Chapter Summaries

Xu Huo’s group waited in Underground Level 1 for the Kong siblings, while the Kong siblings encountered the Ghost Shadow and learned it could kill by suffocation. The chapter ended with the Gel Coat Player trapping Zhu Ruomin and the Ghost Shadow together inside an enlarged plastic bag.

• Xu Huo’s group set up an ambush on Underground Level 1, then rested when the Kong siblings did not arrive.
• The Kong siblings’ elevator stopped working, and the One-Armed Female Player vanished and was found dead from suffocation.
• Kong Hui questioned Zhu Ruomin and learned that she had encountered the Ghost Shadow while fleeing the Ticket Players.
• Zhu Ruomin spotted the Ghost Shadow, and Kong Hui and Kong Cheng attacked it, but it escaped.
• The Ghost Shadow wrapped itself around Zhu Ruomin, and the Gel Coat Player trapped them inside an enlarged plastic bag.

The Kong siblings’ group captured the Ghost Shadow, but Zhu Ruomin died when they left her trapped in Tong Jian’s gel bag. The group then confronted Miao Yu and her allies in the dark laboratory, where Wu Xiaonan ambushed Kong Hui with her Health Exercise ability.

• Tong Jian freed Zhu Ruomin’s body from the gel bag but left her head trapped, and she died before Kong Cheng reached inside to seize the Ghost Shadow.
• Kong Cheng’s touch turned the Ghost Shadow to powder, and he led the remaining group toward the eastern laboratories with Dr. Deng carrying a protective Music Box.
• Miao Yu used a green light to distract the group and attacked Tong Jian, but he countered with corrosive lubricant and Glue Liquid.
• Wan Yunrong’s Cleaning Talisman washed the Glue Liquid back toward Tong Jian, while Miao Yu attacked him with Tang dao and drew Kong Hui into a fight.
• Kong Hui overpowered Miao Yu in a clash of blades, and Miao Yu retreated around a corner with Kong Hui in pursuit.
• Wu Xiaonan appeared in front of Kong Hui, called for Health Exercise time, and made Kong Hui raise her hands involuntarily.

Gan Qing, Miao Yu, and their allies attacked Kong Hui and Kong Cheng but were overwhelmed by Kong Cheng’s powerful Abilities and artifacts. Xu Huo intervened after the group became trapped near the elevator, and the chapter ended with him facing Kong Cheng and deducing how Random Grasp worked.

• Gan Qing and Miao Yu attacked Kong Hui, but her barrier stopped them, and Lou Fu and Kong Cheng counterattacked.
• Kong Cheng injured Miao Yu, broke her blades with Sweep Trash, and drove the fleeing group through the corridor.
• Kong Hui and her companions trapped Miao Yu near the elevator, then Kong Hui and a Player with a severed hand were caught on numbered squares.
• Xu Huo used porcelain dolls to confuse Kong Cheng, took his broom, and struck the trapped Player with the severed hand with Sword Qi.
• Xu Huo evaded Kong Cheng’s Random Grasp with another porcelain doll and inferred that the Ability targeted the nearest object within range.

Xu Huo fought Kong Cheng while their allies pursued Dr. Deng, and Chu Yuan trapped Kong Cheng in a coffin long enough for Xu Huo to escape. Xu Huo and Chu Yuan left to find Dr. Deng before the coffin’s effect wore off.

• Kong Cheng reclaimed his broom with Random Grasp, and Xu Huo identified the broom’s alternating functions and challenged Kong Cheng’s offer to work for him.
• Gan Qing obscured the group’s vision as Wu Xiaonan and Miao Yu targeted Kong Hui, while Wan Yunrong and Chu Yuan pursued Dr. Deng.
• Xu Huo held Kong Cheng off and noticed that Kong Cheng’s abilities were weakening, but Kong Cheng used Format to warp the corridor and trap him.
• Chu Yuan returned and freed Xu Huo with legal paper, but Kong Cheng broke through a wall and attacked them.
• Chu Yuan threw a coffin that drew Kong Cheng inside, and he sealed it with Seal the Coffin and Conclude.
• Xu Huo gave up trying to cut open the coffin and left with Chu Yuan to find Dr. Deng.

