Recaps

Xu Huo closed the hospital instance, rescued twelve children, and returned to the pharmaceutical factory as Moth Art reported the District Government’s losses and a remaining supply of clone nutrient solution. After setting the children somewhere safe, Xu Huo went to the collapsed Century Building, where he found Bai Jing searching for the Ya tribe children.

• Moth Art escaped the instance and drew District Government players toward Century Building while Xu Huo used the hospital’s bacterial outbreak to push players to clear the instance.
• Xu Huo sent the twelve children out in Protective Suits, closed the instance, and returned to the pharmaceutical factory.
• Moth Art reported that most clones had been moved, two teleportation devices were destroyed, and the District Government was moving its remaining clone nutrient solution.
• Xu Huo left the children in hiding and headed to Century Building after he could not reach Bai Jing.
• Xu Huo found two injured Ya tribe people near the collapsed Century Building, and Bai Jing arrived and urgently asked where the children were.

Xu Huo helped the Ya tribe recover its children, poisoned the new District Government’s nutrient supply, and escaped the city with Moth Art and his companions. After handing over the Potion and documents, he parted ways with the others and continued his journey.

• Xu Huo told Bai Jing where the twelve children were and warned him to evacuate because of a toxic gas leak at the pharmaceutical factory.
• Mr. Chi thanked Xu Huo for helping the Ya tribe and gave him a tribal token, and Xu Huo contaminated the nutrient solution used to produce clones.
• Xu Huo and Moth Art discussed the Magician’s possible whereabouts, then Xu Huo triggered explosions in the new city before they went their separate ways.
• Xu Huo met up with Qiu Ming, Dai Song, Cao Qinglin, and the others and left as the new city burned.
• Xu Huo gave the Potion and documents to Dai Song and Dr. Dorr, settled accounts with Qiu Ming and Cao Qinglin, and said goodbye.

The attack on the new District Government city triggered a backlash across Zone 023 and exposed the government’s cloning program, leaving it under pressure from multiple factions. The story then shifted to Jintong City, where a dark-skinned young man arrived seeking work and briefly spoke with an ordinary-looking man who vanished before they could continue.

• The new District Government identified the dead attacker as a Wanted Criminal and launched a manhunt for the Ya tribe people, but the search found little.
• Videos exposing the Ya tribe’s past persecution and outsiders’ violence provoked public backlash across Zone 023.
• The exposed cloning program drew pressure from funders, other factions, and people who feared the government planned to replace them with clones; the Han family also faced blame over Han Yi’s death.
• A scheduled ship arrived at Crystal Ice Pier, where a dark-skinned young man disembarked for Jintong City with a man who promised him an apprenticeship and work.
• The young man introduced himself as a former maker of flying shoes and spoke with an ordinary-looking man, who disappeared when his traveling companion tugged him away.

Xu Huo and Li Kun traveled through the machine-governed Platinum Eye, where Li Kun explained the city’s rules and commercial districts. They arrived at the One-Fifth market to sell Xu Huo’s water maker and look for quality equipment.

• Li Kun picked Xu Huo up after Lift Shaft 9 and explained that the Platinum Eye’s robots enforced strict rules against speeding and major damage.
• Xu Huo noticed a deep, continuous rumble underground but could not see its source with his vertical pupil.
• Li Kun described the city’s five main avenues and the services and trade found on One-Fifth and Two-Fifths Avenue.
• Xu Huo and Li Kun skipped the entertainment district and went to the One-Fifth market, where Li Kun promised to take Xu Huo to better equipment shops after their deal.
• Li Kun pointed out the building where they had arrived to sell the water maker.

Xu Huo and Li Kun visited the Stars and Moon Shine casino, where they completed a deal with Brother Yan for the water-maker. Brother Yan gave them access to the twentieth floor, and Li Kun took Xu Huo to Room 25 to watch an arena match featuring a woman.

• Li Kun brought Xu Huo to Stars and Moon Shine and left him with the casino’s hostesses while he met Brother Yan.
• Xu Huo showed Brother Yan the water-maker, and Brother Yan paid for it after confirming it was complete.
• Li Kun and Xu Huo split the payment, and Brother Yan gave them silver-star identity cards to visit the twentieth floor.
• Xu Huo gave the bunny-girl her gambling winnings, while Li Kun asked which rooms had female players.
• Li Kun led Xu Huo toward Room 25 after learning a woman was fighting there, and explained the arena’s challenger and betting rules.

