Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• A girl from Silent Court, an organization of Transcendents, approaches Bai Ye to recruit him, surprising him as he's not a Transcendent.
• She reveals that more Mutated Beasts are coming, making Gray Soil Town unsafe, and advises evacuation.
• Tan Jie and King Snake, the leaders of the East and West Districts, decide to capture Bai Ye and Li You to sell them as Transcendent Test Subjects to Dawn City for entry.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye remains cautious and guarded, refusing to join Silent Court and showing concern for his own safety.
• Li You is revealed to be a newly advanced Transcendent, suffering from mental exhaustion.
• Tan Jie and King Snake show their ruthless and opportunistic nature, planning to capture and sell Bai Ye and Li You.

Significant Themes

• Trust and Betrayal: Bai Ye and Li You are betrayed by Tan Jie and King Snake, while Bai Ye is initially cautious of the girl from Silent Court.
• Survival and Self-Preservation: Characters prioritize their own survival, with Bai Ye refusing to join Silent Court and Tan Jie and King Snake planning to capture others for their own gain.
• Power and Wealth: The desire for power (Transcendent abilities) and wealth (entry to Dawn City) drives the actions of several characters.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and the girl from Silent Court have a brief, tense interaction, with Bai Ye initially suspicious of her intentions.
• Tan Jie and King Snake collaborate to capture Bai Ye and Li You, showing a temporary alliance born out of desperation.
• Bai Ye and Li You are on the run together, with Li You urging Bai Ye to flee while Bai Ye suggests preparing to fight.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye and Li You are cornered by Tan Jie and King Snake's men, who are armed with Tetanus Blades.
• Li You initially runs away but returns, showing courage despite his fear.
• King Snake arrives, blocking Li You's escape route.
• Bai Ye tries to negotiate with Tan Jie and King Snake, offering them a chance to beg for mercy, but they refuse.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Remains calm and collected under pressure, showing strategic thinking and a desire to avoid unnecessary fights.
• Li You: Initially driven by fear, but ultimately shows courage and loyalty by returning to help Bai Ye, despite his fear of death.
• Tan Jie and King Snake: Reveal their fear of the Silent Court and their disregard for the lives of others, showing their ruthlessness and cowardice.

Significant Themes

• Courage: Explored through Li You's internal struggle and eventual decision to return and help Bai Ye, despite his fear.
• Loyalty: Li You's actions also demonstrate loyalty to Bai Ye, even when faced with certain death.
• Power Dynamics: The interaction between Bai Ye, Tan Jie, and King Snake highlights the shifting power dynamics and the use of fear to control others.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Li You: Their friendship deepens as Li You shows courage and loyalty, and Bai Ye supports and encourages him.
• Bai Ye and Tan Jie/King Snake: Their interactions reveal the stark contrast between Bai Ye's calm and strategic approach and the enemies' reckless and aggressive behavior.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li You and Bai Ye are cornered by Tan Jie and King Snake's men.
• Li You attempts to use his Transcendent ability, Magic Hand, against King Snake but fails due to his injured right hand.
• Bai Ye swiftly kills Tan Jie and his men without any visible movement, shocking King Snake and Li You.
• King Snake begs for mercy, offering money to spare his life, but Bai Ye kills him and searches his mechanical arm for hidden money.

Character Developments

• Li You: Realizes the true extent of Bai Ye's power and is both amazed and frightened. His right hand's injury worsens, limiting his ability to use his Transcendent power.
• Bai Ye: Shows no mercy in killing King Snake and his men. He reveals that he has only one minute left of his Transcendent power, increasing the tension and urgency in his actions.

Significant Themes

• Power and Fear: Bai Ye's display of power instills fear in both King Snake and Li You, demonstrating the influence of fear in controlling and manipulating others.
• Greed and Desperation: King Snake's offer of money to save his life highlights the desperation people can feel when faced with death and the lengths they will go to avoid it.

Character Interactions

• Li You and Bai Ye: Li You is both impressed and intimidated by Bai Ye's power. Their interaction is brief but tense, with Li You feeling sidelined as Bai Ye takes charge.
• King Snake and Bai Ye: King Snake's initial bravado turns to terror as he begs for mercy from Bai Ye, who shows no compassion in killing him.

Chapter Summary: “Stickier Than Shit, Less Sweet Than Shit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye and Li You dismantle King Snake’s mechanical arm, hoping to find hidden money or valuables. Instead, they discover only complicated mechanisms designed for surprise attacks, leaving Bai Ye furious at having been deceived.
• Bai Ye drives Tan Jie’s off-road vehicle, surprising Li You and reinforcing the impression that Bai Ye is far more capable—and less like an ordinary Wastelander—than he appears.
• Rather than heading directly to Dawn City, Bai Ye insists they return to Gray Soil Town before nightfall. He explains that traveling through the Wasteland after dark is extremely dangerous, while the town offers temporary shelter.
• When they arrive, Gray Soil Town is deserted. Hundreds of corpses and gray feathers remain, but the surviving residents have fled after hearing the Knight Girl’s warnings and seeing King Snake’s group leave. Believing their leader had abandoned them, the townspeople panicked.
• Bai Ye and Li You secure a brick house as a temporary base. Li You treats his injured right hand, which is especially important because it supports his Transcendent ability.
• Their food supplies consist mainly of alcohol and Cockroach Protein Bars. Bai Ye is disgusted by the protein bars, especially after remembering the food of the Civilized Era, but forces himself to eat one.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye continues to conceal the true nature of his abilities, allowing Li You to assume he is a Transcendent. He displays practical judgment by prioritizing shelter before nightfall and carefully examining the evidence left in Gray Soil Town.
• His greed and frustration remain central to his personality, particularly when the mechanical arm contains no treasure. However, he also demonstrates responsibility and survival expertise by returning to town rather than taking unnecessary risks.
• Li You becomes increasingly aware that Bai Ye is unusual and highly capable. He is shocked by Bai Ye’s apparent driving skill and irritated by Bai Ye’s refusal to reveal his ability.
• Li You’s dependence on alcohol and cigarettes is emphasized as part of his survival philosophy. He values them as medicine, currency, stress relief, and sources of courage, even placing alcohol above meat.
• Li You’s injured right hand reveals a personal vulnerability, since damage to it could impair his Transcendent power.

