Chapter Summaries

Xu Huo and Dr. Deng encountered Cannibal Players at a blood-soaked station, then boarded a train carriage filled with signs of a massacre. Xu Huo reviewed the Artifacts he had gained from the Deep Blue Laboratory, but the chapter left him and Dr. Deng surrounded by hostile Players with no clear way to another carriage.

• Xu Huo rescued Dr. Deng from an attack by a tattooed Player and led him away from the four Cannibal Players responsible for the station's mutilated corpses.
• Xu Huo inspected his haul of Artifacts and identified two B-class defensive items among the rewards from the Deep Blue Laboratory.
• Dr. Deng said the Players at the station were Cannibal Players, and Xu Huo told him they would be safer once aboard the train.
• Xu Huo and Dr. Deng boarded a carriage strewn with blood and severed limbs, where the Cannibal Players from the station had also gathered.
• Xu Huo cleaned a seat for Dr. Deng, but Dr. Deng sprang up and grabbed his arm, insisting they move to another carriage.

Xu Huo protected Dr. Deng from the Cannibal Players and used his Yongxing Restaurant membership to move them to the First-Class Carriage. There, he fended off Weiwei’s attempts to examine his item and drink his tea by claiming he was sick, leaving her smile faded and unconvinced.

• Xu Huo intimidated the Yellow-Tooth Player and waited for the Conductor to arrive.
• Xu Huo paid the Conductor and invoked his Yongxing Restaurant membership to secure passage to the First-Class Carriage for himself and Dr. Deng.
• Xu Huo and Dr. Deng ate in the luxurious carriage, then Xu Huo used Holographic News Glasses to browse news along the route.
• Weiwei tried to take a look at Xu Huo’s Eye of Prying, but he put it away and refused.
• Xu Huo claimed he had a contagious disease to stop Weiwei from trying his tea, then described adults as sick and friendless until her smile faded and she called him a liar.

Xu Huo and Dr. Deng faced a laughter-inducing influence aboard the train while Aliens battered the carriage windows. After Weiwei’s parents left to confront the Players in the next carriage, they returned once most of those Players were dead or had fled.

• Xu Huo joked with Weiwei, then settled in for the night as fighting broke out several carriages behind them.
• A strange black bug flew out of Dr. Deng’s nose, and Dr. Deng began laughing uncontrollably as Xu Huo saw the passengers as clowns.
• Xu Huo used a foul-smelling item and a Lighting Lamp to counter the hallucination, but an unseen attacker smashed the lamp and Aliens cracked the carriage windows.
• Xu Huo threatened to use another lamp, and Dr. Deng stopped laughing; Weiwei called Xu Huo sick when he admitted he feared the Aliens.
• Weiwei’s parents went into the next carriage, where laughter continued amid fighting, then returned after some Players were dead and the rest had fled.

Xu Huo injected a P1S Evolution Potion, raising his Evolution Rate to 30% and seeing a vision that linked the potion to Professor Wu’s daughter. He returned to the carriage and offered the unwell Weiwei candy, then ordered her a cake instead.

• Xu Huo assessed the remaining Players and his new Ability and items, then injected the P1S Evolution Potion.
• Xu Huo reached 30% Evolution Rate and saw a girl in a hospital gown, whom he connected to Professor Wu and the potion’s hidden purpose.
• Xu Huo told Dr. Deng he had received the potion as a Dungeon clear reward and returned with him to their carriage.
• Xu Huo offered Weiwei candy for her stomachache, but she challenged his teasing, so he ordered her a huge cake.
• Weiwei stabbed the cake with her knife until the woman beside her told her not to make a mess.

Xu Huo and Dr. Deng suspected that armed escorts from Stellar Pharmaceutical were transporting a living Experiment Sample aboard the train, making the journey dangerous. Xu Huo prepared a plan in the empty rear carriages, while Weiwei's Father also headed toward the back of the train.

• Weiwei visited players in other carriages, where players warned her parents that Cannibal Players posed a danger to her.
• Ten similarly dressed players boarded with a metal coffin and sealed off the second carriage.
• Dr. Deng told Xu Huo that the newcomers might be Stellar Pharmaceutical armed escorts carrying an Experiment Sample, and that other players might try to seize it.
• Xu Huo persuaded the Conductor to gather players from the seventh and eighth carriages in the sixth, then made preparations in the empty rear carriages.
• Xu Huo and Dr. Deng encountered Weiwei's Father heading toward the rear, but he did not enter a carriage.

