Chapter Summaries

Qin Yushi discussed Su Ze’s growing influence and healing ability with Qi Xiaoye, while Su Ze’s friends speculated about humanity’s future after the Apocalyptic Cataclysm. The conversation turned to the authorities’ plans for preserving civilization, and the female class monitor asked Su Ze for his thoughts.

• Qin Yushi told Qi Xiaoye that Su Ze’s healing power did not need to remain secret and explained that his influence had helped her become Head of the Public Security Department.
• Qi Xiaoye blushed as she imagined Su Ze working behind Qin Yushi, and Qin Yushi praised her beauty while urging her to remain pure.
• Wang Zixin arm-wrestled the female class monitor, who pretended to lose and let him claim victory.
• Su Ze arrived with Chen Keqing and joined his acquaintances as Tang Xinnuo asked whether life would remain divided between Contamination Zones and Safe Zones.
• The group discussed rebuilding civilization, and Sun Bin suggested the authorities might sacrifice some things to ensure its continuation; Su Ze recognized the idea as the Kindling Project from his simulations.
• The female class monitor asked Su Ze what he thought about humanity’s future.

Su Ze sensed that the Great Fog heralded the second stage of the apocalypse and told his classmates that the future was uncertain, but staying ahead would help them survive. As the Beak Doctor began hunting people in the fog, Tao Yaoyao learned more about Tian Hanxue’s failed assassination and encountered the masked figure near her laboratory.

• Su Ze sensed signs of the Great Fog around him and realized the second stage of the apocalypse was about to arrive.
• A vicious man and his lackeys emerged into the fog after killing a married couple, where the Beak Doctor confronted them and turned them into walking corpses.
• A researcher told Tao Yaoyao that Tian Hanxue had been a spy trained by Little Sakura and had planned to help assassinate her.
• Tao Yaoyao kept her ability to see Parallel Blue Star’s death perspective secret and considered the report of a stranger hunting people in the Safe Zones.
• Tao Yaoyao sensed an ill omen near her laboratory, saw the Beak Doctor in the fog, and heard him accuse her of framing her junior disciple with her mentor.

As the Great Fog arrived early, Su Ze called Qi Xiaoye to work while Tao Yaoyao analyzed the Beak Doctor’s massacre at the North City research institute. When the Beak Doctor cornered Tao Yaoyao in the fog, Su Ze and another figure appeared to confront it.

• Qi Xiaoye and Chen Keqing discussed the Great Fog’s early arrival and Qi Xiaoye’s fear of the monsters hidden within it.
• Su Ze summoned Qi Xiaoye to work and told her to bring some of Chen Keqing’s freshly baked desserts.
• Tao Yaoyao watched surveillance footage of the Beak Doctor killing researchers and security personnel, then concluded it was far stronger than the Awakened she knew.
• The Beak Doctor appeared in Tao Yaoyao’s room and tried to condemn her as infected, so she escaped through a window into the Great Fog.
• The Beak Doctor found Tao Yaoyao again, but Su Ze and another figure emerged beside it as Tao Yaoyao prepared to face them.

Su Ze arrived in time to protect Tao Yaoyao from the Beak Doctor, while Qi Xiaoye shared what she knew about the creature and warned against killing it. Su Ze then had Qi Xiaoye keep Tao Yaoyao company over sweets as he prepared to speak with the Beak Doctor.

• Su Ze and Qi Xiaoye watched Tao Yaoyao from the Great Fog before Su Ze stepped in as the Beak Doctor turned toward them.
• Qi Xiaoye explained that the Beak Doctor believed everyone had plague and treated people by killing them, then warned Su Ze that a greater being might favor it.
• The Beak Doctor called Qi Xiaoye Su Ze’s fantasy best friend and demanded that her supposed plague-stricken boyfriend be treated, embarrassing Qi Xiaoye.
• The Beak Doctor failed to detect plague on Su Ze, whose God Summoning talent concealed his nature.
• Su Ze sent Qi Xiaoye to approach Tao Yaoyao, and Qi Xiaoye invited her to wait and share sweets while Su Ze talked with the Beak Doctor.
• Qi Xiaoye found a bench with Tao Yaoyao and asked what kind of creature the Beak Doctor was.

