Recaps

Xia Wuyou intervened in the clash between Lei Song’s Spark team and the Inspection Bureau, defeating Tang Shuang and rescuing Lei Song before escaping. She later met Xu Shi on the Serpent Coil rooftop and asked why he had made her save the Spark members.

• Xia Wuyou used her armored suit and gravity-related ability to pin Tang Shuang and send the Inspection Bureau’s reinforcements flying.
• Xia Wuyou injected Lei Song with a stimulant, allowing him to escape with a surviving Spark member who carried one metal box.
• Tang Shuang ordered an S-class warrant for the fugitives and began trying to identify the armored Ascendant.
• Xia Wuyou escaped Tang Shuang, went to the Serpent Coil headquarters rooftop, and asked Xu Shi why he had made her save the Spark members.

Xia Wuyou learned that Xu Shi had arranged Spark’s rescue to put Shen He in a bind over the Sea Cranes, while he reassured her that she could keep visiting Xia Ke'an. Shen He received a single Sea Crane after Lei Song returned gravely injured, then got a call asking whether he had secured it.

• Xia Wuyou questioned Xu Shi’s order to rescue Spark, and he explained that giving Shen He only one Sea Crane would force him to choose between disappointing Shark Tooth and breaking their alliance.
• Xia Wuyou recognized Xu Shi’s reasoning, learned that Xia Ke'an’s treatment was working, and received permission to visit her aunt whenever she wanted.
• Xia Wuyou left after Xu Shi teased her, and he wondered what choice Shen He would make.
• At Spark’s base, Shen He rushed to help the badly injured Lei Song, who handed him a metal box containing the single Sea Crane before passing out.
• Shen He stared at the box after hearing that nearly forty lives had been spent to obtain it, then received a call asking whether he had gotten what the caller wanted.

Shen He ended Spark’s cooperation with Shark Tooth and kept the captured Serpent Coil drone so Spark could study it. Back at Serpent Coil headquarters, Xu Shi waited for someone to contact him, and an anxious caller immediately asked whether he was all right.

• Shen He lied to Young Master He that Spark had failed to obtain any drones, and Young Master He ended Shark Tooth’s support and cut ties with Spark.
• Shen He learned that one returning team member had died and Lei Song had survived but needed extensive Prosthetic Modification.
• Shen He ordered Spark to give the captured drone to Mr. Luo for secret analysis and replication.
• Su Lin returned to Serpent Coil headquarters and asked Xu Shi about the attack on the District 13 factory.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin to wait for someone to come to him, and an anxious caller contacted him to ask if he was all right.

Xu Shi fooled He Yuqiang into believing he knew nothing about the attack on Serpent Coil and used his anger to turn him against Shen He. After learning that Spark had taken ten Sea Crane drones, Xu Shi planned to use the stolen drones to draw Shen He and his engineer into his hands.

• He Yuqiang visited Xu Shi and told him that Serpent Coil had been attacked, while Xu Shi and Su Lin pretended the incident had been kept from him.
• Su Lin revealed that ten Sea Crane drones had gone missing, and Xu Shi feigned outrage as He Yuqiang tried to calm him down.
• He Yuqiang concluded that Xu Shi had not suspected him and realized Shen He had lied about the operation failing.
• After He Yuqiang left, Xu Shi revealed that he had amplified He Yuqiang's anger so he would turn against Shen He.
• Su Lin warned that Spark still had the drones, and Xu Shi said he intended to use them to lure Shen He and the engineer out.

Su Lin raided Spark's restaurant safe house and captured Luo Zhikang, a former Tianhe Consortium chief engineer, on the young master's orders. She drove him away pleased with how efficiently she had completed the job, while Spark's team concealed the attack.

• Luo Zhikang worked to dismantle and reproduce a precision device while Spark's server urged him to hurry.
• Su Lin entered the restaurant, killed the server, and defeated the Ascendant bodyguards guarding Luo Zhikang.
• Su Lin held Luo Zhikang at gunpoint, sedated him, took the Sea Crane, and carried him off in her car.
• Someone cleaned up the restaurant and posted a storefront-for-sale sign to cover up the raid.

Tang Shuang’s Ability Complication flared after days of exhausting work, while Xu Shi captured Luo Zhikang and offered him a game. The chapter left Luo Zhikang shackled before the Sea Crane, with his freedom promised if he could unlock it.

