Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “A Different Approach”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan, Honglian, and Reid infiltrate a so-called “underground hotel,” a gang-controlled lodging house for people with secret identities. Although they are outsiders, Chen Xuan easily neutralizes the armed guards with his Law Mantra, freezing them in place.
• Using Linguistics, Chen Xuan imitates Guagua’s roar and compels a hotel employee to lead them to Abdullah’s room. His command, essentially “Find him,” works despite the employee not understanding the language.
• They find Abdullah with a woman. Abdullah threatens them by invoking the Sixth Street Gang, but Chen Xuan hands him over to Reid. Reid kills and interrogates him, learning that members of the Gospel Society are staying at a nearby apartment.
• The group reaches the apartment, but the Gospel Society members have already escaped after being warned by someone at the hotel. Reid plans to trace them through fingerprints, biological evidence, and surveillance footage, with Abigail’s help.
• Chen Xuan rejects this slower investigative approach. He argues that the Gospel Society will become increasingly difficult to track now that they know they are being hunted, and that the agency risks continually losing the initiative.
• He proposes a different strategy: identify the suspected mole within the New City branch of the agency. The mole likely belongs to the Gospel Society’s intelligence network and would know the agency’s movements. Chen Xuan claims he can help Abigail determine the mole’s identity.
• Despite his frustration and skepticism, Reid follows Chen Xuan back toward Manhattan District so they can present the plan to Abigail.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates the growing strength and versatility of his abilities. His Law Mantra can now immobilize ordinary people for over ten minutes, while Linguistics allows him to issue commands through unfamiliar sounds by embedding his will in them.
• Chen becomes more assertive as a strategist. Rather than simply assisting Reid’s investigation, he identifies its weaknesses and insists on taking a more proactive route.
• Reid is impressed by Chen Xuan’s power after witnessing the hotel raid. His attitude shifts from treating Chen as an unknown asset to showing him considerably more respect, though he remains irritated by Chen’s secrecy and unconventional methods.
• Reid also reveals his ruthless operational style by killing Abdullah and treating the murder as a justified, manageable act that the agency’s Logistics Team can conceal.
• Honglian remains observant and morally uneasy. She recognizes Chen’s imitation of Guagua’s speech and shows discomfort with the agency’s violent methods, while still cooperating with the mission.
• Abigail, though absent from the chapter’s main action, becomes increasingly important as the person who may be able to investigate the evidence and expose the branch’s internal traitor.

Significant Themes

• Power and control: Chen Xuan’s abilities allow him to dominate ordinary people without conventional violence, emphasizing the frightening effectiveness of will-based powers.
• Initiative versus procedure: Reid favors evidence gathering, surveillance, and forensic investigation, while Chen argues that conventional methods are too slow against an alerted and well-hidden enemy.
• Institutional vulnerability and betrayal: The suspected mole demonstrates that the agency’s greatest threat may come from within, making secrecy and trust central concerns.
• Moral ambiguity: Reid’s execution of Abdullah is presented as operationally practical, but Honglian’s reaction highlights the ethical divide between the agency’s official mission and its brutal methods.
• The difficulty of hiding in a modern city: Fake identities, altered appearances, scent disruption, and the city’s vast population make direct pursuit extremely difficult. The hunters must therefore anticipate the enemy rather than merely follow their traces.
• Competing objectives: While the agency focuses on eliminating the Gospel Society, Chen Xuan’s true priority is finding Luo Diya before the Gospel Faction reaches her.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan’s effortless suppression of the gangsters astonishes Reid and changes the balance of respect between them.
• Honglian questions Chen about his imitation of Guagua, leading to an explanation of how Linguistics works.
• Chen entrusts Abdullah to Reid, allowing Reid to carry out the interrogation according to his own methods.
• Honglian and Reid disagree indirectly over the agency’s violent practices: she is visibly troubled, while Reid defends Abdullah’s death as deserved and necessary.
• Reid proposes a conventional investigation, but Chen challenges it and presents the mole as the more effective target.
• Chen’s confident refusal to explain his plan immediately frustrates Reid, yet Reid ultimately follows him, showing that Chen has gained enough credibility to influence the operation.

Chapter Summary: The Color of Words

Key Plot Points and Events

• Abigail returns to the hotel room after arranging for the Gospel Faction’s safehouse to be sealed and cleaned, preventing its members from tampering with evidence.
• While waiting for Chen Xuan, she discusses his unconventional behavior with Honglian. Honglian defends him, emphasizing that although he acts chaotically, he has achieved major results, including exposing the Dimensional Limit Organization and destroying its Jiangcheng Branch.
• Honglian and Abigail debate the corruption and contradictions within the Organization. Honglian argues that the institution has become increasingly focused on money, power, commercial interests, and the uncontrolled behavior of ability users.
• Chen Xuan returns and reveals that he has obtained a special ability for Abigail. He pretends that a friend is transferring it through a phone camera, when in reality he uses the Scanner Gun to transfer an ability previously taken from Walter.
• Abigail receives Voice of Trust, an ability that allows her to perceive the emotional attitudes people hold toward her as colors.
• She tests the ability on Chen Xuan, Reid, and Honglian, discovering that Chen Xuan’s attitude is calm and distant, Reid’s is trusting and dependent, and Honglian’s is friendly but tinged with jealousy.
• The discovery shocks Abigail and Reid because abilities were believed to be obtainable only through force. Abigail realizes that abilities can also be willingly transferred, suggesting that Wanderers possess capabilities the Organization may not understand.

Character Developments

• Abigail is shown as disciplined and cautious, but increasingly burdened by the Organization’s failures. Her encounter with the new ability challenges her assumptions about how abilities work and deepens her unease about the potential power of Wanderers.
• Honglian demonstrates that she has moved away from her former devotion to rules and institutional authority. She still believes the Organization is necessary, but now recognizes its systemic corruption and is willing to cooperate with Chen Xuan.
• Chen Xuan continues to act unpredictably and manipulate situations for his own purposes, teasing Abigail while efficiently advancing his plan. His ability to arrange voluntary power transfers demonstrates his growing influence and resourcefulness.
• Reid acts as a protective and anxious adjutant, reacting strongly when Abigail appears to be endangered. His emotional dependence on Abigail becomes clear through the colors revealed by her new ability.
• Walter, though absent, contributes indirectly by willingly lending his ability in exchange for continued protection and business relations with the Organization.

Significant Themes

• Institutional corruption and disillusionment: Honglian and Abigail confront the gap between the Organization’s original purpose and its growing obsession with power, money, and control.
• Order versus chaos: Chen Xuan’s unconventional methods contrast with Abigail’s respect for procedure, raising questions about whether rigid institutions or unpredictable individuals are more capable of producing meaningful change.
• Trust and emotional truth: Voice of Trust turns hidden feelings into visible colors, suggesting that relationships may be more honestly understood through emotion than through words.
• Consent and power: The voluntary transfer of abilities challenges the Organization’s assumptions and introduces a more complex view of power—one based not only on coercion, but also on negotiation and mutual interest.
• Changing perspectives: Honglian’s transformation and Abigail’s growing uncertainty show how experience can alter one’s beliefs without completely erasing one’s original ideals.

Character Interactions

• Abigail questions Honglian about Chen Xuan, prompting Honglian to defend his effectiveness and explain her changed attitude toward the Organization.
• Honglian challenges Abigail to acknowledge the Organization’s contradictions, forcing her to reflect on what she has overlooked during her years at headquarters.
• Chen Xuan deliberately unsettles Abigail and Reid by presenting the ability transfer as a mysterious experiment, then asks Abigail to interpret his feelings.
• Abigail uses the new ability to perceive Reid’s trust and Honglian’s friendship, gaining insight into relationships she may previously have misunderstood.

Summary: “The Inspector’s Authority”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan confidently claims he has a way to protect his mysterious “friend” from the Organization, though internally he admits the friend does not exist. Honglian interprets his statement as referring to the World Mind and believes its higher nature makes it impossible for the Organization to capture.
• Abigail and her adjutant, Reid, return to the Dimensional Limit Organization’s New City Branch to investigate a suspected infiltration by the Gospel Society.
• Abigail’s enhanced ability now allows her to perceive people’s true emotions rather than merely infer them. As she walks through the Organization’s luxurious headquarters, she observes the contrast between people’s outward behavior and their hidden feelings.
• At the branch office, Commander Landa Miller resists Abigail’s investigation. He argues that the branch’s Intelligence Unit is sufficient and questions Headquarters’ lack of trust in him.
• Abigail orders all employees—both those still at work and those who have gone home—to gather immediately, claiming that a Gospel Society mole has infiltrated the branch.
• Landa challenges her authority, arguing that disciplinary inspectors cannot override a branch commander unless he is absent or incapacitated. Abigail and Reid imply that he will soon be incapacitated, with Reid locking the office door and Abigail threatening that the mole will “attack” him.
• Recognizing Abigail’s reputation and power, Landa backs down and orders the emergency assembly.
• After approximately thirty minutes, all employees gather in the main conference room. Landa publicly yields the stage to Abigail.
• Abigail announces that there is a traitor among them, provoking immediate shock and uproar.

