Recaps

Xu Shi decided to make the Overlimit Project public and resume cooperation with Prism, with medicine as the joint development priority. He planned to assign the lower-priority chip project to Lin Wenhua as a way to weaken or remove him, while Jiang Chengcheng would lead the project's most important work.

• Jiang Chengcheng asked Xu Shi whether Serpent Coil should keep the Overlimit Project secret or resume cooperation with Prism.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin to contact Ye Shanshan and offer Prism the lead in joint medicine development to preserve cooperation between the companies.
• Xu Shi said Serpent Coil would continue developing chips at lower priority and would assign the work to Lin Wenhua.
• Su Lin and Jiang Chengcheng realized Xu Shi intended to use flawed revised materials to set Lin Wenhua up for failure and weaken his position.
• Xu Shi told Jiang Chengcheng to lead a team on the most important part of the Overlimit Project.

Xu Shi assigned Jiang Chengcheng to lead the secret Specialized Weapon project and let her collect data from him and Su Lin. After Jiang Chengcheng left, Xu Shi realized she was afraid to awaken an ability and ordered the regular meeting moved forward.

• Xu Shi warned Jiang Chengcheng not to take on too much and told her to select trusted Engineering Department members for the Specialized Weapon project.
• Jiang Chengcheng recorded Xu Shi’s measurements and ability-related data, then collected Su Lin’s data as well.
• Xu Shi asked Jiang Chengcheng whether she had awakened an ability, but she said she could manage without one and left to return to work.
• Su Lin suggested Jiang Chengcheng was afraid of awakening an ability, and Xu Shi understood her fear of suffering side effects.
• Xu Shi ordered that the month’s regular meeting be moved forward.

Shen Qin worried that Xu Shi had noticed her hidden abilities while she served as deputy leader of Outer Field Team Three under Xia Wuyou. At a board meeting, Xu Shi assigned Lin Wenhua to lead a new derivative-products project, leaving Lin convinced the appointment was a trap.

• Shen Qin recalled resisting Xu Shi's mental influence during her interview and worried he had detected her two abilities.
• Xia Wuyou reprimanded Shen Qin for losing focus while they guarded the board meeting.
• Xu Shi outlined Serpent Coil's plans for The Forgotten, the Overlimit Project, and new derivative products.
• Xu Shi asked Lin Wenhua to take charge of the derivative-products project, surprising the directors.
• Lin Wenhua suspected Xu Shi meant to put him at risk but accepted the assignment.
• Xu Shi agreed to leave the project to Lin and glanced at Su Lin.

Xu Shi pressured Lin Wenhua into leading Serpent Coil’s chip project while Shen Qin considered exploiting their apparent conflict. After returning home, Xu Shi reunited with Gu Yi, and their promised gaming session turned intimate.

• Lin Wenhua accepted leadership of the chip project, hoping it would restore his reputation and give him leverage.
• Shen Qin overheard the meeting and decided she might use the tension between Xu Shi and Lin Wenhua, but Xia Wuyou warned her to keep quiet.
• Xu Shi returned home, where Gu Yi greeted him and asked him to play Divine Arrival with her.
• While they played, Xu Shi teased Gu Yi about her outfit and choker, and she admitted she had dressed with him in mind.
• Gu Yi turned to Xu Shi and meowed like a kitten before they left the game for the nearby bed.

Xu Shi took Gu Yi racing, then brought her to meet Wen Shengkui, who warned him that Long Tianding had proposed reconciliation and closer ties between Sin City and Night City. Xu Shi recognized the offer as a likely maneuver against him but said Wen Shengkui could agree to it.

• Gu Yi recovered after Xu Shi used her as an outlet for his bad mood, and she asked him to teach her to drive.
• Xu Shi taught Gu Yi to race, and she quickly became skilled enough to finish a lap just six seconds behind him.
• After Wen Shengkui contacted him, Xu Shi took Gu Yi to the Feather Pen estate and introduced her to the old master.
• Wen Shengkui told Xu Shi that Long Tianding had proposed making peace and establishing a green corridor and schools between Sin City and Night City.
• Xu Shi concluded that Long Tianding was likely trying to distract Wen Shengkui while preparing to target him, but told his grandfather he could accept the offer.

