Chapter Summaries

At the palace Night Tour, Vison Meny turned a prayer for dead Players into a staged sacrifice and hunt for traitors, setting the guests on Fox and Hyena. Xu Huo followed Vison Meny through the corridors but instead encountered a person in a Golden Butterfly mask, who demanded to know why he was being followed.

• Vison Meny gave a prayer for fallen Players and urged the guests to donate and pray for their next lives.
• Vison Meny called for a volunteer sacrifice, and a Black Wolf-masked guest stepped onto the altar before trying to flee.
• Meini and the guests captured Black Wolf, and Meini beheaded him with a golden Short Sword.
• Vison Meny claimed blood would expose traitors, and blood serpents pursued Fox and Hyena as the guests chased them.
• Xu Huo abandoned his pursuit of Fox and followed Vison Meny into the corridors, where a person wearing a Golden Butterfly mask confronted him.

Xu Huo followed a Fox through the dark palace and questioned a masked woman about her glowing eyes before discovering that the hunting game had left several Foxes dead. He confronted the middle-aged man he had been tracking, convinced him that a traitor had exposed their group, and escaped the room as pursuers closed in.

• Xu Huo spoke with a purple-eyed woman, who pointed him toward the Fox, then watched Vison Meny escort her away.
• Xu Huo found several dead Foxes and suspected Vison Meny had started the hunt to draw someone else out.
• A middle-aged man in a Hyena mask dragged Xu Huo into a room and accused him of following him.
• Xu Huo overpowered the middle-aged man and led him to believe that someone in their group had betrayed them to Vison Meny.
• When pursuers tried to break into the room, the middle-aged man fled through the window, while Xu Huo climbed onto the second-floor balcony.

Xu Huo overheard Vison Meny’s conversation with Madam Butterfly, then learned more about the people hunting him by tracing their connections to Rongxin Group and Deng Xuan. He concluded that Brother Jing had likely sent the Player who tried to kill him.

• Madam Butterfly challenged Vison Meny’s use of the New Wheel Cult’s name, but accepted his invitation to a banquet in District 011 next month.
• Xu Huo revealed himself to Madam Butterfly after Meny left, spoke with her, and then departed, leaving her a rose that withered to dust in her hands.
• The game’s hunt continued as Meny held a ritual and the Fox was offered on the altar; unable to find the remaining Hyena, Xu Huo forcibly exited the simulation.
• Xu Huo traced the middle-aged man to Zheng An, an accountant at a Rongxin Group subsidiary, and found that the man was Zheng An’s distant relative and a former Rongxin security guard.
• Xu Huo connected Deng Xuan’s brother Jing to the investigation and concluded that Brother Jing had probably sent the Player who had tried to kill him.

Xu Huo joined Shi Youzhi and the Rail Supply Department on a trip to repair a damaged station in District 011. As the Track Repair Devices began work, She Ping fired at a nearby sand dune.

• Xu Huo investigated Rongxin Group and learned that its medical equipment company was involved in the arms trade, while its leaders were guarded by powerful Players.
• After checking Zheng An's obituary and funeral, Xu Huo accepted Shi Youzhi's request for help and went to the base, where he met Wan Tingfang, Ai Jia, and She Ping.
• Shi Youzhi's team traveled in three cargo trucks carrying Track Repair Devices to a station city in the desert.
• Shi Youzhi explained that a Player's Ability had transformed the area around the station, leaving the ground covered in sand that people could still walk on.
• The devices began repairing the tracks, while the staff formed a perimeter and She Ping fired at a nearby sand dune.

Xu Huo and the Rail Supply Department defended their transport vehicles and Repair Devices from a coordinated ambush in the desert. After Ai Jia returned with one captured attacker, the group realized the Station had remained untouched and questioned whether the Repair Devices were really the target.

• Sand Gold Scorpions appeared, and Ai Jia took Xu Huo to inspect the vehicle before quicksand dragged him underground.
• Quicksand vortices threatened the transport vehicles, so Shi Youzhi used a vine to lift them while the Rail Supply Department deployed defensive items.
• Xu Huo spotted at least seven attackers beneath the Black Water as Sand Arrows struck the Soap Bubbles protecting the vehicles.
• The attackers overwhelmed the defenses around two vehicles, but the Rail Supply Department countered with a Dropper, inverted Soap Bubbles, and Black Water that crushed the attackers' Mechanical Palms.
• Ai Jia burst out of the sand with an attacker caught on a leash, but the attacker escaped with a Ticket; Ai Jia then noted that the Station had not been attacked.

Xu Huo and Wan Tingfang fought a hidden attacker who used the sandstorm to threaten their transport truck and the Station. After the Soap Bubble failed, Xu Huo opened the Justice Umbrella, stopping the storm and exposing the player along with several dropped items.

