Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Ran enters a Special Instance of [Psychic Partners II], with a Main Quest to re-establish the rules of the mysterious side of the West Coast within three months.
• He receives a letter from Ellie Jones, asking for help, and a train ticket to the West Coast.
• Qin Ran arrives at the West Coast and senses an unusual atmosphere on the platform.

Character Developments

• Qin Ran remains confident in his abilities despite the challenges ahead.
• Ellie Jones is shown to be in trouble, having to ask Qin Ran for help.

Significant Themes

• The struggle to maintain order and control in the mysterious world.
• The passage of time and its effects on characters and the world.
• The use of special instances and their potential dangers.

Character Interactions

• Qin Ran interacts with no one in this chapter, but his past interactions with Ellie Jones and Nikelei are referenced.
• The conductor's voice is heard through the loudspeaker, but there's no direct interaction.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Ran returns to the West Coast train station, finding it blocked by a group of thugs with his photograph, searching for him.
• The thugs, upon seeing Qin Ran, attack him, but he easily defeats them using his martial arts skills and a box containing [Words of Arrogance].
• A psychic named Siko, disguised as a bird, attempts to assassinate Qin Ran but is killed.
• The police arrive, led by Shiqi, who recognizes Qin Ran as the target of the attack from the photograph.

Character Developments

• Qin Ran demonstrates his combat skills and psychic abilities, confirming his status as a powerful individual.
• Shiqi, the police chief, shows concern for Qin Ran's safety and relief at his return.

Significant Themes

• The return of a powerful figure (Qin Ran) brings both danger and relief.
• The mysterious side's interest in Qin Ran is revealed.

Character Interactions

• Qin Ran faces off against the thugs and Siko, showcasing his abilities and determination.
• Shiqi's interaction with the passengers and his colleagues at the scene highlights his dedication to his job and his concern for Qin Ran.

Key plot points and events

• The West Coast’s unusual-ability factions dismiss Qin Ran’s reported victories, assuming Nikelei must have been responsible. Believing Nikelei is missing and her successor and assistant are vulnerable, they send fighters toward Black Street No. 1.
• Qin Ran returns to find the gate and courtyard marked by attacks and rigged with traps. A lethal dissolving-potion trap blocks the front door, so he enters through the window of his old room.
• Inside, he discovers the room has been kept clean, suggesting someone has cared for it in his absence.
• In the study, Aili Jones searches desperately through Nikelei’s books for a powerful spell. She is exhausted, has fought off numerous attacks, and has a broken arm. Simons feels guilty that he cannot protect her.
• An explosion signals a full-scale assault. Seeing at least thirty attackers, Aili prepares to use a one-use defensive measure Nikelei left behind—a patterned carpet. Qin Ran interrupts her, declaring that she need not use it.

Character developments

• Qin Ran returns alert to the danger surrounding Nikelei’s home and shows familiarity with its layout and defenses. His arrival offers an immediate change in the balance of the confrontation.
• Aili Jones has grown into a determined defender, repeatedly facing assassination attempts despite her injury. She is willing to use Nikelei’s last-resort protection to save the household.
• Simons is weighed down by guilt over his perceived inability to protect Nikelei and Aili, but continues searching for a way to help.
• The attackers are emboldened by Nikelei’s absence and underestimate Qin Ran and Aili.

Significant themes

• Underestimation and reputation: The factions’ pride prevents them from crediting Qin Ran’s achievements, setting them up to misjudge him.
• Loyalty and care: The maintained room and Aili and Simons’s defense of the house show lasting attachment to Nikelei and Black Street No. 1.
• Burden and resilience: Aili persists despite injury and exhaustion, while Simons struggles with guilt over his limitations.
• Hidden defenses and escalation: Traps, Nikelei’s secret safeguard, and the attackers’ shift from probing to a full assault show the conflict growing more dangerous.

Character interactions

• Qin Ran approaches the house expecting to reunite with its occupants, while signs of attack quickly make him fear that something has happened to Nikelei.
• Simons watches over Aili and silently blames himself for failing to protect her; Aili, meanwhile, focuses on finding a way to defend them.
• As Aili prepares to activate Nikelei’s one-use safeguard, Qin Ran’s voice stops her, ending the chapter on his sudden intervention.