Significant Themes

• Survival versus comfort: The characters must accept terrible food, poor shelter, and constant danger while trying to remain alive.
• The loss of civilization: Bai Ye’s disgust toward the Cockroach Protein Bar highlights his inability to fully adapt to Wasteland life and his nostalgia for barbecue, beer, and ordinary comforts.
• Trust and secrecy: Bai Ye hides the truth about his abilities, while Li You feels betrayed because he believes he has been more open. Their friendship is shaped by teasing, blackmail, and reluctant cooperation.
• The importance of practical judgment: Bai Ye’s decision to return before nightfall emphasizes that survival depends on recognizing danger and conserving resources, not merely on strength.
• Humor amid despair: Sarcastic insults, Li You’s exaggerated praise of alcohol and cigarettes, and Bai Ye’s comparison of the protein bar to something “stickier than shit” provide comic relief in an otherwise bleak setting.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Li You argue over Bai Ye’s hidden ability, with Bai Ye silencing Li You by threatening to recount his embarrassing past.
• Their relationship is antagonistic but companionable: they insult and mock each other while still relying on one another to dismantle the mechanical arm, drive, find shelter, and survive.
• Bai Ye criticizes Li You for choosing alcohol over meat, while Li You defends alcohol as one of the most valuable resources in the Wasteland.
• Li You mocks Bai Ye’s disgust toward the protein bar, and Bai Ye responds by insisting that Li You simply has no experience with good food.
• Despite their constant bickering, the two function as a cooperative survival pair, with Bai Ye providing judgment and initiative and Li You contributing supplies, driving, and his Transcendent abilities.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li You reminisces about eating curly noodles, a delicacy he enjoyed in his past life.
• Bai Ye realizes that curly noodles are equivalent to instant noodles, highlighting the stark contrast between his past life and the present wasteland.
• A convoy of Dawn City's army arrives in Gray Soil Town, escorting over two hundred residents as potential cannon fodder for a mission to Black Mountain.

Character Developments

• Li You: Reveals his past wealth and status, displays knowledge about food and people, and shows concern for the wasteland people's welfare.
• Bai Ye: Demonstrates his divine power and disinterest in worldly matters, prioritizing the accumulation of time. He also shows curiosity about the army's mission but decides against joining due to time constraints.

Significant Themes

• The contrast between the past civilization and the present wasteland, emphasizing the loss of simple pleasures like instant noodles.
• The harsh reality of the wasteland, where the weak are exploited and used as cannon fodder.
• The value of time, with Bai Ye prioritizing its accumulation over immediate action.

Character Interactions

• Li You and Bai Ye discuss their past lives and the present situation, leading to a moment of understanding between them.
• Bai Ye and Li You both realize the army's intentions regarding the wasteland people, leading to a shared sense of disgust and concern.

Chapter Summary: The Sixteen-Word Mantra for Wasteland Survival

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye deduces that the Dawn City military squad is traveling to Black Mountain, where mutated plants make conventional weapons ineffective. The soldiers are collecting residents of Gray Soil Town to use as human scouts and cannon fodder.
• He and Li You realize that the town’s civilians have suffered because of decisions made by powerful figures in Dawn City, first through the Mutated Beast disaster and now through the military operation.
• The soldiers begin searching the town with thermal imagers, making it impossible for Bai Ye and Li You to remain hidden.
• Li You suggests fighting their way out and stealing a vehicle, but Bai Ye rejects the idea as reckless and impractical.
• Bai Ye introduces his “Wasteland Survival Path,” a sixteen-word philosophy: “If the enemy is weak, I humiliate them. If the enemy is small, I bully them. If the enemy is fierce, I surrender. If the enemy is strong, I obey.”
• Instead of resisting, Bai Ye disguises himself and Li You as harmless survivors. When soldiers discover them, he claims they are brothers who hid during the Gray Sparrow attack because Li You was injured.
• Bai Ye secretly pinches Li You’s injured hand to make his pain appear genuine. The soldiers search them, find no weapons, and order them to join the other captured residents.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye demonstrates strategic thinking, emotional control, and a pragmatic approach to survival. Rather than seeking a pointless confrontation, he plans to infiltrate the military group and use the situation to his advantage.
• He also shows growing awareness of the larger social injustices affecting ordinary Wastelanders, recognizing that common people have little control over disasters caused by powerful authorities.
• Li You remains impulsive and inclined toward direct action, immediately proposing a fight. However, he is impressed by Bai Ye’s survival philosophy and begins treating him with greater respect, calling him “Brother Ye.”
• Li You’s injured arm continues to trouble him, emphasizing both his vulnerability and his growing dependence on Bai Ye’s judgment.

Significant Themes

• Powerlessness of ordinary people: The residents of Gray Soil Town suffer from decisions made by distant elites, reinforcing the idea that the weak bear the consequences of the powerful.
• Survival versus heroism: Bai Ye argues that staying alive is more important than proving courage through unnecessary combat.
• Pragmatism and deception: Disguise, surrender, and manipulation become tools for survival in a brutal world.
• Social inequality and injustice: The military treats Wastelanders as expendable resources, reducing their lives to cannon fodder.
• Fate and helplessness: Bai Ye reflects that ordinary people are like dust carried by the times, crushed beneath forces they cannot control.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Li You discuss the military’s intentions and the unfair treatment of Wastelanders, deepening their shared understanding of the situation.
• Their contrasting personalities create humor: Li You wants to fight, while Bai Ye calmly advocates surrender and obedience.
• Bai Ye teases Li You for suddenly calling him “Brother,” while Li You tries to maintain his dignity.
• During the soldiers’ interrogation, Bai Ye takes control of the conversation and invents a convincing story, while Li You follows his lead despite his confusion.
• By the chapter’s end, the two have successfully avoided immediate danger but are now being escorted alongside the town’s captives toward the military force’s next destination.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye secretly retains his Taboo Object by using Time Stop to evade the soldiers’ search.
• He and Li You are taken with Gray Soil Town’s residents to a Dawn City military camp.
• Bai Ye observes two powerful figures among the soldiers: a mechanically modified officer and a Genetic Modifier with unusually sharp hawk-like eyes.
• The soldiers classify Bai Ye and Li You as ordinary Wastelanders, assign them numbers, and place them in a refugee camp.
• The numbers divide the refugees into groups of twenty, with each group held collectively responsible if anyone escapes.
• Li You learns that the refugees are being taken to Black Mountain as expendable scouts. Dawn City officials promise survivors entry into the city, but the refugees understand that most will likely die.
• Bai Ye decides not to escape immediately, reasoning that the military convoy offers protection from Mutated Beasts during the dangerous nighttime journey.
• At midnight, Bai Ye suddenly orders Li You to prepare to kill all the soldiers, despite the overwhelming odds.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye demonstrates extreme caution and resourcefulness by concealing his Taboo Object and disguising his identity.
• His calculating nature becomes clear when he reframes captivity as temporary protection rather than an immediate threat.
• Bai Ye’s interpretation of “humility” is revealed to be highly pragmatic and deceptive: he submits only when useful, then acts decisively when he sees an advantage.
• Li You remains both comic relief and a useful informant. He gathers information from the refugees but is increasingly alarmed by Bai Ye’s unpredictable decisions.
• Li You begins to appreciate Bai Ye’s survival philosophy, only to discover that Bai Ye’s apparent humility may conceal ruthless aggression.

