Chapter Summaries

Xu Lang saved Nightmare Coins and weighed how to strengthen his dormitory before the next game, while veteran Players shared advice about allocating attributes. He remained undecided on his own development path as the game drew closer.

• Xu Lang earned 226 Nightmare Coins overnight and decided to save his coins for upgrading the dormitory door rather than risk upgrading the Nightmare Bed.
• Xu Lang spent the day training, meditating, and relaxing with Cao Yaxuan and the other residents of Dormitory 200.
• The number of Players in the Mad King Dormitory Building surpassed two hundred, and veteran Players shared recommended attribute-allocation ratios in the chatroom.
• Xu Lang read the chatroom advice and decided to discuss development paths with Cao Yaxuan and the others after the next game.
• Wang Yazhi and the others woke up, and Xu Lang watched Wang Yazhi cook.

Xu Lang and the women prepared for the next game round as their rest period neared its end, while the Dormitory Building grew more crowded and volatile. Xu Lang ended the chapter confident that his group would survive and rank among the top ten in Purgatory.

• Xu Lang bought shoes for the women, but only Wang Yazhi gained a comfort point from her high heels.
• Cao Yaxuan, Wang Yazhi, and Tong Qi privately worried about pregnancy, their safety, and how they could help Xu Lang.
• Xu Lang accumulated 911 Nightmare Coins and tried to exercise, prompting Cao Yaxuan to scold him for violating the dorm floor.
• Two Blood Hatred Players committed murders, and residents on their floors vowed to kill them when the game began.
• Xu Lang observed that old Players led the lower floors while Wu Huihui had effectively secured the Tenth Floor, then promised Tong Qi and Wang Yazhi that they would survive and make the top ten in Purgatory.

Xu Lang prepared Dormitory 200 for the second round, which began as a ghost hunt with an unknown overall duration. Wraiths targeted his dormitory, but the Ghost Child killed their Level 2 leader before Xu Lang could upgrade the door.

• Xu Lang meditated and increased his Spirit attribute by one, then prepared with Cao Yaxuan, Tong Qi, and Wang Yazhi for a possible ghost Dungeon.
• The countdown ended, and the game began with the round named Fierce Ghost Soul Return; the game announced that dead Players had become Wraiths seeking revenge.
• A three-hour broadcast round began, and Wraiths marched toward Dormitory 200, led by the Level 2 Wraith Zhou Tao, who identified Xu Lang as his target.
• Xu Ruyan messaged Xu Lang that no Wraiths were approaching her door, while Xu Lang moved to upgrade his own door.
• The Ghost Child consumed Zhou Tao in black mist, earning Xu Lang 100 Owner Points and startling everyone in Dormitory 200.

Xu Lang used the Ghost Child to devour waves of wraiths and a level-three evil spirit, earning a huge points lead during the Dormitory Survival Game. After the tenth floor was cleared, Thunder discovered that Xu Lang had far surpassed him on the leaderboard.

• The Ghost Child devoured most of the attacking wraiths, pushing Xu Lang to first place on the points leaderboard.
• Xu Lang explained that the Ghost Child’s house-calming skill frightened nearby ghosts, while more wraiths surged in from the right hallway.
• Liu Quan, a level-three evil spirit, attacked Dormitory 200 but was controlled by the Ghost Child and eventually swallowed; Xu Lang repaired the steel door as wraiths scratched at it.
• Xu Lang briefly opened the door to lure the wraiths within the Ghost Child’s reach, then shut it and watched them get devoured.
• Twenty minutes later, the tenth-floor wraiths were cleared, and Xu Lang led the leaderboard with 3,411 points, far ahead of Thunder’s 849.

After Xu Lang cleared the Tenth Floor’s first wave of monsters, he and the three girls collected the drops and counted their earnings. The chapter ended with Xu Lang sharing their Copper Coins and inviting the girls to shop on the Trading Network during the remaining rest time.

• Lei Ting cursed Xu Lang’s achievement, retreated to his dormitory, and asked Jin Xin what had happened.
• Xu Lang led Cao Yaxuan, Tong Qi, and Wang Yazhi into the corridor to collect the monsters’ drops.
• The group sorted the loot, found a Basic Swordsmanship scroll and over three hundred Soul Shards, and Tong Qi took the shards.
• Xu Lang collected the three girls’ Copper Coins, bringing his funds to 15,956 Copper Coins and 1 Silver Coin.
• Xu Lang checked the Trading Network, noticed that prices for items useful against ghost-type monsters had tripled, and told the girls to browse for things to buy.

After the first round ended, Xu Lang used the brief rest period to chat with other Players and let the women choose small gifts, which raised Wang Yazhi’s Comfort Level. The broadcast announced cemetery guests as the next threat, while Jin Xin visited Dormitory 200 to report to Thunder and then hurried back downstairs.

