Chapter Summaries

Lin An and his team followed a flashing indicator through the Equipment Testing Facility, where they discovered grisly displays made from human remains. The final scene revealed a woman arranging brain tissue around a dead child, and Lin An identified the Stupa Painter as Undying Asura.

• Lin An warned Zhang Tie that the underground facility would be a dangerous place for a Safe Zone after the Cataclysm, then noticed a light leading toward the special life-form.
• Lin An told Wen Ya and Zhang Tie that the trapped survivors were trying to lure them toward the monster, while Chu An walked ahead without hesitation.
• Zhang Tie found roughly three hundred intact human skins piled in a corridor, and Lin An determined that the deaths were not caused by a Marrow Sucking Spider.
• The team entered a room where more than seven hundred undamaged eyeballs had been arranged on the floor.
• Lin An, Wen Ya, Zhang Tie, and Chu An found 367 portions of brain tissue arranged around a woman holding her removed brain over a dead child, and Chu An named the scene Buddha Child Birth Diagram—1517.
• Lin An identified the Stupa Painter as Undying Asura.

Lin An recognized the grotesque figure they had found as the Undying Asura, a monster known for making art from human remains and for its nearly unstoppable regeneration. Despite suspecting that someone was luring them toward it, he led the group onward because they needed weapons before the mandatory insect dungeon mission began.

• Wen Ya asked Chu An about the Buddha Child Birth Diagram, and Chu An explained how the woman's and boy's exchanged brain matter represented wisdom, self-reflection, and nurturing anew.
• Zhang Tie recoiled at Chu An's appraisal of the corpse arrangement, while Lin An identified the creature as the Undying Asura from his past-life knowledge.
• Lin An explained that the group could not afford to travel to a distant military district for weapons, since the trip would take at least six days and their mandatory mission was approaching.
• Lin An recalled that the Undying Asura grew stronger when repeatedly damaged and could revive through other corpses, but could be contained by trapping it without injuring it.
• Lin An judged that the Undying Asura was probably still weak and continued toward it, hoping they could seal it.

Lin An led Zhang Tie, Wen Ya, and Senior Colonel Chu to confront the Undying Asura, while the researchers watched and hoped the outsiders could help them escape without resorting to a nuclear detonation. Zhang Tie’s powerful attacks smashed the monster’s head, but its apparent immortality left the researchers’ hopes uncertain.

• Lin An reached the last security door, had Wen Ya test her Mental Barrier on the creature, and sent Zhang Tie ahead to engage it.
• Zhang Tie transformed into a Black Bear and attacked the Undying Asura, whose head resisted his blows and twisted around to face him.
• Deng Xiang and the researchers watched the fight, hoping the monster could be lured to Liquid Nitrogen so they could avoid detonating the nuclear bomb.
• Zhang Tie battered the Undying Asura until its head cracked, then used Heavy Punch Strike to drive its head into its chest.
• The researchers cheered at the apparent blow, but several young researchers warned that the monster could not be killed and questioned whether Liquid Nitrogen would work.

At the research institute, Deng Xiang hoped the outsiders could weaken the Undying Asura enough for them to use Liquid Nitrogen, but Yao Mingyuan and the other researchers demanded that Zhang Hai activate the Self-Destruct Program. Zhang Hai revealed that his death would trigger the Lockdown Protocol and, unless higher authorities intervened within twelve hours, the nuclear self-destruct sequence would begin.

• Deng Xiang watched Black Bear fight the Undying Asura and realized the monster was regenerating and becoming harder to damage, so he considered directing the outsiders toward the Liquid Nitrogen.
• Yao Mingyuan accused Deng Xiang of wasting time, drew an Electromagnetic Handgun on him, and demanded that Zhang Hai activate the Self-Destruct Program.
• Yao Mingyuan told the others he had no intention of following Deng Xiang, and the researchers gathered behind him to pressure Deng Xiang into acting.
• Deng Xiang urged everyone to wait while he tried to lure the monster toward the Liquid Nitrogen, but Yao Mingyuan and the others rejected his plan.
• Zhang Hai threatened to activate the Seal-Off Order, then explained that his death would immediately lock down the institute and trigger the Self-Destruct Program after twelve hours unless it was cancelled.

Lin An used the Undying Asura as a training target, testing sword techniques while its strength and healing accelerated with each attack. Watching from the monitoring room, Zhang Hai prepared to activate the Self-Destruct Program as the survivors feared the outsiders would be overwhelmed.

