Chapter Summaries

Gan Ming met freelance hunter He Yuan in an elevator, learned that He Yuan respected him for awakening through the Awakener Center, and retreated to his hotel room to wash after a day in the Fallen Zone. The chapter ended with Gan Ming lying in bed and thinking about what to do tomorrow.

• He Yuan apologized for the two women’s behavior and offered Gan Ming one of them, but Gan Ming declined and said he wanted to sleep.
• He Yuan learned that Gan Ming had awakened through the Awakener Center, praised him, introduced himself, and gave him a business card.
• Gan Ming wondered why He Yuan had shown genuine respect when he heard about the Awakener Center.
• Gan Ming entered room 403, discarded his filthy clothes, and took a long hot shower.
• Gan Ming lay down on the bed and began thinking about the next day.

After surviving his Awakening and gaining fifteen levels, Gan Ming settled into a hotel room and found himself with money, Storage Rings, and a hunger from his enhanced body. Zhou Sheng delivered carefully chosen clothes and returned every bit of the money, leaving Gan Ming to reflect on the Old Zhou who had sheltered him before he began inventorying his rings.

• Beneath the overpass, the skinny man learned that Gan Ming had gone to the Awakening Center and would not return whether he succeeded or failed.
• Gan Ming received dinner and clothes in his hotel room, then ate three meals to ease the intense hunger caused by his physical enhancements.
• Gan Ming found Zhou Sheng's receipt, the remaining money, clothes, shoes, and a note promising to exchange the shoes if they did not fit.
• Gan Ming remembered how Old Zhou had shared his quilt with him beneath the bridge two years earlier.
• Gan Ming put the notes and money into a Storage Ring, then began inspecting all ten rings.

Gan Ming prepared for the next day and fell asleep, while Iron Arc Guild President Lu Guangshan learned that his daughter Xiao Tong and her team had vanished in the Ruins Zone. Convinced they had been killed by another person, he asked Security Bureau Director Fang Hongda for the day's entry records so he could investigate everyone who entered.

• Gan Ming sorted his rings, planned to visit the association and enter Tunnel Zone No. 7, then fell asleep from exhaustion.
• Lu Guangshan berated six Iron Arc Guild members after they failed to find Xiao Tong and her three teammates in the Ruins Zone.
• Lu Guangshan ordered the six members to search the Ruins Zone through the night for Xiao Tong.
• Lu Guangshan called Fang Hongda and asked him to send Security personnel to help search for the missing team.
• Lu Guangshan asked Fang Hongda for the day's Ruins Zone entry records, saying he wanted to identify who had killed Xiao Tong.

Lu Guangshan arranged to obtain the Ruins Zone’s entry and exit records so he could investigate who killed Xiao Tong. After spending a peaceful night in the Upper District, Gan Ming set out for the Association to buy armor, while Zhou Sheng waited for him and drove him there.

• Lu Guangshan agreed with Fang Hongda to investigate leads discreetly and vowed to find an answer for Xiao Tong.
• Gan Ming planned to buy armor with hidden compartments and decided to sell the dead guild members’ marked equipment slowly to avoid suspicion.
• Gan Ming checked out of Travel Peace Residence, paid the bill without concern, and met Zhou Sheng waiting in a taxi.
• Zhou Sheng drove Gan Ming toward the Association, and Gan Ming asked what level of Awakened usually used the private trade associations.

Gan Ming learned about the dangers and customs of Awakened life while riding with Zhou Sheng, then heard that the Iron Arc Guild and Security Bureau had mobilized to search the Ruins Zone. He suspected they were looking for Xiao Tong and feared she was connected to someone powerful in the guild.

• Zhou Sheng warned Gan Ming that private merchant associations could be dangerous, recounting how an Awakened who tried to sell goods there had vanished.
• Zhou Sheng shared stories about Awakened showing off their equipment and a woman whose teammates had cheated her out of her share, while Gan Ming considered the community's customs.
• A radio report said the Ruins Zone had been cleared and sealed after dozens of Iron Arc Guild members and more than ten Security Bureau vehicles entered overnight.
• Gan Ming suspected the operation was aimed at finding the masked crossbow user Xiao Tong, not merely her four Level 16 or 17 teammates.
• Gan Ming considered that Xiao Tong might be connected to a powerful Iron Arc Guild figure and realized his actions could have made him a target.