Xu Huo and Li Kun visited two arenas at Stars and Moon Shine, then Xu Huo searched nearby prop shops for a skilled Artificer. He learned that Platinum Eye was recruiting workers to build a new ship.

• Li Kun took Xu Huo to Arena No. 25, where a female champion defeated an injured challenger and declined another match.
• Li Kun led Xu Huo to Arena No. 20, where a male champion played to an enthusiastic crowd as his challenger stripped off his pants with a prop.
• Li Kun explained that the upstairs cumulative tournaments offered larger prizes but required contestants to win every round, then left with a female player he had met.
• Xu Huo watched two more matches, left the building, and asked a prop shopkeeper where to find a renowned Artificer.
• The shopkeeper directed Xu Huo to the Artificer rankings on the Jixin Terminal and explained that the city government was hiring skilled workers to build a new ship.

Xu Huo explored Platinum Eye’s Artificer rankings and learned that the city was caught up in celebrations for the mayor’s daughter’s engagement. He arrived at Two-Fifths Avenue, where a fortune teller offered to compensate him with snacks if her prediction proved wrong.

• Xu Huo learned from a shopkeeper that Artificers’ success rates depended partly on luck, then bought a flower sticker from two young girls.
• Xu Huo checked Platinum Eye’s certified and unofficial Artificer rankings on his Jixin Terminal while traveling to Two-Fifths Avenue.
• Xu Huo read that the mayor’s daughter would hold her engagement banquet in three months, and that the city was celebrating with love-themed festivities.
• A child stuck a bubble-blowing sticker on Xu Huo’s hand, attracting a crowd of children; Xu Huo bought candy to send them away.
• A fortune teller in a mascot costume offered Xu Huo snacks as compensation if her prediction was wrong.

Xu Huo visited Demon Eye Goddess’s fortune-telling stall in Platinum Eye and drew a card predicting that love was near, though it could put his life in danger. After he left, Yan Jiayu asked whether the prediction was genuine, and Demon Eye Goddess confirmed they had plans that night.

• Yan Jiayu, working in a mascot suit for Demon Eye Goddess, brought Xu Huo to the fortune-telling stall and agreed to have a meal with him after his reading.
• Xu Huo questioned Demon Eye Goddess about her fees and whether fortune-telling affected her own luck before asking about love.
• Xu Huo drew the Scales of All Things, and Demon Eye Goddess predicted that he would soon meet a strong woman in Platinum Eye who could endanger his life.
• Xu Huo paid a hundred White Cash and left as Yan Jiayu returned to the stall.
• Yan Jiayu asked whether the prediction was true, and Demon Eye Goddess said Xu Huo would not die anytime soon and reminded Yan Jiayu of their plans that night.

Xu Huo reunited with Yan Jiayu in Platinum Eye and joined her and Tu Xiaoxiao for a visit to the Mechanical Castle, where they also planned to take care of an undisclosed task. The three entered the public exhibits after Yan Jiayu attracted a crowd, and a staff member warned them to stay out of the mayor’s private residence.

• Yan Jiayu met Xu Huo, treated him to food, and invited him to visit the Mechanical Castle with her and Tu Xiaoxiao.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu questioned Tu Xiaoxiao about her prediction that the mayor would soon celebrate a happy occasion, and she insisted it concerned romance.
• Yan Jiayu revealed that she and Tu Xiaoxiao had plans beyond visiting the castle, but did not explain them to Xu Huo.
• Yan Jiayu attracted a crowd outside the Mechanical Castle, so Tu Xiaoxiao covered her with a protective suit before they entered.
• A staff member explained that the public could visit the outer castle exhibits but warned them not to enter the mayor’s private residence.

Xu Huo explored the Mechanical Castle and discovered a hidden garden where he found Bai Kou asleep beneath a purple tree. He told her he had obtained He Pu’s belongings, and she demanded that he either reveal more or say nothing.

• Xu Huo toured the Mechanical Castle’s exhibits and learned about the Platinum Eye’s weapons and devices.
• Xu Huo entered a hidden black space, opened a gear door, and found a flower field with a purple tree dripping nectar.
• Xu Huo found Bai Kou asleep behind the tree and picked up her blanket, prompting her to wake and threaten him.
• Xu Huo told Bai Kou that he had obtained He Pu’s belongings, and she refused to discuss them unless he chose to say more.