Xu Shi supported Wen Shengkui’s plan to reconcile with Long Tianding and help improve Sin City, which strengthened the bond between him and his grandfather. After Gu Yi’s awkward attempt to praise Wen Shengkui’s calligraphy, Xu Shi left with her, promising to bring his pet another time.

• Xu Shi told Wen Shengkui that cooperation with Long Tianding could benefit Sin City and that he was not worried about their reconciliation.
• Wen Shengkui tested Xu Shi’s feelings about the potential alliance, and Xu Shi emphasized that they were family and offered to help with Dragon City.
• Wen Shengkui remarked that Gu Yi seemed introverted, so Xu Shi prompted her to compliment his calligraphy; Gu Yi misread “Heart Without Dust” as “fried bun center.”
• Wen Shengkui invited Gu Yi to visit and learn calligraphy, then told Xu Shi that He Yuxia was away gathering inspiration.
• Xu Shi and Gu Yi prepared to leave, and Xu Shi promised to bring his pet to visit Wen Shengkui next time.

Xu Shi encouraged Gu Yi to learn calligraphy from Wen Shengkui, then accepted Long Tianding’s invitation to negotiate over Districts Six and Seven. The meeting ended with Long Tianding asking what Xu Shi wanted in exchange for returning the districts.

• Xu Shi reassured Gu Yi about her awkward praise of Wen Shengkui, and she decided to become his calligraphy student.
• Gu Yi jokingly claimed seniority over Xu Shi as Wen Shengkui’s student, so Xu Shi spanked her and made her call him Dad.
• Xu Shi received an invitation from Long Tianding to discuss Sin City, and he decided to attend with Su Lin and covert Field Operations Department protection.
• Long Tianding welcomed Xu Shi and Su Lin in District One and questioned Xu Shi’s role in the changes to Districts Six and Seven.
• Xu Shi defended his actions by citing the District Nineteen bombing and rejected Long Tianding’s appeal to unwritten rules.
• Long Tianding offered to return the equipment Xu Shi had provided the Long Saber Party, but Xu Shi argued that repayment could not make up for his losses, prompting Long Tianding to ask what he wanted.

Xu Shi negotiated an equipment purchase with Long Tianding and secured his help against anyone who might target him, while keeping Sin City’s future and Lin Wenhua under observation. After joking with Su Lin about her role and their trust in each other, Xu Shi received an urgent message that Miss He Er had gone missing.

• Xu Shi redirected Long Tianding’s attempt to pressure him into a serious discussion about purchasing equipment, then agreed to sell weapons and Gemini chips on the condition that Long Tianding help protect him from hidden attacks.
• Long Tianding accepted Xu Shi’s condition, and Xu Shi waived an extra 2.42 million from the bill while making clear that District Six and Seven remained his territory.
• After they left District One, Su Lin teased Xu Shi about avoiding a fight, and Xu Shi joked that she should take Du Wei’s Field Operations Department position instead.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin that he had not decided how to deal with Long Tianding and planned to use Lin Wenhua to test Long Tianding’s true intentions.
• Xu Shi and Su Lin joked about her needing to learn new tricks, then Xu Shi received a message that Miss He Er had gone missing.

After He Yuxia disappeared, Xu Shi helped Tang Shuang organize a search and suggested she might have left the city. Meanwhile, Shen He found an unconscious young woman outside the city and brought her to The Forgotten’s encampment, where she began to wake.

• Tang Shuang told Xu Shi that He Yuxia had vanished, and he arranged for his personnel, Gu Yi, and Wen Shengkui to help search.
• Xu Shi suggested He Yuxia might have left the city, so Tang Shuang decided to search outside and asked Xu Shi to accompany her, but Su Lin refused on his behalf.
• Shen He reflected on his weakened position and his inability to challenge Xu Shi, then went outside the encampment to clear his head.
• Shen He found an unconscious young woman in a pale yellow dress beside scattered art equipment and brought her back to the encampment.
• The woman recovered after treatment for Rust Fog exposure and asked where she was.