Plot and events

Qin Ran returns to the Spirit Channeling’s Residence, surprising Simons and Aili Jones. He asks them to prepare dinner, then heads outside to deal with the attackers surrounding the house.
He destroys the entrance with a charging attack and cuts a bloody path through the first group. Using a quick-casting fire spell strengthened by his Blazing Sulfur ability, he catches another group off guard; the flames and their poison prove impossible to escape. He then cuts down the remaining attackers with his greatsword, while his fear-inducing abilities trap others in an illusion that keeps them running in circles inside the courtyard until they collapse.
One attacker tries to reach the residence and take Jones or Simons hostage, but Qin Ran catches and kills him despite his seemingly impossible leap. Once the fighting ends, Qin Ran turns toward the house and sees a “sea of green light.”

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran is revealed as a formidable, confident fighter who combines brute force, rapid spellcasting, powerful equipment, and psychological abilities. Despite the carnage, he is casual with Simons and Jones, joking about the lack of lunch and reassuring them with an OK gesture.
• Simons is delighted to see Qin Ran again and calls after him to be careful.
• Jones hides her relief behind an irritated expression and refuses to speak, but watches Qin Ran closely.
• The attackers are overwhelmed by Qin Ran’s speed and strength. Their panic makes them especially vulnerable to his fear-based abilities; one tries to exploit the house as a target but is killed before reaching its occupants.

Themes

The chapter emphasizes the contrast between Qin Ran’s warm, familiar reunion and the extreme violence of the battle. It also highlights how fear can turn a losing fight into utter helplessness, and shows the tactical value of combining different abilities rather than relying on strength alone. The final image of green light introduces a new mystery.

Plot points and events

• Qin Ran reviews the loot from the attackers: three magical recipes he cannot yet learn, four minor enchanted items, and a pouch of Silver Sword Oil VI. The oil lets his two-handed sword harm ghosts and undead for a limited time, complementing his blessed bullets and Holy Water.
• A ghost lurking outside the courtyard tries to spy on him. Qin Ran kills it with a blessed bullet, confirming that more enemies are watching and may be waiting for a better chance to strike.
• Qin Ran intends to investigate the attackers’ bases and claim any useful supplies. He also has a larger, still-unnamed mystery to investigate in the dungeon world.
• Simons identifies the dead as leaders and members of several Mystery Side organizations. The recipes came specifically from the spellcasting Cursed Words Society, leading Qin Ran to target its base at Ceylon Street No. 100 for books and magical materials.
• Jones confronts Qin Ran about his long absence and the dangerous exploits associated with his reputation, then leaves in frustration. Simons explains that she has been carrying a heavy burden since Lei disappeared.
• Qin Ran borrows Simons’s pickup and tells him to contact the police and repair the damaged gate. Before Qin Ran can leave, Police Chief Shiqi arrives seeking help with a case. He arranges for police to secure the scene and agrees to wait until after dawn for Qin Ran’s assistance.
• Shiqi begins describing the strange case, which turns out to involve a ghost ship.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran remains calm and pragmatic after the battle: he assesses his equipment, plans to exploit the attackers’ resources, and prioritizes his own investigations. His easy victory makes Simons reconsider why Lei chose him as an assistant.
• Jones is angry and exhausted, and her accusations suggest she knows of Qin Ran’s past exploits despite his absence. Her reaction reveals the strain she has been under since Lei vanished.
• Simons is shocked by Qin Ran’s success but supports his plan to claim the attackers’ spoils. He also acts as an intermediary by identifying the dead and helping secure the house.
• Shiqi is direct and focused on his case. He accepts Qin Ran’s need to rest and collect spoils, while hinting that his own career circumstances have changed.

Significant themes

• Preparation and resourcefulness: Qin Ran evaluates how the sword oil, blessed bullets, and other loot can help him face supernatural threats.
• The Mystery Side’s rules: Claiming spoils is treated as an accepted custom, and Qin Ran uses those norms to justify investigating the defeated groups’ bases.
• Hidden danger and unfinished mysteries: The attackers may return, ghosts are common, and Qin Ran’s larger investigation remains unresolved.
• Burden and absence: Jones’s exhaustion and Simons’s remarks show the personal cost of Lei’s disappearance, while Qin Ran’s unexplained two-year absence complicates his return.