• Xu Lang replied in the Chat Room, where Players praised him and Wang Yu pleaded for help before going silent; Jin Xin then credited Thunder for protecting the First Floor and tried to undermine Xu Lang.
• Wu Huihui warned Xu Lang that Jin Xin seemed hostile and suspected someone had leaked information about the Tenth Floor.
• Xu Lang insisted that Tong Qi, Cao Yaxuan, and Wang Yazhi each pick an item, and Wang Yazhi’s pale green hair ribbon raised her Comfort Level to 96.
• The Dormitory Broadcast announced ten minutes of rest before strange guests from the cemetery would visit the Mad King Dormitory Building, and Xu Lang guessed they might be zombies or Ghouls.
• Jin Xin inspected Dormitory 200 and sent Thunder a photo; Thunder told him to return, so Jin Xin ran downstairs.

Xu Lang and the three women prepared for the second round of the Fierce Ghost Soul Return game as powerful Tier-2 monsters appeared in the dormitory corridor. The zombies targeted Dormitory 200, leaving Xu Lang facing an immediate threat to his door.

• Lei Ting and his companions decided against attacking Xu Lang for now, judging that infighting was too risky during the round.
• Xu Lang gave Wang Yazhi a Basic Swordsmanship skill scroll, and she learned the skill and practiced with a sword.
• The second round began, and Xu Lang and the women watched the surveillance screen while preparing for danger.
• White fog filled the corridor as a strange bell rang, and Wang Yazhi made earplugs for the group.
• Tier-2 zombies with four skills appeared in the fog and targeted Dormitory 200, while Xu Lang recognized that the peripheral dormitory was especially dangerous.

Xu Lang and the others defended Dormitory 200 against a zombie horde while Blood Hatred drew more monsters toward them. With the gate nearly destroyed and repair materials exhausted, Xu Lang upgraded it to an Azure Steel Gate, turning the tide and leaving the dormitory’s defenders able to take it easy.

• The Bronze Repeating Crossbows and Xu Lang’s pistol helped repel zombies as more attacked the gate, while an eerie ringing sound gave Xu Lang a splitting headache.
• Xu Lang used a summoning card to distract zombies approaching from the right, then learned from Wu Huihui that other dormitories were under attack too.
• After Cao Yaxuan ran out of steel materials repairing the gate, Xu Lang spent 300 Nightmare Coins to upgrade it with ten durability remaining.
• The Azure Steel Gate gained 130 total durability and dealt magical damage to dark creatures, causing the zombies to scream and burn when they touched it.
• Xu Lang shared the gate’s attributes with Cao Yaxuan, Tong Qi, and Wang Yazhi, and the gate and crossbows cleared a small safe area in front of Dormitory 200.

Xu Lang and his companions farmed points by drawing zombies to Dormitory 200, while the Players in Dormitory 2 copied Thunder’s risky method of fighting outside their door. Wang Yazhi took up the sword to earn points and survived a dangerous attack with help from Xu Lang’s Ghost Child.

• After seeing Xu Lang’s points soar, Thunder left Dormitory 2 to attack zombies with Palm Thunder, then returned to recover with high-grade food.
• Xu Lang repeatedly opened Dormitory 200’s door to lure zombies into his trap, then let Cao Yaxuan, Tong Qi, and Wang Yazhi take turns using the Colt to farm points.
• Wang Yazhi asked to fight with her sword, but the stairwell bell stunned her and a zombie nearly struck her before Xu Lang’s Ghost Child seized control of it.
• Wang Yazhi returned safely to the dormitory, chose to continue fighting, and spent both attribute points on Constitution.
• After eating an Instant Sirloin Steak, Wang Yazhi recovered her strength and went back out to kill zombies.

Xu Lang and the women of Dormitory 200 cleared the tenth floor’s zombies, collected their loot, and climbed the rankings. After Xu Lang traded and bought supplies, he exchanged messages with Xu Ruyan, who was frustrated that his kills had cost her rank and waited for someone to lure monsters between floors.

• Wang Yazhi, Tong Qi, Cao Yaxuan, and Xu Lang entered the top ten after clearing the tenth floor, prompting a broadcast that no second-round monsters could enter it.
• Xu Lang and the others counted their loot, finding Zombie Fangs, Black Zombie Essence Blood, and an Intel Note warning that the real monster was hiding in the corridor.
• Xu Lang sold twenty portions of sticky rice, bought every No. 6 Bullet on the market, and read the many messages sent to him.
• Xu Ruyan warned Xu Lang not to reveal his strength, then told him that his kills had pushed her down to fifth place.
• Xu Lang suggested that Xu Ruyan help on the ninth floor, but she refused because she feared prematurely unleashing its boss.
• Xu Ruyan waited for someone to lose patience and lure monsters between floors, then received the information she wanted.