• Xu Huo realized the attack targeted the Station’s Repair Device, and Shi Youzhi ordered the team to protect it as a sandstorm engulfed the Station.
• Wan Tingfang used the Sea Stabilizing Needle to steady the truck while Xu Huo spotted a hidden attacker and cut off his hand with the Bright Red Sword.
• Wan Tingfang sent her Biting Centipede and fired Venomous Snake Fangs as Xu Huo attacked, but the attacker destroyed her bone-revealing metal ball and battered the Soap Bubble with sand drills.
• The Soap Bubble burst, and Xu Huo used the Fair Wallet, Two-Color Rubik’s Cube, Desert Windmill, and Justice Umbrella against the storm.
• The Justice Umbrella stopped the sandstorm and revealed the attacker, with Xu Huo’s Fair Wallet, Two-Color Rubik’s Cube, and a coil of rope lying at his feet.

Xu Huo and the Rail Supply team fought off players and Sand Gold Scorpions at the Station, but an attacker destroyed a Track Repair Device and forced them to evacuate. They reached the city safely, though repairs were delayed until the Enforcement Department investigated, and Xu Huo remained suspicious of the attackers' motives.

• Xu Huo used his sword to cut apart the remaining transport vehicles, stopping the sand player's Ability from churning the ground.
• Xu Huo and Wan Tingfang captured two hidden players, while the sand player escaped and the remaining attackers stayed concealed.
• A Repair Device toppled and destroyed itself, forcing Shi Youzhi to abandon the track repairs and evacuate the Station with his team.
• Shi Youzhi's group withdrew toward the city, fighting off Sand Gold Scorpions along the way.
• She Ping concluded that someone was controlling the Sand Gold Scorpions, and Ai Jia explained that the base could not seal off the area without government authorization.
• Shi Youzhi agreed to report the attack to the Enforcement Department, while Xu Huo questioned Wan Tingfang about the strained relations between the base and the government.

Xu Huo joined Shi Youzhi’s team on a station-repair mission, then suggested that repeated attacks on stations in District 011 might be part of a plan to disrupt transport before a war. He left with Wan Tingfang before the team could investigate, while she remained optimistic about being hired by the base.

• She Ping explained that Gray Players were often Evolvers granted item access by the Game Government, and Xu Huo said he wanted to establish himself in District 011.
• Shi Youzhi returned with two transport vehicles, and Ai Jia’s group told Xu Huo that Players had recently damaged several stations across District 011.
• Xu Huo pointed out that attacks on transport routes could signal preparations for war, prompting She Ping to call for an investigation while Shi Youzhi warned that the Communicator might not be safe.
• Xu Huo and Wan Tingfang left the team early, and Wan Tingfang invited him to a bar and said she expected the base to make its probationary members permanent.
• Wan Tingfang asked Xu Huo whether he was a C-class Player.

Xu Huo followed a Rongxin Group logistics worker to a Trade Dock and suspected the company was preparing to store a secret weapons shipment. At the Game Government Base, he learned that the investigation into damaged stations and the ambush had turned up little.

• Xu Huo and Wan Tingfang compared their player ranks, then parted after agreeing not to resent each other if they competed for an auxiliary-worker position.
• Xu Huo watched a logistics worker leave home at midnight and followed him to a Trade Dock, where workers switched the positions of storage units.
• Xu Huo reasoned that Rongxin Group might be updating the dock’s Movement Program before a secret weapons shipment arrived, then lost interest in the corporate dispute.
• Xu Huo visited the Game Government Base, where Shi Youzhi said damaged stations across several sub-districts were under investigation.
• Shi Youzhi showed Xu Huo surveillance footage of the D-level player whose arm Xu Huo had cut off, but the man’s many jobs and acquaintances revealed no clear connection to the attack.

Xu Huo learned more about the investigation into the station sabotage and considered working at the base, where he could buy items and potions at a discount. Sanyang explained the Gentleman of Light Medal’s benefits, and Xu Huo left as Ran Ying arrived at the building with two robots.

• Xu Huo recognized Deng Xuan in footage of a stimulant deal and told Shi Youzhi he had seen him on a train.
• Shi Youzhi offered Xu Huo a job at the base and explained that employees could buy items and potions at cost.
• Xu Huo visited Sanyang, who warned him about restricted floors and revealed that players had been dismissed after classified information was stolen.
• Sanyang gave Xu Huo an H-version Evolution Potion and explained that the Gentleman of Light Medal brought respect, discounts, and a possible path into the Game Government.
• Xu Huo declined Wan Tingfang’s invitation to dinner, then saw Ran Ying enter the building with Cheng Bing and another robot.

