Chapter Summaries

Li Si rejected Hulk-based Bio-Colonial Armor because it depended on anger that an external suit could not receive, and considered Abomination’s stable cells as a stronger basis for enhancement. He collected Bumblebee from General Ross’s temporary base and drove away, leaving the base prepared to begin its operation.

• Li Si reasoned that Hulk’s anger-dependent transformation made Hulk cells unsuitable for stable Bio-Colonial Armor, while Abomination’s permanently enhanced cells offered greater potential.
• Li Si considered combining Abomination’s muscle cells with the powerful muscle structures of insects to increase strength.
• Li Si arrived at the temporary United States base and told an officer he had General Ross’s permission to pick something up.
• Bumblebee emerged from a shipping container and transformed into a sports car, startling the officer.
• Li Si drove Bumblebee out of the base, and the officer sent someone to confirm his identity with General Ross.

Players fought the Hulk in Porto to earn military faction points while Hulk faction Players searched for the Orchid or waited for the tracking unit. The chapter left them stunned as Lee Stein arrived with dozens of Transformers, each larger than the Hulk.

• Hundreds of military faction Players attacked the Hulk, trading fire and jokes as they earned faction points without fearing death.
• Hulk faction Players avoided fighting the Hulk and focused on searching Porto for the Orchid or waiting for the tracking unit.
• One Player noticed civilians being evacuated and warned that the tracking unit might use powerful weapons, but his companions dismissed the concern.
• Heavy, rhythmic impacts approached the alley, and a Player spotted Lee Stein arriving with dozens of Transformers larger than the Hulk.

A Transformer army slaughtered the Players surrounding the Hulk, then overwhelmed him in a brutal group fight. Li Si watched from the United States' temporary base and defended the Transformers’ low blows as techniques derived from human anatomy.

• The Transformer army encircled the Players and opened fire, killing those caught inside while a special operations team pursued survivors outside the perimeter.
• The Hulk charged a Transformer and damaged its arm in a fist clash, but several other Transformers struck him from both sides.
• The Transformers surrounded the Hulk and attacked his vulnerable areas, prompting him to retaliate by focusing on one robot and beating it until it shut down.
• Li Si returned to the temporary base after riding Bumblebee and watched the fight from the command room.
• Li Si explained that the Transformers’ close-combat tactics came from human anatomy, but Jonathan, General Ross, and the communications soldiers regarded him uneasily.

After the Hulk suddenly grew stronger and destroyed the Transformers sent to subdue it, General Ross ordered the special operations team to withdraw. Before the order could take effect, attackers led by a golden Transformer assaulted the base and overwhelmed its defenders with heavy gunfire.

• General Ross praised Lee Stein’s Transformers and ordered their operators to stop attacking once the Hulk changed back.
• The Hulk grew larger and stronger, tore apart the Transformers, and left their operators unable to control most of the units.
• General Ross asked Lee Stein why the Hulk’s strength had increased, but Lee Stein said he did not know.
• General Ross ordered the special operations team to withdraw, but alarms and explosions announced an attack on the base.
• A soldier reported that roughly twenty-five attackers, including a Transformer, had breached the base.
• The golden Transformer and the attackers opened fire, suppressing the base’s outnumbered soldiers.

The golden Transformer ran out of ammunition but continued attacking the base, prompting General Ross to ask Li Si to stop it. Li Si sent Bumblebee to confront the machine, which Luo Han was controlling, and Bumblebee knocked it down.

• Blonsky and the stationed soldiers fought back after the golden Transformer’s guns fell silent, but it charged their cover and killed several soldiers.
• Li Si told General Ross that the golden Transformer was an imitation, and Ross asked him to take it apart in exchange for two large orders.
• Li Si identified Luo Han and the Hulk faction Players as the attackers, but chose not to use the backdoor in the Transformer he had sold Luo Han.
• Li Si sent Bumblebee toward the base’s outskirts, where the golden Transformer was chasing Blonsky and the remaining soldiers.
• Bumblebee dodged the golden Transformer’s attack, kicked it in the abdomen, and knocked it to the ground; Luo Han saw Bumblebee and froze.