Xu Huo met Bai Kou at the Platinum Eye and received a recommendation for an Artificer who could custom-make an item. After stopping Tu Xiaoxiao and Yan Jiayu from damaging a Mechanical Castle exhibit, he learned why they wanted revenge and discovered the recommended Artificer was classified as dangerous.

• Xu Huo told Bai Kou he wanted a custom-made item, and she gave him a business card for an Artificer with a strange temper.
• Xu Huo pulled Tu Xiaoxiao away from a displayed weapon and brought her and Yan Jiayu outside the Mechanical Castle.
• Yan Jiayu explained that someone had registered Tu Xiaoxiao's great-granduncle's invention first, leaving him fined and unable to use it until he died of rage.
• Xu Huo warned Tu Xiaoxiao and Yan Jiayu to postpone their revenge because security players might have spotted them, and they agreed to meet again the next day.
• Xu Huo searched for the Artificer on Bai Kou's card and found a warning that he was a D-class dangerous individual for repeatedly assaulting customers.

Xu Huo visited Old Mrs. Lu, an Artificer, and asked her to craft artifacts from his Sub-class Stones. After agreeing to make an artifact from his first stone, she examined the others and began testing the exceptionally promising stone He Pu had left behind.

• Xu Huo arrived at Old Mrs. Lu’s home and saw her chasing off her grandson after he returned borrowed goods broken.
• Xu Huo offered Sub-class Stones as materials, and Old Mrs. Lu invited him inside.
• Old Mrs. Lu judged Xu Huo’s first stone to be a good B-level material and agreed to craft an artifact with auxiliary materials of her choosing.
• Xu Huo brought out his remaining Sub-class Stones, including the stone He Pu had left behind.
• Old Mrs. Lu suspected He Pu’s stone was at least A-level and might have special properties, so she used an instrument to examine it.

Xu Huo asked Old Mrs. Lu to appraise two time-attribute Sub-class Stones and commissioned her to make an item from the naturally formed one. He then showed her a large ore from a high-risk Dungeon, which she suspected was a Sub-class Stone whose Origin Stone had already been taken.

• Old Mrs. Lu identified He Pu’s Sub-class Stone as an exceptionally high-quality, artificially induced time-attribute stone and explained how rare such materials were.
• Xu Huo presented a second time-attribute Sub-class Stone from the Laboratory, and Old Mrs. Lu appraised it as high-end A-class and agreed to craft an item from it without a crafting fee.
• Xu Huo brought out a sealed ore from a high-risk Dungeon, and Old Mrs. Lu arranged to examine it in a reinforced testing room.
• Old Mrs. Lu said the large ore resembled a Sub-class Stone and that its Origin Stone should have been nearby; Xu Huo concluded that the Origin Stone must have been taken away.

Xu Huo left contaminated ore with Old Mrs. Lu to make an item and signed a contract protecting both sides. Outside, he reunited with Xin Rong, returned the borrowed new-energy cannon, and heard Xin Rong offer to guide him through Dungeons.

• Old Mrs. Lu identified Xu Huo’s radioactive ore as contaminated rather than a Sub-class Stone, but agreed to try making an item from it in exchange for collateral.
• Xu Huo accepted two B-class items as collateral, signed an item-making contract with Old Mrs. Lu, and asked her to make the item from his Sub-class Stone first.
• Xu Huo left Old Mrs. Lu’s courtyard with two tiny robots and encountered Xin Rong, who had been waiting nearby to ask about buying ore.
• Xu Huo returned the new-energy cannon he had borrowed from Xin Rong in Flower City, and Xin Rong invited him to explore Platinum Eye.
• Xu Huo said he still needed to clear two Dungeons, so Xin Rong offered to use his family’s team and local Dungeon knowledge to help him earn at least A-rank ratings.
• The chapter explained that guided Dungeon runs could help Players level up safely but could limit their experience, independence, ratings, and rewards.

Xu Huo sorted through the trash recovered from Bauhinia Restaurant and used clues from its items and badges to trace the restaurant’s activity across multiple wormhole points. He also examined the gentleman player’s belongings, discovering several powerful items and a lifelike decoy.

• Xu Huo parted from Xin Rong, returned to his hotel, and sorted the trash collected by Raincoat Cleaner.
• Xu Huo searched for manufacturers and recognized accessories on Dimension Below, where users identified items from E19 and E27 Wormhole Points.
• Xu Huo concluded that Bauhinia Restaurant had crossed between sub-districts and likely operated across several wormhole points, though he could not determine when its badges had been collected.
• Xu Huo examined the gentleman player’s belongings and assessed his A-class sheet music and Defense Artifact, Stars Fall to Ground.
• Xu Huo reviewed the item Watch My Back, which created a convincing, damage-resistant fake of its holder to buy time.

