics, religion, and supernatural forces. He also begins reconsidering the origins of his own abilities.
  • Lin Qing remains pragmatic and skeptical, challenging the Devils’ religious claims while helping Chen evaluate the intelligence logically. Her trust in Chen is shown by his willingness to reveal previously concealed information.
  • Fu Jiaolu continues serving Chen faithfully, handling the disposal of the Devils’ bodies.
  • Xiao Kanong is increasingly revealed as a possible traitor within the Dimensional Limit Organization, though direct proof remains unavailable.
  • Van Diev is established as one of the most influential Devils because of his control over financial resources rather than simply personal strength.

Significant Themes

  • Power through wealth and institutions: The Devils seek control through corporations, donations, and financial dependence rather than open conquest.
  • Legacy and protection: Although the Angels have disappeared, their Mind Rings continue protecting humanity from direct Devil influence.
  • Hidden corruption and betrayal: Xiao Kanong’s suspected betrayal shows that danger exists within supposedly protective organizations.
  • Faith versus truth: The Devils’ beliefs about the Primordial Worm and Ascension may be divine revelation, distorted interpretation, or hallucination.
  • Interworld and higher-dimensional influence: Forbidden abilities may be manifestations of powers that transcend individual worlds and conventional causality.
  • Humanity’s vulnerability: Even defenses such as Mind Rings cannot prevent indirect manipulation through money, institutions, and social systems.

Character Interactions

  • Chen gives Fu Jiaolu orders regarding the Devils’ remains, demonstrating his authority.
  • Chen and Lin Qing work together to organize and interpret the intelligence. Lin questions the Devils’ claims, while Chen connects them to his own experiences.
  • Chen explains his encounter with the mysterious voice to Lin Qing, deepening their mutual trust and establishing a shared investigation into the Primordial Worm and Forbidden abilities.
  • Their discussion contrasts Lin Qing’s skepticism with Chen’s growing concern that the Devils’ beliefs may contain a fragment of truth.
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Ch. 272Secret Meeting

Chapter Summary: “Secret Meeting”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • At lunchtime, Jiang Siqi receives a mysterious message from the World Ability Center instructing her to meet at Room 3101 of Yuexin Hotel. The message disappears moments after she reads it.
  • Misinterpreting the hotel meeting, Jiang worries that the Center may expect her to offer herself in exchange for the supernatural abilities they granted her. Despite her unease, she decides she cannot offend such a powerful client.
  • The Intelligence Unit has been monitoring Jiang because they suspect she is connected to the Dimensional Limit Organization. Wang Qianduan follows her to the hotel while Xiao Kanong directs him to avoid interfering unless absolutely necessary, hoping to uncover the organization’s larger network.
  • At the hotel, Jiang finds no one in the room, only a note instructing her to lock the door, silence her phone, and sleep. A single sleeping pill is provided.
  • Distrusting the situation, Jiang hides an action camera aimed at the bed and sets up a delayed livestream so that others can witness anything that happens to her.
  • After taking the pill, she quickly falls asleep and awakens within a vivid dream resembling a warm, rose-filled pedestrian park.
  • The person who summoned her explains that the meeting is taking place in a specially constructed dream while her real body remains asleep in the hotel. He has also arranged a wake-up call so she will not miss work.
  • The dream visitor identifies himself as the person in charge of the World Ability Center and asks whether the abilities he gave Jiang have been useful.

Character Developments

  • Jiang Siqi: Shows both fear and practicality. Although she imagines the meeting may involve a degrading personal sacrifice, she prioritizes protecting her abilities and maintaining the Center’s favor. She also demonstrates caution and resourcefulness by secretly arranging surveillance and a livestream before sleeping. Her initial terror changes into fascination once she realizes the meeting is occurring in a dream.
  • Wang Qianduan: Acts as the Intelligence Unit’s undercover observer, following Jiang to locate the Dimensional Limit Organization or its agents.
  • Xiao Kanong: Reveals a more ruthless and serious side. He orders Wang to remain hidden and expresses personal intent to capture the Masked Woman, Flesh Butcher, and White-Clad Immortal if they appear.
  • World Ability Center representative: Establishes himself as young, powerful, technologically or supernaturally capable, and considerate enough to arrange Jiang’s wake-up call. His identity and true appearance remain concealed.

Significant Themes

  • Surveillance and counter-surveillance: Jiang is being watched by the Intelligence Unit, while she independently prepares to record the hotel encounter.
  • Power and dependence: Jiang fears losing the abilities that have improved her position, making her willing to tolerate uncertainty and possible exploitation by the World Ability Center.
  • Reality versus illusion: The dream meeting blurs the boundary between physical events and mental or supernatural spaces.
  • Trust and manipulation: Every major faction conceals information. Jiang does not know the Center’s true intentions, while the Intelligence Unit attempts to use her as bait.
  • Growing supernatural influence: The Center’s ability to communicate through disappearing messages and construct a convincing dream demonstrates the increasing scale of its powers.

