Chapter Summaries

Fiona’s team deduced that the Strength Trial was driving Awakeners to repeat the townspeople’s cruelty, while Lin An concluded that the trial required confronting its challenge through force. When the death toll passed 35%, the System triggered the Inner World and barred Awakeners from voluntarily leaving for 48 hours.

• Fiona pieced together the Silent Hill backstory and warned that killing other Awakeners would make them accomplices in the girl’s suffering and unleash the town’s evil entities.
• Fiona urged the war zones to unite and help the girl kill the Executioner rather than prey on one another.
• Zhang Tie questioned Lin An about waiting, but Lin An said the Strength Trial tested Awakeners’ beliefs about power and could be overcome by force.
• Lin An explained that the church was where the girl had been burned and said he was focused on completing a Perfect Grade Trial.
• The System announced that the death toll had exceeded 35%, triggered Inner World Layer 1, awarded all Awakeners 5 points, and prohibited them from voluntarily exiting for 48 hours.
• Fiona saw the announcement interrupt her message and realized it was too late to warn the others.

A Chinese military awakened fighter killed an attacker from another war zone as the System announced new points and a forty-eight-hour restriction. In an abandoned hospital, Chen Yangtian urged his forces to keep hunting awakened ones, while Zhang Yong suspected the Mental Body had led the military astray.

• A Chinese military awakened fighter used Armorization to survive a hidden attacker’s battle-ax strike, then killed him and reported the mission complete.
• The military ordered its personnel to suspend the lure-and-kill operation after the trial’s situation changed, and the fighter collected equipment from the dead attacker.
• Chen Yangtian told the gathered military awakened ones that points increased their chance of reaching the Third Order and ordered them to keep hunting despite the Soviet Russia War Zone’s withdrawal.
• Chen Yangtian and his subordinates argued that killing awakened ones fit the Strength Trial, while the Neutral Faction remained silent.
• Zhang Yong questioned the military’s reasoning and suspected that the Mental Body had influenced Chen Yangtian and changed the military’s leaders.

Zhang Yong watched China's military prepare to hunt Awakened, worried about the Underground City Project and Lin An's silence. A bandaged nurse-like monster emerged from the corridor, drained one soldier, and attacked the assembled Awakened.

• Zhang Yong considered the Neutral Faction's limits and the Biological Armor used by modified Awakened, recalling Nie Ping's warning to avoid the Underground City Project.
• Zhang Yong defended Lin An's silence, suggesting he might have gathered enough points to leave the Trial Grounds.
• An Awakened guard heard scraping in the dark corridor, and Chen Yangtian ordered an indiscriminate attack when a soldier froze after entering the darkness.
• A bandaged woman drained the soldier until he collapsed as an empty sheet of skin.
• The monster rushed the Awakened near the corridor and drove a syringe through one fighter's eye and skull before psionic attacks erupted.

The Soviet Russia War Zone President abandoned plans to hunt other Awakened after receiving Fiona’s warning that continued killing would trigger a terrifying event. Before he could learn more, the trial’s death toll surged as a Black Tide of head-bearing spiders attacked, leaving those outside the Trial Tower fearing no one would survive.

• The Soviet Russia War Zone President told Beast Monks that their War Zone had to stop cooperating with others and avoid hunting Awakened, partly because Fiona had warned him against it.
• The President contacted Fiona to ask what she had discovered, but she replied that it was too late and that they had come out.
• A Trial Announcement reported a 49% death toll, Inner World progress of 2/9, and that Trial Takers who had not killed an Executioner would no longer gain points.
• A watcher warned the Soviet Russia War Zone that a Black Tide of spiders carrying dead Awakened heads had appeared outside the school.
• Outside the Trial Tower, the death toll rapidly rose past 52%, and the gathered Awakened panicked because they could not contact anyone inside.

As the Inner World advanced and new monsters appeared, a young man and Harman faced a pair of Human-faced Spiders, while Zhang Yong’s military Awakened group was overwhelmed outside the hospital. The chapter ended with the death count climbing to 69% and Inner World progress reaching Floor 5.

• The young man and Harman attacked a hiding place, where a Head Spider had killed the two Survivors inside.
• The young man fled the spider, but Harman abandoned him at first, and a Trial announcement brought another Human-faced Spider into his escape route.
• Harman returned to shield the young man and was fatally pierced by the spider, telling him to run.
• The young man escaped as two Human-faced Spiders fought behind him, one holding Kurman's head.
• Zhang Yong fled the hospital with a severely injured team member as rotting corpses appeared and the military Awakened were scattered.
• The death count rose to 69% as Inner World progress advanced from Floor 3 to Floor 5.

