Chapter Summaries

After District 019 honored Xu Huo for exposing the mining disaster, he recovered at Rose Castle and learned that three visiting artists were players plotting to take over the castle. He prepared to confront them at dinner, while the intruders planned to kill the castle’s inhabitants and seize it.

• District 019 added Passerby A to its historical annals and began planning a statue in his honor as the mining group was shaken up and the Duolai Ti family was pushed out of the political core.
• Xu Huo stayed at Rose Castle to recover and turned down visitors while invitations and challenges flooded his account.
• Angel warned Xu Huo that the castle’s three guests were acting suspiciously and might be squatters trying to take over the estate.
• Xu Huo thanked Angel and told Mr. Dong to prepare dinner so he could meet the guests.
• The three disguised players discussed killing Xu Huo and the castle’s other inhabitants, then taking the castle and keeping the painted woman.

Xu Huo hosted a lavish dinner, discussed a new Laboratory for Dr. Deng, and dismissed his three guests from the Ancient Castle. The guests sneaked back that night, but painted woman intercepted them, and they disappeared after an hour of screams.

• Xu Huo arrived late to dinner and welcomed the three guests before asking Dr. Deng about Meng Cun’s readiness to work on deciphering the chips.
• Xu Huo agreed to build Dr. Deng an aboveground Laboratory beside the Annex and gave him the plans Mr. Dong had prepared.
• Painted woman asked for a Laboratory to test whether human skin could fly, and Xu Huo suggested she use animal hides instead.
• Xu Huo sent the three guests away after dinner, and they left the Ancient Castle with their luggage.
• The three guests sneaked back around midnight, but painted woman blocked their way, and they vanished after screams echoed through the castle.

Xu Huo tested how Perfect Assistance worked with the Black Knife, then Mr. Dong sent him and the others away from the Ancient Castle to recuperate at a lakeside resort. After they arranged fishing and underwater activities, Xu Huo sat aboard a boat while the painted woman, Xiao Yuan, and Tan Qi explored, and a staff member approached him.

• The painted woman told Xu Huo she had given up on using the laboratory to play with people, and he suggested she write characters with Xiao Yuan and the others instead.
• Xu Huo tested Perfect Assistance with the Black Knife and contacted item Exchanges about finding a suitable cord-like item.
• Mr. Dong brought Xu Huo fishing gear and urged him to leave the Ancient Castle while workers prepared to arrive.
• Xu Huo took the painted woman, Xiao Yuan, and Tan Qi to a distant vacation resort, where Xiao Yuan organized their fishing plans and Xu Huo booked underwater activities.
• The group boarded a large boat for night fishing, and a female staff member brought Xu Huo refreshments and asked him to rest his eyes.

Xu Huo spent an evening on the lake with Lady Lily, who offered him Potions and a path to Gray Player status before telling him about a bounty on the Ghastly Sound Knights. As Lady Lily departed, the painted woman offered to lend Xu Huo her pocket money in exchange for his Medal.

• Xu Huo avoided a staged tea spill, then let Lady Lily's Doctor examine his injuries and accepted her Potions.
• Lady Lily offered to help Xu Huo obtain Gray Player status, but he declined because it would require working for the Game Government.
• Xu Huo ate with Lady Lily and her companions while looking after Xiao Yuan and Tan Qi.
• Lady Lily told Xu Huo that District 011 planned to join other Sub-districts in offering a bounty on the Ghastly Sound Knights, and encouraged him to donate money to the District Government.
• After Lady Lily left, the painted woman offered Xu Huo her pocket money in exchange for his Medal.

Xu Huo refused to give up his underwater excursion and ignored the nobles who mocked him, then used his power to force two noble heirs to stay for dinner. The heirs sent word that they could not meet Young Master Werner yet, and Xu Huo expected their associates would choose not to risk their lives over the slight.

• The painted woman traded Xu Huo her money for temporary use of his Medal and took Xiao Yuan to watch the glowing fish.
• Xu Huo refused the manager's request to give up his underwater excursion package, then took the painted woman, Xiao Yuan, and Tan Qi diving.
• After the outing, Xu Huo refused an invitation to drink with the noble group and stayed by the lake to grill fish.
• Two noble heirs ordered Xu Huo to meet Young Master Werner, but Xu Huo used his power to make them sit with him.
• One heir told the staff member that they could not meet Young Master Werner yet, and Xu Huo said the others probably would not come looking for them.