Xu Huo escaped the flooded laboratory with Chu Yuan and Gan Qing, killing Lou Fu with a wooden doll and finding Wan Yunrong dead. He seized Dr. Deng and used him to bargain with Kong Cheng and Kong Hui, demanding they keep him alive until the Dungeon ended.

• Xu Huo used a wooden doll to paralyze Lou Fu and decapitate him, then escaped upstairs with Chu Yuan and Gan Qing.
• Xu Huo and the others found Wan Yunrong dead with a plastic bag over her head, while Tong Jian held Dr. Deng nearby.
• Chu Yuan and Gan Qing stopped Tong Jian as Xu Huo seized Dr. Deng and threatened him with a dagger.
• Kong Cheng and Kong Hui arrived with Miao Yu as their hostage, and Xu Huo refused to let them use her to pressure him.
• Dr. Deng revealed that he had found the Potion's location, and Xu Huo warned Kong Cheng that the remaining players faced serious danger.
• Xu Huo demanded that Kong Cheng keep him alive until the Dungeon ended, threatening that they would all die together otherwise.

Xu Huo forced Dr. Deng to reveal why he was searching the Laboratory and learned the S-version Evolution Potion might have been hidden by the Ghost Shadow. He left the chapter preparing to search the corpse pile on Underground Level 3 while trying to keep the Kong siblings upstairs.

• Xu Huo tested whether Tong Jian could leave the Dungeon, then took Dr. Deng and his companions down to Underground Level 1 and blocked the elevator.
• Xu Huo sent Chu Yuan and Gan Qing to search for Wu Xiaonan and Qiu Xiangdong, then confronted Dr. Deng about his disguise and his motives.
• Dr. Deng admitted he was looking for the S-version Evolution Potion and said the Bo Lun family had repeatedly searched the Laboratory without finding it.
• Dr. Deng explained that Professor Wu had tinkered with Androids and that the Potion might not be in a syringe or might be hidden somewhere the Bo Lun family had overlooked.
• Xu Huo reasoned that the Ghost Shadow could have moved the Potion into the corpse pile on Underground Level 3, despite the Bo Lun family having searched it before.

Xu Huo and the others learned that the Kong siblings were hunting for the S-version Evolution Potion and searched the Laboratory’s Underground Level 3 body pile for it. They began clearing the corpses with Qiu Xiangdong’s body collection bag, but the Potion had not yet been found.

• Wu Xiaonan returned with Qiu Xiangdong and revealed that Miao Yu had betrayed and stabbed her, while Qiu Xiangdong had faked her death to save her.
• Qiu Xiangdong explained that he had suspected the Dungeon was controlled by the Bo Lun family, and warned that the Kong siblings would soon attack unless the group found the Potion.
• Qiu Xiangdong said he had overheard the Kong siblings discussing the Potion and believed it was hidden in the body pile on Underground Level 3.
• Xu Huo’s group went to the body pile, where Qiu Xiangdong used a body collection bag that separated artificial objects from the corpses.
• Wu Xiaonan, Gan Qing, Chu Yuan, and Xu Huo joined Qiu Xiangdong in rapidly clearing the pile while Dr. Deng stayed back.

Xu Huo and the others abandoned their slow search through the corpses and used a Metal Detector to search for Androids, but found no Potion. They blocked the elevator with corpses and moved to the western Laboratory, where they discovered Zhu Ruomin’s body and questioned how a ghost could have suffocated.