Lee Stein confronted the Players attacking the military base and drew an enormous watermelon knife from his belt, leaving them unsure whether to obey him or risk attacking. Luo Han recognized Lee’s Bumblebee, and the standoff paused as Lee prepared to face the golden Transformer.

• Luo Han spotted Lee Stein near Bumblebee and eagerly looked for him through the Transformer’s field of vision.
• The Players and special forces soldiers stopped firing when Lee arrived, and Lee strolled toward the soldiers while addressing the Players behind cover.
• Lee pulled a blade more than ten meters long from his belt and waved it toward the Players, who wondered whether it was a dangerous black-tech weapon.
• Lee ordered the Players to stand still while he dealt with the golden robot, and they hesitated over whether to attack or wait for Bumblebee and Luo Han’s Transformer to fight.

Lee Stein stalled the Players while Bumblebee fought Luo Han’s golden Transformer, which was overwhelming it with superior prediction and combat calculations. After realizing the weakness was likely an AI, Luo Han requested the weak AI assistance he had purchased, despite fearing it might make Bumblebee fight itself.

• Lee Stein waited with a holographic watermelon cleaver, hoping to keep the Players from fighting him while Bumblebee handled Luo Han’s Transformer.
• The Players debated whether to stay for rewards or flee, then noticed Bumblebee relentlessly beating Luo Han’s golden Transformer in the distance.
• Luo Han realized Bumblebee’s ability to predict and interrupt his attacks likely came from Lee Stein’s powerful AI.
• Luo Han hesitated over using the weak AI assistance included with his Transformer, fearing it might be the same AI controlling Bumblebee.
• After taking more of Bumblebee’s blows, Luo Han requested weak artificial intelligence assistance.

Luo Han activated remote assistance for his golden Transformer, which then fought Bumblebee to a standstill under weak AI control. As the ten-minute assistance period began, Luo Han worried that luck and outside interference would decide the fight, while the other players stayed to watch and record.

• Lee Stein approved the remote assistance request and told Bumblebee to prolong the fight to preserve his brand’s image.
• Luo Han selected Combat Auto-Pilot Mode and authorized the weak AI to take temporary control of his Transformer.
• The golden Transformer fought Bumblebee evenly, surprising Luo Han with the AI’s combat ability.
• Luo Han realized his assistance was temporary and feared that the fight’s outcome would depend on luck and interference from soldiers or reinforcements.
• The remaining players abandoned their plan to flee and began recording the fight, hoping Luo Han might defeat Bumblebee.

Lee Stein had Blonsky hold his projected oversized machete while he watched Bumblebee battle the golden Transformer, then activated Shadow Follow Mode and took control of the fight. Bumblebee began overwhelming the golden Transformer with savage attacks, leaving Luo Han stunned.

• Lee Stein handed Blonsky the oversized machete and told him to aim it at anyone who emerged from behind the wall.
• Blonsky relayed General Ross's request for Lee Stein to finish the Transformer before the Porto police arrived.
• Lee Stein ordered Bumblebee to activate Shadow Follow Mode and prepared to join the fight.
• Bumblebee charged the golden Transformer and smashed its head aside with a punch.
• Bumblebee followed with a shoulder strike that launched the golden Transformer upward, while Luo Han watched in disbelief.

Bumblebee brutally destroyed Luo Han’s Transformer, exposing the gap between Lee Stein’s control and Luo Han’s AI. Luo Han lamented the costly loss and swore off buying power through Merchant, while Kratos and the Anti-Pay-to-Win Alliance watched the fight and prepared to reclaim their pride.

