Chapter Summary: “Reuniting with an Acquaintance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye reassures the group that the divine will help them reverse the disastrous situation of the past decade. His confidence reignites everyone’s hope and motivates them to act.
• The group dramatically vows to change the era together, despite having no idea where to find the Chief Judge in the vast North Mang.
• An Xiaotong lightens the awkwardness by suggesting that, if they cannot find the Chief Judge, they can simply “sink the Heart Abyss.” Her humor unites the group, and they enthusiastically reaffirm their shared resolve.
• Bai Ye leads everyone onward, choosing a random direction under the assumption that the Painter’s arrangements will eventually guide them to the correct destination.
• Because they are currently soul bodies and flying consumes Mental Power, the group travels on foot while carefully searching for clues.
• After an hour of fruitless walking, Bai Ye curses the Painter. His complaint immediately summons a terrifying Heart Abyss demon from the woods.
• The demon is a heavily mutated female figure covered in white bone, with horns, black eyes, and a tiny red pupil. She attacks the group while ranting about humans and the injustice suffered by polluted souls.
• Ghost Clown restrains her with Yiyi’s power. Bai Ye orders him to keep her alive because the demon seems familiar.
• Doctor Yi explains that the demon’s soul is completely polluted, her memories shattered, and her former personality reduced to obsessive fragments.
• Bai Ye removes the demon’s bone mask and recognizes her as Silver Snake, an old acquaintance from Dawn City and the Zodiac.
• His mention of their shared past briefly restores some of her memories. However, Silver Snake remembers Bai Ye in an extremely insulting and sexually provocative way, leaving him speechless.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Takes on a confident leadership role, using humor and bold promises to maintain the group’s morale. Although initially focused on the mission, he becomes personally affected when he recognizes Silver Snake and tries to recover her identity.
• An Xiaotong: Demonstrates significant growth from her formerly inexperienced self. She now confidently participates in the group’s morale-building and shows a playful, courageous side that surprises everyone.
• Ghost Clown: Continues providing comic relief but also proves useful in combat, volunteering to restrain the demon and relying on Yiyi’s abilities.
• Silver Snake: Has been transformed into a monstrous Heart Abyss demon. Her body and memories are severely corrupted, leaving only hatred, pain, and fragments of her former personality. Recognition of Bai Ye briefly awakens her past identity.
• Doctor Yi: Offers a clinical explanation of Silver Snake’s condition but is unable to retrieve meaningful information because the pollution has destroyed her memories.

Significant Themes

• Hope and collective resolve: The group’s renewed determination shows how shared belief can transform despair into motivation.
• Friendship and camaraderie: Their childish hand-stacking oath becomes meaningful because they willingly share each other’s idealism and support.
• Growth and maturity: An Xiaotong’s changed behavior highlights how the characters have developed over the past ten years.
• Corruption and loss of identity: Silver Snake represents the destructive effects of the Heart Abyss, where a person’s body, memories, and personality can be reduced to distorted obsessions.
• Humor amid despair: The characters use jokes, exaggerated declarations, and banter to cope with an ominous and dangerous environment.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye inspires the group, while Li Xiao, Ghost Clown, and the hesitant Li You join his vow to change the era.
• An Xiaotong affectionately challenges the group’s dramatic enthusiasm by proposing that they destroy the Heart Abyss instead.
• Bai Ye and Ghost Clown treat the demon casually at first, contrasting with her intense hatred and madness.
• Bai Ye attempts to communicate with the demon, then personally removes her mask to identify her.
• Their reunion reveals that Silver Snake still recognizes Bai Ye, but her fragmented memory turns the emotional moment into an awkward and humiliating exchange.

Summary of "Apocalypse Is Still Getting Cooked!?"

1. Key Plot Points

• Silver Snake, a fallen subordinate of Bai Ye, appears as a Heart Abyss demon. Her obsession is revealed: she never managed to "have her way" with Bai Ye, despite desiring him for years (since before he became Zodiac head, and more intensely after his Black King identity was exposed). She also hates New Humans for living in the sun while she and others sank into the Heart Abyss.
• Bai Ye prepares to question her, but An Xiaotong instantly cuts Silver Snake in two with a sword. Bai Ye pretends he was about to kill her anyway, claiming death is the best release for her current state.
• Silver Snake's blood splashes in the shape of an arrow, pointing toward Apocalypse. The group suspects the mysterious "Painter" is behind it. Bai Ye quips that trying to understand Painter’s logic is pointless—everyone in North Mang wants him dead, yet he acts in riddles. They suddenly realize Bai Ye himself is Painter, which makes the irrationality perfectly understandable.
• The arrow suggests the Chief Judge (or something important) is in Apocalypse. Bai Ye is shocked: Apocalypse was already destroyed, and now it’s still "getting cooked" in the Heart Abyss?
• Ghost Clown notices that souls can bleed. Bai Ye (channeling Yi Jingran’s knowledge) explains it’s a Mind Projection: souls don’t actually have blood or clothes; human subconscious manifests these. Blood is just spiritual power, like the ground and trees.
• Ghost Clown licks the blood—tasteless. He then worries about hunger. Li Xiao and An Xiaotong also feel a strange emptiness, a "soul hunger." Bai Ye feels nothing, likely due to his Time-Dimension Modification making his soul special.
• Yi Jingran explains: a soul separated from the body gradually weakens. To survive, it must either return to the body or devour other souls. Eating Heart Abyss "food" would increase erosion—like drinking poison to quench thirst.

2. Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Shows a more pragmatic, merciful side—he genuinely intended to put Silver Snake out of her misery. He is also confirmed as Painter (though this is already known in the wider story), and his unique soul status sets him apart from the group’s physical/spiritual needs.
• An Xiaotong: Acts decisively, cutting down Silver Snake without hesitation. She is observant enough to spot the blood arrow and immediately suspects Painter’s handiwork.
• Silver Snake: Dies, but her backstory deepens the tragedy of the Heart Abyss—her obsession with Bai Ye was an "unfulfilled longing," never consummated, which festered for years.
• Ghost Clown: Provides comic relief but also voices a practical concern (hunger) that leads to an important lore explanation about souls.
• Li Xiao: Tries to appear insightful by suggesting the Chief Judge is in Apocalypse, though it’s mostly for show.

3. Significant Themes

• Obsession and Unfulfilled Longing: The chapter highlights how "almost obtaining" something can haunt a person more than total loss. Silver Snake’s desire for Bai Ye became her eternal obsession because she never had him.
• The Nature of Souls and the Heart Abyss: Everything in the Heart Abyss is a projection of spiritual power. Souls weaken without their bodies, and the only "food" available is dangerous, accelerating erosion. This reinforces the hostility of the realm.
• Painter’s Inscrutability: Bai Ye’s identity as Painter explains his bizarre, indirect methods—he acts in riddles precisely because he is Painter, a figure everyone hates and cannot understand.

4. Character Interactions

• Bai Ye & An Xiaotong: She kills Silver Snake before he can question her. He covers for her by praising her action, and she silently watches him, wary but not confrontational.
• Bai Ye & the Group: He explains the blood phenomenon using Yi Jingran’s knowledge, cutting off Ghost Clown’s joking and Li Xiao’s fake profundity. He also changes his tune immediately when An Xiaotong says she is hungry—showing his soft spot for her.
• Group Dynamic: The team’s confusion about Painter is resolved when Bai Ye points out he himself is Painter. They then shift to practical concerns (hunger, location) under Bai Ye’s guidance.

Here is a concise summary of the chapter:

Key Plot Points & Events

• Bai Ye tries to take food out of his Divine Kingdom inside the Heart Abyss, but Yi Jingran reveals it is only a construct of his mental power – he is essentially eating himself.
• Ghost Clown, influenced by the Heart Abyss, inexplicably suggests eating Silver Snake's corpse. Bai Ye explains this is due to his prior Abyss corruption making him closer to the Heart Abyss's power, thus more dangerous.
• The group finds writing on Silver Snake's bone fragments: first "Beware the Painter" (matching the earlier "Beware Li You" format), then a second message: "Please remember... you have not come to the Heart Abyss for the first time."
• They debate the meaning: whether the Painter wrote the warnings, or someone else warned them against the Painter. They also question who the "you" refers to – possibly Ghost Clown or Li You.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Becomes more suspicious and cautious; his patience with the Painter's riddle-style hints wears thin. He is the most resistant to the Heart Abyss but still unsettled by the cryptic messages.
• Ghost Clown: Experiences a frightening loss of self-control and near-cognitive dissonance, realizing he has been standing "at the edge of a cliff" due to his Abyss corruption. This deepens his fear and self-awareness.
• Li Xiao: Shows quick thinking in spotting the writing; also clarifies the horror of eating a comrade's corpse.
• An Xiaotong: Exhibits meticulousness by finding the hidden second message; feels an inexplicable chill at its implications.