Su Ze calmed the Beak Doctor with lavender and offered it a laboratory and experimental materials in exchange for taking it away. Meanwhile, Qi Xiaoye explained Contained Objects and their threat to Tao Yaoyao, who listened while sampling the desserts.

• After Qi Xiaoye and Tao Yaoyao left, Su Ze gave the Beak Doctor lavender, which calmed it and opened the way for a conversation.
• The Beak Doctor described its effort to cure the plague and called its work The Treatment That Ends Everything.
• Su Ze challenged the Beak Doctor’s claim that its victims were being treated, then offered it a private laboratory and experimental materials.
• The Beak Doctor eagerly accepted Su Ze’s offer and urged him to lead the way.
• Qi Xiaoye told Tao Yaoyao about Contained Objects and the danger posed by powerful Transcendent and Mythical Grade creatures.
• Tao Yaoyao listened while eating a doughnut, and Qi Xiaoye asked what grade the Beak Doctor was.

Su Ze welcomed Tao Yaoyao onto his team after she offered her death-viewpoint memories and research help in exchange for his protection. The next day, Professor Yan reviewed reports about the Beak Doctor’s attacks while Yan Jiaojiao demanded that her mother arrange for her evening gowns to be brought from Qi City.

• Qi Xiaoye explained that Su Ze had dealt with Transcendent and Mythical Grade Contained Objects and had shared Word Spirit Techniques with the team.
• Su Ze told Tao Yaoyao that the Beak Doctor had been placed in the Museum, and Tao Yaoyao proposed a deal in return for his protection.
• Su Ze accepted Tao Yaoyao’s offer and welcomed her to the team before leaving with Qi Xiaoye.
• Security personnel emerged from the Great Fog, and Tao Yaoyao told them the Beak Doctor had disappeared.
• Professor Yan read intelligence about the Beak Doctor’s appearances and killings while Yan Jiaojiao complained about the Great Fog and asked her mother to retrieve her evening gowns from Qi City.

Yan Jiaojiao argued that she was preparing to become part of the new era’s ruling class, while Professor Yan questioned whether it was time to vie for power. After the Great Fog suddenly dispersed and every nearby Contamination Zone changed, Qin Yushi asked Tang Xinnuo what future awaited them in the cataclysm-struck world.

• Yan Jiaojiao told Professor Yan that she wanted to use the upheaval to become an aristocrat of the new era, and Professor Yan could not refute her reasoning.
• Yan Jiaojiao and Professor Yan noticed that the Great Fog had suddenly dispersed, while Professor Yan reviewed documents about the Beaked Monster in North City.
• Security personnel shouted that every nearby Contamination Zone had changed after the Great Fog cleared.
• At Su University, Tang Xinnuo stopped massaging Qin Yushi when she noticed the fog had dispersed.
• Qin Yushi asked Tang Xinnuo whether the new world had a ship for her and what the cataclysm-struck world would become.

Qin Yushi warned Tang Xinnuo that the disaster would worsen, then Tang learned that Contamination Zones had changed and grown more dangerous. In SC-35 Safe Zone, Qi Xiaoye explained that human civilization had always been a pyramid, leaving Chen Keqing aware that she was repeating Su Ze’s ideas.

• Qin Yushi teased Tang Xinnuo, warned that the disaster had only begun, and left through a passage created with the Old Days Museum.
• Tang Xinnuo saw that the bordering Contamination Zones had changed and heard that a team led by Zhang Ran had suffered a death and an injury.
• Tang Xinnuo decided she needed to become the department head’s assistant rather than remain a group leader.
• Yun Meng told Chen Keqing about former classmates and complained about Tong Yihua’s remarks about Awakened people.
• Qi Xiaoye told Luo Jiaxin, Yun Meng, and Chen Keqing that human civilization was a pyramid controlled by powerful financial families, while Chen Keqing recognized the ideas as Su Ze’s.