Significant Themes

• Survival through deception and adaptability: Bai Ye survives by hiding his abilities, blending into the refugee population, and manipulating circumstances to his advantage.
• The exploitation of the weak: Dawn City treats the Wastelanders as disposable manpower while disguising the mission as an opportunity for a better life.
• Humility versus submission: The chapter contrasts genuine caution with blind obedience. Bai Ye’s “humility” is strategic rather than moral.
• Power and perception: Bai Ye avoids detection by appearing weak, while the military displays power through weapons, modifications, and control over the refugees.
• Dark humor and irony: Li You repeatedly interprets Bai Ye’s lessons literally, while Bai Ye reveals increasingly violent meanings behind them.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye dismisses Li You’s questions about their assigned numbers with sarcastic impatience.
• Li You questions other refugees and discovers the truth about the Black Mountain expedition.
• Bai Ye persuades Li You that remaining with the convoy is safer than fleeing into the wasteland.
• At midnight, Bai Ye shocks Li You by ordering an attack on the soldiers. Li You protests that this contradicts Bai Ye’s earlier teachings about humility, prompting Bai Ye’s mocking claim that “no one understands humility better” than he does.

Chapter Summary: Secrets of the Era: The Pangu Project

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye decides to attack a Dawn Army camp rather than flee. He plans to kill the commanding officer and the mysterious hawk-eyed man known as Ying, then have Li You and the others attack the camp during the resulting confusion.
• Li You desperately warns Bai Ye against the reckless plan, pointing out that the two targets appear dangerous. Bai Ye ignores him, convinced that the soldiers will eventually force them into Black Mountain and that escaping without money or weapons will leave them unable to enter Dawn City legally.
• Using his Time Stop ability, Bai Ye slips past the guards and reaches the central tent without being detected.
• Before attacking, he overhears the officer questioning Ying about the legendary Pangu Project, reportedly located in Black Mountain.
• Ying reveals that the project was conducted in Shelter 189, a pre-Cataclysm shelter, and involved an artifact called the Pangu USB Drive.
• The USB drive supposedly contains the complete knowledge of the former Civilized Era, including technologies such as gene editing, mechanical armor, artificial intelligence, Life Engineering, and transcendent evolution.
• The revelation shocks the officer, who realizes that whoever controls the drive could gain enough power to dominate the entire world. Bai Ye, meanwhile, becomes intensely curious and delays his assassination to continue listening.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye is shown as bold, calculating, and highly opportunistic. Although his plan appears reckless, he has practical motives: he wants weapons, money, and the means to obtain a legal identity in Dawn City. His curiosity about the lost history of the Civilized Era begins to compete with his immediate survival instincts.
• Li You acts as Bai Ye’s cautious and morally concerned counterpart. He fears the consequences of attacking the army and tries to restrain Bai Ye, but he is powerless to stop him.
• Ying is revealed to possess detailed knowledge about the Pangu Project and the post-Cataclysm world. His guarded, cold manner suggests that he may know more than he admits.
• The officer initially speaks confidently, but Ying’s explanation exposes his growing astonishment and ambition. He immediately recognizes the enormous strategic value of the Pangu USB Drive.

Significant Themes

• Survival versus recklessness: Bai Ye’s dangerous decision reflects the harsh reality of the wasteland, where security, money, weapons, and legal identity are all essential for survival.
• Knowledge as power: The Pangu USB Drive represents the accumulated achievements of humanity and could reshape the balance of power across the world.
• The failure of the elites: The civilization’s privileged survivors hid in shelters and planned to rebuild the world, but they apparently perished, while ordinary people endured and reconstructed society.
• The collapse and rebuilding of civilization: The chapter expands the history of the Great Cataclysm, showing how pollution killed most of humanity while a small adapted population used remnants of old technology to establish new powers such as Dawn City.
• Curiosity and hidden history: Bai Ye’s interest in the unknown past hints that discovering the truth behind the Cataclysm and the Pangu Project may become more important than his immediate escape.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Li You argue over whether to attack the soldiers. Li You urges caution, while Bai Ye insists that striking first is the only way to avoid being trapped in Black Mountain.
• Bai Ye secretly listens to the officer and Ying, shifting from assassination to investigation when he realizes the conversation concerns a potentially world-changing secret.
• The officer repeatedly presses Ying for information, while Ying responds reluctantly and cryptically. Their exchange establishes a tension between the officer’s curiosity and ambition and Ying’s guarded control over the truth.

Chapter Summary: “Zodiac”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye overhears a conversation between a military officer and Ying, a member of the Zodiac organization.
• Ying explains that the Civilized Era had achieved astonishing technological advances, including:
  • Transcendence evolution, developed during the two and a half years between the Great Cataclysm’s beginning and civilization’s collapse.
  • Life Engineering, which could extend human lifespans.
  • Other technologies such as gene editing and mechanical modification.
• The Civilized Era studied the Transcendents who emerged during the Cataclysm and succeeded in discovering a method for allowing people to awaken as Transcendents reliably.
• Bai Ye becomes intensely interested in the Pangu USB Drive, believing it may contain the secrets of these lost technologies. Rather than kill the people around him, he decides to accompany the army toward Black Mountain, hoping to use the military escort to gain access to the site.
• The officer questions why Ying is heading toward the Black Mountain Cliffs instead of joining the company’s main forces in the search for the Pangu USB Drive and Shelter 189.
• Ying reveals that his mission is not to retrieve the USB Drive but to assassinate Yang Jie, the “Tyrant,” one of the Ten Kings.
• Ying plans to kill Yang Jie using the Black Flood Dragon M300, a powerful sniper rifle. The company’s research shows that Yang Jie’s psychic warning range extends three thousand meters; beyond that distance, he cannot sense an incoming attack.
• Ying boasts that he can accurately snipe a target from more than three thousand meters away, a feat nearly impossible for ordinary marksmen.
• He claims that killing Yang Jie will make it much easier for the company to obtain the Pangu USB Drive, but the chapter ends before he explains why.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye shifts from considering violence against the group to cooperating with them. His desire for the Pangu USB Drive—and especially the possibility of gaining Transcendence and extending his lifespan—drives this decision.
• Bai Ye’s worldview is reinforced: he believes people should openly acknowledge their desires rather than hide behind hypocrisy. He sees his ambition as honest and justified.
• Ying is established as an exceptionally confident and skilled assassin. He takes great pride in his sniping ability and is motivated by the challenge of killing a powerful opponent.
• The officer is portrayed as knowledgeable about military matters but awed by Ying’s abilities. His repeated praise feeds Ying’s confidence and softens Ying’s normally cold demeanor.
• Yang Jie is characterized indirectly as an extremely dangerous Transcendent, powerful enough to destroy one of the company’s Satellite Cities and earn a top ranking among the Ten Kings.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of lost civilization: The Pangu USB Drive represents the remnants of the Civilized Era and the possibility of reclaiming advanced knowledge.
• Desire and ambition: Bai Ye’s candid hunger for power, longevity, and time contrasts with conventional moral restraint.
• Risk versus reward: Bai Ye views entering Black Mountain as a dangerous but worthwhile gamble if it could secure the USB Drive.
• Humanity versus evolution: The passage contrasts technological bodily alteration with Transcendence, which Bai Ye sees as a more desirable spiritual form of evolution.
• Precision and power: Ying’s long-range assassination plan highlights the importance of specialized abilities and exploiting an opponent’s limitations.