• Bumblebee overwhelmed Luo Han’s Transformer, tore out its Graphene Battery Pack, and smashed it beyond repair.
• The Players at the temporary base were stunned by the sudden defeat, then fled as United States fighters surrounded them.
• Luo Han recognized that Bumblebee had continually adjusted its attacks faster than his Transformer could react, and blamed Merchant’s supposed access to server data to console himself.
• Luo Han noticed his Shadow Follow Mode interface had shut down and grieved over the expensive Transformer he had bought only days earlier.
• Luo Han swore he would never again pay to win through Merchant, but Kratos had already seen the fight in livestream posts, and the Anti-Pay-to-Win Alliance prepared to win back face.

Lee Stein controlled Bumblebee to defeat Luo Han’s Transformer, then the base’s defenders captured or killed the attacking Players. Blonsky returned Lee’s cleaver and began to suspect that Lee was a powerful mutant.

• Lee Stein used Shadow Follow Mode and his knowledge of Transformer weak points to overpower Luo Han’s Transformer.
• Porto’s police and the special forces captured or killed the Players who had attacked the temporary base.
• Lee Stein let Luo Han escape, thinking of him as a future customer, and considered profiting by sabotaging his next Transformer.
• Blonsky returned Lee Stein’s Virtual Watermelon Cleaver and eyed him with wariness, curiosity, and fanaticism after sensing his fearsome aura.

Lee Stein returned to New York and checked on Little Hulk, then took the energetic puppy out for a walk. Their stroll toward Stein Tower drew a crowd of onlookers and a demand for discounted Transformers.

• Lee Stein returned from Brazil after the Hulk destroyed all forty Transformers and the U.S. tracking forces withdrew.
• Lee Stein found Little Hulk playing roughly with a Lizard-shaped robot toy controlled by Bumblebee.
• Lee Stein called Little Hulk over, and the puppy put on its collar and leash before they left the house.
• Lee Stein walked Little Hulk toward Stein Tower and encountered New Yorkers who recognized him and asked for a Transformers discount.

Li Si used his photographic-memory skill to finish a mountain of company paperwork in minutes, only for Gwen to assign him weekly office work. He then headed to the laboratories to check on Max and Doctor Otto and ended the chapter realizing he had mentioned something he should not have.

• Li Si rapidly read and handled the company's documents using Intensive Reading and thought-search.
• Gwen discovered Li Si had finished the paperwork and told him to come into the office once a week.
• Li Si left to check on Max and Doctor Otto after reviewing the Stein Group's three reorganized laboratories.
• Li Si considered hiring programmers to help with his research and wondered about an AI that could write code.
• Li Si realized he had accidentally let something slip.

Li Si discovered Max secretly tormenting his former boss Smith through carefully managed overtime and attendance penalties, then took Max to the underground laboratory to recruit Otto Gunther for new research projects. Otto agreed to help, and Li Si realized he had forgotten something.

• Li Si found Max hiding and learned that Max had assigned Smith to supervise the New York Power Grid Project Department, where he covertly made Smith work overtime and docked his pay for lateness.
• Li Si teased Max about becoming scheming, then brought him to the CJ2042 Laboratory to meet Otto Gunther.
• Li Si asked Otto and Max to pause their current work and assist with his research projects, and Otto agreed.
• As Otto packed away his tools, Li Si suddenly realized that something had been missing.

Lee remembered that Otto Gunther’s Doctor Octopus Arms could endanger his brain if their neural-signal chip broke, and stopped Otto before he connected them. He proposed moving the chip lower and reprogramming it so Otto could safely use the arms.

• Lee realized Otto Gunther was missing the Doctor Octopus Arms and brought him to the laboratory display case where they were stored.
• Otto Gunther agreed to use the arms and strapped them onto his body.
• Lee stopped Otto before he connected the neural chip, warning that damage to it could harm his brain and cause neurological problems.
• Otto explained that he had considered the risk but believed the chip’s strong material would prevent damage.
• Lee refused to seal away the arms and proposed moving the chip lower and reprogramming it using his knowledge of neural interaction technology.