Shen He rescued He Yuxia after she collapsed outside the city and learned that she had gone there to take photographs. After she offered to help The Forgotten and record their side of the story, he sent her back to Night City with an idea about using the media.

• He Yuxia woke at The Forgotten's base, and Shen He told her she had collapsed from inhaling Rust Fog; he introduced himself as Luo Tian.
• He Yuxia explained that she had slipped away from her bodyguards to take photographs, and she offered to help Shen He settle in the city.
• He Yuxia took notes as Shen He described The Forgotten's hardships and criticized the Six Great Conglomerates, then gave him a sketch as a keepsake.
• Shen He arranged for He Yuxia to be escorted back, and their conversation inspired him to consider using the media.
• Tang Shuang, Wen Shengkui, Xu Shi, Qi Maoyang, and the He siblings welcomed He Yuxia back; Qi Maoyang declined Xu Shi's suggestion to exchange photography tips with her, saying women slowed down his shutter speed.

Xu Shi met with Tang Shuang at the Inspection Bureau, where she thanked him for helping improve public order and admitted she had few people to talk to. Their conversation ended with Tang offering him a new Inspection Bureau uniform to try on.

• Qi Maoyang thanked Xu Shi for the concessions and left to write an article praising him.
• Xu Shi followed Tang Shuang to her office at the Inspection Bureau to hear what she wanted to discuss.
• Tang Shuang thanked Xu Shi for the drop in crime and for helping settle The Forgotten, while Xu Shi said he still felt uneasy about He Yuxia's disappearance.
• Tang Shuang admitted she had no friends and that her parents had died in the line of duty, so Xu Shi agreed to stay and chat.
• Tang Shuang said she wished Xu Shi were an ordinary person she could recruit, then handed him a new Inspection Bureau uniform and asked him to try it on.

Tang Shuang made Xu Shi wear an Inspection Bureau uniform, and their conversation about working together left her wondering whether they had feelings for each other. After Tang Shuang drove him to Serpent Coil, Xie Qingyan arrived with Ye Shanshan and said she had something important to tell him.

• Tang Shuang used Xu Shi's incomplete community-service record to make him put on an Inspection Bureau uniform, then adjusted his clothes herself.
• Xu Shi invited Tang Shuang to work for Serpent Coil, but she said she preferred to stay in her current position, and he did not press her.
• Tang Shuang drove Xu Shi back to Serpent Coil and, during the silent ride, began wondering whether she had feelings for him after all.
• Before leaving, Xu Shi warned Tang Shuang to prepare for something that might happen and said it would involve him, though he did not want it to occur.
• Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan stopped Xu Shi outside the Serpent Coil building, and Xie Qingyan said she had something important to tell him.

Xu Shi and Xie Qingyan discussed the Phase Two Overlimit Project drug, naming it Sublimation, and considered cooperating on future specialized enhancements. Xu Shi offered Xie Qingyan the chance to absorb Furious Wolf, while secretly planning for Spark to get involved.

• Xie Qingyan showed Xu Shi a sample of the Phase Two drug, and Xu Shi named it Sublimation while suggesting they bundle it with Gemini chips.
• Xie Qingyan proposed focusing future research on specialized enhancements, and Xu Shi agreed to let her try that direction with him.
• Xie Qingyan suggested they stop competing against each other and divide Shark Tooth between them, while they discussed managing the former Forgotten leaders.
• Xu Shi offered Xie Qingyan a chance to swallow Furious Wolf after its losses in Sin City, saying the Long Saber Party would stay out.
• Xu Shi privately planned for Spark to get involved in Furious Wolf instead.

Xu Shi arranged for Xie Qingyan and Lin Yue to compete for Raging Wolf’s territory, while Lin Yue weighed the risks and benefits of attacking the weakened gang. The chapter ended with Lin Yue privately struggling with her lingering feelings for Xu Shi.