Character Interactions

  • Wang Baihu and Xiao Jiu tease Jiang about secretly meeting a boyfriend when she says she will eat alone.
  • Jiang interacts cautiously with the World Ability Center by following its instructions while secretly creating safeguards.
  • Wang Qianduan and Xiao Kanong coordinate the surveillance operation by phone, with Xiao ordering Wang not to expose himself.
  • In the dream, Jiang speaks directly with the Center’s leader. She confirms that her abilities have been valuable and that her control over them is improving, while he checks on her progress.
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Ch. 273A peaceful, tranquil day

Chapter Summary: “A Peaceful Day”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Chen Xuan, posing as the director of the Ability Center, meets Jiang Siqi inside a dream—a completely secure environment for exchanging information.
  • Using the Scanner Gun, he discovers that Jiang Siqi’s abilities have improved dramatically:
    • Deity-Summoning Art: Green, Level 2
    • Bone-Corroding Heart-Burning Curse: Green, Level 1
    • Living Flame: White, Level 5
  • Chen Xuan is surprised by her rapid advancement, since most ability users improve only slowly through practice. He begins to suspect that Jiang Siqi may possess unusual talent.
  • Chen asks about Honglian, a leader in Jiang Siqi’s team, and then questions Jiang about the Dimensional Limit Organization’s methods for handling ability-related incidents. Jiang becomes excited when Chen suggests that the organization only invests in people with valuable potential, interpreting this as recognition of her worth.
  • Meanwhile, Wang Qianduan tracks Jiang Siqi to a hotel room by reading the receptionist’s subconscious thoughts. He suspects that the mysterious figure known as Wanderer is meeting her there.
  • Wang’s mind-reading ability fails to detect anyone inside the room. A logistics team investigates with a miniature surveillance device and confirms that Jiang is alone and asleep.
  • Commander Xiao Kanong reasons that Jiang’s unusual hotel nap may be connected to an unknown ability—possibly one that allows communication or information exchange through dreams. He concludes that Wanderer must still be nearby.
  • The organization obtains the hotel’s guest list and checks the identities of everyone in the surrounding rooms and floors, but none match Wanderer.
  • Concerned about public backlash and strained relations with authorities, Xiao refuses to authorize an invasive room search. Instead, he orders continued surveillance and background checks. He also rejects interrogating Jiang, believing she is merely being manipulated and knows nothing useful.
  • At 1:30 p.m., Jiang wakes from the dream and discovers that nothing physically happened in the room. Convinced that the meeting was harmless and entirely dreamlike, she goes to work, believing it has been another peaceful day.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan becomes increasingly interested in Jiang Siqi after seeing her exceptional ability growth. He begins evaluating her as a potentially valuable talent while carefully concealing his knowledge of her powers.
  • Jiang Siqi gains confidence and motivation when she believes Chen recognizes her abilities. She remains unaware of the larger conspiracy surrounding her and interprets the dream meeting as safe and benevolent.
  • Wang Qianduan demonstrates his skill at extracting information from subconscious thoughts, but his inability to penetrate the room’s mental silence leaves him suspicious and frustrated.
  • Xiao Kanong displays strong deductive reasoning and leadership. Although he suspects a hidden ability is involved, he also shows caution by refusing to overstep legally or politically.
  • Jiang Siqi’s team and Honglian become more important as possible links to Chen Xuan and the mysterious Wanderer, though Honglian herself does not appear directly.

Significant Themes

  • Appearance versus reality: The meeting between Chen and Jiang occurs in a dream, while the organization’s investigation struggles to distinguish real events from mental or dimensional interference.
  • Surveillance and secrecy: Both sides conceal information, monitor one another, and use abilities or technology to gather intelligence.
  • Misinterpretation: Jiang believes she has experienced a harmless dream, while the organization interprets her hotel visit as evidence of a secret operation.
  • Power and potential: Jiang’s rapid ability advancement raises questions about talent, training, and the value of investing in gifted ability users.
  • Institutional restraint: The Dimensional Limit Organization must balance its desire to capture Wanderer with legal boundaries, public opinion, and political consequences.
  • Dramatic irony: The reader understands that Jiang’s “peaceful day” is actually connected to a covert exchange and an extensive investigation, while Jiang remains completely oblivious.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Xuan and Jiang Siqi interact warmly but cautiously. Chen subtly probes her knowledge and background, while Jiang eagerly seeks his approval.
  • Wang Qianduan interacts with the hotel receptionist only briefly, but secretly reads information from her subconscious to locate Jiang.
  • Wang reports his findings to Xiao Kanong, whose analysis reframes Jiang’s suspicious behavior as evidence of a hidden communication ability.
  • Xiao and Wang disagree over whether to search the hotel or interrogate Jiang; Xiao ultimately chooses the more cautious strategy.
  • Chen’s unseen connection to Jiang contrasts with the organization’s failed attempt to identify or reach him, emphasizing the gap between his abilities and their investigative methods.
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Ch. 274Third Kind Encounter

