Chapter Summaries

After Tang Shuang kissed Xu Shi, she confessed that she liked him, and Xu Shi revealed that he liked her too. They began dating and returned to the Inspection Bureau, where Tang Shuang decided to cook for him before Yu Xingchuan pointed out that Xu Shi had teased her about being tsundere.

• Tang Shuang kissed Xu Shi and claimed it was a thank-you for saving her, but she later admitted she liked him.
• Xu Shi told Tang Shuang he liked her too, and they held hands as they drove back toward the Inspection Bureau.
• Tang Shuang explained that she had developed feelings for Xu Shi after imagining him sweating during her complication, and Xu Shi accepted her explanation without judgment.
• Xu Shi kissed Tang Shuang goodbye at the Inspection Bureau and reminded her he still had four days of community service left.
• Tang Shuang told Yu Xingchuan she and Xu Shi were together and said she wanted to cook for him.
• Yu Xingchuan pointed out that Xu Shi had tricked Tang Shuang into confessing, and Tang Shuang realized he had teased her again.

Xu Shi and Tang Shuang finalized plans with Sin City’s leaders to unify and rebuild the city, while Xu Shi privately teased Lin Yue and shared a farewell moment with Tang Shuang as his community service neared its end. After Tang Shuang left, Xu Shi caught Su Lin stalking him and demanded to know what she was planning.

• Su Lin watched Xu Shi and Tang Shuang leave, believing Xu Shi had not noticed her, though he had sensed her presence and escape route.
• Tang Shuang met with Lin Yue, Lin Xing, Ding Jun, and Song Ziyou, confirming that Sin City’s gangs would manage the city while City Hall assigned commissioners and offices to supervise it.
• Ding Jun excused himself after Xu Shi mentioned his investments in Night City, while Song Ziyou offered White Iron’s support for Spark’s decisions.
• After the meeting, Xu Shi privately praised Lin Yue for following his instructions and teased her before leaving to meet Tang Shuang.
• Tang Shuang told Xu Shi that his community service would end the next day, showed him the photos she had taken of him in Inspection Bureau uniforms, and drove away after inviting him to dinner.
• Xu Shi pulled Su Lin from her hiding place and asked why she had been following him.

Xu Shi and Su Lin went on a dinner date, where Su Lin confessed her jealousy and fear of being left behind. Xu Shi returned her feelings, and Su Lin carried him off to a room after the meal.

• Xu Shi caught Su Lin following him, and she admitted she had been worried about him before inviting him to dinner at Blue Sea.
• Su Lin appeared in a formal gown beneath the restaurant’s starlit ceiling, but the romantic mood faltered when their meal arrived as grilled chives, kidneys, and medicinal liquor.
• Xu Shi pressed Su Lin to explain why she had arranged the date, and she confessed that she felt jealous of the women around him and feared he would no longer need her.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin he was grateful she had stayed by his side and admitted he wanted her to be more than a retainer, prompting her to cry with joy.
• Su Lin carried Xu Shi away to a room and warned the owner of Blue Sea not to reveal what happened.

After spending two days together, Xu Shi and Su Lin left for District Nineteen to deal with Miss He Er. Xu Shi told Steward Ning to arrest her, while Chairman Wen remained unwell and resting.

• Xu Shi woke beside Su Lin and teased her about taking the initiative, then told her to stay home as his full-time wife if she resigned.
• Xu Shi and Su Lin spent two days on dates around the city while Gu Yi and Xia Ke'an complained about being left without Su Lin's cooking.
• Su Lin admitted Jiang Chengcheng had helped plan their dates, and Xu Shi joked about inviting her along next time.
• The next morning, Su Lin gave Xu Shi Yujing and confirmed she had arranged everything according to his instructions.
• Xu Shi and Su Lin went to Feather Pen's manor in District Nineteen, where Steward Ning said Chairman Wen was resting and Miss He Er was present.
• Xu Shi told Steward Ning to arrest Miss He Er.

Xu Shi confronted He Yuxia over her ties to the people behind Refraction and Tianhe’s destruction, but she escaped using her unusual ability. As Xu Shi and Wen Shengkui left Feather Pen, Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan arrived with He Yuxia captured.

• Xu Shi went to He Yuxia’s studio and accused her of giving Shen He an entry permit and being connected to the people who destroyed Refraction and Tianhe.
• He Yuxia admitted her connection but refused to provide information, then attacked Xu Shi with ink blades and escaped as a hazy substitute.
• Xu Shi ordered a citywide search, then explained He Yuxia’s connection to Wen Shengkui, who accepted Xu Shi’s decision to pursue the matter.
• Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan arrived outside Feather Pen with He Yuxia securely tied up, surprising Xu Shi.