Lin An watched the Inner World progress surge as monsters slaughtered the Survivors, while Zhang Tie and Bear Dunce worried that the war zones would be wiped out. As the trial neared its critical point, a Red Moon appeared above the Black Mist.

• Lin An saw the death toll rise to 77% as monsters hunted Awakened stained by the blood of their own kind.
• Bear Dunce and Zhang Tie feared that the war zones would be wiped out before the forty-eight-hour trial ended.
• Lin An explained that the System did not distinguish between one death and many, and said the trial would be easier if the Awakened stopped fighting among themselves.
• Lin An wondered what enemy the System would send in the final stage and suspected he might have to play the role of a monster.
• A System prompt sounded as crimson light spread through the sky, revealing a Red Moon above the Black Mist.

Chen Yangtian’s team was trapped by monsters, and two Awakened who had unlocked their Gene Locks died after fighting beyond their bodies’ limits. Realizing the Mental Body’s advice had caused the disaster, Chen Yangtian attacked it, but it warned that killing it would leave them with no hope.

• Chen Yangtian rallied the surviving soldiers as they waited for the next alarm, while a badly wounded Awakened pleaded to live for his sister.
• Li Mingliang convulsed and died, and another Awakened suspected of unlocking his Gene Lock began convulsing as well.
• The Mental Body explained that the two Awakened had fought for too long after unlocking their Gene Locks and said keeping the burst under ten seconds could have let them survive.
• Chen Yangtian blamed himself for ordering the two fighters to keep helping the team escape, then concluded that the Mental Body’s hunting plan had caused the deaths.
• Chen Yangtian activated the Crystal Ball’s Mental Shock against the Mental Body, which warned that killing it would destroy their remaining hope.

As a countdown threatened to kill Chen Yangtian and the Awakened trapped with him, the Mental Body offered a way to survive by having the Biological Armor absorb the wounded. Chen Yangtian released the Mental Body and drained a dying soldier, restoring his attributes as the old man watched with a cruel smile.

• The Mental Body told Chen Yangtian that the trial could be survived by using the Biological Armor to absorb the power of wounded Awakened.
• With seconds remaining, Chen Yangtian unlocked the Mental Chains in the Crystal Ball and let the Mental Body help him.
• Chen Yangtian pressed the Crystal Ball against a gravely wounded soldier, draining him into a Dried Corpse as the soldiers protested.
• The absorption restored Chen Yangtian's attributes and raised his Strength to thirty-five points, while the Mental Body smiled cruelly.

Chen Yangtian and the Awakened absorbed Biological Armor to prepare for battle, but the Mental Body turned on them and killed them. A disguised impostor took Chen Yangtian’s place, activated the Gene Lock, and called the escaped Awakened to gather while Lin An noticed a sudden change in the death count.

• Chen Yangtian ordered the wounded Awakened to absorb Biological Armor, transforming them and amplifying their strength.
• As the countdown ended, the Mental Body revealed its monstrous form and attacked, while the Biological Armor crushed the Awakened and drained their psychic energy.
• The Mental Body devoured Chen Yangtian and declared that there were no Remnants or survivors of the previous apocalypse.
• An impostor adjusted its face to resemble Chen Yangtian, sent a message summoning escaped Awakened, and planned to lure Lin An in as well.
• In the church attic, Lin An noticed the death count briefly drop by thirty-three before rising again and received the message from Chen Yangtian.

Lin An ignored Chen Yangtian’s call to rendezvous, suspecting the China War Zone’s intentions after noticing a strange death count. As survivors began gathering toward the military, Zhang Yong weighed whether to join Lin An, who gave him permission to come while warning him to accept the risks.

• Lin An rejected Chen Yangtian’s request to rendezvous and reasoned that the military should have sent Zhang Yong if it truly wanted to cooperate.
• Chen Yangtian killed an Executioner, then invited Awakened from other war zones to gather near the China Military Region by claiming his side had temporarily unlocked the Gene Lock.
• Chen Yangtian watched survivors converge on the military’s location while plotting to absorb fellow humans.
• At the Orphanage, Zhang Yong met Fiona and her group, noticed the death count matched the number of people who had escaped, and debated whether to rendezvous with Lin An.
• Fiona learned of Chen Yangtian’s claim about unlocking the Gene Lock, while Zhang Yong realized his own message from Chen Yangtian differed from the one sent to other survivors.
• Lin An replied to Zhang Yong, telling him he could come but would be responsible for his own life and death.

