Chapter Summaries

The narrator witnessed a young woman’s memories and saw how Guangyuan Mountain Ghost used an illusion to torment her over Shikang’s death. After the woman died from the shock, the narrator possessed the man she had loved and learned he had manipulated her to save himself from being handed over to the ghost.

• The narrator entered the young woman’s memories and saw that she had secretly burned disorienting incense after learning the troupe planned to hand a young man over to Guangyuan Mountain Ghost.
• The narrator saw Shikang’s body after his fall and watched Guangyuan Mountain Ghost appear beside the woman, touch her head, and vanish.
• Guangyuan Mountain Ghost trapped the woman in an endless stairwell illusion, where she found a corpse that accused her of killing him; the revelation shattered her and left her soul barely alive.
• The narrator returned to the woman’s bedroom, found her dead, and possessed the man she had loved after he was slapped by his father.
• The man admitted that he had manipulated the woman into causing a death because his family had been selected for the troupe leader, and his father ordered him to stop causing trouble.

The narrator overheard a couple discuss their son’s dangerous behavior and the troupe leader’s power, then noticed the man was buying a plane ticket in 2030. The date made the narrator question whether the strange spaces were separate places or branches of time, and whether this ghost-filled world was the future.

• The narrator listened as a middle-aged couple worried that their son had talked a little girl into killing someone and might bring trouble on their family.
• The middle-aged man warned his wife against sending their son to Punishment Mountain or attracting the troupe leader’s attention, and urged her to keep a low profile.
• The middle-aged man decided to send his wife and eldest daughter-in-law to visit her younger sister in Huizhou and began buying them plane tickets.
• The narrator saw that the date on the phone was 2030 and wondered whether the other spaces were connected through time rather than separated only by space.

The Guangyuan Mountain Ghost trapped the man in an illusion where the girl he had killed returned as a ghost and forced him into a life with her. After he shoved her from the balcony, the doorbell rang.

• The narrator watched the man see the Guangyuan Mountain Ghost, then encounter the girl he had killed in his home.
• The girl placed a wedding ring on the man, made him a sandwich, and dragged him back home when he tried to escape.
• The man remained trapped with the female ghost, who watched him constantly and would not let him leave.
• The man shoved the female ghost off the balcony while she was hanging laundry and laughed as she lay still.
• Someone rang the doorbell.

After waking from a vision of a man’s death, Lin realized the Guangyuan Mountain Ghost’s world might lack an underworld and confronted Yuan Xiaomei and her companions. He told them they had died upon entering the mountain and were now ghosts, leaving their reaction uncertain.

• Lin watched a female ghost terrify a man to death, then woke in the bedroom as the man’s parents entered.
• Lin woke on the ground beside Yuan Xiaomei and the others and considered how the Guangyuan Mountain Ghost’s world might differ from the normal supernatural order.
• Lin recalled that Yuan Xiaomei’s group had helped draw him and Greenleaf into danger, but decided they were in the same predicament.
• Yuan Xiaomei urged Lin to work with them, but he interrupted and told her and the other two that they had died upon entering Guangyuan Mountain.
• Lin used Wu Ling’s protective talisman to support his claim that they were ghosts, then wondered whether they believed him.

The narrator told the group leader, Liu Liangwang, and Yuan Xiaomei that they were dead and trapped on Guangyuan Mountain, then set out to search for the evil ghost and the entrance to another space. He warned Yuan Xiaomei that revealing paranormal truths carelessly could create new dangers, and she agreed to investigate thoroughly before reporting anything.

• The narrator told the group leader, Liu Liangwang, and Yuan Xiaomei that they were ghosts dragging their corpses, but they could not help him find the Guangyuan Mountain ghost.
• The narrator decided to search the undeveloped forest for the entrance to another space and left the group behind.
• The group leader called after the narrator and urged him to stay with them so they could search for the ghost together.
• Yuan Xiaomei challenged the narrator about why people in the paranormal world had not dealt with the danger, and he explained the risks of publicizing supernatural events.
• The narrator urged Yuan Xiaomei to investigate before revealing what happened, and she agreed.

As Yuan Xiaomei joined Lin and the others in searching for the Guangyuan Mountain Ghost, Lin considered how long ghosts had been shaping the world and warned them that Greenleaf Paranormal Agency was already in trouble. The group realized their actions might have caused serious harm, and Lin spotted a figure moving inside a nearby villa.