Character Interactions

• Ying educates the officer about the Civilized Era’s achievements, while the officer reacts with disbelief and admiration.
• The officer flatters Ying’s marksmanship, strengthening Ying’s confidence and prompting him to reveal more about his mission.
• Bai Ye silently observes the exchange, using the information to revise his plans and align himself with the army’s expedition.
• Ying and the officer discuss Yang Jie’s abilities and vulnerabilities, establishing the coming conflict between Ying’s precision assassination strategy and Yang Jie’s psychic perception.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye eavesdrops on a conversation between an officer and Ying, learning Apocalypse Corporation’s plan: lure or use Tyrant—one of the Ten Kings—to break through Shelter 189’s defenses, then have Ying kill him so the company can enter and retrieve a USB drive.
• He realizes the company intends to eliminate Tyrant after exploiting his strength, while Bai Ye considers taking advantage of the conflict himself.
• Bai Ye avoids detection by carefully bypassing a branch that might make noise and evading patrols as he returns to the refugees.
• Li You anxiously waits for Bai Ye, fearing he has been captured or might reveal Li You’s involvement. Bai Ye jokes that he merely went to urinate, then eventually reveals that he plans to go to Black Mountain.
• The next morning, Apocalypse Corporation’s soldiers force the refugees to march toward Gray Soil Town. The exhausted Wastelanders are treated brutally and threatened with death if they fall behind.
• During a midday break, soldiers eat canned food while deliberately throwing empty cans into the refugee crowd, mocking them as they fight over scraps.
• Outraged by the soldiers’ cruelty, Li You gives a hungry middle-aged man one of his Cockroach Protein Bars. However, the man immediately asks for more instead of thanking him, prompting Bai Ye to recognize Li You’s naïveté.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Demonstrates his cautious, calculating nature by gathering intelligence without attacking the officer. He adopts the cynical principle of bullying the weak while submitting to the strong, though his true ambition is to exploit powerful figures such as Tyrant and the Zodiac. He also continues teasing Li You and concealing his plans, but ultimately admits that he intends to travel to Black Mountain.
• Li You: Shows intense anxiety and dependence on Bai Ye, fearing both failure and betrayal. Despite his nervousness, he retains compassion and a sense of fairness, sharing food with a starving refugee. His generosity also reveals his inexperience and lack of caution.
• The Apocalypse Corporation soldiers: Their cruelty and arrogance become more apparent as they abuse, threaten, and humiliate the refugees, viewing them as inferior beings.
• The officer and Ying: Their conversation reveals the corporation’s willingness to manipulate even major powers like Tyrant. Ying is presented as a potentially dangerous combatant whose status could rise if he kills one of the Ten Kings.

Significant Themes

• Power and opportunism: Apocalypse Corporation plans to use Tyrant and then dispose of him, illustrating how the powerful manipulate one another for strategic gain.
• Survival through cunning: Bai Ye prefers planning, deception, and exploiting circumstances over reckless violence.
• Class oppression and dehumanization: The soldiers treat refugees as animals, denying them food and mocking their desperation.
• Compassion versus cynicism: Li You’s instinct is to help the hungry, while Bai Ye’s worldview emphasizes suspicion and self-preservation.
• Appearance versus reality: Bai Ye pretends to be inactive or foolish, hiding his true objectives while observing the larger conflict.

Character Interactions

• The officer flatters Ying, praising his potential to kill Tyrant and rise within the Zodiac.
• Bai Ye secretly listens, then avoids detection and returns to Li You.
• Li You questions Bai Ye about his mission, while Bai Ye deflects with absurd jokes before revealing his plan to go to Black Mountain.
• Bai Ye mocks Li You’s innocence, while Li You criticizes Bai Ye’s evasiveness and bizarre behavior.
• Li You shares food with a refugee, but the man’s immediate demand for more highlights the desperation created by the soldiers’ treatment.

Chapter Summary: “You’re Actually Going to Eat It?”

Plot and Events

After Li You gives several Wastelanders Cockroach Protein Bars, the starving crowd rapidly gathers and demands more. When some attempt to seize his food sack, Li You angrily repels them but struggles to control the situation. Bai Ye then intervenes, appearing to offer food generously. However, when a tall Wastelander reaches for the bar, Bai Ye deliberately refuses to let go, injures the man’s hand, and mocks him for actually trying to eat it. He then brutally beats another Wastelander who criticizes his actions, terrifying the crowd into dispersing.

Character Development

Li You is shown to be compassionate but limited and easily angered when the crowd threatens his supplies. Bai Ye reveals a far more violent, domineering, and sadistic side. Rather than simply defending the food, he uses the situation to assert control through cruelty and intimidation. The Wastelanders are portrayed as desperate and aggressive because of hunger, but they quickly become fearful and submissive in the face of Bai Ye’s strength. Ying remains composed and observant, while the officer displays contempt for Wastelanders and supports their eradication.

Character Interactions

Li You confronts the hungry crowd and argues that they should seek food from the soldiers instead. Bai Ye pretends to side with the Wastelanders, then humiliates and injures their leader. He also violently punishes a short Wastelander who questions his behavior. The crowd, initially united by hunger, abandons its demands after Bai Ye’s display of brutality. Meanwhile, Ying and the officer watch from a troop carrier, discussing the value—or lack thereof—of Wastelanders.

Themes

The chapter emphasizes survival-driven desperation, showing how hunger erodes civility and encourages mob behavior. It also explores power and intimidation, as Bai Ye replaces negotiation with violence and gains control through fear. The contrast between the Wastelanders’ desperation, the soldiers’ contempt, and Ying’s detached pragmatism highlights the harsh social hierarchy of the wasteland. The chapter ends by shifting toward a potentially important development when a Wastelander arrives claiming to have information about a Taboo Object, prompting Ying to order that he be brought forward.