Li Si shared a neural signal algorithm with Otto Gunther and began organizing work on a multifunctional combat platform at the company. He started building a Mini Arc Reactor to test wireless power transmission technology.

• Li Si gave Otto Gunther access to the neural signal algorithm and told him to come to the top floor after modifying his mechanical arms.
• Li Si went with Max to the 108th-floor laboratory and explained that he was developing Iron Man armor and new firearms for a comprehensive combat platform.
• Li Si assigned Max the neural signal algorithm and a set of weapons blueprints, then surrounded him with additional designs to refine.
• Security guards delivered Li Si's requested materials, and he began assembling a Mini Arc Reactor to test a wireless power transmission base.

Lee completed a Mini Arc Reactor and showed it to Otto Gunther, who recognized it as controllable cold fusion. Otto demonstrated his remarkable ability to operate his four mechanical arms and agreed to help Lee develop a multifunctional combat platform.

• Lee crafted a Mini Arc Reactor, gaining Universal Experience, and installed it on Bumblebee.
• Lee noticed Otto Gunther's mechanical arms moving as if they had minds of their own.
• Otto explained that he was controlling the arms' cameras through Lee's Universal Neural Signal Algorithm and found multitasking with four extra arms surprisingly easy.
• Lee asked Otto to help develop a multifunctional combat platform, including two Iron Man armors, and assigned him part of the power systems.
• Otto reviewed Lee's designs, agreed to help, and Lee told him to work anywhere in the lab and call Bumblebee if he needed assistance.

Lee spent more than ten days immersed in research with Otto Gunther and Max until Otto returned with Luna, who had come to see Lee. Luna excitedly revealed that she had built a robot, leaving Lee curious about what made it a “real robot.”

• Lee and Otto Gunther and Max worked obsessively in the laboratory, while Lee’s thoughts often wandered despite his apparent focus.
• Lee spent more than ten days largely shut away in his laboratory, gaining weight as he devoted himself to research.
• Otto Gunther returned from the CJ2042 Laboratory and told Lee that Luna was being held by security because she wanted to see him.
• Lee recognized Luna on the surveillance feed, went downstairs, and brought her to a reception room.
• Luna told Lee that she had successfully built a robot, and Lee asked what she meant by calling it a real robot.

Luna revealed that people were building powerful robots for her, and Li Si helped her turn her description into a heavily armed humanoid design. Recognizing its emblem as evidence of a strong AI project, Li Si tried to recruit Luna to help with his mech research, and she agreed to stay briefly despite having come without her brother’s knowledge.

• Li Si questioned Luna’s claim that more people were building robots for her than worked at Stein Group, and she said the robots were stronger than Little Fairy.
• Li Si took Luna to a holographic laboratory, where Bumblebee helped her describe and design a robot.
• Luna created a humanoid robot covered in retractable guns and cannons, then added an emblem of a chibi skull with a tiny hammer.
• Li Si recognized the emblem and understood why Luna had so many people building robots for her.
• Li Si invited Luna to study mech-building with him, and she agreed but said she had come behind her brother’s back and could not stay long.

Lee Stein recognized Luna as Zhou Lulu and suspected that she belonged to the Disaster Association, the secret group behind the Cruiser Mechanized Legion. He brought her into his laboratory to join the robot project and showed her a heavily armed humanoid robot design.

• Lee Stein recalled the Disaster Association's public history and doubted its claims that it was merely a fading mutual-aid group.
• Lee Stein concluded that Luna, whose real name was Zhou Lulu, was likely a Disaster Association member developing Cruiser technology and considered contacting the group about the Hound Organization.
• Lee Stein brought Luna to his laboratory, where Max and Otto Gunther accepted her as a temporary project member.
• Lee Stein took Luna to a separate workroom and showed her a humanoid robot design with numerous cannons.
• Luna questioned Lee Stein after hearing him nearly call the robot Heavy Little Loli, and he rapped her on the head.