• Yuan Xiaomei followed Lin into the forest and asked what the Guangyuan Mountain Ghost wanted, while Liu Liangwang and the group chat owner caught up with them.
• Lin reflected that ghosts might have been building power for years and wondered whether Ye Qing's plan could address the root of the problem.
• Lin told Yuan Xiaomei and the others that Greenleaf Paranormal Agency was in trouble and that someone had died, shocking them.
• The group chat owner admitted that their ignorance had led them to make a terrible mistake.
• Lin noticed a figure flash past a window in a nearby villa.

The narrator realized the daredevil had returned as a ghost and might be targeting his former companions as a substitute ghost. As Wu Ling and several pets rushed toward the group with Ye Qing’s yin energy nearby, the daredevil appeared and vanished, and the narrator fled.

• The narrator told the group that the daredevil had been killed by a ghost, while Yuan Xiaomei explained that she survived an attack because she had not been afraid.
• The group owner said the daredevil believed in substitute ghosts and might seek one among the people who had been with him.
• Yuan Xiaomei urged the others to stay calm and not fear the daredevil, but the narrator remained watchful after he disappeared.
• A parrot, three dogs, and two cats rushed toward the group, followed by Wu Ling running out of the grass.
• The narrator sensed Ye Qing’s yin energy, shouted for the others to run, and saw the daredevil appear among the trees before vanishing as the parrot cried for help.

The group fled Ye Qing while Wu Ling led them toward the entrance to an alternate space, despite the narrator’s warning that it might be dangerous. They met Nangong Yao and Gu Mo on a tandem bicycle, and the narrator prepared to ask Nangong Yao for help when a scream sounded behind them.

• The narrator ran with Wu Ling and learned that Yezi had been found crouching nearby, while Ye Qing remained on watch at the alternate space.
• The narrator considered using Nangong Yao’s ability against Guangyuan Mountain’s ghost, but worried about staying with him and about Ye Qing bearing the side effects of the narrator’s time-reversal ability.
• Wu Ling redirected the parrot toward the alternate-space entrance, and the narrator warned her that the place was dangerous and might offer no way back.
• As Ye Qing eliminated traces of sinister energy behind them, the group encountered Nangong Yao and Gu Mo riding a rented tandem bicycle.
• Wu Ling drew a talisman on her palm while the narrator ran toward Nangong Yao, but a scream sounded behind them and another ghost’s sinister energy vanished.

Lin Qi and the others hurried toward the theater troupe as Guangyuan Mountain collapsed around them, while Wu Ling revealed that the group leader, Liu Liangwang, and Yuan Xiaomei were already dead. Yuan Xiaomei briefly uncovered the truth about the theater troupe before her obsession vanished and her soul disappeared.

• Nangong Yao told Lin Qi that Guangyuan Mountain was collapsing and that the ghost they sought might be weakened.
• Wu Ling placed invisibility talismans on Gu Mo, Nangong Yao, and Lin Qi, then explained that the talismans only worked on the living.
• Wu Ling confirmed that the group leader, Liu Liangwang, and Yuan Xiaomei had all died, and Yuan Xiaomei asked whether a ghost's strong obsession could let it do extraordinary things.
• Yuan Xiaomei's yin energy surged as she seemed to realize the truth, then she began to say that the theater troupe had been destroyed.
• Yuan Xiaomei became a corpse, her yin energy vanished, and Lin Qi realized that learning the truth had ended her obsession and taken her soul with it.

After Yuan Xiaomei vanished, Lin Qi and the others learned that the other space’s entrance was drawing ghosts and people toward it. The pets revealed Qi Ning had fallen inside while saving the parrot, leaving Lin Qi to choose between sealing the entrance and rescuing him.

• Liu Liangwang and the group admin reacted to Yuan Xiaomei’s disappearance while Lin Qi and the others helped the disoriented Gu Mo move on.
• Gu Mo described hearing roars and monsters, and Lin Qi told the others about her dream of a changed future world.
• The group noticed the ghost of Guangyuan Mountain’s yin energy had vanished and sensed the distinct energy of an other-space entrance ahead.
• The group admin and Liu Liangwang lost control of their senses as the pets rushed toward the entrance in the woods.
• The parrot showed Lin Qi memories revealing that Qi Ning had fallen into the entrance while saving it, and Lin Qi realized she had to erase the entrance.

The narrator and Wu Ling struggled to pull Liu Liangwang out of the alternate-space entrance as it dragged people and pets inside. After the entrance vanished and the Guangyuan Mountain Ghost confronted them, the narrator collapsed and later learned from Nangong Yao that the monster attacking a city was connected to the ghosts’ roots in the alternate space.