Chapter Summary: “It Wasn’t Me Who Was Wrong, but This Era!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A Wastelander named Wang informs a military officer that Bai Ye possesses the Taboo Object [Breath of Bones], which Bai Ye obtained in Gray Soil Town.
• Wang identifies Bai Ye as the former deputy commander of the East District and begs for a piece of meat as payment for his information.
• Li You feels guilty after helping someone he thought was pitiful, but Bai Ye dismisses his guilt with his cynical principle: people should avoid admitting fault and blame others—or “the era”—instead.
• A military disturbance reveals that Wang has reported Bai Ye to the authorities. Bai Ye immediately realizes that a fight is likely and approaches the officer and Ying.
• When questioned, Bai Ye openly admits possessing [Breath of Bones] and draws it, causing the soldiers to aim their guns at him.
• Ying, a highly confident and powerful figure, orders the soldiers to lower their weapons. He recognizes Bai Ye’s achievement in winning the Fate Roulette with six bullets and making [Breath of Bones] acknowledge him.
• Rather than surrendering, Bai Ye silently evaluates how he might kill the entire group of more than one hundred soldiers.
• Ying asks how powerful the Taboo Object is. Bai Ye replies that he has no bullets, prompting Ying to order the soldiers to supply him with ammunition.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye remains ruthless, irreverent, and psychologically manipulative. He disguises harsh survivalist logic as comfort and refuses to accept personal blame. His calmness in front of overwhelming military force shows his confidence and strategic thinking.
• Li You continues developing under Bai Ye’s influence. Though compassionate and guilt-ridden, he is gradually exposed to Bai Ye’s twisted survival philosophies and begins to see himself as morally better by comparison. Their playful exchanges reveal growing familiarity.
• Ying is introduced as an exceptionally confident and authoritative figure. He possesses enough power that he does not fear Bai Ye’s Taboo Object and treats the confrontation almost like an evaluation.
• The officer represents the arrogance and prejudice of the ruling military class. He looks down on Wastelanders, eagerly exploits Wang’s information, and flatters Ying while underestimating Bai Ye.
• Wang is portrayed as frightened, opportunistic, and desperate. He betrays Bai Ye for food and immediately tries to prove his usefulness to the authorities.

Significant Themes

• Moral corruption in a harsh era: Wang’s betrayal for a small amount of meat and the officer’s contempt for Wastelanders show how survival has eroded ordinary morality.
• Personal responsibility versus blaming circumstances: Bai Ye’s “blame the era” philosophy parodies self-help maxims while reflecting his refusal to feel guilt or weakness.
• Power and social hierarchy: The military’s treatment of Wastelanders contrasts sharply with Ying’s authority and the officer’s subservience to him.
• Confidence and intimidation: Bai Ye and Ying both remain composed despite the threat of violence, creating a contest of wills before the battle even begins.
• Humanity amid brutality: Li You’s compassion stands against Bai Ye’s cynicism, though Bai Ye’s influence increasingly distorts Li You’s understanding of right and wrong.

Character Interactions

• Wang desperately reports Bai Ye to the officer and asks for food in return.
• Li You seeks Bai Ye’s reassurance, but Bai Ye mocks him before offering his cynical “the era is at fault” doctrine.
• Bai Ye and Li You engage in rough, joking banter that suggests a developing companionship.
• Bai Ye confronts the officer and Ying without denying his possession of [Breath of Bones].
• Ying acknowledges Bai Ye’s courage and ability but remains confident that the Taboo Object cannot threaten him.
• The chapter ends with Ying ordering the soldiers to give Bai Ye bullets, apparently allowing him to demonstrate the weapon’s power.

Chapter Summary: “Did I Say You Could Leave?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye receives the bullets for the Taboo Object [Breath of Bones] and immediately shoots the Wastelander who betrayed him, killing him in front of Ying and the officer.
• Impressed by Bai Ye’s composure and the weapon’s power, Ying offers him a chance to follow him to Black Mountain if he survives the journey.
• Ying and the officer prepare to leave, assuming Bai Ye will accept their “mercy” and remain obedient.
• Bai Ye stops them, declaring that although they did not steal from him, he intends to rob them. His defiance shocks Li You and the surrounding Wastelanders.
• The officer agrees to deal with Bai Ye, dismissing him as a fool who cannot effectively use a slow-firing Taboo Object.
• Before the officer can attack, Bai Ye suddenly appears behind Ying with the gun pressed to his head, catching even Ying—whose enhanced hawk eyes can track extraordinary speeds—completely off guard.
• Bai Ye disables the officer’s mechanical arms and legs before he can react, leaving him helpless and terrified.
• Under threat, Ying orders the soldiers to put down their weapons. Bai Ye then summons Li You to collect the guns, turning the situation completely in his favor.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye reveals himself as fiercely proud, aggressive, and unwilling to accept condescending “charity.” His response shows that he values dominance and respect more than safety or peaceful separation.
• Ying shifts from mild interest and superiority to alarm and cautious submission after Bai Ye unexpectedly gains control of the situation.
• The officer is exposed as arrogant but physically vulnerable when Bai Ye dismantles his mechanical limbs without warning.
• Li You remains nervous and overwhelmed by Bai Ye’s recklessness, but he gradually becomes impressed and obedient, enthusiastically praising Bai Ye after helping seize the weapons.

Significant Themes

• Defiance against authority: Bai Ye refuses to submit to Ying’s status or the officer’s military power.
• Pride and respect: The chapter emphasizes Bai Ye’s resentment toward being treated like an inferior receiving a favor.
• Underestimating the weak: Ying and the officer assume Bai Ye’s weapon and status make him harmless, only to be completely outmaneuvered.
• Power through unpredictability: Bai Ye’s sudden movement and unconventional tactics allow him to defeat opponents who possess greater social standing and specialized abilities.
• Reversal of control: The supposedly powerful convoy leaders become hostages, while the Wastelander they dismissed takes command.

Character Interactions

• Ying treats Bai Ye as a potentially useful subordinate, offering him a place at his side rather than regarding him as an equal.
• Bai Ye rejects that implied hierarchy, openly challenging both Ying and the officer and announcing his intention to rob them.
• The officer mocks Bai Ye and underestimates the limitations of [Breath of Bones], prompting Bai Ye to demonstrate that his real advantage is not merely the weapon but his speed and tactics.
• Bai Ye orders Ying to disarm the soldiers and commands Li You to collect their weapons, establishing a clear master-and-helper dynamic between them.

Chapter Summary

Plot and key events

After Li You gathers all the guns, Ying attempts to negotiate with Bai Ye. Bai Ye instead shoots Ying in the knee, demonstrating his overwhelming power and cruelty. Ying admits defeat and begs for his life, but Bai Ye demands that he kneel and kowtow. When Ying declares that an honorable man would rather die than be humiliated, Bai Ye immediately shoots him in the head.
The officer threatens Bai Ye with retaliation from the company, but Bai Ye brutally beats him and declares that he will kill him as well. Terrified, the officer begs and kowtows for mercy. Bai Ye agrees to spare him if he escorts Bai Ye and the others to Black Mountain, effectively taking control of the company’s remaining forces.
Before they can leave, a Black Snake bites a Wastelander and kills him almost instantly. Soon, countless mutated Black Snakes emerge from underground and swarm toward the crowd, leaving everyone in panic.