Character Developments

• Abigail: Becomes more assertive and openly exercises her authority. Her ability to perceive true emotions gives her greater confidence in judging people and exposes the hidden hypocrisy of those around her. She demonstrates strategic control by forcing Landa into cooperation without immediately revealing all her evidence.
• Reid: Acts as Abigail’s firm and intimidating support. He cites the Organization’s regulations to reinforce her authority and physically locks the office door, signaling that the investigation is serious and potentially coercive.
• Landa Miller: Initially defensive, arrogant, and resentful of Headquarters’ interference, he quickly becomes cautious once he realizes Abigail may incapacitate him. His reversal shows that his authority depends heavily on his personal security and position.
• Chen Xuan: Continues manipulating others through confident but misleading statements. His nonexistent “friend” allows Honglian to draw her own conclusions about the World Mind.
• Honglian: Misinterprets Chen Xuan’s words in a way that strengthens her belief in the World Mind’s exceptional status.

Significant Themes

• Authority versus institutional hierarchy: The conflict between Abigail and Landa centers on whether formal rank or emergency investigative authority should prevail.
• Truth versus appearances: Abigail’s ability reveals the gap between people’s public behavior and private emotions, reinforcing the difficulty of identifying genuine loyalty.
• Power and corruption: The Organization’s wealthy, prestigious headquarters symbolizes how prolonged immersion in status and privilege can cause people to lose sight of their original purpose.
• Fear as a tool of control: Abigail gains compliance not only through official regulations but also through the implied threat of physically removing Landa from power.
• Trust and infiltration: The suspected Gospel Society mole creates an atmosphere of paranoia, forcing employees to question the loyalty of everyone around them.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Honglian: Chen Xuan’s vague claim leads Honglian to believe he is protecting the World Mind, showing how easily his words can be reinterpreted.
• Abigail and Reid: They operate in close coordination, with Reid reinforcing Abigail’s authority and helping her control the confrontation.
• Abigail and Landa: Their tense exchange shifts from bureaucratic resistance to intimidation and reluctant submission. Landa challenges her legitimacy, but Abigail outmaneuvers him by threatening to render him incapacitated.
• Abigail and the assembled agents: She abruptly transforms the branch from a routine workplace into an emergency investigative scene by publicly accusing someone within it of treason.

Chapter Summary: “The Source of Hostility”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Abigail uses her emotion-sensing ability during a mandatory agency assembly and discovers that interacting with roughly two hundred people at once severely drains her energy.
• She realizes that most of the agents dislike her, not because she disrupted their schedules, but because they view her as an outsider sent by headquarters to investigate them—especially after she announces that a traitor is working with the Gospel Society.
• With Landa’s reluctant support, Abigail orders the agents to divide into the Execution Team, Logistics Team, and Intelligence Unit and report their schedules.
• Her ability reveals that the Execution and Logistics Teams are largely free of serious hostility, while the Intelligence Unit is saturated with dark red and black emotional signals.
• The strongest hostility comes from Fermi Naren, the respected, veteran head of the Intelligence Unit. Despite his long service, ordinary human status, and apparently clean history, Abigail identifies him as the mole.
• The agents react angrily and reject the accusation, insisting that Fermi is loyal and that Abigail has no evidence.
• Abigail orders Reid to bring Fermi onto the stage and quietly tells Landa to lock down the agency.
• Reid explains that he has placed an ability on himself, Abigail, and Fermi: if any of them lies, Reid’s revolver will fire a lethal bullet.
• Fermi challenges the method, accusing headquarters of using abilities to judge people without proper evidence. His protest wins support from the crowd.
• Reid fires two warning shots into the ceiling, then turns the weapon on himself and threatens the Gospel Society and everyone connected to its members. He pulls the trigger, ending the chapter on a tense cliffhanger with the gun clicking.

Character Developments

• Abigail: Demonstrates her emotional resilience and command presence despite widespread hostility. She moves from observing suspicion to making a decisive accusation based on her ability, even though she lacks conventional proof. Her calm façade breaks when she forcefully silences the crowd, revealing a more intimidating side.
• Fermi Naren: Initially appears as a dignified, established senior agent defending his honor. He remains composed and verbally attacks Abigail’s lack of evidence, but his intense hostility marks him as the likely traitor.
• Reid: Shows absolute loyalty to Abigail and a willingness to risk his life to validate her accusation. His threat toward the Gospel Society also reveals a ruthless determination to protect the agency.
• Landa: Though skeptical and reluctant, he helps Abigail enforce the investigation and follows her instruction to lock down the agency.
• The Agents: Their collective distrust of Abigail intensifies, but their confidence is shaken by her identification of Fermi and Reid’s dangerous truth-testing ability.

Significant Themes

• Outsider status and institutional distrust: Abigail is rejected because she represents headquarters’ scrutiny and possible punishment.
• Appearance versus hidden allegiance: Fermi’s respected reputation and clean history conceal the hostility Abigail detects, emphasizing that betrayal may come from seemingly trustworthy people.
• Authority versus evidence: The chapter questions whether supernatural abilities can justify accusations and life-or-death decisions when ordinary proof is unavailable.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Reid’s willingness to risk death demonstrates extreme devotion to Abigail and the agency.
• Hostility as a hidden truth: Emotional hatred becomes a form of evidence, suggesting that inner motives can reveal what official records and public behavior conceal.

Character Interactions

• Abigail clashes with the assembled agents, who challenge her authority and accuse her investigation of being arbitrary.
• Landa acts as an intermediary, backing Abigail’s orders despite the crowd’s resistance.
• Abigail confronts Fermi directly, while he counters her accusation with a public defense of his reputation and criticism of headquarters.
• Reid supports Abigail by physically restraining Fermi, explaining his ability, and placing himself in danger to force the truth into the open.
• The crowd shifts from hostility toward Abigail to stunned silence after Reid fires the warning shots and pulls the trigger on himself.

Chapter Summary: “The God-Given”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Reid challenges Fermi, the head of the Intelligence Unit, with a supernatural test involving a loaded handgun. Reid claims that because his belief in Fermi’s guilt is absolutely sincere, the gun cannot fire.
• Abigail takes the gun and pulls the trigger on herself, publicly showing that she supports Reid’s judgment. The gun also fails to fire for her.
• Fermi insists that he has no connection to the Gospel Society and pulls the trigger himself. At first, nothing happens, seemingly proving his innocence.
• Moments later, the gun unexpectedly fires while pointed downward. The bullet strikes Fermi in the head, killing him in front of the entire branch.
• The agents react with shock and fear. Chief Commander Landa is disturbed that Abigail has executed a senior official without conventional evidence, and the hall becomes suspicious of the Disciplinary Inspection Team.
• Abigail removes her blindfold and reverses the event through her power. Fermi’s blood and brain matter return to his body, the bullet wound closes, and his body rises as though time itself has run backward.
• Fermi survives physically but is mentally vacant. Abigail claims he is suffering from “Soul-Loss Syndrome,” though she privately knows the condition is permanent: the restored Fermi is only an empty shell.
• Abigail orders a joint investigation into Fermi’s computer, phone, residence, safe, and possible accomplices. Landa accepts her authority, and the branch’s hostility shifts into wary respect and awe.
• Abigail concludes that Fermi was truly guilty. His momentary relief after the gun failed exposed the fear in his heart, allowing her to confirm his betrayal.

Character Developments

• Abigail demonstrates extraordinary power, political control, and ruthlessness. She knowingly risks appearing tyrannical in order to force the branch into accepting her judgment. Her ability to reverse physical destruction establishes why she is called “God-given.”
• Reid acts as Abigail’s instrument, using his unusual ability to identify a target whose inner beliefs conflict with his claims. His confidence helps create the conditions for Fermi’s exposure.
• Fermi changes from a defiant senior official into a silent, hollow survivor. His brief belief that he had passed the test reveals his guilt and confirms that he was involved with the Gospel Society.
• Landa begins the scene distrustful and resistant to Abigail, fearing that headquarters can eliminate branch officials without accountability. After witnessing her power and Fermi’s apparent resurrection, he becomes cooperative and awed, though not entirely free of concern.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus proof: The chapter questions whether supernatural certainty can replace evidence. Abigail knows Fermi is guilty, but the agents must accept her judgment before conventional proof is found.
• Fear as a tool of power: Abigail deliberately allows the hall to believe she has executed Fermi. The terror this creates breaks the branch’s resistance more effectively than persuasion could.
• Authority and institutional conflict: The branch’s suspicion of headquarters reflects a struggle between local autonomy and centralized power. Abigail wins obedience by demonstrating overwhelming superiority.
• The illusion of resurrection: Abigail’s restoration resembles a miracle, but it does not truly return life. The chapter contrasts physical repair with the loss of the soul or consciousness.
• Moral ambiguity and punishment: Fermi’s betrayal may justify punishment, but Abigail’s methods bypass trial and due process. Her certainty and effectiveness make her both protector and frightening authoritarian.
• Human volatility: The agents’ emotions rapidly shift from hostility, to fear, to awe, showing how quickly public opinion changes in response to displays of power.