The Missing Boyle

Key plot points and events

• Shiqi explains that the luxury cruise liner Sunshine Mary vanished in Er875 on a calm voyage from the East Coast to the West Coast, carrying four hundred people. Despite years of searches, it was never found, and a sensational report that some passengers had been encountered was dismissed as a hoax.
• The ship reappeared on Golden Beach on October 28, Er999. Shiqi and his colleague Boyle boarded it, but Shiqi passed out and woke up outside the ship. Boyle was missing, and an invisible barrier now prevents anyone from approaching or attacking the liner.
• Shiqi asks Qin Ran to help investigate and find Boyle. The Underground Game assigns Qin Ran the side quest “Cruise Liner Phantom” and promises a substantial completion-rating bonus for uncovering the ship’s secret—signaling that the case is likely dangerous.
• On the drive to Ceylon Street, Shiqi describes how criminal and supernatural organizations have expanded their influence. The Cursed Words Society has made its territory safer, but rival groups have fueled sharp rises in crime and accidental deaths, while officials conceal the true figures.
• Qin Ran recalls the Puppet Illusion Ring he took from the Siko Society and how useful it was in a previous fight. At the destination, he notices marks on the courtyard gate and realizes that someone has arrived before them.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran is curious about the Sunshine Mary and accepts the mission, but remains wary: he knows that unusually generous completion rewards tend to accompany serious danger. He also admits, privately, that his Spirit Channeling abilities are limited.
• Shiqi is revealed to have recruited Boyle into the Special Operations Group after five teenagers in Boyle’s care died from spell backlash. He regards Boyle as a valuable partner and is visibly concerned about his disappearance.
• Shiqi and Qin Ran discuss the growth of supernatural crime and the failure of powerful officials to address it. Shiqi expresses gratitude for Qin Ran’s earlier efforts against several dangerous groups.
• Shiqi waits rather than entering Boyle’s home first, showing respect for the risks involved in disturbing a mystery practitioner’s property.

Significant themes

• The unknown and the supernatural: The liner’s disappearance, impossible return, and protective barrier suggest a mystery beyond ordinary explanation.
• Curiosity versus caution: Qin Ran is drawn to the ship’s hidden secret even as he recognizes the danger implied by the quest.
• Institutional failure and corruption: Criminal groups exploit the gaps left by ineffective authorities, while officials hide worsening conditions and may benefit from the organizations’ services.
• Loyalty and loss: Shiqi’s urgent search for Boyle makes their partnership—and his personal concern for his colleague—central to the mission.

Plot points and events

• Qin Ran and Shiqi enter Ceylon Street No. 100 and find three members of the Cursed Words Society dead, each killed by a single, swift cut to the throat.
• Qin Ran uses [Tracking] to reconstruct the attack: the assailant picked the courtyard lock, disarmed the magical trap, and killed the three victims before they could draw their guns.
• Shiqi recognizes two of the dead as renowned West Coast gunmen who disappeared six months earlier. He cannot identify the third man, who appears to have occupied a more important position.
• Qin Ran discovers a concealed entrance behind a vase and leads Shiqi down to a secret room containing books, potions, and spellcasting materials.
• The attacker’s footprints lead directly to a meeting table, where something has been removed. Qin Ran concludes the assailant knew the building well and came for a specific purpose.
• When Shiqi proposes calling colleagues to search the property, Qin Ran stops him: he has found something.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran demonstrates sharp investigative instincts, piecing together the attack’s speed and sequence from footprints and physical clues. He suspects the unidentified victim may have been a spellcaster and believes the attacker had inside knowledge.
• Shiqi is impressed by the killer’s speed and admits that even the famous gunmen likely could not have reacted in time. His confidence in the Society’s investigation is undercut when Qin Ran finds a secret room missing from the official plans.
• Qin Ran directs Shiqi to examine the unknown victim, then challenges the thoroughness of Shiqi’s agency’s work. Shiqi responds with rueful humor and offers to bring in more investigators.

Significant themes

• Professional violence: The clean, rapid killings reveal a highly skilled and disciplined assailant.
• Hidden knowledge and betrayal: The secret room and the attacker’s familiarity with the building suggest an insider or someone with unusually detailed information.
• Limits of investigation: Shiqi’s agency believed it knew the building, but crucial evidence had escaped its notice.
• Unfinished mystery: The assailant’s identity, the third victim’s role, and the missing item from the table remain unknown.