After realizing that powerful Abilities could require specialized defenses, Xu Huo met Li Kun and Duan Cheng to discuss entering a newly generated Dungeon. Duan Cheng offered to share its unclaimed item, but the group had not yet agreed on how to proceed.

• Xu Huo considered whether the gentleman player's many Ability-countering items reflected the danger posed by powerful evolved Abilities.
• Li Kun invited Xu Huo to meet his friend and visit a newly generated Dungeon, and Xu Huo accepted after seeing the invitation.
• Li Kun introduced Xu Huo to Duan Cheng, and they discussed the risks and rewards of clearing new Dungeons.
• Duan Cheng revealed that his source had confirmed an unclaimed item in a C-class Dungeon and proposed that he, Li Kun, and Xu Huo split whatever they found.

Xu Huo negotiated a fair share of the risks and rewards with Li Kun and Duan Cheng before bringing Yan Jiayu into their team. They learned that the C-class dungeon in Zone 002 was built around a fairy-tale world, but its dangers and specific stories remained unknown.

• Xu Huo objected to the two-against-one arrangement and proposed adding a C-class friend to balance the team.
• Duan Cheng and Li Kun agreed to Xu Huo's terms but said they had already prepared the Tickets and could not add anyone else.
• Xu Huo invited Yan Jiayu, who arrived and ordered food while the group discussed the dungeon.
• Duan Cheng explained that the newly generated C-class dungeon involved an entire fairy-tale world, based on secondhand information from a Player preparing for another run.
• Xu Huo asked whether Zone 002 had particular fairy tales tied to the dungeon, and Li Kun said the zone had too many well-known stories to identify one.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu prepared for a new fairy-tale instance and researched how Zone 002’s stories used harsh punishments to teach children about crime. After recognizing that the instance could make even minor offenses deadly, Xu Huo went outside Platinum Eye to look for a random instance.

• Xu Huo, Yan Jiayu, Duan Cheng, and Li Kun planned to enter the fairy-tale instance together that evening, and Yan Jiayu suspected Duan Cheng knew more about it than he had said.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu bought fairy-tale books, supplies, toys, and protective gear before researching fairy-tale instances at a Jixin Terminal.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu learned that Zone 002’s fairy tales treated any wrongdoing as grounds for execution and that the city used this approach to teach children the law.
• Yan Jiayu worried that the new instance might be difficult to clear, while Xu Huo thought its strict rules could make the players safer.
• Xu Huo left Platinum Eye to search for a random instance and hoped to find Pink Hat.

Xu Huo summoned Pink Hat at the C2 Wormhole Point and asked about portable Dungeons and the fairy-tale Dungeon in Zone 002. He then joined Yan Jiayu, Li Kun, and Duan Cheng in entering The King's Gemstone, where they arrived beneath a gallows.

• Xu Huo summoned Pink Hat, who explained that she could open her Dungeon at C2 because he had brought her doll there, and described how player-owned Dungeons could change Wormhole Points.
• Xu Huo gave Pink Hat a skirt and asked about the fairy-tale Dungeon; she criticized adults and whispered a secret to him.
• Xu Huo met Yan Jiayu, Li Kun, and Duan Cheng, and they traveled by ship and flyer to the Dungeon entrance.
• Xu Huo and the others entered The King's Gemstone, whose missions were to find a gemstone stolen from the King or return the most beautiful gemstone borrowed by Moon City.
• Xu Huo opened his eyes in the Dungeon and saw several bodies hanging from a gallows.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu entered Gemstone City, where they posed as former circus performers to gain the residents’ trust while Li Kun and Duan Cheng investigated the gemstone theft. The chapter ended with Xu Huo noting that the city’s executions involved both players and ordinary people, suggesting the apparent mission to find the thief might be dangerous.

• Duan Cheng identified the seven executed people outside the city gate as players, while a resident directed Xu Huo and the others to register.
• Li Kun and Duan Cheng registered as bounty hunters and learned the gemstone thief was still trapped inside Gemstone City; Li Kun headed to Pudding Tavern with the other players.
• Xu Huo introduced himself and Yan Jiayu as former Polaris Circus performers named Sunflower One and Sunflower Two, and the guards directed them to the performance venue.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu accepted the residents’ warm welcome and were taken to the performance venue, while Li Kun and Duan Cheng agreed to meet them there.
• Yan Jiayu questioned the city’s acceptance of executions for theft, and Xu Huo observed that the hanged people included both players and ordinary people.

