Chapter Summaries

Lin An and his team found no way to break the deadlock in the Black Tower before Klein, a researcher from the sealed plane, appeared. Klein explained that the humans and Zombies were all part of the Amoeba Worm and warned that the disaster had no way to survive; Lin An realized he had overlooked something.

• Lin An refused to put the books about eternal life into his ring because he feared following the old professor's path and becoming an Amoeba Worm.
• Lin An told Gao Tian that the Zombies' ability to grow stronger by absorbing the dead might reveal a way to break the deadlock, but a metallic voice interrupted him.
• Lin An, Gao Tian, and Zhang Tie turned their weapons toward Klein, who identified himself as a researcher from the Black Tower and asked how they had entered the sealed plane.
• Klein explained that the humans and Zombies outside were gene-spliced with the Amoeba Worm, and that every death strengthened the rest of it.
• Klein introduced himself as a Wizard World Advanced Apprentice and researcher under Shelter Number 97, then told Lin An there was no way to survive the disaster.

After discovering that the Punishment Sub-World Instance was designed to trap players who had exploited loopholes, Lin An prepared to sacrifice himself so his companions could escape and return to Dragon An Base. Just as he entered the teleportation array, Zhang Tie seized the Third-Order Key and escaped alone, ordering Klein to trap the others inside the Black Tower.

• Lin An realized the mission's Doomsday Crisis referred to the players themselves and that the System's apparent escape route would imprison them as Amoeba Worms.
• With the Zombie Tide approaching Dragon An Base, Lin An planned to use the Third-Order Key to break out, send Mo Ling and Zhang Tie back, and remain behind because the System would erase him if he failed.
• Lin An gave Mo Ling his Space Ring, comforted her and Zhang Tie, and stepped toward the teleportation array while preparing to sacrifice himself.
• Zhang Tie transformed into a Black Bear, struck Lin An in the chest, took the Third-Order Key, and escaped through the array.
• Zhang Tie ordered Klein to shut down the teleportation array and trap Lin An, Mo Ling, and Gao Tian inside as he faced the Zombie sea outside the Black Tower.

Zhang Tie used the key to force open the Third Order Flesh Lock, briefly gaining immense power to slaughter the Second Order Zombies outside the Black Tower. The Zombies then collectively advanced to Third Order and began flying toward him, leaving Lin An watching as Zhang Tie faced an overwhelming new attack.

• Lin An discovered Zhang Tie had left the Teleportation Array and confronted Klein, who revealed that Zhang Tie had asked whether it could be shut down from inside.
• Zhang Tie endured the Zombies’ attacks and apologized to Lin An, admitting he had guessed what Chu An meant but had been too afraid to speak up.
• Zhang Tie told Lin An he feared his death but feared Lin An dying more, then was blinded as Gao Tian and Mo Ling tried unsuccessfully to get him inside the tower.
• Zhang Tie plunged the key into his chest and used it to open the Third Order Flesh Lock, growing into a giant bear and killing waves of Zombies.
• The key’s power caused Zhang Tie’s body to collapse, while the dead Zombies’ aura strengthened the remaining 700 million Zombies until they reached Third Order and flew toward him.

Zhang Tie sacrificed himself to make the Amoeba Worms consume his death-protection effect, causing the infected Zombies to collapse and completing the mission. As the return countdown began, Lin An charged outside to retrieve Zhang Tie’s left hand, using the Black Dragon and the Causality Sequence to search the Corpse Mountain.

• Zhang Tie let the Third Order Zombies devour him, explaining that they would die after consuming his protective effect and telling Lin An they would still be brothers in their next lives.
• Zhang Tie died, and the Zombies that had eaten his corpse began collapsing, triggering the mission’s completion and a thirty-second forced return countdown.
• Lin An demanded that Klein open the Teleportation Array, then rushed outside despite the remaining Zombies’ danger.
• Gao Tian stopped Mo Ling from following Lin An and explained that Lin An was trying to retrieve Zhang Tie’s left arm.
• Lin An recalled that the Stitcher’s left hand would not be eaten and used the Causality Hourglass and Black Dragon’s power to freeze the remaining Zombies.
• With the return countdown nearly over, Lin An searched the Corpse Mountain for Zhang Tie’s arm.

Dragon An Base faced an approaching Zombie Tide, hostile factions, and the possibility that the military had discovered its location while Lin An remained trapped in an instance. Wen Ya learned that Zhang Tie had died and feared Lin An was next, but Chu An interpreted Zhang Tie’s death as a sign that the situation was going well.

• Staff at Dragon An Base’s Command Center reported that the Zombie routes had changed and would breach the Warning Line in 57 hours, with six types of Mutants among the horde.
• Wen Ya entered the Command Center worried about Lin An’s continued absence and the growing threats to the base.
• The System informed Wen Ya that Zhang Tie had disconnected, and she feared Lin An had also encountered disaster in the instance.
• Wen Ya told Chu An about Zhang Tie’s death and her fear for Lin An while describing the threats facing Dragon An Base.
• Chu An stood up and said that Zhang Tie was the one who deserved to die most, so his death meant the situation was very good.