• Key Plot Points & Events: Decadent, a web novelist, completes three updates at midnight after pulling an all-nighter. He desperately pleads for a monthly ticket (a form of support or subscription) from his readers to continue his work.
• Character Developments: Decadent's dedication to his craft is evident, but he's also shown to be physically and mentally exhausted from the intense work schedule.
• Significant Themes: The chapter explores themes of dedication, exhaustion, and the importance of reader support in creative industries.
• Character Interactions: The chapter is a direct plea to the readers, fostering a sense of interaction and community between Decadent and his audience. It also hints at the relationship between creators and their supporters.

Concise Summary

Key Plot Points & Events

• Qin Ran discovers a secret room in the abandoned mansion, containing a corpse and clues about an attacker.
• He finds a list of mysterious items, possibly an Alchemy formula, hidden among some books.
• Qin Ran and Shiqi suspect that the attacker might be Rock, a former patient at a suburban nursing home.

Character Developments

• Qin Ran demonstrates his keen observational skills and deductive reasoning.
• Shiqi shows understanding and acceptance of the mysterious side of Qin Ran's world.

Significant Themes

• The unknown and mysterious aspects of the world.
• The consequences of past actions (Rock's history and potential involvement in the attack).

Character Interactions

• Qin Ran and Shiqi work together to search the secret room and discuss their findings.
• Qin Ran expresses concern for Rock's well-being and potential involvement in the attack.

Plot points and events

• Shiqi tells Qin Ran that the Cursed Words Society has been completely wiped out—the Society’s first battle on the West Coast—and notes that Qin Ran was responsible. Qin Ran dismisses his curious stare with jokes.
• Shiqi explains Lei’s widely circulated prophecy about Qin Ran: he is a crow and bringer of misfortune, yet carries light and will one day reign like a king. Qin Ran finds it embarrassing and suspects Lei made the prophecy deliberately. Shiqi, by contrast, treats it as a prediction already borne out by Qin Ran’s exploits.
• The prophecy leads Qin Ran to wonder whether Lei foresaw his return, and what powerful threat she was preparing to face. Simons’s claim that Lei would be the world’s strongest medium “if certain things hadn’t happened” deepens the mystery.
• Qin Ran and Shiqi collect spoils from Flame Hound’s base and the Mule Society. Both groups’ wealth consists mostly of money, precious metals, and jewelry, with few books or magical materials. Qin Ran takes the goods under the mystery side’s rules.
• Shiqi offers to buy Qin Ran fast food. After eating, they reach the suburban sanatorium: a building complex veiled in mist that resembles a graveyard at night, though sunlight still lingers.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran remains blunt, irreverent, and practical. He deflects Shiqi’s teasing with jokes, but the prophecy genuinely unsettles him and prompts serious questions about Lei and the looming threat. He also shows respect for Shiqi’s lack of envy toward the wealth they collect.
• Shiqi is more openly enthusiastic about the prophecy and Qin Ran’s reputation, and jokes comfortably with him. He is impressed by the organizations’ wealth but does not covet it; he also curses the powerful people who enabled them.
• Their banter gives way to shared focus when they arrive at the eerie sanatorium, setting up the next investigation.

Significant themes

• Fate versus agency: Lei’s prophecy may anticipate Qin Ran’s return, but Qin Ran resists its grand, flattering language.
• Uncertainty and looming danger: Lei’s past preparations hint at a formidable, still-unidentified enemy.
• Integrity amid corruption: Shiqi’s lack of jealousy contrasts with the wealth and influence accumulated by the groups they oppose.
• Reputation and consequence: Qin Ran’s actions have made him a feared, legendary figure, whether or not he accepts the titles attached to him.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Ran discovers a supernatural mist surrounding Gode Sanatorium. His [Mysterious Knowledge] identifies it as concentrated negative energy, suggesting everyone inside may be dead.
• He tells Shiqi to wait safely at a nearby junction, then approaches the sanatorium alone. The mist tries to engulf him, but his [Uncanny Body] resists its low-level erosion.
• Qin Ran enters the locked lobby using the [Deceiver’s Key] and studies a floor plan. He learns that the building is divided into patient rooms and treatment areas on the left, staff facilities in the center, and service areas on the right.
• On his way toward patient Rock’s room, Qin Ran finds the left corridor blocked by two locked iron doors. Behind a small window, a frightened young girl silently begs him to unlock the door.
• As Qin Ran appears to respond to her request, a huge, fanged creature dressed as a nurse attacks from behind. He knocks it back with a kick.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran acts cautiously, anticipating multiple defenses and relying on his supernatural abilities and experience. His comfort in darkness contrasts with the danger of the sanatorium.
• Shiqi obeys Qin Ran’s safety instructions and uses a mysterious powder to protect the truck, implying he has his own methods for dealing with supernatural threats.
• The girl appears frightened and desperate to escape whatever is behind her, but her intentions remain uncertain.
• Qin Ran and the girl communicate only through gestures; their exchange is interrupted by the nurse-like monster’s attack.

