Chapter Summaries

Dream Thief arrived at the broken Exam Venue Fragment hoping to claim it, but fled after seeing Bo Shuo and mistaking him for an untouchable high-tier anomaly. He escaped through a massive Wooden Door, leaving the Exam Venue Fragment behind.

• Dream Thief arrived late at the Exam Venue Fragment and saw weaker Twisted beings vanish while others fled past him.
• Dream Thief continued toward the fragment until he saw Bo Shuo’s deep-violet eyes and realized why the others had run.
• Dream Thief turned and fled from Bo Shuo, convinced that being caught by him would mean a fate worse than death.
• Dream Thief ran until he believed he was safe, then crossed through a towering Wooden Door that the Twisted feared to approach.

Bo Shuo faced hungry derivative entities in the ruined exam venue while waiting for help. The proctoring system arrived and restored the venue and its dead examinees, leaving Bo Shuo safe as Ding Chengyun recovered and looked toward him.

• Bo Shuo watched the golden eyes emerge after the uninvited guests departed and worried that the derivative entities would attack him.
• The proctoring system announced an unknown error and began calibrating the exam venue.
• A sun, barrier, and shattered venue fragments reappeared as the exam venue rapidly restored itself.
• The examinees who had turned to dust returned, confused and frightened by their deaths.
• Ding Chengyun recovered from his panic and saw Bo Shuo standing unharmed.

The Exam Venue collapsed, but the White Mist Observation Bureau could not determine how it happened or why the examinees had passed. As officials struggled with the deaths and the mystery, a phone call interrupted their discussion.

• The God of Truth appeared in the void and challenged the woman sent by the World Consciousness, who told him he would not succeed.
• The Exam Venue vanished, and the surrounding White Mist began to dissipate.
• Observers reported the apparent success, and the White Mist Observation Bureau began clearing the area, compiling the Death List, and honoring the dead.
• The person in charge asked who had broken the Exam Venue, but the Information Analysis Department said the capital's examinees had not cleared it and knew nothing of what followed their deaths and revival.
• A phone call interrupted the officials as they struggled to understand the unexplained change.

After the exam, Yan Shun'an reported that the venue had collapsed and the dead examinees had resurrected, but the Protection Mechanism blurred key memories. Bo Shuo returned to his rental house in a grim mood, leaving 007 concerned.

• Yan Shun'an struggled to remember the exam and explained that the Protection Mechanism had blurred his memories after he left the venue.
• Yan Shun'an recalled that the space collapsed, killing the examinees, who later resurrected, and identified this as the Proctoring System's irrecoverable error.
• Yan Shun'an reported that a powerful examinee had slaughtered the venue's ghosts and might have caused the collapse, shocking the conference room.
• The person-in-charge thanked Yan Shun'an and said they would test his Corruption Value before acting on his report.
• Bo Shuo returned to his rental house after the exam, and 007 re-established contact with him.
• 007 noticed that Bo Shuo remained silent and seemed unhappy.

While Bo Shuo rushed toward his sister, 007 concealed his speed from surveillance cameras. At Fifth Middle School, Bo Chunzhang remained trapped in an alley by men trying to abduct her, protected by a shield 007 had given her.

• 007 hacked nearby surveillance cameras and replaced their footage as Bo Shuo hurried toward Fifth Middle School.
• Miao Qinghe saw the black-haired youth leap down a steep roadside and mistook his rapid movement for nighttime parkour.
• Miao Qinghe recognized the youth by his scarlet jade earrings, stopped herself from calling the police, and messaged her friends instead.
• At Fifth Middle School, Bo Chunzhang was cornered in an alley by a group of men who attempted to abduct her.
• Bo Chunzhang's Protective Shield, provided by 007, kept the men from reaching her while she waited for help.

Yan Shun'an encountered a dangerous Silver Thread in the alley after discovering that the men surrounding Bo Chunzhang were dead. The thread spared him, then vanished, leaving Yan Shun'an alive but uncertain of its intentions.