Xu Huo watched players attack the Coffin, only for the guards to kill them with ease. A green-eyed man in a wheelchair appeared in Carriage One, subdued Weiwei and her parents, and demanded a peaceful ride as the Conductors restored Carriage Two.

• Weiwei's mother signaled with her fingers while new players boarded, and Xu Huo sensed that the players might attack before nightfall.
• Players attacked the Coffin in Carriage Two, but its guards killed them swiftly and cleaned up their remains.
• A strange green gas filled the train, obscuring the other players from Xu Huo's view and allowing a man to take his megaphone.
• The gas cleared to reveal a green-eyed man in a wheelchair, who silenced Weiwei and knocked her down while an invisible barrier kept her parents away.
• Xu Huo reclaimed his megaphone, and the man demanded a quiet ride and ordered the Conductors to clean Carriage Two.

Xu Huo met Lawrence Li, a powerful Player in a wheelchair whose legs had atrophied from Evolution Potion Aftereffects. Lawrence asked Dr. Deng about Dr. Wu and learned that the Platinum Eye might be worth investigating before the Conductor invited him to dinner.

• Lawrence Li had the Conductor close the doors, stopping the Players carrying a coffin case from leaving Car Two and calming the confrontation.
• Dr. Deng examined Lawrence's legs and explained that an A-class Wormhole Point had failed to cure him, while Dr. Wu might be his only hope.
• Lawrence introduced himself, and Xu Huo recognized his name as belonging to the Wheelchair Player who had fought the Ghastly Sound Knights in Hai City.
• Dr. Deng said he had last heard of Dr. Wu at the deserted Platinum Eye, and Lawrence said it might be worth checking.
• A Conductor told Lawrence that the Chef had invited him to dinner.

After Lawrence Li disappeared, the train’s lights and music attracted increasingly dangerous Aliens, forcing the Players to defend the carriages and detach one containing a trapped beast. The train continued onward under attack, with Players in both the front and rear carriages killing an Alien that clawed at the windows.

• Dr. Deng learned from Weiwei that Lawrence Li was a wanted Super Player, while Lawrence Li never returned to the carriage.
• Weiwei’s parents used a Scroll to seal the carriage windows, but the Aliens still swarmed the train as it slowed at night.
• Music began playing aboard the train, drawing a powerful Alien that attacked from the rear; the Players detached the carriage where it was trapped.
• Another Alien caught up and attacked the roof, so the Players used sound-blocking items to keep it from entering the carriages.
• An Alien clawed at the windows of Cars One and Two, and a security officer and a crew cut female Player killed it.

As Aliens swarmed the train, Xu Huo persuaded the Players that Lawrence Li might be hunting for a particular kind of Alien rather than trying to weaken or rob them. When another horde charged the train, Xu Huo and Dr. Deng sought shelter in the Stellar Pharmaceutical guards’ carriage.

• Aliens smashed the train windows, but Weiwei's parents' Scroll Artifact held them back while Lawrence Li killed the creatures outside.
• A tattooed guard confronted Lawrence Li, but Xu Huo stopped him and guessed that Lawrence Li was searching for an Alien whose traits could relate to his legs and Evolution Aftereffects.
• Xu Huo argued that Aliens might have value despite Dr. Deng's objections, and Weiwei's mother suggested they wait to see what happened.
• A huge horde of Aliens rushed toward the train, and Weiwei's mother warned that her Scroll Artifact might not withstand them.
• Xu Huo asked to enter the guards' carriage, and the tattooed man let him and Dr. Deng in after the man holding the Coffin nodded.

Xu Huo and the players faced a massive Alien assault that overwhelmed the defenses of Carriage One, while corrosive, flying Aliens attacked the train. Just as Weiwei and the remaining players struggled to hold their carriage, Train Slayers appeared aboard.

• The guards used a water barrier between the carriages as Aliens swarmed the train and damaged its defenses.
• The tattooed player released Potion gas, and Weiwei sent smoke bugs that drove Aliens off the tracks, but Dr. Deng spotted winged Aliens approaching.
• The winged Aliens spat corrosive slime that melted Carriage One's defenses, and they broke into the carriage and attacked the players.
• Weiwei's mother broke through the water barrier toward Carriage Two but was crushed, while the six remaining players fought off Aliens in Carriage One.
• A high-pitched sound from the front of the train heralded the arrival of Train Slayers, and Weiwei cried out that they were unlucky.

Xu Huo and the other Players struggled to survive as Blood Aberrations attacked the train, while a clash between carriages destroyed much of their shelter. Xu Huo used Kite String to retrieve the fallen metal box, then tied up Dr. Deng and fought the Aliens from inside it.