• The pets, the group owner, and Liu Liangwang were pulled toward the alternate-space entrance, while Wu Ling grabbed the narrator to keep them from being sucked in.
• The narrator and Wu Ling pulled Liu Liangwang free as a skeletal claw reached through his chest, and the narrator’s power burst out, closing the entrance and reviving Liu Liangwang.
• The Guangyuan Mountain Ghost approached the exhausted narrator and Wu Ling, but a familiar yin energy appeared before the narrator lost consciousness.
• The narrator dreamed of a monster destroying a city and attacking the Guangyuan Mountain Ghost, Building Six, and Liu Liangwang before waking beside Nangong Yao.
• Nangong Yao explained that time on Guangyuan Mountain had been distorted and that Mushroom heard the same city-destroying monster from the alternate space, suggesting it was the ghosts’ source.

After returning from Guangyuan Mountain, Qi-ge learned that Liu Miao might be trapped or have vanished and vowed to save him. As Tianxia Weekly announced that Yuan Xiaomei had died by suicide after setting its editorial office on fire, Qi-ge feared the worst.

• Wu Ling said Liu Liangwang had stayed in Gangbo City and speculated that the other space might be a future reached after an unimaginable event.
• Wu Ling said Liu Miao was either trapped in another space or had vanished, and Qi-ge promised to save him.
• Fatty woke Qi-ge and helped him recover at his apartment after the Guangyuan Mountain ghost was dealt with.
• Qi-ge told Skinny and the others about Guangyuan Mountain, including the other world and its monsters.
• Guo Yujie showed Qi-ge Tianxia Weekly's announcement that Yuan Xiaomei had died by suicide after setting the editorial office on fire.

After reading the World Weekly’s account of Yuan Xiaomei’s killing spree and death, Qi wondered whether she had seen a truth that led her to abandon her mission. He feared the world seven years in the future had lost all hope, and questioned whether humanity would die or give up.

• The World Weekly reported that Yuan Xiaomei had set fire to its editorial offices, killing everyone there, and had killed her traveling companions before leaving behind a suicide note.
• The report said the police had found the bodies of the group chat owner, the daredevil, and Da Gu, while Liu Liangwang remained the only survivor.
• Qi suspected Yuan Xiaomei had changed her mind after seeing the truth just before she died, and wondered whether revealing it could make the world worse.
• Qi reflected on the cruelty and despair he had witnessed in the future, including people treating the deaths of their loved ones as routine.
• Fatty and Chen Xiaoqiu noticed Qi’s distress as he said the future world had no hope and wondered whether humanity would die or give up.

Lin Qi and his companions worried that the future he had glimpsed would leave Minqing devastated and them all dead. After a nightmare showed his loved ones murdered in Building Six, Lin Qi woke believing the vision might be real, though he thought Ye Qing would never surrender or change course.

• Lin Qi recalled the ghosts, monsters, and grim future he had witnessed, while Chen Xiaoqui, Guo Yujie, the Fatty, and the Skinny debated whether people could still resist.
• Lin Qi admitted he had not found his companions in the future, and the Skinny suggested Minqing might have been wiped out.
• The group ended their call, and the Fatty gave Lin Qi a pillow and quilt for the guest room.
• Lin Qi dreamed of Minqing in ruins and found his family and companions hanging dead inside the office in Building Six.
• Ye Qing told Lin Qi that he could not save anyone, and Lin Qi woke from the nightmare thinking everyone in Minqing might be dead.

Zhang Qing reported that an orange QuickRide bike with a payday-loan ad and a damaged basket had been following him since a frightening ride home the previous winter. The investigators found no sign of yin energy where he last saw it, but agreed to check surveillance footage along his usual routes.

• Zhang Qing described repeatedly seeing the same distinctive QuickRide bike and said its handlebars turned toward him as if it were watching him.
• Zhang Qing recounted that he first noticed the bike creaking during a lonely late-night ride and later connected it to news of a child killed while riding a shared bike.
• Zhang Qing took the investigators to the spot where he had just seen the bike, but it was gone when they arrived.
• The investigators found no yin energy at the location and asked whether Zhang Qing had a history of mental illness, prompting him to insist that he was not crazy.
• The investigators asked Zhang Qing to mark his usual routes and sightings so they could review surveillance footage.

The investigators confirmed that Zhang Qing’s reports of a bicycle appearing and vanishing were real, and learned it had begun following him more aggressively. On October 4, the bicycle entered Zhang Qing’s home, and the call ended with a crash and the sound of its bell and brakes.