• Yan Shun'an spotted a Silver Thread above the motionless men and recognized it from an earlier encounter.
• The thread shot toward Yan Shun'an's forehead, and he shouted for Bo Chunzhang to run.
• Bo Chunzhang fled as a heavy object hit the ground inside the alley.
• The thread stopped between Yan Shun'an's eyebrows, nicked his forehead, and then withdrew without killing him.
• The Silver Thread disappeared, while the men at the alley entrance lay dead.

Bo Shuo’s presence triggered severe Pollution in Yan Shun'an, and 007 explained that the real world’s Cognitive Filter could not protect Official Examinees from a powerful High-Rank presence. After Bo Shuo bought a Shielding Buff and Yan Shun'an recovered, Yan Shun'an concluded that Bo Shuo was not human but a powerful Pollution able to travel through Exam Venues.

• Yan Shun'an began mutating as the Pollution Detector turned red and warned of a Pollution Source.
• Bo Shuo questioned 007, who explained that his presence was Polluting nearby Official Examinees because the Cognitive Filter did not protect them.
• Bo Shuo spent 100w Emotion Points on a Shielding Buff, stopping the Pollution and allowing Yan Shun'an's mutation to improve.
• Yan Shun'an regained his senses and watched Bo Shuo pass him without acknowledging him.
• Yan Shun'an realized Bo Shuo's strength and lack of records meant he might be a powerful Pollution that could travel freely through Exam Venues.

Bo Shuo left Yan Shun'an after deliberately keeping Bo Chunzhang away from the dangers of the examinee world. Yan Shun'an interpreted Bo Shuo’s warning as a threat from a powerful being posing as an ordinary person, and recalled a similar incident involving the Skinning Ghost.

• Bo Shuo decided not to involve Bo Chunzhang in the dangerous world of examinees and relied on the cognitive filter to conceal what had happened from her.
• Bo Shuo received a delayed notification showing that Yan Shun'an had contributed 1999 Emotion Points and looked back at him.
• Yan Shun'an asked what Bo Shuo wanted, and Bo Shuo said he was just an ordinary person before leaving the alley.
• Yan Shun'an took Bo Shuo’s words as a warning not to disturb him and concluded that Bo Shuo was disguising himself for amusement.
• Yan Shun'an recalled how the D-rank Skinning Ghost had entered the Real World during the Bloody Casino’s descent and impersonated people by wearing their skin.

Bo Chunzhang returned home after escaping a strange attack and urgently wanted to call the police, but Bo Shuo dismissed her account as unbelievable and got her to calm down. The chapter left her washing up while Bo Shuo served dinner.

• Yan Shun'an tried to recall the youth's name but found that his memory of the youth had become hazy again.
• Bo Shuo followed Bo Chunzhang home and made sure she had left the danger zone.
• Bo Chunzhang arrived home and rushed to call the police, recounting the protective shield, silver-white thread, and crew-cut man who helped her escape.
• Bo Shuo restrained Bo Chunzhang and argued that the police would not believe her account, reminding her of the neighbor family whose strange experiences ended in a fatal fire.
• Bo Shuo told Bo Chunzhang to wash her hands, and she followed his instruction as he served dinner.

Bo Shuo learned that Bo Chunzhang might have a high-level Exam Venue Imprint and could be chosen for a Mid-High Tier Exam Venue when one descended. Meanwhile, Yan Shun'an entered a White Mist zone to take an exam, and a mysterious woman arrived at a dilapidated house in the rain.

• 007 explained that Bo Chunzhang might have been selected by a Mid-High Tier Exam Venue, which could grant her Official Examinee status when such venues returned.
• 007 reassured Bo Shuo that the World Consciousness would protect Bo Chunzhang and that Mid-High Tier Exam Venues would not descend within two years.
• Bo Shuo silently placed another piece of fish in Bo Chunzhang's bowl.
• Yan Shun'an ignored a team member's concern and entered the White Mist zone to participate in the Exam Venue.
• A frail woman in a white dress walked through the rain and stopped before a dilapidated house covered with a tricolor tarpaulin.