• Xu Shi reviewed Lin Yue’s rise to control half of District Six and decided she should try to seize Raging Wolf’s territory alongside Xie Qingyan.
• Xie Qingyan accepted Xu Shi’s offer, and Xu Shi told Ding Jun to stay out of the District Ten conflict while promising to help him pursue his ambitions.
• Lin Yue and Lin Xing discussed whether Spark should move against Raging Wolf, and Lin Yue agreed to plan an attack because its arms channels could help solve Spark’s supply problems.
• After Lin Xing left, Lin Yue admitted to herself that she could not control her feelings for Xu Shi.

Chu Cuicheng armed the Raging Wolves as attacks wore down their defenses, while Lin Xing and Lin Yue planned to recruit their members into Spark. Song Ziyou ordered White Iron to launch its final assault on District Ten, leaving the Raging Wolves facing an immediate attack and Spark working to exploit the turmoil.

• Chu Cuicheng ordered the Raging Wolves to open their warehouses and arm their members, including those with brain-computer interfaces receiving Gemini units.
• The Raging Wolves repelled repeated attacks by smaller gangs, but Chu Cuicheng suspected White Iron was using them to weaken his members before a major assault.
• Lin Xing told Lin Yue to recruit Raging Wolves members into Spark while White Iron and the Raging Wolves were occupied, and Lin Yue agreed to put the plan into action.
• Lin Xing reassured Lin Yue that they could work together, and Lin Yue reaffirmed her trust in her sister.
• Song Ziyou decided the Raging Wolves had been worn down enough and ordered White Iron to launch its final assault on District Ten.

Spark intervened in the battle between White Iron and Furious Wolf, using infiltrated members and other gangs to take control of the battlefield. After Lin Yue killed Chu Cuicheng, Lin Xing offered Song Ziyou a deal to divide District Ten, leaving the two factions to negotiate rather than fight.

• Song Ziyou and Chu Cuicheng clashed while Lin Yue and Lin Xing watched, then prepared to clear out rival gangs and gather Furious Wolf members who had defected to Spark.
• Lin Xing used the Sand Nightmare chip as Spark's forces swept through District Ten, recruiting members from both White Iron and Furious Wolf while the gang leaders fought.
• Song Ziyou and Chu Cuicheng both collapsed from their battle and discovered that Lin Yue and Lin Xing had taken control of the surrounding forces.
• Lin Xing mocked Chu Cuicheng for losing his loyalists, and Lin Yue killed him when he tried to fight back.
• Lin Xing reassured Song Ziyou that Spark did not intend to attack White Iron and proposed that Spark take half of District Ten.

Lin Yue and Lin Xing secured half of District Ten, then arranged to trade it with Ding Jun for complete control of District Six. After Lin Yue reflected on the past that led her to lose her pinky, Xu Shi invited Xie Qingyan to dinner and asked her to completely cure one of his patients in District Sixteen.

• Lin Xing negotiated with Song Ziyou, who agreed to split District Ten between White Iron and Spark.
• Lin Xing proposed trading Spark's half of District Ten to Ding Jun for his half of District Six, and Ding Jun agreed.
• Lin Yue told Lin Xing how she had lost her pinky while trying to save Shen He, and Lin Xing comforted her.
• Xu Shi invited Xie Qingyan to dinner to celebrate her operation and asked her to cure one of his patients at the hospital in District Sixteen.

Xu Shi persuaded Xie Qingyan to have Prism treat Xia Ke'an, and she agreed to assemble an elite team and pursue surgery after radiation therapy. He brought Xia Wuyou to the hospital, where Xie Qingyan revealed a projected success rate above ninety-five percent, leaving Xia Ke'an hopeful but nervous.

