Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Capturing the City”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong leads the Ace Elite Zombies into Linshan City, overwhelming the human Awakened forces almost immediately.
• Zombies slaughter survivors throughout the ruined city, while the remaining humans hide in buildings rather than continue resisting.
• Lin Dong’s Crows spread across the city, searching for hidden survivors and directing zombies toward anyone they detect. They function as an organized surveillance and killing force.
• Ji An, his surviving teammates, and several Tech Company Awakened hide in a high-rise, terrified and exhausted. They mourn fallen teammates, including Rampaging Bear and Lisa.
• Ji An learns that Captain Han, who had commanded the battle, disappeared early—apparently abandoning the others.
• A Crow eventually discovers the group by looking through a crack in the wall. The building is surrounded by more Crows and Elite Zombies.
• Ji An orders everyone to escape through another window. One injured Awakened is killed when a Crow pierces his temple, while the others leap from the building.
• Their escape leads directly into a trap: they land beside Lin Dong and his Ace Elite Zombies.
• With no strength left and nowhere to run, Ji An and the survivors realize they are doomed. Lin Dong prepares to execute them.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong demonstrates his growing dominance and strategic control. He personally commands the city assault and uses the Crows as scouts to locate survivors.
• Ji An remains a capable leader under extreme pressure, comforting his teammates and organizing their escape despite being severely weakened. However, he is ultimately overwhelmed and regrets accepting the bounty mission.
• Ji An’s female teammate shifts from frightened hope to complete despair after witnessing her companions’ deaths and realizing that escape is impossible.
• Captain Han is revealed as unreliable and self-serving, having abandoned the group long before they were captured.
• The Crows are portrayed as intelligent, coordinated predators rather than ordinary monsters, actively tracking humans and guiding zombies toward them.

Significant Themes

• The hopelessness of survival: The survivors’ hiding places only delay their deaths, emphasizing how thoroughly the city has fallen.
• Predator and prey: Lin Dong’s forces use coordination, surveillance, and psychological pressure to hunt the humans.
• Betrayal and abandonment: Captain Han’s disappearance contrasts with Ji An’s efforts to protect his remaining teammates.
• Regret and consequences: Ji An realizes too late that accepting the mission and entering Linshan City led directly to his team’s destruction.
• The reversal of power: The human Awakened, once powerful enough to hunt zombies, become helpless prey before Lin Dong’s organized army.

Character Interactions

• Ji An tries to encourage his grieving teammate, insisting that they must not abandon hope.
• The survivors silently cooperate while hiding, but fear prevents them from doing more than wait.
• Ji An and the Tech Company Awakened discuss Captain Han’s disappearance, exposing his abandonment of the group.
• Ji An leads the escape attempt, but the group’s desperate flight separates them briefly and results in one member’s death.
• Upon landing beside Lin Dong, the survivors recognize that they have escaped one trap only to enter a more dangerous one.
• Lin Dong taunts them about their failed decision to come to Linshan City and prepares to kill them, ending the chapter on their imminent execution.

Chapter Summary: “One Strike, One Kill”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Han Jingchuan returns to Tech Company in Linshan City after witnessing an overwhelming zombie invasion. He warns Liu Baiyue and the executives that the city can no longer be defended.
• The group abandons plans to escape by aircraft because the sky is filled with Mutant Crows. Instead, they use the company’s secret underground passage, which leads toward North Mountain and ultimately toward Tech Company in Jiangbei City.
• Before fleeing, Liu Baiyue activates the company’s self-destruct sequence. The building is destroyed in a massive explosion, both eliminating the company she built and concealing the underground escape route.
• Lin Dong sees the company collapse but chooses not to pursue Liu Baiyue. He orders his forces to return and focus on defeating Black Nightmare.
• The battle around the city intensifies. Lin Dong’s Ace Elites and Zombie Kings rejoin the main battlefield, while Black Nightmare struggles against Sun Xiaoqiang and Cheng Luoyi.
• Scissorhands battles Chen Muyan. Chen avoids direct confrontation and deliberately prolongs the fight until nightfall.
• Once night arrives, Chen Muyan’s abilities increase dramatically. Using his Lightning Blade, he launches a single overwhelming attack and decapitates Scissorhands instantly.

Character Developments

• Liu Baiyue: Her pride and reluctance to seek help give way to survival instinct. Destroying her own company causes deep emotional pain, but she resolves to survive and rebuild someday.
• Han Jingchuan: Demonstrates caution and strategic thinking by rejecting the dangerous rooftop escape and proposing the underground route.
• Lin Dong: Remains focused and pragmatic, ignoring Liu Baiyue’s escape and prioritizing the more immediate threat posed by Black Nightmare.
• Chen Muyan: Reveals patience, tactical discipline, and a powerful transformation linked to nighttime. His combat abilities triple after sunset, allowing him to kill Scissorhands with one precise strike.
• Scissorhands: Though powerful and aggressive, he misreads Chen Muyan’s defensive behavior as weakness and fails to recognize that Chen is waiting for the ideal moment to attack.
• Black Nightmare: Continues fighting despite being pressured by multiple powerful opponents, but his position is increasingly unstable.

Significant Themes

• Survival over pride: Liu Baiyue must choose between preserving her dignity and escaping with her life; she ultimately accepts the humiliation of seeking refuge elsewhere.
• Destruction and rebirth: The company’s destruction represents the loss of Liu Baiyue’s past, but her determination to rise again suggests the possibility of rebuilding.
• Strategy versus brute force: Chen Muyan defeats the more savage Scissorhands through patience, timing, and exploiting his nighttime advantage rather than meeting him head-on.
• The escalating apocalypse: The spread of zombies, Mutant Crows, collapsing defenses, and competing Zombie Kings demonstrate the rapidly worsening scale of the crisis.
• Preparation and adaptability: Survival depends on foresight, hidden escape plans, timing, and adapting to changing battlefield conditions.

Important Character Interactions

• Han Jingchuan persuades Liu Baiyue and the executives to abandon the rooftop escape and use the underground passage.
• Liu Baiyue accepts Han Jingchuan’s plan despite her embarrassment at needing refuge from Jiangbei Tech Company.
• Lin Dong’s forces regroup after the destruction of Tech Company and redirect their attention toward Black Nightmare.
• Sun Xiaoqiang and Cheng Luoyi cooperate against Black Nightmare, while surrounding Elite Zombies help keep the battle balanced.
• Chen Muyan and Scissorhands engage in a tense battle of contrasting styles: Scissorhands seeks direct, brutal combat, while Chen retreats and waits.
• At nightfall, Chen reveals his true strength and kills Scissorhands in a single decisive blow.

Chapter Summary: The Final Obsession

Key Plot Points and Events

• Scissorhands, Black Nightmare’s strongest general, is decisively defeated, demonstrating the overwhelming power of Lin Dong’s forces.
• Black Nightmare attacks Cheng Luoyi with psychic power, paralyzing her and severely injuring her neck. However, her Deadly Pain ability activates at a Pain Value of 67%, greatly enhancing her physical abilities.
• Cheng Luoyi retaliates by severing Black Nightmare’s hand and deeply cutting open his chest. Sun Xiaoqiang then strikes Black Nightmare from behind, causing catastrophic injuries and leaving him near death.
• Lin Dong returns from Linshan City with seven Zombie Kings, the Ace Elite, Bio-Monsters, and over twenty thousand ordinary elites. His arrival confirms Black Nightmare’s defeat and the collapse of his entire army.
• Despite his injuries, Black Nightmare forces himself to stand and launches one final attack—not because he expects to win, but because he wants to challenge the powerful overlord he has always admired.
• Lin Dong acknowledges Black Nightmare as a worthy opponent and kills him with a swift blade strike to the neck, granting him a dignified final death.
• The battle concludes with Lin Dong’s forces victorious. His achievements include destroying the Tongchang City zombie tide and capturing the Linshan City Tech Company.
• During the battlefield cleanup, Flared Ears, Shrimp Chaser, and Locomotive discuss their own victories and territories. Shrimp Chaser examines Scissorhands’ bone blade, bites it, and humorously confirms that Scissorhands was “not a shrimp.”