Chapter Summary: “Third Kind Encounter”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • After Chen Xuan and Lin Qing leave the hotel, Liu Shuyue reveals that the Dimensional Limit Organization had been monitoring the area with at least twenty people, including five strong Spiritual Energy users.
  • Chen Xuan explains how he evaded them: he hid in an unoccupied hotel room under an Invisibility Talisman, exploiting the assumption that no one would search a room that had not been rented. Lin Qing remained nearby under Optical Camouflage to protect him.
  • Chen Xuan reports that he has investigated Honglian, the operations-group leader of the organization’s Jiangcheng branch. He knows her phone number, home address, and that she commands six ability users.
  • Lin Qing hopes Honglian can become an internal ally against the organization, but Chen Xuan doubts she is ready to betray it. Honglian is loyal and responsible, though dissatisfied with Captain Xiao Kanong’s leadership and methods.
  • Rather than relying on Honglian immediately, Chen Xuan proposes approaching her under a different identity: a mysterious “World Ability Center” capable of predicting the future. This may allow them to influence her without exposing themselves as the Wanderer.
  • The chapter then shifts to Wang Baihu, who returns to his wealthy family estate. He is greeted affectionately by Guagua, the intelligent dinosaur recovered from Erosion Point 109.
  • Guagua has been placed in Wang’s care because the organization cannot keep a carnivorous dinosaur at its office, while Wang’s family can afford to house it. The dinosaur behaves like a highly intelligent, domesticated pet and is beloved by the household.
  • Wang enjoys a comfortable family dinner and reflects that, unlike many members of the organization, he joined not because of personal tragedy but to avoid competing with his siblings for control of the family business.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan demonstrates caution, ingenuity, and strategic thinking. He recognizes that persuading Honglian will require trust and psychological insight rather than simply revealing the organization’s crimes.
  • Lin Qing remains idealistic and strongly committed to recruiting principled allies from within the enemy organization. She trusts Chen Xuan’s judgment but is disappointed that Honglian may not yet be the person she expects.
  • Liu Shuyue proves her value as an observer and surveillance specialist through her Heavenly Cloud Skill, which allows her to monitor the enemy’s movements.
  • Honglian, although never appearing directly, is characterized as diligent, loyal, and morally serious, but not yet sufficiently disillusioned to turn against the organization.
  • Wang Baihu is portrayed as a wealthy, carefree young man with strong family support. Despite his casual attitude, he is capable of caring for and appreciating Guagua’s intelligence.
  • Guagua develops as more than a dangerous creature: it is clean, affectionate, clever, and capable of adapting remarkably well to domestic life.

Significant Themes

  • Deception and strategic thinking: Chen Xuan succeeds by exploiting the enemy’s assumptions rather than confronting them directly.
  • Trust and persuasion: Winning Honglian over requires building credibility before revealing uncomfortable truths.
  • Moral transformation: The chapter questions whether a loyal but dissatisfied person can be pushed toward rebellion before they are ready.
  • Appearances versus reality: Chen Xuan hides in plain sight, while Honglian’s true potential differs from the heroic image Lin Qing associates with her.
  • Adaptation and domestication: Guagua’s transition from “Dragon King” of the dinosaurs to a beloved household pet highlights intelligence, flexibility, and the effect of environment.
  • Privilege and differing motivations: Wang’s affluent, secure upbringing contrasts with the traumatic experiences that led many others to join the organization.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Xuan and Lin Qing debate whether Honglian can be recruited, revealing their differing approaches: Lin Qing emphasizes justice and moral revelation, while Chen Xuan focuses on timing, trust, and practical strategy.
  • Liu Shuyue supports Chen Xuan and Lin Qing by providing surveillance information but remains mostly in a monitoring role.
  • Wang Baihu and Guagua share a playful, affectionate relationship. Wang pretends to resent the dinosaur’s behavior but clearly enjoys its attachment and intelligence.
  • Wang’s family treats him warmly and supportively, reinforcing the contrast between his comfortable home life and the dangerous work of the Dimensional Limit Organization.
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Ch. 275A God Descends

Chapter Summary: “A God Descends”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wang Baihu returns home and finds his computer mysteriously replaced by a strange pixelated image and subtitles.
  • An unknown entity reveals detailed information about all four of Wang’s abilities: Beyondworld Sight, Lucky Star, Agile Reflexes, and Tower of Desperation.
  • Wang initially suspects a hacker or supernatural threat, especially when his phone loses all signal and he realizes his family may be in danger.
  • The entity shows him an image of Elorie, a former member of the Honglian Team who disappeared after the Wuhuan Machinery Factory incident.
  • Wang suddenly remembers that Elorie has been missing for nearly two months—and realizes that he, Honglian, and Xiao Jiu had somehow forgotten her existence.
  • The entity explains that history was altered, erasing part of Wang’s memories and causing his mind to unconsciously bridge the resulting gap.
  • It identifies Xiao Kanong, chief captain of the Jiangcheng Branch, as the person responsible for Elorie’s current condition and warns Wang that Xiao may pose a danger.
  • The entity claims to be the collective consciousness of ability wills, calling itself the World Ability Center or World Mind.
  • To prove its power, it removes Wang’s Beyondworld Sight when he agrees to a computer prompt, then restores it after he confirms that he believes the entity.
  • The World Mind instructs Wang to find Elorie, who can explain what happened and how Xiao Kanong betrayed her.
  • A car arrives outside to take Wang to her. Though reluctant to challenge Xiao, Wang decides he cannot abandon a former teammate and asks to bring someone trustworthy with him.