• Xu Shi offered Xie Qingyan professional recognition and clinical experience as reasons to treat Xia Ke'an, and Xie agreed while warning that Prism could not guarantee success.
• After dinner, Xie Qingyan admitted to Ye Shanshan that she had wanted Xu Shi to praise her and felt jealous that he had asked her to treat another woman, then docked a year of Ye's salary for approving Xia Ke'an's admission.
• Xu Shi told Xia Wuyou about the treatment plans and took her to visit her aunt, while she explained that she was busy taking on Du Wei's responsibilities and monitoring Shen Qin.
• Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou arrived at Xia Ke'an's hospital room, where Xie Qingyan said the team planned to operate after radiation therapy and estimated a success rate above ninety-five percent.
• Xia Ke'an worried that the treatment might fail, and Xu Shi joked that he would spank her or beat up the doctor if it did.

Xia Ke'an’s treatment brought Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou together during his vacation, though Xia Ke'an repeatedly interrupted their chances to be alone. As Xia Ke'an entered surgery, Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou waited anxiously, trusting Prism’s technology to bring her back safely.

• Xie Qingyan felt jealous seeing Xu Shi close to Xia Ke'an and Xia Wuyou, then left after finishing Xia Ke'an’s examinations.
• Xu Shi, Xia Ke'an, and Xia Wuyou played cards, and Xia Wuyou lost while Xia Ke'an delighted in winning.
• Xu Shi stayed overnight in the hospital room, but Xia Ke'an asked to sleep between him and Xia Wuyou, preventing them from sharing a bed alone.
• During Xia Ke'an’s radiation treatment, Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou walked together and secretly kissed in a quiet corner.
• Before Xia Ke'an’s surgery, she worried she might not return, and Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou reassured her as Xie Qingyan reminded them to trust Prism’s technology.
• Xia Ke'an was wheeled into the operating room, and Xia Wuyou gripped Xu Shi’s hand as the red light turned on.

Xia Wuyou’s aunt, Xia Ke'an, recovered after successful surgery, bringing Xia Wuyou great relief and drawing her closer to Xu Shi. The chapter ended with Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou sharing an intimate night while Xia Ke'an overheard them from the next room.

• Xie Qingyan revealed that Xia Ke'an’s surgery had succeeded, though she warned that using her ability could trigger her complications again.
• Xia Wuyou thanked Xu Shi and asked him to stay with her while Xia Ke'an recovered, then kissed him.
• After several days of observation, Xia Ke'an returned to her ward and told Xu Shi she could likely use her ability three to five times without suffering her previous symptoms.
• Xu Shi refused Xia Ke'an’s request to sleep with him, and Xia Wuyou sent her to sleep elsewhere.
• Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou became intimate in their locked room, while Xia Ke'an overheard them and tried to block out the sounds.

Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou grew closer during their hospital stay, where Xia Wuyou gained a Sacred Mark and agreed to move in with him. Xu Shi then told Xie Qingyan about Feather Pen and Dragon City’s plans for Sin City before Su Lin called him back to address Lin Wenhua’s problems.

• Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou woke after a passionate night, and Xu Shi discovered that Xia Wuyou’s Sacred Mark had appeared below her navel.
• Xia Wuyou asked about Xu Shi’s other partners, and the two discussed her moving into Xu Shi’s home after Xia Ke'an recovered.
• Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou continued their intimacy in the hospital until Xia Ke'an complained, prompting Xia Wuyou to take her outside.
• Xu Shi told Xie Qingyan that Feather Pen and Dragon City planned to cooperate on public welfare development in Sin City, and warned her not to seize too much territory too soon.
• Su Lin called Xu Shi and asked him to return to address problems involving Lin Wenhua in the Engineering Department.

Xu Shi used Lin Wenhua’s successful development of the second-generation Enhancement Chip to publicly undermine him at a company commendation ceremony, while rewarding other employees and installing Xia Wuyou as Field Operations Department director. Lin Wenhua chose to fight Xu Shi rather than leave Serpent Coil, setting their conflict on a path toward open confrontation.