• Yao Mingyuan lowered his weapon, and Deng Xiang adjusted the monitoring room microphone as they reconsidered their plan to kill Zhang Hai.
• Zhang Tie struggled against the Undying Asura until Lin An revealed it could not be killed and said they only needed to trap it.
• A broadcast warned Lin An and Zhang Tie that attacking the Undying Asura made it stronger and suggested luring it into liquid nitrogen, but Lin An ignored the advice and used it to practice Flying Sword techniques.
• Lin An repeatedly severed the Undying Asura's limbs, while its healing grew fast enough to restore its head in a second.
• Yao Mingyuan and the other survivors cursed the outsiders for continuing to attack, while Zhang Hai asked them to untie him so he could activate the Self-Destruct Program.

Zhang Hai prepared to let the institute’s survivors flee while the self-destruct countdown began, but Yao Haiping sealed the passages to trap Lin An and the Undying Asura together. Lin An used Wither to finally kill the monster, leaving Zhang Hai and the fleeing survivors stunned.

• Zhang Hai activated the institute’s self-destruct program and told the survivors to evacuate while he stayed to warn Lin An’s group.
• Yao Haiping sealed the passages and argued that Lin An and his companions should be trapped with the monster as the institute’s survivors escaped.
• Lin An sensed the survivors retreating and the passages closing, so he stopped testing sword techniques and decided to capture people.
• Lin An cut the Undying Asura apart and used Divine Thorn to pulverize its regenerating body, then cast Wither to stop the Blood Mud from healing.
• Zhang Hai saw the monster’s death on the monitoring screen as Lin An’s group collected the Blood Mud and moved toward the next door.

Lin An sealed the Undying Asura in a state of apparent death using a precise Mental Strength attack, then continued through the research facility with Zhang Tie, Wen Ya, and Chu An. In the monitoring room, Yao Haiping tried to force the survivors to flee without the outsiders, but Lin An arrived before they could escape.

• Lin An explained that the Undying Asura could revive from nearby corpses and that his Mental Strength attack had trapped it between revival and healing rather than killing it.
• Chu An inferred that Lin An had used the Death God Phantom's Rule Grade Wither damage to control the Undying Asura's vitality precisely.
• In the monitoring room, Zhang Hai said the activated self-destruct program could not be stopped, and Deng Xiang proposed waiting for the outsiders so they could escape together.
• Yao Haiping argued that Lin An's group would retaliate for being locked in with the monster, threatened Zhang Hai with a gun, and activated the escape elevator.
• As the survivors rushed toward the elevator, Lin An burst into the monitoring room and confronted Yao Haiping.

Lin An discovered that a nuclear self-destruct countdown threatened the research facility and wanted to salvage its weapons before time ran out. Chu An terminated the countdown by verifying his identity as the Capital Military Region's general, then offered to activate the facility's highest authority for Lin An.

• Yao Haiping dropped his gun, knelt, and begged Lin An to spare him as he revealed that the facility's nuclear bomb was set to detonate.
• Lin An saw the countdown and learned that the facility's staff had activated the self-destruct sequence because they feared the Undying Asura would escape.
• Lin An decided to salvage as many weapons as possible, but Chu An said he could crack the self-destruct program.
• Zhang Hai and the researchers insisted the encryption could not be cracked and warned that three wrong attempts would trigger the bomb.
• Chu An terminated the countdown through biometric verification as General Chu An of the Capital Military Region, then asked Lin An whether he should activate the facility's highest authority.

Lin An and his team secured the Experimental Institute by letting Chu An use his high-ranking military identity to command its researchers. Lin An then revealed that he planned to revive the sealed monster so it would regenerate meat, leaving Wen Ya alarmed by the danger.

• Chu An used his identity as a general commander to pass verification and ordered the researchers to report on the Experimental Institute.
• Chu An told Lin An to act as his superior and conceal their true identities while he won over the researchers, especially director Zhang Hai.
• Lin An, Wen Ya, and Zhang Tie discussed Chu An’s Hua An Project and Lin An’s mysterious past in the conference room.
• Zhang Tie asked why Lin An had brought the monster back in a box, and Lin An said it would not revive soon.
• Lin An announced that he would wake the monster so it could regenerate meat, alarming Wen Ya.

Lin An explained how greed had repeatedly driven Safe Zones to consume the Undying Asura’s flesh, causing it to escape and slaughter them, and planned to use its regenerating flesh as a secret source of energy for his base. After Chu An brought the researchers before him, Lin An questioned Deng Xiang and examined his talent.

