Chapter Summaries

Tang Tian convinced Yang Bocheng that he was related to Lin An and produced a note marked “Dragon An” as evidence. Yang Bocheng reported the discovery to the Wangjiang Military Region, which mobilized troops and vehicles to support the Power Plant Rescue Team.

• Tang Tian told Yang Bocheng that Lin An was his sister’s fiancé and claimed he knew where Lin An was.
• Yang Bocheng demanded proof, and Tang Tian said Tang Long had Lin An’s old note marked “Dragon An.”
• Yang Bocheng brought Tang Long into the tent with the note and became convinced that Tang Tian’s claim was likely true.
• Yang Bocheng reported the information to the Commander-in-Chief of the Wangjiang Military Region and requested immediate support.
• The Wangjiang Military Region issued a Level A Lockdown Order and assembled more than a thousand soldiers and dozens of vehicles to head for the Ring Expressway.

Lin An led Zhang Tie and the others into the city to search for Mutants, avoiding the City Center after seeing signs of a Third Order Mutant at the Corpse Mountain. He calculated how to gather enough spiritual energy to advance and planned to hunt Second-Order Mutants before the Zombie Tide.

• Lin An and his companions entered the city on foot, leaving their motorcycle behind to avoid attracting Zombies.
• Zhang Tie and Gao Tian saw the Corpse Mountain, and Lin An pointed out the corpse ring and the path likely left by a Third Order Mutant.
• Lin An warned the group to avoid the City Center while searching for Mutants, and they continued into the city.
• Lin An calculated that he needed five more points of spiritual energy experience to reach Tier 2 and reviewed the Mutants he had already killed.
• Lin An planned to capture and fuse two Second-Order Mutants into a Peak Second Order Mutant, then hunt another to gain enough experience.
• Lin An planned to level up rapidly after the Safe Zone survived the Zombie Tide and eventually become the first Player to reach Tier 3.

Lin An returned to Meng Pa Hotel with Mo Ling, Zhang Tie, and Gao Tian, intending to use it as a base while investigating the nearby hospital. Inside, Wang Kun and Li Lei competed for Fan Bing’s favor as they discussed joining a proposed Safe Zone.

• Lin An’s group reached Meng Pa Hotel, where his scan detected 119 Zombies, eleven Players, and two Tier 1 Awakened.
• Lin An decided the group would enter the hotel and reclaim their former room.
• In Room 909, Wang Kun told Fan Bing that his brother was organizing a well-supplied Safe Zone with more than a thousand people.
• Fan Bing flirted with both Wang Kun and Li Lei, inviting them to accompany her while each man believed he was close to winning her over.

Lin An and his companions broke into a hotel occupied by a film crew and confronted two Awakeners, Li Lei and Wang Kun. Lin An restrained Zhang Tie from attacking them and planned to question the survivors for information, but a woman in a qipao appeared on the stairs.

• Zhang Tie pried apart the hotel’s barred window and entered with Lin An, Mo Ling, and Gao Tian, terrifying the ten people inside.
• Li Lei and Wang Kun arrived and sized up the newcomers, especially Lin An and his equipment, before Wang Kun cautiously welcomed them.
• Zhang Tie offered to crush Li Lei and Wang Kun because they kept eyeing Lin An’s gear, but Lin An said they should only act if the men made a move.
• Lin An considered asking the hotel’s survivors about what had happened in the city and held back from killing them to avoid hastening Body of Fear’s progress.
• Zhang Tie headed upstairs and encountered a graceful woman in a qipao on the stairs.

Fan Bing tried to approach Lin An, but he ignored her, while Li Lei grew jealous. Zhang Tie threatened Fan Bing’s assistant and Li Lei before Lin An stopped him, leaving the hotel survivors frightened by Lin An’s authority over the brutal awakened man.

• Fan Bing noticed Lin An and tried to introduce herself, but he ignored her and recognized her attempt to befriend him.
• Li Lei grew jealous of Lin An, while Wang Kun lamented that the women were focused on his looks.
• Zhang Tie recognized Fan Bing as a celebrity but rejected her offered handshake, declaring himself an awakened one.
• Fan Bing’s assistant insulted Zhang Tie, so he grabbed her by the neck and threatened Li Lei when he tried to intervene.
• Lin An ordered Zhang Tie to return, and Zhang Tie released the assistant and obediently went to his side.