Character Developments

  • Wang Baihu shifts from suspicion and panic to cautious belief after witnessing the World Mind remove and restore his ability.
  • His concern for his family initially drives his fear, but his sense of loyalty ultimately motivates him to investigate Elorie’s disappearance.
  • Wang recognizes his own limitations: despite boasting about competing with Honglian, he does not consider himself capable of bearing the burden of openly opposing the branch chief.
  • Nevertheless, he demonstrates moral courage by refusing to ignore Elorie and by seeking the support of someone capable of making an impartial judgment.
  • Elorie is reintroduced as a missing operative whose forgotten existence suggests that reality and memory have been manipulated.
  • Xiao Kanong is revealed as a possible traitor and the apparent cause of Elorie’s suffering, radically altering his position from authority figure to potential antagonist.
  • The World Ability Center establishes itself as an immensely powerful and possibly godlike force capable of directly controlling abilities.

Significant Themes

  • Manipulation of reality and memory: Altered history has erased Elorie from the memories of those who knew her, raising questions about whether personal recollection can be trusted.
  • Power beyond human control: The World Mind’s ability to grant or remove powers demonstrates a force far beyond the Organization’s authority.
  • Trust and skepticism: Wang struggles to believe an impossible explanation, but direct proof forces him to reconsider his assumptions.
  • Loyalty and responsibility: Although Wang fears the consequences of opposing Xiao, loyalty to a former teammate compels him to act.
  • Authority and betrayal: The revelation that the chief captain may have betrayed Elorie challenges the legitimacy of the Organization’s leadership.
  • Individual choice: The World Mind offers Wang information and power, but he must choose whether to accept the danger and intervene.

Important Character Interactions

  • Wang and the World Mind: Their conversation moves from confrontation and suspicion to an uneasy alliance. The World Mind uses threats, revelations, and a demonstration of power to gain Wang’s cooperation.
  • Wang and Elorie: Although Elorie does not appear directly, Wang’s recovered awareness of her disappearance revives his sense of responsibility toward her.
  • Wang and Xiao Kanong: Their relationship is transformed by the accusation that Xiao caused Elorie’s condition and altered history.
  • Wang and his unnamed companion: Wang asks to bring a trusted person, showing that he does not want to face the dangerous investigation—or judge Xiao’s alleged betrayal—alone.
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Ch. 276Calling for Backup as Expected

Chapter Summary: “Calling for Backup as Expected”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Wang Baihu receives a reply from the mysterious organization on his computer: he may bring as many people as he wants, provided he can accept the cost. The computer immediately returns to normal, leaving no trace of the intrusion.
  • He decides to bring Honglian rather than contact Captain Xiao Kanong, likely because the captain is implicated in the danger surrounding Elorie.
  • A business van arrives to pick him up. The driver appears uninformed about the larger situation and treats Wang Baihu’s concerns—such as being blindfolded—with casual humor, increasing Wang’s trust in the organization.
  • Wang is taken to Honglian’s apartment. He explains that Elorie may still exist and that the organization can take them to see her. Honglian remembers Elorie and immediately agrees to investigate.
  • During the drive, Honglian questions the driver about his affiliation. He reveals that their “dean” considers the two agents misguided but still capable of being saved.
  • Honglian correctly identifies the dean as a senior figure from the Northern Heaven Institute, a powerful organization long hostile to the Dimensional Limit Organization.
  • The revelation suggests an unprecedented contact—or possible reconciliation—between the two organizations. Wang is astonished that ordinary field agents, rather than senior leaders, have been chosen as representatives.
  • They arrive at Green Grass Hall in the Foothill Mountain area, where they are greeted by You Chi, the renowned “Jade Balance Star,” a gifted investigator and medical expert.

Character Developments

  • Wang Baihu demonstrates initiative and caution by seeking backup, choosing Honglian because he trusts her judgment and needs someone who shares his memories of Elorie. He remains observant and skeptical but gradually becomes more favorably disposed toward the mysterious organization.
  • Honglian is shown to be decisive, courageous, and highly trusted. She does not waste time questioning Wang’s account and chooses to investigate first, reflecting the same leadership qualities she displayed during the Botanical Garden Erosion incident.
  • The driver appears calm, professional, and deliberately uninformed. His relaxed demeanor contrasts with the secrecy surrounding the mission.
  • You Chi is introduced as a famous, highly capable figure who maintains polite but deliberate emotional distance. His modesty suggests he may regard himself as inferior to an even greater genius.