• Lin An recounted how Safe Zones harvested the Undying Asura’s flesh until it became immune to Mental Strength attacks, escaped, and turned its victims into an eagle sculpture.
• Lin An planned to keep the Asura’s flesh from Players and feed it to the Spiritual Energy Tower to power the base.
• Chu An brought the researchers and Zhang Hai into the conference room, reporting that Yao Haiping had been killed and Deng Xiang had participated in the defection.
• Lin An ordered Deng Xiang to open his Talent Panel, which showed that he had a B-rank Electronic Consciousness talent.

Lin An learned that Deng Xiang’s consciousness-splitting talent could help restore satellite reconnaissance despite psionic interference, and Chu An proposed sending him into space to operate a military satellite. Lin An spared Deng Xiang from execution in exchange for his cooperation, leaving Chu An to persuade him to join the operation.

• Lin An examined Deng Xiang’s talent and learned that splitting his consciousness consumed half his attributes, could only be done once, and trapped the split consciousness inside an electronic device.
• Chu An told Lin An that psionic interference had disrupted communications on Earth but did not affect equipment in space, and proposed sending Deng Xiang’s split consciousness into a military satellite.
• Lin An understood that the satellite could use Deng Xiang’s consciousness to transmit reconnaissance information past the interference.
• Zhang Hai pleaded for Deng Xiang, who admitted his mistake and begged for mercy.
• Lin An said Deng Xiang deserved execution under military law but pardoned him on condition that he cooperate with the upcoming operation.

Lin An and Zhang Tie explored the Experimental Institute’s weapons warehouse after Chu An gave Lin An access to the facility. They found advanced equipment and Combat Suits, and Lin An became intrigued by a red high-frequency oscillation sword.

• Lin An and Zhang Tie entered the weapons warehouse using Lin An’s newly granted top-level access.
• Lin An found six Type-3 Modified Combat Suits, and he and Zhang Tie tried them on before Lin An stored the remaining four.
• Zhang Tie enthusiastically inspected the weapons and loaded himself with rifles, mines, a Gatling gun, and an electromagnetic cannon.
• Lin An ignored Zhang Tie’s excitement and examined a blood-red longsword labeled as a High-Frequency Oscillation Weapon.

Lin An discovered Blood Annihilation, a high-frequency sword that could slice through alloy with ease, and learned from Chu An about its capabilities and flaws. Chu An planned to have Zhang Hai improve it with Mutant materials, hoping Lin An could eventually wield many such weapons as a strategic-level force.

• Lin An found the red sword Blood Annihilation in a locked case and asked Chu An what it was.
• Chu An explained that Blood Annihilation used high-frequency vibrations to cut through objects by severing their molecular bonds.
• Lin An activated the sword and cut a hollow arc through the alloy floor without applying force.
• Lin An asked Chu An about the weapon's flaws, and Chu An cited its vibration strain, high energy consumption, and insufficient durability against powerful Mutants.
• Chu An proposed that Zhang Hai use Mutant materials to forge improved weapons for Lin An, who could control many flying swords at once.

Lin An questioned Chu An’s plan to make him the hope of China, insisting he would not accept responsibility for saving the world. Chu An revealed that the Single-Soldier Electromagnetic Cannon contained a Spiritual Energy Node, leaving Lin An shocked that one had existed before the apocalypse.

• Bear Dunce and Zhang Tie brought Lin An an eight-barrel Gatling and a Single-Soldier Electromagnetic Cannon, which the System recognized as a powerful weapon.
• Chu An arrived with more than seventy researchers, who swore they would complete the mission after he told them they were carrying out the Kindling Project.
• Lin An told Chu An he would prioritize survival and strength, would not shoulder the responsibility of saving the world, and would use any means necessary to reach his goals.
• Chu An said he wanted to preserve China’s Kindling and accepted that only one person might ultimately remain.
• Chu An unlocked the cannon’s core, revealing a Spiritual Energy Node, and Lin An asked why one had existed before the apocalypse.

Lin An told Chu An that the Unknown Energy Sources were Spiritual Energy Nodes enclosed by a module created with a Safety Token, prompting Chu An to reconsider the origins of the Doomsday Game. Lin An was left fearing that the game had been activated repeatedly and that people’s memories had been erased.

• Chu An explained that Unknown Energy Sources had been discovered around the world twelve years earlier and had been used to power electromagnetic weapons.
• Lin An connected the pre-apocalypse energy sources to the Doomsday Ring and the Black Hole he had encountered near Fengming Road 97.
• Chu An described a theory that the Doomsday Game had undergone earlier development stages, with a past closed beta leaving behind the energy sources.
• Lin An revealed that the energy sources were Spiritual Energy Nodes enclosed by modules generated through Safety Tokens.
• Chu An reconsidered his theories and concluded that Lin An’s information supported the possibility of a previous run of the Doomsday Game.
• Lin An wondered whether the game had been launched repeatedly, with memories erased and the world trapped in an endless cycle.