Significant Themes

• The Corrupting Influence of the Abyss: Even allies can become threats; mental corruption is insidious and can warp moral instincts (e.g., normalizing cannibalism).
• Unreliable Guidance & Mistrust: The blood/written warnings may be deceptive or ambiguous – the Painter's true role is uncertain, and even memories (having visited the Heart Abyss before) are called into question.
• Identity & Self-Forgetting: The Heart Abyss attacks the mind, making characters forget who they are or what they've done.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye & Yi Jingran: Yi Jingran clarifies the nature of physical matter in the Heart Abyss, leading to Bai Ye's disgust.
• Bai Ye & Ghost Clown: Bai Ye physically stops Ghost Clown from eating the bone, then delivers a grave warning about his vulnerability.
• Li Xiao & Ghost Clown: Li Xiao sharply rebukes Ghost Clown's cannibalistic suggestion, causing Ghost Clown to snap back to himself.
• An Xiaotong & Bai Ye: She hands him the second bone fragment, prompting mutual confusion about its meaning.
• Group dynamic: Tension rises as they realize neither the Painter nor the Heart Abyss can be trusted completely, and they must rely on each other's strained sanity.

Summary: "Apocalypse Chairman!"

1. Key Plot Points

• The group remains shrouded in doubt within the Heart Abyss, with no clear answers about their situation.
• Bai Ye ("Brother Ye") delivers a rousing speech: schemes are only used by the weak; since they possess overwhelming strength, the enemy should be the one worrying. This lifts the group's spirits.
• The group sets off toward Apocalypse.
• A mysterious detail: six identical half-eaten Cockroach Protein Bars are found scattered in the grass near the one Bai Ye discarded earlier—an ominous hint of duplication or tampering.
• Scene cuts to the wilderness outside Dawn City. A man in a pure-white protective suit kills a five-meter demon with a high-tech energy weapon, then orders emaciated beggars to dismember it.
• The beggars suffer from Heart Abyss aura corrosion and the suited man's cruel whipping.
• One beggar, brutally lashed repeatedly, is mocked by the suited man as "the mighty Apocalypse Chairman"—revealing the fallen chairman's identity.

2. Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Reasserts confident, charismatic leadership; described as having a "wild and flamboyant" grin. Portrayed as a natural-born leader who inspires hope.
• An Xiaotong: Deeply admiring of Bai Ye; sees him as glowing with confidence and unrestrained charisma.
• Ghost Clown: Astonished that humans can exist in the Heart Abyss, still shaken by prior cognitive dissonance.
• The white-suited man: Sadistic, cruel, and domineering; tortures subordinates for minor slowness.
• The beggar (former Apocalypse Chairman): Broken, emaciated, and subjugated; endures whipping while helpless.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength vs. Scheming: Bai Ye argues true power renders schemes meaningless.
• Leadership and Hope: A leader's role in maintaining group morale in adversity.
• Power and Cruelty: The strong dominating the weak; institutionalized brutality.
• Fall from Power: A former chairman reduced to a whipping post—foreshadowing a significant backstory.
• Mystery and Corruption: Heart Abyss's disorienting nature and strange environmental anomalies.

4. Character Interactions

• Bai Ye addresses the group with confidence, immediately restoring morale.
• An Xiaotong silently admires Bai Ye's leadership.
• The white-suited man interacts only through violence—whipping and barking orders at the beggars, deliberately tormenting the fallen chairman.
• The group observes the scene from afar, having detected the suited man before he notices them.
  Author's Note: The author (Gourd) mentions being stuck on the plot; the next chapter will be delayed.

Summary of Chapter

Key Plot Points & Events

• Wu De is being whipped to near death by a Heart Abyss member in a protective suit, utterly despairing after having failed to protect Apocalypse.
• Bai Ye (White Lord) suddenly appears, catches the whipping Soulshock Whip, and breaks the attacker's sealed visor, exposing him to Heart Abyss aura—driving him into a panic-stricken, self-harming madness.
• The attacker lunges at Bai Ye; Bai Ye subdues him with the whip and then hands the whip to Wu De for revenge.
• Wu De whips the man repeatedly, punctuating each lash with “Why aren’t you thanking White Lord for his reward?!”—stopping only when satisfied and when the man is near death.
• Wu De reports that Azure Dragon is alive: after dying on Earth, Azure Dragon fell into Heart Abyss, reappeared, and has seized control of Dawn City.
• Bai Ye and the arriving Ghost Clown and others are stunned; Bai Ye realizes he is now fighting Azure Dragon for the third time (Ten Kings Azure Dragon, Pseudo-Human Azure Dragon, Heart Abyss Azure Dragon).

Character Developments

• Wu De: Displays intense loyalty, vulnerability, and pent-up grief; he cries, clings to Bai Ye, and confesses past bullying. Although granted free rein for revenge, he restrains himself so as not to waste Bai Ye’s time—showing both his violent “mad dog” nature and his disciplined devotion.
• Bai Ye: Reaffirms his role as a protective leader, rewarding loyalty and punishing those who harmed his people. He also shows appreciation for Wu De’s respectful restraint, noting it is “like drinking fine wine.”
• The Heart Abyss attacker: Serves as a demonstration of Heart Abyss’s corrupting/insanity-inducing power once his protective suit is breached.
• Ghost Clown and others: React with shock to Azure Dragon’s survival, emphasizing the weight of that name.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and reciprocal protection: Wu De’s unwavering faith is rewarded by Bai Ye’s rescue and support.
• Revenge as a display of authority: The titular phrase (“Why aren’t you thanking White Lord for his reward?!”) frames punishment as a twisted gift from a master to a loyal subordinate.
• Persistence and resurrection: Azure Dragon’s repeated returns (even after death) underscore the novel’s cycle of rebirths and escalating conflicts.
• Heart Abyss’s madness: Exposure to its aura instantly destabilizes the attacker, highlighting the setting’s psychological danger.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye & Wu De: Rescue, comfort (“I’m back. From today onward, no one will dare bully you again”), and a report that re-establishes their master-subordinate bond.
• Bai Ye & the protective-suit man: Bai Ye overpowers him, breaks his visor, whips him, and designates him as Wu De’s punishment target.
• Wu De & the protective-suit man: Wu De savagely whips him while delivering the chapter’s namesake line, asserting dominance and catharsis.
• Bai Ye & Ghost Clown/others: Mutual shock at Azure Dragon’s continued existence; Bai Ye’s internal realization of having to fight the same boss three times.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye learns about the mysterious Doctor, suspected to be in Dawn City, who might be connected to the advanced Soul Technology.
• A group of beggars attack and consume a man in a protective suit, revealing that souls are treated as food in Heart Abyss.
• Wu De explains that souls contain other people's emotions and memories, and consuming too many can lead to confusion and loss of identity.
• It's revealed that Dawn City distributes Soul Meat, purified from demon corpses, which helps residents resist Heart Abyss's contamination.
• Yi Jingran theorizes that the Chief Judge is hiding in a safe zone within Dawn City to resist Abyss contamination.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye demonstrates his understanding of the dangers of consuming souls, showing his wisdom and caution.
• Wu De shows initial greed for souls but later displays self-control and understanding of the risks involved in consuming too many.
• The beggars exhibit a primal, survival-driven behavior, highlighting the harsh conditions in Heart Abyss.