Character Developments

• Black Nightmare experiences a final transformation from arrogant challenger to defeated but dignified warrior. Even after losing everything, he remains determined to face Lin Dong directly, fulfilling his lifelong obsession.
• Lin Dong is established as a true overlord. His massive army, calm authority, and willingness to recognize Black Nightmare’s courage reinforce his dominance.
• Cheng Luoyi displays her frightening resilience and battle-crazed nature. Rather than being intimidated by Black Nightmare’s attack, she becomes excited by the pain and uses it to enhance her strength.
• Sun Xiaoqiang continues to serve as a powerful and practical ally, delivering the blow that destroys Black Nightmare’s remaining resistance while also showing concern for Cheng Luoyi.
• Flared Ears, Shrimp Chaser, and Locomotive gain confidence from their contributions to the battle and begin thinking about controlling or revisiting their respective territories.

Significant Themes

• Obsession and acceptance: Black Nightmare’s desire to surpass Lin Dong ends not in victory, but in finally acknowledging Lin Dong as the opponent he had sought.
• Dignity in defeat: Lin Dong’s final strike respects Black Nightmare’s last charge, allowing him to die as a warrior rather than simply be abandoned to his injuries.
• The emergence of a supreme overlord: The scale of Lin Dong’s army and victory marks his rise to undisputed dominance.
• Pain as power: Cheng Luoyi’s ability to convert suffering into strength highlights the chapter’s recurring association between endurance, madness, and combat ability.
• Battle as grotesque routine: The zombies’ casual postwar cleanup and humorous search for cores contrast with the immense bloodshed, emphasizing their inhuman perspective.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Luoyi mocks Black Nightmare’s strength even while he is attacking her, provoking him further and revealing her fearless personality.
• Sun Xiaoqiang chastises Cheng Luoyi for taunting a dying enemy, though Black Nightmare recognizes that Sun himself was responsible for much of his condition.
• Lin Dong and Black Nightmare share a silent acknowledgment before their final clash. Lin Dong’s statement that he now recognizes Black Nightmare as an opponent gives emotional meaning to the execution.
• Flared Ears, Shrimp Chaser, and Locomotive celebrate their teamwork and discuss claiming or revisiting territories after the battle.
• Shrimp Chaser’s attempt to bite Scissorhands’ bone blade ends the chapter with comic relief, resolving his long-standing suspicion that Scissorhands might somehow have been a shrimp.

Here is a concise summary of the chapter:

Key Plot Points

• Liu Baiyue and her executives flee to Ye Jian's company after the Linshan City branch is overrun by zombies.
• Liu Baiyue reports that three zombie factions (about 100,000 zombies) attacked, and their hired expert Mr. Ji An was killed. The Jiangbei City Zombie King is now stronger.
• Ye Jian mocks the situation but listens. Liu Baiyue calls the regional chief executive Wang Rong to report the loss.
• Wang Rong convenes an emergency virtual meeting of all branch directors to analyze the incident.
• Wang Rong, noting that Ye Jian's company survived while Linshan fell, believes Ye Jian's claims of desperate struggle. He promotes Ye Jian to provincial chief executive, granting priority resources and cooperation.

Character Developments

• Ye Jian: Remains unflappable and sarcastic. He toys with Liu Baiyue and deflects suspicion by claiming his survival is due to hard struggle. He easily accepts the promotion, though it surprises him.
• Liu Baiyue: Humbled and defeated, loses her businesswoman confidence, acts like a "frostbitten eggplant." She accepts blame but is exonerated.
• Wang Rong: Serious and analytical, feels guilt for neglecting Ye Jian, and rewards him with a high promotion.

Significant Themes

• Irony and mockery vs. genuine crisis: Ye Jian’s indifference contrasts with the severity of the zombie threat.
• Organizational hierarchy and blame dynamics in the apocalypse.
• Survival through deception and perception: Ye Jian's success is misinterpreted as competence.

Character Interactions

• Ye Jian and Liu Baiyue: Banter with Ye Jian teasing her about her repeated failures; she is frustrated but submissive.
• Ye Jian and Wang Rong: Wang Rong questions Ye Jian’s safety, leading to Ye Jian’s sarcastic explanation and subsequent promotion.
• Meeting dynamics: Other directors analyze the incident, but Wang Rong ultimately redirects attention to Ye Jian.

Chapter Summary: “Sway Together”

Plot Points and Events

• Ye Jian learns that Wang Rong intends to promote him after he successfully held his own against the Jiangbei City Zombie King. The promotion will grant him greater authority and access to more resources.
• Liu Baiyue is stunned by Ye Jian’s promotion. Wang Rong orders her to become Ye Jian’s assistant and learn from him, while dismissing her previous leadership failure during the breach of Linshan City.
• After the meeting, Ye Jian happily teases Liu Baiyue about her demotion. Though humiliated, she resolves to find an opportunity to reclaim her status and prove herself.
• Outside Linshan City, Lin Dong prepares to part from Cheng Luoyi and the shelter survivors. Cheng reveals that her group plans to move supplies from Tongchang City, though she disguises their true intentions as merely “passing by.”
• Cheng confronts Lin Dong about the Face Spiders released near North Mountain. Lin Dong admits responsibility but casually warns them that he also transported ants there, alarming the shelter humans.
• The zombie forces finish consuming the battlefield and return to Jiangbei City. Flared Ears considers visiting Tongchang City but postpones the trip after learning that humans are already looting supplies there.
• Back home, Lin Dong absorbs the high-level Crystal Cores collected during the battle, including Ji An’s S-Plus Mental-Type core and Black Nightmare’s S-rank core. He senses that his Zombie King Domain is beginning to change, suggesting an imminent breakthrough.
• Lin Dong is now the undisputed ruler of the region surrounding Jiangbei City. His forces have grown from 60,000 to 90,000 zombies, including 30,000 elites.
• Rather than pursue further expansion, Lin Dong plans to remain at home and focus on evolution. Meanwhile, his followers celebrate their victory with a massive zombie party led by Qin Yin, who performs guitar music while the zombies dance and sway.

Character Development

• Ye Jian: Gains confidence and excitement from his unexpected promotion. He embraces his new authority and immediately begins teasing Liu Baiyue.
• Liu Baiyue: Suffers a sharp reversal in status, going from leader to assistant. Although resentful and embarrassed, she remains ambitious and begins planning a comeback.
• Wang Rong: Demonstrates a pragmatic leadership style, prioritizing ability and results over personal rivalries. He recognizes Ye Jian’s combat potential and assigns Liu Baiyue to support him.
• Lin Dong: Consolidates his dominance over the entire region and continues evolving through Crystal Core absorption. His growing mental power is affecting his Zombie King Domain, though he does not yet understand the changes.
• Cheng Luoyi: Remains resourceful and strategic, using the postwar situation to pursue supplies. She also begins holding Lin Dong accountable for the dangers he has introduced.
• Flared Ears: Retains his timid, easygoing personality despite his elevated position as the overlord of Tongchang City.
• Qin Yin: Acts as the center of the zombies’ victory celebration, transforming the battlefield’s aftermath into a lively concert.

Significant Themes

• Power and reversal of status: Ye Jian rises while Liu Baiyue falls, showing how quickly authority can change in the post-apocalyptic hierarchy.
• Merit versus personal grudges: Wang Rong insists that ability and battlefield performance matter more than interpersonal conflicts.
• Consolidation of power: Lin Dong’s influence expands beyond Jiangbei City, turning surrounding cities and regions into his territory.
• Evolution and uncertainty: Lin Dong’s development has surpassed existing references, emphasizing both his exceptional growth and the uncertainty of his future transformation.
• Absurdity and celebration amid apocalypse: Despite the destruction and danger surrounding them, the zombies celebrate through music, dancing, and camaraderie, giving the chapter a humorous and lighthearted tone.