Lin An confronted Chu An over Zhang Tie’s death and learned that Zhang Tie could be revived using the arm Lin An recovered from the instance dungeon. Chu An revealed that the Undying Asura was the vessel for the revival, leaving Lin An to face the cost of bringing Zhang Tie back.

• Lin An burst into Chu An’s room and threatened to kill him for deceiving him about Zhang Tie and the Amoeba Worm.
• Chu An told Lin An that he could revive Zhang Tie, though Chu An himself could not.
• After Lin An recounted what happened in the Amoeba Instance Dungeon, Chu An explained that Zhang Tie’s arm had preserved his player information and could help restore him.
• Chu An said the revival required vitality, Mental Strength, and a new vessel, then identified the Undying Asura as the vessel he had already shown Lin An.

Chu An explained that he planned to revive Zhang Tie by using Undying Asura as a will-less body, and told Lin An why Zhang Tie’s death might give him a chance to survive the future. He then revealed that killing Mo Ling was another way to resolve the instance dungeon, just as she arrived outside the room.

• Chu An proposed using Undying Asura to recreate Zhang Tie from the information in his severed arm, since the monster could copy his body and memories without mental conflict.
• Chu An explained that Zhang Tie’s weak talent meant he would eventually die following Lin An, and argued that reviving him now could help him cross into the Third Order.
• Lin An asked how Zhang Tie would grow stronger and how Chu An had deduced a solution to the instance dungeon.
• Chu An said Zhang Tie could strengthen himself by taking damage after merging with Undying Asura, and admitted that his letter had been a guess designed for the possibility Zhang Tie died.
• Chu An said another way to break the situation was to kill Mo Ling, who had just arrived outside the room and overheard him.

Chu An explained how he had deduced ways to survive the Amoeba Instance Dungeon and why Zhang Tie’s death could lead to his revival. He then told Lin An to enter the Secret Realm World, reach the Third Order, and massacre a city to deter Dragon Security Base’s enemies.

• Chu An explained that the Third-Order Key could let Gao Tian, Mo Ling, or Zhang Tie each survive the instance through a different method, and that Zhang Tie’s death was the best outcome for Lin An.
• Lin An learned that Chu An’s cryptic words about flowers had been meant to hint that Zhang Tie could be revived, and that two Third Order Mutants would be needed for the revival.
• Chu An told Lin An to enter the Secret Realm World to avoid another punishment mission and to reach the Third Order so Dragon Security Base could confront the War Zone.
• Chu An ordered Lin An to massacre a city after holding back the Zombie Tide, so he would frighten potential enemies and prevent Dragon Security Base from being attacked.

At a war-room meeting, Lin An and the Base leaders assessed the approaching Zombie Tide and the threat posed by its Second Order Mutants. Chu An outlined how Dragon An Base’s defenses and Awakener squads could counter them, then began presenting the Weapon Research Institute’s achievements.

• Lin An convened the Base’s leaders and management after a night’s rest, while continuing to suppress the dangerous effects of his Body of Fear.
• Chu An reported that the Zombie Tide could reach 370,000 Zombies and identified thirty-three Mutants, including sixteen Second Order threats.
• Chu An described the abilities of the TANKs, Chargers, Rotting Giant Corpses, and Wailing Banshees, while two Mutants remained unidentified.
• Huang HaiTao warned that the Base’s sixty-seven Awakeners were poorly prepared to face the Second Order Mutants, prompting concern among the attendees.
• An JingTian silenced the commotion, and Chu An explained that the Base’s walls, Spiritual Energy Defense Tower, and leveling recovery would support the defenders.
• Chu An began presenting the Weapon Research Institute’s achievements.

Lin An assigned roles for the coming city defense battle, using specialized equipment and Wen Ya’s Mental Strength Sharing to support the Awakeners. He left Gao Tian, Mo Ling, and Yun Tian with demanding missions against Second-Order Mutants and the Zombie Tide.

• Chu An introduced a carbon-nanotube rope launcher designed to restrain the TANK and Rotting Giant Corpse, giving the defenders a chance to focus on other Mutants.
• Lin An assigned ranged Awakeners to attack from the Spiritual Energy Defense Tower and melee Awakeners to fight First Order Mutants with Wen Ya’s Mental Barrier support.
• Lin An revealed that Wen Ya could share Mental Strength, then gave her the Energy Core so she could replenish her strength through the Spiritual Energy Absorption Tower.
• Lin An ordered Gao Tian to kill at least four Second-Order Mutants after the siege Mutants were restrained.
• Lin An tasked Mo Ling, Yun Tian, and Yun Lin with drawing away and disrupting one hundred thousand Zombies, while Yun Tian was ordered to prioritize Mo Ling’s safety.
• Mo Ling brightened when Lin An stressed that Yun Tian must protect her and bring her back if the mission became dangerous.