Significant Themes

• Identity and Self: The consumption of souls raises questions about identity and self, as seen in Wu De's temporary confusion and the beggars' loss of individuality.
• Survival and Adaptation: Characters adapt to survive in Heart Abyss, with Soul Meat serving as a means to resist contamination.
• Power and Control: The Chief Judge's self-sealing suggests his attempt to maintain control over his inner state and resist the Abyss's influence.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Wu De: Bai Ye tests Wu De's understanding and self-control regarding soul consumption, while Wu De provides valuable information about Dawn City and the Chief Judge.
• Wu De and the beggars: Wu De's interaction with the beggars shows the hierarchical structure within Heart Abyss's society and the desperation for survival.
• Bai Ye and Yi Jingran: Yi Jingran's analysis helps Bai Ye understand the Chief Judge's possible whereabouts and motivations.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wu De, Apocalypse Chairman's former subordinate, recounts his experiences after death in the Heart Abyss.
• He led a team using Bai Ye's prestige but struggled with survival and hunger, leading to chaos in Dawn City.
• Azure Dragon arrives, offering Soul Meat, and takes control of Dawn City, betraying Wu De.
• Bai Ye returns, planning to reverse time to ten years ago to save them.

Character Developments

• Wu De: Initially ashamed and guilty for his failures, he regains hope and determination upon Bai Ye's return, accepting his role as Apocalypse Chairman again.
• Bai Ye: Shows concern for Wu De and determination to change the past.

Significant Themes

• Hope and Determination: Wu De's hope in Bai Ye's return fuels his resolve to continue fighting.
• Leadership and Responsibility: Wu De struggles with leading his team and protecting Dawn City, highlighting the challenges of leadership and responsibility.
• Hunger and Madness: The soul-hunger experienced by the characters leads to chaotic and violent behavior.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Wu De: Their interaction shows Bai Ye's care for Wu De and Wu De's renewed loyalty and determination upon Bai Ye's return.
• The Beggars: Their chaotic fight illustrates the possession-like effects of consuming souls and the desperation caused by hunger.

Chapter Summary: “Classic Returns, Shadow Dart!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Xiao attacks the soul-devouring beggars with his signature Shadow Dart, attempting to recreate the famous technique once used against Tyrant Yang Jie.
• Although the darts pierce the beggars’ throats and cause heavy bleeding, the enemies continue fighting and devouring one another. This exposes the crucial difference between physical and soul battles: souls have no anatomical weak points, and they must be completely erased through overwhelming mental power.
• After Bai Ye explains this principle, Li Xiao uses Shadow Emperor Fist, annihilating several beggars in one powerful strike.
• Ghost Clown warns Li Xiao not to waste mental power, since power consumed in the Heart Abyss cannot easily be recovered. Their argument is stopped by An Xiaotong.
• The group decides to infiltrate and scout Dawn City instead of immediately confronting Azure Dragon and the Doctor. Their true target is the Chief Judge, but they especially fear the Doctor because his abilities and possible inventions are unpredictable.
• Bai Ye and the others enter Dawn City’s Outer City under cover of a Shadow Curtain.
• Bai Ye is shocked to discover that his former Apocalypse has been almost completely destroyed and eaten by starving souls. The city is now less than half its original size, with only the Inner and Outer Cities remaining.
• Wu De explains that the inhabitants have been consumed by hunger, despair, and the erosion of the Heart Abyss. Many have lost their minds and resemble lifeless beggars, while a smaller number retain limited reason by obtaining demon corpses and trading them for Soul Meat.
• As the group observes the ruined city, An Xiaotong notices someone approaching.

Character Developments

• Li Xiao remains confident and prideful, but his failed Shadow Dart attack humiliates him. He compensates by using a stronger technique and reveals a petty grudge toward the beggars.
• Bai Ye demonstrates tactical caution. Rather than rushing into battle, he agrees to conserve mental power and investigate Dawn City first. His concern about the Doctor shows that he views unknown intelligence as more dangerous than clearly measured strength.
• An Xiaotong acts as the group’s mediator and strategist, settling Li Xiao and Ghost Clown’s quarrel and advocating reconnaissance.
• Ghost Clown provides practical advice about conserving mental power and teases Li Xiao, reinforcing their playful rivalry.
• Wu De shows continued loyalty to Bai Ye, crediting his faith in Bai Ye’s return with preserving his sanity. His observations reveal his sympathy for the ruined citizens.
• The Doctor is characterized indirectly as emotionally detached, devoted only to discovering truth, and willing to cooperate with or oppose anyone if it benefits his research.

Significant Themes

• Soul combat versus physical combat: Traditional killing methods do not work against souls; victory requires exhausting or erasing an opponent’s mental power.
• Resource conservation: Mental power is finite and difficult to recover, making every attack strategically important.
• Despair and dehumanization: Hunger and hopelessness have reduced former citizens to nearly mindless beings driven only by the need to consume.
• Ruination and loss: Bai Ye’s devastated Apocalypse reflects the consequences of prolonged suffering in the Heart Abyss.
• Unpredictable science versus known strength: The Doctor’s limitless-seeming potential makes him more difficult to assess than enemies whose abilities are already understood.
• Loyalty and hope: Wu De’s survival illustrates how faith in Bai Ye gave him an emotional anchor against despair.

Character Interactions

• Li Xiao’s failed attack leads to teasing from Ghost Clown and an explanation from Bai Ye about soul weaknesses.
• Li Xiao and Ghost Clown quarrel over wasted mental power, but both immediately obey An Xiaotong when she calls them to order, addressing her as “Sister-in-law.”
• An Xiaotong persuades Bai Ye to prioritize reconnaissance and saving strength.
• Wu De respectfully reports Dawn City’s condition to Bai Ye and reveals the suffering of its remaining inhabitants.
• The chapter ends with An Xiaotong alerting the group to the arrival of an unknown person.

Chapter Summary: “Wu De’s First Mistake”

Key Plot Points and Events

• White-suited workers distribute pale, precisely cut pieces of Soul Meat to the starving, zombie-like residents of Dawn City’s Outer City. The beggars eagerly consume it after being violently forced into line with whips.
• Ghost Clown obtains a piece of Soul Meat through Yiyi and considers eating it, but Bai Ye stops him. Bai Ye explains that Soul Meat contains residual Heart Abyss Origin Fragments, which gradually alter the consumer’s soul and may turn them into demons or experimental subjects.
• Yi Jingran suspects that someone is deliberately feeding people Soul Meat to cultivate suitable Test Subjects. Bai Ye immediately suspects the hidden “Doctor” responsible for the experiments.
• Wu De admits that people periodically disappear from the Outer City after being selected and taken into the Inner City, though his damaged memories make him uncertain.
• Bai Ye’s group infiltrates the Inner City. Unlike the Outer City, it is cleaner, more orderly, and populated by residents in better mental condition. White-suited law enforcers patrol the streets with Soulshock Whips and Soul Bullet guns.
• The group is suddenly detected. Their Shadow Curtain is destroyed, exposing them, and a citywide alarm identifies them as Transcendent intruders.
• Inside the Inner City, all Transcendent abilities are suppressed: Li Xiao loses control of his shadows, An Xiaotong cannot summon her Knight Sword, Ghost Clown loses contact with Yiyi, and Bai Ye’s own ability also fails.
• Wu De finally remembers that the Inner City contains advanced technology designed to detect and suppress Transcendence. Horrified that he forgot this crucial information, he falls into a severe episode of guilt and self-blame.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye becomes increasingly convinced that the Doctor is conducting hidden experiments involving Soul Meat and soul mutation. He also takes responsibility for protecting Ghost Clown and tries to keep him from consuming dangerous food.
• Yi Jingran demonstrates her scientific understanding by identifying the likely purpose of Soul Meat and connecting it to the creation of Test Subjects.
• Wu De is shown to be mentally and spiritually damaged by prolonged Heart Abyss erosion. His memory loss leads to a disastrous oversight, and his normally reliable image begins to crack under guilt.
• Li Xiao and An Xiaotong are caught off guard when their abilities fail, revealing how dependent the group is on their Transcendent powers.
• Ghost Clown remains naïve and impulsive, wanting to eat the Soul Meat despite its dangers, while Yiyi continues to care for him by secretly obtaining it.

Significant Themes

• Hidden experimentation and dehumanization: The Outer City’s residents are treated like animals and may be deliberately transformed into experimental subjects.
• Corruption of the soul: Soul Meat does not cause immediate transformation but gradually changes a person’s essence, emphasizing slow, concealed spiritual contamination.
• Memory loss and psychological damage: Wu De’s fragmented memories reflect the destructive effects of the Heart Abyss and create serious consequences for the group.
• Dependence and vulnerability: The Inner City’s ability-suppression technology strips the characters of their usual advantages, leaving them exposed and powerless.
• Guilt and responsibility: Wu De’s reaction shows how deeply he values his role and how devastating a single mistake can be to someone already mentally unstable.