Xu Huo spoke with a bereaved child in the performance venue and learned more about the King’s gem-theft investigation from Li Kun. The Players still had no clear way to identify the thief, and entering the King’s Castle without permission would get them treated as the culprit.

• Xu Huo found a little bald boy hiding beneath the stage, and the boy asked him to make his dead parents appear.
• Xu Huo promised to let the boy try a magical mirror if he brought a photo of his parents the next night.
• Li Kun questioned Xu Huo’s kindness toward the boy, but Xu Huo said the Dungeon’s residents were living people.
• Li Kun reported that the King had funded an Arrest Team but withheld details about the stolen gems and the thief.
• Xu Huo learned that the King was gravely ill and that unauthorized entry into private places could lead to arrest and execution.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu won over Gemstone City’s residents with a lively banquet and promised a proper performance, while learning that outsiders could not convincingly disguise themselves as locals. Late that night, they left the venue to meet Li Kun outside the King’s Castle.

• Li Kun told Xu Huo that he and Duan Cheng had searched public facilities and a tavern for items, and agreed to meet Xu Huo outside the King’s Castle that night.
• Yan Jiayu reported that Gemstone City’s residents could recognize outsiders even when they disguised themselves as locals or claimed to be relatives.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu joined the residents’ banquet, and Xu Huo performed magic tricks that earned enthusiastic applause.
• Xu Huo persuaded the residents to help gather supplies and spread the word about the next night’s performance, while Yan Jiayu ended the banquet with her Bubble Machine.
• After the residents went to bed, Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu left the performance venue late at night.

Yan Jiayu forced a Player into the Castle to test Gemstone City's defenses, and the intruder's failed break-in revealed that the residents could identify and pursue outsiders. The city hunted the criminals through the night, while Xu Huo and the others joined the search and considered what the failed attempt meant for their missions.

• Yan Jiayu kicked a Player off the wall and into the Castle grounds, where guards spotted him and his items stopped working against them.
• The Player fought his way into the Castle, searched for the King, and fled after guards overwhelmed the building.
• A Gemstone City resident identified the fleeing Player despite his invisibility cloak, and the residents launched a citywide hunt.
• Xu Huo, Yan Jiayu, Li Kun, and Duan Cheng joined the search to avoid being treated as outcasts.
• Two other Players broke into private homes and were hunted; guards used gemstone shields, crossbows, and cannons to weaken and pursue them.
• Li Kun criticized the Castle intruder, while Duan Cheng said finding the King would not fulfill either mission.

Xu Huo and the others planned different ways to enter the Castle while investigating the thieves, and Xu Huo learned how Gemstone City identified criminals. The chapter left the group split up and revealed that the city’s laws were kept secret until a criminal was sentenced.

• Xu Huo, Yan Jiayu, Duan Cheng, and Li Kun agreed to split up to pursue a thief, find work, gather supplies, and prepare a circus performance that might get them into the Castle.
• Xu Huo questioned Gemstone City residents, who said criminals bore a visible mark and could never return if they escaped beyond the city.
• A merchant told Xu Huo that Moon City’s new King had abolished several crimes, including accidentally entering a home, trampling flowers, and beating animals.
• Xu Huo learned that Gemstone City made allowances for young children who broke rules, but expected them to become guardians of the rules once they reached a certain age.
• A shopkeeper told Xu Huo that Gemstone City’s laws were not public and that people of sound mind should know what actions violated others’ rights.

Xu Huo investigated reports of artisans who had disappeared from Gemstone City and triggered a side quest about their mystery. Meanwhile, Duan Cheng and Yan Jiayu continued searching for the escaped players, but Yan Jiayu left the city gate to investigate elsewhere.

• Xu Huo learned that several artisan families had left Gemstone City after outsiders tricked them with useless black stone, and he triggered the side quest about the disappearing artisans.
• Duan Cheng searched Gemstone City for the escaped players but found no one and received consolation gifts from grateful residents.
• Yan Jiayu played with children near the city gate while wearing a dinosaur costume, then told Duan Cheng she had found something there but needed more time.
• Duan Cheng decided to wait at the gate, while Yan Jiayu went back into the city.