• Tang Shuang reviewed Xu Shi’s records but found no useful dirt on him, then went home to rest after her exhaustion overwhelmed her.
• Tang Shuang’s Ability Complication surged, and she drifted into a dream while thinking of Xu Shi.
• Xu Shi’s people abducted Luo Zhikang, who woke in a prison cell wearing electronic shackles.
• Xu Shi confronted Luo Zhikang over his attempt to alter research results and said he wanted to play a game.
• Xu Shi placed the Sea Crane before Luo Zhikang and offered his freedom as the prize for unlocking it.

Xu Shi gave Luo Zhikang a modified Sea Crane drone to crack, while privately admitting he had no intention of honoring the promise to release him. After reviewing Jiang Chengcheng’s impressive equipment analysis, Xu Shi praised her abilities, and Su Lin asked if she had met Jiang Chengcheng before.

• Xu Shi challenged Luo Zhikang to crack the Sea Crane drone in exchange for leaving, and Luo Zhikang reluctantly agreed to try.
• Jiang Chengcheng worried that Luo Zhikang might succeed, but Xu Shi revealed he had never intended to let the wager decide whether Luo would be released.
• Xu Shi took Jiang Chengcheng to his office to review the report on the equipment she had analyzed and upgraded.
• Jiang Chengcheng explained her plans clearly, impressing Xu Shi and Su Lin with how thoroughly she had improved equipment from Shark Tooth and Spark.
• Su Lin asked Jiang Chengcheng whether they had met before.

Xu Shi praised Jiang Chengcheng’s engineering talent and supported her plan to modify Shark Tooth equipment, while Su Lin wondered why Jiang Chengcheng seemed familiar. Jiang Chengcheng returned to Jiang Fengshan, who remained confident she was gathering intelligence for him, as Luo Zhikang grew increasingly frustrated over his failure to crack the drone.

• Su Lin said Jiang Chengcheng seemed familiar, and Xu Shi suggested they might have known each other at an orphanage.
• Xu Shi recognized Jiang Chengcheng’s skill at dissecting and rebuilding equipment, told her to modify it, and promised her support.
• Jiang Chengcheng said Jiang Fengshan had encouraged her to spend time with Xu Shi and learn about him, but assured Xu Shi she would keep her promise.
• Xu Shi asked Su Lin to investigate whether she and Jiang Chengcheng had known each other before, and Su Lin agreed.
• Jiang Chengcheng returned home, where Jiang Fengshan dismissed her report and told her to keep relaying information from Xu Shi.
• Luo Zhikang knelt beside the drone in the confinement room and raged that he still could not crack it.

Xu Shi exploited Luo Zhikang’s frustration at being unable to crack the modified Sea Crane drone and forced him to admit defeat in their bet. Xu Shi agreed to answer Luo’s questions in exchange for the research materials from Tianhe’s Beyond Limits project.

• Luo Zhikang struggled in confinement to dismantle and understand the modified drone, growing increasingly frustrated.
• Xu Shi visited Luo and explained one of the drone’s components, clearing up Luo’s confusion.
• Xu Shi refused to explain another component unless Luo admitted he had lost their bet.
• Luo overcame his pride and admitted defeat, then asked Xu Shi to reveal the drone’s remaining secrets.
• Xu Shi asked Luo to trade the research materials for Tianhe’s Beyond Limits project for the answers.

Xu Shi pressured Luo Zhikang into trading the Overlimit Project for access to the drone’s design principles, then brought Jiang Chengcheng to hear the old man’s explanation. Luo Zhikang agreed to reveal the project only to the drone’s designer, while Xu Shi considered how his capture would weaken Shen He and Spark.

• Xu Shi revealed that he knew about Tianhe’s Overlimit Project, which Luo Zhikang had secretly continued developing to help Shen He.
• Xu Shi offered Luo Zhikang information about Sea Crane’s design in exchange for the project, and Luo Zhikang eventually accepted but insisted on speaking only to the drone’s designer.
• Xu Shi summoned Jiang Chengcheng, and Luo Zhikang was surprised to learn that Jiang Fengshan had not designed the drone.
• Xu Shi left Jiang Chengcheng and Luo Zhikang to talk while he chatted with the guards outside.
• Xu Shi considered Luo Zhikang’s value to Shen He and how losing him could sharply weaken Spark.

With Spark weakened by repeated setbacks and attacks, Shen He learned that Lei Song had awakened and heard how an unidentified fugitive had saved him. The chapter ended as He Yuqiang arrived in a Gray Bear armored vehicle to confront Shen He.