Xu Huo learned that the Ghastly Sound Knights had contaminated a government water source and visited Lady Lily to discuss an honorary title. She asked him to steal a shipment of contaminants bound for a secret Herta family Laboratory, and he agreed to consider it.

• Xu Huo learned from Mr. Dong that the Ghastly Sound Knights had contaminated several locations in District 011, including a government water source, and asked whether Mr. Dong could obtain some of the contaminants.
• Xu Huo returned to Rose Castle early and visited Lady Lily with a gift to thank her for donating in his name.
• Lady Lily offered to help Xu Huo obtain an honorary title, then asked him to steal a vehicle carrying contaminants to a secret Herta family Laboratory.
• Xu Huo said he would think about the theft, and Lady Lily invited him to stay for lunch.

Xu Huo bought the binding item Masterpiece, stocked the Snowflake Hotel, and sabotaged the Herta family's pollutant shipment to create a leak without stealing anything. He gave the recovered pollutants to Dr. Deng at the upgraded Laboratory, then jokingly threatened to test potions on him over the Laboratory's cost.

• Xu Huo bought Masterpiece from the Exchange and investigated reports of the District 011 pollution incident and the Herta family's secret Laboratory.
• Xu Huo stocked the Snowflake Hotel with water, food, and supplies, then inspected its equipment and stayed there overnight.
• After Lady Lily sent him the Herta family's shipment schedule and route, Xu Huo caused an experimental-materials mishap that damaged a pollutant container and forced the Laboratory to evacuate and shut down.
• Lady Lily publicly mocked the Herta family after its Laboratory was closed for cleanup, while Xu Huo gave the pollutants he had collected to Dr. Deng.
• Dr. Deng showed Xu Huo the upgraded Laboratory and asked whether he had found the Perfect Potion; Xu Huo responded by threatening to test potions on him to recover the Laboratory's cost.

Xu Huo questioned Dr. Deng’s progress at the Laboratory and ordered him to prepare more doses of an Antidote for Hugo’s bacteria. He then checked on Meng Cun, who said his recovery was going well and that he could handle more work.

• Dr. Deng explained the Laboratory’s equipment costs and discussed how environmental pollutants might contribute to Player degeneration.
• Xu Huo questioned Dr. Deng about the Perfect Potion, and Dr. Deng admitted he had little sample to experiment with.
• Dr. Deng showed Xu Huo an Antidote that could slow the infection from the bacteria in Hugo’s severed hand.
• Xu Huo challenged Dr. Deng’s lack of progress, prompting him to promise to develop an Antidote for the new pollutant.
• Xu Huo told Dr. Deng to make more doses and ask Mr. Dong for anything he needed, then left the Laboratory.
• Xu Huo checked on Meng Cun, who said the swelling in his head had gone down and he could take on more work.

Xu Huo learned that the chip number came from Alien test subjects at C33-010, a devastated Sub-district, and considered Meng Cun’s suspicion that Stellar Pharmaceutical Group was involved. The chapter ended with the painted woman warning him that Meng Cun and Dr. Deng had secretly communicated and Dr. Deng had sent something out.

• Meng Cun told Xu Huo that the chip contained the incomplete number CKX8911, and Dr. Deng recognized it as a number used on Alien test subjects at C33-010.
• Dr. Deng described C33-010 as a devastated Sub-district and said he did not know whether anyone still lived there; Xu Huo confirmed that Tickets to the area existed.
• Meng Cun thanked Xu Huo for helping save District 017’s people and argued that Stellar Pharmaceutical Group must have supported the experiments.
• Xu Huo told Meng Cun to focus on recovering and seeing his loved ones again, then left the room.
• The painted woman told Xu Huo that Meng Cun had secretly chatted with someone and that Dr. Deng had secretly sent something out.

While recovering in District 011, Xu Huo spent time with Xiao Yuan, Tan Qi, and the painted woman before preparing to enter Dungeon C33-010. He left after Dr. Deng asked him to bring back ore, while Dr. Deng seemed troubled.