After Round Two ended, the Players received only three minutes to rest before Level 10 Ghost Constables began inspecting the floors. A Ghost Constable killed several veteran Players on the Fourth Floor, leaving a witness to warn the chatroom as the threat of a floor-wide massacre emerged.

• Xu Lang and the others learned that Ninth-Floor Players had delayed the round, forcing the rest period to shrink to three minutes.
• The Dormitory Broadcast announced that Ghost Constables would patrol and advised Players to cooperate with their investigation.
• Tong Qi spotted a Player's death on the Fourth Floor, and Xu Lang checked the chatroom for details.
• A Player in Dormitory 77 saw a Level 10 Ghost Constable dragging corpses and heard it kill four Players who lied during its inspection.
• The Dormitory 77 Player reported the Ghost Constable's behavior to the chatroom, fearing it could wipe out an entire floor.

Xu Lang sought advice on surviving the Ghost Constable and learned that it liked porcelain, then shared the clue with the Players. Li Li used porcelain during a room inspection and survived, suggesting the game’s item descriptions could be unreliable and Intel Notes were more trustworthy.

• Xu Lang paid Xu Ruyan for advice, learned to disable automatic attacks, and decided the Players should study the Ghost Constable’s behavior rather than try to kill it.
• Zhang Dahai told Xu Lang that the Ghost Constable liked porcelain, while Li Shuwen continued selling the Intel Note for 5,000 Copper Coins.
• Xu Lang publicly revealed the porcelain clue, and Zhang Dahai and Li Shuwen confirmed that the information was true.
• When the Ghost Constable inspected Li Li’s dormitory, Li Li slipped a porcelain vase into its sleeve before answering that he had seen no ghosts.
• The Ghost Constable let Li Li live, and he remembered a veteran Player’s warning that item descriptions could lie while Intel Notes had the highest priority.

After Li Li shared how to survive the Ghost Constable, Xu Lang exploited the sudden demand for ceramics and made a fortune selling his surplus stock. As his teammates celebrated the bumper harvest, the Ghost Constable appeared on surveillance, dragging a chain of people.

• Li Li broke down after the Ghost Constable left and shared his survival information with other Players.
• Xu Lang traded Li Xue a ceramic bowl and plate for more than three thousand Copper Coins, then noticed ceramics were scarce and prices had soared.
• Xu Lang listed more than forty ceramics at prices below the competition, triggering a price war that let Players buy ceramics more cheaply.
• Xu Lang sold most of his stock and said the team had earned around seventeen thousand Copper Coins, bringing their total to forty-five thousand.
• Xu Lang spotted the Ghost Constable entering the surveillance view with a long chain of people trailing behind him.

Xu Lang bribed the ghost constable with a blue-and-white bowl and received an invitation to the Netherworld along with a warning about the Ten-Day Bells. After the patrol ended, the players gathered outside his dormitory to praise him, and Cao Yaxuan invited him to bathe with her.

• The ghost constable bowed to the ghost child, then Xu Lang greeted him at Dormitory 200.
• Xu Lang handed the ghost constable a blue-and-white plum blossom bowl, and the constable advised him to collect all the Ten-Day Bells and offered to arrest two enemies.
• The ghost constable gave Xu Lang an Underworld Invitation, which could send eligible dormitory residents to the Netherworld together.
• Xu Lang shared copper coins with Cao Yaxuan, Tong Qi, and Wang Yazhi before meditating through the night as the ghost constable patrolled.
• At dawn, the broadcast announced that the third round had ended and the fourth monster wave would arrive at six that evening.
• Players gathered outside Dormitory 200 to praise Xu Lang, and Cao Yaxuan invited him to bathe with her.

Xu Lang and the others rested after a night of preparation while players across the floors scoured buildings and strengthened their groups. On the Tenth Floor, Nie Xiaozhu found a King of Hearts card, and Xu Ruyan warned that the floor might need its power to delay the next game.

• Xu Lang asked Wang Yazhi whether she had chosen the sword as her main weapon, then went to bed with her.
• Lei Ting led the exhausted First Floor players in searching buildings, while the Mad King Building’s survivors grew stronger by scavenging abandoned dormitories.
• Wu Huihui and most Tenth Floor players gathered together as they searched for supplies and support.
• Nie Xiaozhu found a King of Hearts card that could delay the game by three days or upgrade a dormitory once.
• Xu Ruyan explained that the Ninth Floor had collapsed and urged Nie Xiaozhu to postpone the game, warning that the Tenth Floor was weak and the next round would be harder.