• Shen He reflected on how Serpent Coil had repeatedly anticipated his plans, leaving Spark depleted and several of its key people dead or injured.
• Shen He visited the badly wounded Lei Song, who blamed Director Tang Shuang and said an unidentified wanted criminal had saved him.
• Lei Song’s account made Shen He suspect that Xia Wuyou had rescued him, though he wondered whether she was acting on Xu Shi’s orders.
• A bullet broke through the hospital window as gangs backed by Shark Tooth attacked Spark’s weakened territory.
• Shen He recognized the approaching Gray Bear armored vehicle, and He Yuqiang threatened to run him over.

Shen He tried to negotiate with He Yuqiang after Shark Tooth attacked Spark’s stronghold, but a sudden shot struck He Yuqiang and turned the confrontation violent. Meanwhile, Jiang Chengcheng finished discussing the Overlimit Project with Luo Zhikang and told Xu Shi she needed about a week to draft a plan, as Xu Shi prepared to make Luo Zhikang step down.

• He Yuqiang led Shark Tooth’s attack on Spark’s stronghold, and Shen He sent Lei Song and the others to escape to District Four while he stayed behind.
• Shen He denied keeping ten drones and persuaded He Yuqiang that Xu Shi might have misled him, prompting He Yuqiang to consider working with Spark again.
• A bullet passed Shen He’s cheek and pierced He Yuqiang’s left ear, and He Yuqiang accused Shen He of setting him up and ordered his men to kill him.
• Jiang Chengcheng left the holding room after discussing the Overlimit Project with Luo Zhikang and told Xu Shi she needed about a week to prepare a preliminary plan.
• Xu Shi took out a tiny chip and prepared to make Luo Zhikang step down.

Xu Shi prepared to take down Jiang Fengshan at the board meeting after promising Jiang Chengcheng that her long-awaited chance was near. The meeting ended with Tang Shuang arriving with an Inspection Bureau unit to arrest Jiang Fengshan for illegal detention and abuse.

• Xu Shi told Jiang Chengcheng that he would act against Jiang Fengshan at the board meeting two days later and hinted at additional surprises.
• Lin Wenhua planned to use Xu Shi’s spending of company reserve funds to undermine him, while Jiang Fengshan supported his effort.
• Xu Shi arrived at the board meeting as shareholders voiced mixed opinions about his recent performance.
• Lin Wenhua began raising concerns about Xu Shi, but Tang Shuang entered with an Inspection Bureau unit and presented an arrest warrant for Jiang Fengshan.

Tang Shuang tried to arrest Jiang Fengshan at Serpent Coil headquarters, using a recording of his abuse of Jiang Chengcheng as evidence. Pressure from Jiang Fengshan and Lin Wenhua’s connections forced Tang Shuang to consider withdrawing, but an unknown voice challenged their authority at the end.

• Tang Shuang entered the boardroom to arrest Jiang Fengshan, prompting Xu Shi to protest while Lin Wenhua suspected Xu Shi had arranged the move.
• Jiang Fengshan demanded evidence, and Tang Shuang showed a recording of him abusing Jiang Chengcheng.
• Lin Wenhua contacted an unknown person, and Tang Shuang received orders to stop the arrest and withdraw her team.
• Tang Shuang argued against the orders, then looked regretfully at Xu Shi, who calmly signaled her to wait.
• An unknown speaker asked whether they were qualified to take Jiang Fengshan away.

Xu Shi arranged for Feather Pen to expose Jiang Fengshan’s fraud, forcing Lin Wenhua to let him be taken away. The chapter ended with Xu Shi watching Lin Wenhua realize he had been outmaneuvered.

• Ning Wei arrived on behalf of Feather Pen and announced that Jiang Fengshan was accused of defrauding one of its foundations of approximately four million.
• Xu Shi agreed to let Feather Pen handle Jiang Fengshan, having discovered that Jiang Fengshan had traded stolen research materials for foundation rewards.
• Ning Wei asked Tang Shuang to help take Jiang Fengshan into custody, and she agreed.
• Lin Wenhua tried to intervene, but Ning Wei invoked Chairman Wen Shengkui’s personal order and silenced him.
• Tang Shuang and Ning Wei took Jiang Fengshan away while Xu Shi gave Lin Wenhua a smug, mocking look.

After defeating Jiang Fengshan and securing Feather Pen’s intervention, Xu Shi planned to use the scandal to improve his public image and visited Jiang Fengshan in prison with Jiang Chengcheng. He shot Jiang Fengshan in the thigh and ordered Jiang Chengcheng to kill him.