Bo Shuo shared a hotpot dinner with Bo Chunzhang, who asked where he had gone for the past half year. After seeing her worry turn to excitement, he told her to speak, and she asked if he had been recruited into a classified unit because of special abilities.

• Bo Shuo and Bo Chunzhang ate a hotpot dinner prepared by 007’s Avatar AI Hosting.
• Bo Chunzhang praised the meal and effortlessly separated the bones from the fish as she ate.
• Bo Chunzhang chatted about school and a gossip novel while Bo Shuo listened.
• Bo Chunzhang asked Bo Shuo where he had gone for the past half year, and he struggled to answer.
• Bo Chunzhang asked whether the state had recruited Bo Shuo for his special abilities and assigned him to a classified unit.

Bo Shuo stopped Puppet Silk from devouring Li Jianguo’s body after it killed the Skinning Ghost that had been wearing him. The sight of the elderly neighbor’s remains reminded Bo Shuo of Li Jianguo’s kindness when Bo Shuo and Bo Chunzhang first moved into the rental house.

• The Skinning Ghost wearing Li Jianguo climbed the stairwell toward a sweet scent, unaware of the danger around him.
• Puppet Silk pierced and restrained the Skinning Ghost, draining its life as it struggled to escape.
• Bo Shuo ordered Puppet Silk to stop, leaving Li Jianguo’s skin largely intact.
• Bo Shuo inspected Puppet Silk’s B-rank profile and wondered how powerful Xi Guici’s true body was.
• Bo Shuo recognized Li Jianguo and recalled how he had helped Bo Shuo and Bo Chunzhang when they moved into the rental house.

Bo Shuo killed the Skinning Ghosts hiding after he dealt with their leader, then buried Li Jianguo’s skin and reflected on how death felt different now that he had returned to reality. He returned home to Bo Chunzhang and left a black velvet box on the table.

• Bo Shuo killed the remaining imposters with his silver thread, despite 007 warning that doing so could attract the attention of an A-Class ghost.
• Bo Shuo buried Li Jianguo’s skin in a nearby cemetery and replaced the old tombstone.
• Bo Shuo told 007 that death felt unreal in Lost Paradise but had become tangible now that familiar people were dying in reality.
• Bo Chunzhang reheated dinner and asked Bo Shuo where he had been when he returned home.
• Bo Shuo gave Bo Chunzhang the salt he had obtained and placed a black velvet box on the table.

Bo Shuo comforted Bo Chunzhang, made arrangements to protect her, and decided to return early to Lost Paradise. He and 007 entered the A-Class Bloody Slaughterhouse exam venue, where ten examinees gathered before the team competition began.

• Bo Chunzhang told Bo Shuo she understood and supported him, asking him to come back soon, and he promised he would.
• Bo Shuo forgave 007 for its earlier actions and said they needed to return to Lost Paradise because more ghosts and Exam Venues were appearing.
• Bo Shuo upgraded the Ruby Jade Pendant for Bo Chunzhang and arranged for his assets to go to her if he did not return for a long time.
• Bo Shuo burned his checklist, left with 007, and entered the Bloody Slaughterhouse A-Class Exam Venue.
• Ten examinees appeared outside the slaughterhouse and eyed one another warily as the Proctoring System announced the team competition rules.

Bo Shuo and the other examinees began a team-competition assessment at a slaughterhouse, where they were assigned security-guard roles and met Security Team Captain Zhang Xiong. Zhang Xiong began leading them through the facility and explaining its rules.

• Bo Shuo examined the examinees gathered for the assessment as they waited for it to begin.
• The Proctoring System announced a team-competition exam about a missing sister and her brother’s experience at a slaughterhouse.
• The assessment began, and Security Team Captain Zhang Xiong approached the examinees and introduced himself.
• Zhang Xiong told the examinees to follow him so he could explain the slaughterhouse’s precautions.
• The group followed Zhang Xiong through the enormous slaughterhouse, passing a filthy pool of stagnant water and dead fish.