Su Ze showed Tao Yaoyao the Old Days Museum and discussed her research into the Parallel Blue Star and the mysterious death memories she could see. Chen Keqing then reported that officials had arrived at the Safe Zone and wanted to meet Su Ze.

• Qi Xiaoye discussed the Pyramid Rule with Luo Jiaxin and Yun Meng before news arrived that officials had sent people to their Safe Zone.
• Su Ze took Tao Yaoyao through the Old Days Museum, where she examined its Contained Objects and watched the Beak Doctor work in its laboratory.
• Su Ze explained that the Beak Doctor's laboratory was a means of containing it and that its research would not progress.
• Tao Yaoyao said she had not yet found information about the Extraordinary Apostles after Stars Fall, and Su Ze suggested she investigate the source of her death memories.
• Chen Keqing informed Su Ze that an official wanted to meet and talk with him.

Su Ze met with Li Miaor, who invited him to join the authorities and asked to interview him, but he refused the interview and questioned whether she could speak for the authorities. The meeting ended with Li Miaor complimenting Chen Keqing, while Su Ze remained wary of the authorities’ internal conflict.

• Residents of SC-35 welcomed the authorities’ arrival, while Tong Yihua claimed the Contamination Zones might become tourist attractions and Yun Meng told him they had grown more dangerous.
• Li Miaor introduced herself to Su Ze and explained that her father, Yuan Gang, was Suzhou City’s General Representative.
• Li Miaor invited Su Ze to join the authorities, but Su Ze asked whether she could represent them, leaving her uncertain how to answer.
• Li Miaor asked to interview Su Ze, and he refused because he did not want to reveal his secrets or get involved in the authorities’ internal conflict.
• Chen Keqing brought tea to the meeting, and Li Miaor complimented her beauty.

Li Miaor tried to recruit Su Ze into an official organization for Awakened, but he warned that stronger Awakened might soon appear. In SC-1, Sun Xiangkong’s faction debated whether the authorities’ imminent capture of the wanted man Xiang Bitiao would undermine their effort to attack Yuan Gang.

• Li Miaor reflected on the split between Yuan Gang’s and Sun Xiangkong’s factions and questioned whether she could truly represent the authorities.
• Su Ze asked Li Miaor about recruiting other Awakened, and she explained that the authorities wanted all Awakened to join an organization with benefits and assigned duties.
• Li Miaor suggested Su Ze could become a high-ranking administrator, but Su Ze warned that his ability might soon seem less special and that stronger Awakened could emerge.
• At an SC-1 conference, officials reported that Yuan Gang’s teams had trapped Xiang Bitiao in a Contamination Zone and expected to capture him within four hours.
• Sun Xiangkong’s allies worried that Xiang Bitiao’s capture would deprive them of an excuse to attack Yuan Gang, and Sun Xiangkong challenged their confidence that the wanted man would be caught easily.

Sun Xiangkong received news that the authorities had failed to catch Xiang Bitiao and that Xu Pingfeng had become a Tier 2 Awakened with a lightning-based Word Spirit Technique. At Su University, Tang Xinnuo saw through Zhang Ran’s claim that he was going out alone and realized he had found Extraordinary Material and planned to become a Tier 2 Awakened.

• Sun Xiangkong learned that Su Ze was heading to join Yuan Gang’s team and worried that conventional weapons might be needed to stop him.
• Researchers reported that Second Awakening made Awakened more powerful, and that Xu Pingfeng had gained a lightning-controlling Word Spirit Technique.
• Sun Xiangkong learned that Xiang Bitiao had escaped capture and caused casualties.
• The authorities announced plans to recruit Su University’s Awakened while preserving their existing ranks in the school’s security structure.
• Zhang Ran arrived alone at the back gate, and Tang Xinnuo questioned why he was heading out despite his recent injuries and losses.
• Tang Xinnuo guessed that Zhang Ran had found Extraordinary Material and intended to collect more so he could become a Tier 2 Awakened, leaving him stunned.

