Chapter Summaries

Miss Han recounted how she discovered that her childhood records and family memories were missing, leaving her without a home or support. After joining an online group for people with similar memory loss, she explained that Xiao Tian had shared the photo she downloaded there.

• Miss Han discovered in college that her elementary and middle school records and household registration file were missing, while her relatives could not remember her parents or how she had joined the family.
• Miss Han found that her teachers and classmates remembered her, but she could not recall where her violin came from or where her home was.
• Miss Han struggled to resolve her records and find work and housing, then found comfort in online groups about amnesia and Nan Shen's film.
• Aunt Lu's daughter contacted Miss Han after seeing her post, and Miss Han joined a group of people who had lost memories around the same time.
• Miss Han said Xiao Tian had posted the photo in the group, and she had downloaded it.

Miss Han told Wu Ling about Xiaotian’s vanished-place investigation, and Gu Mo warned that people connected to the phenomenon might still be disappearing. The Greenleaf team began looking into the group, hoping one member could lead Lin Qi to the missing place, and ended by focusing on the deceased Yu Biao.

• Miss Han explained how Xiaotian became an orphan, formed the group, and compiled evidence that a place and its residents had vanished from both memory and records.
• Wu Ling and Miss Han concluded that the missing area may have included schools and an entire district, despite Xiaotian’s unsuccessful search for old city maps.
• Gu Mo suggested that people had continued disappearing over the years, and the group realized the survivors might eventually vanish without anyone noticing.
• Lin Qi feared the Greenleaf team might kill group members so he could enter their dreams, but Gu Mo said they did not need to resort to that.
• Wu Ling asked Miss Han to show the group’s members, and Nan Gongyao gathered their information while the team considered using one of them to guide Lin Qi to the vanished place.
• Wu Ling asked about the group member who had died, and Miss Han identified him as Yu Biao, whose records Nan Gongyao found.

The group identified Tian Caiying, who had seen Liu Miao, as their lead and planned to find her and ask about the past. Nantian kept pressing the narrator about her abilities, then invited the group to a meal to talk.

• Wu Ling showed the narrator Tian Caiying’s file and said Tian Caiying had seen A-Miao.
• The narrator agreed to focus on entering the place where Liu Miao was and bringing him out, while Wu Ling contacted the group and investigated Tian Caiying’s history.
• Nantian said his investigators had already searched for Tian Caiying, who had disappeared to avoid her debts, but Wu Ling insisted they would find her.
• Nangong Yao showed the group a program that had flagged 332 people with missing records.
• Nantian followed the narrator and the others from the hospital, repeatedly demanding to know the narrator’s ability, then invited them to eat and talk.

At dinner, Fatty and Skinny proposed using gaps in Minqing’s public institutions and road plans to locate the erased area, and Nan Tian agreed to fund the investigation. The search began with Chen Xiaoqiu gathering information, while Nan Gongyao’s official inquiry remained bogged down by thousands of difficult-to-check identities.

• Nan Tian pressed the narrator for details about the missing people and the group’s plans, while Fatty asked how many schools, hospitals, and government offices Minqing had.
• Fatty identified missing schools and a gap in Minqing’s court system, then suggested using urban planning records to estimate the erased area.
• Skinny pointed out that old road names followed district patterns, and Nan Tian agreed to pay people to investigate while insisting he would keep watch over the narrator.
• The narrator warned Nan Tian to stay away for his own safety and reminded him that his involvement had already put the narrator’s sister through a difficult year.
• The narrator told Wu Ling about Fatty’s discovery, and Chen Xiaoqiu began compiling information by the end of the week.
• Nan Gongyao’s official inquiry stalled as the identified population reached 2,481, leaving Fatty’s approach as the more promising lead.

Lin Qi and the Thin One joined Nantian and Miss Han to investigate a strange clue in Minqing City. They found delivery slips from a nonexistent No. 4 Middle School, giving them a promising lead in the search for the missing buildings.