• Dr. Deng searched the corpses and found two disabled Androids, but neither contained the Potion.
• Chu Yuan lent Qiu Xiangdong his Metal Detector, and the group searched for more Androids without finding the Potion.
• Xu Huo argued that they should keep looking for the Potion rather than rely on a fake, and Qiu Xiangdong and Wu Xiaonan agreed to search for Androids first.
• After finding no Potion in three more Androids, the group decided to block the elevator with corpses to keep the Kong siblings from reaching them.
• Xu Huo led the group to the western Laboratory, where they found Zhu Ruomin and Zhao Bi’s corpses and wondered how Zhu Ruomin had suffocated despite being a ghost.

Xu Huo reasoned that the Ghost Shadow killed players indiscriminately and concluded that the group needed to clear the game to escape it. He lured the Ghost Shadow into a room and trapped it against Strong Adhesive, though it remained caught there as the chapter ended.

• Gan Qing, Chu Yuan, and Wu Xiaonan debated whether Zhu Ruomin had been killed by the Ghost Shadow or by the Kong siblings, and Xu Huo concluded that the Ghost Shadow had targeted her.
• Xu Huo explained that the Ghost Shadow chose targets at random and that the Bo Lun family killed ticket-holding players to hide the Deep Blue Laboratory.
• Xu Huo told the group that clearing the game was their only way to escape the Ghost Shadow, but the others could not figure out how to catch it.
• Xu Huo went to a nearby room, sealed its vents with Strong Adhesive, and wrecked the room to provoke the Ghost Shadow.
• The Ghost Shadow lunged at Xu Huo, struck his transparent shield, and tried to escape through the sealed door and ventilation system before Xu Huo pulled the Kite String and sent it crashing into the adhesive.

Xu Huo captured the Ghost Shadow and searched the Deep Blue Laboratory for a way into its sealed expansion. He learned how non-Players travel by train and considered taking Dr. Deng with him, but told the scholar he would first have to prove his worth.

• Xu Huo trapped the Ghost Shadow with the Strong Adhesive and Kite String, then packed away the powder it crumbled into.
• Xu Huo and Chu Yuan checked the planned passages to the expansion, but found the walls sealed and no doors installed.
• Xu Huo returned to Dr. Deng and learned that Wu Xiaonan, Qiu Xiangdong, and another companion had gone back to search the corpses for the Potion.
• Dr. Deng explained that Players could resist some environmental toxins, while non-Players needed special documents to ride their own trains and could board a Player's train with a Ticket after applying for Player status.
• Dr. Deng asked Xu Huo to take him along so he could leave the Sair Coast and later suspend his Player status, and Xu Huo said he would consider it if Dr. Deng proved his worth.

Xu Huo used Dr. Deng’s toxin and a staged ambush to fight the Kong siblings and their allies in the Laboratory. He set off a chain of explosions on Underground Level 3 and shielded Dr. Deng’s cabinet as the blast and seawater swept through the facility.

• Dr. Deng showed Xu Huo a temperature-sensitive Blue Spider and paralytic leaves, which Xu Huo prepared to use against the Kong siblings.
• Xu Huo and the others went to the Corpse Storage, where the Kong siblings appeared and Gan Qing collapsed.
• Xu Huo attacked Wu Xiaonan with Strings and the spider, while Qiu Xiangdong and the Kong siblings countered him.
• Kong Hui’s Twin Swords snapped against Xu Huo’s White Cube, giving Xu Huo and Chu Yuan an opening to retreat.
• Xu Huo hid Dr. Deng in a Short Cabinet, gave him a ticket to District 011, and ignited flammable materials on Underground Level 3.
• The explosions ruptured observation windows and collided with seawater, sweeping Xu Huo and the cabinet into a powerful whirlpool.

Xu Huo fought Kong Hui and Kong Cheng inside the damaged underwater Laboratory while searching for the S-version potion. After Miao Yu intervened and Xu Huo killed Kong Hui, he found the genuine S-Series Syringe and escaped toward the surface in the Auto Dinghy.