Significant themes

• Danger hidden beneath appearances: The sanatorium’s welcoming slogan and cheerful nurse poster become sinister in the darkness.
• Caution and uncertainty: The mist may be only the first defense, and the girl’s distress does not establish whether she can be trusted.
• The supernatural as a physical threat: Negative energy, uncanny creatures, and Qin Ran’s unusual resistances shape his investigation.

Key events

• Qin Ran reveals the nurse-like monster was hiding inside a promotional portrait, while a little girl’s image was controlling it.
• The girl transforms into a hostile evil spirit and tries to intimidate Qin, but his Uncanny Body makes him immune to its low-level intimidation.
• The spirit sends the scalpel-fingered monster charging through a swirling tornado of debris. Qin destroys it with Powerful-rank Burning Hands, and a Soul Crystal drops.
• As the evil spirit tries to escape into a wall, Qin shatters a vial of Holy Water VIII against it, then finishes it with a rapid series of kicks. It also turns to ash, leaving a Soul Crystal and a photograph of the girl.
• Qin recalls that evil spirits arise from extreme destructive emotions and can be controlled through contracts. The spirit’s strategic behavior convinces him that someone had been directing it.
• Suspecting the sanatorium’s patients may be connected to the controller’s motives, Qin grabs the Soul Crystals and rushes through another iron door. What he sees makes him recoil immediately.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin demonstrates quick observation, combat confidence, and ruthlessness: he identifies the deception, chooses effective attacks, and pursues the spirit rather than pausing to collect rewards.
• The evil spirit proves more cunning than a mindless predator, attempting intimidation, coordinated attacks, and escape. Its apparent controller remains unidentified.
• Qin’s thoughts turn toward the person who attacked the sanatorium, and he begins to infer a link between that person, the evil spirit, and the patients.

Significant themes

• Deception and appearances: The innocent-looking girl’s image conceals a vicious spirit, while the nurse portrait hides a monster.
• Power and risk of control: Evil spirits can be bound by contracts, but controlling one may corrupt or endanger the controller.
• Violence and destructive emotion: The spirit’s nature and the sanatorium’s self-destructive patients suggest a troubling connection between human despair and supernatural threats.

Plot points and events

• Qin Ran escapes Gode Sanatorium just before a massive explosion destroys the building. He’s shaken and temporarily disoriented but not injured.
• Shiqi arrives and learns that Qin Ran encountered someone breeding Evil Spirits at the sanatorium. They suspect Rock was being controlled and used as a victim, given his self-destructive state.
• The pair agree to pursue two leads: Qin Ran will investigate the Blood Queen’s Crown and the Fantos Manuscript, stolen from the Cursed Words Society, while Shiqi traces the explosives’ supply.
• After parting, Qin Ran reflects on how the day’s violence—combined with Lei’s prophecy—has made police and bystanders increasingly fear and avoid him.
• As Qin Ran drives away, his pickup stalls, the lights go out, and slow, dragging footsteps approach through the darkness.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran remains focused and practical after surviving the blast, but grows troubled by the consequences of Lei’s prophecy and the fearful reputation forming around him. He is also angered that someone took the Cursed Words Society’s “spoils.”
• Shiqi shows fierce concern for Rock and anger at the person responsible. He works with Qin Ran, taking responsibility for investigating the explosives, and jokes with him before they part.
• Lei does not appear, but Qin Ran questions the motive behind the prophecy, which he believes has intensified suspicion toward him.
• Qin Ran and Shiqi share a trusting, teasing partnership, balancing serious plans with familiar banter.