Character Interactions

• Wang Rong promotes Ye Jian and instructs Liu Baiyue to assist him, creating a new and uncomfortable power dynamic between the two former rivals.
• Ye Jian taunts Liu Baiyue about her demotion, while she suppresses her anger and silently plans to regain her standing.
• Cheng Luoyi questions Lin Dong about the Face Spiders, and Lin Dong casually reveals an even greater threat in the form of transported ants.
• Flared Ears and Shrimp Chaser discuss the human looting of Tongchang City, highlighting Flared Ears’s comically cautious nature.
• Qin Yin performs for Lin Dong’s zombie followers, while the Zombie Kings and countless zombies dance below in celebration of their victory.

Summary: Coronation Ceremony

Key Plot Points

• Lin Dong remains holed up at home, bored, while his zombie underlings grow more expressive and even dance in the Corpse Nest.
• He passes time absorbing Crystal Cores and browsing the internet; the shelter’s official site is mostly silent, and Tech Company has completely stopped posting (no survivors left to attract).
• Three zombie characters—Flared Ears, Shrimp Chaser, and Locomotive—decide to explore Tongchang City, a nearby abandoned city previously cleared by Lin Dong.
• Flared Ears uses his danger-sensing ability (listening to the ground) to lead them safely. They find the city desolate, with only weak zombies and giant rats.
• Growing overconfident, Flared Ears declares himself "the overlord of Tongchang City" after no threats appear.
• Suddenly, a "meteor" appears in the sky. The three zombies initially joke about it, then realize it’s a meteorite crashing directly toward them.
• They flee, but the meteorite impacts with a massive explosion, hurling Flared Ears forward. He ends up sprawled on the ground, wondering if this is what "three seconds per hundred meters" feels like.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong: Demonstrates a passive, sedentary survival style—content to stay home and avoid the apocalypse entirely.
• Flared Ears: Overconfident and boastful; his "coronation" is immediately undercut by cosmic irony. Shows comic cowardice when danger arrives.
• Shrimp Chaser & Locomotive: Serve as comedic sidekicks, flattering Flared Ears and being slightly more perceptive about the falling meteorite. They run faster than their leader.

Significant Themes

• Comic Relief in the Apocalypse: The chapter leans into absurd humor—zombies dancing, a fake "coronation," and a meteorite crashing in mid-celebration.
• The Illusion of Safety: Even in "cleared" territory, unpredictable dangers (like a random meteorite) can still strike, mocking overconfidence.
• Boredom and Stasis: Lin Dong’s idle life contrasts with the chaotic outside world, emphasizing that staying alive can be monotonous.

Character Interactions

• The three zombies banter and flatter each other, showcasing their growing intelligence and social bonds.
• They treat the city exploration like a fun adventure, reinforcing that these zombies are more comedic than menacing.
• Lin Dong has no direct interaction in this chapter—he’s entirely absent from the main zombie plotline, underscoring his isolation.

Chapter Summary: “Heavenly Brick”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Flared Ears, Shrimp Chaser, and Locomotive survive a powerful shockwave after an object crashes into Tongchang City.
• They investigate the impact site and discover a deep crater containing a strange, rectangular black stone tablet rather than an ordinary meteorite.
• The tablet has jagged edges, two perfectly shaped holes, and unnatural engraved patterns resembling runes, suggesting it was carved or constructed.
• Flared Ears humorously declares it a “brick from beyond the heavens,” while the others decide to bring it back to Lin Dong for examination.
• The tablet proves extraordinarily heavy. The three zombies struggle to pull it free, and Flared Ears conveniently avoids carrying it by pretending his waist was injured.
• Transporting the tablet takes six or seven hours instead of the usual three, forcing the zombies to repeatedly stop and rest.
• At Jiangbei City, Tank helps carry the tablet to Lin Dong’s building. A large crowd of zombies gathers out of curiosity.
• Lin Dong appears before the horde, and the three explorers recount their encounter. He notices that the tablet’s two smooth holes may be designed to hold Crystal Stones, hinting at its possible purpose.

Character Developments

• Flared Ears remains fast and observant but is also shown to be comically evasive and self-serving. He exaggerates his speed and pretends to be injured to avoid carrying the tablet.
• Shrimp Chaser is initially cautious about investigating the crater but quickly becomes confident once Flared Ears assures him there is no living danger. He continues to admire Flared Ears and embraces the idea that the discovery may earn them merit.
• Locomotive contributes practical judgment, suggesting that the tablet be brought back to their boss.
• Tank demonstrates his immense strength as a Power-Type Zombie King, though even he is briefly surprised by the tablet’s weight.
• Lin Dong acts as the authoritative leader and begins analyzing the tablet carefully, immediately recognizing that its unusual holes may have a specific connection to Crystal Stones.

Significant Themes

• The unknown and extraterrestrial mystery: The tablet’s unusual material, markings, and apparent arrival from the sky introduce a potentially supernatural or cosmic element.
• Discovery and opportunity: The zombies view the mysterious object not only as a danger but also as a possible treasure that could earn them recognition.
• Comedic survival: The chapter contrasts catastrophic events with the zombies’ casual, humorous reactions and petty attempts to avoid hard work.
• Leadership and hierarchy: The zombie horde’s respect for Lin Dong is emphasized when thousands bow upon his arrival, reinforcing his dominance and authority.
• Hidden technology or power: The tablet’s construction and Crystal Stone-sized openings suggest it may be an artifact with an undiscovered function.

Character Interactions

• Flared Ears reassures Shrimp Chaser and Locomotive after the impact, presenting himself as unusually fast and capable.
• The three brothers cooperate to remove and transport the tablet, though Flared Ears manipulates the others into doing most of the labor.
• Tank joins them at the city outskirts and takes responsibility for carrying the tablet.
• The gathered zombies show collective curiosity and follow the group to Lin Dong.
• Lin Dong questions Flared Ears about the danger they encountered, then listens as the three zombies enthusiastically explain their discovery.
• The chapter ends with Lin Dong realizing that the tablet’s holes may fit Crystal Stones, setting up an investigation into its origin and purpose.

Chapter Summary: “Star Map Slate”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong tests the mysterious slate with three Crystal Stones. Two stones glow, float into the slate’s openings, and activate it.
• The activated slate emits rosy light and a powerful force field. It remains suspended in the air and accelerates the zombies’ cellular activity and evolution.
• Lin Dong discovers that the slate is extremely heavy but can wield it effortlessly. When he swings it, the force releases enough power to destroy a nearby high-rise.
• He names the artifact the Star Map Slate, recognizing that its patterns resemble a sky filled with stars.
• Lin Dong rewards Flared Ears and two other zombies for finding the slate, then dismisses the Zombie Tide.
• The three zombies begin roaming the territory in search of more meteorites and treasures, even chasing shooting stars.
• Lin Dong studies the slate and concludes that it is incomplete: it has only two slots despite his three Crystal Stones, and two of its sides appear broken.
• He realizes that whatever shattered the slate must have been extraordinarily powerful, motivating him to continue evolving in case he eventually encounters that being.
• After more than half a month, Lin Dong has nearly absorbed all the High-Level Crystal Cores from his previous battle and is approaching the next stage of advancement.
• Needing more high-level cores, he contacts Cheng Luoyi for information. She tells him that the Black Scorpion Organization has apparently established a city, introducing a possible new destination and threat.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong gains a powerful new artifact and demonstrates both physical strength and growing caution. He becomes increasingly focused on uncovering the Star Map’s origins and preparing for powerful future enemies.
• Flared Ears and the other two zombies become enthusiastic treasure hunters. Their desire to earn Lin Dong’s praise turns them into persistent explorers of the surrounding region.
• Cheng Luoyi continues to function as Lin Dong’s information source and ally, providing intelligence about distant opportunities and threats.
• The Black Scorpion Organization is reintroduced as a potentially significant faction after apparently disappearing from Lin Dong’s territory.