• Su Lin told Xu Shi that Lin Wenhua had successfully developed a second-generation Enhancement Chip, and Xu Shi returned to Serpent Coil to discuss the result.
• Xu Shi explained his plans to Xie Qingyan, who realized he was warning her not to help Lin Wenhua and felt frustrated by his distrust.
• Su Lin reported that the chip surpassed the first-generation Gemini, and Xu Shi ordered a commendation ceremony despite having intended to use the project to pressure Lin Wenhua.
• At the ceremony, Xu Shi praised Jiang Chengcheng and the Engineering Department, awarded Du Wei for his service, and appointed Xia Wuyou as the new Field Operations Department director.
• Xu Shi acknowledged Lin Wenhua’s role in the chip’s development but publicly blamed him for minor team and expense issues, prompting Lin Wenhua to accept the reprimand through gritted teeth.
• After the ceremony, Lin Wenhua rejected his supporters’ complaints and decided to prepare for a fight with Xu Shi rather than surrender or leave.

Lin Wenhua decided to defect from Serpent Coil to Dragon City and approached Long Tianding with chip samples and confidential data. Xu Shi had deliberately cornered him to test Long Tianding and draw out Shen Qin, then headed to Feather Pen to retrieve Gu Yi; Lin Wenhua’s negotiations were interrupted when Nan Qian arrived.

• Lin Wenhua concluded that Dragon City was his only viable refuge and prepared to offer Long Tianding second-generation chip samples and confidential company information.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin he was using Lin Wenhua to test Long Tianding and lure out Shen Qin, then ordered her to make the chips’ imminent market release look convincing without actually releasing them.
• Xu Shi learned that Gu Yi had been visiting Chairman Wen at Feather Pen and set off to bring her back.
• Lin Wenhua secretly met Long Tianding in Sin City and offered his terms in exchange for protection.
• Nan Qian arrived during the meeting, and Lin Wenhua recognized her in surprise.

Shen Qin and Lin Wenhua sought Long Tianding’s support for a plot to spark a citywide riot and assassinate Xu Shi, and Long offered cautious, deniable assistance. Meanwhile, Xu Shi anticipated their moves and arrived at District Nineteen, where he was shocked by what Gu Yi and Wen Shengkui were doing.

• Shen Qin explained to Lin Wenhua that she wanted to unite their forces, start a citywide riot, and use the chaos to assassinate Xu Shi.
• Shen Qin asked Long Tianding to provide a base and help arrange weapons, while Lin Wenhua offered to fund their purchases.
• Long Tianding agreed ambiguously to let Shen Qin organize the Forgotten in District Five and to allow them to buy weapons through Dragon City.
• Shen Qin contacted Shen He outside the city, saying that he had made progress and needed to return to Night Sin City.
• Xu Shi predicted that Lin Wenhua and Shen Qin would make trouble as he traveled with Su Lin to District Nineteen.
• Ning Wei brought Xu Shi and Su Lin to Gu Yi and Wen Shengkui, and Xu Shi reacted in shock at what he saw.

Xu Shi found Gu Yi gaming with Wen Shengkui, then discussed the growing danger in Dragon City and secured Wen Shengkui’s support. Before Xu Shi and Gu Yi left, Wen Shengkui told Xu Shi about his mother Wen Rujin, whose lively, perceptive nature had been reflected in both Gu Yi and He Yuxia.

• Xu Shi discovered Gu Yi and Wen Shengkui playing Divine Arrival together, and Wen Shengkui defended their gaming as a way to balance work and rest.
• Xu Shi explained that Shen Qin and Lin Wenhua might flee to Dragon City and that Long Tianding was secretly hedging his bets; he planned to wait until his enemies gathered before dealing with them.
• Wen Shengkui agreed to help if the Dragon City situation worsened, while Gu Yi supported dealing with Lin Wenhua because he had once tried to have her assassinated.
• Xu Shi learned that He Yuxia had been spending less time at Feather Pen after He Jiayuan came to speak with Wen Shengkui.
• Wen Shengkui described Xu Shi’s mother, Wen Rujin, as a lively and mischievous Feather Pen heiress and an Ascendant with a talent for reading people, saying Gu Yi and He Yuxia each resembled part of her personality.