Character Interactions

• Ghost Clown asks Bai Ye for permission to eat Soul Meat, but Bai Ye refuses and dismisses his lack of understanding.
• Yi Jingran gives Bai Ye a scientific explanation of Soul Meat’s dangers, leading him to suspect the Doctor’s involvement.
• Bai Ye questions Wu De about disappearances in Dawn City, prompting Wu De to recall the selection of people for the Inner City.
• Bai Ye mocks Li Xiao when the group is detected, but Li Xiao’s shock quickly reveals that the situation is far more serious than expected.
• After remembering the Inner City’s suppression system, Wu De repeatedly apologizes to Bai Ye and begins harming himself, overwhelmed by the belief that his forgotten information has endangered everyone.

Chapter Summary: “At Worst, We’ll Sink Apocalypse!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wu De is overwhelmed by guilt after forgetting to warn Bai Ye not to use Transcendence abilities in the Inner City, leading to their exposure and encirclement.
• Bai Ye reassures him calmly, insisting that Wu De has not harmed him—only the enemies who now have to face them. His humor restores Wu De’s confidence.
• Li Xiao, An Xiaotong, Ghost Clown, and Li You engage the attackers in white protective suits:
  • An Xiaotong and Ghost Clown evade the soul-killing bullets.
  • Li You shields Bai Ye, allowing the bullets to strike harmlessly against his bandages.
  • Li Xiao catches the Soul Bullets and uses them against the attackers.
• The group quickly defeats the first wave of enemies, but more forces approach as the alarms intensify.
• Bai Ye attempts to summon Doctor and Azure Dragon, only to learn that Azure Dragon is now known as Lord Warden. He also discovers that the attackers are loyal to Warden and have become mentally twisted by prolonged exposure to Heart Abyss and Soul Meat.
• An Xiaotong kills an enemy who can no longer communicate rationally, explaining that Heart Abyss has corrupted the inhabitants’ minds.
• Bai Ye decides that retreat is impossible. He plans to force his way toward the secret laboratory, where Doctor and the device suppressing Transcendence are likely located.
• He orders the group to create enough chaos to draw out Doctor and Warden, threatening to kill them again if they refuse to negotiate.
• Bai Ye instructs Wu De to leave the Inner City and survive so he can eventually resume his position as Apocalypse Chairman. Wu De wants to stay and protect Bai Ye but is forced to withdraw, deepening his sense of shame and indebtedness.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Remains calm, confident, and protective under overwhelming pressure. He refuses to blame Wu De and takes command of the crisis, choosing a direct assault rather than allowing Doctor time to prepare weapons against the gods.
• Wu De: Begins crushed by guilt but regains his composure after Bai Ye comforts him. His loyalty grows stronger, though he struggles with shame when Bai Ye sends him away for his own safety.
• Li Xiao: Demonstrates exceptional skill and composure by catching Soul Bullets and using them stylishly and efficiently against the enemy.
• An Xiaotong: Fights with precision and ruthlessness, recognizing that Heart Abyss has psychologically corrupted its inhabitants.
• Li You: Acts as a powerful shield for Bai Ye, proving that even without Transcendence, his soul and bandaged body remain extraordinarily durable.
• The Heart Abyss inhabitants: Their prolonged exposure to Soul Meat and the loss of ordinary sensory experiences have warped them into hostile, irrational figures.

Significant Themes

• Leadership and responsibility: Bai Ye accepts the consequences of the group’s exposure without blaming Wu De, showing that effective leadership involves protecting subordinates from destructive guilt.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Wu De wants to remain and die for Bai Ye, while Bai Ye instead demands that he survive and preserve Apocalypse’s future.
• Corruption by environment: Heart Abyss has damaged its residents mentally and morally, turning even those in the supposed safe zone into violent, unstable people.
• Direct action versus preparation: Bai Ye chooses to attack immediately because giving Doctor time could allow him to create weapons capable of threatening the gods.
• Hope amid catastrophe: Despite the danger, Bai Ye’s humor and confidence keep the group united, reflected in his willingness to risk sinking Apocalypse rather than surrender.

Important Character Interactions

• Bai Ye comforts Wu De by turning his guilt into a joke, restoring his courage.
• The group fights cooperatively against the protective-suit soldiers, each displaying a distinct combat style.
• Bai Ye interrogates a wounded soldier about Doctor and Azure Dragon, revealing confusion surrounding Warden’s identity and the group’s leadership.
• An Xiaotong and Bai Ye agree that the Inner City’s inhabitants have become too corrupted for normal negotiation.
• Bai Ye and Wu De clash emotionally when Bai Ye orders him to retreat. Wu De wants to protect his leader, but Bai Ye emphasizes that Wu De’s duty is to survive and return as Apocalypse Chairman.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Wu De reluctantly obeys Bai Ye’s order to leave, believing he would only hinder the others. However, he secretly remains near the city gate to observe the battle.
• Bai Ye, An Xiaotong, and their companions fight through Azure Dragon’s forces. Though deprived of Transcendence, they overpower their enemies through sheer physical strength and close-quarters combat.
• The destroyed district reveals that Dawn City’s residents are unnaturally obsessed with consuming corpses. Once one resident eats a body, others follow, displaying personality disorders and violent behavior.
• A citywide broadcast announces that the Transcendents are exempt from the Mutual Feeding Clause, effectively allowing all residents to consume them. The entire city erupts into a massive hunt, turning the battle into a war of attrition.
• An Xiaotong suspects Azure Dragon has deliberately avoided confronting them and is using the residents to exhaust their mental power. She also warns that Doctor may be directing the strategy.
• Bai Ye summons Doctor Yi for assistance. Yi explains that Dawn City’s Transcendent Suppression Device attacks the soul directly and appears to draw on the power of Heart Abyss, preventing him from searching the city efficiently.
• While Bai Ye and the others continue fighting the endless crowds, Wu De realizes that their true danger is not the weak residents but the depletion of their mental power before facing the Chief Judge.
• Wu De becomes overwhelmed by guilt, recalling the three times Bai Ye saved him and questioning what he has ever done in return.

2. Character Developments

• Bai Ye remains powerful and composed, but his anger toward Azure Dragon grows because of their past shared struggles and Azure Dragon’s apparent betrayal. He also recognizes the danger of wasting strength before the confrontation with the Chief Judge.
• Wu De undergoes the chapter’s strongest emotional development. Initially resigned to his helplessness, he secretly watches the battle and realizes that his departure may have harmed Bai Ye’s plans. His guilt deepens as he remembers Bai Ye repeatedly saving him, transforming his shame into a desperate desire to repay that debt.
• An Xiaotong demonstrates strategic awareness. She immediately identifies that the residents may be additional enemies and understands that conserving mental power is essential.
• Doctor Yi provides crucial information about the suppression device and its connection to Heart Abyss, though his abilities are severely restricted.
• Azure Dragon is portrayed as more calculating than before. Rather than fighting Bai Ye directly, he uses a human-wave tactic to consume their strength.
• The Dawn City residents lose their remaining restraint once the Warden lifts the prohibition against consuming Transcendents, revealing how completely Soul Meat has corrupted their instincts.

3. Significant Themes

• Debt, loyalty, and gratitude: Wu De’s memories emphasize the immense debt he feels toward Bai Ye, who saved his dignity, life, and soul.
• Powerlessness and guilt: Wu De’s inability to help becomes more painful because he understands that inaction may still endanger the person he admires.
• Exploitation of human instinct: The Warden and Azure Dragon weaponize the residents’ addiction to Soul Meat, turning an entire city into a biological weapon.
• War of attrition: Physical strength alone is insufficient; the real threat is the gradual depletion of mental power before the true enemy appears.
• Corruption of rules and society: The Mutual Feeding Clause once restrained the residents, but its temporary removal exposes how fragile their civilization and morality are.
• Reversal of salvation: The closing question—“What if the sovereign came to save you?”—reframes Wu De and Bai Ye’s relationship. Though Wu De once served as a powerful ruler, Bai Ye repeatedly became his rescuer, creating a profound reversal of dependence and obligation.