• Lin Qi learned that Nantian was outside Workers and Peasants Sixth Village and agreed to meet him, bringing the Thin One along.
• Nantian explained that he noticed mismatched road features and two trash cans wedged together where Wutai Road met Shunshui Road.
• Miss Han showed Lin Qi several torn delivery slips found between the trash cans, all bearing sender addresses from a nonexistent No. 4 Middle School.
• Lin Qi called Wu Ling and confirmed that her group had found no trace of No. 4 Middle School, then concluded Nantian had uncovered a real lead.

The narrator and the others went with Nantian to investigate the intersection of Wutai Road and Shunshui Road, while the narrator questioned Nantian’s motives and possible supernatural ability. They reached the strange boundary between two residential compounds, where Nantian headed toward the trash can he had found.

• Nantian argued that they should focus on rescuing Liu Miao and pointed out the difficulties of returning Miss Han’s parents and other missing people to society.
• The narrator tried to keep Nantian away from the dangerous investigation, but Nantian said he was coming to stop his brother from following them.
• Nantian called himself lucky because Miss Han was his fan, and Miss Han took comfort in his words.
• The group drove along Shunshui Road and reached the unusual junction where it met Wutai Road and the two residential compounds met.
• Nantian crossed the road toward the trash can while the narrator and the others examined the quiet area and the walls between the compounds.

The narrator, Nantian, and the others tried to save Miss Han as an unknown glow erased her body, but Nantian’s attempt to touch it opened a portal that pulled him and the narrator into another space. They found themselves in an abandoned green space with no apparent way back, and the chapter ended as the skinny man demanded an explanation from Nantian.

• The narrator and Nantian searched around the trash cans, then Wu Ling, Gu Mo, and Nangong Yao arrived with Nantian’s brother.
• Miss Han’s lower body began disappearing into a glowing mass, and the narrator’s ability failed to stop it.
• As Miss Han faded, Nantian reached into the glow, causing it to expand into a visible entrance to another space.
• Nantian pulled Miss Han free, but the expanding entrance drew the narrator and Nantian through before it vanished.
• The narrator and Nantian found themselves in an abandoned green space littered with shipping labels and discovered they could neither find the entrance nor recall anything new or forgotten.
• The skinny man recovered his breath and demanded to know what Nantian had been doing.

The narrator, Nantian, and the skinny man explored an unfamiliar, deserted city after Nantian opened a passage to another space by touching a ball of light. With no clear way to use the narrator’s ability or understand what had happened, they decided to look for Liu Miao.

• Nantian said he had no abilities and described feeling static electricity and a strong suction when he touched the ball of light.
• The narrator told Nantian that Nangong Yao’s ability to see the future had been mostly sealed, and the three agreed to head toward the city.
• The narrator and the skinny man found delivery slips with missing recipients and realized they were not from No. 4 High School.
• The three reached an empty road marked Ninghai Road and saw a deserted residential complex with no phone signal.
• Nantian and the narrator considered how they might be treated by survivors, and the narrator decided to look for Liu Miao.

The narrator explained to Nantian that supernatural abilities were curses tied to past-life sins, but Nantian insisted that family should face their dangers together. After the three confronted their conflicting ideas about protecting loved ones, Nantian asked the narrator and the skinny man to reveal their abilities.

• Nantian pressed the narrator and the skinny man to explain why they had hidden their abilities.
• The narrator warned Nantian that supernatural abilities brought dangerous incidents and described the harmful side effect of Nangong Yao's precognition.
• Nantian argued that he would never abandon family to face danger alone, leaving the narrator and the skinny man without a response.
• Nantian apologized for drawing them into his attempt to save Han Ji, and the skinny man complained that their plan had gone off track.
• Nantian asked the narrator and the skinny man to tell him what their abilities were.

The narrator, the Thin Man, and Nan Tian searched an empty residential complex for Liu Miao and clues about the deserted pocket dimension. After finding no food, power, water, or people, they heard a bicycle bell and encountered a girl who recognized Nan Tian.

• The narrator, the Thin Man, and Nan Tian walked along the residential complex wall, seeing no cars or signs of life.
• The three entered the complex and searched homes, finding no food, cash, phones, or ID cards, while the electricity and water were off.
• Nan Tian suggested the deserted city was like an RPG puzzle game, but the group could only conclude that the missing belongings made no sense.
• After resting and noting the time matched the real world, the three left to look for people and food.
• Nan Tian, the Thin Man, and the narrator heard a bicycle bell and found a girl riding around a corner.
• The girl nearly fell from her bicycle, then recognized Nan Tian as Nan Shen while he smiled and said he was lucky.