• After the conference ended, Xu Shi thanked Ning Wei for carrying out Wen Shengkui’s orders, while Ning warned that Wen Shengkui might refuse to meet Xu Shi.
• Xu Shi reflected on his estrangement from his maternal grandfather, Wen Shengkui, and accepted that their relationship would take time to mend.
• Su Lin warned that news of Jiang Fengshan’s case could damage the group’s public image, so Xu Shi decided to arrange exclusive interviews with Imaginary Number.
• In District 14’s public prison, Jiang Fengshan brooded over his forty-year sentence and hoped Lin Wenhua might eventually help him return to power.
• Xu Shi and Jiang Chengcheng visited Jiang Fengshan, and Xu shot him in the thigh after confronting him about his defeat.
• Xu Shi handed the pistol to Jiang Chengcheng and ordered her to kill Jiang Fengshan.

Xu Shi urged Jiang Chengcheng to confront Jiang Fengshan and reclaim control over her life. After she beat Jiang Fengshan to death, she broke down in Xu Shi’s arms, and he declared her reborn.

• Xu Shi handed Jiang Chengcheng a gun and reminded her of the life Jiang Fengshan had stolen from her.
• Xu Shi pressured Jiang Chengcheng to prove she could stop shrinking back, while Jiang Fengshan pleaded for his life and offered evidence against Lin Wenhua.
• Jiang Chengcheng threw aside the gun and asked Xu Shi for a whip.
• Xu Shi gave Jiang Chengcheng a police baton and left her alone with Jiang Fengshan; she beat him until he died.
• Jiang Chengcheng thanked Xu Shi and wept in his arms, while Xu Shi concluded that her loyalty was assured and congratulated her on her rebirth.

After Jiang Chengcheng swore loyalty to Xu Shi, he gained control of her inheritance and the Engineering Department. He reunited Jiang Chengcheng with Su Lin and arranged psychological care, but Su Lin received news that Young Master He of Shark Tooth was in trouble.

• Jiang Chengcheng pledged her wealth, body, and soul to Xu Shi under the influence of Malice Entropy.
• Tang Shuang warned Xu Shi not to repeat his actions, and Xu Shi offered to drive her home before she hurried away.
• Su Lin revealed that Jiang Chengcheng had been her close companion at the orphanage, and the two reunited.
• Xu Shi comforted Jiang Chengcheng and told Su Lin to arrange a psychologist for her before she resumed work on the Overlimit Project.
• Su Lin received a message that Young Master He of Shark Tooth had run into trouble.

Xu Shi visited the badly injured He Yuqiang in the hospital and learned he had been ambushed by gangsters, though He Yuqiang concealed the details. As Xu Shi considered who might be stirring up conflict between Spark and Shark Tooth, he recognized someone in a portrait and suspected her.

• After arranging for Jiang Chengcheng to rest at home under guard, Xu Shi went to visit He Yuqiang in the hospital.
• Xu Shi dramatically mourned He Yuqiang, then reassured him and promised to avenge whoever had hurt him.
• He Yuqiang said he had been ambushed by lowlifes from Sin City but withheld Shen He and Spark’s involvement.
• Xu Shi reasoned that a third party had likely attacked He Yuqiang, making cooperation between Spark and Shark Tooth unlikely.
• As Xu Shi left the ward, he saw a virtual portrait in the hospital lobby and suspected the person depicted was behind the attack.

Xu Shi deduced that Xie Qingyan had arranged He Yuqiang’s injury to obstruct his reconciliation with Spark and weaken his bid to inherit Shark Tooth. He planned to exploit Shen He’s declining influence and use the Overlimit Project to draw Xie Qingyan into negotiations, then went with Su Lin to see Xia Ke'an.

• Xu Shi connected He Yuqiang’s injury to Xie Qingyan and reasoned that she wanted the brothers’ rivalry to weaken Shark Tooth.
• Xu Shi concluded that Shen He had escaped using Beacon and still had two uses remaining, but had lost most of his forces and would need a new patron.
• Xu Shi decided to intensify pressure on Shen He and use the Overlimit Project to secure leverage over Xie Qingyan before negotiating with her.
• Su Lin brought Xu Shi coffee, and he invited her to sit with him as their growing closeness became apparent.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin that they would visit Xia Ke'an, hoping Xia Wuyou might be there so he could give her another task.

Xu Shi visited Xia Ke'an in the hospital, where he found her recovering well and Xia Wuyou caring for her. After Xia Ke'an confronted him about making Wuyou a wanted criminal and asked him to treat her niece better, Xu Shi made clear he intended to keep Wuyou under his control and left Xia Ke'an uncertain whether he valued her for more than her abilities.