Significant themes

• Reputation and prophecy: Lei’s prediction shapes how others interpret Qin Ran’s actions, turning coincidence and circumstance into apparent evidence that he is dangerous.
• Exploitation and cruelty: The suspected use of vulnerable people to breed Evil Spirits underscores the villain’s depravity.
• Friendship amid danger: Qin Ran and Shiqi respond to the crisis through cooperation, trust, and humor.
• Uncertainty and impending threat: The chapter ends with Qin Ran suddenly stranded in darkness as an unknown presence approaches.

Plot points and events

• A mysterious blond man appears beside Qin Ran during a blackout, calls him “2567” and “Deathbird,” and delivers an invitation from the Shepherds of the Dead. He says they await Qin Ran on December 1, but gives no location.
• After the man disappears, power and lighting return. Qin Ran suspects the visitor can interfere with electricity—or technology more broadly.
• The invitation triggers a side quest: Qin must locate the society and handle the invitation carefully. The outcome may affect Nikelei’s prophecy, his reputation, and his completion rating.
• Over dinner, Qin tells Simons what happened. Simons has no information on the Blood Queen’s Crown or the Fantos Manuscript, but recognizes the Shepherds of the Dead and is alarmed.
• Simons explains that the society once rivaled the Five Great Societies, specializing in communicating with the dead and using their power. Nikelei destroyed it thirty years earlier after its members targeted Friedel for research.
• Qin realizes the society’s return may connect to revenge, then appears to have thought of something that eases his concern.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran stays alert and analytical, investigating the visitor’s unusual abilities and seeking Simons’s advice. He also recognizes how formidable Nikelei must be, imagining how she tracked down and defeated the society.
• Simons shifts from explaining what he knows about other mysterious items to showing genuine fear when the Shepherds are mentioned. He provides crucial background about their history and Nikelei’s past actions.
• Nikelei does not appear, but her reputation grows: Qin understands that her destruction of a major society—and the fear she inspires in other powerful groups—was earned.
• The messenger is brief and cryptic, identifying Qin by several titles before delivering the invitation and vanishing.

Significant themes

• The past returning: A society thought destroyed has resurfaced, bringing unresolved danger and possible revenge.
• Power and reputation: The Shepherds’ former status is overshadowed by Nikelei’s decisive strength, while Qin’s choices may shape his own standing.
• Mystery and caution: The unexplained blackout, the visitor’s abilities, and the invitation’s missing address signal that Qin must uncover the society’s intentions and location carefully.

Plot points and events

• Qin Ran realizes the Shepherds of the Dead are likely weaker than their fearsome reputation suggests. They have not seized control of the Mystery Side, even with Lei and the Five Great Societies gone, and their invitation to him may be an attempt to intimidate an ideal target.
• Simons warns Qin Ran not to underestimate their use of the dead. Asked why Lei disappeared, he says Lei and the Five Great Societies vanished because of an unknown force or event called “that,” but he knows no more.
• Qin Ran asks Simons to investigate the Blood Queen’s Crown and the Fantos Manuscript, then returns to his room to study.
• Aili Jones nervously paces outside Qin Ran’s door, flees when he opens it, and later resumes pacing. Qin Ran remains puzzled and quickly becomes absorbed in Stars and Fate, a foundational astrology text missing from Lei’s collection.
• The next morning, Shiqi brings Qin Ran a newspaper full of sensational reports about the “Deathbird.” He is also worried about his partner, Boyle, who is apparently missing or in danger.
• Qin Ran retaliates for Shiqi’s teasing by ruining his sandwich, then drives him to Golden Beach, where police are investigating the Sunshine Mary.
• At the ship, they encounter a rude, self-important man claiming to be a special consultant. He insults Shiqi, dismisses Qin Ran as unimpressive, and says he needs an assistant. Qin Ran recognizes the title as one associated with Lei and grows displeased.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran shows greater confidence, reasoning that the Shepherds’ invitation reflects insecurity rather than overwhelming strength. He remains cautious, but prioritizes learning and preparing for the ship.
• Simons shares what little he knows about Lei’s disappearance, revealing regret and helplessness before Qin Ran tactfully changes the subject.
• Jones behaves awkwardly and seems flustered around Qin Ran, though he does not understand why.
• Shiqi jokes about Qin Ran’s ominous public image, but his concern for Boyle shows a more serious side. Their banter turns into a comic food-based revenge.
• The unnamed consultant arrives as an antagonistic, arrogant presence, immediately clashing with Shiqi and irritating Qin Ran.