4. Character Interactions

• Wu De and Bai Ye’s brief exchange shows Bai Ye’s authority and Wu De’s painful obedience.
• Bai Ye and An Xiaotong fight back-to-back, combining brute force with tactical judgment.
• An Xiaotong challenges Bai Ye’s assumptions by suggesting that Doctor may be behind Azure Dragon’s strategy.
• Bai Ye summons Doctor Yi and entrusts him with locating the secret laboratory, reinforcing their cooperation despite the hostile conditions.
• Wu De watches Bai Ye from hiding, emotionally distancing himself physically while remaining deeply connected to him psychologically.
• Wu De’s recollections of Bai Ye’s three rescues define their relationship as one built on repeated salvation, loyalty, and an unresolved imbalance of gratitude.

Chapter Summary: “The Wolf Is Coming”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wu De watches helplessly from behind the icy city gate as Bai Ye, whom he calls the White Lord, battles an overwhelming mob of Inner City residents. Bai Ye is killing continuously but appears unable to defeat the endless attackers.
• Desperate to help, Wu De realizes that the Outer City residents may still belong to Apocalypse in spirit, unlike the Inner City residents, whose identities and memories were erased after consuming Soul Meat.
• He rushes into the Outer City and attempts to awaken its starving, mentally broken inhabitants by shouting that White Lord has returned to save them.
• Most residents remain numb and unresponsive, their minds devastated by the Heart Abyss. Wu De becomes increasingly frantic and angry when his appeals fail.
• He confronts a former Apocalypse squad captain, who recognizes him as the Apocalypse Chairman but responds ambiguously to the announcement that White Lord has returned.
• Thunder Eel, one of the Zodiac members, reveals that this is supposedly the sixth time Wu De has announced White Lord’s return.
• Wu De remembers that previous “returns” were hallucinations caused by hunger and the Heart Abyss. Each time, he gathered people around an imagined White Lord, only for them to find nothing but a tree.
• Despite this revelation, Wu De insists that this time is different and that Bai Ye has truly returned.

Character Developments

• Wu De: Begins as a guilt-ridden and desperate observer, then regains determination by thinking of a way to mobilize the Outer City. His hope collapses when the residents do not respond, and he is forced to confront the possibility that his belief in White Lord’s return is another hallucination. Even so, he refuses to surrender his faith.
• Bai Ye/White Lord: Remains mostly seen from a distance, fighting alone against overwhelming forces. His willingness to risk himself for Wu De emphasizes his role as a protector and inspires Wu De’s desperate efforts to help him.
• Thunder Eel: Retains more awareness than the ordinary Outer City residents and acts as the one who exposes Wu De’s recurring delusions.
• Former squad captain: His partial recognition of Wu De demonstrates how much the Heart Abyss has damaged the former members of Apocalypse while suggesting that fragments of their old identities remain.

Significant Themes

• Memory and identity: The Inner City residents have effectively been reborn under Azure Dragon’s rule, while the Outer City inhabitants retain only faint remnants of who they were.
• Hope versus delusion: Wu De’s belief in White Lord gives him purpose, but the chapter raises the frightening possibility that hope has become indistinguishable from madness.
• Psychological and spiritual corrosion: The Heart Abyss destroys motivation, memory, and individuality, reducing former heroes and officials to hollow beggars.
• Loyalty and guilt: Wu De’s desperation comes from his devotion to White Lord and his shame at being unable to fight beside him.
• Resistance and awakening: Wu De attempts to restore Apocalypse by reviving the people’s suppressed memories, suggesting that collective identity may still survive beneath their devastation.

Character Interactions

• Wu De watches Bai Ye fight and silently vows to find a way to support him.
• He calls repeatedly to the Outer City residents, trying to rekindle their loyalty to White Lord, but receives almost no response.
• He violently shakes a former Apocalypse squad captain, who recognizes Wu De but reacts to White Lord’s return with weary familiarity.
• Thunder Eel confronts Wu De and reveals the pattern of his previous breakdowns, forcing him to recover painful memories of his repeated false proclamations.
• The chapter ends with Wu De rejecting Thunder Eel’s explanation and insisting that Bai Ye’s return is real, leaving unresolved whether he is finally witnessing reality or descending into another delusion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wu De desperately tries to convince Thunder Eel and the Outer City’s inhabitants that White Lord has returned and is being besieged in the Inner City, but everyone dismisses him as delusional.
• Thunder Eel’s mocking words—particularly that Wu De’s loyalty is useless—spark an idea in Wu De. He realizes that his loyalty can still help White Lord if he sacrifices his soul.
• Wu De climbs onto a rooftop, wounds himself, and uses his blood and the scent of his soul to awaken the starving, emotionally numb Apocalypse Remnants.
• Declaring himself “Apocalypse Chairman Wu De,” he orders the remnants to consume his soul and inherit his loyalty so they can aid White Lord.
• The crowd attacks and devours Wu De. He accepts his death without resistance, comforted by the belief that he has finally done something meaningful for Bai Ye.
• Wu De’s sacrifice awakens the Apocalypse Remnants across Dawn City. They regain purpose, shout that White Lord has returned, and begin rushing toward the Inner City. Many imitate Wu De by sacrificing their own souls to spread his loyalty.
• Meanwhile, Bai Ye and his allies continue fighting a hostile crowd in the Inner City. Bai Ye defeats several opponents, but the prolonged battle is exhausting his companions, especially Ghost Clown and Li Xiao.
• Bai Ye considers using his powerful ultimate technique to end the battle, despite its enormous cost. Before he can decide, the sound of a massive force approaching suggests that Azure Dragon may have sent further reinforcements.

Character Developments

• Wu De: Moves from despair and apparent madness to absolute clarity and resolve. Though physically weak and fearful of death, he recognizes loyalty as his only strength and turns his own death into a means of reviving an entire army. His sacrifice confirms his devotion to Bai Ye and establishes him as a tragic, heroic figure.
• Thunder Eel: Initially cynical and dismissive, he is transformed by witnessing Wu De’s sacrifice. After consuming Wu De’s soul, he becomes one of the first to acknowledge that White Lord has truly returned and joins the effort to support him.
• The Apocalypse Remnants: They begin as hollow, starving, apathetic shells but regain identity, emotion, and purpose through Wu De’s sacrifice. His loyalty becomes a unifying force that reawakens them across the city.
• Bai Ye: Remains powerful and protective but grows increasingly impatient as the fight drags on. He is forced to weigh using his ultimate attack against preserving his strength for the larger conflict.
• Bai Ye’s allies: An Xiaotong and the others remain unharmed but fatigued. Ghost Clown struggles with worsening hunger, while Li Xiao abandons his usual elegant fighting style to conserve energy.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty as strength: Wu De possesses little physical power, but his unwavering loyalty becomes more influential than strength or status.
• Sacrifice and redemption: Wu De dies believing he has repeatedly failed Bai Ye, yet his final act gives him a meaningful purpose and redeems his perceived weakness.
• Awakening from despair: The starving remnants represent people stripped of hope and identity. Wu De’s sacrifice restores their will to act.
• Death creating new life: Wu De’s death does not end his influence; his soul and loyalty animate an entire city and create an army.
• Dignity and trust: Bai Ye’s refusal to treat Wu De as merely a servant gives Wu De the self-worth that ultimately inspires his sacrifice.
• Rising conflict: The spread of Wu De’s loyalty parallels the escalating battle in the Inner City, suggesting that Bai Ye’s return may shift the balance of power.