• Xu Huo avoided Kong Hui's blade and lured her into a room, where her Ability split his body in two.
• Xu Huo used Star Binding Ball to immobilize Kong Hui, but Kong Cheng arrived and attacked him with a broom.
• Miao Yu burst from the Black Water and wounded Kong Cheng, while Xu Huo used a Short Arrow to kill Kong Hui.
• Xu Huo searched the Laboratory's walls and found a hidden Sex Doll containing the genuine S-Series Syringe.
• Xu Huo stored the Syringe and Sex Doll, then used the Auto Dinghy to head for the surface.

After Xu Huo destroyed the laboratory and ended the Dungeon early, the surviving Players escaped the island, while Xu Huo received an A-Level completion rating. The others had no Return Tickets or rewards and considered hiding on the island until the Dungeon timer ran out.

• Gan Qing dragged Chu Yuan and Dr. Deng through the water until Miao Yu surfaced with Kong Cheng's corpse and offered to take them to shore.
• Miao Yu revealed that Wu Xiaonan and Qiu Xiangdong had switched sides and teamed up with Kong Hui, leaving the surviving Players unsure what had happened to the rest.
• Xu Huo received an A-Level Dungeon-clear notification as he escaped through the sea, earning an Ability, three items, two Tickets, and White Cash.
• Xu Huo joined the others in the boat and explained that he had suspected Qiu Xiangdong and Wu Xiaonan, while Miao Yu noted that the others had failed the Dungeon and received no rewards.
• Chu Yuan suggested that the injured group hide on the island until the Dungeon timer ran out.

After the Dungeon ended, Xu Huo and his companions returned to Deep Blue Laboratory to search for the Evolution Potion and learn what Professor Wu had left behind. They found no Potion, and Xu Huo continued studying Professor Wu’s paintings for clues as the group rested at the Laboratory.

• Xu Huo and the others discussed the missing Latex Player and Qiu Xiangdong, then agreed to return to the Laboratory while watching for the Bo Lun family.
• The five went ashore, collected ore on the way, and entered the Laboratory after its lockdown lifted.
• They found Underground Level 2 mostly dry but sealed off from deeper levels, then searched the western section without finding anything.
• Xu Huo and Chu Yuan took paintings from the Laboratory, and the group rested inside.
• Xu Huo considered Professor Wu’s connection to the S-version potion and wondered whether his paintings concealed clues about the Potion.

Xu Huo considered whether Dr. Wu had left clues to an upgraded S-version potion and discussed the Ghost Shadow and the dangers on the island. During the night watch, he questioned Dr. Deng about Dr. Wu, whose true identity and background remained unknown.

• Xu Huo reviewed Dr. Wu's paintings but found no clues, then asked Miao Yu whether something was wrong.
• Dr. Deng warned that the Ghost Shadow might still roam the laboratory, and Xu Huo concluded it could remain in his Storage Compartment.
• Xu Huo arranged for everyone to take turns keeping watch as rain swept across the island.
• Xu Huo spoke privately with Dr. Deng and asked what he knew about Professor Wu.
• Dr. Deng explained that Professor Wu had changed names and appearances, might have lived for at least two hundred years, and had left no clear evidence of his identity.

Xu Huo questioned Dr. Deng about Professor Wu, the Game Government, and Temporary Passes, then considered whether Professor Wu had help evading capture. After the rain stopped, Xu Huo and the others found no tracks from Qiu Xiangdong or Tong Jian and examined a deep fissure that Dr. Deng believed formed the skull seen in the sky on rainy days.

• Dr. Deng explained that the Game Government used player-monitoring data and advanced AI to search for Professor Wu, and admitted that his claim about the S-version Evolution Potion being monopolized was a lie.
• Dr. Deng told Xu Huo that he had worked for Stellar Group before being fired, then explained how Temporary Passes let players board any train and search for a nearby station.
• Dr. Deng praised Professor Wu as a leading potion researcher, while Xu Huo doubted that Professor Wu was simply a solitary scientist and wondered whether someone was helping him evade the Game Government.
• Miao Yu invited Xu Huo and Dr. Deng inside from the rain, and Dr. Deng borrowed her cooking equipment to boil water and warm his frostbitten feet.
• After the rain stopped, Xu Huo and Miao Yu found no footprints and suspected that Qiu Xiangdong and Tong Jian had left to search underwater for the potion.
• Dr. Deng examined a deep, overgrown fissure and suggested its shape and rising airflow explained the skull that appeared in the sky during rainy weather; Xu Huo wondered when it had formed.