Character Interactions

• Reid and Fermi: Reid accuses Fermi indirectly through the gun test, while Fermi’s defensive denial collapses when the gun ultimately fires.
• Abigail and Reid: Abigail publicly validates Reid by taking the test herself, strengthening the credibility of his accusation.
• Abigail and Fermi: Their confrontation is both a test and a punishment. Abigail allows Fermi to believe he has survived before exposing the hidden fear that confirms his guilt.
• Abigail and Landa: Landa challenges her authority through his unease, but her restoration of Fermi and subsequent orders force him into cooperation.
• Abigail and the assembled agents: She manipulates their fear and amazement, turning a potentially rebellious audience into a group willing to follow her investigation.

Chapter Summary: “Locking Onto the Target”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Abigail contacts Honglian after exposing Fermi Naren, the head of the Intelligence Unit, as a mole within the Organization.
• The investigation uncovers overwhelming evidence of Fermi’s cooperation with the Gospel Society:
  • His phone contains encrypted communications and a list of Gospel Faction members in New City.
  • His blood-activated encryption system was linked to a glucose pen he carried.
  • His home contains stolen confidential documents and damaging information about the Organization.
  • Intelligence Unit members reveal that Fermi spread rumors portraying Abigail’s investigation as political persecution.
• With Fermi exposed, hostility toward Abigail within the Organization rapidly decreases. However, his motive, recruitment, and superior contact remain unknown. His behavior appears less like a recent betrayal and more like lifelong loyalty to the Gospel Society.
• Abigail tells Honglian that Fermi will supposedly be returned to headquarters, though she knows he has already become an empty shell and will likely be dissected for research.
• Honglian demands access to the arrest plans and targets, fearing that the New City Branch cannot be trusted. Abigail agrees to cooperate and promises that Honglian will have a chance to see Luo Diya if Luo survives.
• Before Abigail can send the materials, the Organization receives a message from the Gospel Society ordering Fermi to cooperate and identifying New City Harbor’s Second Loading Zone as the meeting area.
• Abigail realizes the harbor may be the location of the escaped Gospel ability user, possibly Luo Diya, who may be planning to flee overseas.
• The harbor is vast and difficult to search, but Abigail identifies an Organization transfer warehouse in the western district. The facility is guarded by Black Steel personnel and could provide a secure hiding place.
• Abigail orders Reid to contact the warehouse and instructs Chief Captain Landa to mobilize the entire Execution Team to the harbor.

Character Developments

• Abigail becomes more confident and politically influential after exposing Fermi. She now receives less resistance from the Intelligence Unit and is willing to share sensitive information with Honglian despite the risks.
• She also demonstrates greater trust in Honglian and a willingness to protect her former schoolmate, rather than abandoning her allies once the immediate crisis is resolved.
• Honglian remains cautious and distrustful of the Organization, particularly the New City Branch. She insists on maintaining surveillance and a backup plan while cooperating with Abigail.
• Fermi Naren is revealed as a deeply embedded traitor who manipulated his unit, undermined Abigail, transferred secrets, and maintained covert ties with the Gospel Society. His motive remains an unresolved mystery.
• Reid continues to act as Abigail’s reliable adjutant, quickly carrying out her orders and helping coordinate the response.
• Chief Captain Landa is shown to have been misled by Fermi, though he accepts the need to act once the evidence becomes clear.
• Luo Diya remains offscreen but becomes the likely target of the impending harbor operation and may be attempting to escape the Organization and the city.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal from within: The greatest threat comes not from an obvious enemy but from a trusted senior official who has corrupted his own department.
• Institutional weakness and moral ambiguity: Honglian’s doubts about the Organization deepen as its corruption, secrets, and political infighting become clearer.
• Trust and cooperation: Abigail must balance loyalty to the Organization with trust in outsiders such as Honglian and World Mind.
• Uncertainty behind motives: Although Fermi’s betrayal is proven, the reasons behind it remain unknowable, emphasizing that evidence does not always explain human choices.
• Urgency and strategic thinking: Abigail must make rapid decisions with incomplete information while anticipating the enemy’s plans.

Important Character Interactions

• Abigail and Honglian discuss Fermi’s betrayal, the Organization’s flaws, and how to handle the upcoming arrests. Their conversation shows increasing mutual trust but also Honglian’s continued suspicion.
• Abigail, Reid, and the Intelligence Unit analyze the Gospel Society’s message and infer that the enemy may be preparing an immediate operation.
• Abigail and Landa examine the harbor map and identify the Organization’s guarded transfer warehouse as a possible hiding place.
• Abigail takes command of the response, assigning Reid to investigate the warehouse and Landa to deploy the Execution Team.

Chapter Summary: “Rendezvous”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A large convoy from the Dimensional Limit Organization leaves its branch headquarters and races toward New City Harbor after communications with a transfer warehouse suddenly fail. Brief gunfire was heard just before contact was lost, suggesting that the Gospel Faction may be attacking or hiding inside.
• Chief Commander Landa becomes optimistic, believing that sealing off the West District will trap the hostile ability users and restore his reputation after the safe-house incident. He shows little concern for the warehouse guards or Luo Diya’s survival, viewing her mainly as potential bait.
• Landa explains that the warehouse is heavily fortified, with blast doors, underground vaults, and newly installed smart machine-gun turrets. The building mainly stores valuable artifacts, gold, jade, and other treasures rather than essential supplies.
• Abigail recognizes this as evidence of the Dimensional Limit Organization’s internal corruption. The organization claims to pursue lofty ideals, yet its warehouses function more like collections of plundered wealth than crisis-response facilities.
• At 10:45 p.m., the convoy reaches the harbor. Agents surround the West District, covering roads, exits, and sewers to prevent escape.
• Abigail and Reid enter the dark warehouse building ahead of the main force. The courtyard is littered with shell casings, the guards have vanished, and the power appears to have been cut.
• Although standard procedure would require restoring communications and assessing the enemy before sending in the Execution Team, Abigail proceeds immediately. Landa reluctantly allows it.
• Abigail removes the cloth covering her eyes, releasing the full usefulness of her extraordinary vision or ability. She and Reid discover that the elevator has been destroyed, but Abigail repairs the twisted metal and restores the elevator through her power.
• The elevator descends automatically to the second basement level. Abigail senses that the battle scenes are abnormal: weapons were fired, but there are no clear signs of bodies or conventional combat. She concludes that the missing people went underground.
• When the elevator doors open, four translucent blades appear. Abigail prevents Reid from firing, recognizing that they are not enemies. Chen Xuan and Honglian emerge from the darkness, creating the chapter’s rendezvous.

Character Developments

• Abigail continues to question the Dimensional Limit Organization. Her observations of the warehouse’s wealth and purpose deepen her awareness of the organization’s hypocrisy, echoing Honglian’s earlier criticism.
• She also acts with increasing independence, ignoring the planned cautious approach and entering the warehouse before the wider team has secured or analyzed it.
• Abigail demonstrates the remarkable scope of her ability by restoring a destroyed elevator and its surrounding mechanisms. Her confidence suggests that her apparent limitations—such as keeping her eyes covered—are partly deliberate restraints rather than true weaknesses.
• Reid remains loyal and protective, worrying about the strain Abigail’s ability may cause. Although he cannot understand her powers, he trusts her judgment completely and follows her into danger.
• Landa is revealed as ambitious and self-serving. His primary concern is capturing or killing the Gospel Faction members so he can protect his position, rather than rescuing personnel or investigating the deeper situation.
• Honglian continues to influence Abigail indirectly through her earlier accusations about the organization. Her appearance at the end confirms that she and Chen Xuan have reached the warehouse first or have been operating inside it.
• Chen Xuan and Honglian are introduced as the figures Abigail and Reid encounter underground, apparently not as immediate enemies.

Significant Themes

• Institutional corruption and hypocrisy: The organization’s stated ideals conflict with its accumulation of stolen luxury goods and its leadership’s indifference to human life.
• Power and control: Abigail’s ability to reshape physical reality contrasts with the organization’s reliance on weapons, barriers, surveillance, and overwhelming force.
• Blindness and perception: Abigail’s covered eyes symbolize hidden knowledge and restraint, while her ability allows her to perceive truths that ordinary agents cannot.
• Disappearance and uncertainty: The missing guards, strange battle traces, and inexplicable gunfire create an atmosphere in which ordinary explanations no longer apply.
• Individual judgment versus institutional procedure: Abigail trusts her own perception and acts before receiving official confirmation, while the organization’s formal plans seem slow and inadequate.
• Ambition versus responsibility: Landa treats people as tools for preserving his position, whereas Abigail and Reid show greater concern for understanding the situation and protecting one another.

