Chapter Summaries

Wu Ling questioned a black magic practitioner about Lai Xiaotian, who had hired her to kill four people. The woman revealed that his obsession had summoned a demon through ritual tools, and suggested the demon's failure and death were not a supernatural backlash.

• Wu Ling and her companions entered the woman's curtained room and asked her about Lai Xiaotian.
• The woman said Lai Xiaotian first asked her to make a woman love him, then returned seeking a way to kill four people.
• The woman explained that she had given Lai Xiaotian tools and instructions to summon a demon, but had not taught him black magic.
• Wu Ling examined a preserved crow's heart and said Lai Xiaotian's obsession and faith had given the demon form.
• The woman argued that if the creature was a demon, it was natural for it to fail and be killed.

After learning that Miss Qiao might be able to investigate the demon’s lair, the narrator waited for her response while handling demolition work. Before any news arrived, Chen Jiahui’s four children began fighting over guardianship and compensation, leaving the agreement stalled.

• The narrator called Wu Ling, who explained Miss Qiao’s background in black magic and agreed to contact her about the demon’s lair.
• Wu Ling reported that Miss Qiao was interested in demons and would investigate the lair using the narrator’s rough address and sketch map.
• The narrator continued demolition work in Workers and Peasants Sixth Village while waiting for news from Miss Qiao.
• Chen Jiahui’s children clashed over the compensation for his apartment as Chen Ronghua applied for guardianship and her siblings objected.
• Chen Jiahui’s youngest daughter took over his apartment while the family’s dispute threatened to delay the compensation agreement.

The narrator and Director Mao intervened when Chen Minhua and Ni Yanping fought over Chen Jiahui’s guardianship and demolition compensation. As the narrator learned that Ni Yanping’s nephew had moved into the apartment, an urgent call from Greenleaf interrupted the discussion.

• The narrator and Guo Yujie joined Director Mao at Chen Jiahui’s apartment, where Chen Minhua and Ni Yanping were fighting amid scattered luggage and belongings.
• Guo Yujie, Director Mao, and Xiao Yao separated the women and brought them inside, while the narrator gathered the belongings.
• Director Mao urged Chen Minhua to settle the family dispute through legal channels, and Chen Minhua accused Ni Yanping of interfering with the guardianship and compensation.
• Chen Minhua told the narrator that Ni Yanping had secretly given her nephew a key and that he had already moved into the apartment.
• The narrator heard his Greenleaf ringtone, stepped away from Director Mao, and answered the call.

Lin Qi learned that Qiao Hu had gone missing and might be coming after her, then encountered a monster and a forming alternate-space entrance in Building Six. She escaped into the courtyard as the building shook, where Guo Yujie ran to her.

• Wu Ling told Lin Qi that Qiao Hu had disappeared after last being seen at Minqing Airport and warned Lin Qi to seek help from Ye Qing.
• Lin Qi sensed a dangerous presence behind Ye Qing's apartment door and heard a monster rampaging as the building shook and the alternate-space entrance began to open.
• Wu Ling advised Lin Qi to escape the building and avoid letting Qiao Hu touch her or her belongings.
• Lin Qi climbed down the stairwell, helped Uncle Wu evacuate, and reached the courtyard as the residents gathered.
• Lin Qi saw yin energy shrouding Building Six and realized the shaking came from its upper floors, while Guo Yujie ran toward her.

The narrator and Guo Yujie tried to stay clear of danger as Qiao Hui appeared near Building Six and a monster burst out of the building. The chapter ended with a colossal creature charging toward them amid a supernatural disaster.

• The narrator told Guo Yujie about the disturbance at Building Six, and she could sense only an earthquake.
• Wu Ling instructed the narrator about black magic and suggested luring Qiao Hui into the other space if necessary.
• Chen Xiaoqiu called to say she had spotted Qiao Hui watching the office, then reported that Qiao Hui was fighting a ghost and had brought out something like a demon.
• A huge claw smashed through Building Six, a ghostly figure flew out, and earthquakes and monstrous roars shook the residential complex.
• A Behemoth-like monster leapt from Building Six, and Chen Xiaoqiu reported that two people were dead.
• Dark clouds gathered as bells and footsteps sounded, and the monster charged toward the narrator and Guo Yujie.