The narrator, Nan Tian, and the skinny guy met Su Xiaoyu, who had been drawn into the empty space by a mysterious package and recovered her lost memories there. Su Xiaoyu recounted being reunited with her parents, who then treated her like a stranger and took her away for questioning.

• Su Xiaoyu approached Nan Tian and explained that she had lost her memories in middle school and had been raised with help from teachers and social support services.
• Su Xiaoyu said she had been drawn into the space after opening a package from an unknown sender named Su Peng at her old middle school.
• Su Xiaoyu explained that entering the space restored her memories and led her to her former home, where she found the neighborhood deserted.
• Su Xiaoyu said her parents eventually arrived, but they yelled at her, took her away with a stranger, and questioned her using a list of elementary school graduates.

Su Xiaoyu explained that she had been abandoned in a sealed district where people repeatedly died and revived as supplies dwindled, and that her parents and others were using packages to bring missing people there. The narrator concluded that a future ghost connected to the postal service was behind the packages and resolved to kill it and close the otherworldly entrance if Heaven allowed the district to return to reality.

• Su Xiaoyu told the narrator, the Thin Man, and Nantian that she had been left to starve in the district, where people died and revived while food and water ran out.
• Su Xiaoyu explained that people there sent packages to bring back those they believed were missing, hoping their return would restore the district.
• Nantian and the Thin Man questioned whether the package senders could find everyone and considered the consequences for people who had formed new families.
• Su Xiaoyu revealed that her parents and others had gathered near a university, where armed guards kept outsiders away and some residents still believed their plan would succeed.
• The narrator concluded that a future ghost was using package forms to pull people into the otherworldly space and that an entrance might connect it to a future world.
• The narrator resolved to kill the ghost and erase the entrance if his theory was right and Heaven allowed the district to return to reality.

The narrator, Skinny, and Nantian followed Su Xiaoyu toward Minqing University of Finance and Economics, while the narrator suspected a ghost was controlling the district through promises of a normal world. They stopped near the university’s clock tower, unable to find a place to survey the area, and Su Xiaoyu offered to ask around.

• Nantian persuaded Su Xiaoyu that he and his companions had been pulled into the alternate space without memories, and she agreed to lead them to the university.
• Su Xiaoyu explained that she knew little about the district and that her parents had vanished after appearing to collect her.
• The narrator suspected the ghost was using people’s hope for a normal world to expand its control and warned himself that the group might be in danger.
• Nantian asked whether they could find a tall building to observe the university, but Su Xiaoyu could not remember one nearby.
• The group reached a clock tower near Minqing University of Finance and Economics and stopped when they found no suitable vantage point.
• Su Xiaoyu offered to return and ask around before coming back to them.

Su Xiaoyu, Nantian, and the narrator were caught in a hurricane caused by a huge lion-headed, eagle-bodied monster that emerged near the school clock tower. As they fled, the narrator witnessed time reversing around him before hearing the bell and collapsing into darkness.

• Nantian refused Su Xiaoyu's offer of help, but an eagle's cry and a hurricane interrupted them.
• The monster appeared behind the clock tower, smashed it with its talons, and attacked dark energy rising beneath it.
• The narrator realized the school contained an entrance to another dimension and that the monster was hunting a ghost.
• Nantian carried the terrified Su Xiaoyu as the group fled, while the narrator worried about Liu Miao.
• The monster cried out in apparent fear as the scenery reversed, glass returned to windows, and the fleeing people slowed around the narrator.
• The school bell rang, everything went black, and the narrator fell to the ground.

Qi woke up alone in an unfamiliar, isolated district of Minqing, with a painful gap in his memory and no way to contact Wu Ling. He reunited with the Skinny One after finding him trapped in a kindergarten storage room, but the Skinny One remembered less than Qi did.