Character Interactions

• Abigail reports the situation to Honglian while trying to prevent a direct clash between Honglian and the Dimensional Limit Organization.
• Landa and Abigail discuss the warehouse defenses, revealing Landa’s confidence, opportunism, and lack of concern for casualties.
• Abigail internally recalls Honglian’s criticism, causing her to reassess the organization’s practices.
• Landa attempts to stop Abigail and Reid from entering prematurely, but ultimately permits them to proceed.
• Reid questions Abigail’s decision to remove her eye covering and worries about her ability, while Abigail calmly reassures him.
• Abigail’s powers impress and unsettle Reid, reinforcing the gap between ordinary people and high-level ability users.
• At the end, Abigail prevents Reid from attacking the translucent blades and identifies Chen Xuan and Honglian as non-hostile, establishing the chapter’s central meeting point and setting up the next confrontation or revelation.

Chapter Summary: “Liberation Mode”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Reid is shocked to discover that Abigail secretly supplied the Dimensional Limit Organization’s intelligence to Honglian and the Illegal Wanderer, enabling them to reach the transfer warehouse ahead of the Organization’s forces.
• Chen Xuan explains how he and Honglian arrived first using a Wind Riding Talisman and tracked the Gospel Society’s forces underground with his Heavenly Cloud Life-Bearing True Method.
• After discovering that the elevator had been disabled, Chen Xuan forced his way down the shaft and killed a Gospel Society member with a precise ambush using the Thousand Thoughts Sword.
• Abigail unexpectedly restores the damaged elevator by altering its “state,” revealing that her abilities are more versatile than previously known.
• Abigail insists on confronting the Gospel Society pursuers herself, framing the conflict as a personal struggle between the Dimensional Limit Organization and the Gospel Society.
• Chen Xuan scans Abigail and discovers that her ability, “Barrier” LV1 (Liberation), is a unique, colored legendary ability. Its description suggests that she has abandoned restraint and can reshape reality within the limits of her Barrier.
• The group reaches a heavily fortified underground warehouse. Inside, they find Black Steel Guards transformed into monstrous, smoke-filled beings by the enemy’s ability.
• The transformed guards open fire on Abigail, but her Barrier causes the bullets to warp into flower buds and scatter as glowing metal petals, completely neutralizing the attack.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates significant growth as a combatant. He efficiently kills an enemy through strategy, deception, and precise use of his sword techniques rather than relying solely on brute force.
• He also becomes increasingly perceptive, recognizing Abigail’s abilities as exceptionally powerful and realizing that her legendary ability might theoretically be obtainable if she consented to give it up. His momentary thoughts reveal his opportunistic and calculating nature.
• Abigail emerges as both highly capable and unusually trusting. By revealing her abilities and taking responsibility for the confrontation, she signals confidence and a degree of sincerity toward Chen Xuan and Honglian.
• Her “Barrier” ability proves to be far more powerful than Chen Xuan expected, allowing her to manipulate objects and alter their properties within a limited range.
• Honglian remains observant and familiar with Abigail’s reputation, calmly noting that anyone admitted to headquarters is dangerous. She also openly admires Abigail’s impressive combat display.
• Reid begins to understand the extent of Abigail’s secret cooperation with the opposing side and is surprised by both her actions and the situation unfolding around him.

Significant Themes

• Trust and betrayal: Abigail’s decision to leak intelligence to the traitors and Illegal Wanderer places her in a morally dangerous position, blurring the line between ally and traitor.
• Power and restraint: The “Liberation” description suggests a character who has stopped enduring limitations and now imposes her will on the world, even if only within a confined space.
• Hidden abilities and strategic secrecy: The chapter emphasizes how dangerous it is for ability users to reveal their powers, since opponents can develop countermeasures once they understand them.
• Transformation and dehumanization: The Gospel Society’s conversion of the Black Steel Guards into smoke-filled monsters demonstrates how the conflict has moved beyond ordinary violence into grotesque manipulation of human beings.
• Changing perceptions of strength: Chen Xuan realizes that Abigail is not merely competent but possesses a rare legendary ability, forcing him to reassess her as a potential ally, rival, or valuable target.

Character Interactions

• Reid confronts Abigail’s apparent betrayal but does not directly challenge her.
• Abigail speaks with Honglian and Chen Xuan in a calm, cooperative manner, taking command of the mission while acknowledging the personal nature of the Organization’s conflict with the Gospel Society.
• Chen Xuan and Abigail exchange information about the enemies’ location and the restored elevator, with Abigail casually demonstrating her control over the environment.
• Chen Xuan secretly evaluates Abigail’s ability and considers its value, while Honglian notices his suspicious reaction and questions him.
• Honglian reacts with admiration to Abigail’s effortless defense, reinforcing the contrast between Abigail’s composed confidence and Chen Xuan’s growing wariness.

Chapter Summary: “Gospel Society Assassins”

Plot Points and Events

• Reid opens fire on the Black Steel guards, killing them with remarkable precision. Abigail’s group treats the guards as enemies despite their connection to the Agency.
• Honglian is disturbed by the group’s ruthlessness, while Chen Xuan notices something unusual: the number of energy signatures in the area has not decreased. The “dead” guards’ light spots appear to have detached from their bodies, suggesting a strange ability or deception.
• Abigail, Reid, Honglian, and Chen Xuan enter the next room, where four young Gospel Society ability users are holding warehouse guards and employees hostage.
• The four villains reveal that two members of their group have already been killed by the Agency’s intelligent weapons. They openly embrace violence and reject their former identities:
  • Jill Andia now calls herself Flying Star.
  • The silver-haired youth calls himself Silver Crow.
  • A green-haired swordsman identifies himself as the Samurai.
  • A fourth unnamed member is present.
• Abigail offers them a chance to surrender and stand trial, but they mock her and declare their loyalty to the Gospel Society’s vision of a new world.
• Reid provokes the Samurai by shooting at him before he can finish his dramatic introduction. The confrontation immediately escalates into a coordinated attack.
• Flying Star uses extreme speed to attack Abigail and Reid from behind, Silver Crow summons numerous shadow-like crows, and the Samurai launches a fast sword attack from the side.
• Chen Xuan analyzes their abilities and tactics, recognizing that they form a balanced, practiced team. However, their combined assault is ineffective against Abigail’s overwhelming defensive Barrier.
• Abigail’s power transforms Flying Star’s dagger into flowers, destroys Silver Crow’s phantom crows, shatters the Samurai’s blade, and melts his shoes into asphalt.
• Reid exploits their confusion, throwing Flying Star and the Samurai together before firing at them. His bullets curve through the air and strike all three attackers in the shoulders, leaving them seriously wounded.

Character Developments

• Reid is established as an exceptionally precise and aggressive soldier. He responds to threats immediately, uses humor and provocation in combat, and possesses bullets capable of curving toward their targets.
• Abigail demonstrates immense power and composure. She remains calm despite insults and offers the enemy a lawful alternative before defeating their attack with ease.
• Honglian becomes increasingly shaken by the violence and by the Gospel Society youths’ disregard for life. Her reactions highlight her comparatively humane and inexperienced perspective.
• Chen Xuan acts as the group’s observer and analyst. His ability to detect energy signatures allows him to notice the mystery surrounding the supposedly dead guards, and he quickly identifies the strengths and roles of the enemy team.
• Flying Star, Silver Crow, and the Samurai are portrayed as young, indoctrinated extremists who have abandoned their real identities. Their new names and appearances reflect their rejection of ordinary society and total commitment to the Gospel Society.

Significant Themes

• Ability-user supremacy and dehumanization: Both the Gospel Society and parts of the Agency treat ordinary people as expendable, challenging the supposed moral difference between the two sides.
• Youthful radicalization: The villains’ age, troubled backgrounds, desire for recognition, and rejection of their former identities suggest how vulnerable young people can be recruited by extremist ideologies.
• Identity and self-reinvention: The youths discard their birth names and adopt theatrical aliases, presenting themselves as symbols of a revolutionary cause rather than as individuals.
• Power versus skill: Although the Gospel Society members are coordinated and experienced, Abigail’s superior ability renders their tactics almost meaningless.
• Violence and moral ambiguity: Abigail offers surrender before fighting, but the Agency’s forces still kill without hesitation when they perceive a threat, blurring the distinction between justice and brutality.
• Appearance versus reality: The youths look like delinquent punks, yet possess deadly abilities and combat training. Likewise, the guards’ apparent deaths may not be what they seem.

Character Interactions

• Honglian questions Chen Xuan about the apparently unchanged energy signatures, showing that she relies on his judgment and is alarmed by the situation.
• Abigail confronts the Gospel Society members directly, attempting to persuade them to surrender while they insult and mock her.
• Abigail recognizes Flying Star by her former name, Jill Andia, but Jill angrily rejects that identity.
• Reid interrupts and taunts the Samurai, provoking the Gospel Society team into attacking.
• The three Gospel Society fighters coordinate their abilities to surround Abigail and Reid, but Abigail’s Barrier neutralizes each attack.
• Reid then physically throws Flying Star and the Samurai together and uses his curving bullets to wound the entire attacking group, decisively shifting the battle in the Agency’s favor.