• The tattooed man and another Player used a Box Artifact to lure and kill Blood Aberrations, but an unknown force flipped the box off the train and the tattooed man lost an arm before retreating inside.
• Weiwei threw a Micro Bomb at the second carriage, destroying the protective barriers and much of the train while killing most of the Aliens nearby.
• Dr. Deng opened Kong Cheng's Music Box, whose rotating ring of light sliced through dozens of attacking Aliens.
• Xu Huo used Kite String to pull the fallen metal box back onto the remaining carriage floor.
• When the Music Box's effect ended, Xu Huo tied Dr. Deng with Kite String, threw him out, and fought the charging Aliens from the box entrance.

Xu Huo fought off the Alien horde aboard the train and survived Director Yuan’s attempt to kill him by using Three Seconds of Life. Lawrence Li then intervened with his crystalline Ability, and Director Yuan’s group was left pierced by crystal shards.

• Xu Huo used fire and the guards’ temporary ice attack to hold back the Aliens as the train became nearly buried beneath them.
• The guards revealed that a Super Artifact was disrupting their Space Artifacts, and one Player blamed Lawrence Li while another suspected someone else was responsible.
• Director Yuan attacked Xu Huo from a distance, but Three Seconds of Life rewound time and let Xu Huo escape before Director Yuan crushed his metal crate.
• Lawrence Li raised a crystalline wall between Director Yuan’s group and a female Blood Aberration, then enclosed the group in expanding crystals.
• The crystal sheets shrank away, revealing Director Yuan and his companions pierced by shards.

Xu Huo fought off the Alien horde as the couriers guarded the coffin case and struggled to treat wounds caused by poisonous Blood Aberrations. Lawrence Li then appeared and killed ten couriers with a crystalline attack, leaving two barely alive and carrying the captured female Blood Aberration in a cage.

• Xu Huo used Strings to divert Blood Aberrations with discolored fingernails and set fire to cloth and alcohol to drive back the Aliens.
• A freezing wind let Xu Huo cut down immobilized Aliens, while the couriers guarding the coffin case suffered injuries and discovered they could not use Space Artifacts.
• The Player carrying the coffin case said a Super Artifact, not Lawrence Li's Ability, was restricting Space Artifacts.
• The couriers cut away flesh around wounds darkened by the Blood Aberration toxin and took Potions.
• Lawrence Li's crystalline attack pierced ten couriers, killing eight and leaving the two case guards barely alive.
• Lawrence Li appeared at the front of the train with the female Blood Aberration that Director Yuan had nearly killed locked in a cage.

Xu Huo arrived in District 011, decided to let Dr. Deng live after hearing his plans, and returned to find Rose Castle badly damaged. He received an invitation to a Noble Club gathering that could help him inherit a Baron Title.

• Xu Huo confronted Dr. Deng on the train, heard his account of seeking the Perfect Evolution Potion and ending the game's control over humanity, then told him to settle in District 011 and contact him if needed.
• Xu Huo and Dr. Deng arrived at District 011 Station; Dr. Deng went to apply for a job, while Xu Huo headed to Rose Castle.
• Xu Huo found Rose Castle nearly ruined and learned from Mr. Dong that Mr. He Pu had left money for repairs.
• Xu Huo traded barbs with Madam Butterfly, who had remained at the castle after obtaining the weapons.
• Xu Huo opened an invitation from Duke Tar to attend a Noble Club gathering in five days, where he could build relationships to help inherit the Baron Title.

Xu Huo returned to Rose Castle, learned Madam Butterfly would stay and agreed to attend a gathering with her in five days. He then visited the base and spent 2.4 million White Cash on four Artifacts, including Emergency Shelter No. 101.

• Xu Huo asked Mr. Dong about Madam Butterfly and borrowing Third Floor Artifacts, then helped him plant rose bushes in the garden.
• Madam Butterfly said she would accompany Xu Huo to a gathering in five days after he mentioned meeting Lawrence Li, a Super Player with an Aftereffect.
• Xu Huo reported to Shi Youzhi, who told him the base would stop investigating the damaged Stations after finding links to trouble involving Rongxin Group's firearm shipment.
• Xu Huo reviewed the base's Artifact catalog and chose Emergency Shelter No. 101 as his B-class item.
• Xu Huo bought Emergency Shelter No. 101, Harm Not Self, a Water Knife Gun, and Diamond Gloves for 2.4 million White Cash.