Lin An and Chu An assessed Dragon An Base’s chances against the Zombie Tide and agreed that the Wangjiang Military Region could pose an additional threat. Chu An proposed using Liang Shaoguang to track its reconnaissance teams and warned that Lin An might have to use the Meme to destroy the surrounding military regions.

• Dragon An Base’s members left the meeting hopeful about defending the city and reopening recruitment after the mission.
• Lin An told Chu An he was only seventy percent confident about surviving the Zombie Tide without Zhang Tie and Bear Dunce.
• Chu An warned that the Wangjiang Military Region might find Dragon An Base and attack while it fought the Zombies.
• Chu An explained that the Capital Military Region might view Dragon An Base as a threat and use it as an example against independent factions.
• Chu An proposed having Liang Shaoguang track the reconnaissance teams, eliminate or capture them, and negotiate with Wangjiang.
• Chu An told Lin An to use the Meme to destroy the surrounding military regions if the situation became extreme.

Lin An and Chu An planned to use the Meme Doll to deter the Wangjiang Military Region and other forces, while Lin An intended to disguise a system mission to search for An Xia. Chu An proposed broadcasting information about the Doll’s terror across vast distances, making its threat a deterrent even to forces far away.

• Lin An called Fan Bing into the conference room, where Chu An explained a plan to have her carry the Meme Doll into the Wangjiang Military Region if negotiations failed.
• Chu An proposed using Liang Shaoguang’s wife, Zhou Fengling, as the Doll’s carrier, and Lin An warned that the Doll could become uncontrollable and destroy the entire war zone.
• Chu An outlined plans to negotiate with the Wangjiang Military Region, then massacre a hostile city after the Zombie Tide to deter enemies and raise Lin An’s prestige.
• Lin An explained that he planned to use the Broadcast Authority to disguise a system mission and gather information about An Xia while protecting her.
• Chu An suggested using the Broadcast Authority to spread the Meme Doll’s terror widely, turning it into a long-range deterrent against anyone who dared to attack.

Lin An realized that Chu An’s plan relied on using broadcast privileges to alter the Meme Doll’s killing method by changing what people feared. After discussing whether this exploited the Apocalypse System, Chu An turned his attention to Lin An’s reward from the Amoeba Instance Dungeon and declared Punishment Sub-World Instances the best kind of instance.

• Chu An pointed out that the Meme Doll’s killing method could change according to how people understood it, and Lin An realized the Doll’s fear-based rules could be reshaped through broadcasts.
• Lin An worried that using the Doll this way would exploit a System loophole and trigger another Punishment Sub-World Instance.
• Chu An suggested that apparent loopholes might be variables deliberately left in the Doomsday Game, then stopped speculating about the System.
• Chu An asked what reward Lin An had received from the Amoeba Instance Dungeon, and Lin An showed him a silver-white reagent.
• Chu An examined the reagent with feverish interest and told Lin An that Punishment Sub-World Instances were the best kind of instance.

Chu An explained that the Punishment Sub-World Instance tested whether clever Players could succeed without exploiting loopholes, then showed Lin An how the Amoeba Integration Trait could let him absorb emotions from infected people at any distance. The chapter ended with Chu An revealing that Zhang Tie’s arm, which Lin An had brought back, carried Amoeba Virus.

• Chu An argued that the System punished exceptional Players by testing whether they could complete difficult missions without relying on loopholes.
• Lin An dismissed the Amoeba Reagent as useless because there were no other Amoeba Worms in the real world to share information with him.
• Chu An reminded Lin An that the Amoeba Worm had blocked the transmission of emotional power in the Amoeba Instance Dungeon.
• Lin An realized that infecting people with Amoeba Worms could let him absorb their emotions across any distance.
• Chu An told Lin An that Zhang Tie’s arm contained a large amount of Amoeba Virus.

Lin An traveled toward the Wangjiang Military Region scouts while weighing Zhang Tie’s possible resurrection and his own worsening Body of Fear. He decided to delay Zhang Tie’s return and recognized that he needed to enter the secret realm and reach the Third Order before his power caused another catastrophe.

• Liang Shaoguang told Lin An that they would reach the Wangjiang scouts in about half an hour, and Lin An ordered him to stop three kilometers away.
• Lin An recalled that Senior Colonel Chu could resurrect Zhang Tie immediately at the cost of his strength, or that Lin An could find Mental Strength in the secret realm so Zhang Tie could return at the Third Order.
• Lin An chose to postpone Zhang Tie’s resurrection because he believed his friend would struggle to accept life as a powerless weakling.
• Lin An remembered You Wei waiting for Zhang Tie and him to return, and An Xia watching anxiously for Lin An during his absence.
• Lin An recognized that his Body of Fear’s killing desire was worsening and that, if it overwhelmed him, he could become a disaster that destroyed the real world.
• Lin An concluded that he had to enter the secret realm and break through to the Third Order to preserve his fragile control.