Lin An questioned Wang Kun’s group about nearby Mutants, learning of a Second-Order Mutant in a neighboring neighborhood. He wanted to find more, since one was not enough for his plans, and left Wang Kun stunned by his team’s eagerness to fight them.

• Lin An stopped the dispute over the assistant and asked Wang Kun’s group whether any Mutants, especially Second-Order Mutants, were nearby.
• Li Lei bragged that he had killed a powerful Ghoul, while Fan Bing apologized to Lin An and tried to charm him.
• Wang Kun explained that a huge, orderly Zombie Crowd had driven them from the Wealth Building and that they had found Mutants in four locations, including a four-armed Second-Order Mutant.
• Lin An asked whether there were any other Second-Order Mutants and whether Wang Kun could locate them.
• Zhang Tie said one Second-Order Mutant was not enough to kill, and Gao Tian shared his regret that there was only one to fight.

Lin An planned to search the hospital for Mutants with Mo Ling while Zhang Tie looked for more targets. As the night continued, Wang Kun and Li Lei guessed at Lin An’s motives and prepared to protect their claim on the hospital, while Fan Bing dressed and resolved not to lose.

• Lin An planned to have Zhang Tie search for Mutants while he explored the hospital with Mo Ling, and Mo Ling waited outside his room to take a shower.
• Wang Kun asked Li Lei what he thought of Chu An, and Li Lei dismissed the idea that Chu An’s group could hunt Second-Order Mutants.
• Wang Kun suspected Chu An’s group had come to obtain medical supplies from the hospital, and he and Li Lei silently agreed not to give up their claim on it.
• Fan Bing examined a black dress in her room, changed out of her qipao, and murmured that she would not lose.

Fan Bing tried to use a late-night shower as an excuse to get close to Lin An, but seeing his apparent access to electricity and hot water, she decided she wanted to attach herself to him instead. Lin An let Mo Ling into his room and shut the door in Fan Bing’s face.

• Mo Ling waited outside Lin An’s room while Fan Bing emerged from Room 909 in a carefully arranged outfit and watched the light beneath Room 908’s door.
• Fan Bing realized Lin An likely had enough resources to power lights and heat shower water, and she shifted from trying to manipulate him to seeking his protection.
• Fan Bing asked Mo Ling if she could join her and help her put on fragrance, but Mo Ling coldly ignored her.
• Fan Bing approached Lin An’s doorway and asked to come in for a shower, but Lin An let Mo Ling inside and slammed the door on her.

Fan Bing's attempt to attract Lin An failed, while Li Lei vowed to kill Lin An after his master urged him to take his equipment. Lin An's group then began clearing the hospital, revealing Mo Ling's ability to move among and summon Zombies as Lin An and Gao Tian headed inside.

• Fan Bing rejected Li Lei's hot pot and shut herself in her room, leaving Li Lei convinced Lin An had upset her.
• Li Lei's master used Mental Transmission to urge him to kill Chu An and take his equipment, and Li Lei agreed to kill the pretty boy he blamed for Fan Bing's mood.
• Zhang Tie reopened the blocked window, and Lin An tossed Mo Ling outside, alarming the hotel's survivors.
• Mo Ling crossed the Zombie Crowd without provoking it and activated her skill to draw Zombies out of the hospital.
• Lin An told the group to split up, Zhang Tie went after the Second-Order Mutant, and Lin An took Gao Tian toward the hospital.

Lin An investigated the hospital room of Xuan Ziyi, the Red-Clad Mutant, and uncovered clues about her illness and early transformation. He realized the creature might not be a Mental Strength Mutant, then recognized the eyeglasses Gao Tian found as Chu An’s.

• Lin An and Gao Tian searched Ward 317 and found Xuan Ziyi’s medical records, which showed she had a severe brain tumor and other neurological conditions.
• Lin An examined Xuan Ziyi’s records and photograph, deducing that she came from a single-parent family whose mother had sold their home to pay for her treatment.
• Lin An reasoned that Xuan Ziyi’s Mutant traits might reflect her illnesses and concluded that her apparent floating could have been her using Mental Strength to support and move her body.
• Gao Tian found gold-rimmed eyeglasses and a birthday card in the bathroom, and Lin An recognized the glasses as Chu An’s.