Xu Huo watched a tense confrontation between Shi Youzhi and Ran Ying, then pursued his investigation into the disturbances in District 011. He went to Rose Castle after learning that Duke Tar and Madam Butterfly would visit, and Mr. Dong confirmed their arrival was expected.

• Xu Huo watched Shi Youzhi accuse Ran Ying and the Enforcement Department of interfering with the Base City and Station repairs, while Ran Ying warned him not to target District 011's Players again.
• Xu Huo left the Base, erased traces at two surveillance points, and searched for Deng Xuan, but decided Deng was unlikely to help his investigation.
• Xu Huo read trending stories about Madam Butterfly and learned she would visit Rose Castle with Duke Tar.
• Xu Huo returned to Rose Castle, where Mr. Dong welcomed him and explained that Duke Tar had come to pay respects to Mr. He Pu.

Xu Huo learned that He Pu had left Rose Castle to him and met Duke Tar and Madam Butterfly, who visited under the pretense of paying respects. Madam Butterfly asked Duke Tar to help the New Wheel Cult obtain powerful weapons through Rongxin Group, and he hesitated.

• Xu Huo asked whether he was He Pu's heir, and Mr. Dong explained that the castle could be inherited but his personal collection could not.
• Mr. Dong agreed to prepare the inheritance documents and offered to host Duke Tar and Madam Butterfly at Rose Castle.
• Duke Tar arrived with Madam Butterfly, and Mr. Dong introduced Xu Huo as He Pu's distant nephew.
• Madam Butterfly teased Xu Huo while Duke Tar tried to please her; Xu Huo declined to join them in the Maze Garden and watched from upstairs.
• Madam Butterfly said she was abstaining from meat, and Duke Tar sent away his chef and offered to support the New Wheel Cult.
• Madam Butterfly asked Duke Tar to connect the Cult with Rongxin Group to obtain Class A Weapons, offering the Cult's support for the group's plans in District 009.

Madam Butterfly visited Xu Huo’s Ancient Castle with Duke Tar to discuss Rongxin Group, then examined a rare Butterfly Spider and explained its offspring’s relentless pursuit of its parents. She used the spider’s unusual life cycle to describe the New Wheel Cult’s beliefs before retiring for the night.

• Madam Butterfly told Duke Tar that the New Wheel Cult had learned about Rongxin Group from other sub-districts and said she had come to speak with him directly; Duke Tar agreed to consult his people.
• Xu Huo served Duke Tar and Madam Butterfly dinner, then took them to see the spiders in the castle’s Annex.
• Madam Butterfly demonstrated how the Butterfly Spider spread its hairs like wings and explained that its offspring ate their mother and later hunted their parents.
• Madam Butterfly described human experiments seeking immortality through Butterfly Spiders and argued that devotion to a cause could outlast an individual.
• Duke Tar praised the New Wheel Cult’s philosophy, and Madam Butterfly ended the conversation by saying she needed her beauty sleep.

Xu Huo followed Madam Butterfly into the Maze Garden after seeing strange lights and confronted her over her mental attack. Their fight escalated as she used illusions and a Folding Fan to disable him, and the chapter ended with Xu Huo trapped in a Metal Collar while preparing to use a Stopwatch and a pen.

• Duke Tar escorted Madam Butterfly back to the Ancient Castle, while one of his bodyguards left and Xu Huo returned to his room.
• Xu Huo saw red lights outside his window and watched Madam Butterfly enter the Maze Garden, followed by a glowing butterfly.
• Xu Huo crossed the grounds through a swarm of spiders and found Madam Butterfly in the maze, where she attacked him with a mental illusion.
• Madam Butterfly repeatedly turned into butterflies and used her Folding Fan to numb Xu Huo's limbs, while he countered with his Spiritual World and items.
• Madam Butterfly trapped Xu Huo with a Metal Collar that compressed the air around him, and he summoned a Stopwatch and a pen.

Xu Huo used the Stopwatch to counter Madam Butterfly’s artifacts and escaped her attack with Mr. Dong’s help. The next morning, Madam Butterfly revealed that Xu Huo had stolen two of her artifacts and offered to explain He Pu’s connection to Rose Castle in exchange for them, but he refused.

• Madam Butterfly retreated when Xu Huo brought out the Stopwatch, and the Metal Collar around his neck opened as Duke Tar arrived and escorted her inside.
• Mr. Dong explained that powerful time- and space-related artifacts could disable weaker ones, but warned that using them in unstable world space could cause a collapse.
• Mr. Dong told Xu Huo that Madam Butterfly had used nine artifacts and at least two Abilities, and that she had not intended to kill him.
• Xu Huo slept without nightmares and greeted Madam Butterfly the next morning, when she said he had stolen two of her artifacts.
• Madam Butterfly offered to tell Xu Huo about He Pu if he returned the artifacts, but Xu Huo declined to hear the story.