Gan Ming cautiously sold eight Rustclaw Hound corpses at the Awakened Association after the Ruins Zone was sealed, while concealing his larger stock of monster materials. The unexpectedly high price made him suspect that someone was using the price increase to identify Awakened who had hunted in the zone, and he left with relief that his small sale would attract less attention.

• Gan Ming reminded Zhou Sheng that the Awakened Association might be shady but was safe, then entered the building while Zhou Sheng waited in the car.
• Gan Ming went to the materials recycling counter and chose to sell only eight Rustclaw Hound corpses, keeping his other monster remains hidden in his Storage Ring.
• The staff member offered Gan Ming ten Contribution Points per Hound, explaining that prices had risen after the Ruins Zone was cleansed and supplies became scarce.
• Gan Ming suspected the sharp price increase was meant to identify people who had hunted in the sealed Ruins Zone and draw them into an investigation.
• Gan Ming confirmed the sale of eight Hounds and felt relieved that the amount seemed plausible for an independent Awakened.

Gan Ming spent his Contribution Points on better armor and an Awakened communication phone, then prepared to enter Tunnel Zone No. 7. He recognized that Zhou Sheng could not provide the information he needed and considered contacting He Yuan to gain an insider connection.

• Gan Ming recycled his damaged standard-issue armor for eighty dollars and bought excellent Chain Leather Armor and Chain Legguards with hidden compartments.
• Gan Ming concealed ten Storage Rings in his new chest armor and bought an Awakened communication phone, saving He Yuan and Zhou Sheng’s numbers.
• Gan Ming checked the exploration guide and saw that Tunnel Zone No. 7 would open at eight, while the South District Old Industrial Park’s invasion progress had fallen to 23%.
• Gan Ming got into Zhou Sheng’s taxi and headed for Tunnel Zone No. 7.
• Gan Ming weighed whether to contact He Yuan, concluding that he needed an insider to improve his information about guilds and the Awakened world.

Gan Ming traveled to the outskirts of Tunnel Zone Seven and configured his nine active skills for stealthy melee combat and survival. After strengthening his defenses, he prepared to enter the Fallen Zone.

• Gan Ming exchanged messages with He Yuan, who invited him to meet and offered to treat him when he was free.
• Zhou Sheng drove Gan Ming to the outskirts of Tunnel Zone Seven, where Gan Ming paid him and continued toward the sentry post on foot.
• Gan Ming selected Fanged Charge, Bark Armor, Beast Scent, Dual-Wield Mastery, Double Blades, Lock-On, Shadowmeld, Shadowstep, and Hard Shell for his nine skill slots.
• Gan Ming activated Bark Armor, raised his defense to 108, and prepared to begin fighting.

Gan Ming entered Tunnel Zone Seven and tested how well his [Shadowmeld +7] concealed him from other Awakened. He remained hidden near the entrance, but noticed that three Tier-2 security personnel were looking toward him.

• Gan Ming arrived at Tunnel Zone Seven with only chainmail armor, greaves, and a sword, drawing curious and dismissive looks from the waiting Awakened.
• A skinny Awakened warned Gan Ming about entering the tunnel alone and invited him to join his team, but Gan Ming declined.
• After passing the identity scan and entering the slope, Gan Ming used Shadowmeld to vanish from sight, and the skinny man mistook him for an assassin.
• Gan Ming revealed that he had stayed beside the entrance wall and tested Shadowmeld as Awakened passed without noticing him.
• Gan Ming observed that three Tier-2 security personnel were looking in his direction.

Gan Ming tested the detection range of Shadowmeld, then used his dual swords to kill three Dark-Hole Spiders and Soul Snatch their skills. As he stored the corpses, he sensed two Awakened approaching from the main tunnel.

• Gan Ming retreated until the security officers stopped sensing an abnormal energy fluctuation, establishing a safe distance of about thirty-five meters for Shadowmeld.
• Gan Ming replaced his sword with two short swords and followed a monster’s scent into a side passage.
• Gan Ming used Shadowstep and his dual swords to kill three level 14 Dark-Hole Spiders in under six seconds.
• Gan Ming Soul Snatched the spiders, acquiring several skills but failing to obtain all four skills from any one spider.
• Gan Ming stored the spider corpses and sensed two Awakened approaching from the main tunnel.