• The painted woman told Xu Huo that two people had contacted the outside world, and he praised her before discussing dinner with her.
• Xiao Yuan asked Xu Huo for help with her homework and brought Tan Qi along, hoping he would study Artificing; Tan Qi insisted he would become a Player and challenged Xu Huo about why he had taken him in.
• Xiao Yuan promised to repay Xu Huo someday and gave him a family portrait, which he framed and hung in the dining room.
• During his recovery, Xu Huo stayed mostly at the Ancient Castle, prepared for his next Dungeon, and received high-grade Potions and C-class instance walkthroughs from Lady Lily.
• Before Xu Huo entered C33-010, Dr. Deng asked him to bring back ore, and Xu Huo agreed before using his Ticket to leave District 011.

Xu Huo arrived at a B-class train station and killed a player who challenged him. He boarded his train with a talkative pink-haired man, who started beating a Cannibal Player after the man attacked him.

• Xu Huo arrived at the B-class station and drew attention as a C-class player.
• When a player tried to approach him, Xu Huo killed him with his black blade and defensive abilities.
• A pink-haired man introduced himself, said he was taking the same train, and shared tips about selling Dungeon resources.
• On the train, a Cannibal Player grabbed the pink-haired man and demanded that he stop talking.
• The pink-haired man punched the Cannibal Player, broke through his defensive barrier, and beat him while challenging him to fight without items.

Pink Hair fought and defeated a Cannibal Player in the carriage, then resumed telling Xu Huo about his devoted love for his girlfriend. The other Players quietly realized Pink Hair was attracted to men as well as women, while he continued admiring his girlfriend’s videos.

• The Cannibal Player attacked Pink Hair, but Pink Hair overpowered him with his fists and Artifacts and beat him until he stopped moving.
• Pink Hair helped the battered Cannibal Player to his feet, and the man left for another carriage with his companions.
• Pink Hair sat with Xu Huo again and continued describing how he had met a Player who climbed into his bed and touched him.
• Pink Hair showed Xu Huo photos and videos of his girlfriend and explained how much he valued her and followed her preferences.
• When a female Player said she liked men, Pink Hair remarked that beautiful people were beautiful regardless of gender, and the carriage’s Players understood his attraction to men.

Xu Huo and the other players endured a night attack by strange Aliens on the B-class train, which killed and shriveled one passenger before dawn. They sealed the windows, but the next night the Aliens attacked again, shattering windows across the train.

• Xu Huo stayed in his room while the other players gambled, then prepared for danger as darkness covered the train.
• Cracking sounds spread through the carriage ceiling as unseen creatures moved over the train during the night.
• An Alien broke a window, killed a player, and left behind a shriveled body before disappearing from the roof.
• At dawn, the players examined the corpse and decided to block the windows with Metal Plates.
• That evening, the pattering returned, and the Aliens began smashing windows throughout the train.

Xu Huo and the other players faced aliens that broke into the train, including a huge predator tearing through the carriages. They planned to kill it before the train separated, then went onto the roof to attack the aliens.

• Aliens broke into the train, and a massive creature began devouring them as it moved across the carriage roofs toward Xu Huo's carriage.
• The large alien bent the Metal Plate and forced its head and arm into the carriage, driving the players to retreat toward the Transfer Carriage.
• The players agreed to lure away or kill the large alien and reduce the number of silent aliens before the train's carriages separated.
• A flash item illuminated the carriage, revealing the large armored alien and the silent aliens clinging to it; light and sound did not affect them.
• Players raised protective barriers on the train roof, and the others rushed out to attack the aliens.

Players aboard the train fought off Aliens and regrouped in the front carriages, but a strange spatial fluctuation made one Player disappear. By morning, no one knew what caused it, and Xu Huo remained cautious as the pink-haired man tested the train’s food for poison.

• Players killed or threw the silent Aliens off the train, while a wounded large Alien escaped and howled for its companions.
• A Player urged everyone to leave a few Aliens alive and gather in the front carriages, where they prepared defenses against the horde.
• The Alien horde stopped short of the train, then a strange fluctuation made a Player standing on a carriage roof vanish.
• Players stayed inside until dawn and speculated that a spatial phenomenon had taken the missing people.
• Xu Huo ate his own dry rations while the pink-haired man ordered train food, claimed his hair changed color when he was poisoned, and offered Xu Huo a plate.