Significant Themes

  • Trust versus secrecy: The mysterious organization’s secretive methods initially seem threatening, but its professionalism and confidence gradually reassure Wang.
  • Institutional rivalry and possible reconciliation: The meeting may mark the first meaningful thaw between the Dimensional Limit Organization and the Northern Heaven Institute.
  • Action over hesitation: Honglian’s defining strength is her willingness to act decisively when confronted with uncertainty or danger.
  • Hidden power structures: The mysterious organization, its dean, and the ability to erase or suppress powers suggest that larger forces operate beyond the agents’ current understanding.
  • Identity and memory: Elorie’s disappearance and the restored memories of her existence remain central mysteries, raising questions about who controls reality, memory, and supernatural abilities.

Important Character Interactions

  • Wang’s conversation with his parents briefly contrasts his secret mission with his ordinary family life.
  • His exchange with the driver reveals the organization’s unconventional but confident methods.
  • Wang and Honglian immediately reconnect through their shared memory of Elorie, and Honglian’s trust in Wang leads her to join him without delay.
  • Honglian challenges the driver about his organization, while Wang defends the Dimensional Limit Organization’s record of preventing ability-related crimes.
  • Honglian’s recognition of Northern Heaven Institute transforms the mission from a rescue investigation into a potentially historic meeting between rival organizations.
  • Wang’s enthusiastic reaction to You Chi’s fame lightens the tension, while You Chi’s reserved manner keeps the true seriousness of the encounter intact.
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Ch. 277Seeing Elorie Again

Chapter Summary: “Seeing Elorie Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Honglian confronts You Chi about why Northern Heaven Institute treated Elorie despite knowing she was an agent of the Dimensional Limit Organization. You Chi explains that Elorie was nearly dead, and the Institute accepted her at the request of an unnamed friend.
  • Honglian and Wang Baihu are taken to a high-tech medical facility, where they find Elorie suspended in a healing tank. She has survived devastating injuries, including multiple gunshots, a fractured arm, and a fatal-looking execution shot to the head.
  • Although Elorie’s body has healed, she remains unconscious because of the brain injury. You Chi reveals that her brainwaves are still active and that a special device can allow others to communicate with her consciousness.
  • Honglian volunteers to enter Elorie’s consciousness first, while Wang Baihu waits his turn.
  • Outside the room, You Chi reveals to Yue Beifeng that the entire encounter is partly staged for Chen Xuan’s benefit. Northern Heaven Institute is cooperating with Chen and the World Ability Center in opposition to the Dimensional Limit Organization.
  • Yue Beifeng objects to deceiving the visitors, believing healers should uphold honesty and principle. You Chi argues that Chen Xuan is fighting a larger battle against the Dimensional Limit Organization, making the deception a necessary wartime measure.
  • Inside the consciousness space, Honglian finds herself in an unfamiliar home-like room and meets Liu Li, a beautiful white-haired woman who claims to be Elorie’s best friend within her memories.
  • Liu Li announces that Elorie and others are returning, leaving Honglian confused about the nature and inhabitants of Elorie’s mental world.

Character Developments

  • Honglian becomes more suspicious of the World Ability Center and Northern Heaven Institute. She questions whether Xiao Kanong or other leaders have betrayed the Dimensional Limit Organization and wonders whether the investigation’s real target is larger than one commander. Her concern for Elorie also motivates her to enter the consciousness space first.
  • Wang Baihu is shocked by Elorie’s injuries and Northern Heaven Institute’s advanced technology. Though he initially claims the invitation gives him priority, he ultimately allows Honglian to go first.
  • You Chi is shown as capable of deception but also loyal to Northern Heaven Institute and sympathetic to Chen Xuan’s cause. He believes the Institute’s assistance is justified by the larger conflict.
  • Yue Beifeng emerges as the morally cautious counterpart to You Chi. He is troubled by the Institute’s deception and worries that compromising its principles will eventually have consequences.
  • Elorie remains physically alive but mentally inaccessible in the real world. Her consciousness appears to contain an active, populated environment.
  • Liu Li is introduced as a mysterious figure connected to Elorie’s memories. Her strange interruption and exaggerated claim to be Elorie’s “best friend” suggest that the consciousness space may not function normally.

Significant Themes

  • The conflict between ethics and expediency: Yue Beifeng questions whether deception can be justified, while You Chi argues that wartime goals may excuse morally questionable actions.
  • Life, consciousness, and identity: Elorie’s body has recovered, but her mind remains unreachable, raising questions about whether consciousness defines survival.
  • Advanced technology and hidden alliances: Northern Heaven Institute’s ability to preserve life and enter a person’s consciousness reveals the growing influence of the World Ability Center and its secret cooperation with the Institute.
  • Loyalty and larger political struggles: The characters’ concern for Elorie is tied to a broader power struggle involving Chen Xuan, the Dimensional Limit Organization, and possibly a conspiracy targeting more than one commander.
  • Reality versus illusion: Honglian’s transition into a seemingly real mental world blurs the boundary between memory, simulation, and consciousness.