Chapter Summary: “What Is a Natural Enemy?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Reid uses his curse-like ability to shoot and incapacitate Flying Star, the Warrior, and another Gospel Society member without killing them.
• Abigail confronts the remaining enemy, A-Meng, who argues that ability users should rule over ordinary humans and create a world shaped by their power.
• A-Meng reveals that his ideology comes from his leader, who believes ability users have been “domesticated” by the Organization and should overthrow ordinary society.
• A-Meng begins combining the powers of his wounded companions. Chen Xuan realizes that their Spiritual Energy is being gathered into a distributed network, causing A-Meng to enter the realm of Demons.
• Reid attacks, but A-Meng’s ability causes black smoke to emerge from Reid’s eyes and disrupts his Spiritual Energy. Abigail attempts to rescue Reid, yet she is affected as well.
• The phenomenon spreads to Honglian and Chen Xuan, drawing them into a blank, dreamlike world. Chen Xuan recognizes the Dream Master’s familiar textual interface and uses it to terminate the dream.
• He returns to the warehouse and discovers that only a few seconds have passed. Abigail and Reid remain trapped, and their Spiritual Energy is beginning to separate from their bodies.
• Chen Xuan attacks A-Meng with a qi sword enhanced by Heavenly Thunder Command, a technique especially effective against Demons. The strike disrupts A-Meng’s Spiritual Energy and begins destroying the power sustaining his transformation.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan remains observant and strategically cautious, quickly identifying the nature of A-Meng’s ability and recognizing that A-Meng has become a Demon. He also demonstrates increasing combat versatility by combining multiple techniques and exploiting Heavenly Thunder Command’s anti-Demon properties.
• A-Meng is revealed as an ideologically committed extremist rather than a simple murderer. He believes ability users are superior to ordinary people, but his attempt to merge with his companions’ powers pushes him beyond humanity and places a severe strain on his body.
• Abigail shows confidence in the Organization but admits that it has serious flaws. Her attempt to reason with A-Meng reflects her belief that, despite its corruption, the Organization is preferable to the Gospel Society.
• Reid acts decisively and aggressively, but his confidence is undermined when A-Meng’s power bypasses conventional attacks and seizes control of him.
• Honglian recognizes Abigail’s danger and tries to help, but she too is overwhelmed by the spreading ability.

Significant Themes

• Power and domination: A-Meng’s belief that the powerful should rule the weak challenges the Organization’s authority and exposes the ideological conflict between control by ordinary humans and control by ability users.
• Ideological extremism: Both factions claim to pursue a better world, but A-Meng’s vision depends on exploitation and persecution, making his revolution resemble the oppression he condemns.
• Humanity versus monstrosity: The chapter explores how the pursuit of power transforms ability users into Demons. A-Meng’s distributed Spiritual Energy marks his departure from ordinary human existence.
• True self and loss of control: A-Meng’s ability forces victims to confront their “true selves,” but it effectively strips them of bodily control and threatens to turn them into vessels for Demonic power.
• Natural enemies: Heavenly Thunder Command is presented as a force naturally suited to suppressing Demons, suggesting a larger system of mutual opposition between different powers.

Character Interactions

• Abigail and A-Meng debate whether ability users should serve or dominate ordinary people.
• Reid openly condemns A-Meng’s ideology and attacks him, while A-Meng uses the workers and his companions as shields and sources of power.
• Abigail tries to protect Reid after he is affected, but she is drawn into the same mental and spiritual trap.
• Honglian attempts to rescue Abigail, only to become trapped herself.
• Chen Xuan secretly observes the confrontation, then intervenes at the critical moment and attacks A-Meng before the others’ Spiritual Energy can be fully consumed.

Chapter Summary:

The Dead: Luo Diya

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan defeats the Gospel Society’s young demonic enemy, A Meng, by piercing his abdomen with a qi sword and destroying his Spiritual Energy circulation with the Heavenly Thunder Command.
• A Meng reveals that his power involves dragging people into nightmares, where they confront distorted versions of themselves. Before dying, he attempts to calculate Chen Xuan’s fate and becomes terrified when he discovers that Chen Xuan’s “foundation” seems not to exist.
• Chen Xuan realizes he forgot to question A Meng about Luo Diya. Using his Mind Method, he detects survivors in a sealed compartment behind the warehouse.
• Abigail, Honglian, and Reid explain that the nightmare forced each of them to face an alternate version of themselves and the darkest possibilities within their hearts.
• Chen Xuan deduces that the ability attacks the victim’s soul and Spiritual Energy rather than merely creating frightening dreams. Those who lose the internal struggle may have their Spiritual Energy drained and their bodies taken over.
• Abigail asks how Chen Xuan escaped the nightmare, believing his strong faith and optimism allowed him to overcome it. Chen Xuan hides the truth—that the Dream Master took control immediately—and gives a vague answer about remaining hopeful.
• The group opens the sealed room and discovers a badly wounded green-haired girl sitting amid blood and wreckage.
• Chen Xuan identifies her as Luo Diya, ending the chapter on a grim cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Demonstrates overwhelming combat ability and sharp investigative instincts. He remains confused by the nightmare ability because he did not experience it normally. His unusual nature alarms A Meng, whose failed divination suggests Chen Xuan lies outside ordinary fate or existence.
• A Meng: Revealed as a demonic, human-like figure with dream-related powers. Even while dying, he remains fixated on Chen Xuan’s inexplicable spiritual foundation, dying in terror.
• Abigail: Survives a deeply personal psychological attack and gains greater respect for Chen Xuan, believing he overcame the trial through exceptional conviction.
• Honglian: Reveals that her nightmare showed a life in which she never joined the Bureau and instead became a desperate criminal. The experience exposes her fear of failure and despair.
• Reid: Is shaken into silence by his own nightmare, suggesting that the experience affected him profoundly even though he does not explain it.
• Luo Diya: Is finally located, but appears severely injured and possibly near death.

Significant Themes

• Confronting the self: The enemy’s nightmare weapon forces victims to face their hidden fears, regrets, and potential corruption.
• The soul and identity: The attack targets Spiritual Energy and the mind, implying that losing one’s soul can leave the body vulnerable to possession or control.
• Despair versus resistance: The nightmare grows stronger by making its victims surrender to hopelessness. Survival depends on retaining a sense of self and refusing to accept total despair.
• Fate and the unknown: A Meng’s inability to calculate Chen Xuan hints that Chen Xuan’s origins or destiny are fundamentally abnormal.
• Appearance versus reality: Chen Xuan allows the others to believe he overcame the nightmare through optimism, concealing the true nature of his experience.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan reassures Honglian, Abigail, and Reid after defeating A Meng, though he downplays the danger they faced.
• Abigail and Honglian compare their nightmare experiences, emphasizing how each was forced to battle an internal version of themselves.
• Abigail praises Chen Xuan’s supposed mental strength, while he redirects the conversation toward finding Luo Diya.
• Honglian reacts urgently upon discovering the wounded survivor, and Chen Xuan confirms the horrifying truth: the survivor is Luo Diya.

Chapter Summary: “You’re Her, Aren’t You?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Abigail, Chen Xuan, Honglian, and Reid discover Luo Diya apparently dead in the warehouse. She has been shot through the heart, and Chen Xuan detects no Spiritual Energy from her body.
• The warehouse survivors explain that the Gospel Society’s attack caused widespread chaos. Some guards betrayed the employees and opened fire while the victims fled through the building.
• The power returns, and Abigail reports that the enemy has been eliminated. She secretly tells Chen Xuan and Honglian to leave before the Organization’s other personnel arrive, since Honglian may be recognized.
• Abigail offers them a cover and an escort, but Chen Xuan declines, wary of being manipulated or attacked again. Before they leave, Abigail sincerely thanks them and suggests meeting later, reminding Chen Xuan that she still owes him an ability.
• Chen Xuan and Honglian use Recall to return to the Main Store. Honglian fears that Luo Diya’s death has destroyed their chance of restoring the original Lin Qing.
• Chen Xuan reasons that history has not changed because they still remember Rin. Since Luo Diya’s death was caused by the Gospel Society rather than their intervention, it may have been an unavoidable event—or Luo Diya may not truly be dead.
• Using information obtained through Abigail, they investigate Mount Sinai Hospital, where injured Organization affiliates are treated.
• They find Shelly, one of the warehouse survivors, heavily bandaged but alive. Chen Xuan concludes that the woman in the bed is actually Luo Diya, who has assumed Shelly’s identity.
• When he quietly addresses her as Luo Diya and identifies her Mind Reading ability, she abruptly opens her eyes.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan remains calm and analytical, refusing to accept Luo Diya’s apparent death at face value. His understanding of causality, memory, and altered history allows him to recognize that something is wrong with the situation.
• Honglian becomes increasingly anxious after losing their apparent lead, but she follows Chen Xuan’s reasoning and helps investigate the hospital.
• Abigail shows unexpected compassion and gratitude. She treats Honglian less like a traitor and more like an ally, while also acknowledging that Chen Xuan has given her new ideas to consider.
• Reid demonstrates unusual kindness toward Honglian and the wounded warehouse employees, suggesting a temporary softening despite his hostility toward traitors.
• Luo Diya appears to have survived by taking Shelly’s identity, concealing her true nature from both the Organization and the Gospel Society.