Tang Xinnuo told Zhang Ran that advancement materials could lead to Tier 2 and a chance to gain a Word Spirit Technique, but refused to share the advancement formula. Su Ze reviewed a simulation in which he and Qi Xiaoye found a statue resembling Little Peanut, leaving him wondering whether some Contained Objects had existed all along.

• Tang Xinnuo explained the Tier 2 advancement path and the possibility of obtaining a Word Spirit Technique, then rejected Zhang Ran's request for the full method.
• Zhang Ran left after boasting that he would figure out the advancement process himself, and Tang Xinnuo contacted Qin Yushi to report that he had found materials.
• Su Ze reviewed a simulation where he and Qi Xiaoye found a Little Peanut-like statue in a Contamination Zone factory, brought it to the North City research institute, and destroyed it thirty days later.
• Su Ze wondered whether the statue was the same Little Peanut he had encountered before and whether Contained Objects had always existed, then the Simulator's cooldown ended.

Su Ze’s simulation revealed that a powerful wanted fugitive had gained his strength by killing Tao Yaoyao, suggesting that she faced danger from more than the spy. Su Ze told Tao Yaoyao what he learned and decided to find the fugitive, while Qi Xiaoye overheard Chen Keqing and Qin Yushi privately discussing how to divide their nights with Su Ze.

• Su Ze’s simulation showed Chen Keqing and Qin Yushi advancing to Tier 2 without obtaining Word Spirit Techniques, and revealed that the wanted fugitive had killed Tao Yaoyao to gain mysterious power.
• Su Ze realized Tao Yaoyao faced killing intent beyond the spy and told her about the fugitive; she seemed unsurprised, though he heard that she was afraid.
• Su Ze simulated several more days without learning anything further about Tao Yaoyao, then stopped and resolved to find the wanted fugitive.
• Chen Keqing and Qin Yushi discussed drawing lots to decide how to share nights with Su Ze, while Qi Xiaoye listened in and silently judged them.

Qi Xiaoye eavesdropped on Chen Keqing and Qin Yushi, then went with Su Ze to Tao Yaoyao for a brain scan. While chatting during the examination, she described how Su Ze had found her in a strange space, and Tao Yaoyao realized the encounter sounded like dealing with a Contained Object.

• Qin Yushi drew a slip marked one day, and she and Chen Keqing compromised on six days together.
• Qi Xiaoye secretly listened as Chen Keqing and Qin Yushi discussed intimate topics, then worried when they suspected she was eavesdropping.
• Su Ze took Qi Xiaoye to Tao Yaoyao for the brain scan she had requested.
• Qi Xiaoye told Tao Yaoyao that Su Ze had found her trapped in a mysterious space with an unsolved college entrance exam math problem.
• Tao Yaoyao said Su Ze's encounter with Qi Xiaoye sounded like he had dealt with a Contained Object.

While Tao Yaoyao examined Qi Xiaoye, Tao Yaoyao’s guess that Qi Xiaoye might be a Contained Object frightened her, though Su Ze’s visions reassured her. After reviewing Tao Yaoyao’s Death Memories, Su Ze discussed the Great Fog’s pattern and warned Tao Yaoyao of a future crisis before announcing that the three of them would investigate a newly found Contained Object.

• Tao Yaoyao suggested Qi Xiaoye might be a Contained Object, and Qi Xiaoye panicked until Tao Yaoyao reasoned that Su Ze would have known from his visions.
• Tao Yaoyao began examining Qi Xiaoye while Su Ze watched AI animations of her Death Memories.
• Su Ze found that the memories offered no new information about Extraordinary Apostles, but showed that the Great Fog could appear frequently and raised the Awakened’s upper limit whenever it came.
• Su Ze and Tao Yaoyao considered whether the Great Fog’s appearance was linked to population or the Awakened’s overall strength, but lacked enough evidence to decide.
• Su Ze warned Tao Yaoyao that a future crisis might target her, promised to eliminate the danger, and said it could reveal her secret.
• Su Ze announced that he had found a new Contained Object and that all three of them would investigate it together.