After Ye Qing subdued the monster at Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, the narrator and Wu Ling suffered Mu Ge’s ability side effect and passed out as an earthquake struck. The narrator recovered in the hospital, learned of the deaths and injuries, and was discharged just as Mom asked the narrator to quit their job.

• Ye Qing dragged the subdued monster away, and the narrator and Wu Ling were overcome by intense pain and lost consciousness.
• The narrator woke in the hospital and learned that Wu Ling and two others had also passed out, crashed their car, and were hospitalized.
• Guo Yujie told the narrator that an earthquake had damaged Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, where buildings collapsed and people died or were injured.
• The narrator worried that the monster and alternate space signaled a wider coming disaster, then read reports of the Minqing earthquake.
• The narrator’s parents visited, and after tests found no injury, Dad helped the narrator leave the hospital.
• Mom asked the narrator to quit their job.

The narrator recovered from his injuries and learned that Building Six had been badly damaged in an earthquake-like incident. Chen Xiao Qiu’s account linked the dead Qiao He to the monster and the other space, while Wu Ling asked what had happened.

• The narrator’s mother urged him to leave the Demolition Office, but he insisted he could not abandon his work in Workers and Peasants Sixth Village.
• After his discharge, the narrator visited Chen Xiao Qiu, whose leg had been crushed, and Guo Yujie warned him that Building Six was badly damaged.
• The group chat reported that officials were treating the damage as a small earthquake, and that rescue teams were searching Building Six.
• The narrator visited Wu Ling in the hospital and told her about the previous day’s events.
• Chen Xiao Qiu told the narrator and Wu Ling that she had seen Qiao He holding a small mirror near the monster and the entrance to another space, and confirmed Qiao He was among the dead.

Chen Xiao Qiu recounted the deaths of Qiao He and Ni Yanping’s attackers, while Wu Ling and the narrator prepared to resume their plans after leaving the hospital. At the demolition office, Ni Yanping’s relatives accused the office and the Chen family of killing her and demanded money.

• Chen Xiao Qiu told Wu Ling that a ghost attacked Qiao He, a powerful monster killed both of them, and the monster later returned to the sixth floor.
• Wu Ling agreed that Qiao He’s death might leave the narrator safe and said they would follow their original plan after discharge.
• The narrator visited injured Nangong Yao and Gu Mo, then returned to work at the demolition office.
• The narrator learned that Chen Minhua and Ni Yanping had died during the disaster.
• Chen Aihua’s relatives arrived at the demolition office, accused the Chen family and officials of causing Ni Yanping’s death, and demanded compensation.

As Chen Aihua’s dispute with the Ni family overwhelmed the neighborhood committee office, a demon tried to tempt the narrator with an offer to make the troublemakers disappear. It revealed itself, terrified the Ni family, and left the narrator realizing that it wanted Ye Qing’s soul.

• The narrator struggled to manage the Ni family’s disruption while Chen Aihua stayed silent, then spotted the foreigner in a baseball cap watching from the crowd.
• The demon spoke into the narrator’s mind, offering to dispose of the Ni family and claiming that demons were rising as the world changed.
• The narrator refused the demon’s offer and tried to find a way to warn Wu Ling or reach Ye Qing.
• After the young man grabbed the narrator’s clothes, he and other Ni family members saw the demon and panicked, causing chaos in the office.
• The narrator saw the demon’s towering, terrifying form and learned that it wanted Ye Qing’s soul at Greenleaf Paranormal Agency.

After the demon demanded Ye Qing’s soul, the narrator refused to consider helping it and learned that Wu Ling had obtained a notebook, ink, and pen connected to the demon’s name. The group gathered at Building Six to stage the next step, where Gu Mo arrived carrying the book, a white quill, and red ink.

• The demon drove the Ni family members mad, and the narrator concluded that it was pressuring her over Ye Qing’s soul.
• The narrator told Wu Ling what had happened, and Wu Ling replied that everything was ready.
• Rumors spread about the Ni family’s condition and disputes over compensation and Chen Jiahui’s guardianship, leaving them occupied with other matters.
• Wu Ling summoned the narrator and arranged to stage the final act at Building Six, while Guo Yujie stayed behind and the skinny man and fat man went with the narrator.
• The group entered Wu Ling’s paper-tape illusion, and Gu Mo handed the narrator a thick book before producing a white quill and a bottle of red ink.