• Xu Shi visited the hospital and found Xia Wuyou and Xia Ke'an sharing an expensive watermelon.
• Xia Ke'an sent Xia Wuyou and Su Lin outside so she could speak privately with Xu Shi.
• Xia Ke'an asked whether Xu Shi had planned to make Wuyou a wanted criminal, and he replied that Wuyou had to accept the consequences of her choices.
• Xia Ke'an asked Xu Shi to treat Wuyou better, but he said he had already been lenient and that Wuyou's wanted status made her safer.
• Xia Ke'an asked whether she herself was part of Xu Shi's plans, and he fed her watermelon instead of answering directly.
• Xu Shi left Xia Ke'an to recover, while she wondered whether he wanted only her abilities.

Xia Wuyou reflected on Xu Shi’s generosity after Su Lin confronted her about her hesitation and ingratitude. Meanwhile, Xu Shi disciplined Gu Yi for gaming during work and offered her a mission as Black Rabbit.

• Xia Wuyou offered Su Lin a piece of bitten watermelon, then asked whether Su Lin disliked her.
• Su Lin admitted she found Xia Wuyou unpleasant because Xia Wuyou remained hesitant despite Xu Shi’s generous treatment after her betrayal.
• Xia Wuyou considered Su Lin’s advice to make the right choice, and Xu Shi arrived and told her she would receive a mission soon.
• Gu Yi enjoyed her comfortable life at Xu Shi’s home while playing a game after completing her work on Serpent Coil’s security system.
• Xu Shi used Gu Yi’s collar to punish her for gaming during work hours, then asked whether she wanted to return as Black Rabbit and make big news.

Xu Shi assigned Gu Yi a hacking mission, and she eagerly agreed to infiltrate Prism’s systems. The next morning, Prism’s unmanned hospitals across three districts were paralyzed, and Xie Qingyan received a ransom note identifying the attack as Black Rabbit’s work.

• Xu Shi asked Gu Yi to steal information, and she agreed after unsuccessfully asking for a bonus.
• Xu Shi told Gu Yi to prepare for the mission the following day, while she secretly looked forward to returning to her old work.
• Robots and electronic systems at Prism’s unmanned hospital in District 13 malfunctioned, causing patients to flee in panic.
• Ye Shanshan told Xie Qingyan that unmanned hospitals in Districts 13, 14, and 15 had been infiltrated and their medical systems paralyzed.
• Xie Qingyan showed Ye Shanshan an extortion email, and Ye Shanshan recognized its taunting message as Black Rabbit’s.

Xie Qingyan ordered Prism to contain the unmanned hospital crisis caused by Black Rabbit, while He Yuzhao promoted Shark Tooth’s new research institute. Xia Wuyou shot He Yuzhao during the press conference and escaped, discovering that carrying out Su Lin’s orders had awakened something within her.

• Xie Qingyan blamed Black Rabbit for the unmanned hospital crisis and ordered staff reassigned, Deep Sea to resolve the breach, and the media situation handled.
• Xie Qingyan reflected on her alliance with He Yuzhao and worried that the hospital incident could damage her work and Prism’s reputation.
• He Yuzhao presented Shark Tooth’s new research institute and thought about his rivalry with He Yuqiang and his interest in Xie Qingyan.
• Xia Wuyou aimed at He Yuzhao from across the street and shot him with a high-explosive round during the press conference.
• Xia Wuyou escaped and smiled as she realized that following Su Lin’s way had awakened something inside her.

Xu Shi assessed how He Yuzhao’s attack had shaken Shark Tooth and kept He Yuxia under watch while Gu Yi celebrated disabling the unmanned hospital system. After Xu Shi started a game with Gu Yi, Xie Qingyan called, and he handed Gu Yi his Communication Bracelet with a provocative request.

• He Yuzhao’s attack stirred Night City and weakened He Yuqiang’s position as Shark Tooth’s heir, while He Yuxia’s standing rose.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin to watch He Yuxia and pay particular attention to Xie Qingyan’s movements.
• Gu Yi celebrated successfully paralyzing the unmanned hospital system and asked Xu Shi to let her play games.
• Xu Shi agreed to try Divine Arrival with Gu Yi, but Xie Qingyan called before he could play.
• Xu Shi gave Gu Yi his Communication Bracelet and asked her, “Can you... answer the phone while moaning?”