Xu Shi and the others interrogated He Yuxia, who revealed that Heavenly Principle had engineered Night Sin City’s upheavals through simulations intended to find a future capable of confronting Rust Fog. After Xia Ke'an learned that her suffering had been part of the plan, Xu Shi demanded that He Yuxia identify the person directing her.

• Xie Qingyan returned He Yuxia to Feather Pen after using her ability to suppress her, and she bickered with Xu Shi about following him.
• He Yuxia named her organization Heavenly Principle and admitted it had caused the events ten years earlier to create a ruler who could lead Night Sin City against Rust Fog.
• He Yuxia explained that Heavenly Principle had repeatedly reshaped the city throughout its history and had chosen Shen He because his rise and fall gave him perspective on both privilege and hardship.
• Xia Ke'an attacked He Yuxia after learning Heavenly Principle had treated people’s lives as tools for Shen He’s development, but Xu Shi restrained and comforted her.
• He Yuxia admitted she was an Observer who monitored Shen He and could intervene to steer events back toward the simulation.
• Xu Shi questioned how He Yuxia had become an Observer at sixteen and demanded to know who had directed her and how she had contacted them.

After He Yuxia revealed that she was an Observer raised by Heavenly Principle, she claimed Xu Shi’s mother, Wen Rujin, had been the previous Observer. Xu Shi doubted her accusation but considered that Wen Rujin might have died resisting Heavenly Principle to protect him, and vowed to destroy the organization.

• Xu Shi concluded He Yuxia genuinely did not know other Heavenly Principle members, and she revealed that she had been raised as a reserve Observer and had taken the identity of the original He Yuxia, who had died.
• He Yuxia claimed Wen Rujin had been the Observer before her; Wen Shengkui was shaken by the revelation, while Xu Shi dismissed it as a possible attempt to unsettle him.
• The three parties made arrangements to continue Night Sin City’s development while hunting Heavenly Principle, then dispersed.
• At home, Xia Ke'an comforted Xu Shi, and the two argued and wrestled before discussing He Yuxia’s claim.
• Xu Shi reasoned that Wen Rujin fit the profile of an Observer and might have died after resisting Heavenly Principle’s plans for him.
• Xu Shi told Xia Ke'an that he would find Heavenly Principle and destroy it.

After learning that Heavenly Principle had been manipulating isolated regions, Xu Shi decided to investigate beyond the sea and joined forces with Xie Qingyan to prepare an expedition. He revealed that he had developed technology to enhance abilities and asked whether one person could possess two abilities.

• Xu Shi convinced Xia Ke'an that he wanted to pursue Heavenly Principle and proposed searching beyond the sea, while she agreed to support him after Shen Qin's self-healing ability was extracted.
• Xia Ke'an briefly declared she would leave Xu Shi, then curled back into his arms to nap.
• Xie Qingyan visited Xu Shi and proposed that Heavenly Principle's hidden operatives might be beyond the sea, and they agreed to cooperate on an expedition.
• Xu Shi assigned Serpent Coil to develop seafaring equipment and arrange seawater analysis, while Xie Qingyan took responsibility for selecting the crew and preparing medical supplies.
• Xu Shi discovered that Xie Qingyan had developed a customized version of Ascension, and they agreed to organize joint research and development.
• Xu Shi told Xie Qingyan he had major news and asked whether one person could possess two abilities at once.

Xu Shi told Xie Qingyan about Shen Qin’s Dual Ability and recruited her to lead Prism’s Ability Transplant research, but their discussion turned to Xie Qingyan’s jealousy and their strained relationship. As Xie Qingyan left, she confided in Ye Shanshan, who suggested she might need to examine her own behavior, provoking her anger.

• Xu Shi showed Xie Qingyan the materials about Shen Qin’s Dual Ability, and Xie Qingyan agreed to lead Prism’s Ability Transplant research and provide preliminary results within three months.
• Xie Qingyan confronted Xu Shi about keeping her out of the loop and admitted she was his fiancée, but Xu Shi reminded her that she had distanced herself from him first.
• Xu Shi said he was content to keep their relationship as a cooperative partnership, leaving Xie Qingyan disappointed as she departed.
• Xie Qingyan asked Ye Shanshan whether she was unlikeable, and Ye Shanshan suggested she might need to look for the problem in herself.
• Xie Qingyan angrily demanded to know whose side Ye Shanshan was on.

Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan brooded over their strained relationships with Xu Shi, while Xu Shi spent the day shopping with Gu Yi, who gave him a wristband for monitoring Night Sin City's security system. Their playful outing was interrupted when Xia Wuyou pulled up beside them.