Significant themes

• Power and uncertainty: The Shepherds of the Dead may be dangerous, but their restraint suggests limits to their strength.
• The cost of knowledge: Lei withheld information about the force behind the disappearances because Simons was not strong enough to handle it.
• Preparation through learning: Qin Ran’s discovery of an accessible astrology primer fills a gap in his knowledge and supports his continued self-improvement.
• Reputation versus reality: Newspaper headlines turn Qin Ran into a notorious figure, while he treats the attention with humor and irritation.

Plot points and events

• Trelask, a boastful Spirit Channeling, provokes Qin Ran and claims Qin should become his assistant. Qin recognizes that the armed, hostile “police officers” behind him are actually members of the Mystery Side and suspects a setup.
• Qin kills Trelask with a single kick, overpowering the magic item that was supposed to protect him. He then draws [Words of Arrogance] and slaughters the disguised Mystery Side attackers.
• Shiqi realizes Qin has walked into a trap and starts toward him, but Qin orders him off the beach. Shiqi obeys just before enormous black tentacles burst from the sand and negative-energy mist engulfs the area.
• Human figures emerge among the tentacles. Shiqi recognizes one and cries out, “Rock!”

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran responds decisively to the ambush, showing overwhelming strength and a cautious understanding that the attackers are likely only pawns. He prioritizes eliminating threats and protecting Shiqi, warning him away before the next danger appears.
• Shiqi recognizes that something is wrong and trusts Qin’s command without hesitation. His recognition of Rock signals a personal or significant connection to the newcomers.
• Trelask is revealed as a deliberately chosen provocateur whose confidence rests on a defensive magic item; his arrogance ends abruptly when Qin kills him.

Significant themes

• The danger of underestimating Qin: Trelask’s protection and the attackers’ apparent confidence prove inadequate against Qin’s power.
• Caution amid hidden threats: The first attackers are not the real masterminds, and Qin’s suspicion helps avert a worse danger.
• Trust and protection: Shiqi’s immediate obedience to Qin’s warning may save him as the beach’s next threat emerges.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Ran discovers Rock and numerous Gode Sanatorium staff and patients arranged in groups, their bodies draining into black tentacles. Rock alone sustains one tentacle, apparently because of his spellcasting talent.
• Qin Ran realizes the figure behind the sanatorium’s evil-spirit experiments is still targeting the Sunshine Mary. With the explosives plan disrupted, the attacker appears to be using the corpses on Golden Beach instead.
• Before Qin Ran can stop the blood flowing toward the ship, the tentacles explode into a vast black cage that engulfs the beach and Qin Ran. Shiqi fires at it and tries medicinal powder, but neither works; the cage then swallows him.
• Inside the darkness, Qin Ran finds himself slowed and disoriented. [Holy Water VIII] briefly eases the heavy, mudlike sensation but does not dispel the darkness, suggesting the phenomenon is not simply an evil spirit.
• By marking his footprint and tracking it, Qin Ran realizes he has been walking in circles. He identifies the trap as Hess’s Labyrinth, a disorienting barrier he once read about, and knows he must use the method described in the book to escape.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran stays analytical under pressure, testing his weapons and supplies, then reasoning his way toward identifying the barrier rather than panicking.
• Shiqi tries to help Qin Ran from outside by shooting the cage and using a specialized powder. His intervention provokes the barrier, which swallows him.
• Rock’s unusual role—sustaining a tentacle alone—reinforces the significance of his spellcasting talent.

Significant themes

• Reason versus disorientation: Qin Ran’s calm observation and memory are his best tools against a threat that distorts perception.
• Adaptation and hidden plans: The attacker shifts tactics after the explosives plot is disrupted, revealing continued determination to seize the Sunshine Mary.
• The limits of familiar defenses: Holy water and other previously effective tools offer little help when the threat is not what Qin Ran first assumes.