Significant Themes

• Mystery and cosmic origins: The Star Map’s alien material, energy, and missing fragments suggest a larger extraterrestrial mystery.
• Power and evolution: The artifact accelerates evolution, while Lin Dong continues absorbing cores and seeking further advancement.
• Preparation for future threats: Lin Dong refuses to become complacent, imagining the powerful entity that may have destroyed the slate.
• Treasure hunting and changing perceptions: Meteorites, once disasters, are now viewed by the zombies as opportunities for power and discovery.
• Loyalty and recognition: The zombies’ excitement over Lin Dong’s praise shows how strongly they value his approval and leadership.

Character Interactions

• Lin Dong tests the Star Map in front of the zombies, while Tank and Flared Ears react with astonishment.
• Tank humorously compares the mysterious slate to a “showerhead,” confusing Flared Ears.
• Lin Dong praises the three zombies for their discovery, strengthening their loyalty and enthusiasm.
• Lin Dong later contacts Cheng Luoyi about finding High-Level Crystal Cores, and she responds with information about the Black Scorpion Organization’s newly established city.

Chapter Summary: “City of Sin”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong learns that the Black Scorpion Organization has established Black Scorpion City in Hanjiang Province, roughly three thousand li away. The group cleared an entire city of zombies and turned it into a lawless stronghold.
• The organization has attracted more than ten thousand Awakened, along with refugees tempted by its supplies, food, women, and lack of restrictions. Lin Dong views the city as an enormous source of Crystal Cores and resources.
• Although the journey would take weeks on foot, Lin Dong reveals that he possesses advanced aircraft stolen from Tech Company, reducing the trip to roughly an hour.
• Lin Dong asks Cheng Luoyi to summon Yan Siyuan, whom he needs for the mission. Cheng, along with Sun Xiaoqiang, Chen Ming, and Yu Hang, decides to accompany him to search for supplies.
• Lin Dong introduces an aircraft, astonishing the group with its futuristic design and automated systems. Yan Siyuan pilots it toward Black Scorpion City.
• During the flight, the passengers enjoy the peaceful view above the clouds, briefly recalling the beauty of the pre-apocalypse world.
• Lin Dong worries that leaving the shelter might expose it to attack, but Cheng Luoyi reassures him that the shelter is protected by the “edgy teenager” and should remain safe as long as Lin Dong does not cause trouble.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong remains irreverent, opportunistic, and confident. He sees Black Scorpion City less as a threat than as a plentiful “buffet” of Crystal Cores and supplies. His possession of advanced aircraft also highlights his growing power and resources.
• Cheng Luoyi demonstrates loyalty and practical judgment. She jokingly offers to give Lin Dong one of her own Crystal Cores, showing her willingness to help him, while also teasing and challenging his attitude.
• Yan Siyuan serves as Lin Dong’s driver and pilot. His memories of Tech Company reveal a sense of relief and gratitude that he escaped before its people were overwhelmed by zombies.
• Sun Xiaoqiang continues to be characterized by his extreme appetite, becoming fascinated by the clouds because they resemble marshmallows.
• Chen Ming and Yu Hang react with awe to Lin Dong’s aircraft, emphasizing the technological gap between Lin Dong’s resources and those of ordinary survivors.
• Tank misunderstands Black Scorpion City as a restaurant, reinforcing his simple, food-focused personality.

Significant Themes

• Moral collapse after the apocalypse: Black Scorpion City represents the disappearance of social rules and the exploitation of human desires.
• Power and temptation: The Black Scorpion Organization grows by offering food, luxury, and freedom from restraint, showing how desperation and desire attract followers.
• Technology as power: Lin Dong’s aircraft gives him a decisive advantage, turning a journey of weeks into one of hours.
• Fortune emerging from disaster: Yan Siyuan reflects on how escaping Tech Company, once perhaps seen as a loss, ultimately saved his life.
• Comedic relief amid danger: Lin Dong’s sarcasm, Cheng Luoyi’s teasing, and Sun Xiaoqiang’s obsession with food lighten the otherwise grim post-apocalyptic setting.

Character Interactions

• Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi exchange sarcastic jokes about Crystal Cores being “sweet” and her speaking like a “big brother,” revealing their informal, antagonistic camaraderie.
• Lin Dong gives Tank a deliberately vague description of Black Scorpion City as a “restaurant,” while Tank takes the idea literally.
• Cheng Luoyi, Sun Xiaoqiang, Chen Ming, and Yu Hang join Lin Dong’s expedition to obtain supplies, particularly fruit such as apples.
• The group marvels at the aircraft, while Yan Siyuan operates it with familiarity.
• Cheng Luoyi subtly recalls Lin Dong’s violent history, noting the irony of his thanking Tech Company after having slaughtered everyone in their city.
• Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi briefly discuss the safety of their shelter, showing mutual awareness of the risks surrounding his activities.

Chapter Summary: “First Steps into Hanjiang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong and his group travel smoothly by aircraft into Hanjiang Province, avoiding danger by flying at high altitude.
• As they descend, they observe the devastation of the apocalypse: ruined cities, zombies, and flying mutated beasts.
• Rather than entering Black Scorpion City directly, Lin Dong chooses to scout its outskirts first, reflecting his cautious nature.
• The aircraft’s AI detects a group of thirty-six humans. They are revealed to be Black Scorpion Organization members returning from a raid, escorting kidnapped survivors and carrying stolen supplies.
• The captives include a badly injured young man and his girlfriend. The Black Scorpion members cruelly torture and threaten them, intending to use the captives as slaves, laborers, bargaining tools, or worse.
• When the captives call for help, Lin Dong’s futuristic aircraft arrives. The Black Scorpion members initially mistake him for someone from the Tech Company.
• Their comments reveal that Black Scorpion City cooperates with the Tech Company by supplying humans for experiments.
• Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi clarify that they are awakeners from a shelter, not Tech Company representatives. Cheng then bluntly points out that the “goods” mentioned by the Black Scorpion members are the kidnapped humans themselves.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong is established as careful and strategic. He avoids making a conspicuous approach to Black Scorpion City and instead looks for smaller groups to investigate or confront.
• He quickly recognizes the importance of the Black Scorpion–Tech Company connection, gaining valuable intelligence immediately upon arrival.
• Yan Siyuan functions efficiently as the pilot and follows Lin Dong’s instructions, using the aircraft’s AI to locate targets.
• Cheng Luoyi displays confidence and fearlessness by stepping forward openly and confronting the Black Scorpion group.
• The kidnapped couple and other captives are presented as helpless victims, emphasizing the brutality they have endured and their desperate need for rescue.
• The Black Scorpion members are portrayed as sadistic, ruthless, and accustomed to treating human beings as commodities.

Significant Themes

• Human exploitation in the apocalypse: Black Scorpion treats survivors as resources, slaves, and trade goods rather than people.
• Moral collapse and cruelty: The gang’s torture and threats demonstrate how lawlessness has enabled extreme brutality.
• Hope and intervention: The captives’ cries for help are answered by Lin Dong’s arrival, creating a sharp contrast between their despair and the possibility of rescue.
• Technology and power: The advanced aircraft and AI give Lin Dong’s group a major advantage and distinguish them from ordinary survivors.
• Strategic caution: Lin Dong’s decision to scout instead of attacking Black Scorpion City directly highlights the importance of intelligence and controlled action.

Character Interactions

• Lin Dong and Yan Siyuan cooperate smoothly, with Yan Siyuan understanding Lin Dong’s plan and carrying out the aerial scan.
• The Black Scorpion members torment the injured man and his girlfriend, mocking their suffering and threatening further abuse.
• Lin Dong’s arrival interrupts the gang and exposes the misunderstanding surrounding the Tech Company’s “deliveries.”
• Cheng Luoyi directly challenges the Black Scorpion leader, revealing that the captives are the human “goods” the gang intended to supply.