Lin An found a damaged pair of glasses that might have belonged to Chu An and continued searching the hospital for a spatial anomaly. At the hotel, Wang Kun grew determined to seize Mo Ling after realizing her ability could draw Zombie Crowds.

• Gao Tian showed Lin An a worn, cracked pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and Lin An stored them to ask Chu An about them later.
• Lin An told Gao Tian to check for spatial anomalies, finish loading the medicine, and return to the hotel to wait for Zhang Tie to lure out the Mutant.
• Wang Kun watched Mo Ling's Death Qi summon Zombie Crowds and concluded that her ability could help him claim equipment guarded by Zombies.
• Wang Kun decided to recruit Mo Ling into his team or kill Lin An if he refused to hand her over.
• Wang Kun threatened the survivors not to reveal Mo Ling's ability, then went upstairs to speak with Li Lei.

Wang Kun and Li Lei discussed how to take Mo Ling and the equipment they believed her ability could help them obtain. They decided to lure Lin An's group with a poisonous Second-Order Mandala disguised as an apology, leaving their attack plan ready to carry out.

• Wang Kun abandoned his doubts about Zhang Tie's claim and went to Li Lei to discuss Mo Ling.
• Wang Kun proposed inviting Lin An's group to join them while trying to seize Mo Ling and their equipment.
• Li Lei urged Wang Kun to attack instead of trusting the outsiders' claims about killing a Second-Order Mutant.
• Li Lei proposed that Sister Bing deliver the poisonous Mandala as an apology and use her beauty to put Lin An's group at ease.
• Wang Kun agreed the plan was feasible, and the two men eagerly anticipated taking the equipment, Mo Ling, and a Safe Zone.

Fan Bing accepted Li Lei and Wang Kun’s plan to poison Lin An with a Mandala, though she feared Lin An’s strength and suspected he might kill everyone who learned of Mo Ling’s ability. As the others returned to the hospital, Li Lei and Wang Kun concealed their killing intent.

• Li Lei urged Fan Bing to give Lin An the poisonous Mandala as an apology so they could kill him and take his equipment and Mo Ling.
• Wang Kun joined Li Lei in persuading Fan Bing, arguing that Mo Ling’s skill could help them become Awakeners and establish a Safe Zone.
• Fan Bing agreed to the plan but, alone in the corridor, wondered whether Lin An had revealed Mo Ling’s ability because he intended to kill everyone who knew about it.
• A survivor spotted people returning to the hospital, and Li Lei and Wang Kun exchanged a glance as their killing intent briefly showed.

Lin An and Mo Ling brought Mo Yu back from the hospital and wrestled with whether turning her human would leave her safe in the apocalypse. At the hotel, the crowd confronted them for bringing in a zombie, but Lin An and his companions turned their attention to someone approaching.

• Lin An rescued Mo Ling and Gao Tian bound Mo Yu, whom Mo Ling identified as her sister.
• Lin An told Mo Ling he planned to inject Mo Yu with the Antidote Serum at the base and experiment with giving her only half a dose.
• Mo Ling worried that returning Mo Yu to human life would expose her to suffering, and Lin An promised to protect her, even describing a shelter and a plan to destroy the world if he could no longer keep her safe.
• Gao Tian carried the bound Mo Yu into the hotel, prompting the crowd, the bespectacled female assistant, and Li Lei to protest.
• Wang Kun stopped the crowd and asked Fan Bing to speak to Lin An, but Lin An and the others turned toward the hole after hearing Bear Dunce announce that someone was arriving.

Lin An’s group lured Mutants to the hotel, where Zhang Tie killed the Licker with one punch. The Leaping Corpse approached, and Zhang Tie charged toward it after Lin An instructed him to capture it alive.

• Zhang Tie lured two First Order Mutants and a Second Order Mutant toward the hotel but failed to find another Second Order Mutant.
• Lin An identified the approaching Mutants as a Licker, a Leaping Corpse, and a Rotting Titan (Pseudo), then ordered Zhang Tie to capture the Leaping Corpse alive and kill the Licker.
• Wang Kun and Li Lei prepared to fight the Licker and demanded that Lin An’s group help, while Zhang Tie stood by Lin An’s instructions.
• Li Lei shot the Licker, which charged at Zhang Tie, but Zhang Tie broke its claws and crushed its head with one punch.
• Zhang Tie activated his Charge skill and rushed toward the approaching Leaping Corpse, telling Wang Kun that he only needed to throw one punch.