Plot points and events

• Qin Ran realizes he can use the maze’s immense height as a reference point. He leaps upward, escapes the darkness, and is suddenly pulled onto the Sunshine Mary, whose defensive barrier has disappeared.
• On the ship’s second deck, Shiqi faces a swarm of more than a hundred mutated, venomous spiders. With only one magazine left, he uses flammable liquid to create a wall of fire, then retreats toward the captain’s cabin on the third deck.
• Qin Ran decides the captain’s cabin is the best place to search for the ship’s logbook, valuables, and possible clues for his side quest. Rather than take the stairs, he uses the Deceiver’s Key to climb between decks.
• Qin Ran finds dead spiders, scorch marks, and Shiqi’s tracks, concluding that Shiqi fought the swarm and came aboard to rescue him. Just as Qin Ran turns to follow, a bloodied Shiqi crawls out of the cabins and calls for help.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran shows resourcefulness in escaping the maze and quickly adapting his search plan. Though annoyed that Shiqi risked himself, he abandons his own route to help him.
• Shiqi stays composed under pressure, conserving ammunition and using fire strategically. His decision to come to the ship reflects his loyalty and concern for Qin Ran.
• Their relationship is marked by reciprocal concern: Shiqi has risked his life to save Qin Ran, and Qin Ran now responds by going to his aid.

Significant themes

• Resourcefulness and survival: Both men assess danger and use the tools at hand rather than rely on brute force.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Shiqi’s rescue attempt, and Qin Ran’s choice to help him, show that their bond outweighs their individual objectives.
• Escalating danger and mystery: The mutated spiders and the vanished barrier suggest the Sunshine Mary has become an increasingly hostile, potentially supernatural lair.

Key events

• Qin Ran finds “Shiqi” badly wounded among the dead spiders, but recognizes the man as an impostor and kills him. The corpse changes back into an unfamiliar sanatorium patient, confirming that the enemy is using patients as disguises or vessels.
• Realizing the spider swarm is only a distraction from a more dangerous threat aboard the Sunshine Mary, Qin Ran hurries deeper into the ship.
• The real Shiqi is trapped on the second deck by a blocked stairway and a pursuing swarm. He uses Boyle’s accelerant and burning furniture to form a temporary ring of fire, then waits for help.
• Qin Ran arrives and drives the spiders back with torches. He urges Shiqi to flee, claiming he abandoned his backpack and sword after encountering a terrifying monster.
• Shiqi spots inconsistencies in Qin Ran’s story and shoots the apparent rescuer. The figure is another impostor, disguised as Qin Ran; the real Qin Ran remains elsewhere.
• In the captain’s cabin, a robed man mourns the loss of his “culture dishes” and vows revenge on the “Deathbird.” A huge creature’s tentacles tear through the cabin as the man begins drawing a magic circle.
• A powerful rumble spreads through the ship. Qin Ran resists its intimidation effect, while Shiqi collapses in confusion and the spiders turn toward the third deck. Tentacles crush the spiders, but then a dark red sword pierces up through the deck. The robed man realizes Qin Ran is attacking and orders his forces to stop him.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ran is decisive and suspicious: he recognizes the first disguise, understands the spiders are a diversion, and resists the monster’s supernatural intimidation. He pursues the threat even as the ship’s dangers escalate.
• Shiqi shows resourcefulness by building a fire barrier, and good judgment by noticing that “Qin Ran” lacks his signature sword and has no injuries despite claiming to have fled a monster. He acts on that suspicion and shoots the impostor.
• The robed man is revealed as the mastermind behind the patients and evil-spirit “hosts.” His frustration at setbacks gives way to confidence when his ritual and the tentacled creature appear to be working—until Qin Ran intervenes.
• The chapter repeatedly places Qin Ran and Shiqi in encounters with false identities, emphasizing how their familiarity with each other can expose deception.

Significant themes

• Deception and mistrust: Both men are targeted by impostors, and survival depends on noticing inconsistencies.
• Resourcefulness under pressure: Shiqi improvises a defense from furniture and accelerant; Qin Ran makes fast decisions amid uncertainty.
• Escalating supernatural danger: The spiders and possessed patients are only part of a larger threat, culminating in the tentacled monster and the robed man’s ritual.
• Loyalty and rescue: Qin Ran risks moving deeper into danger because he knows Shiqi is unlikely to survive the encounter alone.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter was intended to be completed and posted before noon, but it was delayed due to the author's friend visiting.
• The chapter will now be posted in the afternoon instead.

Character Developments

• No significant character developments occur in this chapter as it primarily serves as an announcement for the delay.

Significant Themes

• Punctuality and scheduling
• Unexpected interruptions and changes in plans

Character Interactions

• The author interacts with their friend, leading to the delay in posting the chapter.
• The author communicates with the readers, apologizing for the delay and announcing the new posting time.