Character Interactions

  • Honglian challenges You Chi over Elorie’s treatment and presses him for information.
  • Honglian and Wang Baihu react with shock and concern when they see Elorie’s condition, while You Chi explains her injuries and the Institute’s medical technology.
  • Honglian and Wang Baihu argue lightly over who should communicate with Elorie first; Honglian wins by pointing out that Wang Baihu had needed her assistance.
  • You Chi and Yue Beifeng debate the morality of deceiving the visitors and supporting Chen Xuan. Their exchange highlights their opposing views: practical wartime loyalty versus strict medical ethics.
  • In the consciousness space, Honglian meets Liu Li, whose cryptic behavior immediately creates uncertainty about Elorie’s memories and the people within them.
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Ch. 278Similar People

Chapter Summary: “Similar People”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

  • Elorie returns carrying food and introduces Honglian to Lin Qing, a woman whose face closely resembles Honglian’s.
  • Lin Qing claims to be a World Ability Center user connected to the same consciousness domain. She is secretly following Chen Xuan’s plan and presents herself as the person who rescued Elorie.
  • Elorie’s friends treat the reunion casually, creating a warm, everyday atmosphere that contrasts with Honglian’s confusion and unease.
  • Honglian realizes that the Elorie in this consciousness space is genuinely the same person she remembers, despite the fact that history has changed and everyone in her original timeline has forgotten Elorie.
  • Elorie explains that she was displaced into the future after a Devil-related incident. With help from the World Ability Center, she returned to the Primordial World carrying information about the apocalypse.
  • The Devil’s failed attack on the Temple Treasury caused history to change drastically. As a result, the Organization’s agents lost all memory of Elorie, as though she had never existed.
  • Lin Qing explains that Wanderers—people who have crossed between worlds—are capable of recognizing such historical changes. Ordinary people born into the altered timeline would accept the rewritten history as natural.
  • Elorie recounts how she later returned to the future to seek information that could prevent the Doomsday Calamity, only to be ambushed by the Devil.
  • The Devil impersonated Honglian and used her identity through a phone to locate Elorie. Commander-in-Chief Xiao Kanong was revealed to have betrayed Elorie by leaking her whereabouts.
  • “World Mind” detected the danger and sent Lin Qing to rescue Elorie, who was brought back to Jiangcheng in critical condition.

2. Character Developments

  • Honglian: Her encounter with Elorie forces her to confront the frightening implications of altered history. She begins questioning the Organization’s official view of Historical Contamination and realizes that Wanderers may be observers capable of seeing truths hidden from ordinary people.
  • Elorie: She remains cheerful and familiar despite her traumatic experiences. Her account reveals her resilience, loyalty, and importance in the struggle against the apocalypse. She has survived displacement, historical erasure, and an assassination attempt.
  • Lin Qing: She acts as an informed intermediary between Honglian and the World Ability Center. Her resemblance to Honglian creates an immediate mystery, while her arguments challenge Honglian’s assumptions about Wanderers and the Organization.
  • Honglian’s friends: Elorie, Liu Li, and Angel provide humor and warmth, emphasizing that the consciousness space contains genuine personalities and emotional relationships rather than merely artificial projections.
  • Xiao Kanong: He is exposed as a traitor who assisted the Devil by revealing Elorie’s location.

3. Significant Themes

  • Historical revision and collective memory: The chapter explores how a changed timeline can rewrite not only events but also everyone’s memories and sense of reality.
  • The nature of truth: Honglian must decide whether to trust the World Ability Center’s account over the Organization’s teachings.
  • Wanderers and perspective: Those who cross between worlds can perceive changes that ordinary inhabitants cannot, making them both potential threats and valuable witnesses.
  • Institutional control: Lin Qing suggests that the Organization condemns Wanderers partly because they undermine its monopoly over information and historical interpretation.
  • Identity and resemblance: Lin Qing’s physical similarity to Honglian raises questions about shared origins, parallel selves, or connections between different worlds.
  • Trust and betrayal: Elorie’s rescue contrasts with Xiao Kanong’s betrayal, highlighting the danger of relying on familiar identities in a world where appearances and histories can be manipulated.