Significant Character Interactions

• Wu De repeatedly pleads with Thunder Eel and the surrounding residents to believe him, but they ridicule and ignore him.
• Thunder Eel’s comment about loyalty being useless unintentionally inspires Wu De’s plan.
• Wu De invites Thunder Eel and the others to consume him so they can verify his memories and learn that White Lord has returned.
• As the remnants inherit Wu De’s loyalty, they collectively proclaim their support for White Lord and move toward the Inner City.
• Bai Ye checks on An Xiaotong and the others during the battle and considers how best to protect them while conserving his own strength.
• The chapter ends with Bai Ye and his allies hearing an approaching army, leaving them uncertain whether the newcomers are reinforcements for Azure Dragon or the awakened Apocalypse Remnants coming to their aid.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye, An Xiaotong, Li Xiao, Ghost Clown, and Li You prepare to break through the enemy forces. Li Xiao and the others volunteer to stay behind and hold off the weaker enemies so Bai Ye and An Xiaotong can preserve their strength for Azure Dragon and the Doctor.
• Before Bai Ye and An Xiaotong can leave, the Inner City gates are destroyed. An enormous army of ragged beggars—the Apocalypse Remnants—storms into Dawn City, shouting their support for Bai Ye.
• The unexpected reinforcements dramatically relieve the group’s pressure. Bai Ye calls upon the Remnants to follow him into battle, and they charge the enemy as a unified force.
• Yi Jingran arrives and tells Bai Ye that he has found what they were searching for, but Bai Ye remains focused on locating Wu De, realizing that Wu De must have awakened and gathered the Apocalypse Remnants.
• Thunder Eel, one of the Twelve Zodiac, reaches Bai Ye and claims to be Wu De. He throws himself in front of Bai Ye when a sniper fires, taking a fatal shot.
• Bai Ye then understands the truth: Wu De has transformed himself into countless bodies among the Apocalypse Remnants. Every beggar is carrying the same will and soul, making the entire army an extension of Wu De.
• With An Xiaotong urging him onward, Bai Ye leaves to confront Azure Dragon and the Doctor, now filled with renewed determination to settle the score.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye accepts that his influence over the Apocalypse Remnants is far greater than he realized. Though initially suspicious of their loyalty, he embraces his role as their leader and recognizes the importance of Wu De’s contribution.
• An Xiaotong remains calm, practical, and supportive, helping Bai Ye make the necessary decision to move forward rather than become paralyzed by grief.
• Li Xiao, Ghost Clown, and Li You demonstrate their loyalty by volunteering to cover Bai Ye and An Xiaotong’s retreat.
• Wu De proves that value is not determined by combat strength. Though Bai Ye had considered him weak and sent him away, Wu De uses his unique ability to awaken and embody the Apocalypse Remnants, becoming a one-man army.
• Thunder Eel reveals himself as one of Wu De’s bodies and dies protecting Bai Ye, highlighting Wu De’s absolute devotion and willingness to sacrifice himself.
• Yi Jingran provides the practical information needed for the group’s next move, while also reacting with surprise to the unexpected army supporting Bai Ye.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and collective identity: The Apocalypse Remnants’ devotion shows that loyalty and shared purpose can survive even when memory, individuality, and social order have been destroyed.
• Strength beyond combat power: Wu De’s importance comes not from physical strength but from his ability to awaken and unite others.
• Sacrifice: Thunder Eel’s death fulfills Wu De’s promise to take a bullet for Bai Ye and emphasizes the cost of loyalty.
• Individuality versus unity: Wu De’s body and identity are dispersed among countless people, blurring the boundary between one person and an entire army.
• Leadership and influence: Bai Ye begins to recognize the emotional power he holds over others and the responsibility that comes with it.
• Determination after grief: Wu De’s sacrifice transforms Bai Ye’s shock and sorrow into a hardened resolve to confront his enemies.

Character Interactions

• Li Xiao and the others insist on protecting Bai Ye and An Xiaotong, while Bai Ye and An Xiaotong immediately agree to prioritize the larger battle.
• Bai Ye rallies the Apocalypse Remnants, who respond in perfect unison by calling him “White Lord.”
• Bai Ye questions Thunder Eel about Wu De, only to discover that Thunder Eel himself is one manifestation of Wu De.
• Thunder Eel protects Bai Ye from the sniper’s shot, turning their brief interaction into a final act of devotion.
• An Xiaotong takes Bai Ye’s hand and reminds him that it is time to continue, helping him turn Wu De’s sacrifice into a renewed mission.

Chapter Summary: “Help from an Old Acquaintance”

Plot and Key Events

• With Wu De’s assistance, Bai Ye and his companions escape their pursuers and reach the Apocalypse Building in central Dawn City.
• Yi Jingran reveals that the laboratory is hidden within a Heart Abyss Rift concealed inside the building.
• Upon entering, the group is attacked by Soul Technology–enhanced mech guards. Bai Ye, An Xiaotong, and the others swiftly destroy them and advance to the second floor.
• A Soul Technology alloy gate blocks their path. Li Xiao fails to break it, while An Xiaotong uses the suppressed Thought Eye and her Gilded Cross Sword to cut it open, though doing so significantly drains her mental power.
• Inside the next corridor, invisible sound waves disrupt the group’s souls and continuously consume their mental energy. They hurry forward, only to encounter another squad of mech guards.
• One guard unexpectedly turns on the others, then reveals himself as Huo Zheng—formerly known within Apocalypse as “Ironhead,” an old subordinate of Bai Ye.
• Huo Zheng leads the group through the sound-wave zone and into a hidden storage room, explaining that he sabotaged the floor’s soul detectors.
• He gives Bai Ye a deployment map and reveals that the laboratory is located on the sixth floor. Huo Zheng plans to draw the enemy’s attention so the group can advance undetected.
• Li Xiao questions Huo Zheng’s loyalty, since he had joined Azure Dragon. Huo Zheng explains that Azure Dragon’s Soul Meat and authoritarian rule were necessary to keep Apocalypse’s starving souls from collapsing into madness.
• When asked why he is now helping Bai Ye, Huo Zheng answers that he is doing so because Bai Ye has returned.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Bai Ye remains decisive and forceful, immediately choosing to enter the building and later trusting Huo Zheng despite doubts from the others.
• An Xiaotong demonstrates exceptional combat ability, effortlessly dismantling mech guards and cutting through the alloy gate. However, using the Thought Eye imposes a heavy mental cost.
• Li Xiao shows growing caution and strategic awareness. Though initially reluctant to expend his mental power on the gate, he later challenges Huo Zheng’s motives and recognizes the danger of misplaced trust.
• Ghost Clown voices the group’s concerns about Huo Zheng, warning that his allegiance to Azure Dragon could make the meeting a trap.
• Huo Zheng/Ironhead is revealed as a former Apocalypse member who changed sides for pragmatic reasons but still retains loyalty to Bai Ye and the old organization.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus pragmatism: Huo Zheng’s alliance with Azure Dragon was motivated by survival and preservation rather than genuine devotion, raising questions about what true betrayal means.
• Leadership and influence: Bai Ye’s return itself inspires Huo Zheng to risk his life, suggesting that Bai Ye still commands deep loyalty among former Apocalypse members.
• Trust and suspicion: The group must decide whether to trust an apparent enemy who offers crucial assistance, while Li Xiao emphasizes the need for judgment beyond mere strength.
• The cost of power: An Xiaotong’s use of the Thought Eye illustrates that even extraordinary abilities carry serious mental and physical consequences.
• Survival in a collapsing world: Huo Zheng’s explanation highlights the desperation of Apocalypse’s souls and the harsh compromises required to maintain order.

Overall Significance

The chapter moves the group closer to the hidden laboratory while introducing Huo Zheng as a potentially valuable ally. His final statement makes Bai Ye’s return the emotional and political catalyst for renewed resistance against Azure Dragon.