Chapter Summary: “Just Died Like That”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Scorpion Organization attempts to capture the group, viewing them as potential “merchandise,” particularly targeting Cheng Luoyi because of her beauty.
• When a burly member tries to seize Cheng Luoyi, she instantly kills him by decapitating him with her long blade.
• Cheng Luoyi continues attacking, piercing another man through the eye and then cutting down more than ten attackers in rapid succession. Electricity flickers across her blade as she demonstrates exceptional combat skill.
• The Black Scorpion members retreat in fear, though their leader decides to intervene personally. He is an A-Rank Speed Type awakened one and attacks Cheng Luoyi with an alloy dagger.
• Cheng Luoyi blocks his rapid strikes and wounds him badly across the chest, proving herself superior and leading him to suspect she may possess A-Plus-level strength.
• The boss attempts to bypass Cheng Luoyi and attack Lin Dong instead, hoping to use him or the others as hostages.
• Lin Dong effortlessly stops the boss with overwhelming pressure, freezing him in place. He then reaches into the man’s skull and removes his Crystal Core, killing him instantly.
• The remaining Black Scorpion members are stunned by how casually their leader dies, realizing they have badly underestimated the group.

Character Developments

• Cheng Luoyi is revealed to be a highly trained and ruthless fighter. Her precise, efficient swordsmanship and calm attitude show extensive experience killing both humans and zombies.
• The Black Scorpion leader begins confident and arrogant but becomes increasingly alarmed after Cheng Luoyi defeats him. His attempt to exploit the group’s weaker-looking members ultimately leads to his death.
• Lin Dong initially remains uninvolved, apparently allowing Cheng Luoyi to handle the attackers for her own enjoyment. When targeted, he displays overwhelming, almost incomprehensible power and kills the boss without effort.
• The captive shelter personnel shift from despair to hope after witnessing Cheng Luoyi’s strength, believing they may be rescued.
• The Black Scorpion members move from aggression and greed to fear once they see Cheng Luoyi and Lin Dong’s true abilities.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation and hidden strength: The attackers judge the group by appearance, mistaking them for weak, vulnerable survivors. Their assumptions lead directly to their destruction.
• Power and dominance in the apocalypse: Survival depends on strength, and both Cheng Luoyi and Lin Dong demonstrate that overwhelming ability can instantly reverse the balance of power.
• Cruelty and dehumanization: The Black Scorpion Organization treats people as commodities, especially targeting Cheng Luoyi as a valuable “resource.” Their own brutality is ultimately turned against them.
• Professional violence versus casual power: Cheng Luoyi fights with trained precision, while Lin Dong kills so effortlessly that his actions appear almost unreal to the observers.

Character Interactions

• The Black Scorpion leader initially insults and dismisses the group, while his men surround them and attempt to capture Cheng Luoyi.
• Cheng Luoyi responds to the group’s lewd and threatening behavior with immediate, lethal violence.
• The leader and Cheng Luoyi engage in a fast, close-range duel, but she gains the advantage and wounds him.
• After recognizing Cheng Luoyi as a serious threat, the leader tries to attack Lin Dong instead, believing him to be an easier target.
• Lin Dong silently counters the attack, immobilizes the leader, and removes his Crystal Core, leaving the surviving enemies horrified.

Chapter Summary: “Send Someone to Meet Them”

Plot and key events

After Lin Dong kills the Black Scorpion leader, the remaining members panic and flee. Cheng Luoyi pursues and kills the rest, while Lin Dong collects their corpses and stores the aircraft. The four kidnapped Awakened survivors initially thank Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi, but Lin Dong frightens them by clarifying that he never promised to save them. He eventually frees them after they agree to do whatever he asks.
Lin Dong orders the four to help locate more members of the Black Scorpion Organization. One survivor explains that they can access Black Scorpion City’s communication network. Using a phone, they contact the organization’s website, which disguises itself as the benevolent “Han River Shelter,” advertising plentiful food, safety, and a supposed farm. The girl pretends to be interested, and the organization offers to send a “rescue team” to meet them.

Character developments

• Lin Dong demonstrates overwhelming strength and a pragmatic, somewhat intimidating personality. He is more interested in using the survivors as bait or informants than rescuing them out of compassion. His casual corpse-collecting and ability to store the aircraft highlight his strange powers and detached attitude.
• Cheng Luoyi proves ruthless and highly efficient in combat, killing the fleeing enemies without hesitation. Her teasing exchange with Lin Dong shows that she is becoming comfortable challenging his behavior, even as she recognizes his authority and strength.
• The four survivors shift rapidly from relief to terror, then to desperate cooperation. Their fear of Black Scorpion remains intense, but they agree to help Lin Dong in exchange for their lives.
• The injured young man and his girlfriend provide comic relief through their awkward discussion about his injuries and their possible breakup.
• Chen Ming, Sun Yuhang, and Sun Xiaoqiang contribute brief reactions and humor, with Sun Xiaoqiang focusing mainly on finding food.

Character interactions

Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi exchange sarcastic remarks about his collecting corpses and her role as his “gold-medal enforcer.” The rescued survivors plead with Lin Dong for mercy and promise obedience. The injured couple discuss whether their relationship can continue, prompting Sun Yuhang to joke about Chen Ming. The group then works together to contact Black Scorpion’s network, with one of the girls taking the lead in posing as a potential recruit.

Significant themes

• Power and fear: The Black Scorpion members’ collapse after their leader’s death shows how quickly authority disappears when confronted by superior force.
• Manipulation and deception: Black Scorpion hides behind the wholesome name “Han River Shelter” and attractive food advertisements, presenting exploitation as rescue. Lin Dong similarly uses the survivors strategically, turning their fear and knowledge into tools.
• Survival pragmatism: Moral concerns are secondary to staying alive; the survivors agree to almost anything, while Lin Dong treats enemies, bodies, and resources according to their practical value.
• Comic relief amid apocalypse: Dark humor, awkward relationship banter, and food-related jokes lighten an otherwise violent and threatening situation.
• The lure of comfort: Images of hotpot and abundant food reveal how powerful promises of safety, nourishment, and normal life are in the post-apocalyptic world.

Chapter Summary: Black Scorpion City

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yao and her group agree to visit Black Scorpion City after being promised food, drink, and personal freedom.
• Lin Dong, Jiang Yao, Chen Ming, Sun Yuhang, Sun Xiaoqiang, and others travel toward the city, carrying supplies previously looted by the Black Scorpion Organization.
• Along the journey, they pass through ruined villages, barren farmland, abandoned vehicles, and scattered low-level zombies, illustrating the devastation caused by seven months of apocalypse.
• They reach a recently constructed gravel road leading to Black Scorpion City, which is heavily fortified with wooden barricades, burned remains, and armed guards.
• A bald, muscular Black Scorpion member welcomes them, pretending to be friendly while secretly viewing them as new victims and potential resources.
• Lin Dong recognizes that the welcoming party is relatively weak, but chooses to cooperate so he can investigate the city and its rumored breeding farm.
• Inside the city, renovated buildings coexist with heavily chained compounds and prison-like courtyards. Screams and cries for help reveal that the Black Scorpion Organization tortures and imprisons people.
• The guards treat Jiang Yao’s group as “goods” rather than fellow survivors. The chapter ends as the group is brought to a compound where the alleged breeding farm is located.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong remains calm, observant, and calculating. He sees through the Black Scorpion members’ deception but deliberately plays along to gather information and inspect the city.
• Jiang Yao acts frightened and innocent to maintain the disguise, despite understanding that the organization is made up of cruel criminals.
• Chen Ming, Sun Yuhang, and Sun Xiaoqiang are excited by the prospect of abundant supplies and an easier life, showing how desperation makes the Black Scorpion’s promises tempting.
• The bald reception leader reveals himself as manipulative and predatory. His outward friendliness masks contempt for newcomers and satisfaction at having acquired fresh victims.
• The other survivors become increasingly uneasy as they realize the true nature of Black Scorpion City.