After the fourth round was delayed by Nie Xiaozhu’s King of Hearts, Xu Lang accumulated more than a thousand Nightmare Coins and considered how to improve his skills and defenses. He refused Thunder’s attempt to draw him outside and ended the chapter planning to upgrade Meditation or the Nightmare Bed.

• Nie Xiaozhu used King of Hearts, delaying the fourth round by three days, and Xu Lang welcomed the extra time to rest.
• Xu Lang’s Nightmare Coins rose to 1,057, and he considered upgrading his Azure Steel Gate while worrying that his unusual progress might attract attention.
• Xu Lang asked Xu Ruyan and the Chat Room about skills that could raise physique, but Ye Fan sent him a set of inappropriate exercises instead.
• Thunder offered Xu Lang a Blood Threadworm Larva Egg that increased physique, but Xu Lang refused to meet in person, suspecting Thunder wanted to lure him outside.
• Xu Lang ate with Wang Yazhi and the others, then planned to spend Nightmare Coins upgrading Meditation or the Nightmare Bed.

Xu Lang spent 1,000 Nightmare Coins to upgrade his Nightmare Bed, then slept and earned 342 Nightmare Coins from its increased conversion rate. Afterward, Tong Qi fed Soul Shards to the Ghost Child and named it Tong Bao.

• Xu Lang weighed upgrading his Nightmare Bed against saving coins for defense, then chose to spend 1,000 Nightmare Coins on the bed.
• The upgraded bed increased Xu Lang's Nightmare Coin conversion rate, and he slept for eight hours to earn 342 Nightmare Coins.
• Xu Lang considered using his gains to upgrade two turrets and discussed wanting more monsters so he could recruit another Xiao Mei.
• After the meal, Tong Qi asked to feed the Ghost Child Soul Shards, and Xu Lang moved it closer to the doorway.
• The Ghost Child eagerly ate the Soul Shards, and Tong Qi called it Tong Bao before leaving.

Xu Lang and the three women read a book about zombies and strange folk arts, then Xu Lang upgraded it into a more detailed account of the Ten Evil Arts Masters. The chapter left him reading the biographies of the ten notorious practitioners.

• Xu Lang paused his meditation and joined Cao Yaxuan in reading the Compendium of Folk Oddities, which described zombie ranks and other supernatural creatures.
• Xu Lang suggested that Cao Yaxuan use black zombie essence blood to pursue a zombie bloodline, but she refused because she thought zombies were ugly.
• Xu Lang, Cao Yaxuan, Wang Yazhi, and Tong Qi read the book together and discussed its accounts of strange creatures and arts.
• Xu Lang spent 10 Nightmare Coins to upgrade the book into Secret Tales of Folk Oddities.
• Xu Lang found detailed biographies of the Ten Evil Arts Masters and learned that the folk organization had consisted of ten practitioners infamous for horrific crimes.

Xu Lang prepared for the fourth round by prioritizing turret firepower, while the Players discussed their upgrades and equipment. As a ten-minute monster tide began, Xu Lang upgraded his turret and had to choose among four Tier 3 crossbow paths.

• After reading about the Ten Evil Arts Masters, Xu Lang decided to save Nightmare Coins to upgrade both turrets before improving the Azure Steel Gate or his Meditation Technique.
• Xu Lang collected his overnight Nightmare Coin earnings, and Tong Qi found an outfit that raised her comfort level to 96.
• Players discussed turret types in the Chat Room, where Li Shuwen explained the differences between physical, magical, and costly hybrid-damage turrets.
• The fourth round began with a ten-minute monster tide, and Xu Lang went to upgrade his turret while Cao Yaxuan, Wang Yazhi, and Tong Qi watched.
• Xu Lang spent 210 Nightmare Coins and received four Tier 3 crossbow upgrade options, including two hybrid-damage turrets, leaving him unsure which to choose.

Xu Lang upgraded two Bronze Repeating Crossbows into a Silver Iron Wing Crossbow and an Army-Breaking Heavy Crossbow before a building-wide monster tide began. The turrets started killing the monsters and earning points, leaving Xu Lang confident Dormitory 200 could withstand the attack.

• Xu Lang upgraded one Bronze Repeating Crossbow into a Silver Iron Wing Crossbow, then turned another into an Army-Breaking Heavy Crossbow.
• A monster tide appeared throughout the dormitory building, with different creatures on each floor and zombies flooding the Tenth Floor.
• Xu Lang activated automatic attack mode on both turrets, and the Silver Iron Wing Crossbow’s demon-breaking bolts killed a zombie in two shots.
• The turrets fired into the zombies gathering outside Dormitory 200, rapidly earning Xu Lang points as only a few monsters could attack the gate at once.
• Tong Qi, Cao Yaxuan, and Wang Yazhi calmed down as the defenses held, while Xu Lang wondered whether Wu Huihui and the others would survive.