• Xie Qingyan admitted that she wanted to mend her relationship with Xu Shi but could not bring herself to make the first move, while Ye Shanshan privately considered how to thank him properly.
• Gu Yi gave Xu Shi a wristband that would let him monitor Night Sin City once the joint security system was complete, and persuaded him to go shopping with her.
• Xu Shi and Gu Yi teased each other about her long hair and bought three sets of new clothes during their outing in District 15.
• Xia Wuyou stopped beside Xu Shi and Gu Yi in a Serpent Coil off-road vehicle and offered them a ride.

Xu Shi reunited with Xia Wuyou and Gu Yi, reassured Xia Wuyou about plans to sail west, and went with them to Jiang Chengcheng’s home, where the three women spent the night with him. The next morning, Jiang Chengcheng reported that she had obtained a seawater-resistant materials report and completed Shen Qin’s modifications as instructed.

• Xu Shi heard from Xia Wuyou that Night City’s repairs were finished, while Sin City’s renovation was progressing and remnants loyal to Shen Qin and Dragon City had been rooted out.
• Xu Shi told Xia Wuyou that He Yuxia’s information pointed west and that Chengcheng had developed materials suitable for building ships, easing Xia Wuyou’s worry.
• Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou agreed to spend the night with Xu Shi, and Jiang Chengcheng invited them to her home for dinner.
• Jiang Chengcheng persuaded Xia Wuyou and Gu Yi to stay, and the three women joined Xu Shi for the night.
• The next morning, Jiang Chengcheng told Xu Shi she had a report on materials resistant to seawater corrosion and that Shen Qin’s modifications were complete.

Shen Qin awakened in Xu Shi’s laboratory and learned that he had altered her mind so she would feel compelled to protect him. After she fought off an attacker who turned out to be Xia Wuyou, Xu Shi asked what Shen Qin’s brother had told her in prison, and she realized she could no longer remember.

• Shen Qin awoke in a nutrient chamber, found herself weak and naked, and confronted Xu Shi after he released her.
• Xu Shi claimed he had modified Shen Qin, but she could not identify any change as he led her through the Serpent Coil building.
• A black-clad attacker ambushed Xu Shi, and Shen Qin’s suppressed abilities returned as she instinctively stepped in front of him to protect him.
• Shen Qin fought the attacker and discovered that protecting Xu Shi brought her a strange sense of pleasure.
• Xu Shi stopped the fight and revealed that the attacker was Xia Wuyou, then asked Shen Qin what her brother had told her in prison.
• Shen Qin tried to recall her brother’s words but found she could no longer remember them.

Xu Shi explained how Shen Qin’s modifications compelled her to protect him and made her lose memories of Shen He, then had her subdued and returned for further adjustments. Xie Qingyan arrived with several tubes of medicine and hinted at a major development in Dual Ability technology.

• Shen Qin realized Xu Shi had caused her memories of Shen He to fade, and he explained the modifications that tied her pleasure and memory loss to protecting him.
• Shen Qin attacked Xu Shi, but he immobilized and subdued her, then forced her to apologize before sending her back to the cultivation chamber for Jiang Chengcheng to adjust.
• Xu Shi left the Engineering Department with Gu Yi and Xia Wuyou, but Su Lin told him that Chairwoman Xie had come to see him.
• Xie Qingyan showed Xu Shi several tubes of medicine and promised a surprising development related to Dual Ability technology.

Xie Qingyan explained the results and future possibilities of her Dual Ability research, then began testing Xu Shi for compatibility. Xu Shi agreed to pursue Dual Abilities instead of Ascension augmentation and planned to seek Shen He's United Will.

• Xie Qingyan showed Xu Shi four vials and explained that compatible Ability implants had high success rates, while incompatible combinations could cripple or kill test subjects.
• Xie Qingyan described a stabilizer that improved implant success and proposed research into removable or interchangeable implanted Abilities.
• Xu Shi and Xie Qingyan agreed to support Dual Ability research and joked about having their names recorded in history.
• Xie Qingyan warned Xu Shi about incompatibility with upgraded Ascension, and Xu Shi chose Dual Abilities and let her inject the testing agent.
• Xu Shi asked whether people without Abilities could gain one through implantation, and Xie Qingyan said it was feasible but recommended using the stabilizer first.
• Xu Shi decided he wanted Shen He's United Will as his implanted Ability, while Xie Qingyan said she had already taken the stabilizer and was still waiting to choose an Ability.

Xu Shi chose to implant Shen He's United Will ability and underwent the transplant with Xie Qingyan's help. He awoke in a ruined, seemingly abandoned facility and recognized the armed figure approaching him as Shen He.

• Xu Shi chose United Will as his second ability, and Xie Qingyan agreed to help extract Shen He's ability.
• Xie Qingyan advised Xu Shi to follow a strict routine after his stabilizer injection, including abstinence, and he spent the following month living more carefully.
• Xu Shi underwent the ability transplant with Xie Qingyan, Jiang Chengcheng, and Su Lin present, despite a simulated success rate of only ninety-four percent.
• During the procedure, Xu Shi entered the black sea again and found that he could walk freely while an unseen force guided him.
• Xu Shi awoke alone on the operating table, found the equipment dusty and the facility in ruins, and recognized the armed man before him as Shen He.