Significant Themes

• Deception and false promises: The Black Scorpion Organization disguises exploitation as hospitality, attracting survivors with promises of food and freedom.
• Moral corruption in the apocalypse: The city presents a society where humans are treated as commodities, torture is normalized, and cruelty has become institutionalized.
• Appearances versus reality: Friendly smiles, renovated buildings, and claims of medical treatment conceal imprisonment, torture, and possible human breeding operations.
• Survival and manipulation: Both sides are pretending—Black Scorpion wants to lure in victims, while Lin Dong’s group hides its awareness and intentions.
• The loss of humanity: The guards’ predatory behavior and the city’s prison-like structure demonstrate how the apocalypse has allowed violence and exploitation to flourish.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yao communicates with the outside contact and agrees to inspect the city before committing.
• The bald man greets Jiang Yao with false warmth, calling her a “delicate little princess,” while privately judging the group’s weakness.
• Lin Dong questions the source of the screams, prompting the bald man to invent excuses about injuries and psychological trauma.
• Jiang Yao and the other survivors silently recognize that the cries come from tortured captives, while Lin Dong deliberately pretends to believe the explanations.
• The guards exchange approving looks with the bald man, confirming that they view the newcomers as a valuable shipment.
• The bald man directs the group into the compound and encourages them to inspect the so-called breeding farm, setting up the chapter’s ominous cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “Reasonable”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong, Jiang Yao, Cheng Luoyi, and the others enter the heavily fortified Black Scorpion compound, guided by Baldy.
• Inside, Lin Dong senses that thousands of people are present, including several powerful awakened individuals. The organization is comparable in strength to the Tech Company in Linshan City.
• They pass a grotesque “farm” where Black Scorpion raises enormous mutated rats for meat. The rats are fed minced human flesh, horrifying Jiang Yao and the others.
• Baldy leads the group into a sealed hall used for registering newcomers, confiscating weapons, and imprisoning survivors. He attempts to take Cheng Luoyi’s blade.
• Black Scorpion members surround the group and threaten them with torture and death, revealing the organization’s brutality.
• Lin Dong reveals that he is actually a Zombie King. His Corpse Domain overwhelms the hall, paralyzing or incapacitating the weaker members and terrifying everyone present.
• Cheng Luoyi reveals that she had no intention of resisting merely to escape—she intended to kill everyone. She crushes Baldy’s arm and kills him with a single slash.
• Sun Xiaoqiang, Chen Ming, and the others join the attack, slaughtering the Black Scorpion members in the hall while Lin Dong calmly observes.
• The screams attract little attention from the compound’s other residents, emphasizing how routine violence is within Black Scorpion.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong remains fearless and emotionally detached. He recognizes the practical logic behind the rat farm but shows no sympathy for Black Scorpion’s cruelty. His revelation as a Zombie King demonstrates his overwhelming power and willingness to expose his identity when necessary.
• Cheng Luoyi displays exceptional strength, composure, and decisiveness. Her act of locking the gate earlier appears considerate, but she later reveals that she deliberately secured the compound so no one could escape. She shifts from appearing restrained to openly murderous.
• Baldy becomes increasingly arrogant and threatening once inside the compound, believing his home territory gives him control. His confidence collapses when he realizes he has brought a Zombie King into Black Scorpion’s base.
• Jiang Yao and the others react with horror and nausea to the human flesh being fed to the rats, highlighting their comparatively normal moral response to the apocalypse.

Significant Themes

• Institutionalized cruelty: Black Scorpion treats torture, imprisonment, cannibalistic feeding, and murder as ordinary procedures rather than shocking crimes.
• Predator and prey reversal: The group initially appears to be entering a trap, but the supposed victims are actually far more dangerous than their captors.
• Power concealed beneath calmness: Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi remain composed while Black Scorpion mistakes their restraint for weakness.
• Survival through efficiency and brutality: The rat farm reflects the practical, morally corrupted logic of the apocalypse, where rapid reproduction and resource efficiency override humane considerations.
• Fear as a weapon: Lin Dong’s Corpse Domain instantly destroys the captors’ psychological advantage, transforming the hall from a prison into their own death chamber.

Character Interactions

• Baldy attempts to assert authority by confiscating Cheng Luoyi’s weapon, but she effortlessly restrains him.
• The Black Scorpion members encourage Baldy to use violence, revealing their shared brutality and confidence in their numerical advantage.
• Lin Dong and Baldy exchange sarcastic revelations: Baldy claims to be a Black Scorpion member, while Lin Dong casually declares himself a Zombie King.
• Cheng Luoyi directly contradicts Baldy’s assumption that she merely wants to resist, explaining that she intends to kill the entire group.
• Lin Dong remains at the center of the massacre as Cheng Luoyi and the others carry out the physical attack, underscoring both his authority and the group’s coordinated trust.

Chapter Summary: “Cruel Torture”

Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong, Cheng Luoyi, and their companions massacre the Black Scorpion members occupying the building, with Lin Dong collecting the corpses.
• They move to the second floor, which has been converted into a prison for abducted and deceived survivors.
• The prisoners have been brutally abused and categorized according to their perceived usefulness, including separate groups based on appearance, physical strength, and even women who have recently given birth.
• Cheng Luoyi and the others kill the guards and cut open the prisoners’ cells, freeing the survivors.
• Despite being released, many prisoners remain too traumatized to move, revealing how thoroughly they have been terrorized.
• The group discovers a water vat containing a woman who has been mutilated and tortured into a “Human Swine”—her limbs, eyes, ears, and tongue have been removed, and her scalp has been branded.
• Lin Dong ends her suffering by piercing the vat and killing her instantly.
• Horrified by what they have witnessed, Sun Yuhang vows to destroy the entire Black Scorpion Organization, though Chen Ming points out that Yuhang currently lacks the strength to do so.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong remains calm and detached amid the slaughter, but he recognizes the victim’s suffering and mercifully ends her life.
• Cheng Luoyi continues to act directly and ruthlessly, killing enemies without hesitation while helping liberate the prisoners.
• Chen Ming initially attempts to appear fearless, but the sight inside the vat overwhelms him and exposes the psychological horror of the Black Scorpion’s actions.
• Jiang Yao reacts with alarm and curiosity, gradually understanding the extent of the organization’s cruelty.
• Sun Yuhang undergoes the strongest emotional shift, transforming his disgust and anger into a determined desire to eradicate Black Scorpion, although his current abilities are insufficient.

Significant Themes

• Human cruelty surpassing monstrous violence: The chapter emphasizes that the Black Scorpion members’ deliberate torture and exploitation are more horrifying than the actions of apocalypse monsters.
• Dehumanization and commodification: Prisoners are sorted according to appearance, strength, reproductive status, and usefulness, showing how victims have been reduced to resources.
• Terror as a method of control: The mutilated woman in the vat was likely used as a warning to prevent other prisoners from attempting escape.
• Trauma and helplessness: Even after their cells are opened, many survivors remain frozen in fear, demonstrating the psychological damage inflicted upon them.
• Justice and revenge: Sun Yuhang’s vow introduces a stronger conflict between survival and the desire to punish human evil.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Luoyi bluntly tells the guards that the group has come to “send them on their way” before killing them.
• The imprisoned survivors beg Lin Dong and the others for rescue, contrasting their desperation with the guards’ relaxed behavior.
• Chen Ming tries to investigate the vat and show courage but is sickened by what he sees.
• The group collectively reacts with horror to the Human Swine, while Lin Dong alone responds with decisive mercy.
• Sun Yuhang declares his intention to destroy Black Scorpion, and Chen Ming supports the goal but questions whether Yuhang is strong enough to accomplish it.