Madam Butterfly and Xu Huo discovered a hidden passage beneath He Pu’s Study Room, where they found records of attacks on the Game Government. The evidence linked the mysterious arsonist V to the Ancient Castle, but Xu Huo was left wondering whether He Pu had been V.

• Madam Butterfly persuaded Duke Tar to leave and chose to stay at the Ancient Castle for a few days.
• Madam Butterfly entered the Third Floor Study Room with Xu Huo and found a Brass Key hidden in Complete Fairy Tales.
• Xu Huo found the book titled Lock, and Madam Butterfly used the key to reveal a hidden door beneath a bookcase.
• Madam Butterfly led Xu Huo down into a hidden space containing a desk, a carved box, a Wooden Horse, and a Photo Album.
• Xu Huo found records of bombings and fires bearing the mark V and wondered whether He Pu had been the arsonist.

Xu Huo opened He Pu’s layered box and found a Diamond Key to an item stored in District 001. Madam Butterfly revealed that she was targeting a smuggled weapons shipment in District 011 and challenged Xu Huo to plan a robbery, while Mr. Dong offered to help him locate He Pu’s hidden item.

• Madam Butterfly told Xu Huo that He Pu had left him the black Stone and a locked box, then Xu Huo opened the box and found a Diamond Key marked E27-001-01.
• Madam Butterfly took the box and Wooden Horse, gave Xu Huo the Brass Key to Rose Castle, and admitted she had come to District 011 to steal weapons.
• Xu Huo and Madam Butterfly discussed the sabotage of Stations and the leaked shipment of Rongxin Group’s smuggled weapons.
• Madam Butterfly challenged Xu Huo to identify the Station carrying the weapons and devise a robbery plan, threatening to kill him if he failed.
• Xu Huo asked Mr. Dong about the Diamond Key, and Mr. Dong said He Pu had personally stored the item and that the key bore an address.

Xu Huo investigated He Pu’s death and suspected that the flaws in Evolution Potion had caused his incurable Organ Failure. After confronting Madam Butterfly about her connection to He Pu, Xu Huo was trapped in her mental attack but turned the endless staircase into a vast Round Tower.

• Mr. Dong told Xu Huo that He Pu had died of incurable Organ Failure and that Evolution Potion had stopped working after He Pu became ill.
• Xu Huo considered whether He Pu’s illness was an Aftereffect of Evolution Potion and searched the Study Room for clues about Perfect Evolution Potion.
• Madam Butterfly said she had known He Pu for many years and recognized V's tools when Xu Huo mentioned possessing one of his items.
• Xu Huo asked whether Madam Butterfly had been He Pu’s adopted daughter, prompting her to engulf the garden in darkness and turn Xu Huo into a flat Photo.
• Madam Butterfly fled down a seemingly endless staircase, but Xu Huo appeared ahead of her and transformed the stairs into a towering complex of bookshelves and floors.

Madam Butterfly explored Xu Huo’s highly developed Spiritual World and tested its defenses, while warning him that his exposed Manifestations could be destroyed. She left him aware that she understood how to use his new power but did not intend to teach him.

• Madam Butterfly followed Xu Huo through the Book Tower and discovered the complex rooms inside his Spiritual World.
• Madam Butterfly tried to seize the objects on the round table, but Xu Huo’s Manifestations killed her first two attempts.
• Madam Butterfly used Golden Zippers to pursue the table and threatened to tear apart Xu Huo’s Spiritual World, forcing him to withdraw its black covering.
• Xu Huo appeared beside the round table, and Madam Butterfly told him to hide his Manifestations to protect his mind.
• Xu Huo explained that he had not materialized the Black Sliver, and Madam Butterfly said she would not teach him how to use his power.

Xu Huo tested Madam Butterfly for information about He Pu and learned more about her mental abilities, then went to the base to help sort old records. A discussion about dangerous regions along the Dimensional Train routes left him wondering how Aliens survived there, and She Ping confirmed that some routes connected to high-risk Dungeon worlds.

• Madam Butterfly demanded that Xu Huo investigate Rongxin Group’s weapons and threatened to kill him, while he calmly offered her dinner before she left.
• Xu Huo reflected on Madam Butterfly’s flexible Spiritual World and considered how to conceal his own; he also told Mr. Dong what food to prepare for her.
• The next morning, Xu Huo escorted Madam Butterfly to her car, then drove to the base to help Ai Jia sort old records.
• Xu Huo, Wan Tingfang, and Ai Jia discussed the dangers of chaotic space around the Dimensional Train routes and how Aliens survived there.
• She Ping confirmed Xu Huo’s suspicion that some routes connected to high-risk Dungeon worlds.