Xu Shi’s attempt to awaken United Will left him with an ability he could not use, so Xie Qingyan planned to monitor him while searching for a solution. After learning that the fleet was ready, Xu Shi went to inspect it and ordered preparations to set sail.

• Xu Shi discovered that United Will had been implanted but produced no usable ability, and Xie Qingyan suspected it needed time to adapt to his existing power.
• Xie Qingyan tried to keep Xu Shi in the hospital, but they grappled until Su Lin and Jiang Chengcheng walked in and found her on top of him.
• Su Lin told Xu Shi that Governor Tang had summoned him to the Maritime Bureau to inspect the completed ships, and Xie Qingyan decided to go along.
• At the docks, Xu Shi saw the command ship, three cruisers, twelve frigates, three landing ships, and support vessels assembled for the mission.
• Xu Shi boarded the command ship, looked out over the sea, and ordered the personnel to prepare to set sail.

Xu Shi explained who would join the voyage and who would remain behind to maintain Serpent Coil and its shipping route. Before the expedition began, Gu Yi and Su Lin stayed close to him, while Xia Wuyou took Xia Ke'an out for a walk ahead of her surgery.

• Gu Yi complained that Xu Shi had rejected her application to sail, and he explained that she needed to stay behind to help secure the shipping route.
• Xu Shi told Su Lin she had to manage Serpent Coil while he was away, and she reluctantly agreed.
• Xu Shi revealed that Shen Qin would join the voyage as a bodyguard, prompting the others to tease him about his motives.
• Su Lin secretly kissed Xu Shi and wished him a safe journey, but he reminded her that he was not leaving yet.
• Gu Yi and Su Lin asked Xu Shi to spend the next few days with them, while Xia Wuyou took Xia Ke'an out ahead of her surgery.

Xu Shi prepared to sail beyond Night Sin City to investigate the Heavenly Principle, while reassuring Lin Yue and bidding farewell to Tang Shuang. The fleet set sail with Xie Qingyan, Xia Ke’an, and Yu Xingchuan among those accompanying him, as the city’s leaders agreed to support the voyage and guard the city in his absence.

• Xu Shi comforted Lin Yue after she worried that she was useless and promised her responsibility for governing Sin City while he was away.
• Tang Shuang opened a meeting where Lin Yue, the Qi father and son, and Wen Shengkui approved the voyage and confirmed their support for the expedition.
• Tang Shuang encouraged Xu Shi to explore the wider world, asked him to watch over Yu Xingchuan, and shared a farewell embrace and kiss with him.
• On the day of departure, Xie Qingyan showed Xu Shi her modified naval uniform and gave him a matching outfit.
• Xie Qingyan called for the fleet to set sail.

During the voyage, Xu Shi checked that Xia Ke'an had recovered well after receiving Shen Qin's self-healing ability and discussed his plans for Old Master Wen and his theory about Heavenly Principle. Xia Ke'an tested her Future Sight without suffering complications, but she saw nothing.

• Xie Qingyan became seasick aboard the ship, and Ye Shanshan helped her back to the cabin.
• Xu Shi told Xia Ke'an that he admired Xie Qingyan but intended to wait until her thorns had fallen before pursuing her.
• Xia Ke'an demonstrated that her wounds healed instantly after her surgery, and Xu Shi confirmed that the ability had fused well with her.
• Xu Shi explained that he was preparing to seek treatment for Old Master Wen and believed Heavenly Principle was watching Night Sin City rather than intervening.
• Xia Ke'an used Future Sight and said her complications had eased, but she had seen nothing.

Xia Ke'an failed to foresee anything involving the Heavenly Principle, but she discovered that Self-Restoration let her make small predictions without side effects. As the fleet continued west and prepared to establish its first signal relay station, Xu Shi visited Shen Qin, who suddenly mistook him for her brother.

• Xia Ke'an admitted that she could not predict the distant future or anything connected to the Heavenly Principle, and Xu Shi told her not to talk about dying.
• Xia Ke'an predicted that someone would fall, and Yu Xingchuan slipped toward Xu Shi, who stepped aside as she fell.
• Xia Wuyou and Yu Xingchuan reported that the fleet had traveled over five hundred kilometers, and Xu Shi sent them to arrange the first signal relay station and inspect marine life with Xia Ke'an.
• Xu Shi told Yu Xingchuan to prioritize safety, then went to Shen Qin's cabin and urged her to eat.
• Shen Qin glared at Xu Shi and suddenly blurted out, "B-Brother?"