Chapter Summary: “Hatred’s Fury”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sun Yuhang reflects on his many battles since the apocalypse and realizes that his dependence on Cheng Luoyi has prevented him from developing true fighting spirit. Inspired by the day’s events, he resolves to become a “Black Scorpion assassin” and hopes to awaken a powerful ability.
• The survivors rescued from the second floor remain deeply traumatized by the Human Swine torture. Their fear turns into a shared determination to avoid ever falling into Black Scorpion’s hands again.
• The group advances to the third floor, where Black Scorpion’s minor leaders and higher-ranking members live.
• Young Master Luo, the building’s manager and son of compound supervisor Luo Ze, senses the disturbance and goes downstairs with armed subordinates to investigate.
• He discovers the freed prisoners gathered at the staircase. They are consumed by hatred and seek revenge for the abuse they suffered.
• Young Master Luo orders his men to attack, but Lin Dong effortlessly massacres them with sweeping attacks from his flame-infused blade. Chen Ming, Sun Yuhang, and the others finish off the remaining wounded enemies.
• Terrified, Young Master Luo attempts to intimidate the group by invoking his father’s authority. When he reveals that Luo Ze is in a neighboring building, Lin Dong immediately leaves to confront him.
• Cheng Luoyi disables Young Master Luo by severing his hands and feet, leaving him to the survivors, who begin brutally taking revenge as his screams echo through the building.
• Meanwhile, Lin Dong exits the compound building and heads toward Luo Ze’s location. The Black Scorpion members outside fail to realize that anything unusual has happened.

Character Developments

• Sun Yuhang gains a new sense of purpose. Rather than relying on Cheng Luoyi for protection, he wants to grow stronger and become a genuine combatant.
• The survivors transform from helpless victims into a furious, united force driven by revenge. Their trauma has not disappeared, but it now fuels their resistance.
• Young Master Luo is exposed as cowardly and dependent on his father’s status. Despite being a B+ Rank awakened, he has little practical courage or ability.
• Lin Dong continues to demonstrate overwhelming strength and ruthless efficiency, treating powerful Black Scorpion fighters as insignificant obstacles.
• Cheng Luoyi shows both combat decisiveness and a willingness to let the victims personally punish their abuser.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and righteous fury: The survivors’ hatred becomes the driving force behind their actions, allowing them to reclaim power from their tormentors.
• Strength versus privilege: Young Master Luo’s rank and family connections cannot protect him once he faces someone genuinely powerful.
• Trauma and empowerment: The chapter shows how extreme suffering can produce both fear and a fierce determination to resist.
• The desire for self-improvement: Sun Yuhang’s ambition marks the beginning of a personal transformation from dependent follower to aspiring warrior.
• Cruelty and moral consequences: The brutality inflicted by Black Scorpion returns upon its perpetrators, emphasizing the destructive cycle of violence.

Character Interactions

• Sun Yuhang and Chen Ming discuss the possibility of awakening special abilities, revealing Sun’s optimism and Chen’s skepticism.
• Young Master Luo’s subordinates try to reassure him, but his instincts correctly warn him that the disturbance is serious.
• The survivors confront Luo with the full force of their hatred, while Sun Yuhang openly declares that they have come for revenge.
• Lin Dong dismisses Luo’s threats and turns his own revelation about Luo Ze into a death sentence.
• Cheng Luoyi restrains Luo physically and leaves him to the survivors, allowing them to personally express their accumulated hatred.

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong infiltrates a Black Scorpion compound using his concealment, passing unnoticed among enemies.
• He enters the building where Luo Ze, the corrupt compound supervisor, lives in luxury.
• Luo Ze, a former butcher turned tyrant, is served by chained women and feasts on rats.
• He notices his son hasn't arrived for dinner and sends guards—but they die mysteriously.
• Lin Dong reveals himself, telling Luo Ze that his son has likely been eaten by the imprisoned survivors.
• Luo Ze calls for guards, but Lin Dong uses the Corpse Domain to freeze everyone and massacre them.
• Lin Dong kills Luo Ze in a brief fight, dragging his blade through him.
• Later, Luo Ze's mutilated corpse (son) is thrown from a building, showing bite marks and a missing face.
• Black Scorpion members recognize the black scorpion tattoo and panic.
• The chapter ends with the compound's chains rattling and doors bursting open—implying Lin Dong's next move.

2. Character Developments

• Lin Dong: Exhibits cold, practiced ruthlessness. He thanks his victims before killing them, views slaughter as routine, and shows no hesitation. His power (Corpse Domain) overwhelms even A-plus rank warriors.
• Luo Ze: Introduced as a debauched, cruel overseer who considers the apocalypse "paradise." Despite his brutality, he shows a father's concern for his son, making his fall more personal.
• Black Scorpion members: Shown as opportunistic, cowardly, and increasingly horrified as they realize the danger.

3. Significant Themes

• Retribution: The oppressed survivors and Lin Dong deliver brutal justice to a tyrannical leader.
• Dehumanization of power: Luo Ze’s absolute rule turns him into a monster, yet his son’s death exposes his vulnerability.
• The apocalypse as a moral vacuum: Violence is normalized; Lin Dong’s indifference underscores the loss of human empathy.
• Cycle of cruelty: The survivors’ starvation drives them to cannibalism, mirroring the brutality of their captors.

4. Character Interactions

• Lin Dong vs. Luo Ze: A one-sided confrontation, with Luo Ze terrified and ultimately killed.
• Lin Dong vs. guards/subordinates: Killed without struggle, their bodies piled up.
• Luo Ze vs. his captive women: Shows his perverse dominance and “paradise.”
• Black Scorpion members vs. the son’s corpse: Their recognition of the tattoo triggers panic and foreshadows chaos.
• Off-screen: Luo Ze’s son is implied to have been killed by escaped prisoners who devoured his flesh.

Chapter Summary: “Find the Boss, Fast”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Luoyi, Sun Xiaoqiang, Chen Ming, and the rescued survivors emerge from captivity after killing Young Master Luo.
• Black Scorpion members attack immediately, but Cheng Luoyi holds the front line while Chen Ming, Sun Yuhang, and the others eliminate enemies behind her.
• The battle escalates as more Black Scorpion fighters arrive. Qian Feng, leader of Luo Ze’s elite squad, intervenes with three powerful teammates.
• Qian Feng traps Cheng Luoyi between Earth Walls, while an A-Rank Water Awakened imprisons her in a Water Prison. A psychic attacker assaults her mind, and a speed-enhanced fighter attempts to stab her.
• Despite being restrained and injured, Cheng Luoyi grabs the attacker’s blade, breaks it, and kills him with the fragment.
• She then destroys the Water Prison and Earth Walls, charges Qian Feng, and severs his arm despite his transformation into a heavily armored earth giant.
• Qian Feng’s remaining teammates try to stop her. Sun Xiaoqiang defeats the psychic attacker with a single punch, while Cheng Luoyi cuts through the Ice Walls and kills the Water Awakened.
• Realizing that his squad is completely outmatched, Qian Feng retreats into the main building to find Luo Ze and request help.
• When he reaches Luo Ze’s room, he finds it filled with corpses and discovers a mysterious figure holding a long blade, suggesting that Lin Dong has already defeated or killed Luo Ze.