Zhang Tie battled the Leaping Corpse while Li Lei and the voice in his necklace plotted to make Lin An eat the Mandala. Lin An decided to investigate Li Lei’s strange Mental Strength, and Zhang Tie finally defeated the monster.

• Li Lei’s master reassured him that Zhang Tie’s strength came from his left hand and urged him to trick Lin An into eating the Mandala.
• Li Lei resented the crowd’s admiration for Zhang Tie and Sister Bing’s attention to Lin An, while Gao Tian offered to deal with Li Lei.
• Lin An told Gao Tian to have Mo Ling handle Li Lei later and considered the unusual Mental Strength coming from him.
• Zhang Tie charged the Leaping Corpse, pinned it down, and battered it until he tore off its last limb.

Li Lei persuaded Wang Kun to cooperate, but the arrival of the Second-Order Rotting Titan frightened the survivors. Lin An sent Zhang Tie and Gao Tian to capture the unusual mutant alive while he stood ready to intervene.

• Li Lei pressured Wang Kun into agreeing to help, promising a share of the spoils and threatening to expose the mandrake plot if he refused.
• The Rotting Titan appeared and charged toward the hotel, terrifying the survivors and revealing itself as a Second-Order Mutant.
• Li Lei consulted his Master, regained confidence, and offered to cooperate with Lin An's group for only one item from the spoils.
• Lin An identified the creature as an Intermediate Second-Order Mutant called Rotting Titan-Pseudo and ordered Zhang Tie and Gao Tian to capture it alive.
• Zhang Tie and Gao Tian charged the Titan while Lin An watched with his Mental Strength covering the area and a Dark Red Longsword ready.

Zhang Tie and the others struggled against the Rotting Titan, while Wang Kun’s attack failed and nearly cost him his life. As Gao Tian came close to locking onto the monster’s weak point, Lin An stepped forward to fight.

• The Rotting Titan chased Zhang Tie and struck with four powerful arms as Gao Tian tried to aim at its weak point.
• Wang Kun used Hundred Fists against the Titan, but his punches failed to break its defenses and the recoil injured him.
• Li Lei used Energy Gathering to disrupt the Titan’s attack, allowing Wang Kun to escape with severe injuries.
• Li Lei’s master instructed him to keep the outsiders from fleeing, offer them the Mandala in two portions, and secretly drive the monster back.
• Gao Tian told Lin An he needed one more second to lock onto the Second-Order Mutant, and Lin An stepped forward with Blood Annihilation.

Lin An used the Blood Annihilation and Sword Prison to cripple the Rotting Titan after it wounded Zhang Tie and drove Li Lei into flight. The survivors watched in shock, while Li Lei heard his master warn him to run if the Titan had not eaten the Mandala.

• The Rotting Titan overwhelmed Zhang Tie with its poisonous mist and attacks, leaving him seriously wounded.
• The Titan charged at Li Lei, who fled toward the hotel as the survivors panicked and blamed Lin An.
• A bespectacled assistant cursed Lin An, and he killed her with a sudden strike.
• Lin An sent the Blood Annihilation through the Titan and used Sword Prison to sever all four of its arms.
• Li Lei heard his master express fear and tell him to run if the Titan had not eaten the Mandala.

Lin An defeated the Rotting Titan and left the survivors stunned by the gap between his strength and theirs. He considered whether to use the Fusion Heart on the wounded Titan, which could produce a powerful but unpredictable mutant.

• Zhang Tie limped over and kicked the still-roaring Rotting Titan while Gao Tian shot the remaining zombies.
• Wang Kun approached Lin An, abandoned his thoughts of taking Lin An’s equipment, and returned to the second floor in fear and awe.
• Lin An concealed the limits of his brief burst of power and put Blood Annihilation away.
• Lin An took out the Fusion Heart and received a prompt offering to fuse it with the wounded Second-Order Rotting Titan-Pseudo.
• Lin An weighed fusing the Titan against finding another Second-Order Mutant.