Significant Themes

• The uncertainty of death and identity: Luo Diya’s apparent corpse may be a deliberate deception, emphasizing that appearances cannot be trusted.
• Fate versus inevitability: Chen Xuan questions whether Luo Diya’s death was predetermined and whether events can truly be changed.
• Memory as proof of reality: The fact that Chen Xuan and Honglian still remember Rin suggests that history has not yet been rewritten.
• Shifting loyalties: Abigail and Reid show unexpected sympathy toward former enemies, while the warehouse attack reveals betrayal within the Organization.
• Trust and deception: Characters conceal their identities and motives, forcing Chen Xuan to rely on observation, logic, and abilities rather than appearances.

Important Character Interactions

• Reid comforts Honglian after Luo Diya’s apparent death and later reassures the injured employees.
• Abigail privately directs Chen Xuan and Honglian to escape, then sincerely thanks them for challenging her assumptions.
• Chen Xuan and Honglian debate whether Luo Diya’s death has altered history.
• At the hospital, Chen Xuan confronts the disguised Luo Diya and reveals that he knows both her identity and ability, triggering her reaction.

Chapter Summary: “A Bold Plan”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan and Honglian question Shelly in the hospital after discovering that she possesses memories belonging to another person.
• Chen Xuan uses physical contact to share his memories of traveling to the future. Shelly realizes he is telling the truth and reveals her true identity: Luo Diya.
• Luo Diya explains that she was formerly an Agency agent who defected from the Gospel Society. After discovering that the Agency’s Intelligence Unit chief, Fermi, was secretly working for the Gospel Society, she realized neither organization could protect her.
• To escape both factions, Luo Diya devised a plan to make everyone believe she was dead.
• Her plan depended on the Soul Forge, an Artifact stored in the Agency’s warehouse. The forge could transform memories into physical objects, which could then be used to transfer consciousness or memories into another person.
• Luo Diya experimented by creating a crystalline spike containing memories from her childhood companion. When inserted into a dog, it temporarily granted the animal extraordinary intelligence, proving the Artifact worked.
• She later created another version of herself and transferred her memories into Shelly, a warehouse cleaner chosen only because she happened to be present.
• Luo Diya then arranged a fake death: one version of herself acted as the helpless “newbie,” while the real Luo Diya emerged during the attackers’ assault and was shot through the chest by her duplicate.
• The chapter ends with the revelation that the “dead” Luo Diya and the current Shelly are part of an elaborate identity-exchange scheme.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates decisiveness and strategic thinking. He pressures Shelly into revealing the truth but also reassures her that he can protect her, especially because he knows she may survive until the future he came from.
• Honglian remains cautious and empathetic, objecting when Chen Xuan frightens Shelly. She is shocked by Luo Diya’s ruthlessness and the scale of her plan.
• Shelly/Luo Diya undergoes the chapter’s major reveal. She shifts from frightened and submissive to calm, analytical, and calculating once she accepts Chen Xuan’s identity. Her intelligence, resourcefulness, and willingness to risk death become clear.
• Luo Diya is shown to be morally complicated: she kills a test animal and manipulates an innocent cleaner, yet does so out of desperation to escape two organizations determined to eliminate her.

Significant Themes

• Identity and selfhood: The chapter questions whether a person’s identity lies in their body, memories, or consciousness. Luo Diya effectively survives by placing her memories into another body.
• Survival through deception: Luo Diya must manipulate both the Agency and the Gospel Society, creating a false death and multiple layers of misinformation.
• The danger and power of Artifacts: The Soul Forge turns intangible memories into physical weapons or tools, suggesting enormous possibilities as well as grave ethical risks.
• Trust and coercion: Chen Xuan gains Shelly’s cooperation by allowing her to read his mind, but he also forces contact and uses his knowledge to pressure her.
• Fate versus human planning: Luo Diya believes she has created an escape from an inescapable situation, yet Chen Xuan’s arrival from the future shows how even elaborate plans can be overtaken by unforeseen events.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan directly confronts Shelly and uses his memories to prove his sincerity.
• Honglian acts as a moderating presence, worrying that Chen Xuan’s aggressive approach may traumatize Shelly.
• Luo Diya explains her motives and history to both of them, revealing her distrust of the Agency and the Gospel Society.
• Luo Diya’s interaction with the Soul Forge is presented almost as a partnership, with the Artifact communicating its desire to be used.
• Her manipulation of Shelly and her duplicate demonstrates how far she is willing to go to ensure her survival.

Chapter Summary: “The Sin of Prying”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Luo Diya explains that she and the original Luo Diya effectively chose to “die” and replace her with a Soul Forge-created version. Soul Forge unexpectedly inherited Luo Diya’s ability to transfer memories and abilities, which is how Chen Xuan realized something was wrong with Xieli.
• She recounts her past in the Gospel Society. Raised in poverty and violence, she joined the organization at sixteen because it provided food, protection, and companionship. At the time, she viewed it more as a gang or refuge for ability users than as a dangerous extremist group.
• Luo Diya eventually overheard a conversation revealing that the Gospel Society planned a mass slaughter called “The Cry.” Their goal was to attract the attention of ability users worldwide and turn humanity against them. The plan involved stealing a nuclear submarine and launching its missiles.
• Horrified by the plan, Luo Diya decided to escape. She tried to convince her friend Angelica to leave with her, but Angelica became frightened and disappeared. Luo Diya suspects Angelica betrayed her or informed the organization.
• To ensure her own escape, Luo Diya revealed the Gospel Society’s location to the Dimensional Limit Organization. The Organization attacked the base the next day.
• During the assault, the Gospel Society members were killed, many frozen and shattered by an ability user named Rin, an operative of the Arbitration Court. Rin also killed Angelica by freezing her and crushing her head.
• Chen Xuan reflects that the future he knows differs from the current timeline. In the future, the Gospel Society was considered only a minor threat, but in the present it has grown powerful enough to endanger even the Dimensional Limit Organization.

Character Developments

• Luo Diya is shown to be shaped by a traumatic childhood and her dependence on the Gospel Society for safety and belonging. Despite her ability to read thoughts, she retains personal boundaries and recognizes that constant spying can create danger.
• Her moral character becomes clearer: although she resented those who had mistreated her, she rejected the Gospel Society’s plan to massacre ordinary people and refused to become a terrorist.
• Luo Diya’s emotional wounds are revealed through her attachment to Angelica and the pain of Angelica’s apparent betrayal and death. Her outward calm conceals lingering guilt and grief.
• Chen Xuan becomes more accepting of Luo Diya’s mind-reading ability, choosing to remain close despite its intrusion. He also reassures her that the nuclear attack will probably fail in the altered future.
• Honglian reacts with surprise and discomfort to Luo Diya’s ability, but gradually shows sympathy as she learns about Luo Diya’s childhood and experiences.
• Angelica is presented as conflicted and fearful. Though she does not initially want to abandon the Gospel Society, her later actions suggest she may have betrayed Luo Diya.
• Rin is established as a powerful and ruthless Organization operative, willing to eliminate Gospel Society members without hesitation.

Significant Themes

• The danger of prying and forbidden knowledge: Luo Diya’s ability exposes secrets that place her in mortal danger, while Chen Xuan’s questioning demonstrates how knowledge can both protect and endanger people.
• Loyalty versus morality: Luo Diya must choose between loyalty to the group that protected her and opposition to its murderous plans.
• Trauma and identity: Her childhood and years in the Gospel Society shaped her worldview, while her connection to the original Luo Diya raises questions about whether memory and ability define a person’s identity.
• The consequences of extremism: The Gospel Society’s persecution-based ideology has evolved into plans for mass destruction, showing how resentment can become fanaticism.
• Changing timelines and uncertainty: Chen Xuan recognizes that the present has diverged from the future he knows. Both the Organization and the Gospel Society are stronger and different than historical records suggested.
• Betrayal and trust: Luo Diya’s relationship with Angelica illustrates how fear can overpower friendship and lead to betrayal.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Luo Diya: Chen interrogates her about her origins, escape, and the Gospel Society’s plans. Their cooperation requires him to tolerate her mind-reading, while she tries to respect his discomfort.
• Honglian and Luo Diya: Honglian questions Luo Diya’s decisions and reacts emotionally to her history, especially her difficult upbringing and ability to read thoughts.
• Luo Diya and Angelica: Luo Diya attempts to save Angelica by inviting her to escape, but Angelica cannot overcome her fear of abandoning the Gospel Society. Their relationship ends in betrayal and death.
• Luo Diya and Rin: Rin rescues Luo Diya during the Organization’s assault but kills Angelica in front of her, leaving Luo Diya with a traumatic memory of the escape.
• The Gospel Society and the Dimensional Limit Organization: Their confrontation escalates from secret conflict to open violence, reflecting the growing threat posed by the Gospel Society.