Chapter Summary: “Huo Zheng Spoke Like Drinking Fine Wine”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huo Zheng reveals that he betrayed Azure Dragon because he trusts Bai Ye more. He believes Bai Ye, rather than Azure Dragon, is the person capable of truly saving Apocalypse.
• Bai Ye is surprised that Huo Zheng still retains his principles after Apocalypse has been corrupted by the Heart Abyss. Huo Zheng explains that his faith in Bai Ye comes from repeatedly witnessing Bai Ye act in defense of justice.
• Huo Zheng recounts Bai Ye’s major accomplishments: overthrowing Qin Songting’s oppressive regime, ending human experimentation, defeating Azure Dragon’s invasion, helping rebuild Apocalypse, and resisting the Evil God’s influence in North Mang.
• Huo Zheng declares that Bai Ye’s actions are always just, regardless of his private motives, even suggesting that Bai Ye would remain righteous “even if his heart is as black as can be.” Bai Ye stops him before the praise goes too far.
• Huo Zheng leaves to draw the enemy’s fire, fully aware that he will probably die. His sacrifice creates a path for Bai Ye and the others.
• Guided by Huo Zheng’s deployment map, Bai Ye’s group reaches the secret laboratory on the sixth floor of Apocalypse Building while avoiding numerous traps, including Soul Sound Waves.
• The apparently unguarded laboratory makes Ghost Clown and An Xiaotong suspect that the map may be a deliberate trap or that the Doctor has already altered the defenses.
• The laboratory doors open automatically. Inside, the group discovers rows of transparent cylinders filled with glowing blue liquid, each containing a naked human body.
• Bai Ye identifies the figure in the largest central cylinder as Azure Dragon, apparently unconscious and imprisoned. This raises the crucial question of who has been issuing orders and attacking the city in Azure Dragon’s name.
• The chapter ends as Li Xiao notices something behind Azure Dragon’s cylinder, setting up another revelation.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Learns that Huo Zheng’s loyalty is based not on blind faith but on Bai Ye’s long history of decisive actions that benefited Apocalypse. Bai Ye is embarrassed and unsettled by Huo Zheng’s intense praise, particularly the implication that his motives may be morally questionable despite his just results.
• Huo Zheng: Demonstrates unwavering loyalty, strong personal principles, and a willingness to sacrifice himself. Like Wu De, he chooses Apocalypse’s survival over his own life, but his faith in Bai Ye is more deeply grounded in Bai Ye’s past deeds.
• Ghost Clown: Remains impulsive and easily distracted, focusing humorously on Azure Dragon’s nudity rather than the larger mystery surrounding his imprisonment.
• An Xiaotong: Shows caution and tactical awareness by questioning whether the laboratory’s lack of defenses signals a trap.
• Li Xiao: Acts as the more observant and practical member of the group, distancing himself from Ghost Clown’s foolishness and noticing the hidden sight beyond Azure Dragon.

Significant Themes

• Trust Based on Deeds: Huo Zheng judges Bai Ye by the concrete results of his actions rather than his intentions or personality.
• Sacrifice for Apocalypse: Huo Zheng’s decision mirrors Wu De’s earlier sacrifice, emphasizing that true loyalty may require giving one’s life for the people and the city.
• Justice and Moral Ambiguity: The chapter explores whether a person’s actions can be considered righteous even when their motives or inner nature are questionable.
• Faith and Conviction: Huo Zheng’s belief that Bai Ye is “always right” borders on the absolute, but he presents it as a conclusion supported by repeated experience rather than simple superstition.
• Deception and Uncertainty: The empty corridors and unexpectedly open laboratory create suspicion that the group is being manipulated, while Azure Dragon’s imprisonment suggests that the visible enemy may not be the true power behind the attacks.

Important Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Huo Zheng: Huo Zheng openly praises Bai Ye and explains the basis of his loyalty. Bai Ye is moved but uncomfortable, eventually cutting off Huo Zheng’s excessive compliments.
• Huo Zheng and the Group: Huo Zheng silently leaves to sacrifice himself, while the others rely on the path he has created.
• Bai Ye and His Companions: Bai Ye remains calm and decisive despite the possibility of a trap, entering the laboratory first while the others follow cautiously.
• Ghost Clown and Li Xiao: Ghost Clown makes an inappropriate observation about Azure Dragon’s lack of clothing, prompting Li Xiao to criticize his priorities and move away from him.
• The Group and Azure Dragon: Their discovery of Azure Dragon suspended in a cylinder transforms the mission, suggesting that someone else has been controlling Apocalypse’s forces and impersonating or directing him.

Chapter Summary: “Behind-the-Scenes Boss”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Xiao and the others enter a cold, technologically advanced laboratory and find a man in a white coat working at a laboratory bench.
• Assuming he is Doctor, one of the Ten Kings, Li Xiao attacks the bench with Mental Power manifested as Shadow Darts. The darts are stopped by an invisible defensive formation.
• The man explains that the defense is the Mindstream Reflux Array, which cancels the attackers’ movement relative to the protected target—essentially an invisible treadmill preventing them from getting closer.
• The group realizes that the man is not Doctor. He introduces himself arrogantly as “Doctor A” and claims that they are already doomed.
• Ghost Clown attacks in desperation, demanding that the Transcendent Suppression Device be removed and Yiyi returned. Doctor A effortlessly prevents him from advancing using the same spatial or consciousness-based defense.
• Doctor A reveals that he deliberately allowed the group to enter the laboratory, comparing them to mice repeatedly crashing into invisible glass while pursuing cheese.
• He prepares to activate a remote-controlled device that emits soul-disrupting sound waves. He believes even powerful souls will struggle to resist them.
• Before he can press the button, Bai Ye reaches him without difficulty, seizes the remote, removes his headphones, and knocks him face-first into the laboratory bench.
• Bai Ye exposes Doctor A as a fraud, contemptuously asking who he is pretending to be since he is not the real Doctor.

Character Developments

• Li Xiao displays his pride and impatience. His anger at being ignored leads him to attack, but Doctor A’s defense immediately demonstrates that the group is dealing with an unusual and highly capable opponent.
• Ghost Clown is shown to be deeply attached to Yiyi. His precise calculation of the time they have been separated emphasizes his distress and emotional dependence, driving his reckless attack.
• Doctor A initially appears calm, superior, and confident. He treats the group as intellectually inferior test subjects and relies on advanced technology and defensive systems to control the situation. His confidence collapses when Bai Ye bypasses his defenses and physically overwhelms him.
• Bai Ye remains composed throughout the confrontation. He recognizes that the group has walked into a trap but does not panic. His calm advance and sudden attack reveal that he possesses abilities Doctor A either underestimated or did not understand.
• An Xiaotong and the others initially prepare to intervene but follow Bai Ye’s lead, showing their trust in his judgment and awareness that he has chosen to act personally.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance and underestimation: Doctor A’s contempt for people from the Cataclysm Era causes him to misjudge Bai Ye and the group.
• Appearance versus identity: The white coat and laboratory setting make the stranger appear to be Doctor, but his true identity is immediately questioned, reinforcing the danger of relying on appearances.
• Technology versus personal power: Doctor A depends on sophisticated arrays, soul-frequency weapons, and psychological manipulation, while Bai Ye defeats him through direct ability and decisive action.
• Traps and false confidence: The laboratory is designed to make the intruders believe they are advancing while secretly placing them under Doctor A’s control. However, Doctor A’s confidence in his trap becomes its weakness.
• Emotional motivation: Ghost Clown’s desperation to recover Yiyi contrasts with Bai Ye’s controlled pragmatism, showing how attachment can inspire both courage and recklessness.

Character Interactions

• Li Xiao and Doctor A: Li Xiao attacks after being ignored, while Doctor A casually explains the mechanism that neutralizes his assault, establishing a clash between pride and condescending intellect.
• Ghost Clown and Doctor A: Ghost Clown charges at Doctor A to save Yiyi, but Doctor A stops him effortlessly and mocks the group’s lack of understanding.
• Doctor A and Bai Ye: Their interaction forms the chapter’s central confrontation. Doctor A repeatedly belittles Bai Ye, believing him to be another foolish intruder, but Bai Ye silently reaches him, takes control of the remote, and knocks him down.
• Bai Ye and the rest of the group: Bai Ye prevents the others from attacking prematurely, then acts alone when Doctor A attempts to activate the soul weapon, demonstrating leadership and confidence.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

Doctor A rises from the wreckage after Bai Ye sends him flying, remaining physically unharmed and casually explaining the Mindstream Reversal Array. Yi Jingran clarifies that the array only works on ordinary souls; because Bai Ye’s soul has been modified by the Time Dimension twice, it cannot detect or restrain him. Doctor A threatens to dissect Bai Ye, prompting Bai Ye to slap him repeatedly. Humiliated and enraged, Doctor A abandons his refined façade and orders the laboratory’s test subjects to attack. The subjects emerge from their glass pillars covered in black demonic scales and rush toward An Xiaotong and the others. Doctor A boasts that Bai Ye cannot harm his special soul, but Bai Ye lifts him by the throat and begins cracking his neck through an unknown soul-based ability. As Doctor A realizes Bai Ye’s soul is vastly stronger and more durable than his own, a tremendous dragon roar shakes the laboratory.

Character developments

• Bai Ye remains cold, silent, and utterly confident. He discovers that the supposedly formidable Mindstream Reversal Array is useless against his extraordinary soul. His repeated slaps and effortless domination of Doctor A reveal his growing superiority and contempt for Doctor A’s arrogance.
• Doctor A loses his calm, civilized persona after being humiliated. His hatred of Cataclysm Era people and belief in the superiority of his modified soul are exposed, but his confidence collapses when Bai Ye damages him with ease.
• Yi Jingran serves as the technical interpreter, explaining why Bai Ye can bypass the array.
• An Xiaotong and the others become the immediate targets of the awakened experimental subjects, placing them in danger.

