Chapter Summaries

Trapped in a high-risk dungeon after Zone 002’s attack, Xu Huo and the Holy Sword Society faced a sudden swarm of Starving Wolves and other Mutant Beasts. Xu Huo stayed outside the bar to fight as beasts surrounded both shelters, while he sensed even larger creatures approaching.

• The Holy Sword Society members realized they had been forced into a high-risk dungeon and worried that their companions in Snow City had also been attacked.
• Xu Huo put the boy and baby in his safe house and prepared to defend it when he sensed danger.
• Starving Wolves rushed from the forest, killing and devouring the returning Zone 002 residents.
• Uncle Guan opened his bar as people fled inside, while Xu Huo used Sword Qi to cut down the attacking beasts.
• Zhou Yuanzhu urged Xu Huo to enter the bar, but he stayed outside and she shut the door as the beasts pressed against it.
• Xu Huo sensed larger Mutant Beasts approaching and concluded that the surrounding sub-district was overrun.

Xu Huo used a mountain of Mutant Beast corpses to conceal himself and spread a bacteria Potion through the horde. As the bar faced increasingly fierce attacks, the contamination began turning the Mutant Beasts against one another.

• Xu Huo killed Mutant Beasts around the shelter until their corpses buried it and formed a mountain beneath him.
• Uncle Guan and the others discussed the danger of the super-large Aliens and planned to attack some once their props arrived.
• Xu Huo poured diluted bacteria Potion onto the corpse pile, then flew to the bar and spread attractant over the bodies of mutant rhinos he had killed.
• The attractant drew Mutant Beasts away from the bar and made them eat their fallen companions, while other beasts began fighting over the corpse pile.
• The contaminated flesh infected the Mutant Beast horde, and the plague began spreading among them.

Xu Huo rescued Chi Minghong and a young girl from beneath a collapsed building and brought them back to the shelter as the Aliens renewed their attack. The Aliens continued trying to force their way inside, while someone asked whether an artifact could seal the door completely.

• The Aliens stopped feeding and began calling to one another, prompting Xu Huo to use a Communicator to check for signals.
• Xu Huo received Chi Minghong's call for help and headed to the crash site where she was trapped with a young girl.
• Xu Huo drove the Aliens back with "Soul Bewitching" and freed Chi Minghong and the girl by reducing the metal debris to powder.
• Xu Huo carried them back to the shelter, killed Aliens pursuing them, and shut the door as a horde surged after them.
• Uncle Guan and the others secured the door again, and a shelter occupant asked whether an artifact could barricade it completely.

Xu Huo and the others sheltered survivors in a bar while tensions over the disaster gave way to the urgent need for food and water. As the Aliens outside reorganized and enormous, rapidly mutated beasts appeared, Xu Huo recognized that the high-risk Dungeon was designed to kill everyone inside.

• A Zone 002 survivor blamed the Players for the disaster, but Chi Minghong reminded him that Zone 002 had prospered by taking resources from other Sub-districts and urged everyone to stop arguing.
• Uncle Guan distributed the bar’s limited water, and Ruan Qiyan gave a hungry girl a cookie as the survivors confronted their lack of supplies.
• Chi Minghong thanked Xu Huo for rescuing her and declared him her friend.
• Xu Huo watched the Alien groups reorganize, with smaller beasts falling back to make room for larger Mutant Beasts.
• Xu Huo observed that rapidly mutated, gigantic Aliens were appearing in unusual numbers and concluded that the high-risk Dungeon was meant to kill everyone who entered.

Xu Huo left the shelter with two children stored in his Picture Frame, carrying them through the Alien swarm and into a scorching region beyond the woods. He and Tan Qi reached cracked, barren land where the black rain grew heavier.

• Xu Huo decided to leave the shelter, and when no one else volunteered, he stored the rescued girl and a boy in his Picture Frame.
• Xu Huo retrieved the children, carried them away from the forest, and left the reorganized Alien swarm behind.
• Tan Qi asked Xu Huo whether he had taken him for experiments, then offered to share what he knew about the Laboratory.
• Xu Huo warned Tan Qi to say less, and they entered a barren area of cracked earth beyond a rift valley.
• Xu Huo noticed that the black rain was heavier in the scorching wasteland than near the woods.