Fiona helped Zhang Yong reconsider the warning signs surrounding General Chen and Lin An as the trial advanced to the dangerous ROSE mission. Lin An stayed in the church despite Zhang Yong’s pleas, and Fiona identified his claim that he had been there all along as the crucial clue.

• The trial reached stage eight, gave Survivors one hour of Safe Time, and announced the extremely dangerous ROSE mission in the church.
• Fiona warned Zhang Yong that ROSE was the name of a dead girl with the power of an evil god, and that her appearance could collapse the world's logic.
• Zhang Yong urged Lin An to leave the church, but Lin An replied that he knew the danger and had been there the whole time.
• Zhang Yong’s teammates pressed him to regroup with General Chen, but he hesitated over signs that the hunt and General Chen’s situation were suspicious.
• Fiona heard Zhang Yong’s account and concluded that Lin An’s claim he had been in the church all along was the most crucial detail.

Fiona persuaded Zhang Yong that Lin An had uncovered crucial information and led him and her own team to the church. As the Inner World countdown neared zero, Chen Yangtian gathered surviving Awakened at the bank ruins while Lin An stood among the dead townspeople appearing around the church.

• Fiona reasoned that Lin An had avoided hunting the Awakened because he knew it was wrong and had discovered important clues, so Zhang Yong and Fiona led their teams toward the church.
• Chen Yangtian welcomed the North America War Zone survivors and claimed he could explain how to keep a Gene Lock activated and prevent genetic collapse.
• The North America leader, Colin Hall, thanked Chen Yangtian and promised his war zone's help, while Cole Holling felt confused by Chen's remark that they were all one.
• As the Inner World countdown approached zero, Zhang Yong and Fiona found Lin An standing before the church with Bear Dunce nearby.
• Illusory figures of the town's dead residents appeared throughout the ruined church, with Lin An standing among them.

Lin An gathered the Awakened in the church as the countdown to the mission’s next stage ran down. Fiona tried to discuss how to change Rose’s heart and survive, but Lin An revealed he had found no hidden clues and was simply staying because he could not be bothered to move.

• Zhang Yong and Fiona entered the church grounds and learned they could not leave, then joined Lin An and his group among the phantoms and dead villagers.
• Fiona explained that Rose had been burned at the church and proposed changing Rose’s heart as the way to end the mission.
• Fiona offered to coordinate her team’s Combat Power and fight to buy Lin An time, believing he had found a way to reduce the monsters.
• Lin An said he had found no hidden clues and was staying in the church because he could not be bothered to move.

As the Final Mission began, Lin An declared that the only way to complete the Strength Trial was to kill every monster. The church entered the Ninth-Layer Inner World and was overwhelmed by a horde of monsters, while Lin An disappeared as Zhang Yong and Fiona prepared to fight.

• Zhang Tie threatened the Awakened who accused Lin An, and Bear Dunce reminded them that they had come at their own risk.
• Lin An explained that the Trial had to be solved by killing the monsters, then drew his sword as his Coercive Pressure rose.
• The System announced that the church would face 100 monsters in the first phase and a Final Evil God after 24 hours, while other areas faced 50 monsters and a Final Evil Spirit.
• Executioners and Head Spiders fell from the fog and charged the church crowd.
• Zhang Yong grew two extra arms and charged the monsters, while Fiona prepared to fight and both discovered that Lin An had vanished.

Lin An returned to the battlefield after testing whether the Compass Illusion Realm could hide the group from the monsters, then used Cain's Blade and his skills to turn the fight around. He ended the chapter by unleashing a massive Circular Slash that cut through the surrounding monsters as they fell from the sky.

• Zhang Yong and Fiona fought the Executioners while the Awakened struggled to withstand the monsters, and some believed Lin An had abandoned them.
• Lin An reappeared beside a Head Spider and cut it down, while Bear Dunce joined him and reported that the Compass Illusion Realm had not concealed them from the monsters.
• Lin An activated Destruction and charged into the air, killing two Executioners as Zhang Tie intercepted the ground monsters.
• Lin An searched the sky for the space where the monsters were appearing, then used Demon Form and Death Seed to pour Mental Strength into the Soul-Suppressing Sword Sheath.
• Lin An unleashed Circular Slash, sending a huge silver-white sword arc through the falling monsters and cutting them apart.

Lin An swiftly slaughtered the monsters, leaving the awakened survivors stunned and questioning his strength. He warned that the trial was not over when the church announced a second stage would begin in four hours and the Evil God Advent countdown stood at 19 hours and 59 minutes.