Su Ze contained a dangerous statue in his Museum and brought Tao Yaoyao to observe the wanted criminal who threatened her. Tao Yaoyao explained that she feared death because she still wanted to uncover the mysteries of the universe.

• Su Ze promised Tao Yaoyao he would show her the person who threatened her after they dealt with a Contained Object.
• Su Ze, Tao Yaoyao, and Qi Xiaoye visited a Contamination Zone, where Su Ze contained a statue that attacked anyone who looked away from it.
• Qi Xiaoye worried that Su Ze might eventually execute her if she was a Contained Object, and Su Ze reassured her with a story about a loyal dog.
• Su Ze took Tao Yaoyao to a Contamination Zone in Suzhou City and pointed out the wanted criminal sleeping in an old residential building.
• Tao Yaoyao told Su Ze that she feared death because she wanted to see the mysteries of the universe.

Xu Pingfeng read a report on Tier 2 Awakened and probed Professor Yan about Tao Yaoyao’s past and whether she had been raised for a predetermined purpose. He then met Sun Xiangkong, discussed Su Ze’s strength, and learned his assignment was to patrol Safe Zones and handle threats to the public.

• Xu Pingfeng read Professor Yan’s report and remarked that his Word Spirit Technique made him stronger than an ordinary Tier 2 Awakened.
• Xu Pingfeng questioned Professor Yan about Tao Yaoyao’s research and whether she had been guided toward becoming a scientific titan, prompting her to respond coldly.
• Xu Pingfeng told Yan Jiaojiao he was married when she greeted him, then left the laboratory building.
• Sun Xiangkong picked Xu Pingfeng up and asked him to compare his strength with Su Ze’s; Xu Pingfeng claimed they were evenly matched despite privately judging Su Ze stronger.
• Sun Xiangkong told Xu Pingfeng to patrol the Safe Zones and deal with public threats, while someone else handled the effort to capture Su Ze.

Xu Pingfeng returned with Sun Xiangkong as Yuan Gang and Li Miaor discussed the growing power of Tier 2 Awakened and the political balance in Suzhou City. Li Miaor decided to observe Su Ze and the Qin family at SC-38, while Su Ze gathered an advancement formula and prepared to help Tang Xinnuo become a Tier 2 Awakened.

• Xu Pingfeng complained to Sun Xiangkong about judging who was good or bad, and Sun Xiangkong scolded him for hinting at the authorities' internal struggle.
• Li Miaor watched Xu Pingfeng return with Sun Xiangkong and asked Yuan Gang whether Xu Pingfeng could rival Su Ze.
• Yuan Gang argued that mass-produced Tier 2 Awakened would eventually outweigh any individual, and said he would step down if his judgment proved wrong.
• Li Miaor decided to serve as a liaison officer at SC-38 so she could observe Su Ze and the Qin family's young lady more closely.
• Su Ze collected the Imagination advancement formula's material in a Contamination Zone near SC-35.
• Su Ze contacted Qin Yushi and asked her to bring Tang Xinnuo over so he could help Tang Xinnuo advance to Tier 2.

Su Ze tracked wanted criminal Xiang Bitiao, who was nearing a Safe Zone, and waited for him to gain the mysterious power seen in the simulation. Meanwhile, Xu Pingfeng’s squad arrested the Hulu Island Seven in SC-31, leaving Xu pleased with his public display of strength.

• Su Ze used Global Link to locate Xiang Bitiao and learned he was approaching a nearby Safe Zone.
• Su Ze recalled Xiang Bitiao’s history and decided to wait for him to obtain the unknown power before investigating its connection to Tao Yaoyao.
• Xu Pingfeng’s squad arrived in SC-31 and responded to a report that the Hulu Island Seven had attempted to abduct a woman.
• The squad arrested the gang members, while their Tier 2 leader escaped toward the Contamination Zone.
• Xu Pingfeng intercepted the leader with a lightning-wreathed punch and ordered his subordinates to take him in for questioning.
• Deputy Officer Meng accused Xu Pingfeng of staging the arrest to show off, and Xu defended the performance as a way to build trust in the officials.