Xu Huo investigated the black filament hills, then returned toward the forest and found Chi Minghong and the others trapped inside a rolling bar surrounded by Aliens. The bar was flipped by a charging pack of mutant rhinoceroses, and two people were torn apart while the survivors remained under attack.

• Xu Huo discovered that the low hills were piles of black filaments still spewing from open vents, and he decided not to investigate below.
• Tan Qi reported that the baby had bitten through its pacifier, so Xu Huo had him feed the infant crushed crackers.
• Xu Huo turned back toward the forest and found the bar rolling toward a cliff as Aliens pursued it.
• Explosives stopped the bar briefly, but Uncle Guan, You Xuewen, and Lin Qiao struggled to fight off the gigantic Aliens surrounding it.
• A pack of mutant rhinoceroses charged the bar and flipped it, and two people who fell out were seized and devoured by the beasts.

As Aliens and Mutant Beasts threatened the bar, Uncle Guan used a powerful item to kill hundreds of attackers while Xu Huo searched for food. The group realized that exposure to the rain might be triggering a Gluttony Urge, potentially turning the people from Zone 002 into Aliens.

• Uncle Guan released a ring of diamond-shaped objects that sliced through the Mutant Beasts and Aliens surrounding the bar.
• After the attack subsided, Chi Minghong warned the people inside that her defensive item was nearly depleted, while Xu Huo reported finding healthier vegetation beyond the woods.
• Several people fought over a few biscuits, and even a child was kicked away as the hunger among the group worsened.
• Xu Huo suspected the rain had triggered the Gluttony Urge and warned that other water sources and plants might carry the same danger.
• Xu Huo explained that the hunger could turn the people into Aliens, since gluttony was also a characteristic of Aliens.

Xu Huo and the others escaped the Aliens and crossed into a barren wilderness, where they learned that only ticket holders could leave the high-risk instance after fourteen days. During a rest, Xu Huo discovered that the girl had bitten the boy while overcome by hunger and warned her not to do it again.

• Xu Huo reassured the group that surviving the fourteen days might let them escape the instance without becoming Aliens, while Uncle Guan distributed biscuits under strict rules.
• When the Aliens stampeded northwest, Uncle Guan put away the bar and the group hurried through the woods after they vanished.
• Xu Huo and the others emerged into a vast, barren wilderness with no visible buildings or tall plants.
• Xu Huo explained that the instance had no nearby exit and that only people with tickets could leave when the passage opened after fourteen days.
• During a rest, Xu Huo found blood on the girl and bite marks on the boy, then warned the girl he would knock out her tooth if she bit anyone again.

Xu Huo and Uncle Guan’s group continued through the rainy wilderness while weighing the risks of helping hungry refugees and learning that food in the Sub-district could make them hungrier. As dusk approached, the group prepared to dig a place to rest, and Xu Huo brought out his tool robot to help.

• Xu Huo shared supplies with Tan Qi and the others, then discussed the refugees and the limits of Uncle Guan’s ability to feed them.
• Xu Huo checked Dimension Below and learned that the group was near the E20 wormhole point, where food could worsen hunger, while an account offered advice on surviving fourteen days in exchange for a B-class item.
• Chi Minghong told Xu Huo that the refugees planned to hide in a dugout for the night before moving on, and the group set out again after resting.
• Xu Huo let Chi Minghong and Tan Qi take turns holding the balloon-tethered children, while Zhou Yuanzhu and Ruan Qiyan argued about the usefulness and cost of robots.
• As the group prepared to dig a hole at dusk, Xu Huo took out the tool robot he had received from the game to help.

Xu showed Ruan Qiyan several robots and explained how blueprints and extra parts could be used to build and modify them. Ruan Qiyan wanted to study the blueprints but decided to speak with Chi Minghong first.

• Xu showed Ruan Qiyan an excavator-like robot and another machine, and Ruan Qiyan admired their capabilities.
• Xu offered to let Ruan Qiyan study his blueprints and said the robot could be modified with extra parts.
• Xu mentioned that Chi Minghong had been asking about Ruan Qiyan, and Ruan Qiyan decided to talk to him before looking at the blueprints.
• Xu demonstrated how the robot worked, and Ruan Qiyan watched with keen interest.