After returning to the Ancient Castle, Xu Huo read reports about the Suitcase Man and the Ghastly Sound Knights, then opened his Spiritual World for Madam Butterfly to explore. Madam Butterfly entered a maze of shifting rooms and doors but could not reach its true depths.

• Xu Huo returned to the Ancient Castle, helped Mr. Dong finish planting flowers, and raised his bounty for a ticket from E27 to District 001.
• Xu Huo learned that the Suitcase Man was a notorious Super Player ranked third on the most-wanted list, and recognized him as the man whose puppet he had encountered before.
• Xu Huo read that the Ghastly Sound Knights were suspected of stealing firearms from the Platinum Eye and reviewed the group's strength and members.
• Madam Butterfly tested Xu Huo's Spiritual World, and Xu Huo chose to open his own rather than explore hers.
• Madam Butterfly searched through Xu Huo's shifting gateways but found false depths and a multiplying maze of rooms and doors.

Xu Huo learned that He Pu had chosen him as an heir and discovered Bai Kou’s name and connection to V before she left during the night. He then reviewed Dr. Wu’s records, considered whether V had left behind the Perfect Evolution Potion, and received Dr. Deng’s news about a job at a Rongxin Group pharmaceutical subsidiary.

• Madam Butterfly broke through Xu Huo’s Spiritual World, and he spoke with her about He Pu’s choice, V, and her borrowed name, Bai Kou.
• Xu Huo invited Bai Kou to listen to music, but Mr. Dong told him the next morning that she had left during the night.
• Xu Huo reviewed records showing Dr. Wu had used multiple identities and considered whether V’s legacy in District 001 might include the Perfect Evolution Potion.
• Mr. Dong said He Pu had searched for the Perfect Potion without finding it, and Xu Huo continued reading Dr. Wu’s files.
• Dr. Deng messaged Xu Huo that he had found a room-and-board job at a Laboratory connected to Rongxin Group’s largest pharmaceutical subsidiary.

Xu Huo tested the Ghost Shadow and then visited a Welfare Institute, where he found two children making crafts instead of attending a gathering for a noblewoman’s visit. He challenged the institute’s Director and urged the noblewoman to replace him, leaving the Director’s response unresolved.

• Xu Huo confined the Ghost Shadow in a sealed room and discovered it could not use its abilities outside the Deep Blue Laboratory, then ordered Mr. Dong to keep it locked up.
• Bai Kou returned with shopping, showed Xu Huo the bright red formal suit Duke Tar had chosen for him, and heard his plan to visit the Welfare Institute.
• Xu Huo visited the Welfare Institute and found Yang Qing and Lu Sihao hiding in their dormitory, where they were making handicrafts and questioning whether they could return home.
• The Director showed a noblewoman the dormitory, but Xu Huo challenged him and urged the noblewoman to replace him rather than leave the children at risk of retaliation.

Xu Huo tested the Ghost Shadow he had brought back from the Deep Blue Laboratory and later attended a gathering with Bai Kou at A1 Time, where she explained the club’s name and its connection to game time. The chapter left them discussing how Districts synchronized their clocks with the A1 wormhole point.

• Xu Huo decided to postpone meeting Dr. Deng and took the Ghost Shadow into a sealed room to test it.
• Xu Huo discovered that the Ghost Shadow avoided him and could not use its full strength outside the Deep Blue Laboratory, so he had Mr. Dong lock it away.
• Bai Kou gave Xu Huo a bright red formal suit that Duke Tar had chosen for him.
• The Duchess dismissed the Welfare Institute’s Director and offered Xu Huo a chance to interview at her company.
• Xu Huo encouraged Yang Qing to study and then left the Welfare Institute.
• Xu Huo wore Duke Tar’s suit and went with Bai Kou to A1 Time, where she explained the club’s name and the game system’s timekeeping.

Xu Huo left the Club after watching a starving Black Panther kill a woman player in a staged fight, and Ran Ying explained the Club and the Nobles’ player selection to him. The chapter left Xu Huo outside the spectacle, learning that the guests he had met were not true Elite Players.

• VIP No. 17 chose Lockdown Chamber No. 3, where a Black Panther attacked and killed a woman player as the Club guests watched.
• Palada and the other guests applauded the killing, while Bai Kou criticized the uneven fight.
• Xu Huo left the room, went to the smoking room, and told Ran Ying he was not used to the Club.
• Ran Ying said the Club’s players were often Cannibal Players or Wanted Criminals, and that true Nobles selected players by aptitude while discarding those with average aptitude.