Wu Ling gathered Lin Qi, Gu Mo, the Thin Man, and the Fatty to use a notebook of demon names and commands to lure out the demon. The group reached the ruined office, where Wu Ling found a relevant entry, but the demon had not yet appeared.

• Wu Ling showed the group a notebook of demon names, a holy quill, and blood, and explained that she had obtained them from foreigners.
• Wu Ling said she planned to write a command to lure the demon out, while Gu Mo told the Fatty to stay safe as a decoy because of his ability.
• Lin Qi convinced the Thin Man that the demon had existed for a very long time and had blended into human society like an ordinary person.
• The group climbed through the damaged building to the sixth floor and found a huge hole above the devastated office.
• Lin Qi unlocked the office, and he and the others flipped a sliced sofa upright while Wu Ling searched the notebook.
• Wu Ling found an entry in the notebook.

Wu Ling tried to use a forged Book of Demons to confront the demon, but he revealed himself as the Archwizard and explained his plan to survive the coming great calamity. He left Wu Ling’s group facing the threat that their past deaths and revival had not freed them from fate.

• Wu Ling used blood to write Dasko Ferilando’s name and history into the notebook while the skinny guy and fat guy watched.
• The horned demon appeared, identified the notebook as fake, and revealed that he possessed the real Book of Demons.
• The demon said he was the Archwizard, who had erased his name and merged with Dasko, his favorite demon, to live forever.
• The Archwizard invited Wu Ling to join him and said he needed powerful souls to survive the coming great calamity, but Wu Ling refused.
• The Archwizard revealed that Wu Ling and the others had died and been revived through the man’s ability, and warned that they remained bound by fate unless they became a different kind of life.

Ye Qing accepted the demon’s offer to undo the black magic and left with it, while the others realized he might have been a spirit’s medium. His parting instruction sent them to find A Miao, whose ability might be their only chance to stop the demon.

• Ye Qing told the demon he would leave with it if it undid the black magic, and the demon agreed by writing in its book.
• The narrator felt something leave his body as the demon and Ye Qing departed, and he heard Ye Qing say, “Go find A Miao.”
• Wu Ling concluded that spirits might need a medium to be born or attach themselves to something.
• Gu Mo proposed that Liu Miao’s ability could kill the demon if Liu Miao caught it by surprise.
• Wu Ling warned that Liu Miao’s power could have a high cost, leaving the narrator unsure where to find him.

After Ye Qing urged him to find Liu Miao, Qi searched the agency files but found no clues about her. Wu Ling planned to investigate the area around Workers and Peasants Sixth Village, and Qi agreed to keep searching despite the uncertainty.

• Qi and his companions returned to the neighborhood committee office, where Skinny explained that the fake notebook had seemed convincing but had not worked against the powerful beings.
• Qi searched the files for Liu Miao’s name five times but found no mention of her.
• Qi called Wu Ling, who told him that Nangong had found no abnormalities elsewhere when the Workers and Peasants Sixth Village entrance had malfunctioned.
• Wu Ling said Nangong would check nearby surveillance footage and that they would search the area for clues, since Ye Qing had likely kept Liu Miao’s dummy close at hand.
• Qi considered that Liu Miao might be trapped in an alternate space, then took comfort from Wu Ling’s confidence in Ye Qing and agreed to continue searching.

The narrator and her coworkers visited Chen Xiaoqiu and then went to see Nangong Yao, where they found his celebrity brother Nan Tian arguing with him. Nangong Yao explained that he was searching for Ye Qing and A-Miao amid a global disaster, and warned Nan Tian not to interfere.

• The narrator and her coworkers visited Chen Xiaoqiu, who planned to return to the demolition office after her recovery.
• The group went to the hospital to visit Nangong Yao and discovered he had been moved to a private room.
• The narrator found Nan Tian visiting Nangong Yao, and the brothers argued over Nan Tian’s involvement in Nangong Yao’s affairs.
• The narrator offered to help review surveillance footage, and Nangong Yao explained that he was searching for Ye Qing and A-Miao.
• Nangong Yao told Nan Tian that terrifying changes were happening worldwide and warned him not to meddle.

The narrator and his companions visited Nangong Yao, who refused to let Nantian help investigate Liu Miao’s disappearance. After they left, they discovered Nantian had deliberately waited for them, and Nangong Yao came out to confront him.