Lin An and Chu An debated how he should respond to the slander and false reports spreading about him. Lin An agreed to let Chu An manage his reputation without disrupting his plans, as he prepared to emerge publicly after strengthening Dragon An Base.

• Lin An pushed aside speculation about the Doomsday Game and focused on surviving and growing stronger.
• Chu An advised Lin An to build a powerful public image and showed him rumors claiming he was dead and Dragon An Base had fallen.
• Lin An said he would appear in public in a month and eliminate those spreading rumors once he had enough strength.
• Chu An argued that killing slanderers would damage Lin An’s reputation and urged him to win public support for future expansion.
• Lin An told Chu An to handle the rumors as long as she did not interfere with his plans, then walked into the light.

Lin An and the others inventoried a research institute’s large stockpile of experimental weapons, while Chu An explained why individual combat equipment mattered more than heavy weapons against Zombie Tides. Lin An sent Wen Ya and Chu An back to the base and prepared to level up with Zhang Tie before entering the Amoeba Instance Dungeon, though he felt he had forgotten something.

• Chu An told Lin An that the institute’s tanks and artillery had been removed and that Mutants, not the Zombie Tide, posed the greater threat to a base’s defenses.
• Lin An asked Wen Ya and Chu An to return to the base and bring Gao Tian back, while he stayed to level up with Zhang Tie.
• Wen Ya worried that Chu An’s ideological work would turn the base’s people into fanatics, and Lin An assured her he had warned Chu An not to go too far.
• Huang HaiTao presented Lin An with an inventory of the weapons, ammunition, and equipment, which Lin An judged sufficient to arm 2,000 people and outfit an elite squad.
• Lin An planned to raise his level before entering the Amoeba Instance Dungeon, but he sensed that he had overlooked something.

Lin An planned a Mutant hunt to strengthen his team before entering the Amoeba Instance Dungeon, choosing a route near Meng Pa Hotel and Lin Jiang Hospital. After reviewing his Personal Panel, he prepared to use the Fusion Heart to upgrade Mutants and test his strength against a Peak Second Order Mutant.

• Lin An selected Gao Tian, Zhang Tie, and Mo Ling to join him on a hunt before the Amoeba Instance Dungeon, while An JingTian and Chu An stayed to manage and protect the base.
• Lin An planned to hunt near Meng Pa Hotel, bring Mo Ling’s younger sister back, and investigate Lin Jiang Hospital if the opportunity arose.
• Lin An decided to avoid the Underground Parking Lot, Wanda Plaza, and the City Center until he was stronger, especially while a suspected Third Order Mutant was moving toward the City Center.
• Lin An opened his Personal Panel and reviewed his attributes, equipment, items, missions, and growing Body of Fear percentage.
• Lin An took out the Fusion Heart, intending to upgrade Mutants and test his strength against a Peak Second Order Mutant.

Tang Long debated whether to sell Lin An’s whereabouts to the struggling Search and Rescue Team, while Tang Tian decided to contact the military officer himself. The convoy continued toward the military region, leaving Tang Tian poised to act after nightfall.

• Tang Long rode with Tang Wan’s family in the lead armored car as the weakened Search and Rescue Team escorted hundreds of survivors along Wangjiang’s Ring Expressway.
• Tang Tian urged Tang Long to tell the military officer about Lin An, but Tang Long delayed, planning to sell the information for his own security.
• Tang Long judged the military region to be poorly supplied and vulnerable, and regretted his earlier attempt to kill Tang Wan’s family.
• Tang Tian feared ending up like the desperate survivors and resolved to reach Lin An’s Safe Zone rather than depend on Tang Long.
• Tang Tian decided to approach the Search and Rescue Team’s officer late at night and ask the military to contact Lin An on behalf of his family.

Tang Tian risked Tang Long’s anger to report that he knew Lin An’s location to the Search and Rescue Team. The officer took Tang Tian into his tent, while Tang Long was left furious and considering what to do about Tang Wan and Mrs. Tang.

• Tang Tian slipped out of the Armored Car to tell the Search and Rescue Team’s officer about Lin An.
• Soldiers stopped Tang Tian, and the commotion woke Tang Long and nearby survivors.
• Tang Tian shouted that he knew where Lin An was, drawing the attention of the soldiers and survivors.
• The square-faced officer questioned Tang Tian and warned him that deceiving the military would bring punishment.
• Tang Tian insisted he knew Lin An’s location, and the officer led him into the tent as Tang Long suppressed his anger toward Tang Wan and Mrs. Tang.