A Reassuring Exchange — Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Luo Diya, rescued by Rin and relocated to New City, fears that the Gospel Society and the Organization will discover her secrets. She tries to leave the hospital, but Chen Xuan stops her.
• Chen Xuan insists that she must still join the Organization because altering the future could create dangerous consequences. He reassures her that he intends to protect her and eventually locate his missing friend, Lin Qing.
• Luo Diya cannot read Chen Xuan’s thoughts about the Ability Store or Ability Transaction; those concepts appear as meaningless static to her. However, she can perceive information about the World Ability Center, or “World Mind.”
• Chen Xuan proposes replacing her Mind Reading ability through the World Mind. This would protect her from the Organization exploiting her ability and would remove the constant mental noise and disturbing thoughts she experiences.
• Luo Diya eagerly agrees. Chen Xuan performs a formal ability transaction, allowing her to become a registered guest of the Ability Store and use Guest Recall in an emergency.
• Instead of simply losing Mind Reading, Luo Diya receives two replacement abilities: Divination Art and Demon Wolf Summoning.
• She tests Demon Wolf Summoning and creates a loyal blue spectral wolf, immediately becoming attached to it. Honglian reacts enviously and asks Chen Xuan to obtain a similar ability for her.
• Chen Xuan explains that the replacement abilities were chosen deliberately: Divination offers Luo Diya reassurance, while the demon wolf provides companionship, protection, and combat ability.
• Luo Diya experiences peace for the first time without the constant voices in her mind. She reflects that she wishes she had met Chen Xuan earlier.
• She confirms that she will still need to use Mind Reading in the future to pass Rin’s power onward and avoid disrupting history. She also reveals that she possesses Shelly’s memories after taking over her body and may eventually be able to return it.

Character Developments

• Luo Diya shifts from fear and desperation to relief and hope. She initially resents being forced toward the Organization but willingly gives up Mind Reading because of its psychological and physical burden.
• Her reaction to the demon wolf reveals her need for safety, companionship, and emotional comfort rather than merely greater power.
• Chen Xuan demonstrates strategic compassion. He honors his promise to protect Luo Diya while carefully preserving the timeline. His choice of replacement abilities shows that he understands her emotional needs as well as her practical ones.
• Chen Xuan also gains insight into Mind Reading, realizing that it may perceive the “human heart” or soul rather than ordinary thoughts.
• Honglian provides a lighter, more playful reaction to Luo Diya’s new companion while showing her own interest in acquiring a similar ability.

Significant Themes

• Security versus freedom: Luo Diya must sacrifice her independence and enter the Organization to remain safe, though Chen Xuan attempts to give her genuine means of self-protection.
• The burden of knowledge: Mind Reading has been more of a curse than a gift, exposing Luo Diya to disturbing thoughts and dangerous secrets.
• Fate and altering history: Chen Xuan avoids changing the future unless necessary, accepting difficult choices to preserve the timeline.
• Identity and the soul: The chapter questions whether the “human heart” means thoughts, memories, or something deeper. Chen Xuan concludes that it may be the soul.
• Compassionate use of power: The ability transaction is not merely an upgrade; it is designed to restore Luo Diya’s peace of mind and give her emotional support.
• Moral ambiguity of body transfer: Luo Diya admits that she took Shelly’s body after examining her memories, revealing both guilt and an attempt to morally justify her actions.

Character Interactions

• Luo Diya confronts Chen Xuan over his promise to protect her and challenges the safety of sending her into Organization headquarters.
• Chen Xuan explains his plan and offers her a choice, while his hidden connection to the Ability Store temporarily prevents her from reading his intentions.
• Their transaction strengthens their trust: Luo Diya accepts Chen Xuan’s help, and he gives her abilities intended specifically for her survival and comfort.
• Luo Diya bonds with the summoned demon wolf, which responds affectionately and becomes a symbol of her newfound security.
• Honglian’s teasing request for a similar wolf adds humor and highlights the appealing nature of Luo Diya’s new ability.
• Luo Diya’s final confession about Shelly introduces another unresolved moral and personal complication concerning the body she currently inhabits.

Chapter Summary: “An Unexpected Request”

Plot Points and Events

• After leaving Luo Diya’s hospital room, Chen Xuan and Honglian meet Abigail in the café where they first encountered her.
• Abigail explains that she went to the hospital because she had deduced Luo Diya’s identity from evidence gathered by the Intelligence Unit:
  • Luo Diya had deliberately left her location visible on an X post.
  • She had previously infiltrated the warehouse and blackmailed an employee, suggesting she had planned her escape and possibly lured the Gospel Society there.
• Chen Xuan reveals that Shelly is actually Luo Diya and discloses the Gospel Society’s larger plan: hijacking a nuclear submarine at Mao Harbor and launching nuclear missiles at Europe.
• He also warns Abigail that the head of the New City Branch Intelligence Unit may be controlled by a Gospel Society mind-controller.
• Abigail realizes the seriousness of the threat and promises to report the information to her superiors.
• Chen Xuan and Honglian arrange for Luo Diya to return to headquarters under the identity of Shelly, with Abigail acting as her protector. Luo Diya’s abilities have been altered so that she can defend herself without attracting unwanted attention.
• When Chen Xuan prepares to restore Abigail’s ability, Abigail unexpectedly asks whether she can exchange her own ability for the ability called Voice of Trust.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates his knowledge of possible future events and his awareness of historical “nodes,” recognizing that different chains of events may lead to the same outcome. He carefully shares enough information to prevent the nuclear disaster without openly revealing the full extent of his powers.
• Honglian remains suspicious and observant but supports Chen Xuan’s arrangements for Luo Diya. She is also moved by Abigail’s determination to reform the organization.
• Abigail proves herself highly perceptive, capable of independently deducing Luo Diya’s identity. She also reveals strong idealism: despite serving the organization, she wants to correct its corruption and preserve resistance against its possible future collapse. Her request for Voice of Trust suggests a personal desire to change or strengthen herself.
• Luo Diya gains a safer future. Rather than being forced to remain hidden or exposed to the organization’s scrutiny, she will return to headquarters as Shelly under Abigail’s protection.

Significant Themes

• Historical causality and alternate paths: Chen Xuan reflects that history may reach the same “node” through multiple routes, but changing the node itself could alter the future.
• Trust and deception: Luo Diya’s survival depends on disguises, manipulated identities, and selective revelations, while Abigail’s potential adoption of Voice of Trust highlights the importance of reliable communication.
• Institutional corruption versus individual ideals: Abigail believes the Dimensional Limit Organization may eventually be weakened by its own power and wealth, yet she still hopes to reform it from within and preserve its better principles.
• Responsibility and prevention: The characters must act against a future catastrophe while avoiding excessive interference with the timeline.
• Identity and destiny: Luo Diya must live under the name Shelly for protection, while Chen Xuan insists that she ultimately has her own destiny.

Character Interactions

• Abigail and Honglian maintain a wary relationship shaped by their shared past, though Abigail’s sincere ideals briefly surprise Honglian.
• Chen Xuan and Abigail exchange information as cautious allies: he gives her intelligence about the nuclear plot and the mole in the Intelligence Unit, while asking her to protect Luo Diya.
• Chen Xuan and Honglian work together to secure Luo Diya’s future and manage Abigail’s suspicions.
• The chapter ends with Abigail turning the conversation in an unexpected direction by asking Chen Xuan to replace her ability with Voice of Trust, creating a new uncertainty about her motives and future role.

Chapter Summary: “What Is the Price?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan realizes Abigail wants to exchange her extraordinarily powerful Barrier ability for Voice of Trust, believing Voice of Trust is more useful for her work at the Dimensional Limit Organization.
• He confirms that the trade is possible while subtly warning her that she may be giving up an exceptional ability. Using the One-Way Demand function, he allows Abigail to see Barrier’s name and description before accepting.
• Abigail is shocked by how accurately the ability is documented, increasing her suspicion about Chen Xuan’s mysterious “friend” and the Ability Store’s true origins.
• After agreeing to the transaction, Abigail asks whether she can continue working with Chen Xuan without leaving the organization. She explains that she intends to remain inside the organization while using Voice of Trust to protect herself and potentially assist Chen Xuan in the future.
• While Honglian and Abigail reminisce about their time in training camp, Chen Xuan transfers Barrier to himself. The ability overwhelms him with memories and impressions of Abigail’s life and the countless restrictions she has imposed upon herself.
• Chen Xuan learns that Barrier’s strength comes from self-imposed rules—over three hundred of them, ranging from strict schedules and dietary limitations to covering her eyes and restricting ordinary comforts. The more meaningful the sacrifice and restraint, the stronger the Barrier becomes.
• Realizing that he could never maintain such discipline and that Abigail is uniquely suited to the ability, Chen Xuan changes his mind. He allows Abigail to retain Barrier while letting her use Voice of Trust temporarily, effectively giving her both abilities.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan shifts from viewing the trade as an opportunity to obtain a legendary ability to recognizing the immense personal cost behind it. He gains greater respect for Abigail and demonstrates moral judgment by refusing to take Barrier permanently.
• Abigail is revealed to be extraordinarily disciplined and self-controlled. Her immense power is not effortless; it is the result of more than a decade of deliberately restricting her own desires. She also becomes more independent and politically aware, intending to remain within the organization while quietly preparing for possible danger.
• Honglian shows concern for Abigail’s safety, warning her that openly associating with Chen Xuan could attract the intelligence department’s attention. Her memories of their training-camp past also reveal a deeper bond between the two women.
• Chen Xuan and Honglian’s relationship remains cooperative, with Honglian acting as a trusted partner who helps assess the risks of Abigail’s choices.