Significant themes

• Superiority versus reality: Doctor A’s claims of species and soul superiority are undermined by Bai Ye’s overwhelming strength.
• The limits of science and technology: The Mindstream Reversal Array is powerful only within the assumptions for which it was designed; Bai Ye’s abnormal soul renders it useless.
• Arrogance and humiliation: Doctor A’s contempt for the Cataclysm Era gives way to rage when he is treated as weak and insignificant.
• Humanity transcended: Bai Ye’s soul has surpassed ordinary human limits, while Doctor A’s modified soul, once considered exceptional, is revealed to be comparatively fragile.

Character interactions

Bai Ye ignores Doctor A’s questions and responds to his threats with physical humiliation rather than words. Doctor A attempts to assert intellectual and evolutionary superiority, but Bai Ye counters by effortlessly restraining and injuring him. Yi Jingran explains the array’s mechanics to Bai Ye, while Doctor A unleashes his test subjects against An Xiaotong’s group. The chapter ends with the arrival—or awakening—of a powerful dragon-like presence signaled by its earth-shaking roar.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Azure Dragon emerges from a glass containment cylinder in a feral, unconscious state, transformed by the Abyss. Demonic dragon scales, horns, and a tail cover his body, giving him immense physical power.
• Bai Ye keeps Doctor A restrained while An Xiaotong and the others confront Azure Dragon.
• Doctor A reveals that he comes from the pre-Cataclysm “Civilized Era” and boasts about its superiority. Bai Ye humiliates him by slamming his head into the floor, mocking the supposed manners of his era.
• Azure Dragon overwhelms the group, sending An Xiaotong, Li Xiao, and the others flying. Li Xiao laments that his strength is being suppressed by the Heart Abyss.
• An Xiaotong summons the Gilded Cross Sword, identified as God-Taboo Object Nine Eyes, and decapitates Azure Dragon.
• Azure Dragon immediately regenerates a new head. Doctor A explains that Azure Dragon’s soul is linked to the Heart Abyss, making him effectively immortal within it.
• Bai Ye challenges Doctor A’s claim that the Civilized Era created the God-Taboo Objects. He explains that the Civilized Era merely obtained most of them from the Forbidden Domain.
• Bai Ye identifies the exceptions: the 010 Pangu USB Drive and Pangu Matter, which were genuinely created by the Civilized Era.
• Bai Ye then names Qin as the creator of 010, shocking Doctor A and causing him to question Bai Ye’s true identity and origins.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye: Remains calm, sardonic, and dominant despite the danger. He demonstrates extensive secret knowledge about the Civilized Era, the Forbidden Domain, and God-Taboo Objects, suggesting that his background is far more complicated than previously believed.
• Azure Dragon: Becomes an Abyss-infused dragon-like monster with overwhelming strength and seemingly limitless regeneration. His connection to the Heart Abyss makes him difficult to kill even after his body is destroyed.
• Doctor A: His arrogance and confidence collapse as Bai Ye exposes his exaggerated claims about Civilized Era achievements. He shifts from taunting Bai Ye to panicked disbelief upon hearing Qin’s name.
• An Xiaotong: Shows considerable combat ability and composure by wielding the Gilded Cross Sword and successfully decapitating Azure Dragon, though the victory proves temporary.
• Li Xiao: Is frustrated by his suppression within the Heart Abyss and emphasizes how powerful he would be without that restriction.

Significant Themes

• Arrogance versus genuine knowledge: Doctor A relies on the perceived superiority of the Civilized Era, but Bai Ye reveals that his understanding is based on propaganda and appropriation.
• The limits of human achievement: The chapter distinguishes between objects truly created by humanity and powers merely discovered or harvested from the Forbidden Domain.
• Immortality and the Abyss: Azure Dragon’s regeneration illustrates how the Heart Abyss can fundamentally alter the rules of life, death, and combat.
• Hidden identities and buried history: Bai Ye’s knowledge of Qin and the origins of the God-Taboo Objects suggests connections between him and the Civilized Era that remain unexplained.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye and Doctor A engage in a verbal and physical power struggle, with Bai Ye mocking Doctor A’s pride and Doctor A attempting to use Azure Dragon as leverage.
• Doctor A commands Azure Dragon to kill Bai Ye and the others, treating the monster as an experimental weapon.
• An Xiaotong and the group fight Azure Dragon together, but his strength initially overwhelms them.
• Bai Ye directly challenges Doctor A’s historical claims, turning the interrogation into a revelation that leaves Doctor A terrified and uncertain of Bai Ye’s true identity.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Ye realizes that Doctor A’s mention of a “shelter” may refer to Shelter 189 beneath Black Mountain, the place where Bai Ye once found only corpses transformed into Pseudo-Humans.
• He tricks Doctor A into confirming that he is from Shelter 189. Bai Ye concludes that the shelter’s residents may not have truly died: their bodies perished, but their souls survived inside the Heart Abyss.
• Bai Ye further suspects that Shelter 189 was connected to both the Calamity Eye and the Abyss Eye, suggesting that the shelter concealed an enormous secret. He also wonders whether the Chief Judge, rather than Hidden Rat, was the first person to enter the shelter.
• Azure Dragon suddenly attacks the group. Empowered by the Heart Abyss while Bai Ye’s allies are suppressed by it, he effortlessly overwhelms An Xiaotong and the others.
• Acting on Doctor A’s command, Azure Dragon charges Bai Ye. Bai Ye calmly activates the Calamity Eye: Ashen Ruin and uses Annihilation Sight.
• Azure Dragon is completely erased—body, soul, and life force—despite supposedly being immortal and indestructible within the Heart Abyss.
• Doctor A is horrified when he recognizes Bai Ye’s eye as the legendary Calamity Eye, which no one, not even the Forbidden Evil God, was believed capable of controlling.

Character Developments

• Bai Ye demonstrates sharp deductive ability, recognizing that knowledge and wisdom are different. He sees Doctor A as someone burdened by implanted knowledge but lacking judgment and adaptability.
• Bai Ye’s suspicions about Shelter 189 deepen, revealing his growing understanding of the connection between the shelter, the Heart Abyss, and the Nine Eyes.
• His overwhelming control of the Calamity Eye establishes him as far more powerful and mysterious than Doctor A expected.
• Doctor A loses his confidence and composure. His arrogance collapses into panic as Bai Ye exposes his deception and destroys his strongest weapon.
• Doctor A’s understanding of ancient technology and the Civilized Era remains vast, but Bai Ye repeatedly reveals that Doctor A cannot properly interpret what he knows.
• Azure Dragon, previously regarded as the Heart Abyss’s strongest humanoid weapon and an immortal being, is destroyed instantly, undermining the shelter’s claims about his invulnerability.
• Bai Ye’s allies are once again shown to be unable to match Azure Dragon directly because of the Heart Abyss’s environmental advantage.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge versus wisdom: Doctor A possesses enormous implanted knowledge but lacks practical intelligence, while Bai Ye relies on deduction, deception, and flexible reasoning.
• The hidden survival of the past: The people of Shelter 189 may have survived as souls within the Heart Abyss, suggesting that the Civilized Era’s secrets remain active.
• Power beyond established limits: Bai Ye’s mastery of the Calamity Eye challenges the belief that certain forces cannot be controlled.
• Truth beneath history: The shelter’s connection to two gods and the possible involvement of the Chief Judge hint at long-concealed manipulation and conspiracies.
• Illusions of immortality: Azure Dragon’s supposed invincibility proves meaningless against Bai Ye’s annihilating power.

Character Interactions

• Bai Ye psychologically humiliates Doctor A after confirming the shelter connection, mocking his reliance on implanted knowledge.
• Doctor A orders Azure Dragon to kill Bai Ye, believing Azure Dragon’s Heart Abyss-enhanced power makes victory certain.
• Azure Dragon attacks Bai Ye while Bai Ye’s companions are defeated and scattered.
• Bai Ye responds without fear, annihilating Azure Dragon with a single activation of the Calamity Eye.
• The chapter ends with Doctor A confronting the terrifying realization that Bai Ye can control the Calamity Eye, forcing him to question Bai Ye’s true identity.