Character Developments

• Cheng Luoyi demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, resilience, and increasing bloodlust. Even while blinded, slowed, mentally attacked, and wounded, she quickly reverses the situation and destroys the elite squad.
• Sun Xiaoqiang reveals extraordinary resistance to psychic attacks. He appears unaffected by the mental assault and defeats the psychic Awakened with one punch, despite his distracted, childlike focus on finding marshmallows.
• Qian Feng shifts from confident commander to terrified survivor. After witnessing his teammates’ deaths and losing an arm, he abandons the fight and seeks Luo Ze’s protection.
• Luo Ze’s power and fate become central to the suspense. He is implied to have already been defeated by Lin Dong, leaving Black Scorpion’s forces without their strongest leader.
• Lin Dong does not appear directly, but his off-screen hunt for the supervisor and the bodies in Luo Ze’s room establish his effectiveness.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming strength versus numerical advantage: Although Black Scorpion has far more fighters, Cheng Luoyi and her allies dominate through superior individual power and coordination.
• Reversal of power: The elite squad initially appears to have Cheng Luoyi trapped, but her endurance and strength rapidly turn their coordinated ambush into a massacre.
• Fear and collapse of authority: Qian Feng’s panic reflects the breakdown of Black Scorpion’s confidence once their strongest fighters prove helpless.
• Hidden power and unpredictability: Both Cheng Luoyi’s resistance and Sun Xiaoqiang’s immunity to psychic attacks surprise the enemy, emphasizing that appearances are misleading.
• Momentum and vengeance: The assault is driven by the group’s escape and retaliation against their captors, with each victory further weakening Black Scorpion.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Luoyi faces Qian Feng’s squad alone and answers their coordinated attack with brutal counterattacks.
• Sun Xiaoqiang casually interrupts the psychic attacker while searching for marshmallows, creating a contrast between his odd behavior and immense strength.
• Qian Feng orders his teammates to protect him but ultimately uses ordinary Black Scorpion members as cover while fleeing.
• The chapter ends with Qian Feng entering Luo Ze’s room and encountering the aftermath of Lin Dong’s confrontation, setting up the next revelation.

Chapter Summary: “Making Dumplings”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Dong kills Qian Feng after discovering that Luo Ze has already been decapitated and his Crystal Core removed.
• Cheng Luoyi and Lin Dong attack the Black Scorpion Organization from inside and outside the compound. Because the gates and electrified fences prevent escape, all of its more than one thousand members are annihilated.
• Lin Dong collects every corpse in his storage space, leaving the compound completely clean.
• The group searches Luo Ze’s buildings and discovers food supplies, personal belongings, and disturbing collections belonging to Black Scorpion members.
• Chen Ming finds a Tech Company case containing Human Evolution Potions, which can help ordinary people form Brain Cores.
• Lin Dong deduces that the potions were intended for a trade between the Black Scorpion Organization and Tech Company, explaining why the organization had mistaken them for Tech Company representatives earlier.
• Sun Xiaoqiang and Jiang Yao discover a valuable dairy cow, a rare source of milk and food in the apocalypse.
• Rather than return to Jiangbei City, Lin Dong decides that the group will remain in the compound and investigate the expected Black Scorpion–Tech Company transaction.
• After realizing they have access to electricity, water, ingredients, and safety, the group decides to prepare dumplings—a rare return to normal domestic life.
• Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi prepare the beef filling. Cheng chops skillfully, while Lin Dong uses his Corpse Domain ability to crush the meat instantly.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong demonstrates his ruthlessness, efficiency, and strategic intelligence by eliminating enemies, inferring the purpose of the evolution potions, and planning to exploit the coming trade with Tech Company.
• Cheng Luoyi continues to rely on Lin Dong’s judgment while remaining capable and independent. She proves highly skilled in combat, resource gathering, and food preparation.
• Chen Ming and the others become increasingly impressed by Lin Dong’s ability to draw major conclusions from small details.
• The group as a whole briefly shifts from survival mode toward comfort and community, rediscovering the possibility of cooking and sharing a meaningful meal.

Significant Themes

• Consequences of violence and cruelty: The Black Scorpion Organization’s brutal practices ultimately lead to its complete destruction.
• Survival and resourcefulness: Food, livestock, evolution potions, and secured shelter are all treated as precious resources in the post-apocalyptic world.
• Power and opportunism: Lin Dong intends to take advantage of the Tech Company trade for his own purposes.
• Memory and humanity: Making dumplings evokes pre-apocalypse family life, warmth, and happiness, offering the survivors a brief sense of normalcy.
• Contrast between brutality and domestic peace: The chapter moves from mass slaughter and disturbing discoveries to the simple, communal act of preparing food.

Character Interactions

• Lin Dong kills Qian Feng and later explains the significance of the evolution potions to Cheng Luoyi and the others.
• Cheng Luoyi and the group react with surprise to Lin Dong’s claimed familiarity with Tech Company, understanding the suggestive implication behind his words.
• The group admires Lin Dong’s deduction about the proposed trade.
• Cheng Luoyi asks Lin Dong what they should do next, showing her confidence in his planning.
• After Lin Dong suggests cooking, Cheng Luoyi proposes dumplings, and everyone enthusiastically agrees.
• Lin Dong and Cheng Luoyi work together on the filling, contrasting her careful knife skills with his effortless supernatural method.

Chapter Summary: “Intermission”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group enjoys an unusually lavish meal in the apocalypse, cooking dumplings, beef, and vegetables from the cow they obtained.
• Cheng Luoyi worries that eating food prepared through Lin Dong’s domain might turn them into zombies. Lin Dong reassures her that even if she lost her memories, he would restore them.
• The meal briefly becomes emotional when Sun Yuhang begins crying because the food reminds him of his mother. His grief causes the others to think about their own lost families.
• Their meal is interrupted when a man from the neighboring compound bangs on the gate. He reminds them that thirty survivors must be provided during their upcoming trade with the Tech Company.
• The man, the neighboring compound’s second-in-command, also makes a lecherous advance toward Cheng Luoyi and invites her to visit him if she has trouble surviving. Cheng Luoyi calmly agrees, apparently intending to deal with him later.
• After eating for two hours, the group sleeps without assigning guards because Lin Dong remains awake and can protect them.
• Lin Dong finishes absorbing Luo Ze’s A-plus-rank Crystal Core but realizes that such cores no longer provide much improvement. He senses that he is approaching a bottleneck and needs higher-level cores.
• Bored, Lin Dong leaves the compound by passing through the iron gate with his Corpse Domain. His concealment allows him to move through Black Scorpion City undetected.
• He notices a brightly lit, noisy building amid the otherwise dark city and becomes curious about what is happening inside.

Character Developments

• Lin Dong demonstrates confidence in his abilities and makes a firm promise to restore Cheng Luoyi’s memories if necessary. His rapid absorption of the Crystal Core shows that he is nearing a new stage of power but also facing a difficult advancement bottleneck.
• Cheng Luoyi remains calm, pragmatic, and focused on immediate concerns—particularly finishing her meal. She shows little attachment to the past and handles the intrusive neighboring leader without openly provoking him.
• Sun Yuhang reveals his emotional vulnerability by mourning his mother, reminding the group that they still carry pain from their former lives.
• The group experiences a rare moment of comfort and normalcy through the shared meal, strengthening their sense of companionship despite the dangers surrounding them.

Significant Themes

• Temporary normalcy in the apocalypse: The feast provides a brief return to ordinary human pleasures, contrasting sharply with the violence and scarcity of their world.
• Memory and identity: Cheng Luoyi’s fear of becoming a mindless zombie emphasizes the importance of memories to personal identity.
• Grief and loss: Sun Yuhang’s tears reveal how reminders of comfort can also revive painful memories of family members lost after the apocalypse.
• Power and progression: Lin Dong’s diminishing returns from A-plus-rank Crystal Cores signal that his growth is reaching a limit and that stronger resources will be necessary.
• Hidden danger beneath calm: Even during a peaceful meal, the group remains vulnerable to outside forces, including the Black Scorpion Organization and predatory individuals.

Character Interactions

• Lin Dong reassures Cheng Luoyi about preserving her memories, creating a moment of trust between them.
• The group jokes about eating cows, but Sun Yuhang’s grief shifts the atmosphere from humor to shared melancholy.
• Cheng Luoyi confronts the neighboring compound’s second-in-command and dismisses his suggestive behavior with controlled politeness.
• Chen Ming questions Cheng Luoyi about the visitor, but she minimizes the encounter to prevent unnecessary worry.
• Lin Dong separates from the sleeping group and independently explores Black Scorpion City, ending the chapter by investigating the mysterious illuminated building.