At the employee dormitory entrance, Bo Shuo confronted Zhang Xiong after hearing his warning about the leaders and being thrown out. Zhang Xiong confirmed Bo Shuo’s claim that he held no ill will, leaving the other examinees stunned.

• Zhang Xiong warned the examinees to answer the leaders politely and not get thrown out of the employee dormitory.
• Bo Shuo stopped Zhang Xiong before he led the group inside, drawing the examinees’ attention.
• Zhang Xiong turned on Bo Shuo and gripped his Iron Rod while the frightened examinees backed away.
• Bo Shuo said Zhang Xiong had no ill will toward them, and Zhang Xiong confirmed that Bo Shuo’s perception was sharp.

Bo Shuo and the other examinees followed Zhang Xiong through a corridor, where Bo Shuo struck down a ghost that startled him. As Zhang Xiong hummed an eerie nursery rhyme, the examinees tried to decipher its clues, and one of them pressed Bo Shuo for a conversation.

• A scarred ghost appeared at a corridor window, and Bo Shuo reflexively slashed it with a scalpel, making it collapse in pain.
• The examinees were intimidated by Bo Shuo's decisive attack as he put away his scalpel and continued after Zhang Xiong.
• Zhang Xiong hummed a version of the nursery rhyme about ten little black boys, and Bo Shuo recognized it with help from 007.
• The examinees quietly pieced together the song's indistinct lyrics while Bo Shuo kept his more complete knowledge to himself.
• An examinee called to Bo Shuo and then forced himself to walk beside him, prompting Bo Shuo to look at him with impatience.

Bo Shuo and the examinees entered a corridor that turned out to be a Monster Lair, where a swarm of Shadow Ghosts attacked them. As 007 guided Bo Shuo through the danger, it revealed that it had upgraded the navigation system and was about to demonstrate its new entertainment feature.

• Bo Shuo used 007's PPT to explain the knowledge point to the group as they walked through the seemingly endless corridor.
• The examinees realized they had been walking for nearly five minutes and began to feel unseen things touching them.
• Bo Shuo's minimap warned that they had entered the Monster Lair, surrounded by numerous B-rank Shadow Ghosts.
• The Shadow Ghosts revealed themselves and attacked, killing one examinee and sending the group into a panic.
• 007 guided Bo Shuo through the corridor and mentioned that it had upgraded the navigation system with more entertainment value.
• 007 rummaged in its pockets, and a crisp click sounded.

Bo Shuo danced through the deadly corridor’s obstacles with effortless precision while Meng Ran Nian and the other candidates were wounded and slowed by Shadow Ghosts. Meng Ran Nian recognized Bo Shuo as a true Big Shot, briefly distracting him and causing him to miss a dance step.

• Bo Shuo entered the multicolored dance floor and dodged each obstacle while earning points for his movements.
• Meng Ran Nian and the other candidates struggled to catch up to Zhang Xiong as Shadow Ghosts attacked and wounded them.
• Meng Ran Nian realized that the ghosts targeted anyone who ran too fast, then searched for Bo Shuo.
• Meng Ran Nian spotted Bo Shuo calmly avoiding every attack and exclaimed that he looked like a true Big Shot.
• Bo Shuo heard Meng Ran Nian and missed a dance step.

Bo Shuo drew the entire Ghost Shadow Swarm away from the other examinees and was swallowed by the mass of attackers. When the Proctoring System gave no death prompt, the ghosts began to shriek and silver-white threads swept through the thick fog.

• The Shadow Ghosts abandoned the other examinees and surged toward Bo Shuo, who cut down the attacking swarm with silver-white silk threads.
• Meng Ran Nian warned Bo Shuo as the ghosts surrounded him until he disappeared from sight.
• The examinees reacted to the siege, while He Xun secretly wished for Bo Shuo’s death.
• After several seconds without a death prompt, the ghosts shrieked and pitch-black fog spread around them.
• Silver-white silk threads swept through the fog toward He Xun, filling him with a crushing sense of danger.