• The investigators reviewed surveillance footage showing a bicycle materialize behind Zhang Qing and disappear seconds later without anyone else noticing.
• The investigators told Zhang Qing they believed the bicycle was real, and Zhang Qing described it following him and appearing more often as he traveled.
• The investigators warned Zhang Qing that the bicycle seemed to be growing stronger and might attack him, then agreed to accompany him to and from work.
• After several days of uneventful surveillance, Zhang Qing called the investigators and said the bicycle had entered his house and nearly reached him.
• Zhang Qing heard a crash at the front door, and the call ended with the bicycle’s bell ringing and its brakes screeching.

The investigation into Mr. Zhang’s mother’s death revealed that she had been riding a shared bike linked to his account when a drunk driver struck her. As Mr. Zhang’s father recalled that his wife and other retirees had once moved and discarded shared bikes, the family began to suspect that incident had drawn the supernatural threat to them.

• Investigators confirmed that Mr. Zhang’s mother died in a traffic accident while riding a shared bike unlocked through his account, and that the driver had been drunk.
• Mr. Zhang recalled hearing a bike and brakes before his mother rode away on a shared bike the night she died.
• Mr. Zhang insisted his mother could not ride or unlock a shared bike, while his father listened to the investigators’ questions.
• Mr. Zhang’s father remembered that his wife and other retirees had complained about shared bikes and pushed, tossed, and threw them out of their square-dancing area.
• Mr. Zhang’s father recalled that his wife had seemed dazed on the morning of the accident and said a bike looked familiar, possibly because of those earlier disputes.

After Mrs. Zhang died in a shared-bike-related anomaly, investigators installed surveillance at the Zhang residence and reviewed other suspicious deaths. Their interviews suggested the victims may have had grievances against shared-bike companies, and Mr. Zhang asked them to continue investigating.

• Mr. Zhang accused the investigators of failing to help after his mother died, but his father agreed to let them install cameras and stay nearby.
• On October 10, investigators reported 28 anomalous deaths among 103 shared-bike-related fatalities and reviewed footage of Tian Yuanfang being struck by a bus after his bicycle veered into oncoming traffic.
• The investigators watched footage of Xu Mian running a red light and dying when his bicycle's broken front bar pierced his chest.
• On October 11, Mr. Zhang confirmed he wanted the investigation to continue despite insisting he had done nothing to the bikes.
• On October 13, Liu Ming told the investigators that her husband Tian Yuanfang's sudden turn into traffic had seemed inexplicable, and she wanted the bike company held responsible if the bicycle caused his death.

A newspaper investigating bike-sharing safety interviewed Xu Mian’s father about his fatal bicycle accident and the strange behavior that followed. Xu Jiankang described his wife’s belief that a shared bike had moved on its own, and the chapter left the bike’s apparent disappearance from the river unexplained.

• The investigators questioned Mr. Tian’s wife, who said he had seemed normal before his accident and that the bicycle involved was gone.
• On October 19, 2014, the investigators interviewed Xu Mian’s father, Xu Jiankang, who doubted his son had ridden into traffic at such speed and said police had found nothing wrong with the bike.
• Xu Jiankang recounted how his wife, grieving Xu Mian, became convinced shared bikes were moving by themselves and repeatedly watched them around their compound.
• Xu Jiankang said his wife claimed she had followed a bike to Donglin River, thrown it in, and staged a scene on Donglin Bridge to hide what she had done.
• Xu Jiankang saw a bike in the river, but police later said they could not find it; he took his wife for medical care and went along with her story until she returned to normal.

A man described how his wife became increasingly paranoid after their son’s death, while investigators questioned Xu Mian’s classmates about events before his fatal accident. One classmate recalled Xu Mian repeatedly encountering malfunctioning shared bikes, and Wang revealed seeing a strange figure riding behind him shortly before his death.

• The bereaved father told the investigators that his wife believed something was following her and that she had seen the bike move, but he had never witnessed anything beyond the strange incident in the river.
• The father said his son had been careful and well-behaved, and he could not think of anything the boy might have done to offend the thing.
• On October 20, 2014, investigators questioned Xu Mian’s classmates, who recalled that he repeatedly picked shared bikes with faulty brakes or locks.
• A classmate said Xu Mian had to use whichever shared bike was available because their own bikes had been stolen.
• Wang told the investigators that he once saw a strange, long-haired figure sitting sideways behind Xu Mian as he rode out of the neighborhood.