4. Character Interactions

  • Elorie greets Honglian affectionately and behaves as though their former team relationship remains unchanged, helping Honglian recognize her authenticity.
  • Honglian questions whether Lin Qing is real or merely a projection, while Lin Qing is equally startled by their resemblance.
  • Elorie’s friends humorously deny that the two women look alike, creating a lighthearted counterpoint to Honglian and Lin Qing’s shock.
  • Lin Qing challenges Honglian’s belief that Wanderers are inherently dangerous, using Elorie—and eventually Honglian and Wang Baihu—as examples of harmless Wanderers.
  • Elorie and Lin Qing jointly explain the altered-history phenomenon, though Elorie’s account has been edited to conceal Chen Xuan’s involvement.
  • The chapter ends with Elorie revealing how Lin Qing and “World Mind” saved her after the Devil’s ambush.
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Ch. 279Prove It to Me

Chapter Summary: “Prove It to Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Honglian is deeply shaken by Elorie’s accusations against Captain Xiao Kanong and the Dimensional Limit Organization. Elorie’s account aligns with events Honglian witnessed after entering the Erosion world:
    • The Execution Team initially struggled to survive and gather intelligence.
    • Xiao Kanong later established close ties with local political and business powers.
    • The organization began transporting supplies into the Erosion world and receiving unknown goods in return.
  • Honglian realizes that Xiao Kanong’s success may have come from selling Elorie to Devils, possibly with the approval of the organization’s upper leadership. This forces her to question whether the Dimensional Limit Organization knowingly cooperated with dangerous forces.
  • Chen Xuan observes the meeting through hidden cameras while assisting Elorie and Liu Li’s deception. He recognizes Honglian as the woman who previously impersonated “Mad Judy” during the rescue of Joan of Arc.
  • Chen suspects Honglian may be biologically related to Lin Qing, who resembles her despite claiming to have no family and having been raised in a Resistance Army camp.
  • Chen and Lin Qing discuss their strategy. Rather than directly recruiting Honglian, they have used Wang Baihu and Elorie’s testimony to provoke her doubts and emotional involvement.
  • Lin Qing explains that the Dimensional Limit Organization maintains world stability but does so through brutal and exploitative methods. It imprisons and kills Wanderers, extracts their abilities, cooperates with corporations for profit, and has become an unrestrained power structure.
  • When Honglian suspects Lin Qing may be a defector, Lin Qing denies it and claims to possess information through the “World Mind,” a higher-dimensional collective consciousness capable of observing abilities across the world.
  • Honglian remains skeptical. She points out that if the World Mind is truly powerful, it should have been able to directly stop Xiao Kanong or protect Elorie.
  • To test Lin Qing’s claims, Honglian demands that she personally experience the World Mind’s ability to remove and grant abilities. The chapter ends with this challenge.

Character Developments

  • Honglian: Her faith in the Dimensional Limit Organization is seriously weakened, though not destroyed. She shifts from passively defending the organization to actively seeking proof and answers. Her compassion for Elorie and concern over the organization’s possible corruption motivate her investigation.
  • Lin Qing: She acts as the public representative of the World Mind while carefully concealing her true identity and future origins. She demonstrates greater confidence in challenging Honglian’s assumptions and uses the organization’s own history against her.
  • Chen Xuan: He reveals himself as a skilled strategist and manipulator. By studying the Execution Team and designing the meeting around Honglian’s emotions, he successfully moves her from resistance toward curiosity and doubt. He also notices the possible family connection between Honglian and Lin Qing.
  • Elorie: Though largely acting through her constructed testimony and disguise, her suffering becomes central to the emotional pressure placed on Honglian. Her alleged betrayal and persecution force Honglian to reconsider the organization’s morality.
  • Xiao Kanong: His reputation deteriorates as Honglian begins to suspect that his diplomatic achievements were built on sacrificing Elorie and cooperating with Devils.
  • Lin Qing and Honglian’s possible relationship: Their resemblance and Lin Qing’s unknown origins suggest a possible blood connection, perhaps involving Honglian’s descendants, though neither character understands the truth yet.

Significant Themes

  • Faith versus evidence: Honglian’s loyalty to the organization is challenged by testimony that feels credible but cannot yet be verified.
  • Institutional corruption: The Dimensional Limit Organization may preserve global stability while simultaneously committing atrocities, exploiting abilities, and pursuing power and profit.
  • The moral cost of order: Lin Qing acknowledges that sacrificing a few for the many might be acceptable, but condemns the organization for committing such acts without ultimately protecting the world.
  • Manipulation and trust: Chen Xuan’s strategy shows how emotional pressure and carefully selected information can undermine a person’s convictions without direct force.
  • Power and accountability: The discussion questions whether an organization or entity with overwhelming abilities can be trusted when no higher authority can restrain it.
  • Identity and inheritance: The resemblance between Honglian and Lin Qing raises questions about family, ancestry, and whether personal identity is shaped by origins or by the institutions that raise someone.