• Lin An's sword attack shredded most of the monsters while Zhang Tie fought the survivors that remained.
• Zhang Yong and the other awakened survivors recovered from the battle, and Fiona asked Lin An how he had defeated the monsters so easily.
• Lin An said he was a Second Order human, then turned his attention to a phantom showing a girl crouched in a filthy utility room.
• Lin An rejected Zhang Yong's suggestion that the mission was complete and warned that the monsters had only been appetizers.
• The church announced that the first stage was about to end, the second stage would begin in four hours, and the Evil God Advent countdown was 19 hours and 59 minutes.

At the town hospital, Chen Yangtian fought off monsters while showing the other war zones how to unlock the Gene Lock through targeted self-hypnosis. Cole Holling offered to deepen cooperation with the China War Zone, and Chen Yangtian privately saw the offer as bait taken.

• Chen Yangtian devoured the Scorched Corpses and crushed the Head Spiders, shocking the Awakeners from other war zones.
• Cole Holling recovered using the Biological Seed General Chen had given him and praised its protection against physical collapse.
• Cole Holling recalled Chen Yangtian’s method of using self-hypnosis to selectively activate useful genetic fragments and unlock the Gene Lock.
• Surviving Awakeners thanked Chen Yangtian, while those from major Asian war zones worried about China’s growing power.
• Cole Holling privately offered Chen Yangtian deeper cooperation and mentioned the North America War Zone’s advances in Radiation Mutagenesis.
• Chen Yangtian accepted with a composed smile and thought that Cole Holling had taken the bait.

After the stage mission ended, Chen Yangtian learned that controlled Radiation could strengthen Awakened, while excessive exposure caused horrific mutations. During the rest period, he told the other war zones that Lin An had stolen the first Safety Token and accelerated the Cataclysm, deepening their hostility toward Lin An.

• The Awakened celebrated completing the stage mission, and Chen Yangtian and Cole Holling discussed the North America War Zone’s Dirty Bomb experiment.
• Cole Holling explained that Radiation had strengthened nearby Zombies and transformed exposed Mutants into monsters.
• Cole Holling revealed that controlled Radiation could boost Awakened, especially those with Mental Strength, and urged China to try the method.
• Chen Yangtian agreed to share the information with his higher-ups and suggested that the two war zones cooperate in future trials.
• During the rest period, Chen Yangtian told the other war zones that Lin An had stolen the first Safety Token and helped cause the trial’s abnormal difficulty, prompting the Great Korean War Zone survivors to renew their hatred of Lin An.

As the Trial countdown neared its end, Korean awakened ones plotted to turn other war zones against Lin An while Chen Yangtian questioned Miyamoto Kura about Japan’s supernatural mission. At the church plaza, Lin An witnessed a new illusion revealing the girl’s courtroom judgment.

• A Korean Gene Lock awakened one urged his companions to hide Lin An’s survival and spread an exaggerated account of the supplies Lin An had taken, hoping others would help kill him in the Trial.
• Chen Yangtian asked Miyamoto Kura about the Fukushima Incident, and Miyamoto indicated that East Ying’s reward had not come from resolving a Supernatural Event.
• Cole Holling asked Chen Yangtian about the Church Area Mission and Lin An, and Chen Yangtian said no one would accept the mission and Lin An might be hiding.
• Chen Yangtian’s hidden Mental Body dismissed Lin An as too weak to complete the final mission or threaten it.
• At the church plaza, Lin An saw an illusion of a courtroom where a frail, black-haired girl with a sewn-shut mouth faced a judgment after a man accused her of seducing him and being an evil spirit.

Lin An and the Awakened connected Silent Hill’s monsters to the cruelty shown in the illusion of Rose’s story, and Fiona explained how those clues revealed the monsters’ weaknesses. Lin An questioned whether Fiona’s theory explained why the illusion had appeared so deep in the Inner World and wondered what it was trying to tell him.

• The illusion ended after showing Rose being silenced and condemned while her adoptive parents and the townspeople watched without helping her.
• Fiona matched the monsters to people who harmed or watched Rose, while Lin An explained that Head Spider also represented Awakened who stood by as their own kind were hunted.
• Fiona and Lin An explained how the monsters’ traits could be exploited, including hiding from the Executioner, avoiding Head Spider’s line of sight, and using light to draw nurse monsters.
• Fiona argued that the Strength Trial tested teamwork, courage, and resistance to temptation as well as physical strength, prompting the Awakened to reconsider the trial.
• Lin An noticed that the illusion’s appearance on the Ninth Floor contradicted Fiona’s theory and wondered what the numb residents were trying to tell him.