Xu Huo arrived in the ruined desert city of District 010 and searched for a way to continue his journey, finding no nearby teleportation point that could take him to the city he wanted. After he deliberately drew attention while searching for other Players, a man on a rooftop spotted him.

• Xu Huo found a dead survivor and an Alien in a cellar, then discovered a young Alien inside the creature's body.
• Xu Huo explored the abandoned city and learned that much of it had been destroyed or buried in sand.
• Xu Huo found no suitable nearby city for teleportation and received no Dungeon notification.
• Xu Huo searched the city's commercial and villa districts, hoping to encounter other Players.
• A man on a rooftop used a laser flashlight, binoculars, and a flag to warn Xu Huo of nearby Aliens, which Xu Huo quickly killed.
• Xu Huo approached the man's rooftop, and the man reacted with excitement when he saw him.

Xu Huo chose the White Faction and entered District 010 to find the missing newborn Melissa. He met Fan Yunhong, a long-isolated survivor with Black Thorn, who begged Xu Huo to take him to a Safe Zone and offered him gemstones.

• Xu Huo read the dungeon mission to find Melissa and take her home, then followed Fan Yunhong into a villa.
• Fan Yunhong told Xu Huo how he had survived alone in his family’s fortified home after CK15 Safe Zone fell and his companions died.
• Fan Yunhong described his loneliness and Black Thorn, explaining that the disease drove him to eat constantly to prolong his life.
• Fan Yunhong served Xu Huo stored meat, then offered him a box of gemstones in hopes of securing a place in a Safe Zone.

Xu Huo gathered supplies and a map from Fan Yunhong, then traveled with him toward the CK12 Safe Zone to investigate Melissa’s whereabouts. After failing to find it beneath the desert sands, Xu Huo questioned whether Fan Yunhong had marked its location incorrectly.

• Xu Huo let Fan Yunhong collect supplies and examined the poorly preserved corpse in the villa.
• Xu Huo used an old map and Fan Yunhong’s memories to identify CK12 as their first destination.
• Xu Huo placed Fan Yunhong inside the World in the Painting and traveled quickly toward CK12.
• Xu Huo searched the area, fought more than ten Aliens, and failed to locate the Safe Zone.
• Fan Yunhong explained that his father had kept the family away from CK12 to avoid sharing its supplies, and Xu Huo asked if he had marked the wrong place.

Xu Huo searched for CK12, CK11, and other nearby Safe Zones but found only empty desert, so he used terrain maps to locate a surviving city. After gathering records about its vanished residents and Alien meat, he was attacked by hungry Aliens as he left.

• Fan Yunhong failed to locate CK12, and Xu Huo’s robots found no Safe Zone beneath the sand.
• Xu Huo searched the marked locations of CK11 and Safe Zone 13 but found neither, then abandoned Fan Yunhong’s map.
• Fan Yunhong suggested looking for survivors in a nearby city, and Xu Huo drove there in the RV.
• Xu Huo explored the city and found records showing survivors had died several years earlier, along with accounts of Alien meat worsening Black Thorn Disease.
• Hungry Aliens attacked Xu Huo as he emerged from an underground parking lot.

Xu Huo searched the desert for signs of life, learned more about Black Thorn Disease from Fan Yunhong, and used Choice of Fate to locate Jade Bird City. There, he followed warnings and abandoned food-drop sites and headed toward a likely supermarket.

• Xu Huo found a bracelet inside an Alien, realized it had once been a person from District 010, and found no living humans while searching the surrounding desert.
• Fan Yunhong explained that Black Thorn Disease was a genetic disease affecting District 010 residents, spreading across their hands and feet and eventually impairing fertility.
• Xu Huo used Choice of Fate to compare routes and chose the path toward Jade Bird City, where the risk rate had risen to 10%.
• Xu Huo reached Jade Bird City and found warnings that eating Alien meat caused people to degenerate into Aliens.
• Xu Huo followed directions to buried food-drop sites, found empty supplies and a warning not to trust people offering food, then headed toward a likely supermarket.