Gao Yan’s Wangjiang reconnaissance team received orders to track a Zombie Tide believed to be heading toward Dragon An Base and gather precise coordinates for a bombing. The team underestimated Lin An and his base as they prepared to follow the horde.

• Gao Yan learned that the military region wanted her team to follow the Zombie Tide and locate Dragon An Base.
• The radio operator explained that the Capital Military Region believed the horde had been drawn by Dragon An Base and expected it to face a City Defense Mission.
• Gao Yan worried that infiltrating the area to obtain accurate bombing coordinates would put the seven-person team in danger.
• Zhao Zhiping reassured Gao Yan that Dragon An Base had shown no hostility and repeated the military’s dismissive view of Lin An based on Tang Wan’s interrogation.
• The team ate hot pot in the trashed convenience store, and a young soldier joked that Lin An might not even be able to beat Zhao Zhiping.

Lin An burst into the Wangjiang Military Region squad’s hideout and struck Zhao Zhiping with a devastating Mental Shock. Gao Yan recognized him as the chapter ended, while the soldiers were left stunned by his sudden attack.

• Zhao Zhiping proposed approaching Dragon An Base and persuading its people to surrender their token after the Zombie Tide threatened them.
• Gao Yan warned the squad not to underestimate Lin An or Dragon An Base and urged them to proceed cautiously.
• A scout with the Spirit Rat talent sensed a terrifying presence approaching the shop and warned the squad.
• Lin An smashed through the concrete wall and entered the shop, interrupting Zhao Zhiping’s skill with a Mental Shock that badly injured him.
• Gao Yan recognized Lin An as the squad stared at him in alarm.

Lin An confronted Gao Yan’s reconnaissance team and brutally killed Zhao Zhiping when he spoke out of turn. Gao Yan claimed the military wanted to cooperate, then warned Lin An that an army of more than one hundred thousand zombies, including at least four Second-Order Mutants, was heading toward him.

• Lin An appeared before Gao Yan’s team with a changed appearance and overwhelming pressure, then demanded answers.
• Zhao Zhiping tried to identify the team and threaten Lin An, so Lin An crushed him to death.
• A soldier admitted that the team had been looking for Lin An, and Lin An demanded to know their orders under threat of death.
• Gao Yan claimed that the team wanted to help Dragon An Base cooperate with Lin An.
• Lin An dismissed the offer, recalling the Capital Military Region’s demand for the Safety Token and its disastrous retreat plan from his previous life.
• Gao Yan warned Lin An that a zombie army of more than one hundred thousand, including at least four Second-Order Mutants, was moving toward him.

Lin An rejected the Wangjiang Military Region’s attempt to secure his cooperation by offering help against the Zombie Tide, while Liang Shaoguang revealed Dragon An Base already knew the threat was far larger than Gao Yan believed. After learning where the other scouting squads were, Lin An ordered his men to capture Gao Yan’s group and set out to eliminate the rest.

• Gao Yan offered Lin An military support against a hundred thousand Zombies if he joined the Wangjiang Military Region and shared information about the Safe Zone mission.
• Liang Shaoguang arrived and corrected the soldiers, saying they had detected three hundred and seventy thousand Zombies.
• Gao Yan demanded that Lin An join the military and disclose mission information, while her soldiers urged him to obey the authorities.
• Lin An suspected the Wangjiang squad wanted Dragon An Base’s coordinates so they could target it, but agreed to take them to the base.
• Gao Yan revealed the locations of the other scouting squads, and Lin An ordered his men to tie up her group before he went to kill the other scouts.

Lin An explained why he had killed the military reconnaissance teams, arguing that their mission to obtain Dragon An Base’s coordinates could eventually lead to a missile strike that would kill its survivors. Gao Yan defended the soldiers’ preparations as necessary for the greater good, while Lin An declared that he himself was the greater good.

• Lin An reflected on the twenty-seven soldiers he had killed and explained to Liang Shaoguang that the Body of Fear pushed him toward instinctive violence.
• Liang Shaoguang showed discomfort with Lin An’s actions, and Lin An argued that living soldiers would keep trying to complete their mission and might lead the military region to attack the base.
• Bound in the vehicle, Gao Yan insisted that the military region had sought Dragon An Base’s coordinates only as a precaution and that its soldiers acted for millions of survivors.
• Lin An rejected Gao Yan’s appeal to the greater good, declaring, “I am the greater good,” and reflected that explanations would not overcome suspicion.