Xu Huo and the others were ambushed by underground Mutant Beasts that dragged people into tunnels and caused the ground to collapse. Uncle Guan lifted the survivors with an item, and the group began moving across the infested wilderness.

• Xu Huo offered Ruan Qiyan a chance to borrow his robot, but Uncle Guan warned that the reward was too valuable to come from an ordinary rating.
• Uncle Guan spotted danger as a Mutant Beast seized a man digging a pit and dragged him underground.
• Lin Qiao examined a piece of carapace, then more people vanished as the group realized tunnels honeycombed the ground beneath them.
• The collapsing earth split the group; Xu Huo rescued Chi Minghong and the two children, while You Xuewen and Lin Qiao saved some of their companions and lost others to the beasts.
• Xu Huo rejected Chi Minghong's suggestion to burn the creatures, and Uncle Guan linked the survivors with Criminal's Shackles and lifted them three meters to move across the wilderness.

After Aliens attacked from underground, Xu Huo's group tried to rest on the surface and discovered that a tiny poisonous bug could kill a player within seconds. The chapter ended when Xu Huo spotted the enormous white, mushroom-shaped thing the young woman had seen.

• Xu Huo and You Xuewen's group killed several Aliens and escorted the survivors out of the cave, but the attack had killed six people.
• Xu Huo noticed Uncle Guan's injuries and the tension between them as the group discussed resting and waiting for the robot to return.
• A young woman reported seeing a white, mushroom-shaped object, but Xu Huo and the others could not detect anything nearby.
• Zhou Yuanzhu found a poisonous insect bite on the young woman's ankle, and the woman died despite being given an Antidote.
• The group cleared a patch of grass and set up barriers, then Xu Huo spotted a huge white sphere shaped like a mushroom disappearing in the distance.

Xu Huo caught Land Jellyfish to raise as food for King Fungus, then kept watch while the group rested in their dangerous habitat. A hungry survivor ate a poisonous insect, causing a death and deepening the remaining fourteen survivors’ despair.

• Ruan Qiyan identified the jellyfish-like creatures as poisonous Land Jellyfish that lived and hunted in swarms, and Xu Huo learned the group had entered their territory.
• Xu Huo used insect nets to catch thirty-eight Land Jellyfish, explaining that he planned to feed them to King Fungus.
• You Xuewen set up an insect-resistant tent, and Xu Huo placed Tan Qi and the infant inside the shelter while keeping watch outside.
• Xu Huo refused to let the hungry girl and two other teenagers into the shelter, worrying that the girl might bite someone again.
• An older man ate a Land Jellyfish while pulling at the grass, died from the venom, and bit another survivor before the group restrained him.
• The fourteen remaining survivors grew desperate, and one woman tried to take Zhou Yuanzhu’s dagger while urging her to kill them.

Xu Huo and the others traveled through a rain-soaked wasteland while Ruan Qiyan explained the ideals of the orthodox Holy Sword Society and invited Xu Huo to join. As thirst and hunger worsened, Xu Huo spotted something that might offer them a way forward.

• Zhou Yuanzhu stopped a woman from clinging to her and distributed food while Ruan Qiyan provided milk for Tan Qi.
• Ruan Qiyan described the split between the orthodox and radical Holy Sword Society factions and showed Xu Huo the Society's redesigned token.
• Xu Huo declined Ruan Qiyan's invitation to join the Holy Sword Society, saying he preferred to work alone.
• The group left the Land Jellyfish's territory and crossed into cracked, barren land beneath sticky black rain.
• As their water ran low and the travelers became increasingly thirsty, Xu Huo spotted something through his binoculars and said their chance had come.

Xu Huo’s group tamed mutant bird beasts for faster travel and followed tracks in search of Excavator 114. They found signs of vehicles and possible survivors, leaving them uncertain whether the tracks belonged to Players or natives.

• Zhou Yuanzhu subdued the leading bird beast, and the group used muzzles and food to tame the others as mounts.
• Xu Huo’s group rode the bird beasts onward, easily defeating two small groups of aliens along the way.
• At dawn, the group found green grassland and tracks left by Excavator 114, which had not returned.
• The group discovered fresh tire tracks and considered whether other Players or natives had taken 114.
• Xu Huo’s group agreed to follow the tracks while staying cautious about who they might find.