Character developments

• Bai Ye becomes fully established as a dominant and merciless Transcendent. He refuses to tolerate threats or humiliation, kills Ying without hesitation, and uses fear to subjugate the officer and soldiers. He also gains Blood Qi from Ying’s death, further strengthening his body.
• Ying shifts from a confident representative of the city to a defeated captive. Despite his enhanced body and willingness to negotiate, his pride prevents him from submitting, leading to his death.
• The officer rapidly loses all authority and dignity. After threatening Bai Ye, he becomes terrified and willingly kowtows, agreeing to serve as Bai Ye’s guide.
• Li You is shocked by how easily Bai Ye kills a powerful city figure, deepening his awe and fear of Bai Ye.
• The Wastelanders and soldiers lose their confidence after witnessing Bai Ye’s strength and then become even more frightened by the sudden snake swarm.

Significant themes

• Power overcoming social hierarchy: Bai Ye’s actions expose how fragile the supposed superiority of Dawn City’s elites is when confronted with overwhelming strength.
• Pride versus survival: Ying chooses dignity over submission and dies, while the officer abandons pride and begs to live.
• Fear as a tool of control: Bai Ye uses violence and humiliation to make enemies obey him.
• The brutality of the wasteland: Death is sudden and merciless, whether caused by Bai Ye or mutated beasts.
• Unexpected danger: Just as Bai Ye secures a path to Black Mountain, a new threat emerges, abruptly changing the situation.

Character interactions

Bai Ye humiliates and kills Ying after Ying attempts to negotiate, then beats the officer for threatening him. The officer reverses his attitude and begs Bai Ye for mercy, agreeing to arrange transportation to Black Mountain. Li You watches Bai Ye’s actions in disbelief, while the surrounding soldiers remain too frightened to intervene. The chapter ends with the group united by panic as mutated Black Snakes rise from the ground and attack.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye's group encounters mutated black snakes in Black Mountain.
• Soldiers and wastelanders fight against the snakes, but most wastelanders flee or die.
• Bai Ye uses [Breath of Bones] to fight, but it's ineffective due to the sheer number of snakes.
• Li You uses his ability, Magic Hand, to kill snakes efficiently.
• The officer reveals that his mechanical arms have self-destruct devices that can be triggered by severe damage.
• Bai Ye destroys a mechanical arm, causing an explosion that scares off the snakes.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Shows impatience and frustration when facing overwhelming odds, but remains resourceful and decisive.
• Li You: Proves useful in battle with his ability, Magic Hand, but jokes at the wrong time, annoying Bai Ye.
• The Officer: Initially cowardly and deceitful, he eventually reveals the self-destruct mechanism to save himself.

Significant Themes

• The dangers and unpredictability of mutated beasts in the wasteland.
• The importance of teamwork and resourcefulness in survival.
• The consequences of deceit and cowardice.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Li You: Their dynamic is tense due to Li You's jokes, but they still rely on each other for survival.
• Bai Ye and The Officer: Their relationship is adversarial, with Bai Ye threatening and abusing the officer for information.
• The Officer and the wastelanders: The officer prioritizes his own survival over the wastelanders, showing no concern for their lives.

Chapter Summary: “Ying’s Gift”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the battle, Bai Ye discovers that all the Wastelanders and more than thirty soldiers are dead. The convoy has been reduced to just over sixty survivors, though there are no wounded because the black snake’s venom kills anyone it bites.
• The surviving soldiers become frightened of Bai Ye after remembering Ying’s brutal death. The officer orders them to surrender and obey Bai Ye under military law.
• Bai Ye promises to let the soldiers go if they escort him to Black Mountain, but he privately intends to kill them there. He cannot allow anyone to return to Dawn City and reveal what happened, especially because Dawn City’s army and the Zodiac would retaliate.
• To prevent escape, Bai Ye confiscates the soldiers’ weapons and destroys the convoy’s tires. The soldiers are forced to run ahead of the single troop carrier, while Bai Ye rides comfortably inside and Li You holds the officer hostage.
• Li You opens Ying’s metal case and discovers the Black Flood Dragon M300 sniper rifle, a rare weapon inherited from the Civilized Era.
• The officer explains that Taboo Objects are ranked as Snake, Flood Dragon, and Dragon levels. Although the rifle is not technically a Taboo Object, its power and rarity rival a Flood Dragon-class artifact.
• The rifle has an effective range of four thousand meters and can penetrate any bulletproof protection with specialized ammunition. It could sell for tens of millions on the black market.
• Li You eagerly suggests selling it, but Bai Ye refuses because the rifle is unique and selling it would reveal that he killed Ying. Instead, Bai Ye plans to keep it and learn to use it himself.
• Bai Ye recognizes that long-range snipers are a serious threat because his Time Stop ability may not detect bullets fired from extreme distances. He therefore wants to become a sniper in order to better understand and counter such enemies.

Character Development

• Bai Ye becomes increasingly ruthless and calculating. He manipulates the surviving soldiers with false promises, intending to eliminate them later to protect himself from exposure.
• He also shows strategic awareness by identifying the danger posed by snipers and deciding to master the Black Flood Dragon M300 rather than sell it.
• Li You remains greedy, impulsive, and comic. He is dazzled by the rifle’s monetary value and repeatedly begs Bai Ye for a share, but he also recognizes the danger snipers pose.
• The officer shifts from military authority to frightened survivalist. After being taken hostage, he cooperates and supplies information about the rifle and Taboo Object classifications.
• Ying, though dead, continues to influence events through the valuable sniper rifle he left behind.

Significant Themes

• Power and control: Bai Ye reverses the convoy’s former power structure, forcing the soldiers to run while he controls the vehicle and their survival.
• Betrayal and manipulation: Bai Ye’s promise to spare the soldiers is deliberately false, showing how survival has made him deceptive and merciless.
• Weapons as symbols of power: The Black Flood Dragon M300 represents both Ying’s legacy and a major strategic advantage for Bai Ye.
• Preparation and adaptation: Bai Ye understands that knowing an enemy’s methods is essential, motivating him to become proficient with the rifle.
• Morality versus survival: The chapter contrasts Li You’s concern with money against Bai Ye’s colder focus on secrecy, security, and continued survival.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye intimidates the soldiers by invoking Ying’s death, while the officer reinforces his authority by ordering them to obey.
• Li You questions the officer about the rifle, prompting an explanation of its history, value, and capabilities.
• Li You repeatedly tries to persuade Bai Ye to sell the rifle and share the profits, but Bai Ye dismisses him.
• Their argument becomes comic when Bai Ye threatens to use Li You as target practice, and Li You quickly changes the subject.
• Their final exchange highlights their contrasting personalities: Li You seeks practical advice about surviving snipers, while Bai Ye responds with dark, sarcastic humor.