Character Interactions

  • Honglian and Lin Qing: Their conversation is a tense ideological confrontation. Honglian tests Lin Qing’s identity and credibility, while Lin Qing exposes the organization’s darker nature and presents herself as an outside observer.
  • Honglian and Elorie: Elorie’s story creates an emotional bond and awakens Honglian’s sympathy, even though Honglian has not yet fully accepted Elorie’s version of events.
  • Chen Xuan and Lin Qing: They communicate privately through telepathy, discussing Honglian’s reactions, possible family ties, and how best to persuade her.
  • Chen Xuan and Honglian: Though not directly interacting in person, Chen Xuan carefully orchestrates the conversation to exploit Honglian’s doubts and guide her toward testing the World Mind.
  • Honglian and the Dimensional Limit Organization: Their relationship changes from unquestioning loyalty to guarded scrutiny, setting up a possible break or internal investigation.
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Ch. 280Patterns

Chapter Summary: “The Ploy”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lin Qing realizes Honglian’s request is a test designed to verify the World Ability Center’s existence and capabilities.
  • Chen Xuan agrees to the test, confident he can manipulate the transaction system without revealing its true nature.
  • Lin Qing contacts the World Ability Center through a video call. The phone screen appears completely black, reinforcing the impression that an all-powerful “World Mind” is observing Honglian.
  • Using Chen Xuan’s instructions and the Scanner Gun’s information, Lin Qing accurately identifies Honglian’s four abilities:
    • Castling
    • Shifting Forms, Changing Shadows
    • Mind Fortress
    • Broadly Read Through the Ages
  • Honglian is shocked that the supposed World Mind knows about her secret second movement ability and even recognizes passive abilities she never considered powers.
  • Lin Qing invents an explanation that abilities can arise from talent, knowledge, experience, and cosmic gifts rather than only from Erosion. She also provides false color and level classifications for Honglian’s abilities.
  • To prove that abilities can be granted or altered, Chen Xuan gives Honglian the negative ability Respiratory Weakness. She immediately experiences severe breathing difficulties.
  • Honglian questions whether Lin Qing is causing the effect herself, but Lin Qing explains that they are inside Elorie’s consciousness space, where abilities affect the body rather than the mind. The implication is that only Wang Baihu, present in the physical room, could be responsible.
  • When Honglian looks at the phone screen, the symptoms vanish. This convinces her that the World Ability Center can directly manipulate abilities.
  • Chen Xuan reveals that he did not technically remove the ability. Instead, he secretly grants Honglian Frail and Sickly and Deficiency of Qi and Blood, causing the three negative abilities to merge into Living Dead, eliminating the immediate symptoms.
  • Honglian accepts that the World Ability Center possesses knowledge and power beyond the Dimensional Limit Organization’s understanding.
  • She asks about the Center’s true purpose and why it does not intervene in the deaths and conflicts of ordinary ability users.
  • Lin Qing claims that the World Mind monitors entire worlds rather than individuals and intervenes only when a world approaches destruction.
  • The chapter ends with the revelation that this world is already on the brink of destruction.

Character Developments

  • Chen Xuan demonstrates his ingenuity and willingness to deceive. He avoids using a straightforward ability-taking transaction and instead exploits secret transactions and ability fusion to make the demonstration convincing.
  • Lin Qing becomes an effective intermediary and performer, confidently presenting Chen Xuan’s fabricated explanations as authoritative information. She also recognizes and praises his strategy.
  • Honglian shifts from skepticism to reluctant belief. Her confidence in the Organization’s understanding of abilities is shaken after the World Mind identifies hidden powers, introduces unfamiliar classifications, and appears to grant and alter abilities remotely.
  • Honglian’s motivations become clearer: she is not merely testing the World Ability Center, but also trying to understand its purpose and whether it is monitoring or influencing the many worlds connected by Erosion Points.

Significant Themes

  • Deception and manipulation: Chen Xuan constructs a convincing false narrative by mixing genuine information with invented explanations.
  • Limits of knowledge: The Dimensional Limit Organization, despite being the leading authority in Honglian’s world, understands only a fraction of how abilities work.
  • The nature of abilities: The chapter challenges the belief that abilities are solely mutations caused by Erosion, suggesting instead that they may arise from knowledge, talent, experience, or external forces.
  • Power through perception: Honglian’s belief in the World Mind is created not only by its actual effects but by the carefully staged presentation of those effects.
  • World-scale responsibility: The World Mind is portrayed as concerned with the survival of entire worlds rather than individual lives, raising questions about intervention, detachment, and the value of individual existence.
  • Impending catastrophe: The final warning transforms the scene from a simple verification test into a larger crisis: the world itself may be approaching destruction.

Character Interactions

  • Chen Xuan and Lin Qing: They communicate privately, with Chen Xuan directing Lin Qing’s words and actions while she questions and follows his strategy.
  • Lin Qing and Honglian: Lin Qing acts as the World Ability Center’s spokesperson, revealing information, staging the ability demonstration, and pressuring Honglian into accepting the Center’s authority.
  • Chen Xuan and Honglian: Though they do not interact directly, Chen Xuan manipulates Honglian’s abilities from behind the scenes, using her skepticism as an opportunity to test his system.
  • Honglian and the World Mind: Honglian begins as a skeptic but becomes impressed and unsettled by the Mind’s apparent omniscience and control. Her final questions show that she is beginning to consider the broader implications of its existence.
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