• Nangong Yao told Nantian to stay out of the search and urged the narrator to focus on reviewing files while they investigated Liu Miao.
• Nantian tried to charm Guo Yujie into revealing their plans, but the narrator and Nangong Yao refused to involve him.
• The narrator and his companions left Nangong Yao fruit and departed after discussing his condition and the video search.
• The narrator spotted Nantian chatting with a fan near the nurses’ station and realized he had stayed behind to follow them.
• Nangong Yao came out and watched Nantian as a fan posed for a selfie with him, while the fan noticed the brothers’ resemblance and tense atmosphere.

Lin and Greenleaf escaped the tense encounter between Nangong Yao and Nantian, but Nantian later called Lin and insisted on helping with the dangerous search for Liu Miao. He claimed he had already uncovered information, leaving Lin worried about what Nantian had found.

• Lin and the others left the hospital after Nantian tried to lead them to the parking lot, and Guo Yujie pulled Lin away when Nantian grabbed him.
• On the way home, Lin worried that Nantian’s recklessness could put both brothers in danger.
• Nantian called Lin and said he wanted to help because he knew their work was dangerous and suspected something had happened to Nangong Yao while he was away.
• Lin warned Nantian that he could become a target and make Nangong Yao blame himself, and Nantian said he understood.
• Nantian asked to help investigate Liu Miao and revealed that he had already found something, claiming he had always been lucky.

Nantian tried to learn what Lin Qi knew about Liu Miao so he could keep Nangong Yao safe, while Lin Qi and Wu Ling debated whether Nantian had a useful lead. On Tuesday, Wu Ling gathered everyone in Nangong Yao's hospital room and raised the possibility that Liu Miao was trapped in an other space.

• Nantian urged Lin Qi to let him find Liu Miao and keep Nangong Yao out of danger, but Lin Qi assured him that Nangong Yao would only provide support.
• After Nantian hung up, Lin Qi told Wu Ling about the call, and Wu Ling suggested Nangong Yao's brother might know something important despite possibly bluffing.
• Lin Qi and the others worked through the weekend and into Tuesday before Wu Ling summoned them to Nangong Yao's hospital room.
• Lin Qi arrived to find Nantian angry, Gu Mo irritated, and the young fan from Saturday pale and subdued.
• Wu Ling explained that other spaces could be separated parts of the world, prompting Lin Qi to ask whether Liu Miao was trapped in one.

Wu Ling and the narrator learned that Han Lanranzi had lost her childhood memories and records in a supernatural event, like people swallowed by an otherworldly space. She revealed a distorted photograph linking Liu Miao to the event, while Nantian’s earlier investigation had found nothing; Wu Ling urged her to share more clues so they could rescue those trapped elsewhere.

• Wu Ling explained that Han had lost her memories of her parents and childhood, and that others with similar experiences had formed a group to search for their pasts.
• The narrator compared Han’s experience to the students who disappeared into an otherworldly space in “Story Chain,” while distinguishing it from Ye Qing’s erasure of Greenleaf records.
• Han showed a distorted photo in which Liu Miao appeared as a pixelated figure and said someone in her group remembered him scouting the area.
• Han described discovering that her school records and household registration were blank, and explained that she and others kept the photo as proof of their lost pasts.
• Wu Ling told Han that her family might still be alive in another space and asked her to provide more clues, while Han said Nantian’s investigation had failed.

Wu Ling and the others questioned Miss Han about people who had lost their pasts, but learned that most of her group had abandoned the search or disappeared. Wu Ling committed to pursuing the clue to rescue their friend, and Miss Han agreed to tell them her story from the beginning.

• Wu Ling explained that Nan Tian’s investigators had found no answers, and Nan Tian argued that he had discovered the clue through Lan Ran Zi.
• Miss Han described former members of her group who had given up searching, lost contact, or died while still hoping to find their families.
• Wu Ling promised that they would not abandon the search because their friend had been caught up in the mystery.
• Nan Tian objected to Nan Gongyao’s involvement, but Nan Gongyao insisted it was his choice and told his brother not to interfere.
• Wu Ling asked Miss Han to recount how she first realized she had lost her memories and to provide the names and contacts of the people she had met.
• Wu Ling told Miss Han that her preserved photos and records made her their most important lead, and Miss Han prepared to share the full story.