Xu Huo and his companions reached Little River City and were welcomed by the Guard Corps, whose friendly hospitality gradually eased the group’s suspicion. They entered the fortified city and headed toward the Guard Corps’ complex, though its ruined streets and unseen watchers remained unsettling.

• The group followed tire tracks across the grassland and reached a sand-covered road leading to a distant city, while their Mutant Beasts fled from an approaching truck.
• The armed truck crew stopped Xu Huo and the others, but Zheng Da introduced himself as a member of the Little River City Guard Corps and invited them to rest and feast.
• The travelers rode in the truck, drank water offered by the guards, and told Zheng Da how they had arrived, while he offered to find care for Chi Minghong and Xu Huo.
• Zheng Da explained that the Guard Corps had recently gone to an Aliens’ lair, which likely explained why the Aliens had retreated from the group.
• The truck entered Little River City, a rundown settlement enclosed by metal walls, and drove toward a fortified complex as people watched through gaps in ruined buildings.

Xu Huo and his companions entered Little River City, where the survivors welcomed them with unusual eagerness and spoke of past cannibalism. After discovering that the building restricted spatial items, Xu Huo concluded that the city’s players were not natives and were likely feeding on outsiders.

• Zheng Da explained that an apocalypse had devastated the city and that survivors had once resorted to cannibalism.
• The residents crowded around the truck and stared hungrily at its passengers, prompting Xu Huo to question whether they still ate people.
• Zheng Da brought the group to an old commercial building, where Miss Ma and other players welcomed them and arranged baths and a feast.
• Xu Huo discovered that a spatial restriction prevented the group from using Space Artifacts in the building.
• Xu Huo argued that the residents were probably not natives, since players had little reason to support them and their physical traits suggested they came from different sub-districts.

Xu Huo explained how the people in Little River City may have escaped the game by reaching another Wormhole Point without Tickets, and why they might choose to stay there. The group considered the dangers facing them and the residents before Sun Jing offered them a place to spend the night.

• Xu Huo told Ruan Qiyan and You Xuewen that the building's residents might be Wanted Criminals or other players who had become undocumented residents after reaching a new Wormhole Point without Tickets.
• Xu Huo suggested the residents' survival meant Little River City could withstand the Dungeon, while warning that Aliens might pose a greater threat.
• Chi Minghong noticed that two women had C-section scars and seemed uncomfortable discussing children, prompting the group to worry that women might be treated as resources.
• Lin Qiao said the residents might prefer staying where they were safe and fed, and the group admitted they could not take everyone with them.
• Sun Jing offered to show Xu Huo and the others to a safe, quiet guest room for the night.

Xu Huo and his group settled into the Commercial Building, where guards invited them to a lavish dinner. As the others began eating, Xu Huo resisted the hosts’ attempts to approach Tan Qi and the baby, claiming he followed a religion that forbade him from eating meat.

• Xu Huo's group agreed to rest on the second floor and wait to see when the players in Little River City would act.
• An injured girl told Chi Minghong that a man delivering water had looked at her strangely, and Xu Huo let her stay with them if she could resist eating even a bite later.
• Sun Jing invited the group to dine on the fifth floor, where Zheng Da introduced Mr. Kang, captain of the guards.
• Mr. Kang served the guests a lavish feast, including roasted mutant rhinoceros, and several people eagerly began eating.
• A red-lipped woman tried to touch Tan Qi and take the baby from him, but Xu Huo stopped her and said he did not eat meat because he believed in religion.

Xu Huo and his companions refused Little River City’s food, using the confrontation to make their hosts underestimate them while they assessed the city’s dangers. After Xu Huo concluded the players would test them again that night, he ordered his group to kill anyone they encountered while checking outside.

• A player from Little River City pressured Xu Huo to eat, but Xu angrily threatened to leave, turning the confrontation into laughter and easing the tension.
• Mr. Kang warned that food might not be available for the newcomers in the future, while Zheng Da promised meals for the non-players and discussed how they could help in return.
• Chi Minghong gave the hungry girl food, and the girl explained why she distrusted men who offered her food.
• Xu Huo reasoned that Little River City’s people had adapted to the black rain or found a way to cope with it, and Uncle Guan explained that the dinner had tested the newcomers’ strength.
• Xu Huo predicted another test that night and ordered the group to kill anyone they encountered while checking outside.