Chapter Summary: “So Ying Was This Strong?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye organizes the remaining soldiers into groups of twenty, threatening collective punishment to prevent desertion. He also places the officer in charge of supervising them.
• While the group camps near Black Mountain, Bai Ye anxiously waits for midnight so his limited Time Stop ability can recover.
• Li You worries about encountering more Mutated Beasts, but the officer reveals that Black Mountain once contained a wildlife zoo and may still harbor many animals.
• A wolf howl signals an attack. Dozens of enormous mutated gray wolves surround the camp and charge.
• The soldiers struggle to hit the fast-moving wolves in the darkness. Many are killed or injured, while some panic and attempt to flee.
• Bai Ye uses an improvised tactic: he throws a mechanical arm into the wolf pack and shoots it, causing an explosion that frightens away the remaining wolves.
• After the battle, only a little over fifty soldiers remain, and more than half are injured.
• Li You suggests retreating, but Bai Ye argues that Black Mountain may actually be safer than the surrounding wilderness, since the beasts have already emerged and could attack them during a retreat.
• Bai Ye questions the officer about why the force entered Black Mountain despite being so weak. The officer explains that their real advantage was supposed to be Ying, a legendary sniper.
• The officer reveals that Ying is one of the genetically modified Zodiac members, known as “Eagle,” and is supposedly capable of killing every wolf almost instantly with extraordinary marksmanship.
• Bai Ye is shocked both by Ying’s hidden strength and by the explanation of his “Gun-Fu,” which apparently allows him to curve bullets through rapid gun movements and centrifugal force.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye demonstrates resourcefulness under pressure, using the mechanical arm as an explosive weapon when ordinary gunfire proves ineffective. However, the battle exposes his poor marksmanship and increases his desire to train with firearms.
• His determination to reach Black Mountain and exploit Shelter 189 remains firm, even after the disastrous wolf attack. He is becoming more pragmatic and willing to use intimidation and harsh control over the soldiers.
• Li You becomes increasingly traumatized and fearful after repeatedly witnessing deaths. His injured hand and desire to retreat highlight his declining confidence and concern for survival.
• The officer remains terrified and submissive under Bai Ye’s threats but provides important information about Black Mountain, the Zodiac, and Ying’s abilities.
• Ying, though absent from the chapter, is recontextualized from a seemingly boastful sniper into an immensely dangerous long-range fighter. His reputation as both the strongest and weakest Zodiac member is explained by his dependence on distance.

Significant Themes

• Survival through fear and control: Bai Ye maintains order through collective punishment, showing how brutal leadership becomes necessary in a dangerous post-apocalyptic environment.
• Human weakness against mutated nature: The soldiers’ firearms and training are nearly useless against the wolves’ speed and mobility, emphasizing the power imbalance between ordinary humans and Mutated Beasts.
• Adaptability and improvisation: Bai Ye survives by turning a mechanical arm into an explosive device, demonstrating that ingenuity can compensate for limited resources.
• Strength and specialization: Ying’s abilities illustrate that power is situational. He is nearly unstoppable at long range but vulnerable in close combat.
• The unknown remnants of the old world: Black Mountain’s former zoo and the genetically modified Zodiac members show how Civilized Era technology and institutions continue to shape the post-apocalyptic world.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye intimidates the officer into controlling the soldiers and later interrogates him about the expedition’s true capabilities.
• Li You appeals to Bai Ye to retreat, but Bai Ye rejects the suggestion and explains why continuing toward Black Mountain is strategically safer.
• The officer’s explanation of Ying challenges Bai Ye’s dismissive opinion of the sniper, revealing that Ying possesses extraordinary abilities.
• The humorous misunderstanding over the name “Eagle” and the Zodiac organization briefly lightens the chapter before ending on Bai Ye’s disbelief at the seemingly impossible concept of curved bullets.

Chapter Summary: Arrival at Black Mountain

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye reflects on the reality of curving bullets after witnessing the death of a Mutated Beast gray wolf, accepting that the post-cataclysm world has surpassed ordinary science.
• The captured officer explains that he and his forces were cooperating with the sniper Ying rather than protecting him. Since Ying is unbeatable at long range, their role was to help enemies approach him.
• After a quiet night, Bai Ye’s Time Stop ability gradually recovers, restoring his confidence.
• The group travels toward Black Mountain. Although the mountain range appears close, its enormous size forces them to walk for an entire day before reaching its boundaries.
• Upon entering Black Mountain, they discover a gigantic primeval forest filled with towering, mutated trees. Because vehicles cannot travel through the mountain paths, everyone disembarks and proceeds on foot.
• Bai Ye distributes guns to the remaining soldiers and places them at the front of the formation, while he, Li You, and the injured officer follow behind.
• The officer, missing both arms and relying on barely functional reattached legs, attempts to bribe Bai Ye with his bank savings in exchange for freedom. Bai Ye refuses, knowing the officer previously treated Wastelanders as expendable cannon fodder.
• Bai Ye suddenly notices that one of the fifty-two soldiers has disappeared without a sound. A search reveals only a bloodstained combat boot in the grass, suggesting an unseen enemy or creature has taken the missing man.
• The chapter ends with Bai Ye ordering a soldier to investigate the grass at gunpoint.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye remains confident and ruthless, relying on Time Stop as his greatest advantage while becoming increasingly wary of unknown powers that cannot be detected or countered easily.
• Li You grows discouraged by his repeated dependence on Bai Ye, despite being a Transcendent. Bai Ye’s sarcastic encouragement both comforts and humiliates him, reinforcing their comedic but unequal partnership.
• The officer becomes fearful and submissive after losing his mechanical arms and suffering damaged legs. His attempted bribe reveals his self-preserving nature and desire to abandon Apocalypse Corporation.
• The soldiers become increasingly nervous as they enter the dangerous forest, especially because Bai Ye keeps them under armed supervision.