• Qi woke in a public green space surrounded by retirees and realized the Skinny One and Nantian were missing.
• Qi found that his phone had a signal but could not reach Wu Ling, and the map showed the district of Minqing cut off from the rest of the world.
• Qi called the Skinny One and learned that he was trapped in a kindergarten storage room nearby.
• Qi persuaded the kindergarten guard to let him retrieve the Skinny One, using a made-up story about his mental problems.
• After they left the kindergarten, Qi asked what the Skinny One remembered, and the Skinny One said only that they had fallen into the district.

Qi and Skinny discovered that the alternate space was dated October 2, 2017, and might be repeating that day. Unable to reach Nantian and lacking clues to Liu Miao’s location, they began searching the city for supernatural activity.

• Qi and Skinny ate at Old Zhang's Noodle Shop, where Qi noticed that the date was October 2, 2017.
• Qi and Skinny realized the alternate space was cut off from the real world and considered whether it repeated the same day.
• Qi called Nantian again, but Nantian's phone was turned off, so Qi and Skinny decided to keep searching for people, especially Liu Miao.
• Qi reasoned that Liu Miao might be investigating supernatural events and suggested searching for yin energy.
• Qi and Skinny took a taxi through the unfamiliar district while Qi searched online for reports of supernatural incidents.

The narrator and the thin man noticed signs of panic in Yangshan District and learned that the government had announced water and power outages. They reached Chengxin Garden to meet Nantian, but the chapter ended as they rang the bell at his apartment.

• The narrator saw workers hurriedly loading supplies from a supermarket and noticed residents rushing to buy goods.
• The narrator realized Yangshan District's residents remembered the outside world, and a mass text announced temporary water and power outages.
• Nantian called from Chengxin Garden and gave the narrator his address.
• The narrator and the thin man traveled through crowds of people buying supplies to Chengxin Garden.
• The narrator and the thin man found Room 203 and rang the doorbell.

The narrator, Nantian, and the Skinny Guy pursued a missing package lead while gathering supplies from Su Xiaoyu’s family. After leaving, they discovered a power outage, no phone signal, and people fighting over scarce goods.

• Nantian reminded the narrator to investigate the delivery slip, and the narrator mapped the many courier pickup locations in Yangshan District.
• Su Xiaoyu and Nantian argued with her mother and grandmother over supplies the family had agreed to share, and the narrator pressured them to hand over the bag.
• Nantian paid Su Xiaoyu a thousand yuan before leaving with the narrator and the Skinny Guy.
• The three packed water, drinks, and crackers into Nantian’s laptop bag and saw two old men fighting over water at a convenience store.
• Nantian confirmed the power was out, and the Skinny Guy found that there was no phone signal.

The narrator, Nantian, and the skinny guy searched for a Yixun Express courier station while crossing a city descending into looting and disorder. As darkness fell and the whole district remained without power or communications, they had nowhere to stay and the narrator feared other vanished places might also be under ghost rule.

• The narrator, Nantian, and the skinny guy checked several courier stations and smashed locks to take three shared bikes after the signal failed.
• The narrator saw looters ransack a supermarket, and Nantian warned that crowds spilling from the stopped subway made the streets dangerous.
• The group fled looters who targeted Nantian’s watch and the skinny guy’s laptop, while a police car raced past and broadcast orders for residents to stay indoors.
• They saw more looting, including an attack on a gold shop, and the narrator worried that Yangshan District lacked the police and supplies to handle a crisis.
• After checking four more courier stations, they found hotels unable to take guests and watched night fall over a city with no lights.

The narrator, Nantian, and the Thin Man headed for a police precinct, rescued a woman from robbers, and found shelter there. As they settled in among other stranded people, the narrator sensed a weak ghost inside the station.

• The group changed course toward a police precinct after finding nowhere else to stay.
• The narrator, Nantian, and the Thin Man attacked five robbers who were trying to abduct a woman and escaped with her in the robbers' car.
• The woman told them she was stranded in Yangshan District after public transportation stopped, and Nantian reassured her as they drove to the precinct.
• Officer Yan let the group stay in the precinct, arranged for a female officer to help the woman, and accepted most of the food taken from the robbers.
• The narrator sensed faint yin energy somewhere inside the police station and concluded that a ghost was there.