Xu Huo and the others learned how wormhole flowers reflected a game sub-district’s evolution and how abandoned sub-districts could be exploited. Their search for a flower ended when they discovered Tong Jian’s Glue Liquid trap surrounding them.

• Dr. Deng explained that wormhole flowers changed color with a sub-district’s evolution and could help players find a more livable sub-district.
• Dr. Deng told Xu Huo that the Game Government could abandon a sub-district if new players stopped appearing, while players from other sub-districts competed for its Tickets and Dungeons.
• Xu Huo found footprints near a tree, and the group realized Glue Liquid had spread beneath the leaves and trapped them.
• Gan Qing and Miao Yu suspected that Tong Jian, who had killed Wan Yunrong and sabotaged the elevator, had laid the trap.
• Xu Huo helped Dr. Deng up and said the trap did not mean they were surrounded by a large group.

Xu Huo and the other players were ambushed by Qiu Xiangdong and Tong Jian near the Laboratory, and Xu Huo counterattacked with his props. He wounded Tong Jian and exploited a moment of distraction as their close-combat fight continued.

• Dr. Deng, Chu Yuan, and Gan Qing became trapped by Tong Jian’s sticky glue, and a sudden downpour of Glue Liquid drenched Chu Yuan and Gan Qing.
• Xu Huo used the Desert Windmill’s sandstorm to intercept Qiu Xiangdong, who vanished just before Xu Huo could kill him.
• Tong Jian attacked Dr. Deng and the others, but Xu Huo confronted him, disabled his gun, and used the Fair Wallet to make his glue suit come off.
• Xu Huo and Miao Yu set Tong Jian’s coat on fire and attacked him, and Xu Huo severed one of Tong Jian’s hands.
• Tong Jian charged Xu Huo with his dagger but froze in distraction when he came within half a meter of him.

Xu Huo questioned Tong Jian about why he stayed on Deep Blue Island and uncovered a possible conspiracy involving Miao Yu. The chapter ended with Xu Huo explaining that Miao Yu had switched sides to investigate whether Dr. Deng knew where the Potion was hidden.

• Xu Huo wounded Tong Jian with Kite String and questioned why he had stayed on the island.
• Tong Jian revealed that he and Qiu Xiangdong had found a blasted-open false wall near the Laboratory, where something might have been stored.
• The group debated who had taken the missing item, possibly the Potion, and why they had not left the island.
• Xu Huo accused Miao Yu and Tong Jian of working together to kill Dr. Deng and silence him.
• Xu Huo argued that Miao Yu had injured Wu Xiaonan, switched sides to test Dr. Deng's knowledge of the Potion, and later remained a hostage despite having little reason to be kept alive.

Xu Huo negotiated with Miao Yu over Professor Wu’s records while concealing whether he had found the real Potion. After he tossed her a P0 evolution agent, he escaped and killed Tong Jian, while Miao Yu seized the agent and Chu Yuan and Dr. Deng vanished.

• Miao Yu asked Xu Huo to show her the Potion, and he demanded Professor Wu’s records in exchange for letting her see it.
• Miao Yu offered photocopied records and encrypted files, while Xu Huo showed her a pale-blue P0 evolution agent and answered her questions without confirming that he had found the real Potion.
• Xu Huo claimed he had found nothing in the cavity between the walls, and Miao Yu’s lie detector failed to expose his deception.
• Xu Huo tossed Miao Yu the P0 evolution agent and vanished, while the Kite String killed Tong Jian.
• Miao Yu turned into a shadow and rushed after Xu Huo, but her hesitation to open the agent let Dr. Deng and Chu Yuan disappear.