Significant Themes

• The limits of understanding: Mutated Beasts, cyborgs, genetic modifications, and Transcendents demonstrate that conventional science no longer explains the world.
• Power and helplessness: Bai Ye’s Time Stop places him far above ordinary soldiers and even many strong fighters, while Li You’s insecurity shows how status does not necessarily equal practical strength.
• Distrust and survival: The officer’s betrayal, the soldiers’ former role as cannon fodder, and Bai Ye’s refusal to release him emphasize that survival depends on suspicion rather than mercy.
• Fear of the unknown: Bai Ye is less concerned about visible, powerful enemies than mysterious forces capable of acting without detection.
• Nature transformed by catastrophe: Black Mountain’s immense, mutated forest reflects how profoundly the Great Cataclysm has altered the natural world.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye dismisses the officer’s boast that Ying needs protection, mocking the officer and establishing his dominance.
• Li You complains about Bai Ye’s knowledge and his own uselessness; Bai Ye responds with deliberately backhanded encouragement.
• The officer cautiously bargains with Bai Ye for his freedom, but Bai Ye ignores his offer.
• Bai Ye maintains strict control over the soldiers, positioning them as both scouts and potential targets while personally watching them from behind.
• When a soldier vanishes, Bai Ye immediately takes command, forcing the group to stop and ordering an armed investigation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye forces a soldier to investigate bloodstains and drag marks in the grass. The trail leads to a giant tree inhabited by a Man-eating Flower Tree.
• The tree attacks the soldier with a vine tipped by a flower filled with sharp, tooth-like barbs. Bai Ye orders the troops to open fire, and they temporarily cripple the visible flower.
• Their relief is short-lived: hundreds of additional thorn-covered vines descend from the canopy, each ending in a predatory flower. The vines swallow the soldiers one by one and retract into the treetop.
• The soldiers’ guns prove useless against the enormous tree. Although some attempt to target the trunk, their bullets have no meaningful effect.
• Bai Ye escapes with Li You, leaving the soldiers—and the disabled officer—to their deaths. When the officer begs for help, Bai Ye removes and takes his mechanical legs before abandoning him to the plant.
• After all the soldiers are consumed, Bai Ye and Li You are the only survivors. Bai Ye remains determined to search Black Mountain for the Pangu USB Drive, believing its advanced technologies are worth extreme danger.
• While continuing through the forest, Bai Ye encounters another man-eating flower vine. Li You destroys it, but Bai Ye decides that the trees must be taught to recognize his strength rather than being allowed to view him as prey.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye is revealed as ruthless, calculating, and highly pragmatic. He uses the soldiers as expendable bait, steals the officer’s mechanical legs, and shows little remorse for the deaths. His overwhelming confidence is driven by the immense potential reward of the Pangu USB Drive.
• Li You remains nervous and morally uneasy, repeatedly worrying that the dead soldiers will blame or haunt him. Despite his fear, he proves powerful enough to destroy a man-eating vine and continues following Bai Ye.
• The officer displays panic and helplessness after becoming separated from the group. His anger toward Bai Ye turns to terror when Bai Ye abandons him to the tree.
• The soldiers initially regain confidence when their bullets damage the flower, but that confidence collapses once the true scale of the tree’s attack is revealed.

Significant Themes

• Survival and pragmatism: In Black Mountain, hesitation and sentimentality lead to death; Bai Ye survives by making harsh, utilitarian decisions.
• Risk versus reward: Bai Ye accepts extreme danger because the Pangu USB Drive could revolutionize human enhancement, life extension, and advanced technology.
• Power and the food chain: Bai Ye believes predatory creatures avoid stronger opponents, so displaying strength is the best way to prevent attack.
• Human helplessness before nature: Conventional weapons and military organization are nearly meaningless against the enormous, intelligent plant.
• Dark humor amid horror: Bai Ye’s theft of the officer’s legs and his sarcastic remarks about ghosts provide absurdity against the massacre.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye commands the soldiers and officer, but treats them as disposable resources rather than comrades.
• Li You questions Bai Ye’s responsibility for the soldiers’ deaths, while Bai Ye dismisses his concerns with cynical humor.
• Bai Ye and Li You rely on each other for survival, with Li You providing direct combat support when he destroys the second vine.
• The encounters with the Man-eating Flower Trees establish a conflict between intelligent predators and Bai Ye, who intends to deter them by demonstrating that he is not easy prey.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye attacks a Man-eating Flower Tree after it threatens him, throwing a mechanical leg at it before drawing his revolver.
• Despite missing his first shot, Bai Ye successfully hits the tree with an explosive bullet. The blast sets the tree on fire and destroys it, though Bai Ye loses one leg in the process.
• He credits the mechanical leg to an unnamed officer whose identity he never learned, reflecting his detached attitude toward the dead.
• Bai Ye and Li You continue toward Shelter 189 without further attacks. Bai Ye insists this proves his theory that injuring the trees made them recognize him as prey, while Li You suspects they simply left the trees’ territory.
• When they hear gunfire and screams, Li You urges them to avoid the danger because the shooters are likely competitors. Bai Ye pretends to argue for mutual aid but reveals that he wants to rescue the group so they can serve as scouts through Black Mountain.
• They approach the gunfire and discover more than a dozen people firing wildly at seemingly empty air. The group appears to be battling an invisible creature.
• Bai Ye and Li You observe a powerful masked Transcendent, Li Xiao, whose detached shadow attacks the unseen enemy with shadow darts. The attack knocks a feather from the creature, causing the group to believe it has fled.
• Li Xiao’s arrogance and ambition become clear: he rejects comparisons placing him below the Ten Kings and declares that he came to Black Mountain specifically to challenge Yang Jie, the Tyrant.
• The group’s leader, Boss Gao, praises Li Xiao, while a bounty-hunter-like man warns that they should leave before the mysterious beast returns.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Demonstrates combat skill, confidence, and reckless improvisation, defeating the Man-eating Flower Tree despite sacrificing a mechanical leg. His humorous “real men never look back” pose contrasts with his practical selfishness. He manipulates Li You and plans to use the rescued group as expendable pathfinders.
• Li You: Remains cautious and pragmatic, warning Bai Ye about danger and questioning his assumptions. He recognizes Bai Ye’s deceptive motives but is still easily bullied into backing down.
• Li Xiao / Shadow Man: Is introduced as an exceptionally powerful and highly arrogant Transcendent. His living shadow functions as a weapon, and his fixation on fighting Yang Jie reveals intense ambition and a desire for recognition.
• Boss Gao: Appears to have hired Li Xiao and understands his egotistical personality, indulging his boasts rather than challenging him.
• Unnamed bounty hunter: Acts as the practical voice of caution, urging the group to leave before the invisible beast returns.

Significant Themes

• Self-interest disguised as morality: Bai Ye frames exploitation as cooperation, exposing how “helping others” can be used to advance personal goals.
• Survival in a dangerous world: The characters constantly weigh cooperation against competition and must navigate unknown monsters, hostile environments, and rival adventurers.
• Arrogance and reputation: Li Xiao’s obsession with surpassing the Ten Kings and earning fame contrasts with Bai Ye’s more cynical, pragmatic approach to survival.
• The unknown: The invisible creature attacking the group demonstrates that Black Mountain contains threats that cannot be easily seen or understood.
• Death and emotional detachment: Bai Ye’s indifference toward the unnamed officer who gave him the mechanical leg emphasizes his hardened view of death and human relationships.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye teases and intimidates Li You, while Li You responds with nervous agreement and skepticism.
• The two debate whether to help the people under attack, with Bai Ye manipulating Li You into following his hidden plan.
• After witnessing the strange battle, Bai Ye and Li You exchange bewildered observations about the group’s apparent attempt to shoot the air.
• Boss Gao flatters Li Xiao by comparing him to the Ten Kings, unintentionally provoking Li Xiao’s pride.
• Li Xiao declares his intention to challenge Yang Jie, establishing a future rivalry and highlighting his hunger for status.