Significant Themes

• The price of power: Barrier’s strength is directly tied to Abigail’s sacrifices, showing that extraordinary abilities may require equally extraordinary costs.
• Self-discipline and restraint: Abigail’s power reflects her ability to impose and uphold hundreds of personal rules. Her strength comes from constantly denying herself, not merely possessing a powerful gift.
• Suitability and rightful ownership: Chen Xuan concludes that an ability reaches its full potential only when held by someone whose character matches its demands.
• Trust and secrecy: The mysterious source of the ability descriptions deepens Abigail’s interest in Chen Xuan while preserving the secrecy surrounding the Ability Store.
• Institutional loyalty and doubt: Abigail remains inside the organization despite developing doubts about it, choosing to work from within rather than abandon it.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan carefully negotiates with Abigail, presenting concern while concealing his excitement over the possible trade.
• Abigail challenges him about whether their collaboration can continue, signaling that she wants a lasting alliance rather than a one-time transaction.
• Honglian warns Abigail against reckless contact with Chen Xuan but ultimately recognizes the complexity of her position.
• Chen Xuan experiences the consequences of Abigail’s self-imposed restrictions through Barrier and responds by returning the ability, affirming his respect for her and concern for her safety.

Chapter N77 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Abigail regains her supernatural ability, though Chen Xuan notices a brief expression of wistfulness, suggesting she may have preferred living without it.
• Abigail and Honglian spend over an hour reminiscing about the Agency. Chen Xuan learns that the Agency recruits heavily from shelters and orphanages, providing children with difficult backgrounds opportunities for stable employment—even if they never awaken powers.
• Before parting, Honglian gives Abigail a pair of green cat’s-eye earrings. Abigail accepts them warmly and jokes that incorporating them into her daily routines could technically make them a source of strength. Despite her complicated rules, Abigail wears them when they meet again that night.
• Chen Xuan, Abigail, and Honglian secretly enter the investigated warehouse to examine the Soul Forge, an Artifact previously mentioned by Luo Diya.
• The Soul Forge appears to be an enormous, crude lump of iron. Abigail reveals that the Agency has known about Artifacts for roughly six months and has established a research department to study them. The object was transported from the ruined Jiangcheng Branch and had earned Chief Commander Xiao Kanong commendation.
• Chen Xuan suspects the Soul Forge remained at the harbor because it was too difficult for ordinary people to recognize or use, while its function required souls as raw material.
• After Honglian fails to activate it, Chen Xuan uses his Mind Reading ability and establishes mental contact with the Artifact.

Character Developments

• Abigail: Regains her ability and quickly returns to her composed personality. Her acceptance of the earrings shows trust and affection toward Honglian, while her elaborate interpretation of rules reveals her obsessive, systematic mindset. The earrings also create a rare visible break in her otherwise austere appearance.
• Honglian: Demonstrates continued emotional closeness with Abigail despite their disagreements. Her gift reflects care and familiarity, and her discomfort with Abigail’s overcomplicated rules adds humor to their relationship.
• Chen Xuan: Becomes increasingly cautious about the Agency’s secret access to Artifacts. He recognizes the potential danger of the Soul Forge and takes responsibility for determining its capabilities.
• N77/Soul Forge: Is revealed to be a conscious Artifact designated “N77,” likely connected to the Angel Alliance’s legacy.

Significant Themes

• The burden of power: Abigail’s wistful reaction suggests that supernatural abilities may be burdens rather than simple gifts.
• Rules and control: Abigail’s strict routines represent her attempt to impose order and stability on herself, even extending that logic to personal gifts.
• Institutional benevolence and secrecy: The Agency does genuine social good through its shelters and recruitment programs, yet it also hides dangerous discoveries and conducts classified Artifact research.
• The danger of misunderstood technology: The Soul Forge looks worthless but possesses catastrophic supernatural capabilities, emphasizing that appearances reveal little about Artifacts.
• Moral consequences of power: N77 treats the transformation of human souls into coins as an ordinary function, highlighting the terrifying gap between an Artifact’s purpose and human morality.

Character Interactions

• Abigail and Honglian reminisce about the Agency, revealing their shared history and emotional bond.
• Honglian teases and challenges Abigail over her strict routines, while Abigail responds with literal, methodical reasoning.
• Chen Xuan acts as an interpreter and investigator, explaining Agency history to Abigail and Honglian and initiating communication with N77.
• N77 reveals that if its Stability Level falls, it will forge all souls within a 500-meter radius into coins—a disaster that could kill thousands in the densely populated harbor.
• N77 can forge souls into four categories understandable to humans: currency, fate, memories, and weapons.

Chapter Summary: “Forging Souls into Objects!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan learns from N77 that souls can be forged into different forms of currency, fate, memories, and weapons.
• N77 explains that fate has direction and influence, while memories are fragments that can be possessed without changing a person’s essential identity.
• Chen Xuan concludes that Lin Qing’s Protocol Birth is likely a fate-forged object, while the Fate Wedge used by the agency is probably memory-forged.
• He enters the Soul Forge and discovers that only the forger can perceive its true interior: a vast universe of souls, thoughts, memories, and screaming voices.
• Instead of bringing Lin Qing to the forge, Chen Xuan uses Protocol Birth as the primary material. He then adds memories of his own experiences with Lin Qing, including their daily life and shared adventures.
• During the forging process, Chen Xuan realizes that souls are shaped by memories, thoughts, abilities, and personal growth.
• He rejects several possible forms:
  • A weapon, because he does not want to overwrite or destroy the present Lin Qing.
  • Pure memories, because they might make her feel as though she had lived two conflicting lives.
  • Another version of Protocol Birth, because it would forcibly impose an “ideal” identity upon her.
• Rather than forcing Lin Qing to become her former self, Chen Xuan decides to create something that gives her the freedom to choose.
• The forging concludes with the material becoming a small pill shaped like a Go stone, leaving Honglian startled.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan gains a deeper understanding of souls and the consequences of altering fate. He demonstrates compassion and restraint by refusing to erase the current Lin Qing in favor of restoring her past identity.
• He accepts that his memories cannot simply become Lin Qing’s memories and that changing fate must involve unavoidable sacrifices and uncertainty.
• N77 acts as Chen Xuan’s teacher, explaining the distinctions between fate, memory, and soul-forged objects.
• Honglian remains concerned about Chen Xuan when he reacts to the forge, though she cannot perceive what he sees. Her surprise at the final object emphasizes how mysterious the forging process is.
• Lin Qing, though physically absent, is central to Chen Xuan’s decision. Her right to choose her own identity becomes more important than Chen Xuan’s desire to restore her past.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus free will: Fate can be forged and redirected, but Chen Xuan refuses to impose a predetermined identity on Lin Qing.
• Memory and identity: Memories influence a person but do not entirely define them. The chapter questions whether restoring memories would truly restore the original self.
• The cost of changing the past: Chen Xuan recognizes that every alteration produces consequences and that a perfect return to the past is impossible.
• Love and respect: Chen Xuan’s attachment to Lin Qing is expressed through his willingness to let her decide who she wants to become, rather than controlling her.
• The nature of the soul: Souls are presented as real, malleable structures formed through memories, thoughts, abilities, and experience.
• Creation versus coercion: The shape of a forged soul reflects the creator’s intention. Chen Xuan seeks to create an opportunity rather than a weapon or forced transformation.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan questions N77 repeatedly, and N77 provides philosophical explanations about the properties of fate, memory, and soul materials.
• Honglian notices Chen Xuan’s distress and asks whether he is all right, while Abigail remains curious and confused about the situation.
• Honglian explains Lin Qing’s condition to Abigail, establishing that Lin Qing has lost her memories.
• Chen Xuan internally considers Lin Qing’s relationship with both her past and present selves, ultimately choosing to preserve her autonomy.

Chapter Summary

• Key events: The narrator announces that their cold has not improved and that they are feeling mentally foggy, making it impossible to write. They decide to take another day off to rest.
• Character development: No fictional character development occurs; the passage is an author’s personal update.
• Themes: Rest, illness, and the need to prioritize recovery over productivity.
• Character interactions: There are no story interactions. The author briefly addresses and apologizes to readers for the continued hiatus.